Sage

Sage serves contemporary American cuisine spiced with global influences in a sophisticated, yet comfortable atmosphere. Critically-acclaimed Chef Shawn McClain combines farm-to-table produce, artisanal meats and sustainable seafood with an emphasis on simple, clean flavors and seasonal ingredients. Mirroring the chef's commitment to seasonality, cutting-edge mixologists infuse the fresh fruit purees, boutique liquors and home-made bitters into daily cocktail offerings.

"The room was beautiful and the service was expert. Sage was hands down the best dining experience in Aria."
    ~ Houston Chronicle

"For a meal that truly justifies the worn-out accolade 'fine dining,' Sage is your destination in CityCenter."
    ~ Wall Street Journal

"Chef Shawn McClain's Sage at Aria is everything I hoped it would be–serious, imaginative and impeccably prepared food, well priced, in an atmosphere which manages to be at once elegant, welcoming, and friendly."
    ~ Tasting Las Vegas

"Rarely has a new restaurant by an American chef generated as much excitement as Sage, Shawn McClain's Aria aerie." "The dining room at Sage is elegant and refined, something out of a film like the 1934 classic, Grand Hotel- dark, clubby, and quiet enough for a conversation."
    ~ Foodwinekitchen.com

"It's impossible to have foreseen this, but Chicago chef Shawn McClain's contemporary American spot is the most interesting and delicious thing going at CityCenter, a sprawling new complex that sometimes feels like the sequel to a movie nobody liked all that much the first time around. Sage – with its seasonal, farm-to-table and sustainable seafood offerings – is new and different in these parts. And since it makes its home in the newest resort on the Strip, Aria, it has our attention, though the soft-as-butter veal cheeks and perfectly seasoned branzino didn't exactly have to send up a flare."
    ~ New York Post

Signature Dishes

Starters

• Market Oysters
  - Piquillo Pepper and Tobasco Sorbet/Aged Tequila Mignonette
• Roasted Sweetbreads
  - Glazed Bacon/Creamy White Polenta/Trumpet Mushrooms
• Foie Gras Custard 'Brûlèe'
  - Blood Orange/Toasted Cocoa Nibs/Salted Brioche
• Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
  - Piquillo Pepper/Aged Country Ham
• Duck Fat Roaster Heirlook Beet Salad
  - Jamon Iberico/Crescenza Cheese Foam/Toasted Pecans
• Charred Baby Octopus Salad
  - Grilled Shishito Peppers/Oven-Dried Tomatoes/Basil Aïoli

Vegetarian Options

• Slow-Poached Organic Farm Egg
  - Smoked Potato/Shaved Summer Truffles/Toasted Country Bread
• Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi
  - Roasted Cauliflower/Baby Mache/Aged Pecorino

Main Courses

• Main Day Boat Scallop
  - Braised Oxtail/Wild Mushrooms/Salted Caramel Reduction
• Grilled American Kobe Skirt Steak
  - Toasted Marcona Almonds/Crispy Red Onion/Avocado
• Iberico Pork Loin
  - Brussels Sprouts/Crispy Confit Shoulder/Smoked Dates
• Belgian Ale-Braised Short Rib
  - Braised Red Endive/Fondant Potatoes/Fromage Blanc

(Recently-Legalized) Absinthe

• Pernod 68, France
• Obsello Verte, Spain
• Kubler, Switzerland
• Le Tourment Vert, France
• Mansinthe, Switzerland
• Lucid, France
• Grande, France
• St. George Vert, USA

Chef Shawn McClain

Shawn McClain, executive chef of Sage at ARIA Resort & Casino, has a knack for balancing innovative concepts with refinement and sensibility. His spirited New American menu takes the seasons as its departure point, tapping the freshness of California's fertile environment to produce elevated flavor combinations interwoven with Mediterranean undercurrents.

A native of San Diego, Calif., and a 1990 graduate of the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College in Evanston, Ill., McClain's star rose quickly in the culinary world. He broke onto the national scene at Trio restaurant in Evanston, earning four stars from both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. There, his style came into focus, one that juxtaposes Eastern influence with Western foundations. After seven accolade-filled years, he left to open Spring – his homage to seafood. The restaurant opened in 2001 to extraordinary critical and consumer success. That same year, Spring was nominated for the James Beard Foundation's Best New Restaurant award, and McClain was named Esquire magazine's Chef of the Year. In 2002, he appeared in "40 Under 40," Crain's Chicago Business' highly competitive list of who's who in the city.

By 2004, McClain was ready to take on a new challenge and opened his second restaurant, Green Zebra. An immediate success, this vanguard concept brings vegetables to the center of the plate and has been lauded by the New York Times, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and several other prestigious publications. Green Zebra emphasizes Chef McClain's insistence on the quality of ingredients and his talent for menu innovations. In 2005, he swung the pendulum in the opposite direction and opened Custom House. Located in an historic, boutique hotel setting in Chicago's Printer's Row, this modern interpretation of the classic steakhouse focuses on artisan meats and classic sides reinterpreted with McClain's unique flair. Custom House opened to rave reviews, receiving three stars from both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. In 2006, McClain was honored with the Best Chef Midwest award from the James Beard Foundation.

Now at Sage, McClain changes focus once more with a New American menu built on the irresistible freshness of California's local harvests. When asked why he chose to open a restaurant in Las Vegas, McClain said: "I've been so fortunate to have achieved many of my goals in Chicago, an amazing city and great restaurant town. I have always aimed high, seeking new challenges. ARIA at CityCenter is such an awe-inspiring development; I am thrilled to be among the chefs and restaurateurs included in the project." His sharp eye for distinctive concepts forms the cornerstone of his on-going ability to excite diners nationwide.