Calamari and Cannoli at Ferraro's Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar, Las Vegas!

To contact us Click HERE

















A great Italian restaurant in Las Vegas!
     I have wanted to try Ferraro's Italian Restaurant for a long time.  I have heard nothing but good things about this restaurant!       While running errands on a day off, I became hungry in the late afternoon.  I had a snack of vegetable samosas at the Origin India restaurant and I was still hungry.  I thought about dining later in the day and having a full dinner, but an afternoon of appetizers and desserts seemed more appealing.  Lighter food is better when the afternoon weather is hot.  Appetizers are nice when the cocktail hours roll around and it was getting to be that time of day.     Ferraro's Italian Restaurant is located at 4480 Paradise Road, at the intersection of Harmon.  Ferraro's is directly across the street from the Hard Rock Casino and it is next door to the UNLV campus.       It has been over twenty years since I have worked in a fine Italian restaurant that had a comparable  atmosphere to Ferraro's Italian restaurant.  I once worked at a Northern Italian restaurant that was managed by an Italian monk.  To say the least, that old restaurant was very posh and it had the feel of a classic fine restaurant in Italy.  The atmosphere at Ferraro's had that same kind of feel.  It was the afternoon hours, so the pace and style of service was a little more casual.  Still, the customers at Ferraro's were dressed in fine clothes for the cocktail hour and early dinner hours.  You might say that I found a place in Las Vegas that has a respectable true business casual clientele in the afternoons.  I really liked the respectable atmosphere, especially since I had become used to dining in a long string of very casual restaurants.  It was nice to get back in touch with the meaning of the word "class"!     I sat at a table in the cocktail lounge in Ferraro's.  The afternoon cocktail crowd was having a good time watching a ball game.  The cocktail lounge waitstaff were busy and fun.  I mentioned that I really was craving a nice cold glass of Italian beer to the waitress when she asked if I wanted a drink.  The waitress said "Moretti on draft!"  I said yes, but the waitress had already was on her way to the bar to get my beer!  This girl was fun and quick!  I do like good Italian beer.  It is refreshingly sharp and not too heavy.     I was glancing at the menu and the waitress said "Calamari!  Ours is the best in town!"  I said yes!  This waitress was not only a great waitress, but she was a mind reader too.  How did she know that I loved crispy fried calamari with marinara, while sipping on a good Italian beer?  Well, truth be told, I think everybody likes that combination in the afternoon!       The calamari was excellent!  Lightly seasoned and floured, crispy fried and the marinara sauce was perfect!  As you can see in the photographs, the calamari had a light color, so the chef used fresh frying oil.  The tomato sauce was top notch!  Even the classic sprinkle of crushed red pepper was placed on top.  That is a classic touch for serving tomato sauce with calamari.  The waitress was absolutely correct when she said that Ferraro's calamari is the best in town!     Dessert!  I craved something sweet.  The waitress suggested tiramisu, but I had plans to make a special tiramisu for this blog.  An Italian friend from Philadelphia sent a few photographs of local Italian restaurant's cannoli from South Philly to my Facebook page earlier that day.       When someone sends pictures of food to my page, I sometimes go into a gladiator state of mind.  Were the cannoli photos a snobbish statement from Little Italy in Philly?  Was this some kind of a cannoli challenge?  Did my friend want to start a cannoli war?       Well, the cannoli battle commenced!  I figured that I would order cannoli at Ferraro's and send photographs of the cannoli back to my Italian friend in Philly.  No holds barred, unlimited time limit, battle of the Italian cannoli photos!     As I waited for my order of cannoli, I was hoping for the best.  The best is what I got!  The presentation of the cannoli was a work of modern art!  The vertical presentation was how I was trained to present cannoli at the fine Northern Italian restaurant that I mentioned working in, earlier in this article.  The difference was, Ferraro's chef painted the plate with chocolate and garnished the plate with suiting edible flowers.  This was a nice looking plate of cannoli!       The cannoli were simply flavored with cinnamon and a very nice delicato touch was used when adding the cinnamon to the cheese filling.  The cheese filling was whisked to the perfect light texture that is necessary for piping.  Just enough sugar was added to sweeten the cannoli filling.  The sweetness level was perfect!  The cannoli shells looked like they were also hand crafted and they had a very light crispy texture.       Of course the photograph of Ferraro's cannoli easily won the cannoli battle between my South Philly Italian friend and I!  The problem was, I hit the wall of eating too much and I had one cannoli leftover.  I asked for the one piece of untouched surviving cannoli to be wrapped to-go and I later gave it to a New York Italian friend that lives here in Las Vegas.  The guy went bananas!  He had cannoli all over his lips and he was trying to talk with a mouthful of cannoli, like homesick New York Italians do.  I just had to laugh!  Yes, my New York Italian friend liked Ferraro's cannoli too!     Ferraro's offers a full menu of great Italian food that is prepared to perfection.  Osso bucco is one of the house specialties.  The chef's quality standard is organic meats and vegetables as well as sustainable seafood.  All breads, desserts and pastas are made fresh daily and there is even gluten free offerings.  The chef at Ferraro's is not only quality oriented, he is aware of the modern trend of guilt free organic sustainable dining.  That trend is a now a standard in Las Vegas fine dining.       Ferraro's also has a state of the art decanter wine bar and they offer very fine Italian wines.  There is live entertainment nightly and the piano is set on a stage that can be seen from the dining room.  For the late night crowd, Ferraro's offers a reverse happy hour.  That is nice for restaurant personnel who start their evening late.     I highly recommend Ferraro's for visitors of Las Vegas and locals alike!  Ferraro's is the place to go for great Italian food with a modern classy casual atmosphere.  Ferraro's is simply doing everything the right way!  Yum!  ...  Shawna        

