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Wow wow weeee wow!
It takes a lot for me to say that. First of all, we stumbled upon this restaurant not knowing it existed, and were hesitant to try it. It wasn't very busy, therefore in my mind, not very good. Damn, I am so freaking judgmental. Where else but vegas is it okay to have such big judgy pants on?
We sat at the bar, which was a perfect choice. We had a couple glasses of wine, and felt right at home with tremendous atmosphere. 3 cheeses were ordered, and I cannot believe how amazing honey and black truffle flakes can be. The boy had a pizza, and I had an arugula salad.
The only reason this place does not get 5 stars is due to the crutch known as salt that this restaurant was strongly holding onto. There was no need for so much salt. I even went as far as to pour my water into my salad plate just to wash the salt off. Epic fail.
Our waitress was nice, and prompt, the staff was very attentive, and the atmosphere was perfect for the Venetian. Sitting up at the bar was a fantastic choice as we were able to see a lot further, and enjoy when the performers came out to sing, puppet, etc... the tables looked uncomfortable. At the bar you can watch them make the salads too. Which I kind of like. Its fun to see kitchen techniques, and how fast things come together for these chefs.
yay. something positive from vegas.
Wow. I was SO disappointed in this experience. I watch Iron Chef fairly religiously and had always thought Batali and Morimoto were the chefs to beat, and was totally looking forward to eating at a Batali restaurant while in Vegas. So as I checked the reviews of all three of his places I noticed two were $$$$ and this one was $$ but they all got similar reviews. Similar in that there were more dissatisfied customers than I was comfortable with. So we decided to play it safe and test out ESM for lunch, and if it was good, check out one of the others for dinner another day. Needless to say, this was our only Batali experience.
Our service from the hostess was great, she sat my husband and I had a four person table so we could both sit on one side and watch the "street show" in St. Mark's square. One star for that. But sadly, good service then came to a screeching halt. We saw very little of our server throughout the rest of the meal. He dropped off the boring cold bread and took our orders, and we didn't see him again until after our food had been removed from the table and he came back for our dessert order. And after that was done, it took him forever again for the check.
We ordered the balsamic marinated figs to start, the gemeli pasta with house sausage and broccoli rabe as our first course, the pork shoulder as our main course, and the cactus pear sorbet and goat cheese gelato for dessert. I absolutely LOVE figs and enjoyed this first dish very much although it wasn't particularly unique or difficult to prepare. Half a star for the figs. The pasta was disgusting. I agree with everyone else who says he gives "al dente" a new meaning--the pasta was not cooked enough at all for my liking. The sausage was completely flavorless, and the bitterness of the broccoli rabe completely dominated everything. If our waiter had come back to check on us, we would have told him so. The pork shoulder WAS good, I'll give them that, but I make an equally delicious pork shoulder in my crockpot at home for MUCH cheaper. Another half star for the pork. By this time my husband was trying to convince me that we didn't need to spend any more money here on dessert, but I was determined to give it one last chance. I saw the goat cheese gelato on the menu and since I LOVE goat cheese, I figured it had to be money. Sadly no, this dish was as bad as the pasta one. The cactus pear sorbet was saccharine sweet and the goat cheese gelato tasted nothing like goat cheese...and they were even worse when eaten together. We ended up eating only three or four bites of our $12 dessert.
I am sure we must have just had horrible luck on the dishes we ordered because I am having a really hard time believing that this food was representative of Mario Batali's cooking, but I'm pretty sure everyone in the restaurant the day we were there (and we would notice whenever we passed by throughout our visit) was also receiving horrid service. So many bored, hungry looking people straining their necks to find their server. Inexcusable.
Hope you have better luck there.
People thought this was:
See Blog for full review:
Arriving first, my contorti dish consisted of 8 large figs "agrodolce" cured in balsamic vinegar - at only $6 the dish was a steal and tasted wonderful with the sweetness of the figs proving a substantial match for the sour and acidic vinegar. No pits, no stems, soft flesh and crispness to the skin - all told, excellent.
Waiting only a short time my next arrival was the salad - or at least the dish listed as a salad. Entitled Due Uova the plate was certainly overpriced at $14 but the taste/flavor certainly made up for it. Featuring a creamy and rich risotto cake flash fried and filled with cheese the dish was next topped with a farm fresh hen-egg served sunny side and then accented with an ample portion of mullet bottarga - hence the "two eggs." Textural and rich the dish shined despite its price tag and once again showed off Batali's skill with eggs.
Arriving next was my pizza and fried item. First off, Zucchini Blossoms with Picorino Fritti consisted of five flavorful and lightly fried blossoms loaded with a zesty pecorino that melted just enough to give contrast. Light and sweet to complement the savory cheese, the blossoms were actually more fragrant that I was used to and had a great "aftertaste" that lingered on the palate.
Finishing the blossoms I suddenly realized just how large the pizzas were and knowing I A) needed to spend $50 to use my certificate, B) wanted dessert, and C) had the previously mentioned dinner in a few hours I decided to only eat half the pizza - a half that turned into 4/6 of the pizza plus all of the toppings from the remaining slices after a couple bites. Featuring a perfect and buttery cracker crust topped with pulled Ham hock, braised Endive, ricotta, and mozzarella the pizza was stated to be a daily special and it was incredible - possibly the best pizza I've had in a couple of years. Smoky and savory yet sweet the ham was wonderfully tender while the crispy endive proved a nice foil with its mildly pungent tones. The blend of cheeses worked well to accent the toppings without overwhelming, something I've found Batali's team particularly skilled at in past experiences.
