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| - I had heard that Giada De Laurentiis, the famous cooking TV personality, had opened a restaurant at The Cromwell and was mildly interested. Then, when an article appeared in the Parade Magazine and both my mother and my sister became overly curious, I made a reservation. And finally, weeks later, it was my turn to experience the divine. We went in thinking we would get a few things and share. Soon we were ordering the tasting menu and wine pairing complete with an autographed photo, souvenir menu and recipe cards. I guess you could say we were "all in," in poker parlance. We began with the Antipasti: Bacon Wrapped Dates (with spicy Italian sausage gorgonzola crema), Vitello Tonanato (veal loin, seared tuna, caper aioli), and Baby Sweet Peppers (with goat cheese and olive tapenade). Second: Pasta (Rigatoni with vegetable Bolognese). Third: Salmon (pan roasted with summer succotash & whole grain mustard). Dessert: Banana ice cream, Chocolate ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, etc.--the nice man brought the cart and I wanted some of everything! And he was a willing co-conspirator.
The dining room is absolutely LOVELY -- fantastic in every way, maybe the best dining room in Las Vegas, and that is saying something. Added to that, it sits kitty corner to the Bellagio and the dancing waters, which are magical to watch. The table was a tad small. A good thing for conversation but a bad thing for all the food and wine we ordered; we averaged three glasses of wine each on the table at any one time. Service was at a comfortable, relaxed pace. The whole time we felt like guests who were welcome to stay all night. The service was spectacular and the Manager went out of his way to greet every single customer. The first salmon they brought me was stinky and overcooked. They whisked it away and brought me another that was positively wonderful. The wine-lady, Theresa did a good job, up until the point where she paired a $5 Nero d'Avala with the Salmon -- a total no-no. Otherwise, her pairings were classic, just what you'd find if you consulted one of those phone apps. The coffee was strong, but of good quality. Seems that all these restaurants serve something called an Americano--espresso with some hot water added -- the stuff will stop your heart, after it races away.
All-in-all the experience was outstanding -- Andrew and Nick did a great job of keeping it all well-paced and us well-fed and well-attended to.
At the end of the meal they give you a mini-ipad with your bill to fill out a survey, I think that is a bad idea because the time that it takes to do the survey could be used to turn the table over and get the waiting guests inside. This is the kind of place that you want to go to at 5pm, if your reservation is for anytime after 7 you WILL WAIT!
I have seen a lot of very critical reviewing of this place out there in cyberspace and in print. I get some of it, but I think a lot of it is just unfair. If you want spaghetti and meatballs, this is NOT the place to go. But if you want a meal of well thought out quality food, cooked perfectly and FOR YOU, then this is a very worthy place. Good for you Giada I wish you well! At $550 for two, out the door, I don't think I'll be back soon, unless I can find a sponsor!
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