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| - This place is off to a great start considering how ambitious the menu is, how large the dining room is, and how absolutely slammed busy it is every second it is open. The only issues we had were with pacing--all of our smaller plates came out in a hurry, then there was a loooooooooong wait for the final larger plates. Well, there was also a minor issue with the staff not knowing which of the coffees were and were not available in decaf.
The place was full, but we were seated immediately upon arriving for our 7:45 reservation. The room is arranged comfortably and even though it's busy, the tables are far enough apart that there's a busy hum without being too loud. I think you would probably have to be right on the windows to have much Bellagio fountain view, but it was also very pleasant to watch the crescent moon rise over Caesars from our table.
The bread service is excellent, with crunchy breadsticks, a flatbread, and a life-changing rosemary focaccia. It also comes with multiple condiments, like pink Himalayan salt, chili pepper flakes, lemon ricotta and basil pesto. (We actually used the condiments throughout our meal, which was fun.)
For the small plates, we had the oyster crudo, the charred octopus, the chicken marsala meatballs and some of the reggiano cheese. Every one was excellent except the octopus, which was tough in some bites and could have used a bit more seasoning. (But maybe the bar had just been set impossibly high the previous night, when I had the best octopus I've ever eaten at, surprisingly, CarneVino.) The chicken marsala meatballs displaced the albondigas at Julian Serrano for me as the best meatballs in Vegas. If they had been any more moist, they would not have been able to hold their shape and they burst with flavor.
For the larger dishes, we had the lemon spaghetti (with shrimp as big as lobster tails) and the branzino with tangerine glaze. They were both wonderful. We were so full we decided to forego dessert.
Lots of thought has obviously gone into the menu, as there is a wide range of dishes and every plate is beautifully presented on dishware that looks like it was selected to suit the individual dish. Service throughout was smooth and attentive (I think they would rather die than let a water glass be empty) and quite knowledgeable about the menu except for the decaf issue.
Overall, I do plan to go back next time I'm in Vegas. The menu is set up (and priced) so that you can sample a variety of items without breaking the bank. For two people, we had cocktails (love the iPad cocktail menu with pictures), wine, four smaller plates and two larger plates and with tax and tip it was $252. I consider that perfectly reasonable for an event restaurant of this quality in this location.
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