Allowing my servers to clear the table (at this point inexplicably still holding the plates of every dish I'd consumed) and to finally refill my water (only 1 refill during the 70 minute meal) I watched the "Street performers" while awaiting my dessert. Feeling somewhat full I decided against the "dessert du jour" - profiteroles, and instead opted for one of Enoteca's signature gelato sundaes - Concord Grape Sorbetto, Peanut Butter Gelato, Peanut Butter Cookie, frozen Concord Grapes. Presented beautifully with a small gelato trowel I proceeded to crumble up the cookie and take a taste. First impressed by the incredibly "grape-like" flavor of the sorbet and its tart almost wine-like aroma I next took a bite of the smooth and creamy gelato - literally like a blend of butter and peanut butter but cold. Finally, mixing the two - heaven - like the best peanut butter and jelly you've never had.
When it was all said and done my total bill came out to $57, or $35ish including my certificate - quite frankly, a steal for a Batali meal and especially in such a unique setting. While clearly not as "refined" as Babbo or Mozza, I actually liked the atmosphere and food at Enoteca much more than that at Otto - I also didn't have to wait for 2 hours for a seat. While service could have been better and prices perhaps slightly lower on the due uova, nothing was out of line and I'd certainly consider returning to Enoteca San Marco for a casual lunch on future visits to Vegas. Say what you will about Mario - the man does great things with cheese, pork, and eggs
People thought this was:
Looking for a nice dining spot that wouldn't break the bank Abby and I happened upon Enoteca San Marco. The "Patio" seating is really nice and really captures the feel of an outside restaurant. We had a few nice starters and some delicious Pastas. We skipped out on dessert and strolled over to the "canal" for gelato. All that with a nice bottle of wine only set us back $80 something dollars. The fountains and fake sky made for a surprisingly relaxing time.
This place was perfect after a day of debauchery at Tao Beach. The only downside is finding this place. The Venetian is designed all funky, so the buildings aren't in your standard square blocks. They could be around nooks and crannies. I m glad we finally found Entoeca, because its exactly the carbs we needed to fill up on.
I came across this place via http://Restaurants.com's 80% coupon discount and thought it would be a decent spot to check out. We got here around 4pm, which was the perfect time to find a seat being that its neither lunch or dinner. The server was very friendly, and she even took her sweet time explaining the menu items. It was written in Italian and hard to figure out. So we ended up ordering a Monte Cresto, a full sized Margaretta Pizza, Risotto and a dish of spaghetti. Believe it or not, we did not have any left overs.
Enoteca isn't your typical Italian restaurant, it features food from the Mediterranean. So from what I can tell it did have a unique taste in all their ingredients. I love the atmosphere of sitting out in the courtyard areas of the Venetian. It made me feel like we were actually on the streets of Italy... but not really. The food here was good, and I definitely recommend it. For Vegas, its definitely considered a good price even if you do not have a coupon. I recommend the Enoteca.
Deserves the Big "O" Award
I've found my new favorite restaurant to dine in when in Vegas! Loved the atmosphere- very casual with a splash of class with the outdoor dining. Went with a group of friends so I got to taste a bit of everything so here's my 2 cents: actually, I'm not gonna waste time talking about other dishes...
Cut to the chase- here's what to order: Fried Pizza Dough, Caprese Salad, Braised Pork Shoulder with Smashed Fried Potatoes and Sauteed Squash.
Pizza Dough: Curiously shaped these strips of fried dough have the perfect chewy texture and is topped with shaved cheese and pepper flakes. Simple yet addicting =)
Caprese Salad: Yummy tomato slices with this soft gooey mozzarella like cheese on top! It was so good I would play bloody knuckles for the last slice =)
Braised Pork Shoulder: Huge, thick piece of pork meat that's so tender and soft that is glazed with this delicious apple reduction and cucumber slices. Honestly, the pork was so good I didn't even realize there were cucumbers on that pig!
The sides were AMAZING: Fried Smashed Potatoes were something new that I'm a fan of....little red potatoes baked soft but the outside is lightly fried and crispy with this incredible salty slightly spicy kick! Zucchinis were sauteed in butter and garlic- enough said!
What NOT to order: Pizza (why waste $ on something you can everyday?!), Butternut Squash appetizer (tasted flowery), pasta margherita DOC (it was too salty).
My friend had a bite of my pork and said, "Ohhh, the chef made love to that dish!" and my reply was, "If that's the case this pork had some multiple O's!" Seriously guys, it was TOO GOOD!
*sigh* Now I'm sad....talking about this restaurant and being 3 hours away sucks.
If you're in Vegas please try San Marco out. The staff are wonderful and atmosphere is chill w/ lots of people watching.
I think I'm going to plan another Vegas trip- just to eat here again!
People thought this was:
Oooh my very first Mario Batali restaurant! I actually wanted to try his B&B Ristorante, but we were going for something casual and quick that afternoon. Located in the piazza of The Venetian sits Enoteca San Marco. The wait was a bit long even with reservations, so we ended up sitting at the "bar." We were able to watch them prepare the sliced cured meats and the vegetables.
The waiter suggested the fried cauliflower appetizer. I'm not a fan of cauliflower but what they hey. I've only known him for 10 seconds but I trust the dude. We went with a zucchini pasta which I don't see on their online menu.
