Dal Toro Ristorante - The Food

Dal Toro - Lamborghini - The Ultra Lounge at The Palazzo
Part II – The Food

Touted as “the only true Italian restaurant in The Palazzo,” Dal Toro offers a dining experience to rival its elegant address on the Strip. Chef Fiorenzo Trunzo brings his creations to life, making them as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate. This is, after all, a man competing with brightly colored Lamborghinis in the next room.

The lunch menu ($3 - $37) features chicken, turkey, or Kobe beef panini, four kinds of pizza (including one that incorporates Andui sausage) and seven types of pasta, a highlight being Chef Trunzo’s own Lasagna della Nonna, his grandmother’s authentic recipe using ingredients such as hard boiled eggs and prosciutto cotto along with the sausage, marinara, and mozzarella. Entrée titles render chicken, steak, veal, salmon and seabass into Italian delicacies such as Bistecca and Scaloppine Caprese.

Dinner offerings ($7- $42) are augmented by shrimp (Scampi alla Paprika) and filet mignon entrees (Filetto Roquefort) and a Spaghettini fra Diavola sautéed with a whole Maine lobster tossed in brandy tomato sauce. Panini is not offered, but is replaced instead by three different pizza entities – respectively topped with smoked salmon,(e Philadelphia) crab & asparagus, (Granchio e Asparagi) and prosciutto, arugula mushrooms and white truffle oil (Prosciutto e Tartufo).

Antipasti offerings range from Minestrone (this one uses vegetable stock as well) to crab cakes (Polpette di Granchio) to scallops (Capesante Gratinate) to spicy ahi tuna (Tartar di Tonno). Insalate lovers will find a regal Caesar Salad keeping company with an Insalata Caprese, the classic tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil leaf combination, and the organic Insalata di Campo, dotted with tiny pear shaped red and yellow tomatoes making this an herbal marvel you’ll want to burrow through.

Salmone alla Griglia, an Atlantic salmon filet has a delicate, pink flesh that’s cooked to perfection. The kitchen keeps a careful eye on seafood and you won’t find an overdone plate on the premises. A salmoriglio sauce (lemon and butter-based) drizzled on top
completed the flavor festival, accompanied by roasted fingerling potatoes and a vegetable medley.

The adjoining Ultra Lounge’s generous Happy Hour runs Thursdays through Saturdays from 6-10 p.m., but Dal Toro and the Lamborghini showroom can accommodate private events.

Happy Hour fares includes generous portions of Calamaretti – tender baby squid fried in a light batter. There’s no chewing on rubber bands with this carefully crafted appetizer.

The Kobe Sliders – three mini burgers with maxi taste each dressed differently are attractively presented and surprisingly substantial. Kobe beef is highly prized (from Japanese Wagyu cattle) and elevates the burger experience to one that befits inclusion into elegant Strip nightlife.

The Pizza Margherita’s paper-thin crust holds up well under the mozzarella, tomato sauce, oregano and fresh basil topping. This is Nonna’s recipe as well. Carnivores can have a Pepperoni Pizza or Crab Cakes (with lobster sauce, vegetable mirepoix, crispy capers and balsamic reduction). Classic Bruschetta rounds out the appetizer specials, which range from $6 - $22.

It wouldn’t be Happy Hour without libations and The Ultra Lounge doesn’t disappoint. Its Skinny Girl Margarita (TY KU, silver tequila, sweet & sour, and Sprite) Right Gin’s Poolside ( Peach Schnapps, Raspberry liquor, OJ & Cranberry juice – kind of like an adventurous fruit salad in a glass) and Bacardi Mojito (muddled mint leaves render this refreshing creation your own personal rainforest) ensure guests a unique drink experience. Traditionalists will appreciate the selection of imported and domestic beers, the house wine, the Prosecco and the dozens of well drinks made available by the very capable bar service.

Specialty Drinks include the Gallardo – named after a Lambo – that arrives with chopped strawberries, basil and Limoncello among its components. Even after this drink is finished, you still have the chilled, drunken fruit to savor. This one’s almost indescribably good.

The Mojito Diablo consists of Cruzan rum, rock candy syrup, and diced cucumber in addition to muddled mint leaves. The cucumber influence is unmistakable and refreshing, and you get to eat the rum-soaked pieces for an extra treat.

The Murcielago Spritzer, also named after a Lambo – pairs Proseco, a sparkling wine, with orange for a flavorful beverage you may be in danger of downing too quickly – it’s that flavorful. A Green Apple Martini arrives with its own olive-sized apple in a shade to rival one of the Lambos in the showroom next door one of their most popular. It takes a while to sip through this potent concoction. Drinks can range in price from $4 - $12 (approximately).

Nonna makes another appearance on the dessert menu with an authentic recipe for Torta (della Nonna, a traditional Italian cake) mini crème puff Profitteroles, Frutti di Bosco, a wild berries sponge cake filled with pastry cream, and Tartufo al Cioccolato, a chocolate ice cream truffle with a bitter chocolate crunchy crust. The Gelato Misto pairs vanilla and chocolate gelato scoops with a tiny glass of Amaretto for a smooth incorporation of flavors that one must experience firsthand to appreciate. A milkshake made of this could be deadly in its decadence, but you’d surely die smiling. All desserts are $6.50, with a $2 Amaretto, Frangelico or Espresso add-on for the gelato.

A coffee and cordial menu offers Limoncello, Grappa di Poli, Frangelico and Grand Marnier with standbys of coffee, espresso, cappuccino, and Tea “Forte” for the teetotaler. Hennessy VS, Remy Martin XO, 12 year old Glenlivet, 18 year old Chivas and three different kinds of Baileys are also available. Prices range from $4.50 - $30.

The Dal Toro experience combines old world excellence with a sleek setting epitomized by Lamborghinis, contemporary furnishings, marble fountains, and a Chef who honors his grandmother by recreating her recipes for discerning patrons. The ristorante’s name means “from the bull” and you’ll feel like one here, if only in your eating habits, spurred on by these matadors of “mangia."

For further information:

DAL TORO RISTORANTE and Lamborghini Store
(Featuring The Ultra Lounge)
In the Palazzo
3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South #200
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702.437.9800
(866) 263-3001