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| - Meat is murder... yummy delicious murder.
Cliff notes version for NY eaters that have certain expectations for a Batali restaurant, you won't be disappointed if you're ready to pay the "Vegas tax."
I went during a weekday night during Vegas low season... and this is a Vegas restaurant so I expected it to lean toward a bit more expensive than normal. And we didn't wait for a table... just strolled in and the seated us immediately. (We originally wanted to go to Bouchon but it was closed for a private event)
You'll notice how a lot of people complain about cost. I'm sure fellow New Yorkers will find the prices comparable to some of the better steakhouses in the city. Probably about 10% more than if it was in the city than in Vegas... which is understandable if they want to maintain the quality.
And the food itself? Excellent. The pastas were all, in the words of my gf... "very well executed." And they definitely were... the fish was good and my osco buco... best I've ever had. So far, nobody was able to beat my gf's homemade. Until now. She admitted defeat it was that good. Portions? Not HUGE but boy... the meal was FILLING. Portions may not be typical west coast huge... but they weren't small. I'd say they're just about right for us fat Americans out east. Even the rosemary bread at the beginning of the meal (served with both lardo!) was nomnomnom. I had a taste of the trout special, as well as a taste of the two other pastas we ordered. We also had two sides, sweet potatoes and "Tuscan" fries (basically roasted & fried potato slices). Everything was cooked just right, al dente pastas, moist fish and meat. Though they made a small mistake with a few crab shell pieces in my gf's pasta, (not the chef's fault but more prep's fault) they treated us to dessert. And the dessert was also great though we were so stuffed, the four of us couldn't really eat more than a few bites.
Batali and Bastanich hire good chefs and staff. Service was quite good. Pretty attentive, helpful when called upon though the runners were a bit clueless. They called our trout dish "salmon" causing confusion. And later, the misstep by the prep staff with leaving crab shells with the meat. Treating us to dessert was a nice gesture.
If the restaurant ran to perfection, I would have gone with 5 stars with the Vegas expensiveness held in account. If they opened this restaurant in NYC with those prices, I wouldn't go over 4, even with perfect execution. There is value to be had in the menu, you just have to find it.
We didn't have any wine, but yes, the list was pricey. I had a beer and that selection was nicely paired with the fare offered.
That being said... veal is still yummy in my tummy. That's why they get 4, otherwise, it would have been 3 because of the borderline QPR.
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