America's hunger for all things Italian seems insatiable. No matter how many pizza joints spring up, there's always room for more, nor do people get tired of the other stand-bys: spaghetti and chicken parmigiana. Hoping to muscle its way and grab a slice of the pie for itself is Prima Pasta, a new family-friendly restaurant in the far-flung reaches of southwest Las Vegas.
The Italian eatery is in the corner of a new strip mall at Durango Drive and Warm Springs Road and features a large patio and beautiful views of the Strip—at least until something gets built across the street and blocks it. Inside, an uncrowded number of tables and chairs are arranged in the small space, along with an open kitchen. The colors and decor are inoffensively modern, with café-style art on the walls, and the whole place screams mid-market franchise. Indeed, our uniformed waitress told us that the owners viewed this location as their flag ship and have plans to expand to other addresses in the Valley.
There's no reason why not. The fare was all palatable, ranging from good to delicious, the wine menu was more than adequate, and service was attentive and friendly, with even a manager making the rounds, handing out balloons to the dining children.
We had hoped to start with an order of the stuffed mushroom caps, but our salads wound up at the table first. A minor timing snafu, and I'm happy to report the only serious glitch we experienced. I had ordered the Caesar, and my lovely wife, the house salad. Both were generous portions, far more than we had expected. The Caesar was mild, crisp and workmanlike, but balsamic vinaigrette on my charming wife's salad was truly outstanding: tasty yet lacking the acidic tang which can sometimes overpower dressings. Both could have been improved by some freshly ground pepper but there was not a mill in sight. Perhaps this may be added later, or perhaps not.
The mushroom caps arrived hot from the oven and we dug in. I need to preface this by explaining my beautiful wife is an absolute fiend for the stuffed seafood mushroom caps from, of all places, Red Lobster. She loves them so much that she has worked to successfully recreate them at home, and we must order them anywhere we dine which has them on the menu. We have even made special trips to Red Lobster for dinner, solely so that she may order them and to hell with the main course. Therefore, you can understand how much was riding on Prima Pasta's mushroom caps. The fate of the entire meal, the whole dining experience, rested on the little, cheese-covered bits of fungus in front of us.
I think I may have had my last Red Lobster meal because there's a new champion in town. Described on the menu in understated fashion as having clam stuffing, they were small buttons of mollusky goodness, with a gentle mix of garlic and herbs. The cheese was perfectly baked to a golden-brown, the button mushrooms were firm, not soggy, and the stuffing was by far the best either of us have ever had in our long career of seafood-stuffed-mushroom-cap eating.
For entrees, my adorable wife opted for an order of penne in a fra diavolo sauce while I went with a small sausage and pepper pizza. I was tempted to try one of the chicken entrees that are accompanied by a healthy side of pasta, but since the restaurant's web address is www.pizzalv.com, I adopted the when in Rome strategy.
The restaurant also offers pasta in a family dining, or "bucket," size, and all of the noodles, sauces and accompaniments are listed separately, allowing you to Frankenstein to your heart's content.
We were both happy with our picks, my delightful wife more so than myself. Her penne, of which she graciously offered me a taste, surprised us both with its bite. It's one thing to read a menu description and deduce a sauce "flavored with crushed red pepper" would have some heat, but too many experiences at middle-of-the-road restaurants have taught us otherwise. Most Americans would rather drench their food in ranch than hit 1 on the Scoville scale. Her penne likely tipped the scale at 25,000—not nearly as hot as it sounds but enough to make you sit a little straighter in your chair.
My pizza was good, with a light, airy crust and that wonderful taste which only a true pizza oven can impart. My one complaint would be that it couldn't stand up to the massive amount of toppings. The sausage, bland compared to the penne, and slices of yellow and red pepper were simply more than the poor dough could bear. But it was nothing a fork and knife couldn't handle, and the fact that I ate everything on the tray could indicate how much weight my comment itself should carry.
Finally (and let it be said that, aside from the pizza and mushroom caps, we didn't clean any plates so as not to fill up), we ordered dessert. Truthfully, my endearing wife ordered dessert while I was away from the table, so it should come as no surprise that it involved chocolate. But what chocolate! Engineers rose before dawn to make possible the construction of this 10-layer cake, and bakers pored over drawing boards to keep it so flavorful and moist. The slice of cake was so intimidating that I was glad I had a sharp-pronged fork in my hand.
Prima Pasta is no Postrio, but it doesn't aim to be. What it aims to be is a casual dining experience that's as easy on your wallet as it is filling for your stomach. And in that regard, it more than succeeds. The website states that a second location will soon be in Southern Highlands. It can't open fast enough.