Mike Patterson with Evel Knievel’s canyon-jumping Sky Cycle. Photo by Bobby Shiels
Adrenaline is released into the body of a person feeling the emotion of excitement or even fear. Legendary daredevil Evel Knievel felt both as his motorcycle, about to fly through the sky, sped its way up the jump ramp. Executive Chef Michael Rubinstein has a similar sensation while his playlist pumps music in his car when he drives to work each morning past the spot where Knievel jumped the famous fountains on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Both Knievel’s courageous stunts and Rubinstein’s culinary skills are causing the hearts of Vegas visitors to pump in two new establishments: The Evel Knievel Experience, in the Arts District; and Sartiano’s Italian Steakhouse, in Wynn Resort.
“The closer I get from home to the kitchen at Sartiano’s, the more I transform from ‘Michael’ into ‘Chef Rubinstein,’” said the Las Vegas-native. He was awash in awesome adrenaline when he previously fed the Las Vegas Raiders players as executive chef of the NFL team’s first culinary program. “A pro football team is a bit militaristic, and so is a kitchen. There is lots of communication,” Rubinstein allowed. “The Raiders’ coach then was John Gruden, and he worked longer hours than a chef!”
The dining room’s atmosphere is exciting. Photo by Bobby Shiels
It would be late into the evening at Sartiano’s before Rubinstein’s all-pro culinary crew could cheer the announcement “all in” (meaning the night’s last order is taken). At nearly 10 p.m., a bachelorette party of 16 energetic, stylish, young women wiggled in around the big table behind the sliding doors at the back of the soaring, vaulted-ceilinged, brass-detailed dining room.
“Those little ladies will eat more than you might think,” Cutris, a server, said.
At the opposite end of Sartiano’s, past a sidewall of wines behind glass, are windows to an outdoor veranda overlooking the verdant Wynn Golf Course, the trees and hills and bushes of which are dramatically illuminated in the glow of the biggest “golf ball” of all: The Las Vegas Sphere.
Patio views of the Wynn Golf Course and Vegas skyline. Photo by Bobby Shiels
Joseph Franchino looks longingly out at the 18thhole, but is too busy to play golf. He’s managing the mid-century Milanese-style restaurant concept hospitality magnate Scott Sartiano brought to Nevada from the Big Apple with James Beard Award winner Alfred Portale. For diners, the arrival at Sartiano’s is dynamic: a leopard-carpeted floor leads from the chic cocktail bar down a narrow, arched hallway, with framed artwork lining each side, and is bordered with diagonal stripes reminiscent of the chicane curves of an F1 race track. A white-bulbed chandelier is behind the suspended “S” logo.
Sartiano’s is a sophisticated soiree with tableside presentations, shellfish towers with Maine lobster, and decadent dishes designed for sharing. There is a bountiful bevy of Barolo on the wine list. Guests can lift a glass to say “cheers” to the crisp Oscietra Caviar Cannoli with whipped mascarpone and chive to start the meal in style. I might then suggest the Heirloom Tomato Panzanella with pickled eggplant, grilled sourdough, and bufala mozzarella. The pasta course features Fusilli with Wagyu beef ragu and Agnolotti with sheep’s milk ricotta, lamb pancetta, and English peas.
Caviar Cannoli starts the soiree at Sartiano’s in the Wynn. Photo by Bobby Shiels
Bistecca Florentina, carved tableside with peppercorn, roasted garlic, and salsa verda, is one of the steaks sourced from family farms and iconic ranches such as Double R, in Washington; Little Belt Cattle Company in Montana; and, speaking of Evel Knievel, Snake River Farms in Idaho. Supplement the steaks with Soft Polenta and king crab, saffron and fonduta; or add on Truffle Short Rib and Egg Yolk Ravioli.
A savvy server will propose portions so you can enjoy the dolce desserts, such as Panettone bread pudding with amaro custard, sweet ricotta, and strawberry sorbet; or Lemon Fantasy Semifreddo: a chiffon sponge, lemon curd, and limoncello cream. A panorama of gelato and sorbetto flavors ranged from latte, watermelon, white peach and cantaloupe. Then say
“buona notte” with a glass of Iannamaru – a Sicilian mandarin amaro liquor.
I recommend you take home, or to your hotel room, a colorful biscotti tin of Sartiano’s Italian Cookie Selection: Ricciarelli, rainbow, apricot butter, cherry pistachio, baci di allasio, and crostolli.
Beyond the sugar, a different rush awaits where Mike Patterson and his family have created the Evel Knievel Experience, a thrilling, interactive homage to the death-defying daredevil who is forever part of Las Vegas lore. Knievel conned his way into Caesar’s Palace management, allowing him to try to jump his motorcycle, ill-suited for soaring, over their front fountains. Television showed his shocking spill.
“Fear had a lot to do with my fame,” admitted Knievel, a complicated, showman superhero of his time whose first-ever human action figure (purposely bendable) outsold Barbie dolls in the 1970’s. The sweetly nostalgic museum displays the branded toys and licensed lunchboxes, plus presents Knievel’s actual star-spangled uniforms, helmets, traveling semi-trailer, and his motorbikes used in over 200 jumps, including the “Sky Cycle” he attempted to rocket over the Snake River Canyon. That, infamously, was one of the 20 times Knievel crashed – all of which are detailed and visible in videos voiced over by the likes of ABC’s Howard Cosell.
Enter Evel’s Experience with excitement. Bobby Shiels
“Anytime Evel wiped out jumping buses or even a tank of sharks, since he was always trying to outdo himself, he’d hit the pavement at 70 miles an hour. There are no seatbelts on a motorcycle,” said Patterson, himself a professional racer, who created a digital display of Knievel’s bevy of broken bones, for which he is in the Guinness Book of Records.
Visitors can experience an amazingly realistic, 360-degree virtual reality motorcycle jump themselves. It took my breath away as it felt like I was flying off the ramp and over 15 police cars in a true street scene staged in front of a real crowd. “The bike rumbles, the wind blows on you, and you hear people screaming,” said Patterson. I screamed, too…and smiled.
Patterson vividly remembers being four years old and seeing Knievel jump at the Hutchinson Fairgrounds in Kansas. That very motorcycle is now displayed in his own museum.
Contact Michael Patrick Shiels at [email protected] His new book: Travel Tattler – Not So Torrid Tales, may be purchased via Amazon.com Hear his radio talk show on 730 AM 1240 in Lansing weekdays from 3 pm – 6 pm.
