VegasChatter

If you speak a bit of Italian, you might recognize a trend here. The "di mare" means "of the sea," and "Spiaggia" means "beach." Yes, the man has a bit of an obsession with seafood—so much so that he actually has one and one-half tons of fresh fish and seafood flown in from thousands and thousands of miles away on a daily basis. No Pacific stuff here. Only the fruits of the Mediterranean Sea will do.

The Las Vegas Sun reports that Bartolotta accepted his award in front of a who's-who of top chefs--Eric Ripert, Grant Achantz, Emeril Lagasse and Todd English) in a dark tuxedo with an orange shirt. For anyone who has seen the man engaging guests at their table, with his jovial demeanor and big personality, this is not a surpise. In his presence, you just keep waiting for him to yell, 'Mangia!" And when you have his food in front of you, that's all you want to do.

Ristorante di Mare is a AAA Four Diamond Award-winning restaurant, and for good reason. Down a dramatic spiral staircase, the grand dining room overlooks the gorgeous outdoor area. If you can get a seat in one of the waterside cabanas, by all means do. It's one of the most romantic spots in all of Vegas.

But it's the food here that is the true standout. Order an appetizer (or two—it's that good) of lasagnette con ragu di crostacei (“rags” of pasta, lobster, shrimp, langoustines, crab, white wine, and tomato) for $26 and a whole fish entree (there are several choices) that they filet and sauce tableside. The fish run $14–15 per gram, which is about three ounces.

Bottom line: prepare to spend a good amount of cash, especially when they start with the wine descriptions.

The best way to do Bartolotta is to order off the tasting menu, which is either $135 (for the Menu di Paranza, Family Style Tasting ) or $150 (for the Gran Menu di mare, the Grand Family Style Seafood Feast) per person. We did the latter, and we would do it again. Is it pricey, yes. Is it worth it? The James Beard Foundation thinks so, and so do we.