01/05/09

Best old school Italian restaurant in Vegas

by coloradotodd

I always try new restaurants when I go to LV, but I also always devote one night per trip to eat at Ferraro's. It is old school Italian, with a live but unobtrusive band, and healthy and creative portions of food. Their signature dish, osso buco, is about the size of a shoe, so two people could probably share one. The anchovy salad is very tasty, as is their port chop, rabbit, lobster rissoto, and any pasta dish. As well as their desserts. They key here: Don't go there if you expect some trendy nouveau Strip cuisine. There is a reason Mimmo has kept things the same way for years and years, and people keep coming back. This is traditional Italian all the way, from the food to the ambience. And speaking as one whose ancestors hail from Milan, Ferraro's is a refreshing change from restaurants that try too hard to reinvent the wheel. On another note, I read one review that complained about the restaurant's location, being out west on Flamingo road, far away from the Strip. Truth be told, once you pass the Palms heading west, you will get there in 5 minutes because the traffic eases up so much. Well worth the trip, I promise.

• Pros: Old school Italian. Sinatra would be proud.
• Cons: NONE!!!

12/22/08

Terrible Service

by Moab98

Visited Las Vegas and couldn't wait to try Mimmo Ferraro's on a Thursday afternoon around 2pm. The restaurant was very nice and everything was fantastic until we had to wait for almost 50 minutes to receive our food and we had to grab the bus boy to check on our order.. Our Waitress was terrible and forgot about us because she was too busy chatting with a table of men that turned out to be the owner. A horrible experience the food was good but not good enough to put up with lousy service. Would not visit again and would not recommend to anyone.

• Pros: Wine List
• Cons: Wait Staff

12/12/08

In Las Vegas, it is always nice to find an off-the-strip place faithfully and consistently patronized by the local community.

by jetsetway

In Las Vegas, it is always nice to find an off-the-strip place faithfully and consistently patronized by the local community. Ferraro?s is a perfect example of such place.

In 1985, Gino Ferraro created a unique dining experience in his bone fide authentic Italian restaurant. Then in 2003, upon his graduation from the California Culinary Academy and studying in Italy, Mimmo Ferraro (Gino?s son), has taken over the everyday duties of running Ferraro?s and serving some of the best food in town.

We started our meal with an outstanding salad, Cappuccina con Gorgonzola, which is almost like a butter lettuce wedge with something extra. As Ferraro?s is best known for their sumptuous and award winning Osso Buco, I had to indulge. It did not disappoint, and was probably the best I?ve ever had. It is highly recommended.

JetSetWay Tip - The shank is called Osso Buco in Italian, literally ?hole bone?, because the bone marrow is part of the appeal of the dish.

We were particularly impressed with an incident over Allyn?s Fettucini Pomodoro. Although it was prepared exactly as per usual, it was not prepared the way she prefers. The waiter heard the conversation and immediately brought out the chef. The chef professionally and kindly listened to her preference, and five minutes later she had a fresh plate, her food cooked exactly as she prefers. Really, they could not have been nicer or more accommodating.

Though I normally stay away from dessert, tonight we shared the Hazelnut and Chocolate Crepe with Mascarpone Cheese, served with Vanilla Gelato. It was the BEST. Kudos to Mimmo, Gino and the whole family. When you go there, be sure to say "Ciao" to Mimmo, who is always around, and tell him I sent you.