Harrah's Wizard of Oz Slots

To contact us Click HERE

My wife and daughter just returned from Harrah%26#39;s where they played the two Wizard of Oz machines by the cashier. They said the darn things would not stop paying off. They made over $250.00 apiece. They told me to be sure to post this......even though I detest slot machines. ha, ha

Harrah's Wizard of Oz Slots

I was going to post this......funny.....went to edgewater today......slow there.....bank of 3 wiz of oz next to sports book....have always wanted to play but was too crowded too try.....put 20 in lost 10 fast...lady next to me only one playing besides me...she dumps 50.00 playing max spins real fast.I took the 10 and tried her machine. sixty cents a pull....all of a sudden a fairy godmother comes down in a ball and i get a free spin right after i had just spun....something about an extra bonus spin....all the spaces were wild except for 1 and i got back 257.00. I almost passed out.///// went to quick hit and won 57.00 and then won 50.00 on hot shot......what a day!

Harrah's Wizard of Oz Slots

To celebrate went to albertos and had a really good mexican meal.

have to try the oz machines when we get back to AZ this winter. Congradulations on your good luck!! I would have almost passed out too. Where is Albertos? My husband and I liked Casa Seranos in Mohave. Our opionion is that even though it was a bit of a drive it was our favorite compared to Bullhead and Havesue%26#39;s Seranos. Didn%26#39;t try the one at Riverside though. You would think that beings they are a chain the food would be the same. But our experience wasn%26#39;t that way. Mohave%26#39;s had better presentation and portions. Overall taste was better ,to us anyway. And the wait staff is friendlier. We love their Fajita Salad (Chicken or Steak) and the cost was reasonable for lunch (around 5.75). Oft times my husband and I would share it beings it is so big. They also keep the warm chips flowing and serve them with two kinds of salsas and a hot chorizo bean and cheese dip for free with meal...great deal!!

We just got back now from casa at riverside....my daughter graduates tonight from laughlin high and this is where she likes to eat.....same everything as the other ones. They like the loaded mexican pot skins. I ate the combo of soft taco, cheese enchillada and chile releno....it was good but albertos is better. This costs 9.50 here and 10.25 at albertos. Albertos is in the laughlin shopping town center on needles highway . Take james woodbury to end and turn left and you are on needles highway.....pass the park, library, post office and you will see the shopping center. This is big town ....we have aldelpes supermarket, 2 mexican restraurants which are albertos and casa torta(something like that lol...foods pretty good also)and a lousy pizza place called mommas. I eat the lunch buffet there cause its only 5.00. Not too bad for that price but not worth ordering otherwise.

i don%26#39;t know why i can%26#39;t get the time adjusted right on here. Its only 355 as i write this.

Polkadad, Congradulations to your daughter on her graduation day.!! Will try the riverside Casa Seranos. Also, thank you for the heads up and directions to Albertos. Will try that as well. We spent 4 months this last winter and with your help (and Grif and Calsuede) we had an easy time deciding where to eat and gamble in town. We look forward to coming back this next winter and discover more of Laughlin and the surrounding area.

