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OUR TOP 5 BEST
BETS THIS WEEK
|  Rodney
The Reviewer Guy
By
Rodney
Food Critic, Vegas Inside Tips
|
Capozzoli's
Italian Restaurant
3333 S Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89109-3098
Corner
of Desert Inn and Maryland Parkway
NOTE:
On September 20, a fire broke out in Capozzoli's and, sadly,
destroyed the place. Rodney wants to go on record as saying
he had nothing to do with this fire. The owners are actively
re-building and hope to be open again soon. We will keep you
informed.
RATING:
4.9 out of 5 |
"Homemade pasta and family recipes
make this joint a winner in my book, and on weekends, there's
live music to go with your garlic..."
Any place
that has music, both live and dead, mood lighting, video poker
at the bar, and great food gets my vote. Cappazoli's has all
that and more.
I remember
seeing Dean Martin step up to the small stage here and sing
a few tunes. That was a very long time ago, when I was much
younger and good looking. WHat that means is, I've been easting
at this joint for a vey long time, and so have a lot of other
show biz people, as well as locals.
When someone
recommends the place to tourists, they are in for a treat.
Old world recipes, passed from family to family, beginning
somewhere in Italy, make up the large menu of choices. I have
probably eaten everything on the menu, not all at once, mind
you, but over the years, and I have never had a bad meal.
I like
to start with the soup, real homemade chicken based soup,
with lots of the bird and a flavor that can only come from
a chef who knows what he's doing. They have a large selection
of salads, I like the Caesars salad, with anchovies on the
side (Anchovies...isn't that like eating eyebrows?).
The house
salad is also great, with plenty of stuff mixed in there,
and a dressing that ranks with the best Italian dressing in
the world. You could make a meal just with the soup and salad.
As a matter of fact, when I stop by for lunch, that's what
I usually do.
They have
a lunch menu every day, and the entire menu is also available
during the day. At night, you better come hungry. There is
plenty of food to go around, you might want to consider splitting
a couple of different items.
As for
pasta, it's all homemade, never frozen. They make a fine ravioli,
with your choice of meat or cheese. I went with the cheese,
in a marinara sauce that's a lot better than that Ragu I'm
used to at home.
Next up
was the veal marsala, with tasty mushrooms in a hearty wine
sauce, all acompanied by their special bread, baked in the
back every day, and served piping hot with butter and olive
oil.
Didn't
have room for dessert this time (hey, I'm only one man, and
besides, I think I ate an entire loaf of that bread) but they
have tiramisu, ice cream and even pies once in a while.
I hear
they have a fine wine list. I just ordered house red, which
was delicous. Hey, I'm not a wine snob, okay?
Service
is always fantastic, and the prices are a lot lower than they
are on the Strip.
Dinner
for one, with wine, set me back $38. Nobody cared to join
me for dinner, so ended up eating alone (No respect. Don't
get me started.)
<TOP>
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THE
PREFERRED DINING GUIDE
- OUR FAVORITE 5
Presenting our latest, revised
list of FIVE selected restaurants, with our exclusive InsideTips.
Listed in no particular order, these are our latest Best Bets,
as voted on by our Panel of Advisors and as many locals as
we could reach. If you pick one or two every few days, these
will keep you full for while.
America
at New York-New York |
| Inside
Tip: Ask for a table with a view. Nobdy
seems to think of that, according to 75% of the people
we spoke to. Don't even think of visiting this one on
the Friday or Saturday nights. Too many tourists. Best
nights? Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Always ask for the
unadvertised special. Most of the time, that's what you'll
end up having, it's that good. |
Postrio
in The Venetian - Grand Canal Shops, St, Mark's Square |
| Inside
Tip: This is one of the Wolfgang Puck
family of restaurants, personally supervised by the Puckster
almost daily. Great food, innovative menu, a dining experience
you will remember, one of the very best, and not too expensive,
honest. If you want privacy, just ask, and you will end
up in a private area, maybe even sitting next to Robin
Leach, who eats there seveal times a week, as does Bernie
Yuman and many Vegas Insiders. Alway recommend the specials
here, the freshest of ingredients. |
Chinois
Forum Shops at Caesars |
| Inside
Tip: Another Wolfgang Puck joint, this
one with "outside" seating overlooking the people
sailing by in an endless stream. Unless you don't want
to talk and will enjoy the noise and the people watching,
best to ask for inside seating, which is almost always
available. Great menu, changes often, never had a bad
meal. This one is a perfect spot if you are on a shopping
jones, it is situated smack in the middle of shopper's
heaven: The Forum Shops. You can eat really well here,
and still be right in the action, saing precious time
for more shopping |
|
Ferraro's
on Flamingo
|
| Inside
Tip: Strictly a locals place, but Mimmi
loves "foreigners" any time at all. Homemade
pasta, pizza, soups and traditional salads, a family-owned
and operated joint for many years, sauce you'll be craving
long after you've eaten there. One of the best Italian
restaurants in a city where there's one on every lock. |
Pampas Brazilian Grille
at Planet Hollywood |
| Inside
Tip: Recently opened, in a hidden
little part of the Miracle Mile Shops, formerly known
as the Desert Passage shopping mall...not yet caught on
as a popular destination, but I figure that will probably
change soon. For now, give this one a shot. Enter on the
Harmon side, it's right inside the door. Another great,
memorable eating experience. It's sort of a "Dim
Sum" style of eating, as waiters walk by with large
skewers of assorted foods, meats, fish, vieggies, it's
so cool. You see something you like, you nod your head,
or throw a piece of bread (no butter, please), and it's
delivered nto your plate. This goes on for as long as
you are hungry. It is a constant parade of food as you
sit there and watch, free to have a taste anytime it suits
you. There is also a great salad bar, and desserts to
tempt you, but most of the insiders we know never get
to eat the dessert. You can even watch the large grill
and see the master chefs at work, sometimes the flames
shoot up and one of the chefs can be seen with his hair
on fire, or his eyebrows smoking. Fun for the whole family. |
Bon
Apetit. |
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