Portofino by Chef Michael LaPlaca

Excellent restaurant !!!
I came here with a lady 4 or 5 days ago.
Man, this place is very high classed restaurant. First desk (host), girls stare you down if your under dressed. I was wearing comfortable pants and unmatching color top and bottom. Anyways I don’t care about her.
I had buy one get one from myvegas
We ordered steak and some pork chop dish. My steak didn’t come out right bcuz my steak had tendon and I had a hard time cutting the meat.
Manager Chris, (he was professional, polite, and well mannered).
I told him about the steak, he immediately told me that he have his chef make a new one and also told me to eat whatever you can and give me another one. First I was like wow, this is the first time manager said eat and I give u another one.
As soon as I finished the plate except for the steak that I couldn’t eat. Server came by and took the steak. I was getting full so I was about to tell server that I didn’t want the plate that their chef is making. Second dish of steak came. I was full but I felt bad so I forced myself finishing the plate.
Once I was done with food, we asked for the check and I was thinking of paying the whole meal and forget the buy one get one crap from myvegas. Our server came and told us that our meal have been comped and his manager felt bad that their steak wasn’t good. I told him to bring me the check, we need to pay since I had 2 course meal I mean 2 steaks and pork chop. I told the server that I wanted to speak to ur manager. But he said he was busy at the moment.
So I left $ 50 on the table as tip, I thought server will take the tip to his manager instead he put $ 50 in his back pocket. i saw one of the worker walked by and I saw his respond saying «no tip» (his face expression). I put $ 50 on the table.
Chris (restaurant manager), he was very professional and very polite
Our server — forgot his name bcuz he didn’t really do much only Chris helped us out.
Host — she was rude n look down on u if ur under dressed.
I give 5 stars bcuz Chris made our night. Thank you.

I sent my kid sister and friend here as a gift. There was a glitch with my prepayment, just one of those things, and it would really have taken the gloss off the evening. But the owner, exercising what I would call great personal judgment, made it work smoothly without bothering them. That is the kind of care you got in Vegas in years past. They raved about their meals and their service, and got a real kick out of talking with Chris. I am grateful.
Miker

We went there for dinner after watching the Cirque du Soleil/​Beatles «Love» show which set the bar quite high for the remainder of the evening. I liked the «typically Vegas» hotel venue, although it was possibly a bit large, which made it look emptier than it was and therefore less intimate. We ordered margaritas for an apéritif and they were good, although I am not sure fresh lime juice was used — as they were a tiny bit on the artificially sweet side. The food was excellent: our shared Caprese salad delicious, the freshness of the ingredients evident, and our pasta dishes (lasagna and veal cannelloni) to die for — and served in large yet elegant portions. I was also chuffed to see they had a bottle of Vermentino (one of my favorite grapes after we discovered it in a small joint in Venice last summer) on the extensive wine list, at a very reasonable price, the light and fresh taste of which did not disappoint. Service was pleasant and efficient although our main dishes did take a while to appear — but when they did, they tasted so delightfully fresh that we instantly forgave and forgot the waiting time. Overall a very nice Vegas dining experience.

You have to try the lobster agnolotti, it is fantastic. Also the beet salad and langoustine pasta is great

My wife and I came in on a Sunday without reservations, yet they were happy to accommodate us. We were greeted very pleasantly and seated immediately. The ambiance is very romantic, quiet, and private. Delicious herb bread infused with extra virgin olive oil was brought to the table. We ordered and received a bottle of Pellegrino and the server is very knowledgeable about the menu and ready to make recommendations. I ordered the wild boar pasta and since my wife couldn’t make up her mind he offered her to receive two half dishes. She had the butternut squash gnocchi and a shrimp pasta dish. She reports both were to die for. The manager came to ensure our meal was acceptable and filled my tea. My wife finished with a Sambuco. An overall pleasant experience. The reason I did not offer a five star review is the time between ordering and being served our food was very long. I don’t mind waiting for good food and this food was fabulous, however it would have been nice if our server would have checked on us during the wait. We were out of water and tea, therefore the bread sat there. Great night.