Ok well, I got back from Laughlin yesterday and had a great time.I did hit every casino there except for the Tropicana, which was only because it was on the other side of the street and I didn%26#39;t know it was there until we left in the bus yesterday. I told the bus that I guess I would hav eto go back because I missed one. LOL I did try the Wizard of Oz at one of the casino%26#39;s but I lost on it. I did see it at other casino%26#39;s, but never was able to get on it. Oh well trust me, I lost a whole lot of money without playing the Wizard of Oz ! :(

Did you take a bus from vegas here for like 5 hours?

sorry .....your other post said you stayed at harrahs....

2 luxury home realtors

May's Cafe (May's Chinese Restaurant)- Arcadia, CA

To contact us Click HERE

(Now that I've eaten a generous serving of AP Tots (the reason for my month's absence), I'm back to writing on a weekly basis!)

For years, I have wondered what was this "May's Chinese Restaurant" entry on my GPS; how could there be a restaurant in Arcadia that I did not still know about? It was only recently that I found out it was May's Cafe, an establishment that has been in Arcadia for years. With some special circumstances that began this year, May's Cafe suddenly became a restaurant with a prime location-- one ideal for me to try out their Taiwanese selections from a walking distance.


Inside, the restaurant is tiny-- there are less than 20 tables, and mirrors are used in an effort to enlarge the space. Still, the less than perfect surroundings, coupled with some KOST 103.5 radio and view of the street, add for a unusually relaxing way to end an otherwise busy week. The constant use of Mandarin may present a barrier for some, but eventually orders get through, and food is served.





On my first visit, not knowing what to really order and not really knowing how to say the Mandarin names of some items, I kept to observing the food served to other patrons and what I knew in words, and ordered the Chinese Sausage Fried Rice (6.00 USD). In comparison to some of the ginormous plates of food presented to some of the patrons, this serving of fried rice was comparatively tiny. The fat granules of rice, fragrant sausage, crisp lettuce, and wispy strands of egg were enjoyable, if a bit greasy and salty.  MSG was also added, and so I noted that for future visits I would ask them to exclude that ingredient.


Now armed with the experience of eating at May's Cafe for once, I went into May's Cafe the second time ordering what most people ordered while at the cafe: Fried Pork Chop on Rice (6.00 USD). For the same price as the Fried rice, I got a large, balanced meal of protein, carbohydrates, and veggies. Along with the centerpiece of fried pork chop, there was a bed of steamed white rice, doused with a scoop of soy, and to the side was a generous serving of broccoli with bonito accents, scrambled egg, stewed tofu, and preserved turnip. The pork chop was crisp, light, and most importantly tender; and in such generous servings, I left this time quite full.


On my third visit, I tried out another of May's Cafe's greatest hits: Beef Stew Noodles Soup (6.00 USD). In comparison to my usual favorite, this version offered a bold, intense broth, high quality pieces of stewed beef, and some additions--napa cabbage and homemade preserved vegetables. I didn't care so much that the broth was quite greasy on top, and that the noodles did not offer much other than a toothsome chew, but with subsequent visits the broth has been less greasy-- the manager probably noticed how I was skimming the broth's surface several times before I started enjoying the bowl of soup. My companions feel this bowl of noodle soup is just as good, if not as better, than our favorite; then again, both are quite different in terms of the broth, and your opinion will differ depending on whether you like bolder flavor items (in which May's Cafe certainly wins) or lighter flavored items (House of Mandarin Noodle is the clear winner hear).


Having tried the Beef Stew Noodles Soup, I was now determined to try out the Beef Stew on Rice (6.00 USD). What came to the plate was essentially the same dish, other than noodles were subbed with a bed of steamed rice, and the broth became a cornstarch thickened sauce with some additional seasoning. Although I certainly enjoyed the meaty pieces of stewed beef, I felt that there was too little rice to suit with the generous serving of sauce, and the plastic spoon was sharp enough to make a slight cut on the mouth. So, a suggestion: if you don't care for eating on plastic soup spoons, bring your own utensils!


Another visit, I tried the Fried Chicken Leg on Rice (6.00 USD). The restaurant was certainly busier, having school been released at the same time I went to the cafe, and my plate seemed to have the inconsistency of lacking the spoonful of preserved vegetables. The chicken leg, like the pork chop, was light, juicy, crispy, and simply seasoned-- no special final dusting of five spice or chili powder to be found here. The cabbage was decent, but I definitely preferred the broccoli more.


