With Chef Conant at the Beverly Hills opening

For New Yorkers, Scott Conant is already a well-known name. The chef has been opening one hot restaurant after the other—all Alto Italiano—for nearly the past ten years, It’s only in the past two that Conant has expanded from the naked city. After opening his own Scarpetta in the Meat Packing district, he’s cloned it in Miami, Toronto, Beverly Hills and now Las Vegas, while getting his face on the Food Network (he’s far less of a TV ham than many other chefs).

Of course the West Coast is excited about the Scarpettas (it’s worth noting that each has a significantly different design and menu variations), but the food world at large may be more intrigued by Conant’s first-ever casual concept, D.O.C.G., in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resort adjacent to Scarpetta.

Fine dining chefs don’t always translate well to casual concepts—in fact, the failure rate may be higher than you’d think. Wolfgang Puck himself admitted to me that his casual places take more work, to make them function profitably and still suit his standards (And before you huff: Who was serviing hand-tossed salads and pizzas to order in an American airports before he was? But I digress).

Let me cut to the chase and tell you what the throngs who have been crowding D.O.C.G. from the day it opened already know: It’s good—in some ways, very good. And considering the range of price points, also one of the better deals on the Strip, no matter your level of sophistication. Perhaps that shouldn’t surprise, knowing Conant’s more humble Waterbury, CT roots, or the fact that he’s no doubt absorbed the many similar places opening in NYC recently.

D.O.C.G. is by far the most approachable eatery on a floor almost entirely filled with fine dining,. Set up like a simple squared-off storefront with exposed brick and beams—a long bar filling one side, pizza oven to the rear–it surprisingly feels more authentic inside than it should. Sassy non-Vegas type servers (read: real breasts, no fauxhawks) help with that atmosphere considerably.

The menu, which is also your paper placemat, offers 18 white, red and sparkling wines Italian style, by the quarter (roughly a glass and a half), half or full bottle, a small selection of salume and cheeses, seven pizza varieties five fresh pastas (Not Scarpetta’s famous spaghetti, but don’t fret), eight Secondi (entrees), some bread-centered bites, a nice balance of hot and cold antipasti, an interesting variety of what’s called “assaggini” (small tastes of vegetable dishes) and even three panini.

Oh, Margherita

If the green box doesn’t lead your eye there, you will still likely be drawn first to the pizzas and rightly so. If there’s one thing you judge an Enoteca by, it’s the Margherita. Theirs is a classic 12” Napoli style pie, that comes to table piping hot, thin crust with just a bit of crisp char, floppy at first and chewier as it cools. Bright tomato flavor, fresh cheese, a scattering of whole basil leaves. Having sampled the vast majority of pizzas on the Strip, as well as several off-Strip quality pizza makers, I think I can stick my neck out and say this is almost unquestionably the best pizza in Vegas. Pretty much perfect. As for the other variations, the grey-haired businessman on the next barstool practically high-fived me after polishing off a sausage and broccoli rabe pie that left him, honestly, giddy.

here's the stromboli as its presented at Scarpetta

Where he stopped at perfection, I went on, of course. Next I was brought all four pane selections, starting with the signature mozzerella and salami stuffed focaccia that comes in Scarpetta’s bread basket (I’ve said it could be a course by itself, and an order is well worth $4), and tomato foccacia which is served fresh but cold and is a soft, sweetly savory version of the Genovese snack. In contrast, the garlic nodini (gnots) with a dip of ricotta butter were fine but seem like the kind of thing that should come free or not at all. And the grilled filone toasts with a poached duck egg-fonduta dip didn’t thrill me enough to justify the obvious amount of fat and cholesterol involved. Next came two fantastic fried treats: crunchy-breaded Ascolani style sausage-stuffed green olives (a tongue-teasing tightrope walk of tart, salty, fatty and sweet); and calamari done in delicate strings with some herb and pepper topping, and an almost-arrabiata tomato-basil dip that would change the mind of even the most octopus -averse. I was topped off with a selection of all the salume and formaggi.

Ascolani olives

Did I overdo it? Obviously (there were several to-go boxes, mmmkay?). And there is more here I’d like to try as well—Tuscan fried chicken, short ribs, branzino al acqua-pazza, even the roasted pork panini.

Calamari, bene

But if I sound over-enthusiastic, don’t take it to mean that D.O.C.G. wouldn’t benefit from some tweaks, For starters, it makes no sense that the spot isn’t open until dinnertime. Unless for some reason Comme Ça has an exclusive deal on Level 3 lunch (I don’t think they’re really competitive experiences), expect that to change soon–or I’m starting a petition.

Secondly, for what’s purportedly a wine-centered concept (D.O.C.G. refers to the Italian system of wine appellations), I think they could do better (I have to confess, I thought wine was the weakest link of my first experience at Scarpetta NY as well). While at first pass, the selelctions look like a judicious sampling of Italian wines, there are some obvious holes (no Barbaresco? Nothing from Alto-Aldige?) And, to be blunt, I have a hard time understanding why you’d have to pay $24 for a glass of good (but not transcendent) Barolo. In fact, no quarters are less than $10. I’ll look forward to see more knowledge and enthusiasm for the wines from the servers, too.

Salume e formaggi... not saying it doesn't look great

I also wasn’t thrilled by the salumi compared to the house-made wares of Batali’s man in charge at the Venetian, Zach Allen. And Zach’s stuff doesn’t blow me away either, so perhaps I’m overly picky in that department.

As for the menu overall, while I know it’s not inauthentic for an enoteca to offer so much variety (they are really almost the Italian version of a diner), I personally find more pleasure in places that focus the experience, like true Spanish tapas bars or the “small box” concepts in other cities. Where D.O.C.G. particularly loses focus is offering so many Secondi (entrees), from a $19 fried chicken to $48 ribeye for two. Granted, those are still good deals—particularly if you’ve gotten shut out of Scarpetta for dinner—but I feel like they’d be better as blackboard specials. The energy of a place like this needs to stay in the category of “grab a glass and a bite,” not the long lingering meal that people can get in so many other places on the same floor.

Bear in mind that DOCG’s menu is already more focused than Mario Batali’s Otto at the Venetian and more intriguing than Stratta at the Wynn, it’s most direct competitors on the Strip–and cheaper than both.

Oh, my businessman friend told me his dessert was astounding as well. I trust his judgment.