While waiting for your food to come out, they give you two types of breads. Bread sticks and two slices of cut bread. I only tried the cut bread. Super soft like marshmallows. None of them were seasoned or flavored. It didn't even come with olive oil. Just butter. The bread wasn't even hot enough to melt the butter.
I was able to try the fried zucchini appetizer and the smashed fried potatoes. I'm not sure how I feel about the fried zucchini. It came in sliced strips, but the batter just wasn't tickling me happy. It was indeed nuked, but it didn't leave a heavy feeling in my stomach. There wasn't much taste to it, tasted like zucchini and batter. No flavor! The smashed fried potatoes were delicious. They were red potatoes in what tasted like were oven roasted, sprinkled with olive oil, thyme, and salt. They looked hard but I was able to easily smash them in my mouth.
When the fried cauliflower came out I first thought, "Aww how cute! Mini fried cauliflowers!" Then I remembered how grosse I thought cauliflower was. I went in with an open mind and took my first bite. Eyes closed. To my surprise, it was actually REALLY good. It was a light batter, and it seemed as though it had a very thin slice of onion wrapped around it. Inside was the super soft cauliflower and what tasted like herb flavored mushy cheese. Alright so my description might not make it sound good, but it was definitely finger-licking good. I wish I took a picture, but I finished them off before I remembered to get my camera.
Oh yeah. We had the best experience with the violinists playing behind us by the shops. It calmed our moods as we were eating on a time crunch. The soft music just made us relax and slowed us down so we could enjoy our meal.
Our zucchini pasta finally came out. I hate not having the actual name of these dishes. It doesn't sound as appetizing. Unfortunately, having the actual name of this dish might not help anything. My friend said the pasta was so dry. It didn't have any sauce. It was spaghetti, tomatoes, and sliced zucchini. The tomatoes were probably the best part of this dish. They were salty and full of flavor. I wish the pasta had more of it. The portions are already small but between a friend and I, we still had leftovers. We even offered it to our friends but they didn't want it.
This place is a great place to grab a quick bite. Prices are very affordable. Unfortunately, my experience wasn't all that spectacular or memorable. I'm still willing to try out his other restaurants. Hopefully we'll have better results.
People thought this was:
We decided to eat at a Batali restaurant in Vegas after trying both Mozzas in LA and Otto in NY. Though we thought the food was good, it doesn't hold a candle to the Mozza duo.
We tried 2 items off the fritti menu - I got the gnoccho (fried pizza dough?) and J got the calzone. Both were tasty, but nothing mind-blowing.
I ordered the caprese salad as an entree - which was great... but again, Mozza's is more memorable. J got the pizza with anchovies and capers. He liked it a lot but Pizzeria Mozza's was better.
The service was fine, nothing special... the waitress seemed a little annoyed that we didn't want dessert (we were full)... I remember reading a NY Times article about how these better restaurants are all struggling and waitstaff are getting substantially lower tips, so maybe she was annoyed that our dinner bill was lower by having 2 courses + wine and not 3, but I didn't quite get the attitude.
We opted to sit indoors because eating "outside" in an indoor plaza with a really strong perfume-y scent just seemed off-putting. We could hear the music piped into the restaurant - I wondered if it was from Batali's iPod (like at Babbo) and if so, it matches my Pandora selections quite well.
Ambiance - A-OK. Food - good but not as memorable as other Batali places. But at least we could get a reservation here :)
Beets & Saba - excellent & good sized portion
Squash Blossoms - filled with a minted ricotta - and DIVINE! An absolute must try!
Canteloupe, Arugula, Parmigiano-Reggiano & Lonza (cured pork loin *drool*) - this was a perfectly balanced salad. Sweet, salty, savory - with a lemon/olive oil dressing and salt/pepper. Perfect and simple.
Another excellent meal - the staff, service and food never disappoint. I was immediately seated - and they get the food out here FAST. It was lunchtime, too. If I was ever disappointed in something here, I'd send it back and know that they'd make it good.
PROTIP: Ask for olive oil when your bread shows up.
This is one of my favourite Vegas places. Highly recommended :)
i want to give this resturant a 1 because i expected so much more . the service was ok. the food, let me begin by saying i have had better frozen pizza from my local market. avoid the pizza margherita the sauce had
absolutely no depth, a rip off for 18 bucks. we had the stuffed cannelloni with pork. yuk. they didn't skimp on the pork that's for sure. ground pork seasoned well instead of over salted shredded would have been the
way to go. the variety of so so vegetables for 30.00
bucks, give me a break mario. we had the server help us
with the wine, another big mistake. not knowing anything about italian wines we were at his mercy, another giganic rip-off. i don't get this place.. never again mario.
I've always liked Mario Batali but now I love him even more after trying his restaurant. This by far was our best meal in Vegas even beating out Bouchon. We (a group of my girlfriends and I) shared a four course meal with options from the regular menu - one my friends is a vegan so only one meat dish was reviewed during this meal =).
We started off with 1. Fried item - zucchini blossom and vegetable items: Eggplant, Beets and Faro (and this was our favorite). 2, The Caprese, Argula and Pea (my favorite). 3. Pennette alla Norma, Cauliflower Rigatoni, and the Gemelli (meat). We were all happy with our individual selections. 4. Dessert consisted of three gelati: strawberry, blueberry and rhubarb. The first two were really sweet and the rhubarb was tart.
I was very happy with the meal. Service was ok. We sat inside which was a nice escape as we felt like we were in a wine cellar as opposed to the exposed seating in San Marco's square.
