THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Venetian Ristorante

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Venetian Ristorante Restaurant Review:

This quirky-looking restaurant (its pink facade is a painted with a strange collection of Venice sights) is a 40-plus-year Las Vegas institution and not to be confused with the new Venetian hotel-casino located a few miles away on the Las Vegas Strip. In earlier years, a visit to this family-owned eatery was like stepping into a scene from The Godfather: the lighting was dim, a cheesy mural of a Venice cityscape adorned the rear wall, and the scent of marinara sauce permeated the air. It was standing room only for a table on weekend nights, and the servers became like trusted family friends who knew regulars' orders before they even opened the menu. But in recent years the restaurant was purchased, remodeled with a contemporary look and opened for business around the clock serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unfortunately, it also lost a quite a bit of its character in the shuffle. Portions are still large (count on leaving with a doggie bag) and pasta dishes continue to reign supreme, tasting homemade----the eggplant Parmesan is outstanding. There are also sizeable selections of beef, seafood and chicken entrées available. The bread is still fresh, though the service has turned stale and spotty: An early dinner in the nearly empty restaurant had us waiting an inexcusable amount of time between courses and for beverage refills. Too bad you can't order up a side of memories with the meals.