One of the best things about living in Las Vegas is we get to see so many shows and concerts. Almost everyone who tours puts Las Vegas on their schedule.
Going to concerts is one of my favorite pastimes when I’m not watching or attending sporting events. Recently I caught the Jason Aldean concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which is home to so many great concerts and sporting events.
What I like about going to MGM for a concert is you can make an entire evening out of your trip. Head over early for a nice dinner, then go to your concert and afterward, if feeling lucky, you can stay and gamble. For partying there is Hakkasan, one of Las Vegas’ hottest new night clubs, which has been getting rave reviews.
Personally, this food critic is a little old for the nightclub scene so I will be hitting the tables instead. If you want to catch dinner before or after the show you have so many great choices at MGM.
One of my favorite spots is Fiamma Trattoria, conveniently located on the way to the Grand Garden Arena. I usually order the same thing, starting with a Caesar Salad. Lori ordered her favorite dish on the menu, which is their Spaghetti and Meatballs. These aren’t your ordinary meatballs, they’re made with Kobe beef. Yes, something as simple as spaghetti goes to a higher level when you add Kobe meatballs to the mix. These are some of the best found in Las Vegas.
My favorite dish is the Gnocchi, which is always a great pasta choice. When adding lobster to the gnocchi, wow! What a pasta meal. They serve the gnocchi with cremini mushrooms and black truffle cream sauce. Trust me, you have never had gnocchi like this before.
The sauce is a rich cream, a perfect companion to the lobster. On the rare occasion I don’t order the gnocchi I go to my second favorite dish, the Mediterranean Sea Bass. It’s pan roasted with garlic and herbs. This is such a great light dish. You can never go wrong with sea bass, which is my absolute favorite as it’s such a mild, white flaky fish.
When we have enough room for dessert we usually go with the Torta Al Cioccolato, which is chocolate cake with layers of milk chocolate mousse and dark chocolate crunchy ganache served with a chocolate gelato. If you love chocolate this is the dessert for you.
Our other favorite choice is the Gelato and Sorbet sampler where you pick three different scoops. They always have unique seasonal flavors along with the traditional favorites to choose from. The good part after a great meal at Fiamma Trattoria is it’s just a short walk around the corner to Grand Garden Arena for your concert.
All in all it was a great night at the MGM. So next time you’re there for a concert be sure to check out Fiamma Trattoria. I give it a rating of 3.5 Forks out of 4.
Marco D’Angelo is the senior handicapper at Pregame.com. He co-hosts FIRST PREVIEW every Thursday at 10 a.m. on ESPN 1100 AM/98.9 FM. Follow him on twitter: @MarcoInVegas. Contact him at [email protected].