A healthy Mediterranean meal is just what you need to offset the excesses of any vacation. It’s especially fitting if you’re visiting Las Vegas, where moderation seldom comes into play.
Traditional and authentic Italian food is not only healthy, but it’s delicious, too. It’s a far cry from the cream and butter-based modern versions of this cuisine we’ve become accustomed to.
So you’re keen to take your taste buds on a trip to Italy soon, here’s your guide to Italian fine dining when you’re in Vegas.
How to Tell You’re In an Authentic Italian Restaurant
Whether you search for your fine dining destination online or on foot, you’ll find the best Italian restaurants in Vegas all have a few things in common. These are telltale signs you’re about to go on a real Italian culinary adventure.
Venue
Red, white, and green striped awnings are synonymous with Italian eateries. Yet, these usually go hand in hand with a more informal dining setting.
When you’re looking for fine dining in Las Vegas, you should set your sights on a restaurant with a more muted design. An intimate, elegant space will help you lap up every minute of your meal and help you feel truly pampered by the experience.
Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar Las Vegas stands out as just that. The dining room welcomes you with pale walls, wooden floors, and rich wood paneling behind the bar.
It’s a perfectly romantic setting for your introduction to authentic Italian dining. Whether you opt for a take-out meal, delivery, or a sit-down dinner, you’re sure to enjoy speedy, courteous, and attentive service, too.
Menu Items
When Italian people arrived in America and started opening restaurants, they felt they needed to adjust their menus to suit local tastes. That means many of the Italian dishes you enjoy in your neighborhood are probably nothing like the original.
For instance, the buttery, cheesy garlic bread we all know and love isn’t Italian at all. Authentic Italian garlic bread usually comprises olive oil and garlic on bruschetta or bread with a garlic and olive oil dipping sauce.
Glancing at an online menu will give you plenty of clues about the authenticity of the meals at an Italian restaurant.
Things like Mozzarella sticks, creamy carbonara sauce, and Italian dressing are all Americanizations of the real deal. Rather look for dishes like Bufala Mozzarella, Bucatini Amatriciana, and Pollo Vesuvio.
The Wine List
Although Italians drink alcohol in moderation, wine is a feature of almost every meal, and you can order it by the glass to ensure you get the perfect flavor combination at every course.
Authentic Italian wines work best with Italian food, as they’re made with grapes unique to Italy’s 20 wine-growing regions. Look for names like Nebbiolo, Abbruzo, and Piemonte while searching for an Italian wine to match your meal.
Maximizing Your Trip to an Italian Restaurant in Las Vegas
The trouble with an authentic Italian menu is that it’s usually in Italian and without colorful illustrations to show you what you’re getting. Here are some tips for choosing the perfect meal for you from start to finish.
Italian meals consist of five small courses, rather than three large meals.
Antipasti are where your journey begins. The word simply means ‘before the meal’ and the selection usually offers meat, vegetable, and cheese dishes, with at least one featuring a hearty dose of olive oil.
If you’d like to try a bit of everything, we recommend the Affettati e Formaggi with its morsels of meat, cheese, marinated vegetables, and olives.
During winter, many Italians prefer soup, called Zuppa, to get things started.
Prosecco pairs perfectly with your first course and is a great match for any antipasti dish on our menu.
The Primo course follows and usually comprises a type of pasta. Here’s where you should enjoy an excellent Verdicchio or Barbera varietal of wine.
Next up, for the Secondi course, you should opt for a dish including cheese, egg, or meat served with a salad or roasted vegetables and bread or boiled rice. This accompaniment makes up the fourth course of your meal.
If you prefer seafood, a light aromatic white wine is a good choice for you, while Chianti goes best with rich tomato-based courses like Trippa Satriano.
Finally, a classic Italian dessert like panna cotta or tiramisu is the perfect end to your fine dining experience, while a taste of Italian gelato never hurts either. Add a little dessert wine or a liqueur to complete the experience.
In Italy, we don’t like to rush things, so if you want to linger over a rich espresso after your meal, you’re most welcome to do so.
One of the best ways to enjoy the best that Italian cuisine has to offer is by attending one of our monthly Taste and Learn events, where you’ll discover the magic of pairing fine wines with excellent dishes.
Look No Further Than Ferraro’s for Italian Fine Dining
Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar prides itself on being the best Italian restaurant on the strip. Our numerous positive customer reviews will attest to that.
The Ferraro family has shared their love of classic southern Italian fine dining with visitors to Vegas since 1985. Our history of culinary excellence stretches even further back than that, through family traditions handed down from generation to generation.
So, the next time you’re in Las Vegas and looking for a true taste of Italy, be sure to reserve a place at our table.
