https://twitter.com/#!/x/status/1447073054635356161


VitalVegas actually called this about 2 months back.

Martorano's, which started almost 30 years ago in Ft. Lauderdale, is the creation of chef Steve Martorano, a brash Philadelphia Italian dude who likes to do things his way.



He brought it to Vegas in 2007, and it operated on the upper floor of the Rio in the restaurant area. The original concept was for Martorano's to double as a restaurant and nightclub, and it kinda sorta got there at the beginning, when the Rio was still a jumpin' place.

However, within a few years the Rio was a ghost town, and that area of the property was languishing. In 2015, Martorano's was moved to a better spot in the main restaurant area of Paris Las Vegas, also owned by Caesars.

However, it just wasn't the same. The location was smaller, and it kinda seemed like they were just going through the motions. The nightclub concept was abandoned, and instead the blasted LOUD music and '80s movies in the restaurant at night, which was somewhat bothersome even if you liked the movies and music being played (which I did).

The food at the Paris location was also hit-and-miss. In general, I liked Steve Martorano's take on southern Italian food, and found a lot of his dishes to be tasty. Unfortunately, quality control seemed to be an issue, and the same dish seemed to taste different with each visit. The service was especially lacking over the last few years, and you could tell most of the waiters and waitresses just didn't give a shit. When the place first opened in 2007 at the Rio, it wasn't like this.

With that said, when I had a $50-ish Caesars food comp, and was by myself, I would often go here, and I usually walked away happy.

The reason for the closure isn't fully known. It didn't seem to be doing all that great at Paris, but that might not be the only reason. It is rumored that Steve Martorano lost interest in the restaurant after the Rio nightclub concept fizzled out, and was tired of flying to Vegas each year to make his contractually obligated appearances.