restaurant review: andiamo steakhouse in downtown las vegas

Most people visiting Las Vegas stay on the Strip and never set foot in downtown. It's a shame, really. True, downtown is not as polished as the Strip. But, downtown still has its charms.

On this most recent trip, Mr. Sazy Rock and I were back in downtown Las Vegas for some business. We decided to check out Andiamo Steakhouse, an Italian Steakhouse, located at the D Hotel on Fremont Street. We were not disappointed.

The Scene

Although Andiamo has only been around Las Vegas for a few years, it feels like an old school institution: dark wood, low lighting, servers and bussers impeccably dressed, bleached white table cloth, the works. There was also a nice buzz in the room with a lot of diners enjoying their meal.

The Food

Given that Andiamo claims to be an "Italian" steakhouse, we decided to have something "Italian" and a steak. 

But first, we had a Caesar salad. I absolutely adored it. Our server prepared the dish table side. The ingredients were so fresh and the dressing so savory. It was well done indeed. 

As a side note, I think servers should prepare more food and drinks table side, which I have seen in only but a few restaurants around the country -- Bananas Foster at Brennan's in New Orleans, the deboning of a Branzino at Angelini Osteria in Los Angeles, Crepe Suzette at Arnaud's in New Orleans, and martinis at the Plaza Hotel bar in New York. Of course, if the food is bad to begin with, no amount of theatrical presentation would make the food any better. But, if the food is good, I think the theater makes the dining more enjoyable.

After we demolished the Caesar salad, the restaurant kindly sent us a complimentary intermezzo pasta serving: a Spaghetti with Veal Ragu. The pasta was al dente and the ragu was rich and spiced.

The pasta course.

For the main course, Mr. SR and I each had a Bone-in Ribeye Steak. Of course, at this time, I was so full and we should have just shared one. The steak was perfectly cooked medium rare. It was juicy, fatty and chewy. But, if I had one criticism, my steak had a tiny bone, which in my view barely qualifies as "bone in." Mr. SR's steak had a full on bone. Consequently, his steak had a bit more flavor due to the meat's proximity to the bone. I did note my observation to the server. I really did not get a response. 

Mr. SR's bone in ribeye. Can't tell here but the bone was substantial and went the length of the steak.

My bone in ribeye. See the tiny sliver of bone? That was it. It doesn't go all around.

We did order a dessert, which I barely touched. Not because it was not good but because I could not eat another bite. It was very chocolatey and rich. And, I would have devoured it if I had more room in my tummy.

Dessert.

We had wine and cocktails. I can't say enough great things about the barrel aged Manhattan that our server recommended. It was tasty and potent. Definitely drink it in moderation.

My barrel aged Manhattan.

The Service

All the staff from the host to the sommelier to the server to the busser were all friendly, funny and full of helpful suggestions. Indeed, our server wisely recommended that barrel aged Manhattan. I still dream of it. I also can't say how well our server executed the table side service of our Caesar salad. Not only was it tasty but it was also prepared very well. My only criticism about the service was that they did not respond to my complaint about the tiny bone in my "bone in" steak.

The Price

Our meal was not cheap. But then again, we were eating good quality meat and other ingredients. I found it well worth the price.

The menu.

The Verdict

I really enjoyed my meal at Andiamo. The food, the drinks and the theater of it all were worth another visit. If you want an old school steakhouse experience and great steaks, I highly recommend Andiamo.

What's your favorite steakhouse?