Restaurant Week: Buddy V's

Restaurant Week benefiting Three Square Food Bank is already underway; it runs thru June 26th. There is a good number of participants this year, but I'll be honest, not too many piqued my interest. I selected three I really wanted to try. One was Buddy V's at the Venetian. We dined with a group of nine. Service was a bit sluggish at times, but otherwise attentive. They started us with delicious herbed focaccia which paired well with oil and vinegar. I only wish they left the bottles on the table so we could help ourselves. We didn't know upon ordering, but draft beers in the 20 oz and Liter sizes come in a souvenir glass with $9 refills (the cost of a pint). So, that was a nice surprise when ordering a second round.

The restaurant week menu is $40.15 and it came with choice of appetizer, entree and dessert. The majority of the table ordered Grandma's Meatballs, made with beef, veal and pork. They were tender and juicy, the marinara sauce was nicely balanced and flavorful. I was quite pleased. Likely, the second best meatball in town. Those that had the Panzanella Salad seemed satisfied, the mozzarella was very fresh.



The table tried each available entree: Pasta Bolognese, Sea Bass, Carbonara, and Chicken Parmesan. Each were beautifully prepared and damn tasty. My Sea Bass was perfectly seasoned and brightened with a spritz of lemon, the side salad was fresh and light, which was welcomed since I was already pretty full. The chicken parm came with a nice helping of pasta and two lightly breaded baked cutlets topped with mozzarella and provolone cheeses. The pasta across the board was the ideal al dente.



And for dessert we had a choice of tiramisu or cannoli. Both were well executed and scrumptious. I loved dipping the lady fingers into the layers of the creamy tiramisu. The cannoli was filled end to end with no hollow center.



I was a little skeptical, but dinner was delicious. Many celebrity chef restaurants fail to deliver, but that's not the case here. It has good eats and casual charm. If you have the opportunity, there's still time to check out the restaurant week menu which is an absolute steal. It's well worth navigating the labyrinth that is the Venetian. Don't park at Venetian like we did, I believe Palazzo self parking would provide better access.