I’m going to get straight to the point: Carbone has a miniyacht. Its name is Fortuna. Its port of origin is the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas, whose 8.5 acre chlorined waters reach thirteen feet at their deepest point. A captain named Mike technically could floor it, but he’s not gonna, because that would make you spill your glass of champagne, or your potato chip loaded with Petrossian caviar. There’s also olives and bloody-mary spiced cashews, but that feels like less precious culinary cargo in the grand scheme of things.
And the schemes are indeed grand: the Fortuna sails for forty five minutes to an hour as the fountains Bellagio erupt behind you in a choreographed sky-high water dance to a soundtrack of your choice, which can be anything from Bruno Mars’s “Uptown Funk” to Frank Sinatra’s “Luck Be a Lady” to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”. Is the latter an odd choice for a boat ride? Yes. Did I still make it? Also yes.
The boat is invite only. I was invited because I was writing about it, but in general, you need to be some sort of celebrity, influencer, a Bellagio V.I.P. or a F.O.M.C. (Friend of Mario Carbone.) The kitchen can whip you up a bunch of different things, but they suggest champagne and caviar, because the yacht experience is best before dinner or after dinner. And that dinner will presumably be at the soon-to-open Carbone Riviera.
Carbone Riviera isn’t your typical Carbone. It’s not dark and clubby but rather maximalist and airy: blue and gold stone mosaics adorn pillars and a ceiling is painted with tan and taupe swirls. (The interior designer is Martin Brudnizki, who designed Annabel’s in London as well as Fouquet’s in New York City.) In the center of the room sits a cornucopic arrangement of roses, oranges, and artichokes. A cherub holds up a bowl of lemons. On the walls hang Mirós, Renoirs, and a Picasso.
About that Picasso: it’s from the restaurant that used to be here, which used the artist as its namesake. Picasso was a legendary fine dining staple on The Strip for 26 years, before it closed in 2024. After the chef, Julian Serrano, retired, MGM Resorts (which owns the Bellagio) knew it had tough kitchen whites to fill.
Douglas Friedman