Having tried the "Da Lu Mian" at Mandarin Noodle Deli, I decided to try out May's Cafe version. Like the other items I've described so far, this item, the Simmered Pork Noodles Soup is also 6.00 USD. I enjoyed the wide variety of ingredients found in the noodle soup-- bamboo shoots, wood ear fungus, carrots, celery, and napa cabbage-- and unlike some of the other items I've had at May's Cafe, this item came out almost immediately after I ordered it. Seasoned with sesame oil, the broth was slightly out of the ordinary, but still pleasant.


Wanting to try some more traditional Taiwanese items, I ordered the Intestines & Oysters with Tiny Noodles Soup. This one was a pungent dish-- mixed inside the bold broth was minced garlic, and placed atop was a dash of black vinegar. The noodles, slightly clumped, needed a slight mix before enjoying; on the other hand, the intestines were tasty, with little foul flavor, and the small pieces of oyster were savored. In this occasion, I felt again that there could be more strands of noodles, as there was plenty of broth to go around.


On a rainy day, the Beef Stew Noodles Soup sounded like a good idea, and so I certainly enjoyed this bowl. And look! Little grease on the surface of the soup! Unfortunately, the stuff that I brought to the restaurant got wet in the rain after a ten minute walk-- always keep your items in a waterproof housing!


On a better day, a companion and I visited May's Cafe yet again. My companion ordered the Curry Beef on Rice (6.00 USD) but did not care much for it, as there was very little curry powder actually added to the sauce. Instead, it tasted more like a brown sauce instead of a curry sauce. We did, however, like that a wide variety of vegetables was added to the curry.


I tried out the Combination on Rice (squid, chicken, beef and vegetables- 6.00USD). In addition to what the menu describes, there were some pieces of fishball, fishcake, and octopus (that tasted weird) to the mix. Other than one awkward ingredient in the combination, the rest of the dish was tasty.



We also ordered the Eggs & Oyster's Patti (5.50 USD), essentially a Taiwanese oyster omelet.This version was quite special in that the starch, oysters, and vegetables were fully encapsulated in a thin layer of egg, while the oysters were still barely cooked and the veggies crisp. It was an intriguing version of the oyster omelet, and had the accompanying sauce been warmed up (it was somewhat cold) I would have liked it even better.


On another visit (there's been too many!), my companion ordered the Beef Stew Noodles Soup, and so I ordered the Pork Chop Noodles Soup, hoping that I would get a lighter soup overall. I was correct-- I got a bowl of noodles and light broth, with the crispy pork chop put aside on a separate dish. Any blandness to this dish was counteracted with accompanying bites of the pork chop, and some scoops of broth from the Beef Stew Noodles Soup-- a little of that broth went a long way in increasing the flavor of this dish!


And as a vegetable side, we ordered the Fried Sponge Gourd (7.50 USD); you would probably recognize this better if it was called "chinese okra." Although the gourd was not actually in season when we tried the dish, the gourd was still sweet and pleasantly prepared.


And on my most recent visit, I had the Fried Chewy Rice Cake (6.00 USD), having saw someone else order it and get a generous portion. My portion was not as generous, but I liked how the plate had plenty of vegetables and meat to go along with the rice cake.

Overall, an enjoyable, small restaurant in the Arcadia area. If you're looking for a non-chain restaurant that offers Taiwanese food, May's Cafe is a reliable, small restaurant with very reasonable prices.


May's Cafe (facebook link)
31 E. Duarte Road
Arcadia, CA 91006
Tel: (626) 574-8348

Starbucks' Refreshers Beverages: Cool Lime and Very Berry Hibiscus

To contact us Click HERE

On July 13, from 12-3 PM, Starbucks gave away Tall sizes of its recently launched beverage, Starbucks Refreshers. The new product comes in Cool Lime and Very Berry Hibiscus flavors, and regularly costs 2.95 USD for a Tall Size.

Starbucks describes the Cool Lime flavor as "a lively blend of lime, citrus and hints of mint and cucumber, shaken with real lime slices," and the Very Berry Hibiscus flavor as "a thirst quenching combination of tangy blackberry and hints of hibiscus." Notably, these drinks feature Starbucks' green coffee extract, which is taken from green (not roasted) arabica coffee beans and offers the "natural energy" of coffee but without the coffee flavor. 

Unlike some free offers, each of these Refreshers were made by order. There was no special advertising at the store to signal a "free" Refresher; you just asked for it and the cost was deducted. Some customers shouted aloud to their co-workers about the deal as well.

