Rao's

Well, I finally had dinner at Rao's, albeit the Las Vegas knock-off. They tried hard to recreate the atmosphere of the original, but I can't imagine that they came even close. The restaurant was large and the tables were well-spaced. The food was excellent: the antipasto, mozarella en carrozza, fritto misto were all perfectly executed. I had the Chicken Scarpariello, a nice balance of sweet and hot peppers and the pronounced but not overpowering use of vinegar made the dish. It did not depose my favorite version, NewCorners'--earthy, garlicky, with the terroir of Brooklyn coming through--but it came close. The Umbrian sangiovese was so delicious that--heavens--I could not stop drinking it. If find yourself in Vegas, I'd recommend Rao's.