Overall disappointed is at the forefront of my experience. Firm believer that eating at a restaurant that has somebody who can make fresh pasta and is recognized for that would want to ensure that it shines. Ordered Cesar Salad, meatballs, chicken rollatini parmesan, calamari and the lasagna.
We will start with service. If it were not because the Manager did tend to our table we would have been waiting for awhile. Our server did not come until we were half way through meal. Hence the reason for the first two stars is the manager and the team for helping out. Even though after asking for recommendation and advising we were eating family style we were given dishes that ended up tasting fairly the same because the house made sauce was used on all the dishes with the exception of the salad. The pasta was good and cooked perfectly and that’s my reason for the additional star. All the food was acceptable and ok, but definitely not a place I would consider a pride of Vegas. If anything it’s another restaurant amongst the vast amount restaurants. I would say if you are looking for ok food and are staying on the property eat here. If you are looking for a dining experience and amazing food do yourself a favor and look on! You will be happy you did as Vegas is known for the vast amount of amazing restaurants. Dinner is about walking away with a fully tummy and a smile on your face. Happy eating!

Our party of four loved our dining experience here! From food to service everything was outstanding!
Things to order:
Meatballs
Chicken Parmesan
Super cool that they offer half portions on their pasta, so you can mix and match or do an appetizer with one. It’s nice to have flexibility, and I wish that more restaurants would do that.

We came with a group of friends and had a nice time. Service was attentive. I had the lobster and corn ravioli, the BF had the chicken parmesean, and we shared the meatballs. We were happy with everything. The ravioli was easily the favorite. The lobster was tender and succulent and the corn added a really nice hint of sweetness. The chicken parmesean was good but a much heavier dish. The meatballs were great. Everyone else seemed happy with their dishes too, so a win-​win! I would recommend.

I am staying at Mirage and we wanted to eat dinner for my brothers birthday. We were originally debating between Portofino and Japonis and I’m so happy we chose Portofino. Great service and amazing food. But, one thing you should know is if you want your food to arrive immediately that’s a no no. It takes a while for your entrees to arrive.
We started with 2 appetizers; Caprese Salad, which had fresh red tomatoes and was very refreshing. The second appetizer was the Octopus Salad, it was kind of dry for my taste but when I ate it with bread it tasted a lot better.
Angoloti whatever (it has an Italian name I can’t spell) the lobster was excellent and cooked very well. I really suggest you get this when you go because it is really worth the price!

Second time we were invited to eat at this fabulous place. Our friend, Chris Zadie who is by far, the best customer service in the country, serves us with the utmost and respectable hospitality. Not to mention the food! Chef is extraordinaire! First time there, I wasn’t dieting so I got to taste a family style menu, but the second time, I was on a diet but I was prepared a delicious, healthy Branzino that tasted amazing! We want to come here every time we are in town! Thank you for the excellent service and the most authentic Italian dishes ever!

Stellar food, attentive servers, and a beautiful dining room. Who could ask to anything more?
I ordered the Caprese salad, even though I generally hate fresh tomatoes in America. I didn’t gag, so that’s a good thing! It’s mandatory that someone at your table order the lasagna; after all, it’s made with braised oxtail. For dessert, I had the Cassata cheesecake made with strawberries and Italian wedding cake croutons.
The Mirage made the right decision by replacing Onda with Portofino.

Let me start by saying, this place is kind of an anomaly for The Mirage. I would expect to find it in the Wynn or Encore.
I ate here with a group of 6 and everyone was equally satisfied with their entrée. Even the bread was delicious and needed no oil or balsamic!
We started with the fried calamari (HUGE portion), burrata caprese (yum!), and ricotta crab cake (super impressed with the creativity behind this one, and equally impressed by the unique flavors and crispy exterior! Enough for about three people to split).
For my entrée I ordered the buratta lobster Agnolotti (ravioli) (yes, all your favorite things in one dish) which came in the most amazing creamy sauce. Highly recommended!
Our waiter was super friendly and knew the menu like the back of his hand.
Whoever you are Michael LaPlaca – thank you!!!

