Giada de Laurentiis is the Manny Pacquiao of the culinary world* – ‘cause that tiny person packs more of a wallop per ounce than do many of her “heavyweight” toque-wearing brethren.

One thing’s for sure – GIADA at The Cromwell might be her first restaurant, but she’s coming at it like a seasoned veteran.  Acknowledging the value of the front-of-house as well as the kitchen, she has dedicated a significant amount of time in Las Vegas; and when she is in the house, she stops by every table, to check on her guests, pose for photos, and in some cases, sit-down and chat.

Why?  Because more than perhaps in any other city, guests to Las Vegas are playing de-facto Concierge to their pals, back home.  They are Tweeting, FourSquaring, Instagraming, Facebooking, Flickring, and Tumbling, every bread basket and margarita-by-the-yard; and the gourmet dining experience is no exception.  And the personal touch is part of what sets GIADA apart.

Hats-off, too, to the folks at Caesars Entertainment, who built-out GIADA (and The Cromwell, for that matter) so exquisitely.  The restaurant is airy, light, and features a great (read: flattering) lighting story.

But back to GIADA…

The food is great, natch – otherwise I wouldn’t be wasting your time with this article.  It’s fresh, it’s tasty, and it’s decidedly not over-seasoned.   The presentation is fantastic – from the iced tea (which is steeped tableside, then poured over ice) to Giada’s special Whole Roast Chicken for Two, Cacciatore-style.  Actually, I took myself by surprise, when I heard myself ordering it, as I’m not a fan of peppers.  Maybe I had Billy Joel on the brain…  Who knows?

But I did – and what a dish!  The whole chicken is presented tableside and then portioned-out.  That sauce was sweet and light and oh-so-tasty!  As a matter of fact, it was splendid when paired with the Smashed and Fried Lemon Potatoes.    Actually, I was so taken with the pairing that I told Giada I’d created a new side-dish – Potatoes Cacciatore! (She loved it: Look for it, on the next menu printing!)

There were a dozen things I could elaborate on – the view from one of the busiest intersections in Las Vegas, the motorized windows, the Charred Octopus, the Lemon Ricotta Cookies.  They were all wonderful.  But Potatoes Cacciatore – that’s the headline!

GIADA
The Cromwell
Click HERE for info

Get into it!

* I daresay you could also call her the epicurean Alex Trebek (due to her over-pronunciation of Italian words in English sentences…)