People thought this was:
Mmmmm...this was the absolute best meal I had in my last trip to Vegas. My only disappointment was that I didn't get to relax and eat more, because we were rushing to a show.
When we arrived, the hostess was very accommodating when we told her that we had to be at a show in an hour. She sat us promptly and let the waiter know we had a time constraint. He immediately came to the table, took our drink order and informed us of how long dishes took once ordered so we could time our meal properly.
For an appetizer, we ordered the Arancine (fried risotto balls) which were quite yummy. They were a bit salty, but nothing that a glass of wine couldn't help. Then we had the three cheese sampler which came with these 3 fabulous sauces to taste the cheese with. Of the 3, the black truffle honey was by far our favorite. Mmmmmm...
We decided to share an entrée, because we didn't want to be overly full for our show. The Bucatini all'Amatriciana, which we later discovered is Mario's signature dish, was deeeee-vine!!!!! Oh my, I could not get enough of it! Once I started eating, I quite frankly regretted having decided to share this dish. *sigh*
This is a for sure stop on our next Vegas trip.
Oh, on a side note, to my dismay I discovered later when we arrived at the LOVE show that we rushed for nothing! I had the wrong night, our show wasn't until the next night!!!
People thought this was:
I am at a crossroads on this review and wish i could do 2 reviews- one on food and one on management/customer service. Again, this is my second visit but my first review. Party of 4- we started with meats, cheeses, olives and bread- all was very good- especially with the marinated cherries(brandy), truffle honey and apricots. great add to the cheese selection! Especially the cherries!!! Ordered a sausage and pepper pizza to split. All good to this point. Pizza comes and Hesch grabs a piece immediately....never mind there was a lady at the table who should have been served first...luckily the hungry lady (we will call her fozzie) told Hal to stop eating the pizza. She then preceded to pull an EARRING out of the pizza! Not a simple diamond or loop- a fish hook looking spear which who knows what was pierced with that thing! Waitress is mortified when we call her over and she sees- off the table goes the pizza and in comes the train of apologetic managers....ok, a little freaked, but also a little drunk at this point as well so we carry on...new pizza comes out, jewelry free and we end evening with meatballs to split. Manager comes over with a "complimentary" after dinner digestive- which we all drink to be polite. Here comes the check.....with NO comp for even the pizza! Are you f'ing kidding me? Someones nose, ear, I don't want to know, piercing is in our pizza.....and you buy me a shot of shit to compensate!
Now you see my dilemma- food was 3.5 stars and management was a 1.0- (FYI- if you read my CarneVino review- what I didn't mention was that the same group manages all of Batalli spots in Vegas- we told them story while waiting for table and they actually comp'd us 2 desserts there).
I originally wanted to do brunch at Bouchon but they are closed on Mondays for brunch. BOO!
We ended up wondering around for a while and ended up here. (Lots of the nicer restaurants are not open at 11am on Mondays.)
Sitting "outside" in the Canal area at the Venetian is beautiful, the people watching and the performers are fun too.
To start off they gave us this bread but it was burnt?? The waiter tells us that "the crust is suppose to be that way." hmmm?? okay? I didn't get it, it tasted like burnt bread to me.
We ordered an Insalate- grilled radicchio with smoked mozzarella. This was good the cheese was baked on top with the crispy radicchio at the bottom. Yummy!
As the main entrees we had the Gemelli - house sausage and broccoli rabe. I love the gemelli noodles they were cooked perfectly, texture was just right and they had a unique shape. The other dish was the Bavette Cacio e Pepe- black pepper and percorino. A very simple dish however, full a flavor you can really taste the noodles but it was a salty.
The portions seem small when you look at them compared to how much pasta you get at other restaurants but, I was stuffed by the end of lunch. And you should be with a $50 lunch tab.
I wonder how B&B would be??? (A lot more expensive, I know that much) :P
People thought this was:
I was in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago for work. On Friday night we went out for a group dinner at Enoteca. I have never been to this establishment but having been to Carnevino and having a WONDERFUL dinner I had expectations.
Enoteca is a bit more casual and low key than Carne and offers pastas, pizzas and a small variety of entrees.
Our group started with a selection of cheeses, Prosciutto di Parma and fried squash blossoms. Not being a cheese fan I passed on the cheese and sampled the prosciutto and blossoms. YUM! The Prosciutto was delicate, just a bit salty and a nice light beginning to the meal. The squash blossoms were filled with some sort of cheese mixture, lightly battered and deep fried. And though fried they were still very light and airy. DELISH! I've never had squash blossoms but this app made me a fan!
For dinner I had the the Marinated Chicken Paillard. WOW! What a serving! The dish "base" was a large slice of deep fried eggplant topped with ricotta cheese, three chicken breast pieces, spicy arugula and a light almost tangy green sauce. So Good and a very generous serving of food! I was able to finish the eggplant, arugula and two pieces of chicken, but left one last piece....just too full. I also have to mention the Braised Pork Shoulder which two members of our party ordered. I was told was delicious and literally fell apart it was so tender. They didn't even need a knife to slice the meat, it just pulled part with a fork! Good stuff.
For dessert we did a sampling of two gelatos and one sorbet. We had the chocolate gelato with hazelnuts, a black cherry gelato and a strawberry sorbet. All were the perfect ending to the meal. Cool, light, clean, refreshing and delicious!
The service was prompt, timely, friendly and efficient. Our server checked on us regularly even though the place was packed!
I would definitely return....if only for the squash blossoms :)
People thought this was:
For a casual, but upscale-ish light dining experience, Enoteca San Marco in the Venetian isn't a bad choice.