I tried the Very Berry Hibiscus flavor (the Cool Lime Refresher in the pictures was a friend's) and  it had berry fruit flavor as well as some depth from the hibiscus. In terms of sweetness, the Refresher seemed as sweet as a flavored water, with a sweetness that reminded me more of artificial sweetener (I can not confirm what sweetener, if any, is used in the drink). The blackberries, on the other hand, were somewhat squashed due to the shaking action in creating the drink, and so did not look or taste like the fresh blackberries shown in Starbucks' product photo.

Both flavors combine tried-and-true combinations. If you need a light refreshment after a heavy meal or from work, these are a flavored option to consider. As for me? I'll stick with chia seeds and water.(no, I did not time that post to coincide with this one!)

Starbucks Coffee (@ The Shops at The Alhambra)
1131 S Fremont Ave
Alhambra,CA91803
(626) 457-5234

Trader Joe's Lemon Heart Cookies

To contact us Click HERE

Another visit around Trader Joe's led to another cookie discovery: Lemon Heart Cookies.

The packing is interesting--clean and fancy--but the ingredients were also interesting. Almond meal? The enriched wheat flour could be swapped for a better ingredient, but considering the nature and pricing of the product, it's decent.

Trader Joe's Lemon Heart Cookies were pleasant, and the description ("Delicately textured cookies with a hint of almond flavor and lemon icing") fit completely. The cookies could have been slightly moister (these were pretty dry), but were pleasantly sweet and lemony. By that, I mean that the cookies were not artificially lemony, but rather had a natural lemon flavor. The almond meal added additional texture, which I liked. I'd buy these again!

Maria's Italian Kitchen

To contact us Click HERE
                Established in 1975 by Maria Alfano, this Italian Kitchen is a blessing to LA. The owners were actually from Hoboken, NJ, but then fell in love with CA on a visit, and opened Maria’s Italian Kitchen. It is now open in 10 different locations in and around LA, serving fresh pasta, breads, pizza, salad, and much more! Here are a few of their lip smacking dishes.            Like most Italian places Maria’s serve complimentary garlic bread. But these are not like any other you might have tasted. Drizzled with oregano and garlic and eaten with olive oil, the bread gives you an intro to what you are about to savor.

Garlic bread

Cheese fries

              As appetizer we tried their formaggio fritti. We weren’t familiar with what to expect but once we tried it, I am sure its something we will always have! Formaggio is a chewy kind of cheese, which is fried with bread crumbs to make it a fritti. The portion had just two rectangular pieces served with fresh marinara sauce and arugula leaves. Oh! What do I tell you about the sauce!! It was the best I ever tasted. You can taste the freshness, the juiciness and the sweetness of the tomatoes and when combined with the frittas, the combo is heaven! We also had cheese fries. These potato fries were drizzled with cheese and had just the flavor to tell you they were different. Frankly, I wouldnt say they are great. They were well done, tasted good but not extraordinary.

Formaggio Fritti

                For the main course, we tried three different varieties just to get the taste of the place. And oh! I forgot to mention, we had a guest this time. You will hear about her in the next few posts too, ‘cause we are having a holiday together. That is why we could try 3 entrees instead of just 2.                One of them was vegetarian lasagna. This lasagna had spinach, portabella mushrooms, grilled zucchini, smoked mozzarella and sautéed broccoli. And of course their fresh marinara too! It was such a mouthful, and so yummy, I am waiting to try it myself some day. It was a large portion though, so unless you are very hungry, you might end up with a doggy bag.

Vegetarian Lasagna

                The other entrée was the Spicy shrimp and Roasted corn Risotto. For those who do not know, Risotto is simply rice cooked in broth of meat/ vegetable till it gets a creamy consistency and served with any kind of meat. The kind we tasted was accompanied by shrimp, corn, and red chilli flakes, sun-dried tomatoes and cream. It’s a treat for those who love seafood and its distinct flavor cause this dish is loaded with it!

Spicy Shrimp and roasted corn Risotto

                The third was ravioli a la marinara. The description on the menu reads “Delicious paper thin pasta pillows of Ricotta stuffed pasta. Light and delicious” And yes, it was just that. Inspite of being just the basic Italian combination, it tasted so special on my palate when the ricotto just melted in my mouth blending with the marinara. Hmmmm… I need to have it right now! And since it was just the right portion, you can enjoy it all you want, just until you can. It wont get too much into you.

Ravioli a la Marinara

                So maria’s Italian Kitchen is my best choice for fresh marinara, and cheese. I bet you will not leave unhappy after eating at this place! Enjoy yourselves….  

Useful links:http://www.mariasitaliankitchen.com/