Osteria Del Circo - The Bellagio - Las Vegas

Visit Osteria Del Circo's website here

Date of visit, Thursday 25th November 2004, 8pm.(Thanksgiving Night)

It wasn't planned. All we'd had to eat all day was a bag of SouthWest peanuts. We were hungry, in Las Vegas, on Thanksgiving night without a dinner reservation. Traipsing from one place to the next looking for somewhere without a set menu and a spare table, we eventually stumbled upon Circo where there just happened to be a spot for two at the bar. We grabbed it without even pausing to double check the menu.



The gaudy decor should have been a warning sign. This is Vegas, Everything is over the top. Show without substance. Circo is no exception. I find the large red and white balloon lighting decorations particularly ugly. I think Circo should spend less on the decor and more on getting a better chef.



This is Vegas. Vegas is good at parting you with your money. Consider a wine list, as thick as a bible, where it is impossible to find a wine under $50 a bottle. Pair this with unenthusiastic, personality-deficient bartenders who when asked for wine advice clearly have no vino knowledge whatsoever. I had to do my usual, random price-range/name-pick method. We ended up with a bottle of ZD Pinot Noir 2001 at $69. Thankfully it was very good. (It appears to retail between $25 and $29 a bottle).



Insalata Mista $12
Bland, under seasoned, unexceptional.



Taglia Tonno $17
Described as lying on a bed of intriguing sounding pearl orzo which turned out to be nothing more than plain barley. What a let down! The tuna didn't taste the freshest. A little dry and slightly chewy, too fishy tasting. Again, unexceptional.



Pizza Margherita $16
You've guessed it - unexceptional. Crust not crispy enough by far.



Sformatino with white truffles $35
Possibly the most expensive appetizer I've ever ordered. You'd think at that price they could at least manage to get the delicate moulded custard out of it's cooking container in one piece. I can't believe they served it broken and mushed up like this. The potato crisps adorning the top were stale and chewy. Yes, really! I had trouble even cutting one of the chips in half with my knife and fork. Unforgivable for food charged at such premium prices. Shocking.



Bomba di Cioccol $14
Sure it looks pretty. But how did it taste? Unmemorable. I can't even remember what flavour it was. If I hadn't taken a photo, I think I might have forgotten I'd even had any dessert.



Conclusion Total Damage for the dinner as described (+ two premium drinks) = $201 before tip. Daylight robbery for such an uninspired meal!
At least they served Hangar One Vodka , my favourite, and the only place in Vegas we found who stocked it, plus we got to meet Harvey, from New York, one of the youngest-looking fifty year olds we've ever met. We all made the good times, because Circo didn't do it for us...

Osteria Del Circo - The Bellagio - Las Vegas