Sergio’s Italian Gardens

More than 15 years in the competitive world of Las Vegas restaurants? That's long enough for old-school status.

And Sergio's Italian Gardens fits neatly into that category. There's the old-Vegas location on the western end of East Trop. There's the old-school elegant atmosphere, all linen tablecloths and frescoed walls and formally dressed Italian-accented waiters.

And the menu? The menu's just enough old school, with just enough updates for modern tastes -- which helps make Sergio's relevant for today.

Dinner began with the requisite Italian bread, but instead of the requisite olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar and/or butter, we were served a little dish of a very basil-y pesto that was a truly refreshing change.

Antipasto Mista d'Italiana ($15, and plenty big enough for two or more) had pretty much what you'd expect at any decent Italian restaurant: paper-thin slices of prosciutto, some salami, buffalo mozzarella, lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano, olives and pepperoncini. But wait! There was more, and that was where Sergio's stood out from the crowd: slices of eggplant, red bell pepper and zucchini, grilled just until they were slightly tender, prepared so simply that the pure, natural flavors of the vegetables, gilded by a little extra-virgin olive oil, were the stars of the show. There was even a base of mixed lettuces, in case you wanted to make a salad (or a whole meal) out of it.

Dinners at Sergio's include soup or salad. When I asked about the dressing, our Italian-accented waiter informed me in his Italian-inflected voice that they had house Italian dressing. And -- there was no sigh, no rolling of the eyes, but that was only because he was maintaining decorum -- "blue cheese, if you want it." How could I not, after that sales job?

And you know what? It was good. Yes, blue-cheese dressing tends to be a gloppy mess, more mysterious-creamy-stuff than earthy blue-cheese tang, but this one was the opposite. It's still the sort of thing you want on the side, so you can ensure that it doesn't overwhelm the salad (which was above average, primarily a variety of crunchy mixed lettuces and tomato wedges), but it was pretty good and left me thinking the house dressing must be even better.

The soup that evening was minestrone, which always benefits from a mix of vegetables and beans and stuff, and this one did.

The "pollo alla" basics were all there, but the Polla alla Marchigiana ($21) wasn't one of them and therefore sounded the most interesting. It turned out to be just that, thanks to the shallots the chicken was sauteed with and the sweet red peppers, eggplant and just enough mozzarella that topped it and pinot grigio sauce that cloaked it. The foundations of this one are inherently bland, but the accents perked things up considerably.

And we decided to try the lasagna ($17), a staple if ever there were one. The pasta was not al dente, which was a good thing, because it was delicate and delicate layers are something we like in lasagna. With a hearty Bolognese stuffed in between, this was something of which any Nonna worth the name would be proud.

We can hear our Nonna telling us to eat more, but that wasn't something that could have possibly happened that evening. But as we left Sergio's, we most definitely left satisfied.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or e-mail her at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com.