Some of the Southern Italian flavors in the dishes come from house-roasted red peppers, freshly grated Pecorino-Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, Felipo Berio olive oil, and certified San Marzano plum tomatoes imported from Italy. Uncle Vincent’s Lemon Chicken, Rao’s Meatballs and traditional pastas; cooked perfectly and dished tableside, the classic veal chop, pan-seared and topped with a medley of hot and sweet cherry peppers are just a few of the signature dishes to try.
This restaurant was reviewed in the July 2007 LVA; some of the information contained in the review may no longer be accurate. Rao’s? Reasonable? Could it be? It could and is. Coming to Las Vegas from the trendy eponymous New York City restaurant, we expected big prices. But they’re not bad. Entrées start with pasta in the $20s and rise into the $40s for veal and steaks. The only problem is that this is about as à la carte as it gets. We ordered veal parm ($40), shrimp diavolo ($34), and Rao’s famous lemon chicken ($24), and there wasn’t a trace of pasta anywhere. If you want something on the side, you’d better order it. All of the entrées were good, and that lemon chicken turns out to be a good play for the price (it would have been better with a little pasta). In the end, despite three of us pounding appetizers, sides, a couple bottles of wine, and after-dinner drinks, the bill was $286. Like we said, reasonable. Now, about Rao’s toughest-reservation-in-town tag. This is something that it’s known for back home in East Harlem and is getting a reputation for here. We don’t know if it’s true in New York, but it looks more like hype than reality in Vegas. We called a couple times and found that reservations were almost always available the day of, if you don’t mind taking an early seating (before 6). If you run into problems, Rao’s serves lunch, which is always wide open. Plus, there’s a big circular bar in the old-photo-adorned front of the restaurant, where they serve the whole menu and you can almost always get a seat.