Staying at the Venetian and craved Italian without breaking the bank. Found Buddy V's thanks to yelp! Never watched Cake Boss, so didn't know anything about the celebrity status of the chef. We didn't have reservations and tried to get a table around 6:45pm on a Saturday for 2 people. Apparently there was a private event so they couldn't seat us til after 9pm, but luckily there was a table at the bar, so we took that. The bar is a bit noisier than the restaurant, but totally worth it to not wait. Before 7pm, they have a 3 course menu for $38 which includes an appetizer, entree, and dessert.
Loved the moist and soft Grandma's Meatball appetizer. You only get 3 and they are half dollar sized. For my entree, I got the bolognese. Absolutely delicious and extreme chunky sauce. I also loved the fact that they were very generous w/the sauce so that I actually had plenty of sauce for my pasta! Even had some sauce left over to dip a piece of bread! Got the nutella dessert and thought that it was a tad sweet. Very decadent, but just a tad sweet.