My wife had a very good salad, the Acetaia "Vinegar Maker's Salad" that she enjoyed quite a bit. I had a simple pizza Margherita, which seemed overly simplistic - a thin layer of sauce, some slices of buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil - but really was all about the crust, like a good pizza should be, crispy and chewy with a good hearty flavor. Despite its apparent simplicity, I was satisfied with my choice.
I had a very respectable glass of Soave with lunch, while the wife went with a cold beer. Service was competent and relatively pleasant. I'd go here again.
People thought this was:
Okay, so maybe I've never actually been to Italy, but I did spend my pubescent years in Staten Island where all my friends were Italian American, so whatever, this place is frickin fantastic. It's got bustle and hustle with the simulated piazza and the perfectly painted sky above, and we could wave over to the Wolfgang Puck diners nearby and even had a great view of some weird town square opera that was going on, I guess, because it's Vegas.
Our waiter was, to put it mildly, belissimo--just an astonishingly friendly, accommodating fellow who gently talked us out of ordering too much food and took our picture and cooed at us in what I think was a genuine Italian accent. We ordered a bottle of the Bastianich 2004 "Joe's Rosso" because for $35, we couldn't refuse, and plus we'd heard about the label, and it turned out that old Joe did not disappoint.
Naturally I began to stuff my face with the bread, which came with bread sticks, all wrapped in wax paper. But before I could brush the breadcrumbs off my cheeks, out came the Arancine Risotto Balls. My goodness, those were delicious balls. I've never had such tasty balls, so chewy and savory on the inside and crispy toasty on the outside, just yummy yummy balls. That's right, I said balls. My Linguine con Le Cozze, featuring mussels, saffron, and marjoram, was cooked al dente fabulous, and my bubbie's grilled hanger steak delivered a surprisingly bold flavor.
I can't remember if we had dessert. Didn't matter. We had a splendid time, enjoying a long, unhurried dinner and commendable wine and lively conversation and loads of people watching. Mario's eatery rocks!
People thought this was:
Things You Must Know About Enoteca San Marco"
1. Prices are $20-$30. Price is about right for food quality.
2. While food is prepared well, there is no real winners. Everything is just good or lower average.
3. Piazza environment is the best reason to eat here.
4. Cheese plates are great and the best food that came with our meal.
5. Service is exceptional.
6. Bread is always prepackaged burnt and cold.
7. Wine is ridiculously overpriced.
8. Food is average to lower average regular gourmet affair and the scenery rocks. I would not go back.
People thought this was:
Had a solid meal of different apps. Good place but lots of families and kids. Next time I'd go to B & B.
We had a great waiter who answered all of our questions. The menu was similar to Otto in lower NYC. The only thing I was mad about was the fact that they did not have the brussel sprouts. Oh well. We had figs, pickled beets and farro, fried cauliflower, fried procsciutto balls, split a pizza with pancetta, and shared some gellato. We left completely stuffed.
Loved people watching and we met a nice couple who we spent dinner talking too. Good meal but if you want a less child friendly version of Batali's restaurant go to B & B around the corner.
Enoteca was the perfect place to start out this short weekday getaway in Las Vegas.
We were a few minutes late to our 7:45 reservation because the Venetian is a little difficult to navigate post-flight, but we were seated within 3 minutes. The indoor/outdoor theme was serene and definitely my favorite place to be on the Strip. You remember where you are without being forced to watch the zoo of the strip stumble past. The people watching is still very entertaining, but you get less of the train wreck voyeur feeling.
Our waitress greeted us, offering up specials and water while we studied the menu. A few moments later the busser brought them out along with two slices of bread wrapped in logo-ed butcher paper, fully sealed bread sticks (which we didn't touch) and the obligatory olive oil/ basalmic duo. I had to ask for cracked pepper because there wasn't any on the table.
When she came back to take I ordered us a bottle of 2005 Damilano: Nebbiolo D'Alba ($44) to buy us some time to nail down a final decision as we had agreed to go it family style. The bottle was overpriced--shocker for Vegas, right?-- but I know the winery and knew it would be good. I chose it to appease my Pinot Noir drinking dining companion and it did after it opened up a bit.
For dinner we ordered:
--The artichoke and pressed Ricotta insalata ($14) after confirming Lonza was a cured meat.
--Three Verdure (3 for $13): roasted beets with Saba, lentils "alla Toscana", and the eggplant caponata
--The thin crust Romana Pizza ($18): tomato, mozzarella, anchovy, capers and chili.
All three were fabulous. I am partial to Italian cuisine and this was the epitome of it; fresh, high quality ingredients in classic, simple dishes.
The pressed Ricotta accompanying the perfectly prepared artichokes was an absolute delight. The pressing lent the finish a wonderful milky texture that is lacking in dry Ricotta. Sparing placed sprigs of fresh local mint rounded out all of the flavors.
I could not rave more about our verdure selection!
They were served at room temperature and cooked to perfection. I don't usually like eggplant, but the Italians prepare it just right.
The pizza was subtle and punctuated with one salty anchovy per slice. It was thin crust, yet substantial enough that one must crack it to fold it in half. Whoever they purchase mozzarella from must make it themselves. It was so fresh!
After we gave up on dinner and sipped on our wine, we were offered dessert and succumbed to the special profiteroles stuffed with our choice of three gelato flavors. My dining companion chose blueberry, chocolate nib and ricotta. The blueberry was my favorite and ricotta hers. We managed to eat a good half of it before it melted.
