Ventuno Restaurant, Cafe Bar

Many of the new hotel and casinos realize how important 4-star
restaurants are to tourist nowadays. Sure the buffets attract a
particular crowd, those that appreciate quantity rather than
quality, especially at a bargain. So I knew coming to the Flamingo,
the first hotel and casino in Las Vegas had much catching up to do.
I snubbed my nose, at the prospect of eating here, not even willing
to look at the menu. It was my birthday and eating at this
uneventful outdoor cafe was not what I had in mind, but it was 2:00
p.m. and we hadn't a bite to eat all day. Our sickly stomachs
wouldn't tolerate the delay in finding something better. So my
husband took it upon himself to order for the both of us, sure I
would snap out of it. Unfortunately the two things he ordered were
nearly the same, the Capesante salad had Arugula and nicely
grilled scallops and the Proscuitto S. Danielle had arugula and very
little proscuitto, both were topped with a dressing that was
wincingly sour with large bits of lemon. The next day on our way
back to the pool, unimpressed with yesterdays poolside BBQ, we
were at the mercy of Ventuno's again. This time ordered from their
to-go deli an Italian Meat & Cheese Sandwich that was so
awesome, I had to seriously re-evaluate this place. The crusty
Italian roll was layered with cappicola ham, salami, proscuitto and
provolone and accompanied by a small antipasto of kalamata
olives, pearl onions, roasted garlic and yellow and red bell peppers.
Keep in mind we are coming here at lunch eating at their cafe with
only railing separating customers from the casino traffic, since the
nice dining room didn't open until dinner. On our way out of town,
we returned here a final time, now anxious to try a few menu items
such as their gourmet pizzas, which seemed to be what everybody
was ordering. Instead we went with the Lasagne Affumicata with
smoked chicken, pancetta, cream, peas and imported parmigiano
and Romano cheeses. Strangely the noodles were so overcooked
crunchy on top and the whole thing was covered in red sauce which
was never mentioned on the menu. The Tortelli Di Zucca, on the
other hand was marvelous! The tortellini's were made by hand,
filled with butternut squash and undetectable gorgonzola cheese,
and set artfully in a generous pool of sage brown butter. We
sopped up every drop of that sauce with their complimentary bread
and agreed that had we known about this dish earlier we would
have returned here everyday. I am certainly regretful I never had
room for one of their desserts which looked tauntingly tempting in
their deli-case, but knowing their potential makes me more willing
now to come here again.

Prices on our selections ranged from the procuitto appetizer
overpriced at $11.95 to the Butternut Tortelli a deserving $14.95.
Ventuno's cafe opens at 6:00 a.m. and the dining room from 5:00
p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Located in the Flamingo Hilton Hotel & Casino.