Penazzi's atmosphere gets high marks but the restaurant needs to tie up some loose ends to really please customers.

It didn't take us long to settle on an appetizer at Penazzi. Caterina's Antipasto ($16 to serve 2) sounded like a perfect place to start. As I read the menu, I was fairly salivating over the "Prosciutto ham and Gouda cheese wrapped in phyllo dough and baked till golden brown." When my friend mentioned the same item, it sealed the deal.

Pity, then, that our platter of antipasti didn't include that particular antipasto.

What was there was fine, in conception and execution, but it didn't adhere to the very specific description. There were a couple of shrimp, true enough, but they were steamed shrimp, not the smoked shrimp promised in the "fried mozzarella with teardrop tomato sauce and smoked shrimp," although there was fried mozzarella with tomato sauce and it was just dandy.

There were grapes, true enough, but no "aged Provolone cheese," the smokier components of the platter seeming to be particularly endangered in nature. There was indeed marinated eggplant with basil chiffonade, and some grilled eggplant as well. The "two seasonal specialties created by our Chef" and replacements for the missing items turned out to be a few slices of cured meats that included mortadella and salami, and a pile of squid, which neither of us favors and that my friend found typically rubbery.

So what gives -- or gave? Good question. Is there a national shortage of prosciutto, gouda and phyllo? No, definitely not. But even if there were, the problem with our Substitution Starter is that we were given no warning that the items served may not be as listed. The kitchen should have told one of our waiters, and he should've told us, so we could've chosen a different appetizer if we'd wished, as we probably would have.

Lesson for Penazzi: If you're not going to be able to fill the bill, make the menu sufficiently ambiguous, like "Antipasto Platter."

Most of the flaws in our dinner at Penazzi were similarly of the communication/service type. One of our waiters was annoyingly obsequious, and at the same time somewhat supercilious. As I turned to the wine list and began to look it over, he asked if I needed help.

"No," I said, "just a few minutes to look it over."

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"A few minutes to look it over," I answered.

The wine list is fairly varied -- but note that no vintages are listed -- and I settled on a Aglianico Del Vulture C. Venosa Basilicata ($46), a Southern Italian red that turned out to be a 2000. And then, after bringing it to the table to open it, our waiter halted in mid-lift and hustled off. When he returned with his more polished partner, I asked, "Is something wrong with the cork?"

"No," Mr. Polish replied, "It just broke accidentally."

Well, yeah; I didn't really think Mr. Obsequious broke it intentionally. But one of the reasons corks break is because they're dry. Dry corks tend to shrink, which can let air into the bottle, and indeed, this thinnish wine did taste a little corked, but not egregiously so, and I didn't have the energy to argue.

If God is in the details, he was on a break during our dinner at Penazzi.

And I hope the chef swings a cleaver or something over that, because the pattern of undotted i's and uncrossed t's continued. Petto de Pollo alla Sorrentina ($24) was chicken layered with eggplant, cheese and roasted red peppers, and it was wonderful, the Marsala-tinged sauce both light and flavorful. (It also was so tender I was able to cut it with my fork, which was a good thing, since my knife had disappeared with the starter dishes and neither Mr. Obsequious nor Mr. Polish had thought to replace it.) But the accompanying cakes of polenta were overly dry -- yes, even for polenta -- and the promised asparagus turned out to be a couple of spears mixed with a bunch of sauteed peppers and onions.

Capesanta al Pistacchio ($26) -- pistachio-crusted sea scallops -- were delectable, although the mashed potatoes were bland.

We did enjoy the lagniappes of chunks of aged Parmesan brought before dinner and squares of sweet ricotta cubes brought during our appetizer, and the seasoned olive oil served with our basket of breads and breadsticks.

And our dessert. We chose the Monte Bianco ($14) because it sounded like a throwback, with "flambeed tableside" and "served tableside" both included in the menu description to ensure no one would miss the point. Mr. Obsequious made quite a show of it with flames dancing high, but it turned out to be worth the trip, a sort of Baked Alaska of gelatos (white and dark chocolate) in meringue, with a few raspberries scattered alongside.

We were attracted to Penazzi by its creative menu, and with the thought that its relatively reasonable prices (for the Strip, at least) might appeal to locals.

But in order for me to heartily recommend it, those loose ends will have to be knotted.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or e-mail her at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com.