I don’t usually care for Italian food but after a meal here I my mind might be changing. Every dish was great and we all left stuffed with delicious food.

I received VIP treatment at this fine restaurant yesterday. I sat at the bar and ordered the burrata agnolotti. It took a long time to come out. Scott was my server and he apologized for the wait and had the manager Chris Zadie come talk to me. Chris also apologized and explained to me that the chef was making the pasta from scratch. The chef personally delivered my pasta to me and also apologized for the wait. Wow it was worth the wait. The pasta was heavenly. Probably one of the best meals I have ever had. The lobster was tender and the sauce was decadent. They also brought out tiramisu and comped all of my meal including wine. I cannot say enough good things about the food and service here. I will be back to Portofino’s next time I am in Vegas. But I will make reservations as it seems tables are hard to get here.

Happy to support any restaurant that continues to evolve, tweak, and reinvent even when it is already outperforming anything similar in the market, it took little more than seasonal menu updates to bring myself and six friends back to The Mirage’s Portofino and with Chef Michael LaPlaca continuing to amuse palates with a total of twenty plates, including four new pastas, no real descriptor can encompass just how great the evening was, the service better than ever even as Chris Zadie and team saw over 180 walk-​ins without missing a step.
Again sat at a table overlooking the dining room floor, music and scenery unchanged from the past while a buzz hung in the air from a mostly-​full house, it was to a family-​style carte blanche experience that our meal was entrusted and passing on wine in favor of Iced Tea it was not more than fifteen minutes before the fun got started, a seasonal beet salad with beautiful candied pistachios juxtaposing creamy goat cheese joining several old-​favorites, the meatballs deemed better than ever by some at the table while the soup managed the rare feat of beans being perfectly cooked while pasta was still springy yet tender.
Unabashedly promoting LaPlaca as the most innovative pasta maker in Las Vegas, a title earned across three prior meals where not one noodle or sauce failed to impress, November’s new menu saw some similarities but mostly different offerings and although the Agnolotti remains the sort of signature MGM should be touting on billboards it was once again the Gnocchi that stole away the spotlight, the Thanksgiving Feast on a plate every bit as ‘fun’ as it was delicious beneath dehydrated stuffing crumbles while «Pappardella alla Vodka» required no tableside show to induce a smile, just great sauce and huge langoustines with butter and booze kept grounded by sauteed spinach greens.
Already seeing some at the table scaling back on portions in order to enjoy more of that to come, secondi featured three classics joined by two more recent innovations and although the Osso Bucco remains the best in the city while the fried lobster tail is a luxury that anyone with the means should go out of their way for it would be equally difficult to pass up buttery scallops atop cauliflower purée with cubes of fried polenta, let alone the flash fried pork shank that is not exactly «Italian» but no less likely to wow atop a sweet and smoky bean ragu.
Currently in flux as relates to the pastry department, options unchanged from the past yet still just as good, it was perhaps good fortune that saw only a small smattering of sweets served after such an epic meal and with the Cassata Cheesecake as well as the Crème Brulee drawing oohs-​and-​ahhs from the uninitiated it seems to me that even the deconstructed cannoli tasted better this time around, the filling more creamy than memory serves and the citrus notes turned down.
*****Continuing to challenge themselves while still impressing tourists and locals alike the simple volume of glowing praise for Portofino should be proof enough of a restaurant worth a visit, each and every menu change likely to prompt my next.

