Dining Out: Lavo

On my recent trip to Las Vegas my best meal was hands down at Lavo at the Palazzo. We were staying at Planet Hollywood and decided to walk down the strip to dinner. It took us about 20 minutes and when we arrived I could not get over this beautiful lobby! Check out the hot pink flowers raining down from the ceiling.

God, I love Las Vegas.

We had made a reservation and specifically requested to sit outside on the patio. Lavo's deck overlooks the strip with a particularly great view of Treasure Island. In fact, we saw the entire Treasure Island pirate show (pyrotechnics and all) right from our seats!

The menu at Lavo is spectacular. We had such a hard time narrowing down our picks.

One thing that was not difficult to choose - my cocktail! I ordered a Lavo original called the Saggio. Our waiter complimented me on my pronunciation of the drink's Italian name. It was Stoli Blueberry, sage and fresh lemon juice. Pure heaven! It was incredibly refreshing and was missing that sugary taste you often get with sweeter drinks.

To start, each table receives a loaf of garlic bread. It comes hot, wrapped in tinfoil and served with a marinara sauce. The bread is cut through the center of the loaf and when you lift off the top piece, you can see that the center of the bread is well buttered and well seasoned. I can't remember the last time I had a piece of garlic bread that didn't come from the freezer.

Once we ordered our entrees they actually came out very quickly. The first plate to arrive was the penne with vodka sauce. Who doesn't love this dish? Lavo's version prepared both the pasta and the peas al dente. The sauce was rich and creamy, but not too heavy. As you can see, it was garnished with basil and fresh ricotta cheese. We all had a bite and loved it.

We also had one of my friends join us for dinner and she ordered the veal milanese. It was a huge portion! She said, "On it's own, the veal wasn't that exciting, but when I squeezed the fresh lemon over it, it tasted great. I loved the arugula salad. You can never go wrong with arugula."

I agonized over what to order. There were so many great veggie choices! At our waiter's suggestion I went with the rigatoni melanzana. The dish was heavy on the eggplant and buffalo mozzarella. I gobbled it right up.

Since it was Friday night and the start of the weekend, we decided to really indulge and also order two side dishes. Lavo's side of broccoli is insane. The broccoli looks like it's on steroids! It was easily five inches tall.

We also ordered the polenta fries because my friend who joined us pointed out, "Oooo, we should get the polenta fries. I know from reading your blog that you love those." True story.

Lavo's polenta fries actually tasted more like parmesan arancini. They were crispy on the outside and piping hot and cheesy on the inside.

Now, you might think that at this point we should have stopped eating and you'd probably be right. That is until you heard that Lavo's signature dessert is fried Oreos.

I'll let that sink in.

Yes, we ordered the fried Oreos and our eyes bugged out of our heads when they landed in front of us. They are basically powdered sugar donuts stuffed with Oreos.

Look at this!

The Oreos were supposed to come with a milkshake, but it was actually a glass full of whipped cream. Not complaining, just false advertising.

Everything about our Lavo meal was fantastic. The beautiful hotel, the stunning view from the patio, our chatty waiter, the fresh summer cocktail, the rich Italian food and the decadent dessert. A perfect 10.

If you find yourself in Las Vegas, you must dine at Lavo.

Have you been to Las Vegas? Where was your best meal?

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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Address:
Lavo
3325 South Las Vegas Boulevard
89109 Las Vegas , NV
United States
Nevada US