The total bill was about $120, including our 20% tip.
Not bad for what felt like a 5 course meal on the Strip.
Go here if you are looking for rustic, simple, delicious and moderately priced Italian fare, not a stuffy, pretentious fine dining experience.
The service staff is wearing jeans after all!
People thought this was:
With the drones of tourists swarming by our table in the replica of San Marco Square, it really did feel like an evening lunch in Venezia.
I'll make it short and sweet...okay, maybe just short.
- It's pricey for the amount of food you get.
- Cute ambiance beneath the faux sky and Venetian architectural surroundings.
- Quick and attentive service.
My crispy duck was quite tasty, but SO SMALL. And with it came a dismal portion of snap peas and some grapes (WTF?). I should have opted for a pizza or something. At least I would have been STUFFED per dollar spent!
I think I'll stick with Grand Lux Cafe.
People thought this was:
Long overdue review. We went here 1.5 months ago. With a $25 http://restaurant.com certificate.
I wanted to like this place. I really did. The wine was fantastic, the service was fabulous. Wish I could say the same about the food.
They don't seat people early. So we were seated a few minutes after 8. No problem, we were hanging out at the bar anyways.
We were greeted with a smile and individually packed crunchy bread sticks. Awesome.
We ordered a cheese plate with five varieties. It came with three dipping sauces. I prefer the cheese without the sauce. Maybe that's just me.
We've heard great things about the prosciutto balls. An order comes with six. It's salty. Very salty. Didn't go down well at all.
Then we had the crispy duck. More like burnt, overcooked duck with no flavor except charred meat. And there was barely any meat.
The goat cheese pizza did little to salvage the meal. But it was the better of the three dishes.
Overall, I was thoroughly disappointed. How did Mario Batali become an Iron Chef if these are the products that his restaurant comes out with?
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While I felt the three stars I gave to Postrio was unfair to the food, the three stars I am giving to Enoteca San Marco is unfair to the service. The waiters, managers, and host staff here are attentive and delightful. But the prices and food do not warrant more than two stars.
I've been to the Batali-Bastianich mecca known as Babbo in NYC, but I completely cannot and will not compare the two restaurants. Batali definitely has a way with pastas, and they do shine here at ESM, but it's not enough. The prices are ridiculous for the amount of food you are given. Even with a $18 plate of pasta, it cannot possibly be shared unless you're a size 0 model who doesn't mind just nibbling on the plated parsley. This is all so ironic seeing as how Batali's appetite is so...ahem...bountiful.
Final word: If you want to be full and not feel completely robbed, walk across the way to Postrio and refuel there for your Vegas excursion.
Dear Mario Batali,
I am so disappointed. My husband and I were in Vegas for the weekend, and for our eating out pleasure, he picked Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, and I chose your Enoteca San Marco. In the Iron Chef of our dining choices, you got whupped. I mean, sure, if someone parked a boatload of money outside of my house, I'd let them slap my name and picture on whatever they wanted. But I had expected more of you.
The food was, at best, so-so. Incredibly salty (I am speaking especially of the prosciutto balls and the lentils), not exactly attractively presented, and accompanied by the worse bread I have ever had the misfortune of being insulted with. I felt like Oliver twist, trying to break off a cold hunk of charred dough to eat, plain, until I could flag down our waiter for some olive oil.
Oh, and in the past, on the rare occasion when the wine I select is unavailable, I've always been offered the closest similar bottle at the same price (if it was more expensive). You should think about this if your wine list isn't going to be current.
I don't have unreasonable expectations for this sort of casual dining, and I know you are an awesome chef, Mario, but this place is an embarrassment to your good name.
People thought this was:
I liked it. A LOT.
We were seated in their patio area. The salad was amazing. The server was super helpful.
The pasta was great! We had the ravioli.
Minus 1 for the pizza. Not so good.
Service is excellent.
People thought this was:
Man, Batali has done it again. Just had dinner at one of his NYC restaurants and this one was just as good but in a more casual setting. The caprese salad was fresh and drizzled with a pesto olive oil. The carbonara was the best I've ever had with just the right amount of salty pancetta and creamy texture to make my mouth soooo happy. We sat at the counter and had fun watching the guys behind the counter preparing the salads. Our server was so friendly and helped us decipher the menu items. This restaurant is in the middle of St. Mark's Square so it's a great place to have a tasty meal and people-watch at the same time.
People thought this was:
I'm a huge fan of Mario Batali, so I wanted to try one of his many Vegas restaurants. This was one night after trying the neighboring Canaletto restaurant. We had a great seat in the piazza, with a wonderful view of the square, people watching, and music. Unfortunately, it got off to a bad start with some not so great service. The waiter took quite some time to come and see us, and he didn't seem too happy to be there. Service can make or break a restaurant for me. Luckily, the food made up for it, so I would definitely go back!
We started with an appetizer of prosciutto served on a wooden cutting board. I like the presentation and the prosciutto was delicious! We ordered a $38 bottle of Orvieto, which arrived room temperature. The waiter pointed that out and said he would put it in the fridge for us while we drank our first glass, but I was surprised they served us one glass of it at all. It cooled quite quickly and we were able to enjoy the rest, but that was a bit of a turn off for me.
I ordered the cacio e pepe pasta, something simple and light. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not overdone on ingredients, which this dish sometimes is. There was the perfect amount of oil, not too much, not too little. It had a great flavor and the perfect amount of pepper. The pasta was cooked al dente, which I prefer.
