FAMILY OF FOODIES

Ferraro's restaurant thriving after 21 years

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Mimmo Ferraro's Italian Restaurant is thriving at the beginning of its 22nd year of business.

Ferraro's was opened in 1985 by Gino Ferraro, Mimmo Ferraro's father.

"I started with a cafe in New York," Gino said. "It was an ethnic Italian cafe. The guys would all just hang out."

Mimmo interrupted, "that's were the guys went to get away from their wives."

"Yes, we had the wives call sometimes, too," Gino said with a laugh.

And before Mimmo was born, his parents, Gino and Rosalba Ferraro, moved to Las Vegas.

"We were at Sahara and Jones for seven years," Gino said of the previous location of the restaurant.

The restaurant has been at its current location, 5900 W. Flamingo Road, for nearly 15 years.

Ferraro's has been known over the years for their quality food, and since Mimmo took over daily duties of running the restaurant in 2003, Gino has focused his efforts on the wine list, which has been gaining attention.

The list, a rather weighty book containing over 1,000 wines priced anywhere from $30 to $1,800, has won the Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence and Wine Enthusiast Magazine's Wine Enthusiast Award, among several other favorable reviews.

"Wine Spectator listed us in the top 5 for Italian wine lists," said Gino, a native of Italy. "I taste and buy all the wines."

"Yeah, he makes sure to taste all the wines," Mimmo joked.

Mimmo began running the restaurant after he returned from studying with chefs in Tuscany and throughout Italy, a trip he embarked on after his graduation from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

"I started at UNLV, but there was just something lacking," Mimmo said. "I really wasn't that interested. Then I realized I've always had a passion for food. I grew up in a restaurant, in the kitchen, that's what I love. And I loved culinary school. I enjoy the kitchen, and it shows. My food is good."

Although the menu underwent a few changes when Mimmo took over, one thing that remains, and most likely always will, is the osso buco. Osso buco is a traditional Italian dish of veal shank, and fans of the dish are known to search for a reliable one.

"Our osso buco makes up about 30 percent of our business," Mimmo said. "It is very popular."

Gino also noted that the restaurant's pastas, breads, sausage and deserts all are made from scratch daily.

Both Gino and Mimmo agreed that one of the most unique aspects of the restaurant is that you see the owners, and they interact with the customers.

"You see us all the time, and we're very involved," Gino said. "You don't see that much anymore."

Besides an extensive dinner menu, which can be viewed at their Web site, www.ferraroslasvegas.com, Ferraro's also is open for lunch. Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner is served seven days a week from 5 to 11 p.m.

Specials include a Happy Hour menu available Monday through Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the bar and lounge only. With the purchase of an alcoholic drink -- the second drink is on the house -- a variety of appetizers can be purchased for $5 and several standard entrees are available for $10. And every Sunday, locals get 50 percent off of wine purchases.

"I love what I do," Mimmo said. "And I think it shows."

Mimmo Ferraro's Italian Restaurant can be reached at 364-5300.