Gina’s Bistro
Bread, Butter, Olive Oil, Balsamic
Arancini – Arborio rice filled with bolognese sauce, peas, and mozzarella, breaded, fried and served hot w/marinara sauce
Antipasto Italiano (for 2) – Prosciutto Parma, salame, cheeses, and olives
Melanzane alla Parmigiana – Oven baked, breaded eggplant w/marinara sauce and mozzarella served w/side of angelhair spaghetti in marinara
Pollo alla Parmigiana – Breaded chicken baked w/ marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese served w/side of angelhair spaghetti in marinara
Gnocchi ai 4 Formaggi – Potatoes & flour dumpling in a four cheeses sauce
Strozzapreti alla Norcina – Priest choker’ elongated hand rolled pasta, fresh sausage ragu in a tomato cream & truffle oil
Ziti alla Salsiccia e Mozzarella – Hand Rolled Ziti w/ Italian Sausage, Baked with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese
Double Espresso on Ice
Tiramisu
Cannoli
Tucked away on South Durango in a small shopping complex, just like many local gems that those merely visiting Sin City will never even know to exist, Gina’s Bistro is one of those mom n’ pop places I’d passed by a hundred times before finally deciding to stop in and touting “authentic Italian recipes” amidst a setting that vibes of an older couple’s home the experience is one of well crafted food at a good price, while service ranks amongst the very best in Vegas…and bearing mind the city in which we live, not in a ‘damned by faint praise’ way.
Truly the sort of place where ‘dining out’ feels much more like ‘eating dinner in the house of an old friend,’ a visit to Gina’s Bistro first sees the glint of a small kitchen tucked behind the hostess stand and quickly seated at a cozy four-top flanked in old photos and paintings it was mere moments before water was poured and perusing the menu while chewing crusty bread served alongside butter, olive oil, and balsamic a list of several specials was recited, a simply grilled fish atop orzo tempting though the housemade pasta inevitably got the nod.
Treated to soft Italian opera, the volume appropriate to shroud conversation without ever trending loud, it was not long before a duo of appetizers would arrive and although I personally would have not ordered the $19 Antipasto given the unexciting options, both the prosciutto and olives proved pleasant and sharable while a somewhat undersized duo of arancini proved far more interesting, though a bit more melted cheese and less ground meat would have certainly been preferred.
Moving on to entrees, an order of five proving a bit aggressive for just three diners when taking into account bowls of angelhair served with both plates of parm, it was with share-plates replenished and bread relinquished that a vast tasting began, the hand formed gnocchi a bit overcooked and sticky beneath rich cheese sauce while both ziti and priest-choker pasta were prepared perfectly al dente with no lack of flavor from housemade Italian sausage to be found.
Having already noted the duo of plates served ‘alla Parmigiana,’ it was perhaps an unfortunate choice to do both items on the same day alongside so much other food, for as good as the baked eggplant iteration was with a light breading overlying the baked vegetable and bold tomato sauce draped in cheese, the thinly pounded chicken was almost entirely flavorless beneath the same accoutrements, a slight oiliness reserving me to only a few bites, though by the end of the meal the plate – like all the others – was clean.
Limited in sweets, the options comprising small, conservative classics with $5 prices perhaps a bit much when compared to other similar spots in the city, it was a single cannoli with surprisingly delicate filling that joined an equally light tiramisu alongside coffee, and chatting with friends as a few more locals filtered in to half-fill the seating one really couldn’t help but see the pride in both the maitre d’ and waiter’s faces as they circulated the room warmly welcoming each guest, water refilled for the umpteenth time without request as lit candles were placed at the center of each table.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: Setting aside the fact that many of the classic plates are made using store bought dried pasta, and focusing mostly on what the mother and nephew team is doing in house, Gina’s Bistro is the sort of restaurant unlikely to wow but happy to please, the service and setting “Un-Vegasy” in the best of ways while the food is often times quite good, particularly considering the price.
RECOMMENDED: Strozzapreti alla Norcina, Melanzane alla Parmigiana.
AVOID: Pollo alla Parmigiana, Gnocchi ai 4 Formaggi.
TIP: Daily specials are occasionally listed on the restaurant’s social media, though those interested in specifics (or special requests) would do well to call during normal business hours from 4p-9p Sunday through Thursday, and until 10p on Friday or Saturday night.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.ginasbistrolv.com/