So, while the service left something to be desired, the food will bring me back...at least to give it one more chance.
People thought this was:
When they said casual, they weren't kidding. If I was interested in an Olive Garden like experience with slightly better food, then I wouldn't have been disappointed. Unfortunately the only way to get me into Olive Garden is to drop me in some town where the ONLY other option is Applebee's. This being Vegas, I had higher expectations.
The food was fair, but standard, uncreative Italian. The bread and bread sticks came wrapped up in paper (classy, eh?). We had to ask to get some olive oil, otherwise it was served with nothing. We were seated in the Venetian's fake Italian "plaza" which although novel for a few minutes, eventually feels like just another mall and didn't make for a cozy (or lively) dining experience. The service was fair but completely forgettable, like just about everything about this experience. Set your sights low, or try something else.
People thought this was:
I was so excited to try a Mario Batali restaurant after watching him on Food Network. I thought.. if he's the chef with the highest winning record on Iron Chef, he's got to be awesome. So sure.. I'll shell out the Las Vegas prices and try his amazing Italian food.
I went here because B&B was closed. It is in a cute setting.. you feel like you're in Italy sitting in a square. The menu is overpriced. I think it was like $3 for a slice of carpaccio.. seriously?
Bread wasn't even fresh and warm.. it was pre wrapped and burnt (well the first one was). And you have to ask for olive oil and cheese. Why does this not come standard?
We ordered the braised pork shoulder which is the staff's favorite (according to our waiter) and the carbonera (daily special for pasta). The braised pork shoulder was okay.. not really tender and not really uniform in tenderness. Some really tough parts and some not.. and a little too sweet. The cucumbers that came with it were good.
And the pasta.. was okay. $25 for a small plate of pasta? Really? And it wasn't even meaty or amazing. That cost about $1 to make and they made $25 from it.
The waiter was nice.. but didn't seem knowledgable. I am sorry Mario.. you lost me. I am going to have to believe that there is no such thing as good food from a celebrity chef.
People thought this was:
I'd really like to give it 2 1/2 stars.
It's a shame because I really like Mario Batali, but I would not come back here, nor was I really overwhelmed with my meal. I do have one recommendation, however:
GET THE CHEESE PLATE! This was a hit. There are three options, 3 for $7, 5 for $14, and 7 for $21. We got the 7 choices and split between 4 people. The cheese plate also comes with a variety of sides, which we weren't too sure if you were supposed to dip the cheese in, however they were a nice addition, but we weren't overly impressed with them. It came with cherrys soaked in cognac (tasty), honey with black truffle (eh), and some sort of apricot marmalade with chili pepper (not a fan). Don't worry about those though, the cheese was EXCELLENT, and there's about 12-14 for you to choose from. We all agreed it should have come with crackers, though.
Other than that, my meal tasted ok, but if I did go back there, I would not order it. I've had way better seafood (or meals for that matter) at much less expensive places. BTW, if you don't eat meat, good luck. I at least eat seafood, and there were two options. I opted for the marked fish "Livornese". The market fish was Ahi Tuna, cooked ok, but wasn't a fan of the sauce. As far as my friends, I think they mildly enjoyed their meals. Also, the bread is not fresh- it comes wrapped in paper (thought this was very strange for what was supposedly a '5-star' restaurant- and the crust was burnt.
The setting is however very nice, it is inside of the Venetian, and it really does look like you are outside sitting in some Venetian plaza. I thought the Pope might have come out at any moment. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and friendly which was a major plus, but that's not going to get me to go back to any restaurant, especially one where I'm spending over $20 on my meal.
I have such mixed feelings on this place. We sat in the back of the restaurant which was great, and way better than out in the noisy ass piazza. The service was great, thanks Candice.. but the food, gawd the food was just only so-so? There wasn't one thing that I would come back for.. we had salume, fried dough, squash blossoms, risotto balls, margarita pizza, spaghetti carbanara, veal metballs, pork shoulder and some tube type spaghetti. The thing for me is that I want to eat something better then I can make at home, which isn't the case here. In fact I have all of Mario Batali's cookbooks and have made some of his dishes which were much better then what was going on here.
The pasta was a over cooked.. the pork shoulder had to much fat on it.. etc.. its stuff like that that makes for a mediocre meal. Oh.. if you go for gelato they are all good! We tried the carrot, salted caramel and coconut.. also tried the strawberry rhubarb and the chocolate malt sundae..
Guns and Roses was blaring through the sound system.. never in a million years did I think I would dine to Welcome to the Jungle!
People thought this was:
This place is in the middle of the Venetian. This is another Batali restaurant. The bread is excellent. I could basically eat that all night. He makes these veal meatballs that I could eat all night as well. Love the Vinegar Makers Salad cause I'm a sucker for vinegar and roasted beets. Yes, i dig beets.
I'm so disappointed! I was really looking forward to Chef Mario's restaurant, but all we really got was some expensive Macaroni Grill type food.
I was with a group of 10 girls (bachlorette party, it's Vegas) and, amazingly, we all ordered something different. Usually the specials aren't that great, but the special of the day, lamb something was great. The other good dish was the crispy duck, which was like a quarter of a duck and roasted grapes ("raisins").
Everything else was mediocre or salty. Like gimme that pitcher of water salty. I know the girl that ordered the marinated chicken pillard at about a quarter of her food because it was so salty. I had the linguine con le cozze, basically mussels and saffron linguine. It was a little on the salty side, but it was little more than buttered noodles w/ handful of mussels (not in shell).
