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May 24, 2013 · 2:45 PM

B & B Ristorante ***

702.266.9977

3355 South Las Vegas Blvd (@ the Venetian)

Las Vegas, Nevada

I’ve got nearly 24 years of life experience under my belt now, and I am finally learning how to speak up and get what I want from people. So when the hotel told me they didn’t have the non-smoking room that I requested available when I got in tonight, I managed to weasel an upgraded suite with $200 worth of comps to spend anywhere in the casino. And for a foodie like me, that meant an extravagant steak dinner.

So I did a little research on the restaurants located in the Venetian and got excited so see Mario Batalli and Joe Bastianich’s B&B Ristorante on the list. I’m not one to shy aware from dining alone, so I dropped my bags in my baller room and headed on down for a proper meal.

I started off with a full-bodied red wine, which was almost life changing (as it should be at nearly $17 a glass!). The server said it came highly recommended and I savored it slowly throughout my entire appetizer, which was Batali’s famous Grilled Octopus with “Fagiolo Marinati” served in a Spicy Limoncello Vinaigrette ($21). It was really incredible. The octopus was tender and parts of it had a nice grilled char to it. The bacon fat added a great deal of rich flavor but the lemon vinaigrette helped to brighten the dish and keep is fresh and clean. I would add this to the list of 10 best things that I have ever put in my mouth.

The delicious appetizer got me very excited for my main entrée, which was a Steak Tagliata with Salsa Verde (aka Chimichurri sauce) and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes ($42). Unfortunately, I thought the main dish was a-w-f-u-l. It was almost inedible, and I am still unsure as to why I didn’t send it back and just ask for another serving of grilled octopus. The steak was soaked in oil, which did not lend itself well to the oily chimichurri accompaniment. The potatoes were also very rich in oil and practically burnt to a crisp, I don’t think I ate a single one.

The entrée was a bust but the appetizer and wine was unforgettable, making B&B Ristorante very difficult to rate. I’ll give it three stars overall, but probably won’t be back anytime soon.

Eataly in New York *****

200 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10010

(212) 229.2560

CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE

Have you ever had the privilege of witnessing a child enter Disney World for the first time? You watch their face light up with joy, their little legs propelling them forward as quickly as possible, their eyes wide with excitement. Well add some intense hand gurning, and thats what I look like each time I enter Eataly Italian market. It is a Mecca for foodies–a specialty food market on steroids, with restaurants and cafes scattered throughout.

You can stand around high tables in the salumeria, enjoying a glass of wine expertly paired to compliment an assortment of specialty cheeses, or you can enjoy nibbling on a freshly baked focaccia as you wait for your table at La Pizza & Pasta. And Lord knows you’ll have plenty of time to wash down several espressos at Cafe Vergnano, if you’re trying to get a table at the new rooftop birreria–the line to go up is longer than airport security at JFK. No, I’m not joking.

Sure, the market is expensive (and indeed touristy, as several other bloggers have observed), but it is undoubtedly worth the visit. Take it for what it is: an expensive dining experience in an avant-garde food theater. And on that note, I shall walk you through my Eataly experience this past weekend, beginning in the Salumeria with a nice glass of red wine (Italian, of course!).

After adapting to the circus like environment of Eataly, my friends and I gathered around a hightop table in the salumeria and ordered a platter sampling the selection of cured meats and cheeses. The cheese assortment included: a creamy ricotta, a strong parmigiano regiano, a pungent taleggio, a sweet gorgonzola, and a cacio de Roma. My personal favorites were the taleggio and the ricotta, which paired beautifully with the fresh fig and orange segments accompanying the plate. The meats we tried included: delicious mortadella cubes, 14-month aged prosciutto de Parma, and sweet & spicy coppa and sopressata. The prosciutto de parma was hands down the highlight of the plate–delicate and salty.

Next we headed over to La Pizza, where Neapolitan natives are firing up the kind of pizza that God would make if he were having dinner guests. And the gold-tiled ovens certainly add to the ethereal effect:

Photo taken by Adam Kuban from Serious Eats

I decided to go all out and order the most expensive pizza on the menu, which would be the Fru Fru Pizza coming in at a total cost of $22 (a price that you can somehow justify after the first bite!). For indecisive people, like myself, who can’t chose just one pizza on the menu, the Fru Fru offers a small sampling of three different topping combinations: (1) dollops of sweet ricotta cheese with cooked ham (no sauce); (2) aged mozzarella cheese with tomato sauce; and (3) delicious Parma ham with arugula and parmigiano reggiano shavings. It looks like this:

My favorite of the three, you ask? Probably the ricotta and ham because of the contrasting salty and sweet flavors (but the pizza crust is really the star of this dish!).

Two of my friends ordered the Quattro Formaggi with a mixture of gorgonzola, pecorino romano, mozzarella, and parmigiano reggiano cheeses. This is supposed to be served as a white pizza, but one of my friends also ordered it with tomato sauce and it was none-the-less delicious. You can feast your eyes on the white one:

And then of course someone at the table had to be a plain Jane and order the classic Margarita Pizza with tomato sauce, slices of fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzling of extra virgin olive oil. I know there is something to be appreciated about the flavor of a few quality ingredients, but I like to live a little with my pizza toppings!! Like everything else at Le Pizza and Pasta though, it was amazing!

Most people would be throwing in the napkin by now, but not me! Sufficiently pregammed with my pizza appetizer, I decided to order a plate of Tagliatelli al Ragu di Manzo, which is a hearty (and rich) braised short rib ragu over homemade pasta. The pasta is cooked to perfection–just tough enough to stick to your tooth a little (the definition of Al dente). And the braised meat is so tender that it falls apart at the mere prodding of your fork. The dish is quite heavy given the nature of the sauce and the weight of the pasta, but it is every bit savory and delicious. I would highly recommend this pasta (as long as you have already tried the pizza!).