BRERA osteria — Restaurant in Paradise

We've had the pleasure of dining at BRERA RISTORANTE (formerly called "Officine BRERA) in L.A.'s Art District (Factory Place Arts Complex) about four years ago and remembered its artsy and high energy Milanese Aperitivo (Happy Hour) ambiance and menu drawing from six Italian regions. After finding that BRERA RISTORANTE is included in the prestigious 50 Top Italy as number 43° in the category "50 Best Italian Restaurant in the World" in their recent 2020-2021 award, I heard, just this past February, they opened an outpost in The Venetian's St. Mark's Square. I put BRERA OSTERIA Into our dining rotation during our recent visit to Las Vegas.

I made a dinner reservation via OpenTable.com, and we planned to do our gambling in the Venetian or Palazzo rather than in the MLife venues. Besides, I wanted to roam about The Grand Canal Shoppes because I looked for Japan's famous Royce Nama Chocolates. Well, I never found them because the woman at the information desk incorrectly told me they were no longer in The Canal Shoppes. Anyway, since the information desk said that Royce was closed, my husband and I went straight to BRERA Osteria to check in for our reservation.

Our server, Christopher, was cheerful and friendly. He started us with chilled water and took our beverage order (Peroni Nastro Azzuro for my husband & Negroni for me) as we perused the menu. The menu at BRERA Osteria emphasizes fresh ingredients and uses cooking techniques that highlight the natural flavors. The menu is simple, easy-to-read, and is only ONE-PAGE! Christopher asked if we had any specific dietary restrictions or food allergies then recited the day's specials. He also mentioned the freshly-flown in Alaskan halibut as his favorite for its refreshing Summer lemony flavors. At that point, I was SOLD on the halibut.

FOOD: -Fritto Misto: fried calamari, mussels, mushrooms, and peppers, spicy sauce. The batter was light and crisp, while the seafood was cooked tender. Oh, but that spicy sauce! It had a lovely kick and had a significant dip consistency. We had to slow down our munching of this delicious and generous serving to save room for the rest of our meal. $23

-Caesar Salad: romaine hearts, anchovies, capers, and Reggiano. This salad was just the right size for sharing. Christopher did confirm our like for anchovies. The romaine hearts were crisp and unblemished and dressed lightly. The croutons were spread with a mixture of capers, grated cheese, and anchovies. $18

-Alaskan Halibut: Manila clams, potato vellutata, fava beans, lemon. I'm so glad that Christopher recommended this light Summer dish. The flavors were bright, and the texture of the cooked halibut was perfect that allowed its mild sweetness to pair well with the bold lemons. $39

-Cacio e Pepe: extruded spaghettoni, pecorino, Reggiano, black pepper. Again, my husband was looking for Southern regional pasta sauce with olive oil and garlic and just a little cheese. But, I reminded him that BRERA Osteria's cuisine is Northern-Italian and inspired by the Brera neighborhood in Milan. The cheese-black pepper sauce coated every single strand of al dente pasta. $22

DESSERT: -Gelato: two scoops (chocolate & pistachio) of gelato of our choice. The gelato was refreshing and intensely flavored. The waffle bowl was crisp and the addition of fresh berries rounded out this simple dessert. $10

The ambiance within The Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes was similar to being in St. Mark's Square. Although this replica is much more miniature than the "real" Venetian landmark, we didn't have to worry about flocks of pigeons flying overhead or the fact that it was pouring rain outdoors. This location of BRERA Osteria delivered on its flavors, textures, service,...

On my recent trip to Las Vegas, I spent quite a bit of time looking through reviews to help me choose which restaurants I wanted to go to. BRERA osteria seemed to have a lot of positive hype and the photos of the dishes all looked spectacular.

I brought my wife and two daughters. We went specifically for "Aperitivo Hour" (happy hour) where cocktails were 50% off and with each cocktail you get a small appetizer (not a full portion, but a portion for one) which is just nuts for Vegas so we had to see what that was about.

Surely enough, we ordered four cocktails and the food just kept coming. We got so stuffed.

We ordered: Beef Carpaccio ($24) Gnocci ($22) Risotto Milanese ($31) Chef's Tasting Menu ($28)

The tasting menu is a great deal (note the dinner version is $65 and it's THE SAME MENU). You get another appetizer, an entree and a dessert. I originally ordered the Salmon but changed it to the Roasted Half Chicken (which is ginormous). Our server messed up and brought the salmon, then took it back when I reminded him I changed it. My chicken didn't arrive until after everyone had finished eating. Bummer. I ate part of it and boxed it up.

That hiccup really stressed us out because we had a show time coming up and we were worried we'd be late (we made it on time thankfully). I had to dock a star for that, otherwise this place is 5 stars all the way.

Overall the food was excellent. The tasting menu was a great option and all the little plates of food they kept bringing made us feel quite special. Bill came to $150 before tip which is really unbelievable.

There are so many places to eat in Vegas and only a few get repeat visits. BRERA osteria is one of those places, especially if I'm in doubt on...

The meal that just keeps getting better. DO NOT SKIP DESERT! So there's the typical bread, oil and basalmic The bread was light and airy. Good. Then we move to the squash blossoms, multiple cheeses including goat cheese in a tempura batter and fried. Thought it could have been fried just a little longer for crispier but still delicious. Would get again, even as is. Then we have the tortelli, veal filled pasta with mushrooms and a creamy jus. This was so satisfying and filling. Rich and hearty. I had the Cacio e Pepe. I've always heard mixed reviews and never tried it till now. It was fabulous. Maybe a little heavy handed on the black pepper but delicious.

Then, the deserts. I'm usually not impressed with deserts, but I heard they had just hired an in house pastry chef. So I took a chance My mother had the citrus cheesecake (looks like the orange). It is a citrus cheese cake dusted with chocolate pound cake and a cream like sauce added to it. My mom's eyes rolled back with the first bite. I had the mixed berry tart. This was the best tart I've EVER had. Super crisp tart, a smooth vanilla cremeux thar wasnt too heavy, and the fruits tasting like they were just plucked from the vine/tree/bush.The gooseberries added it to it were amazing add to the flavor. It had a raspberry something to it My mom hates raspberry and still enjoyed her bites I allowed her to have.

Though the service looked good for everyone else, our server was at our table less than the manager. She was nice but never at our table. We maybe saw her 4 times. But I noticed the other servers constantly at their...