Chowhound: RAO's at Caesars Palace Las Vegas

RAO’s, the famous tiny Italian restaurant from New York that is exclusive because of its size as well as its food has become a staple in the Las Vegas dining scene.  In New York it's nearly impossible to get a reservation but thanks to Caesars Palace, everyone can enjoy the Italian eatery.  While, it's impossible to replicate the New York City experience, the Las Vegas location gives it a great shot. There are two ten-table rooms duplicating the original RAO's saloon as well as a larger dining room and the outdoor patio, where you can sit at poolside and enjoy a game of bocce in-between bites.

Prior to dining at RAO’s, I'd heard mixed reviews, everything from its very traditional to it's just a name on a restaurant.  My experience was phenomenal.  I was with a friend who spoke Italian and essentially told the waiter to bring us the signature RAO’s dishes that we could share.  I love to eat family style and perhaps my Italian speaking friend brought us some extra love from the motherland because everything was exceptional.

We started with a nice House Salad and the Antipasto Della Casa which included beautiful prosciutto di parma that I didn't forget for weeks.  Next we had Penne Vodka which was a perfectly prepared.

Our main courses included delicious homemade Sausage and Meatballs along with Uncle Vincent’s Famous Lemon Chicken and Veal Parmigiana.  While the Tiramisu was tempting, there was no dessert after filling ourselves but we did enjoy a little Sambucca.

I'm not sure if this kind of eating was allowed to us because our friend spoke magic Italian or we just ordered and shared a bunch of dishes, but RAO's was fantastic. If you're with a large party I definitely recommend ordering many dishes and sharing if possible because there nothing that says family like jumping over one another to grab your next bite of food.