Move over Tom Colicchio,
Move over Emeril
and Giada??? just pack it in… there’s a new chef in town, Michael LaPlaca~
If you want Italian, I suggest you head over to Portofino, inside the Mirage. Fresh pasta made daily that melts in your mouth along with house made gravy (or sauce to us none paisans!) that you wish your mama made for those Sunday night family meals.
We enjoyed dinner @ Portofino’s on Friday and there was NOT one misstep the entire evening. Our server, Sheri was friendly, conversational and best of all not intrusive. Her Server Assistant, Max was a pleasure. The GM, Chris greeted our table, was chatty which we liked PLUS has the ability to describe Chef LaPlaca’s food into mouthwatering deliciousness ~
For appetizers the crab cake arancini (a house special) is not to be overlooked ~ pan seared to light, chrispy perfection & easily shared for 2 without feeling cheated. Next DO NOT overlook the Kobe beef & Deruta pork meatballs w/​a ricotta stuffed squash blossom in house made marinara sauce. OH DEAR LORD!!! simply just the BEST EVER!!! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I know Rao’s is the supposed meatball king of the LV Strip… That being said the judges must not have tried Chef LaPlaca’s cuz there is NO COMPARISON… REALLY!!!
Let’s get to the pasta ~ You’ll think your in Italy. It is that (expletive!) good!
Start with at least a half order to share of the Burrata Agnolotti… Lobster, chanterelle mushrooms and parmesan butter, really how bad could this be??? you will NOT be disappointed and the full order will not allow you to enjoy the rest of your meal, even tho you will want more trust me on this~ DON’T!
Your main course… I don’t think you can go wrong with any selections on the menu.
We started with the Veal Osso Bucco ~ soft fatty marrow goodness set in saffron risotto all floating covered with rich, decadent veal sauce.
Next selection, the Gnocchi ~ soft «melt in your mouth» potato pillows resting with forest mushrooms, arugula, a drizzle of creamy truffle fonduta finished w/​parmigiano reggiano.
Our final entrée’ selection had to be «traditional» Italian fare so the Chicken Rollatini Parmesan~ presented deconstructed with house made marinara & melted mozzarella. Pretty to look at & deeeelish to the palate.
Cappuccinos for dessert along with Tiramisu AND Cannoli (also served deconstructed) presented with citrus olive oil ice cream (sounds odd, but really, really good!)
All this heavenly food along with 2 bottles of Ferrari-​Carano made for a dining experience fit for the 12 Roman Gods and there were only 4 of us~

One of the best meals I have ever eaten! The Burrata Agnolotti pasta dish is the most delicious pasta on earth. It is ravioli filled with a sweet cheese accompanied with a lot of lobster pieces and in a wonderful mushroom sauce. I came to celebrate my birthday. Service was fantastic from start to finish. We made a reservation and were seated right away. From appetizers to entrée to dessert all the food was mouthwatering. We ordered meatballs to start followed by the Burrata Agnolotti pasta. Then for dessert we got the Nutella crème brûlée. Wow is all I can say for the dessert! What an interesting twist to how crème brûlée is normally made but they perfected it to well. They also surprised me with a tiramisu dessert that was complimentary for my birthday. Will definitely be returning and will be telling all my friends about it! I highly recommend this restaurant.

We’ve been here before and I’ve posted reviews before but I must say the quality of this place continually goes in the wrong direction. It’s still very nice to see when you walk in and the staff is very pleasant. However, our server although nice, was speaking from a script. We were first on the list and thought wow, he’s charming and really interacting — then we heard him say the exact same things to every person within hearing distance. Not a good idea if you’re trying to make diners feel special.
Then there’s the food. It’s supposed to be rustic Italian whatever that is. My husband had lasagna and he said there was one lasagna noodle in the dish and the flavor was pretty bland. I had Veal Osso Bucco, absolutely horrible. While the veal was tender, the risotto was flavored with saffron, so much so that it left a nasty after taste in my mouth.
Nothing exciting dessert wise so we didn’t even bother. We go here because it’s in the hotel, not making that mistake again.

