My spouse and I (and two family members) visited Buddy V’s
Ristorante for dinner on a Sunday afternoon in early November 2016. This
restaurant serves lunch and dinner, with special sunset and late night menus.
We reserved our table online using the Open Table reservation system.
TLC’s “Cake Boss” star Buddy Valastro opened Buddy V’s Ristorante
at the Bethlehem Sands in April 2016 in the space previously occupied by St.
James Gate Irish Pub. You access the restaurant through a faux “outdoor” patio
adjacent to the casino gaming floor that holds about 10 tables. A dessert display
case on one end of the “patio” holds samples of Buddy’s famous cakes. Inside
the restaurant, half of the seating is in booths, either regular rectangular booths
in the bar area, or rounded semi-circle red-leather booths in the dining room.
Tables of various sizes and configurations occupy the center of the room in
front of the partially open kitchen. A small room located off the bar area host
private events or overflow dining. Décor includes an exposed brick
wall decorated with Bundt cake pans, a hanging bookshelf that holds tins and
decanters, a collection of framed Valastro family photos hung on two walls, a hanging
wooden rolling pin “curtain” that divides the bar area from the dining room,
and a large glass floor-to-ceiling wine refrigerator. Red-checked cloth napkins,
crispy breadsticks as table centerpieces, and an inlaid tile floor near the
entrance and by the bar complete the classic Italian look. Another version of
Buddy V’s is located at the Venetian in Las Vegas, and Carlo’s Bakery
offers outlets in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Connecticut,
Florida, and Georgia.
The Italian home-style
comfort food menu offers twists on Italian-American favorites, as well as
Valastro family favorite dishes that use recipes
passed down from his grandmother, mother and aunts. As we perused
the menu, our server delivered a large chunk of (cold) focaccia bread to each
of us, and placed a shallow dish filled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for
dipping. She held a metal cookie sheet filled with bread, so it seems as if the
restaurant bakes it; if she had delivered it warm, it would have been
excellent. We ordered four entrees: the lasagna, the linguini with white clam
sauce, the bucatini carbonara, and the Sunday gravy. The lasagna was the best
of the four dishes, served in a thick slab on a cast-iron skillet. The linguini
had a slightly sandy texture; perhaps the chef did not completely clean the accompanying
littleneck clams resting in their shells. The chef was a bit heavy-handed when
applying the breadcrumb topping to the bucatini dish, and yet light when adding
the pancetta and cracked black pepper. Our most unique dish was the “Sunday
gravy”, which arrived in two parts that included an oval bowl of rigatoni pasta
and tomato sauce and an oval cast-iron dish that contained sausage links,
meatballs, lamb, and pork. Portions were large but not enormous (we are hearty
eaters and did not have any leftovers to take home), and prices were high; our
pasta dishes and lasagna were priced at about $25, and did not include a side
salad or other accompaniment. Fortunately, we ordered one dessert, because it
was the best part of the meal, hands-down. Dessert is truly where this
restaurant shines, and indeed a master baker conceived our dessert. Our Italian
“birthday cake” arrived perched on a tiny pedestal; its tall layers consisted
of sponge cake, cannoli filling, and chocolate pastry cream, covered with
frosting and coated with toasted almond slices.
Although our meal was average yet acceptable, we will return
because of the dessert offerings – the birthday cake was outstanding, and it
will be difficult to pass up next time, even though the “lobster tail” (a flaky
pastry shell filled with custard cream and seasonal fresh fruit) sounds
intriguing.