I also ordered the cheese appetizer. They didn't have much selection, and ran out of one of the cheese we wanted. Anyway, the cheeses were small pieces, and $17. Meh. Service was great, but I feel like I wasted a meal.
we had a $25 http://restaurant.com gift certificate here and decided to try this place for lunch. its in the venetian so you're guaranteed a pretty atmosphere and entertainment (people as statues, opera singers, etc...).
our waiter started us off w/ some bread which was wrapped in paper... i opened it and it was burnt and hard as a rock. i'm not sure if it was supposed to be like that but after reading other reviews i'm guessing the bread here just sucks? because it did. a lot...1 star for the bread actually...anyways...
for our appetizer we ordered the fried zucchini which we both loved. it was lightly fried and served fresh and hot. they definitely weren't stingy with their zucchini.
for our entrees we ordered the quattro formaggi pizza and the gemelli w/ house sausage. both were decent. you can't really go wrong with cheese pizza and pasta. finished off our meal with gelato (cocoa, peach, and vanilla bean) the peach gelato is to die for.. so good!
the service was alright. the manager came to our table and made sure we were doing alright a few times... but maybe thats because we were having lunch at 2pm and there was barely anyone there.
i'm actually not that impressed with this place. if it wasn't for the gift certificate we probably wouldn't have come. giving it 3 stars because we only had to pay $35 for an appetizer, 2 entrees and dessert. (~$50 total) and a $35 lunch in vegas is a steal...
People thought this was:
When I am in Vegas I always visit this place. I absolutely love their cheese platters. The cheese platters come with three sauces, chili flakes with tangerine almost like a jelly, black cherries in a brandy infused sauce and black truffle infused honey. I know....the combinations sound strange but they are sooooo good and work very well with the cheese. After coming here a year ago, I usually eat brie with honey but its just not the same.
This restaurant is located in the plaza area of the shopping row in the Venetian so it is in an open atmosphere. It reminded me of the little eateries in Rome. I haven't had anything else at this restaurant except the cheese platter so my review is very limiting.
If you love cheese....this is the place to check out!
People thought this was:
I came here with a group of friends for a good Italian-style dinner which wouldn't be overly expensive. The restaurant is pretty cool and you can sit in the "outside" area of San Marco Square in The Canal Shops in the Venetian. It's not really outside but it kinda feels like it (a little.)
After being seated, the waiter came over to tell us about specials, take our drink orders, etc... all the usual banter. But, he was overly pushy on everything. He definitely tried over and over to make us order the tasting menu which was very insulting and annoying. Overall, his attitude was a big put-off and, therefore, I thought the service here was abysmal.
The food, however, was a totally different story! It was delicious! I had the Veal & Ricotta Meatballs which were some of the best meatballs I have ever had! Excellent texture and taste and they were a good size too. All my friends loved their food as well. The desserts were nothing that special but were satisfying.
I've been here once. The food is good...i only have it 3 stars cause I had a decent experience, nothing bad, just average. The portions are small, as is expected of a place like this. I would come here again if I had some extra cash to spend, and if you want a "nice" lunch. The setting is really pretty, we sat on the patio underneath the "faux" sky and it was nice cause there are a bunch of different restaurants all next to each other ...so it kind of had the "your in another country" cafe feel. My bro loves Mario Batali...so that's why we came here.
Actually more of a 3.5 stars.
Would have been 4.5 for the food, but minus 1 star for the lack of service and attention to detail.
The good: Arancine (fried risotto balls!)
The bad: Service could be a lot better
Overall: Like all the Batali related restaurants we've been to so far (Babbo, Esca, Lupa, B&B, even Osteria Mozza), the food is always at least good up to amazing. The fare here is definitely on the simpler and more casual side but everything was tasty. Everyone raved about the goat cheese pizza when I ordered it, but I was a bit underwhelmed. The pasta was nicely prepared and al dente.
The service was lackluster. We had to wait a while between courses and the placement of the food to our table was haphazard. We also had to ask for our check even after sitting a long while after our table was cleared. While annoying, nothing was offensive.
In short: We will go back. Eventually.
People thought this was:
Being a major Food Network fanatic, I was super excited to try this restaurant. It would would have been even more exciting if Mario himself was there doing the cooking. But nonetheless, we enjoyed a nice meal before catching our 10:30PM show of "O".
I had the linguine with mussels, seasoned with saffron and marjoram. The risotto balls.
Couldn't resist the fresh gelato for dessert, so we ordered 3 flavors: vanilla bean, the very rich, chocolaty chocolate, and apple basil (!). I'd recommend NOT to try apple basil, unless you're very curious, as the basil was a too overpowering. I normally love cooking with herbs, but a herb flavored ice cream?......not so great.
Though the outside seating area seemed fun since you can do a little bit of people watching, we chose to sit inside, where it was nice and dim, more intimate than the outside.
People thought this was:
Nice setting within the Venetian, but just an "okay" meal. Definitely better dining options in the immediate area; try B&B, for instance.
Started off with a couple of beers and calamari, was standard. Had some more beers, a pizza, then a pasta dish. Really standard fare, nothing impressive. Food came out on time, service was okay but nothing special.
Just an "ok" late night meal, no great shakes. Definitely recommend B&B over this place, but Enoteca is open later. I might even prefer Grand Lux cafe to Enoteca, but the food is different. So, this place is decent enough.
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Italian
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Italian
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Mexican
Las Vegas, NV
Category: American (New)
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Italian
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