. . . "0"^^ . "3"^^ . "0"^^ . "2017-09-28T00:00:00"^^ . "0"^^ . "Portofino at the Mirage is closing at the end of the year to make way for an Italian restaurant offering in the old Samba space. I wanted to try acclaimed Chef Michael LaPlaca's heralded take on northern Italian cuisine before they shuttered. Portofino is located in the old Onda restaurant that had originally opened with then Steve Wynn's Mirage. The O's are still noticeable on the wine cellars doors and the interior is 75% unchanged. Unfortunately it felt like Chef LaPlaca has already flown the coop. We tried a couple of the spots featured dishes. The Burrata Agnolotti with lobster, chanterelle mushrooms, and roasted corn butter was unbelievable. The Chicken Rollatini Parmesan was utterly tasteless and had me reaching for the salt shaker. Veal Pacino would have disappointed Al if he had ordered it. A gigantic bone in veal cutlet breaded and covered in farmers market baby greens was again devoid of much flavor. Most of it was tossed out. The starters of Caprese Salad was excellent but small and the Pasta Fagioli was average at best. Service was fine but uninterested as if they would just wish we would hurry up and go because they had resumes to get out. The bar did have a couple of very exotic, hard to find, Beluga Vodkas at a great price. Dinner with tip was $236. You have until mid December before they close."^^ .