Wandering around Las Vegas, wondering what to do before my flight, I found myself in the Bellagio hotel and desperate and hungry for a nice meal before a 12 hour flight. After considering Spago, with quite a line at 11:00, I landed at Lago instead. Tucked to the side of the casino, the bar seating was noisy, but clean. The hostess was rude, but I was determined to kill her with kindness. The staff was determined to chat very loudly and the slot machines were determined to ping pong ping. And we all did.

I started with a glass of pinot grigio and asked the server about a salad. Thinking green salad of some type, he insisted the burrata was the smallest, which is just funny, but I took him up on this act of kindness.

Then, there was a small-ish pizza that was just divine. Smoked scaramuza, a bit of fatty ham, and topped with an arugala salad, this was basically perfection. The dough was simultaneously crunchy and chewy and just was such a satisfying meal before a full day in an airport.

How brilliant to find a hidden gem amongst some somber faces and flashy machines. I’m glad to know that Lago exists and will happily hide here again pre-flight.