Cuisine: Italian
Hours: 6pm - 10:30pm; Daily
Cost: $$$

“Steve Martorano….may just make the best meatball in the world.”
            Gourmet Magazine, October 2007

Get ready for an unforgettable evening at Cafe Martorano, the hottest restaurant at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Frank Sinatra did it his way, and chef Steve Martorano has achieved culinary acclaim the same way – by breaking all the rules. What would you expect from a chef who caters for the cast of The Sopranos?

Welcome to the family.

Hailing from South Philadelphia by way of Fort Lauderdale, Martorano serves simple, old-school Italian-American home cooking in a chic after-dark environment.

Recently, Martorano revamped the menu at both his Florida and Vegas restaurants. “I’ve always done things my way,” he explained. “I’m old-school Italian and I’ve always cooked what I love to eat, but my tastes have grown and my new menu reflects what and how I’m eating now.”

Menu favorites like Sunday pork gravy and the legendary Martorano meatball will be joined by innovative new dishes like grilled octopus with Meyer lemon, braised pigs’ feet and Sicilian rice balls with prosciutto di parma and buffalo mozzarella.

“We’ve added a lot of new tasting plates so guests can experience a little bit of everything,” Martorano continued. “The success of our restaurants has always been about the quality of our food and my attention to detail. That’s the way I cook and that will never change no matter what I’m doing in the kitchen.”

For example, sauces are prepared in individual portions for each dish and an employee in the kitchen is dedicated to cooking pasta al dente – again, to order, a process that Martorano describes as “dinosaur cooking. The steps we take ... once we’re gone, that era’s done. We’re old school.”

After peak hours, Martorano moves from behind the stove to behind the turntables, where he shows off his DJ skills, playing hip-hop and R&B as dinner turns to dancing. Meanwhile, visual stimulation is provided by plasma screens showing food, fashion and style programming.