B&B Ristorante in the Venetian brings the world of chef Mario Batali to Las Vegas. The las vegas restaurant specializes in the things that made Batali's television show "Malto Mario" a hit with foodies everywhere. Fresh ingredients, simple preparations and an unparalleled devotion to authentic Italian cuisine make

Molto Vegas -- B&B delivers

B&B a must in Las Vegas. The restaurant specializes in hand-made salumi, fresh pasta (which is made 12-hours a day in the kitchen), and excellent seafood -- particularly calamari. Add a list of more than 1,000 wines, almost all from Italy, and diners are treated to "la dolce vita" right on Las Vegas Boulevard.It’s Venice. It’s Tuscany. It’s Piedmont and Sicily. It’s Roma and Puglia and Pisa and Sardinia. B&B Ristorante is Italian cuisine— the best of each region distilled into a restaurant. 

B&B stands for Batali and Bastianich. Joe Bastianich is known the world over for his knowledge of Italian wine. Mario Batali is known the world over for his knowledge of Italian cuisine. Between the two of them, they have been awarded six James Beard awards. Batali’s Food Network TV show, “Molto Mario,” is required viewing for the aspiring home chef. Bastianich and Batali have teamed up to open seven restaurants in New York, including Babbo, Lupa, Esca, and Otto. (It’s nearly impossible to get a table at any of them on a Friday night.) 

For their “Molto Vegas” experience, the B’s have put together a winning combination of chefs, sommeliers, and management to make B&B a paragon of Italian cuisine.

Located adjacent to the Blue Man Group theater at the Venetian resort on Las Vegas Boulevard, B&B is divided roughly into thirds. In the middle is a busy bar, which is flanked by two dining areas. The restaurant is warm-toned, with rich, dark mahogany adorning the walls and ceilings. The colors and theme are masculine yet cozy. Think Enzo Ferrari’s darkened billiards room, if you will.

Music leans toward soft-rock. Unlike every restaurant I have ever visited, B&B plays entire albums, start to finish. Nina and I dined to the Best of Elton John, Vol. 1, Everyone Else is Doing it, Why Can’t We, by the Cranberries, and the first few songs of Sting’s All This Time. I found this a refreshing change of pace from the “Top-40” or theme-music motifs of other restaurants. So long as nobody puts in that heavy metal album that Pat Boone did some years back, it’s all good.

B&B is full of wine. Wherever you look, there are bottles behind glass. It’s as if the back of the house is bursting with Barolos, and storage concessions had to be made. Seriously, there’s wine everywhere. The wine list itself is heavy—a cricket-bat sized guide of almost-completely Italian vinos. While there are a few token champagnes for the bubbly crowd, this is a wine list that makes a statement: “We’re an Italian restaurant with an Italian wine list that will quite frankly take your breath away with its depth and range. Read this list and be educated. Remember thou art mortal.” (Say this in a “Wizard of Oz” voice, and you get the idea).