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Siena Bistro

By: The Lady of The Night Out

Why should you eat at Siena Bistro?

Summerlin has finally grown up and become a culinary vortex of its own. If your life is south by southwest, you no longer have to journey to the Strip to enjoy a fine meal.

But you do have to cruise down Charleston, where the restaurants have a distinctly urban flavor.

If you want something more pastoral just as close to home, you can dine at the Siena Bistro, the restaurant that doubles as club house for the Siena Golf Course. The rough, rugged peaks of Spring Mountain as well as the familiar skyline of the Strip serve up a slice of nature. You can actually hear the birds.

What’s even more surprising is the food scores a rare hole in one. It’s just as inventive as the fress to impress places along the Boulevard at one-third the price.

Who should you eat at Siena Bistro?

Golfers. The gorgeous grounds are a public course, so everyone has a shot at tee time.
Gourmets. The Siena Bistro plates up some of the most inventive food in LVNV. Where else is the hot pastrami served with nine grain mustard or the house hamburger topped with Caesar salad and leeks?
The budget conscious. The Siena Bistro is one of the best food values in the valley. The plates, groaning with food, are incredibly affordable. All sandwiches cost $10 or less and come with a salad and either shoestring fries or onion rings.
Diners looking for a room with a view. The wall of windows overlooks the natural drama of lushly landscaped terraces framed by angular red mountains. The Mandalay Bay rises majestically in the distance. I felt like I was a million miles away from the glitz of Sin City.
Sun set connoisseurs. The windows face west, providing a panorama of explosive color.
Breakfast eaters. You can also watch the sun rise at Siena Bistro, because the dining room opens at 6 a.m. Try Grandma Helga’s oatmeal with caramel apples, raisins, and a sugared phyllo crisp.
Al fresco folks. The Siena Bistro has an extraordinary patio with its own outdoor fireplace. Enjoy the three weeks of gorgeous spring weather here.
The “I’m not wearing a tie” crowd. Casual attire is required.
The daring. Nothing is par for the course; the offerings push the envelope if you accept the dare. For example, pizza toppings include out there stuff like caramelized onion, frazzled leaks, and arugula as well as the traditional pepperoni and sausage.
Folks hungry from an interaction with the star chef. Chef Reiner Sommer lists his phone number at the bottom of the menu and invites his guests to call him to discuss their dining experiences. Wolfgang, are you listening?

Who shouldn’t eat at Siena Bistro?

Seven Hills residents. It’s a long drive from Henderson if you’re not playing golf.
The dress code police. Golfers are known for their wild attire. If you can’t bear the sight of screaming sea green trousers, eat somewhere else or bring polarized sun glasses.
Folks who like to dine after 6 p.m. That’s when the kitchen closes. You’ll have to head down Charleston if you are a nocturnal feeder.

Ok, so what’s the food like? My favorite offering was the ahi tuna wrap. Chef Reiner sears the albacore tuna to rare, them wraps the rectangles into an orange tortilla. Sun-dried tomatoes give it that pumpkin glow. The chef slathered the tortilla with mayo laced with wasabi for the expected kick. Shaved lettuce and an Asian glaze offered some cooling relief. The tuna wraps were decisive and delicious.

You’ve never had a Caesar salad like this one. The salad sits in a pouch made of Parmesan cheese. You break off the brittle bites and eat ‘em or mix ‘em into the salad. The croutons, made from ciabatta bread, are the size of a city block. There’s enough garlic in the thick dressing to ward off a heart attack.

Ditto for the chicken tenderloins. Fat, fish stick-like pieces of chicken were stacked like the leaning tower of Pisa. They marched skyward because they were artfully skewered to an apple. What a clever way to serve a pedestrian appetizer.

You can dip the sweet, still juicy white meat into three radically different sauces: a Ranch dressing with just the right amount of smooth, creamy chill; pineapple salsa that’s both sweet and juicy; and a watermelon barbecue sauce that’s insistently tangy.

The New York style hot pastrami sandwich uses the highest grade of pastrami cut razor thin. The distinguishing element was the nine grain mustard that’s studded with multi-colored mustard seeds. It delivered a Mike Tyson knock out punch.

Shoestring fries or onion rings accompany every sandwich at Siena bistro. I vote for the onion rings. They are unlike anything I’ve tasted before. They’re huge circles coated in a thick buttermilk batter that feels surprisingly light. Deep frying makes the coating crackly crispy while the translucent onions remain moist underneath.

Dessert in the desert: How can you refuse to sample a dessert that flash fries strawberries and serves them Cajun style? This dessert sails to the table on its own power – the lacy phyllo crust sitting in the center of the plate looks like a main sail. Chef Reiner sautés the berries in a caramel sauce steeped in Remy Martin cognac and spiked with ragin’ Cajun spices. The sauce goes down easy and then bam! Your lips ignite. Thank goodness for the vanilla ice cream which tones down the heat.

History: Chef Reiner was executive chef at Red Square at Mandalay Bay. If you’ve been to the Speedway or broken bread with the Sultan of Brunei, you would have sampled his food. He was executive chef of Signature Events, the catering company that cooked meals for both.

The last word: I’m hooked. Chef Reiner links unusual ingredients that rework American classics or elevates simple sandwiches to the rarefied realm of gourmet fare. And the prices are so reasonable it cost me more in gas to drive to Summerlin! This is the West Side story, food wise.

Where is it? It’s the club house of the Siena Golf Course just west of the 215 off Town Center Drive. The address is 10575 Siena Monte Avenue, which is just past Flamingo. The telephone number is (702) 304.7317.

By: The Culinary Curmudgeon Lady of the Night Out

I am a golfer. One of my favorite parts of the golfing ritual is the feast following the 18th hole. The main course, of course, is not the food but the recap of that great shot off the fourth tee. We duffers know the food is going to be both expensive and mediocre at the club house. That unappetizing combination naturally restricts the chowing down clientele to golf fanatics.

Here comes the Siena Bistro to ruin everything. The fare here is truly terrific. It’s haute cuisine the cognoscenti crave. And the prices are extremely reasonable. Toss those two together and you’ve got a recipe for a great restaurant. Suddenly, the gourmets are invading my hallowed space! When I had lunch there last week after a great golf game, more than half the guests in the dining room weren’t in golfing attire. The only irons they knew how to handle were cast iron skillets. This is not a good thing.

This misguided emphasis on food has totally changed the flavor of the club house. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If you don’t own a golf glove, order your Maytag blue cheese-encrusted sirloin elsewhere!

Things are totally different at sunset. Then, it’s OK for the bar to be packed with golfers as well as the glitterati. For the Summerlin crowd, the Siena Bistro is one of the most romantic places to watch the sun set. Crimson and gold melt into the greens in an astonishing display. Once the sky turns deep purple, it’s time for dinner. Except that’s when the Siena bistro closes its doors. It’s not open for dinner.

What’s up with that? We’re rushing headlong toward the longest day of the year when sun sets start at eight o’clock. If you insist on serving gourmet food, get your head out of the sand trap and serve dinner too.

Thank you, Chef Reiner, for including your phone number on the menu. Hopefully this brave course will foster a renewed interest in Americans taking responsibility for their actions. I have a question, though. If the Hausfrau has trouble baking a Schwartzwalderkirschtorte, can I give you jingle?

John: Will you add the “wishing you …” tag line. And I love the new music!

Schwartz vald air keersh torte

Aired 28 March 2003

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