Otto

The yummy Vegas food continues with an early lunch at Mario Batalli's Otto Pizzeria in the Venetian. We've dined at various Batalli's restaurants in the past, including Babbo (NYC), Pizzeria Mozza (LA), Osteria Mozza (LA) and Carnevino (LV) - and all have been positive, yummy experiences. I was certain the hand-made pizzas and pasta would appeal to my family's picky taste buds.

1. Margherita ‘D.O.C.’ tomato, bufala mozzarella, basil - This is my favorite pizza to order at any artisan pizza establishment. Pizza in the simplest form - but also the most challenging to make delicious. You can hide sub par sauces and ingredients underneath the heavy flavors of bacon, sausage or fried eggs. But with a pizza like this - it better be a damn good sauce with fresh mozzarella and basil and a chewy, crispy crust. I can't say this was the best margherita pizza I've ever had (that accolade belongs to Pizzeria Bianco) but it was decent. I was a bit disappointed to see that the pizza crust was rather thin and dry - very different from the yeasty crust we're accustomed to at Pizzeria Mozza. I'd recommend skipping this and ordering one of the "fancier" pizzas.

2. Pancetta and Goat Cheese tomato, carmelized onions, Coach Farm cheese. A tad too salty for our liking but better than the margherita. The tangy goat cheese and sweet onions helped temper the salt a bit. Notice the thin crust - definitely not a fan of it.


3. Primavera pasta with asparagus and peas - One of the better dishes of the meal - the pasta and veggies was cooked al dente. A great way to celebrate fresh spring produce. The sauce was creamy but very light and non-filling. I would definitely order this dish again.


4. Grilled pork chop with balsamic vinegar and roasted carrots - We hesistated on ordering such a heavy entree for lunch but the waitress indicated it was her favorite thing on menu. We are SO glad we listened - this was one of our favorite pork chop dishes to the date. The simple, high-quality balsamic vinegar paired so amazingly well with the tender pork - brilliant combination!


5. Tiramisu - We were quite full by the end of the meal but tiramu is my mom's favorite dessert so we had to order it. This was a deconstructed tiramisu with different layers of marscapone cream and a coffee-flavored cream along with crisp chocolate pieces and two different types cookies. It was a great interpretation of the common tiramisu.

Mario Batali rarely fails to deliver and this meal was no exception. There were some definite highs (pork chop) and lows (pizza) but overall, another yummy meal thoroughly enjoyed by my family.