I realize that Vegas and overpriced go hand in hand, particularly when wining and dining on the Strip, but among my dining experiences in this city I'd rank this in the lower percentile when justifying the hit my bank account takes. It boiled down to service and overall value.\n\nWe were lured in by Mario Batali's name being on the door. We were greeted and seated promptly in a low-lit dining room of dark, rich wood and wine lining the back wall. The entire albums of Keane and U2 played during the course of our meal, which I found not to fit with the intended ambience, but oh well.\n\nWhile our server was friendly and seemed knowledgeable, beginning with ordering our wine I felt like he would suggest nothing but the most expensive things on the menu. For example, after passing on a $21 glass of chardonnay and inquiring about another good white wine, I was referred to the $18 option. \n\nAnd so it continued with our entrees--apparently we would be missing the holy grail not to have ordered every single course, including the $65 ribeye--so when my dining companion and I honed in on pasta (we had eaten on the plane and weren't starving), our server seemed put off, even moreso when we chose the appetizer size. I even got the \"Are you sure? You're only going to get this much [gesturing to the bread plate].\" At that point, yes--I was very sure.\n\nThat aside our meal was pretty enjoyable. We started by sharing the cured meats plate and Zach's chopped salad, which was full of flavor with beans, parmesean and just the right amount of dressing. For the entree my dining companion had black fettucine with crab and jalapeno, and I had the potato gnocchi, which was OK but could've had a little more flavor. May I add it arrived on a plate larger than the bread plate.\n\nOverall, I feel like the experience didn't live up to the name. Sorry, Mario.
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