Dining Review: Lago by Julian Serrano at Bellagio

My doctor wants me on a diet. I told him that I had to get through my Las Vegas trip (as well as my trip to Reno coming over Memorial Day weekend) first.

Well, you caught me as I didn’t really tell him that, but that is the plan that exists at the moment. So knowing that going into my recent trip, I had to make sure that I ate as many decadent meals as possible… just in case I am never able to eat good food again (side note; wouldn’t it be funny if the Lord called me Home from a heart attack before I could start my diet?)

I reviewed Vic & Anthony’s a couple of weeks ago, and this week I’d like to discuss Lago by Julian Serrano, located at the Bellagio.

I had made reservations through their website for 7:30 PM on April 11th and had requested outdoor patio seating. Upon our arrival, we only had to wait a few moments to be walked through the packed restaurant and onto the very small patio with about ten tables.

My beautiful bride was certainly enjoying the High Life. With an iced tea, of course.
My beautiful bride was certainly enjoying the High Life. With an iced tea, of course.

Upon being seated, the taste of the food was immediately deemed irrelevant.

You can see our room at Paris in this photo
You can see our room at Paris in this photo

 

Amazing view of Caesars properties (from Planet Hollywood to the Flamingo) from this MGM resort.
Amazing view of Caesars properties (from Planet Hollywood to the Flamingo) from this MGM resort.

I figured, though, that since we were there, we may as well eat. Lago is a “small plate” restaurant, and our terrific waiter suggested that most people have three to four items and that many share a taste of each. Lago also offers some full entrees, but my wife and I decided to taste a variety of the small plates.

And here, my dear readers, is where I need to make a confession. To share a proper “Date Night” with my wife, I had to promise not to use my phone during dinner… and I completely forgot to request the “Honey, I Need to Take Photos of the Items to Accompany My Review” exception. Bad on me, so, unfortunately, there are no photos of the wonderful plates laid before us. Sigh. But for now, on-line links to the same dishes will have to suffice.

My wife started with the Caesar Salad ($12), and I had the Bruschetta al Pomodoro ($7). The salad was presented like a lettuce wrap, with each one filled with ‘Caesary’ goodness. My bruschetta was steady, if not spectacular.

“Enough with the Antipasto!” I exclaimed as another fountain show begun.
“Enough with the Antipasto!” I exclaimed as another fountain show begun.

My wife chose the Quaglia Saltimbocca ($17) while I had the Scaloppini Di Vitello ($20). Though we tasted each others, we both liked our own so much that we didn’t really want to share. Her quail was pounded quite flat, yet was in no way dry. My veal piccata was happily swimming in capers and a thick, lemon sauce. These were both so good that we couldn’t wait for the next item to appear.

The Cannelloni ($17) with short rib was my wife’s next choice. The pasta was perfectly presented, and the meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, at least from what I could tell. My tasting portions were getting smaller.

Then my next dish came. The Gnocchi Alla Romana ($15). The gnocchi were about the diameter of silver dollars and a good inch high, covered in a creamy bleu cheese sauce. And there were six of them. The first bite of the first gnocchi was wonderful. But by the time I was on my third one, I was wondering when it would end. Every bite tasted exactly the same, and it was oh-so-rich. I begged my wife to try one, but she was a little too happy with her cannelloni, so I managed to put all six of them down. The portion size was similar to the other dishes, but it was just too rich for one person to finish.

My wife didn’t want anything else, but I couldn’t end my meal on the gnocchi, so I ordered the Ravioli Al Gamberi ($15). This item was light and fantastic, with perfectly prepared shrimp pillows in a slightly spicy sauce. I just which I wasn’t piling it on top of the spackle that was the gnocchi.

My wife doesn’t drink, and I was recovering from a nasty migraine that had hit me earlier in the day, so we both had iced tea with our meals. The cost of the meal (including tax and tip) was $134.00 and it was worth almost that much for the view.

My back may be to the view in this photo, but I did my fair share of facing away from my wife.
My back may be to the view in this photo, but I did my fair share of facing away from my wife.

Lago by Julian Serrano certainly earns a recommendation. But if you go, try to sneak into the kitchen and steal the recipe for the Gnocchi Alla Romana. And if you do, destroy it. Consider it your way of thanking me for prompting you to dine at Lago.

[Photos: Melissa and Michael James]

8 thoughts on “Dining Review: Lago by Julian Serrano at Bellagio

  1. Looks like you guys had a great time. I’m adding Lago to my list of things to try in the future.

    1. It is a little pricey, but my wife and I decided to splurge on three pricey meals because (a) we were celebrating her first national bowling tournament, (b) our birthdays are in March and we forgoed (forwent?) presents, and (c) I recently started a new job with a nice salary.

      Then again, everybody is in Vegas to celebrate something, no?

  2. I absolutely loved Lago! If you don’t want to spend too much try the 3-course lunch menu for only $28, it’s amazing!

  3. Ahh Lago…. I wanna try but the menu looks a bit fancy and the portions are small but I can see why now. Luckily you added amazing pics. I think if you told your wife you were doing a dining review she might have let you take some pics. Then again my husband hates when I swipe his food before he puts a fork in it for my pics for Instragram. It’s the times we live in and I think most folks do it. The article was very witty. Great job.

    1. I just plum forgot to take the pics. As I alluded to, I had spent most of the day in bed with a migraine (and had taken two shots) and just kind of pulled it together for dinner.

      My upcoming review of the Foundation Room was actually the day before Lago, and I can’t use a migraine as an excuse to have forgotten to take pictures of that meal…

  4. FYI I can do without actually seeing the anchovies on the salad though i love caesar dressing.

Comments are closed.

Hangover Breakfast Burger Previous post Binion’s Hangover Breakfast Burger Cures What Ails Ya
Next post Westgate’s Sky Villas Will Blow You Away