New Las Vegas Italian spot Aromi welcomes with flavors both fresh and familiar

When we discuss the cuisines Las Vegas does best, Italian food isn’t always in the mix. It should be. Between fancy restaurants inside casinos and friendly neighborhood favorites, the Valley has mastered this ever-popular option.

The Summerlin area boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Italian eateries, yet others keep popping up and adding their own distinct flavors and style. The new must-try is Aromi, created by veteran local chefs and caterers German Castellanos and Alessandro Stoppa and located in the quiet and quaint spot that previously housed Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen at Rampart and Lake Mead.

Aromi’s proprietors initially worked together at the former Valentino at the Venetian, one of the most celebrated Italian restaurants in the history of the Strip and a place that certainly knew how to draw locals. The same colorful-yet-comfortable accents that always worked there are evident in Aromi’s food, too; it has one of those menus that looks simple and overdelivers.

The three-course “happy lunch” ($21) is a welcoming concept. Choose soup or salad and then either chicken parmigiana with spaghetti or a hearty prosciutto, arugula and fontina cheese piadina flatbread sandwich (or go big with pan-seared branzino in a white wine and caper sauce for an additional $7). Enjoy a terrific panna cotta or tiramisu for dessert and wonder why this isn’t your regular lunch spot on this side of town.

Aromi is also the kind of seasonally inspired, ingredient-driven place where you should always consider the specials. I recently had a delightful poached pear salad ($18) with radicchio, endive, crispy prosciutto, toasted walnuts and goat cheese. The risotto of the day on that visit was perfect, too—vegetable primavera ($22) with a light tomato sauce.

The best-sellers include a classic lasagna ($22) with bechamel and meat sauce; spicy Spaghetti Neri ($29) with squid-ink pasta, arrabbiata sauce, scallops and lobster; and wild mushroom ravioli with braised beef short ribs ($25). Non-pasta standouts include thyme-crusted New Zealand lamb chops ($42) and a lightly spicy cioppino seafood stew ($42) stocked with clams, scallops, mussels, calamari, lobster and branzino.

We all know what we want from our chosen Italian spot: to stop in regularly for favorite dishes—with the option to try something—a glass of wine and smooth service. Aromi checks all the boxes.

AROMI 2110 N. Rampart Blvd. #110, 725-204-6196. Sunday & Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

An award-winning writer who has been living and working in Las Vegas for more than 20 years, Brock Radke covers ...