Ventano Italian Grill & Seafood — Restaurant in Henderson

I had been wanting to go to dinner at a nice restaurant for a while, so I Googled it to find out more about the place. An opportunity to make a reservation for two at 6:30 pm popped up on the screen, so I grabbed it. We had been there once before, but that was maybe a year or so ago. The restaurant is perhaps a fifteen minute drive from the house, but I wanted to get there a little early because I knew how crowded it can be. And it was. But it was only a short wait until a table became available. We were seated on the side with a view of the Strip that became fascinating as darkness neared. My partner faced me, so he missed the whole scene of a couple of brightly lit hotels in the distance flashing huge colorful displays kept me entertained for the duration. The food is outstanding. I ordered eggplant Parmesan and he chose spaghetti and meatballs with marinara sauce. The slice of eggplant was thicker and way larger than I expected. His serving filled a large soup dish to the brim with tempting tangled pasta and big meatballs covered with the palate-pleasing sauce. My side was linguini, also with marinara sauce. It was SO good! The breaded eggplant 🍆 melted in my mouth and I think is the best I've ever had, and I have had really good Italian food over the years. Atmosphere was casual and conversational. There is background music, but the voices of the diners covered the unobtrusive melodies for most of the meal. What a pleasure to hear that! A welcome change from the usual sound of mostly inappropriate dining music assaulting the ears at most places. Once enough patrons left, the background music was just loud enough to be heard (barely), and it appeared to be semi-classical, not the beat-thumping fast pace of the usual musical fare. I rated the service with only 4 stars because for some reason, none of the many wait staff could seem to be able to provide cream for the tasty coffee, even though all promised to get it. It was actually a bit humorous, and a small pitcher of white liquid finally appeared halfway through the meal. I told the staff not to worry about it, that next time I would bring my own cow. Some caught the humor, a couple didn't. We had enough left over for one to two more meals at home. , It does cost a little more to eat there, but it is definitely worth it. The friendliness, ambience, view if you get one because the dining room is big, all combine to provide a pleasant dining experience. Will we return? Definitely, if only to sample the desserts we never got to because we were too stuffed eating all we could of the actual meal. In fact, we have an appointment this coming week and the restaurant is on our way from and back home....... It's fine dining, but almost everyone was dressed casually, probably because the...

I'm not certain what happened in the eight years since I last visited this restaurant, but it leaves VERY MUCH to be desired, compared to my first visit in 2014. We were seated on the patio, and there was NO ambient lighting, so I had to have my flashlight on to see my food. I ordered the grilled romaine, however, they no longer use romaine, and I believe it was butter lettuce. My friend and I split the salad, which used to be huge (1/2 of a romaine head, and is now a tiny little head of butter lettuce). We ordered the Arancini, and the sauce was so incredibly pungent and spicy (not tasty, just spicy), that I only ate one bite, and sent it back. I have had Arancini in fine Italian restaurants before, and it never tasted like, or was the runny consistency of this Arancini. My friend ordered the Lasagna, which was served in a bowl, consisting mostly of sauce and cheese. We had to look hard to find the few lasagna noodles. I ordered the Lamb on the Stone for dinner. There were four small lamb chops, cooked to my liking at medium rare, but there was nothing special about them (no sauce or accoutrements). Service was VERY SLOW, considering when we got there, there were only a few patrons in the restaurant. The rolls were served in a grease-stained paper bag, which was not appetizing, and the "butter" was oil and balsamic vinegar, with no seasonings, and butter was not offered as a substitute. There was no salt or pepper on the table. Unfortunately, Maggiano's or Carrabba's are a much better bet than Ventano's. This restaurant was on par with the Olive Garden, and for this visit, Olive Garden wins. Too bad we drove so far from the north end of the strip to be...

Excellent!!!! The food is fabulists. The view is impressive. The décor is done very well and still very cozy. Our waiter, Lalo was very attentive and prompt with each request. The prices are fair and not too high. I'd say $$. When I try an new Italian restaurant I only order one of 2 things - Linguini and white clam sauce or lasagna. If they can get those right then the rest of the food will be good as a rule. (my rule) The food is superb. The Calamari was done just right with a light coating - one of the best I've had here in Vegas and a large plate for an appetizer. I could have easily made a meal on just the Calamari and the soft warm bread sticks. The linguini and clam was very delicious and must have had 30 clams in the dish. I forgot to count them but there was a lot. I had to dig under all the clams to find the noodles. Portion size is just right and leans to the large side of just right. And OMG the deserts are wonderful. I had the bananas Foster - it was soooo good. Not many places can get that right, but they did. Nailed it!!! I never saw such a long list of hot teas to choose from. It was nice to move from our table inside out to the patio for after dinner coffee and tea. And though I don't drink alcohol (anymore) they have more than one full service bar with a verity of beers and wines. This will now be my go to place for Italian food. And maybe next time we'll dine out on the patio just...