***************************** 1364 ***************************
We saw his name flashing on the billboard display at the Mirage Hotel all the time. Voted 1 of the best Italian restaurants in Las Vegas. I finally got to take my nieces here. Portofino
by Chef Michael LaPlaca, a young chef that I had met long time ago when he worked at the famous Bradley Ogden restaurant at Caesars Palace. He also worked for chef Thomas Keller at Bouchon at the Venetian, and Alex at the Wynn back in the day. This chef was once dreamt of becoming a professional skateboarder or joining a punk-​rock band. He told the story that when when he first moved to Vegas with no money with only $ 70 in his pocket and to start a culinary school then.
On the first day of culinary school, Chef LaPlaca was told to write a long-​term goal on the first page of my notebook so that every day when he got to class, he would remember that dream. He dreamt of someday; his name will flashing on the billboard of Las Vegas Strip. He wrote down, «Executive chef on the Las Vegas Strip.» Dreams do come true!
Now this over 6 FT tall, muscular, handsome and young chef runs one of the best Italian restaurants on the Strip.
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We were greeted nicely by the two beautiful hostesses. A nice bar with beautiful chandeliers, and mirror against the bar, reflecting the brightness of the place, some what intimidating when I first walked in.
The main dining room was much warmer and cozy. We got the booth table in the corner, comfortable for all.
They offer the incredible value for your money. The Summer Tastings menu is only $ 30 for three course, and wine pairing for $ 25, unheard of at a fine dining on the Strip!
A good selection for vegetarian and gluten-​free to choose, a pre-​show menu and a regular a la carte one.
— MEATBALLS — fried squash blossom, goat cheese, and san marzano tomatoes — a must try!
— Grilled Octopus — calabrian peperonata, fingerling crisps, salsa verde
— Calamari — housemade mariana, pepperoncini, parmesan, this mariana sauce was so addicting, we had to ask for more sauce just to dip the bread in.
— PASTA TASTING — is a must if you’re pasta lover or if you come with a few friends.
1. Ravioli with poached egg and truffle
2. Gnocchi with sweetbreads, fava beans
3. Ripateli with housemade lamb sausage, peppers, grilled lamb, san marzano tomatoes
4. Chicken Pappardelle, Foie Gras alfredo
5. Agnolotti with lobster, chanterelle mushrooms, corn butter
— Veal Osso Buco — Saffron risotto, bone marrow, gremolata — arr, meat lover, this is for you.
— Steak — my niece finished it to the last drop on the plate.
— Branzino — asparagus, potato leek gratin, hen of the wood mushroom, delicious
DESSERTS:
— Nutella Crème Brulee — if you love Nutella, this is it for you.
— Cassata Cheesecake, strawberries, «Italian Wedding Cake» croutons — this was beautifully presented, looks like a gift box.
— Cooke Soufflé Trio — Chocolate chips, Oreo, Vanilla anglaise — sweet tooth heaven!
Service was efficient and fast, perfect timing between course. The wines by the glass were reasonable and the wines pairing was done reasonable for the strip. I was impressed. The GM was very nice and checked up on us to make sure we had a good time. My nieces were in heaven, The teenager one got food coma after her Pasta Tasting :-) Good time had by all.

I’m a fan of Italian. I love pasta and all the carbs that follow. But after a disappointing meal at Fiamma and now a mediocre meal at Portofino I’m willing to forsake the cuisine all together. Portofino, the restaurant formerly known as Onda, at the Mirage is a beautiful and intimate space ornately decorated with faux gold accents. Comfortable and spacious booths line the walls. White linen covered tables fill the rest of the room.
Everything looked great, alluding to a great meal to follow. The food looked impressive too. It’s all beautifully plated. The crab cake arancini to start the meal was a well balanced dish of savoriness with hints of acidity and sweetness. The rest of the meal was a huge letdown. The spinach gnocchi, while nicely plated, was unusually soft and doughy, lacking any sort of textural contrast. Even prettier was burrata filled agnolotti surrounded by lobster. Unfortunately, the sauce was too rich and flavors were muddled with none of the elements standing out.
It’s a shame the food didn’t have much substance because Portofino would be a good date spot. But average food and service make this a restaurant I wouldn’t recommend unless you want to break up with someone.