A 40-year-old institution has put Las Vegas on the map for Italian cuisine. In the past three years, Ferraro’s Ristorante has notched three awards from Gambero Rosso, the worldwide authority on Italian food, wine and culture.
The magazine recognized the fine dining restaurant for its wine list, authentic cuisine—Ferraro’s is one of only eight U.S. restaurants to receive this honor—and included the restaurant in its Top Italian Restaurants Guide.
The keyword is “authentic,” says executive chef Mimmo Ferraro. That’s something he and his father, founder Gino Ferraro, will not compromise.
“I can put chicken parmigiana on the menu here for $100 and people will buy it. But it’s not Italian. It’s not who we are,” Mimmo says. “We want to be an Italian restaurant. We don’t want to be an American restaurant. We want to give people what we were brought up with.”
You won’t find Americanized chicken parmigiana, fettuccini alfredo, spaghetti and meatballs or rigatoni in pink sauce on Ferraro’s menu.What you will find is a 22,000-bottle wine list, housemade breads and pastas and classic, expertly prepared dishes.
In a recent visit, a light, summery Vermentino complemented grilled octopus ($28) with black olives, fried capers and white bean puree. A full-bodied Chianti stood up to the richness of wild boar and porcini mushroom ravioli. Fall-off-the-bone osso buco ($76) was made even heartier and more comforting with a Barbaresco.
And I won’t spoil too much of the dessert, but I have two words for you: pistacchio passion.
“Our food is simple, as it should be. You know, when you eat a dish, you should taste the ingredients, not overpowered with everything else,” Gino says.
Decades of commitment to that philosophy has landed Ferraro’s where it is today. A native of Calabria, Gino and his wife Rosalba moved to Las Vegas in 1976 and, after having three children, opened a small deli and pizza restaurant on Spring Mountain Road in 1985.
“We were doing everything, when my wife and I worked side by side. From four in the morning, making bread and prep for the deli items, salads … all the prep you need to do to open by nine o’clock. We’d get home literally at 11:30 every day. We did that for many years,” Gino says.
In 1992, when Mimmo turned 14, he started working in the cold kitchen and, over the years, worked in virtually every area of the restaurant—from cooking and prep to hosting and bussing tables—before leaving to attend culinary school. In 2001, he graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and studied in Italy before returning to Ferraro’s as executive chef.
The secret to their success over the years is being present in the restaurant on a daily basis, Mimmo says.
“I’m in the window every night, watching what comes out. He [Gino] has a palate and a nose where he can sense and smell and see if something isn’t right. … We have people in the kitchen who have been with us for 16, 18 years—one, because of the way we treat them, but two, because they’re proud of the product and the quality of what we serve,” he says.
For the restaurant’s ruby anniversary, it’s offering a curated selection of 10 Italian wines—typically $80-$100—for $40 per bottle, available November 10-13. Handpicked by Gino himself, they’re sure to take your tastebuds to the old country.
“[Guests] say ‘We can’t get that anywhere else. It’s like being in Italy.’ We hear that every night,” he says.
FERRARO’S RISTORANTE 4480 Paradise Road, 702-364-5300, ferraroslasvegas.com. Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., 4-10:30 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 4-10:30 p.m.
Dining and Cooking