In a city of constant change, it’s always nice to find an enduring story, and this one belongs to Rocco Davi, food server at Osteria Costa at The Mirage.
“I feel like it’s my baby, this hotel,” Davi says. “I grew up here. There have been opportunities to leave several times, but this place has been so good to me that I wanted to stick it out. The grass can always be greener, but working here has afforded me a nice life.”
Davi has worked at The Mirage since it opened in 1987—that’s 36 years! When he turned 15, he took a job as busboy at the Golden Nugget, then owned by Steve Wynn. When Wynn opened The Mirage, he offered Nugget employees first dibs on jobs at the new hotel, so Davi made the move. During his tenure, he’s worked his way up from busboy to a full-time server at the Italian restaurants that have called the property home, and he’s been at Osteria Costa since it opened five years ago.
“It’s classic Italian, but it’s the best classic Italian you’re ever going to have,” Davi says. “I’m so proud of our chef, because I have no problem walking up to a table and asking how our food is, because I always get the same response, ‘It’s incredible.’”
Not only is the food great and worth the visit, it’s Davi that makes Osteria Costa a destination, too. In fact, guests request him on the regular, and the man has three decades worth of stories to share about the property. “Be kind to your guests and make them feel special,” he says. “You have to make each individual feel like they’re important, and that’s what I do every night—that’s what I’ve always done.”
Libation: Bella
A perfect summer sip is the Bella, one of Osteria Costa’s most popular specialty cocktails. Enjoy a mix of Cruzan strawberry rum, St-Germain, house-made limoncello, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white.
Benefit: Chef Adrian McGowan recommends adding on meatballs or sausage to the alla vodka dish.
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