Chef Alex Stratta has a full plate, so to speak. His flagship French restaurant, Alex, at the Wynn, is ranked on many lists as one of the top 40 restaurants in the entire nation. He has seven-week-old twins at home. He’s also Steve Wynn’s resident rainmaker, overseeing Corsa Cucina, to place it on track and give it the same continuity as Alex.
He describes his cooking as “country French and Italian: refined.” Chef Stratta’s background is very diverse, and includes tutelage under none other than Alain Ducasse, following an internship at the Michelin three-star Hôtel de Paris in Monaco. After leading Mary Elaine’s in Phoenix for nearly a decade, and winning many awards, including a Mobil four-star rating, Stratta began his collaboration with Steve Wynn in 1998, with Renoir, the restaurant at the Mirage. Then came Alex with the opening of the Wynn. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Q. How did you end up taking on Corsa?
Alex was running smoothly, and Steve asked me if I would also take Corsa and get it working the same way. I began with it in September, and really took the reins in November. I want to bring the same cooking techniques [as Alex] and my interpretation of traditional Italian cooking, to meet the American palate. Corsa will become my answer to more casual Italian.
Q. What do you like that distinguishes Corsa Cucina from Alex?
Corsa is a back-to-basics restaurant, where someone can come get a homespun good meal. It was also the perfect place for one of my signature dishes that didn’t really ‘fit’ at Alex, my braised short ribs of beef.
Q. The gnocchi was so light in spite of being made of potatoes, and the sauce was really flavorful. How do you do that?
Surprisingly, everyone feels differently about that. Some people think that it should be heavy like a bullet, because it’s pasta, and actually send it back. I’ve spent fifteen years working on making perfect, light, fluffy gnocchi. My point is that the American perception can be a little skewed compared to authentic Italian cuisine.
Q. Do you have a tasting menu at Corsa?
We don’t at this time. We’re building foundations, before we start doing cartwheels and backflips. We can always make recommendations for small items, to comprise a meal, but there’s no formal tasting menu.
Q. How do you find the time to be creative, multiplied by two distinctly different restaurants, one French and one Italian?
It’s funny you ask. I was just working on the new Corsa menu. Alex operates so tightly, we change the menu 100% every six weeks. We’re slowly evolving and migrating the menu at Corsa; it should be completely in place by mid February.
Q. What one dish would you suggest that people not be reluctant to try?
The pork chop, with pine nuts, and capers.