Las Vegas delis offer a little Italy

Max Jacobson

Wednesday, March 19, 2003 | 8:30 a.m.

Las Vegas might not measure up to New York or San Francisco when it comes to gourmet food shopping, but when it comes to Italian delis, we have nothing to be ashamed of.

A growing number of wonderful Italian delis and markets make our city competitive with the best, and a widening number of products make Italian cooking, and casual dining, more attractive than ever.

Rocco's NY Italian Deli

1181 S. Buffalo Drive

Yes, those blue bottles displayed prominently behind the counter at Rocco Crea's seminal New York Italian style deli really are Brioschi, the legendary antacid for Italian-Americans. Not to worry. Unless you go bonkers eating the homey dishes prepared here, you shouldn't need it.

This little storefront is quite popular in the neighborhood as an informal place in which to snack on Crea's pizza by the slice, calzones and strombolis, and indeed they are wonderful. But the deli also makes its own fresh mozzarella, which sells for $7.99 per pound, various Italian cookies, also $7.99 per pound, crusty Italian white-bread, $1.69 a loaf, and one of the most-delicious pasta sauces anywhere, a vodka and ground meat marinara sauce for $7.95 a quart.

Rocco's is New York to the very heart. This is the place to buy the sweet but kicky coffee soda Manhattan Special, which packs a real jolt, for $1.95 a bottle, and great homemade eggplant rollatini for $2.95 each, which can be heated up and served at home.

Among the many worthy prepared dishes sold here, stuffed peppers (with prosciutto and provolone cheese), marinated artichoke hearts and pizza rustica, a dense, delicious pasta, meat and cheese casserole cut into squares and sold by weight, are all standouts.

Panevino

246 Via Antonio

Most of us driving down Sunset Road by McCarran Field gasp for breath at the sight of Panevino, a brand new, multi-million dollar restaurant, banquet facility and deli. It belongs to industrialist Tony Marnell, who has spared no expense in making this one of our most striking and architecturally distinctive new eateries. The deli alone features designer furniture, a great sound system, and Byzantine light fittings that resemble the spires at St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square.

The separately housed deli has much to offer. Run and staffed mostly by natives of Italy, with a menu of delicious prepared foods from Executive Chef Vincenzo Lo Verso, this is a place to breakfast on an espresso and Danish, to snack on amazing Italian sweets such as the marzipan-and-whipped cream cassatina, or simply to shop for great products. There are wonderful meats and cheeses sold by the pound that can't be found in other local delis. Such as a sweet pecorino Sardo, sheep's cheese from Sardinia, $10.99 per pound, or the spiced pork roll porchetta Romana, $14.95 per pound. The kitchen makes and sells a variety of pastas and sausages.

In the steam table there are two homemade soups daily, as well as many Italian-style meats and pastas. To drink, there are coffees and granitas (icy Italian slush), in flavors such as cappuccino and orange, $2.

The deli serves a sit-down menu, and perhaps the biggest draw is panini, grilled Italian sandwiches, similar to ones sold on the toll roads of Italy. Genovese has tuna, capers and tomatoes, to name one, and the panini range in price from $4 to $7.

Montesano's

3441 W. Sahara Ave.

This well-known local family operates a deli and restaurant in this location, and also another on Craig Road. The deli has a separate entrance, a huge glass case that must be 20 feet long and a white, red and green tile wall, emblematic of the colors of Italy.

The selection is impressive. Montesano's has its own bakery on the premises, and the breads are a terrific value, especially a sesame seed Vienna loaf for $1.50, and the deli's incomparable rosemary and tomato foccaccia, $2.50. Homemade Italian cookies are $6.99 per pound.

The Montesano family is originally from Sicily, and a few of the items sold reflect that. Rice balls, called arancini in Italian, are a great snack, baseball-sized orbs of rice, cheese, meat and peas with a crunchy breadcrumb coating -- a steal at $1 apiece.

Among the many meats and cheeses: hot dry sausage, a rarity that people come from miles around to buy, at $11.99 per pound; and pungent gorgonzola cheese, at $7.99 per pound.

Siena Deli

2250 E. Tropicana Ave.

This reliable local gem is tucked in a corner of the Renaissance Center East and is slightly difficult to see from the street. But it is one of Las Vegas' biggest and best Italian markets, and the selection is impressive.

Every morning at around 11 amazing pan pizzas, round or square, come out of the ovens, to be sold by the slice at $2 and $1.75, respectively.

These are thick, chewy pizzas with a variety of toppings, and there is always a crowd for lunch. The lunch crowd also comes for the deli's sandwiches, served on homemade Italian sandwich rolls, which are sold for 60 cents per roll.

A cold-cut submarine sandwich is $3.99, and hot sandwiches such as chicken Parmesan, pepper and egg, or hot sausage subs made with a choice of the deli's homemade mild or sweet Italian sausage are $4.99.

In the cold case are brined anchovies for $8.99 per pound, delicious calamari salad laced with vinegar and spices for $7.99 per pound and a wide variety of house brined hot and sweet peppers, olives, artichoke hearts and other goodies ideal for an antipasto platter.

Fresh bread made on the premises starts as low as 13 cents (for small rolls); seeded one-pound Vienna breads are $1.70.

Incidentally, the Italian sausage, which is a bargain at $3.99 per pound, has a new flavor, cheese and parsley rope sausage, a long, flavorful rope-shaped delicacy sold at the same price.