So I'm conflicted about DiAnoia's. I want to like it. It's an interesting concept. First off, make reservations. We arrived at 6:45 for our 7pm reservation and was seated fairly promptly. Our table was right in the middle of the restaurant. For a Thursday evening, they were very full already. It is very, very noisy. Be prepared to speak a little louder than usual. Also be prepared to be patient. It took our waitress about 10-15 minutes to make her way to our table.
She explained the menu and basics of how to order and a few of her favorite dishes. She did ask us if I was familiar with the internet because their gnocchi is well-known. Just an oddly phrased statement from the waitress.
I took her suggestion with the tagliatelle and my husband came for the meatballs and gnocchi. We also ordered the bread and olive oil with Romano as an appetizer. Save yourself the $8 on the bread. It's pizza dough. There's not much too it including flavor. We didn't order any alcohol because the prices were quite steep.
Close to 45 minutes later, the food arrived. It's all hand-made and anticipate the wait for the food. The lamb tagliatelle is something that you want to have a big bowl of on a cold winter's night. It has deep rich spices blended in with the lamb and the sauce. There's lots of rosemary, cinnamon, and all-spice that really develops the flavor of the dish. The gnocchi are very soft and pillowy in a delicious garlicky marinara. But....the meatballs had a lot of fennel in them. They needed more basic seasoning and a lot less fennel.
The meal portions are fairly appropriate to the style and cost. We also ordered some cookies and coffee for desert. Coffee was delicious. The cookies resembled the consistency of a wooden shim or a doorstop. They were burnt on the bottom, dry, and hard. Truly a let down.
Bottom line....it was okay. I wasn't over the moon. Nothing stood out or caused me to have a life-changing dinner moment. The waitress mostly left us alone. Parts of the meal were hit and miss. It's a welcome addition to the Strip District. Did I enjoy it? I guess. Do I need/want to go back? Probably not.