From Vegas with love: Part Done

Our final meal in Vegas was our Valentine's Day celebration. As our destination, we chose Circo, a sister restaurant to Le Cirque in the Bellagio. So for our last evening, we got dolled up and made our way through the casino to the beautiful, serene dining room, which looked out onto the dancing fountains. The fountains went off a couple of times during the dinner, delighting me every time. What can I say? Simple tastes and all that...

The service at Circo was old-fashioned but kind and solicitous. We started with the copious bread basket, which came with olive oil packed with parmesan cheese (delishhhhh). I tried a piece of focaccia first, which was alarmingly and mysteriously hard. My second choice, a slice of olive bread, was much more successful.

Bread, a mixed bag

Extra bonus in the olive oil

Our entrees came quite promptly. AV chose the "Mama Egi's ravioli," with a filling of sheep's milk ricotta, spinach, and swiss chard and a sage-butter sauce. It was truly special-- one bite, which AV graciously shared with me, revealed that the dish was warm and filling, savory and hearty all at once.

A perfect choice

My choice was the spring salad, with a crostino of aged ricotta rather than the suggested gorgonzola. There was fresh apple and some caramelized walnuts and a truly tangy champagne vinaigrette. I took a bite and noted that the lettuce was surprisingly flavorful-- when was the last time you had lettuce with actual flavor? The portion was generous as well.

Special salad

Nothing on the dessert menu captivated (don't worry, we had gelato later, obvi), so we settled for a coffee and a tea. The drinks came with tiny complimentary biscotti, chocolate and pistachio. A nice little ending to the meal.

Cute! And sweet!

And so there you have it-- our vacation in food. I miss Vegas. I miss vacation. Circo was an appropriately special way to end a great vacation, another recommended destination if you're looking for some great Italian in the city of sin.