This Just In – MARTORANO’S Irresistibility Found To Be Highly Resistible
So offended is Eating Las Vegas by these goomba-centric, faux tough guy ads:
Irresistible
food says Stevie and p.r. folks.
Resistance easy.
No offense Steverino, but if you’re going to channel some lowbrow Eye-talian, couldn’t you pick someone better than this guy?
And not to insult your choice(?) of irresistible Italian cooking male role models, but we’re not sure the words “good Italian food” and “Vin Diesel” have ever collided in the same sentence.
And we don’t wish to anger your testosterone-infused, South Philly macho self, and mean no disrespect, but when’s the last time tough-guy tatts and a permanent scowl were synonymous with great cooking?
And not for nuthin’, and we say this with all sincerity, your food should be half as good as all the bad attitude on these bad billboards.
As it is, we’ll just mosey on over to Rao’s whenever we get to jonesin’ for good Italian-American grub.*
Because the only attitude Chef Carla Pellegrino ever adopts is trying to hug and kiss everyone to death, and the only stereotypes she exploits are delicious ones.
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* Martorano’s food is perfectly acceptable fare, well-filling and well-suited for folks seeking an upgrade from Maggiano’s or Olive Garden. But Rao’s it is not.
Restaurant reviews, quips, picks and pans-with some seriously salivating history-from the man who eats his way through Sin City every day.
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:00 am
Though his affiliation with the restaurant at the Rio these days is pretty much in name only (and has been for some time)–something about not paying the rent–the macho-man on the poster is Steverino himself, and, as I understand it, is an accurate reflection of both his self-image and his charm.
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:25 am
Finally, someone called this stupid campaign out….I contemplate alternatives to driving up Flamingo just to avoid seeing these billboards. Can’t comment on the food, as putting money in Steve’s pocket would bring on a certain nausea. Perfect example of spending money to drive away customers….Might fly in Florida, but he isn’t quite a high-profile chef/DJ/douchebag in LV. Well maybe the latter.
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Who cares about the bad advertising campaign, what matters is the food, and frankly the food is sub-par, luckily it isnt as bland and generic as Raos 1950’s Italian American cuisine. Everyone from NYC knows that Rao’s is a joke, its legendary for the exclusivity of the tables, not the food.
Seriously Steve…. next time chose a better comparison.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:19 am
While Carla undeniably makes a better billboard, I feel strongly that Stratta at Wynn is an underdog in the dressed-up Ital-American cuisine (you know what I call it colloquially, but not in the mixed company of the web) category.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Rao’s does their particular type of Italian food better than anyone in Vegas, hands down, without a doubt. As for everyone from NYC thinking it’s a joke, I’m assuming InTheCards is referring to those that haven’t been able to get a table though they desperately want to be included. The atmosphere is electric, true, but the food is also damn good. A restaurant doesn’t remain successful for over 100 years on charm alone.
June 3rd, 2009 at 7:39 am
Right on for commenting on personality trying to sell something than quality.
July 20th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
EC-
Agreed on Stratta! I finally tried it on Friday, and I was quite impressed. The garlic risotto was perfectly comforting, the eggplant parmigiana provided layer upon layer of love, and the tiramisu packed too much wow factor to describe in one blog comment. Stratta may not be the most fabulously famous Wynn restaurant, but it’s definitely a hidden gem worth discovering.
Ken-
I’ll have to remember to try Rao some time soon. I just hope the LV version isn’t as nearly impossible to get a reservation for as the NYC version.
October 17th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Personally, I think Il Mulino is the best Italian restaurant in town.