Changes to menu items are strictly prohibited at this ultrachic, 150-seat eatery inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, where Chef Steve Martorano presides. Martorano, who owns another eponymous café in south Florida, hails from Philadelphia, which explains his signature cheesesteak of thinly sliced prime steak, sweet onions, and American cheese on a crispy roll. Other dishes include veal piccata, and rigatoni served with pork gravy and fresh ricotta cheese. Around 11 PM the man of the house moves from kitchen to turntable, where he further entertains hipsters by spinning ground-shaking hip-hop and R& B.
Reviewed by atdleft from Henderson, NV on 7/30/09
Maybe if this were the only quality Italian restaurant in Vegas, I'd be more forgiving. But precisely because there are so many other options, many better options, why must Martorano give customers such a bad attitude?
Honestly, the food's not that bad. My eggplant parmigiana was passable with decent flavors, and my cannoli was done nicely. But come on, I expect better food for the higher price... Along with better service!
And frankly, the service here sucks. Everyone has a bad attitude. The ambiance is severely lacking. I don't mind the "nightclub" vibe later in the evening, yet it always seems to start earlier than 9:00 PM and it's always loud enough to make my ears bleed. And to top it off, the music isn't even that good and the movie clips are so cliche.
Maybe if Martorano focuses less on the 'tude and more on the food, we can all have a better experience here. But until then, I'll be eating Italian elsewhere.
Visit the Travel Talk forums for help on planning your trip