12
DINING
G O L F
Italian American Club
S O U T H W E S T
Story and photos by Steve Mayer
— S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4
I
f you want to eat some great Italian food, head over to the Italian American Club. This is the real deal Italian. This gem has been open since 1960, started by local Italian-Americans to celebrate their heritage. I met with the current club president, Angelo Cassaro, and he briefed me on the history of the club and the recent revitalization to establish it as one of the best Italian eateries in Las Vegas. The club was originally an exclusive social club for Italian men and attracted some old school Las Vegas entertainers and celebrities. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Jimmy Durante, Perry Como, Joe DiMaggio, Steve Lawrence, and Eydie Gorme, to name a few. There is a “wall of fame” just inside the front door, with framed pictures of the celebrities that have patronized and supported the club. The swanky “men’s club” first allowed women to join in 1990, but now you don’t even have to be of Italian heritage to become a member. The Italian American Club operates the oldest Italian Restaurant in Las Vegas. The restaurant is now open to the public, but still has that sort of old world vintage-Vegas “family” Italian feel. It is the perfect place for a romantic meal, a family dinner, or a few drinks and a great meal with some friends. Once you enter the foyer and are greeted by the hostess you instantly feel welcomed with none of the pretentiousness of some other “members clubs”. Hey, the Italians are a friendly group, and boy they love to eat and drink. “Everyone
is treated like family here”, states Angelo. “Everyone is welcome, young or old, Italian or not, we’re all family.” He calls it “the swankiest supper club in town”. It does, in fact, have a unique feel with a jukebox in the large bar area, and live entertainment nightly. Ben Spano manages the restaurant and has a very talented executive chef in Guillermo Perez, “chef Memo”. Chef Memo was the chef from another of my favorite Italian eateries, Fellini’s. Ben surveys his kingdom, going from table to table and making sure everyone is happy and the service exceptional. He has added some of his recipes to the menu, which is chock full of Italian favorites with sumptuous appetizers, tasty soups and salads, pasta specialties, seafood, chicken and beef entrees, and decadent deserts. Let’s get into some of the food that I tried, and I was fortunate to try quite a few items. First up was the stuffed banana peppers. The fresh sweet, spicy peppers were presented two ways. Some were stuffed with anchovy flavored ricotta cheese, and the others were halved and covered with home-made Italian sausage and covered with melted cheese. These babies are really tasty and right then I knew it was going to be a great meal. Then came the sautéed calamari. The generous portion of breaded calamari was sautéed and tossed with tangy cherry peppers. This was the most tender, succulent calamari I have ever tasted. Perfecto! The escarole and beans wound up the appetizer tastings. The meaty, tender Cannellini beans together with the savory escarole are really classic Italian fare and work together perfectly. This is great Italian comfort food. Of special note also is the crab tower. I did not get to try this, but man anytime crab and tower
Angelo Cassaro flanked by honorary members Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.