Don’t you want a slice of pizza right about now? I mean, you’re in Las Vegas, you’re walking around a lot of casinos, expending a lot of energy and burning a lot of calories. Sure, you want a slice—and maybe a little bit more. If you find yourself walking the floor of The Mirage, you’ll find plenty of that satisfying foodstuff and much more at Osteria Costa, a welcoming environment with lots of people-watching—and limoncello made in-house.
And the pizzas here are Neopolitan, since the restaurant celebrates the cuisine of the Amalfi Coast. Even if you aren’t 100 percent sure of exactly where that is, once you dig into this menu, you won’t really care. All you need to know is that you’ll enjoy this meal from beginning to end, especially if you start off with one of the signature cocktails like the Lemon, made with that aforementioned house-made limoncello, fresh lemon, Absolut vodka, egg white and orange bitters. Or try a classic like the Negroni, featuring Roku gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and orange. Either one will get your palate ready for whatever you decide to order.
Appetizers are varied and highly recommended. Heck, if you’ve got a big enough group, order them all, starting with calamari, light and full of flavor, thanks to pomodoro sauce, lemon and chili; then move on to some meatballs, perfect in consistency and deeply satisfying, served with whipped ricotta cheese and basil; a lovely insalata misti salad with cucumbers, sunflower seeds and white balsamic; and, finally, the Caesar salad, the classic you love done wonderfully right with romaine, garlic dressing and Parmigiano.
If you do opt for one of the woodfired pizzas, the classic margherita is the perfect place to start. It’s so simple, with mozzarella, pomodoro sauce and basil, but it’s just ... perfect, especially with its light, crispy crust. The same goes for the spicy Calabrian with salami, chilies and honey, or the sausage, with house-made sausage, fennel and onion.
If Neopolitan-style pizza is not your thing, no worries—all your favorite classics are here as well, from linguine and clams, flavored with garlic, chiles and lemon, lasagna packed with sausage and mozzarella, and chicken Parmigiana, a large, breaded chicken breast with pomodoro sauce, mozzarella and basil.
Is pasta more your thing? Get ready for a treat. All pasta here is handmade, from the spaghetti and meatballs with pomodoro sauce, basil and garlic, rigatoni all Norma with pomodoro, eggplant and basil, or fettucine Bolognese with aged pecorino and black pepper, You might want to get that to-go box early: Osteria Costa does not skimp on the pasta portions.
If surf and turf is more your jam, choose from either a juicy, 18-ounce, bone-in ribeye Fiorentina with lemon and salsa verde, or fork-tender salmon piccata, served with lemon and capers. Whatever you order, don’t forget sides like broccolini, garlic potatoes or crispy Brussels sprouts (the latter side is one of our favorite things here, and may have you fighting for the last piece).
It seems hard to imagine you might have room for dessert at this point, but you would probably kick yourself for not at least trying delights like tiramisu and lemon ricotta cheesecake. Decadent? Sure, but then again, you’ve got all that walking to do afterward ...
The Mirage, 702.791.7111
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