Grotto Ristorante

This was our first time at Grotto Ristorante. We had a 6:30 reservation to celebrate Jeff's birthday. Grotto is located inside the San Luis Hotel overlooking the pool area. Valet parking is complimentary with dinner. The restaurant is smaller than I expected. Floor to ceiling windows surround the dining area which makes it seem much larger.  

Our waiter was Barton; he was a little late to the party, but got our drinks right out to us. Jeff tried the Peach Bellini which was served frozen and loaded with alcohol. He enjoyed it. We could not resist ordering the Lobster & Crab Stuffed Shells, although the price tag was nearly $20. Soooo worth it: four large shells, stuffed to the max with crabmeat and a smidgen of lobster, and smothered in a creamy sauce. They were absolutely fantastic. Personally, I would have like a little more lobster meat, but there was a huge amount of crabmeat to make up the difference. I decided on the Paglia E Fieno Con Pollo which was basically chicken alfredo with peas and prosciutto. The flavor was good and pasta cooked well, although an overabundance of prosciutto made it a bit salty for my taste and the chicken was slightly overcooked. Jeff settled on the Snapper Siciliano - a capellini-crusted snapper, topped with jumbo lump crab, roma tomatoes and shrimp sauce. It was presented beautifully, the fish was cooked to perfection and a generous amount of lump crab sat on top. The capellini crust was so original and tasty. It was served with fresh green beans and rice. There is a dessert at Grotto for everyone. Barton wheeled out this huge multi-tiered cart with chocolate cake, strawberry cake, four different cream pies, four original gelatos, a butter cake, and a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I probably forgot to mention something in there, but we had the butter cake and a chocolate pie to go. Jeff absolutely loved the butter cake which is homemade at Grotto. I intended to have only a few bites of my chocolate pie that evening and ended of, of course, devouring the whole thing. It was tasty. Grotto was a pleasant experience. As part of the Landry's group of restaurants, we will be back for the points...and the dessert!

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