gnocchis anyone?

We are leaving for LV on Easter Sunday, as a second generation Sicilian this has my mother dismayed that wife and I will be missing her Italian feast. This is a 20th anniversary trip and the wifes biggest concern is not having homemade gnocchis and raviolis for Easter. Any recommendations on authentic Italian food (excluding CDA, time constraints) would be fantastic. As stubborn Sicilians we rarely dine at Italian restaurants (nobody can cook like mom, just ask her, insert stronger language here). One prerequesite, is the sauce it must be red.

Don%26#39;t tell mom, if she knew we were going to pay for a Italian dinner on Easter Sunday we would be excommunicated from the family, church, state etc etc LOL. I think she is lighting a candle for my indescretions as we speak.

gnocchis anyone?

My husband is Sicilian (both his mother and father born in Sicily, in the village of Malily). Gnocchi was not served in his house at Easter, but rather rabbit. (I know, kinda weird, cooking the Easter bunny for the holiday!) Their neighbor, from Rome, made gnocchis and they were superb.

The best gnocchi we have had in Vegas has been at Bartolotta%26#39;s in Wynn. It%26#39;s an appetizer plate with a creamy tomato sauce and is superb. They also make a fabulous ravioli. Can%26#39;t vouch for any of the seafood dishes as we are vegetarians but I would say you can%26#39;t go wrong there.

(And I know what you mean about getting Italian food out; my in-laws NEVER went to an Italian restaurant! The choice for going out to dinner was Chinese food!)

gnocchis anyone?

Take a look at Martorano%26#39;s in the Rio - your basic red gravy place tarted up with R%26amp;B music:

riolasvegas.com/casinos/rio/restaurants-dini…

On the nicer end you can%26#39;t go wrong with:

http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/#dining/Stratta/

Penazzi at Harrahs lists Gnocchi with Bolognese Sauce as their house specialty. It%26#39;s a nice restaurant , but I%26#39;ve never tried the gnocchi, They have their menu on line , but the first several pages are the wine list , so flip through the first pages to get to food choices.

Forgot to suggest Maggiano%26#39;s in Fashion Show Mall...definitely lower price than Bartolotta%26#39;s. It%26#39;s a chain but the gnocchi were great (my husband remembers it well). Get 1/2 order!!!

We have tie original Martorano%26#39;s down here in Fort Lauderdale and it is amazing!!

I am Italian also and his ';Sunday Sauce'; tastes just like the sauce my grandmother made.

This is not a red-checkered tablecloth type of place though. The Fort Lauderdale restaurant is upscale with a trendy,hip vibe to it.

We are going to LV in a few weeks and intend to try out the new location.

I%26#39;ll let you know if they have gnocchi or ravioli on the menu!

Great suggestions, THANKS Will definately decide between Penazzi and Bartolotta%26#39;s.

When Mom was growing up in Sicily, hard boiled eggs were always added to the sauce, this would be filler because they couldn%26#39;t afford meat. According to her this was common place, and we still practice this today, we all pass on the sausage, brougious (sp), meatballs and all fight for the hard boiled eggs! I can%26#39;t wait to ask the waiter if he could place a few boiled eggs in the sauce prior to service.

Thanks again all!!

Please let us know where you go in the end and how it was! Or, you could try one of the suggested restaurants each day of your stay, lol! ;-)

Boy, I haven%26#39;t thought about the hard-boiled eggs in the sauce for YEARS! My m-i-l did that too...I sure miss her!

You have a deal Gabby! I%26#39;ll eat at all the Italian restaurants, however you must sample all the M%26#39;s tastings!!!

Can never deceive Mom, so I told her of our plans and oh my the tongue lashing I received was similar to when I stole a candy bar at the local conveniant store some 35 years ago. Gotta love Mom

Sport, the hard boiled eggs are the absolute best. don%26#39;t know why we as a family absolutely abhor hard boiled eggs but when it comes to eggs and pasta sauce the fight insues. And Mom always insures for her pleasure no doubt, there is always one less egg then syblings present.