Capo's is boss when it comes to authentic Italian cuisine
With its famed history, there may be no more appropriate place than Las Vegas to experience a twist on “family”-style dining. It has taken the creativity of restaurateur Nico Santucci to turn his two locations of the mob-themed Capo’s restaurant into bonafide culinary “hits.”
Mobster-chic décor meets “to die for” Italian cuisine in venues that collectively speak to the fact that Santucci has gone to the wall with the bullet points, or details, that really recreate the era.
At the 75-seat Tropicana Avenue Capo’s that includes the “family” pictures of “Uncle Al” (as in Capone), “Uncle John” (Gotti), and other G-Men and Rat Pack figures that peer down at you, as well as some private booths with drawn curtains, an upstairs smoking/cigar lounge, and a real "Tommy" gun hanging over the bar. There are also pictures of some of Santucci’s relatives, who, according to urban legend, were descendants of the infmaous Genovese family from Chicago, where Santucci was raised.
The second Capo’s, located on Sahara Avenue, opened in January. The theme continues with plush red leather banquettes; chandeliers; bar; private "roulette" room that seats 10 hidden behind a huge picture of Al Capone; and a private theater/dining room that seats 20. An outdoor smoking/cigar lounge is also popular among guests. The whole eatery sits 110 and is softly lit, making it a popular spot for romantic dinners.
At both locations, guests enter by ringing a buzzer and are "evaluated" by the maitre d,’ who slides open a speakeasy-style window in the disguised front door.
"The menu is all authentic old-world recipes from my family,” Santucci says. “My father’s family, all of whom cooked, was from Abruzzi, Italy and settled in New York and Chicago. My father’s brother owned a restaurant called Santucci’s in Chicago."
The food really does run in the family.
Santucci describes his self-created menu as “straight-up authentic East Coast-Italian comfort cuisine” and cites his meatballs, chicken parmigiana, and shrimp scampi as three of his signature dishes. The four-page menu tributes the mob theme with headings such as "Temptations" (appetizers), "Bathtub Gin" soups, "Syndicate" salads, and "Made Man" pastas, which are as fun to read as they are to eat. Frequenter favorites are the "Nathan Nails" New York Strip steak and Chicken "Lucchese".
With both venues also offering old-world Last Vegas-style entertainment, it's sure to be an offer you can't refuse.
- by Bobbie Katz, Las Vegas Reporter for HelloMetro
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