PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

Another talented NYC chef has been lured to Vegas by that clever guy Steve Wynn. This is not just another routine Italian restaurant. Stephen Kalt is a deeply talented, thoughtful chef who draws on all regions of Italy for inspiration before taking off in his own rewarding direction. Italian cooking is hardly confined to pasta and red sauce, which is why menu items such as veal carpaccio and liver crostini are as authentic as meatballs. Speaking of which, we can't decide which we love more, the duck meatballs over hand cut fettuccine, or the lobster gnocchi made without any flour at all, just puréed lobster meat with a touch of marscapone. You might be not be the sort to order the tripe even if we assure you that the combination with caramelized onions, fennel, and handmade farfalle is superb, but do take a chance on the house made lardo, that translucent big fat that melts on to crostini. If you order the filet, let Chef (who is usually readily accessible in front of the open kitchen, and talks so charmingly and enthusiastically about food) choose the right temperature to make it rosy tender perfect. For dessert, we fell all over the coco bombolino, fat cinnamon donuts oozing chocolate pastry cream, as well as the crispy rice pudding cakes. It's a little noisy to be a romantic spot, but it does spotlight the joy of dining.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Las Vegas 2008, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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