Venetian’s latest culinary offering brings the flavor of southern Italy to St. Mark’s Square…
If you’ve ever visited the city of Venice, you no doubt have fond memories of indulging in the wonderful tastes of the local cuisine, most likely from a scenic outdoor patio. The dining opportunities of that amazing destination are one of a kind…yet Vegas visitors can relive the experience once again…or for the very first time…at sixth + mill ristorante, pizzeria and bar at Venetian.
You may recall my previous write-up of Venetian/Palazzo‘s Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano, a glorious Sin City extension of L.A.’s famed Factory Kitchen. Situated along Restaurant Row, this eatery is the brainchild of restaurateur Matteo Ferdinandi and his longtime friend Chef Angelo Auriana. Now these gentlemen have brought another Los Angeles destination to Vegas, this time at Venetian’s St. Mark’s Square.
sixth + mill takes its name from the original location in California. The restaurant is a celebration of southern Italian culture as seen through the region’s food. Here guests can enjoy “outdoor patio dining” while taking in Venetian’s signature street performer shows. This is their operating philosophy and conveys why dining there is such a pleasant way to enjoy a meal:
Experience a casual-refined atmosphere that recreates the feel of a classic ristorante – pizzeria and the platform to educate and share the culture and the lifestyle of Southern Italy and its people’s dedication to food and wine.
In Southern Italy, the rich volcanic soil has always been the fueling force of the agriculture that from thousands of years has produced unique ingredients that are intrinsically part of the much sought-after Mediterranean Diet.
Chef Angelo’s commitment is on keeping these old traditions alive today. The cuisine of sixth+mill focuses on traditional recipes that capture the uniqueness and versatility of the regional southern Italian food and include appetizers, fritters, homemade pasta, meat & poultry, seafood, and desserts, keeping an eye on traditions and looking at today’s necessity of lightness, healthiness, and simplicity.
With a description like that, it’s clear that Chef Angelo and Matteo take great pride in sharing their heritage with guests. And fortunately for Vegas foodies, we now have two restaurants by these gentlemen to choose from.
My first visit to sixth + mill was a veritable bounty of flavor, color, and presentation. Interestingly, my companion and I gravitated towards plant-based dishes that were perfect for a satisfying lunch without a heavy feeling afterward. We began with some dishes from the list of “Fritters”.
First up was u’vroccolo, a plate of cauliflower florets accompanied by parmigiana dipping sauce ($11). It was followed by brussels sprouts toasted, a hearty mound of the divisive little cabbages prepared with a slightly smokey flavor and topped with almonds, paprika and lemon ($12).
Our final fritter was arancinotto, a generous portion of the traditional Sicilian recipe made with rice, beef, pork, tomato and mozzarella ($12 for 3 pieces). Mouthwatering with every bite, this delight was my favorite part of the meal.
We then moved to a selection from “Small Plates” with melanzana, a warm shareable made with eggplant, parmigiana, scamorza and tomato ($15). Other small plates on the list include minestra soup with quinoa, vegetables, ricotta and chili oil ($15), crostone, an inviting mushroom toast with herbs, reggiano and provolone ($13) and rapini, a leafy green vegetable cooked with chili oil and oregano and served with ricotta and bread crumbs ($9).
While these delicious vegetarian dishes were incredibly satisfying, there was plenty left to explore on the extensive sixth + mill menu. Our next selection from “Meat & Poultry” was brasato (braised beef with carrots, red onions and gaeta olives – $38). It was so moist, delicious and tender that I was able to separate it with a spoon.
There’s also polpette beef and pork meatballs, chicken parm, pollo romano, and siciliana prime beef steak to go along with seafood selections like acqua pazza (sea bass), pepper-couli salmone and spicy mussels mitili.
While enjoying the brasato, our table was visited by Matteo Ferdinandi himself. Jovial and clearly excited about his new restaurant, he wanted to be sure that we were enjoying our meal. Yet…he couldn’t resist chiding us in a joking fashion about not trying any of his endless combinations of pizzas.
The menu features hand-crafted Neapolitan style pizzas, traditional wheat pastas, and tomatoes chosen with purpose. They use three varieties of tomatoes for their pizza sauce; one for sweetness, one for tanginess, and one for consistency.
There are six varieties of red pizzas and four white pizzas to choose from. You can customize your selection with ten specialty toppings like n’duja (spicy pork salume), stracciatella (water buffalo milk cheese) and speck (smoke-cured prosciutto). All pizzas are baked in one of two special pizza ovens created to achieve the best airy and chewy crust. The ovens were flown into Las Vegas from Italy especially for sixth + mill.
Pasta is a big deal at any Italian restaurant, but sixth + mill goes the extra mile. Every ravioli, cavatelli, linguine, and fusilli is made fresh in-house and topped with sauces like meat-tomato ragu, chicken sugo and lemon cream with mint oil. There are whole wheat varieties and gnocchi (potato dumplings), too.
Make sure to complete your meal with one of several delicious desserts. And check out their outstanding beveage menu of cocktails, wines, champagne, beers, and teas.
So the next time you’re craving authentic Italian food with a view of Venice, head over to sixth + mill at Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes. It’s the perfect way to satisfy your culinary urges while indulging in a mini-vacation at the same time.
sixth + mill is open daily from 11 am to 11 pm. Phone: 702.414.1227 for reservations and information…
Photos: Sam Novak, sixth + mill
Before the flatbread arrived, we tried in a couple of salads. I had an Italian Chopped ($12) combining romaine, arugula, salami, peppers, onion, cabbage and house vinaigrette, capped with flash-fried proscuitto. My companion enjoyed a picture-perfect Classic Caesar ($12) topped with white anchovies and a large slice of Parmesan frico. Both were light, crisp and large enough to be an entree (but who comes to an Italian restaurant just for a salad?). Other offerings are an Heirloom Caprese and two soups – Minestrone ($10) and seafood-based Zuppa di Pesci ($12).
VEGAS UNFILTERED BLOG by Sam Novak 