Friday, March 8, 2002 | 9:50 a.m.
Jerry Fink's lounge column appears on Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] at (702) 259-4058.
Giovanni Mauro will tell you he has two passions in life -- music and food.
The 29-year-old restaurateur combines both at his family's trattoria, Nora's Cuisine on West Flamingo Road.
"I adore singing," Mauro said. "Singing is what I do. I've been training to be an opera singer since I was 16, but for one reason or another life keeps bringing me back into the restaurant business, which I also adore and love."
To partially satisfy his craving for music, in December Mauro moved some dining-room tables around to create space for a small band and instituted open-mike nights. On Fridays and Saturdays, starting around 10 p.m. (depending on the number of diners), anyone with a song in their heart is welcome to step into the limelight.
"Anybody can sing," Mauro said. "It's a family party."
Mauro's love of opera came about because of a weight problem in high school.
"The truth is, I have always had a weight problem and I needed someone to identify with," said Mauro, who recently spent eight months studying opera in Italy with legendary tenor Carlos Bergonzi. "The person I identified with was (Italian tenor Luciano) Pavarotti. He's a great big guy onstage. I loved him. He became my role model, my idol -- and I wondered if I could sing. I joined a choir and lo and behold discovered I had a voice."
Mauro has performed at a few local venues -- such as The Venetian ("I was the Marco Polo character and sang there at the canals for 2 1/2 years.")
Someday he may take a shot at the operatic big time, but not yet.
The family is about to expand the business -- extending into an adjoining property to create a bar and lounge.
"I'm a perfectionist," Mauro said. "I do fairly well with my repertoire, but I'm not where I want to be. I'm hoping I will be one day."
Until then, he will be satisfied serving pasta and using his awesome tenor voice to sing the songs of Louie Prima instead of Pavarotti -- besides, opera doesn't go over too well on open-mike nights at most Las Vegas lounges.
Sometimes, of course, Mauro has to cut his set short to run back to the kitchen and cook, but that's the price you pay for having two loves.
Keyboardist/vocalist Joe Darro (a musician's musician), drummer Jim Horejsi (who has been performing with the Dummkopfs for 18 years) and bass player John Monetti provide the backup music -- and its hard to find a song they can't play.
On most Friday nights cast members from "Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding" (a dinner-theater showing at the Rio) drop by Nora's to sing and dine. It seems fitting that the cast, who portray members of two Italian families, would discover a genuine Italian restaurant in which to relax and unwind.
Mauro's parents, Nora and Gino, own the restaurant. The couple are from Sicily. As young newlyweds they moved to Los Angeles, where Giovanni and his brother Claudio were born. In 1976 the family returned to Sicily (where a third son, Marcello, was born), until forced to return to America for economic reasons in the early '80s.
The family lived in Montibello, Calif., until Gino (who was employed in the defense industry) lost his job in 1991. Then they decided to move to Las Vegas and open a restaurant.
"There are three kinds of restaurants in Italy," Mauro explained. "There's an osteria, which is a place you frequent every day -- a throw-down joint.
"Then there's a trattoria, which has quality food and is owned by the family. And then there's a ristorante, for fine dining. Nora's is a trattoria, a casual, family-owned restaurant."
The menu includes such dishes as chicken or veal marsala, linguine alle vongole and real Italian pizza.
"When I went to school in Italy, I always learned cooking," Nora said. "My uncle owned a restaurant, I learned recipes from my mother, from my relatives."
In the early days of the restaurant she did all of the cooking; now she does recipe development. Giovanni sometimes cooks late at night, but a staff of chefs usually turns out the old-country recipes for Nora.
Gino cooks sauces and oversees everything. When the restaurant first opened it had nine tables and served primarily pizza and deli dishes. Three years ago it expanded and now has seating for 84 and a full menu.
With the expansion, Giovanni was able to indulge his musical tastes. Before creating open-mike nights he sometimes would stage entire operas in the dining room on Sundays (when the restaurant is closed).
"I need an outlet for my artistic side," Mauro said.
With Mauro, that side is very large.
Lounging around
The JimmyLee Smith Band may be worth checking out. I haven't had a chance to catch them yet, but the group seems like it might be intriguing -- calls itself a "groove" band with a foundation in blues but also venturing into R&B, gospel, rock 'n' roll, swing, country and hillbilly. That's fusion! Its next gig is at Houlihan's, 1951 N. Rainbow Blvd., for the pub's annual St. Patrick's Day party, starting at 2:30 p.m. March 17.
Speaking of groove bands, don't miss saxophonist Rocky Gordon and his Killer Groove Band. They perform 9 p.m.-midnight tonight and Saturday at Cabo Charlie's, on the southwest corner of West Sahara Avenue and South Decatur Boulevard.
Keyboardist Dennis Mellen, an anchor at the Kitchen Cafe, will be filling in at Cappozzoli's, 3333 S. Maryland Parkway 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday.
Blues guitarist/vocalist Kenny Neal will perform at 8 and 11 p.m. Thursday at the Boulder Blues series at Boulder Station's Railhead. Neal has worked with some of the best in blues -- among them Steve Miller, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Muddy Waters, Aaron Neville and John Lee Hooker.
One Way Street will be playing 9 p.m.-midnight Saturday at the Cheyenne Saloon, 3103 N. Rancho Drive.
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