Located on the world famous Piazza San Marco in the Venetian Hotel, Enoteca San Marco is the second Las Vegas project for Mario Batali and his partner, winemaker Joseph Bastianich. This casual yet elegant eatery serves classic pizzas and pastas, a large selection of house-cured meats, Italian and local cheeses, gelato and regional Italian specialties

While we had trouble getting into most restaurants on a saturday night, it wasn’t too difficult to get a table for 4 immediately when coming to this eatery located in the Venetian’s canal shopping area.  The menu wasn’t too large, but the wine list was extensive (touting the majority of bottles for under $100, not a bad deal) and there was a good selection of more casual Italian fares, including cheeses and cured meats, pasta’s, salads, and main dishes that weren’t too heavy, but had very sizeable portions.  The overall meal was great - accompanied by the ambiance it felt like we were in a cafe in Italy, and we had a good variety of foods to sample the menu.
Starting off with packaged breadsticks and bread, the meal seemed to showcase casual dining at it’s finest.  We started the actual food with an octopus salad and some fried items - namely fried prosciutto and fried risotto balls.  The risotto balls were like fried balls of macoroni and cheese (with risotto in place of macaroni, of course) and the prosciutto wasn’t overpowering.

Moving on to the main courses, we each had different items to get a variety of choices at the table.  These included the extremely tender braised pork shoulder, the catch of the day (yellowtail), veal meatballs, and a chicken breast (at the moment the exact method of cooking escapes me).  Overall, all the items were good, but not great, with the biggest disappointment coming in the fish.  It was a little overcooked and not very flavorful.  The chicken was the highlight - it was moist and well seasoned, resting on a fried eggplant.  We accompanied the meal with a nice merlot.

For dessert, we decided to try the dessert of the day which was an excellent tiramisu.  It was light and chocolatey, and one of the best I’ve had.  We also sampled the restaurants own homemade gelato, with a concord grape, vanilla bean, and goat’s milk offering.

Overall the meal was pretty good.  As is expected with most Las Vegas establishments these days, the service was excellent and the food didn’t dissapoint.  Not too pricey it was an excellent choice for a meal, but wouldn’t be in my tops for a really high class dining experience.  If you’re looking for a casual meal, are into some Italian influenced food, and aren’t looking to go to a buffet, but willing to spend a little cash, this is a good option.  I’d go again.