Americana’s menu reflects the seasons, beyond its vast plate-glass windows, is through the weekly harvest dinners: Appetizer, entrée, and dessert, accompanied by unlimited wine pairings. One week a silky, nutty cauliflower soup was adorned with velvety truffle-poached scallops — a smooth taste that contrasted nicely with the spicier entrée of strip steak with a peppery green chimichurri sauce. Peanut butter pie with hazelnut gelato made for a rich, cool finish. Each menu is created around what’s seasonal and available. “I call my purveyors, I say, ‘What do you guys have coming in that’s really good?’ They say, ‘You should try these purple new potatoes that are coming in,’” Blandino says. “So we try those out, and then we pair them with the meat. Then I match things.”
Sunday brunch is another case of the restaurant adapting to repeat customers. “That’s absolutely a locals’ thing,” says Blandino. Although, with an array of small plates — from chorizo and egg tostada to Merlot-poached pear tartare to shrimp-and-grits — it could give some Strip buffets a run for their money.
Say cheese: Americana's cheesecake offers a delicate but decadent finish.
Both the Sunday brunch and the harvest dinner are $42 (the latter includes unlimited wine pairings), another way that Americana considers its local clientele: Not everyone is here to splurge. You can go big and have a blowout, order sashimi and venison and a side of foie gras — but you can also have $1 oysters on Tuesdays or drop in for happy hour, where a changing array of dishes and drinks are half-price.