What are the Best Italian Dishes for Summer?

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Best Italian Dishes for Summer

When it comes to summer dining, many people find themselves craving simple, light dishes that will help them beat the heat without feeling too weighted down.

At Bottiglia Cucina Enoteca, we have plenty of delicious options, from drinks to appetizers to dinner and even dessert which are are perfect for helping you keep your cool during the sultry summer nights. Here are some of our picks for the best Italian dishes for summer:

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To start: summer sips 

While there’s no time of year when a cocktail is a bad idea, they’re particularly excellent in the summer. Here are some of the top tips for sips in the summertime at Bottiglia! 

• Sangria: Sangria was made for summer! At Bottiglia, we have two varieties: our Sangria Blanco, which is composed of white wine, apricot, vermouth blanc, lemon, and Sonoma chardonnay tea ice; or, opt for our Sangria Rosso, which is made with red wine, dry curacao, sweet vermouth, lemon, and hibiscus sangria tea ice. Both varieties are available by the glass or by the pitcher. 
• Sgroppino: Summer was made for frozen delights! This cocktail is part refresher and part sweet treat, with a delicious mix of 50 bleu vodka, lemon sorbet, and prosecco.
• Endless Summer: You’ll never want this drink to end! It’s the perfect summery splash of flavor, featuring Absolut Vodka, Malibu Coconut Rum, pineapple, pomegranate, lemon, and orange bitters. 
• Mulo Pazzo: This elegant and slightly fizzy cocktail features Avion Silver Tequila, lime, basil, and ginger beer. 

Of course, we also have plenty of non-cocktail options, too. An elegant rose, sparkling wine, red or white or beer are all perfect for summertime sipping as well!

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Shellfish / seafood

Seafood has a way of making you feel like you’re eating by the ocean, even if you’re in Vegas! Here are our favorite summertime seafood options:

• Oysters: At Bottiglia, we have nightly selections of oysters on the half shell. If you’re an oyster lover, don’t miss our Oyster Tuesdays, wherein select oysters are available at just $1 each! 
• Shrimp Cocktail: The classic shrimp appetizer is served chilled, and is a perfect summer starter. Ours is served with horseradish cocktail sauce
• Grand Shellfish Tower: looking for a show-stopping summer starter for a group? Consider our shellfish tower, which indeed is grand, featuring a melange of shrimp, lobster, oysters, and crab.

Salads

Salads are an awesome pick for the hot summer months. At Bottiglia, we have plenty of delicious ways to enjoy your veggies: 

• Tomato Salad: Our flavorful tomato salad starts with marinated heirloom tomatoes, which are  served with pistachio pesto and aged balsamic.
• Caesar salad: Our delicious version of this classic salad is made with creamy parmesan dressing and served with a focaccia crouton. 
• Burrata and Tomato Caprese: Burrata makes everything better! This salad features torn portions of the creamy cheese, served with marinated heirloom tomatoes, pistachios, and aged balsamic. 
• Chopped Salad: This colorful and delicious salad features radicchio, olives, ceci beans, pickled shishito peppers, salami, and provolone. 

With each of the salads you can add chicken for $4 or shrimp for $6; you can also upgrade any of them to a feeds-four “family size” for $27. 

Antipasti

Several of the traditional Italian starters on our menu are served and make the perfect start to a summer meal: 

• Antipasti Misti Platter: You’ll get a little of everything here: meats and cheeses, olives, marinated peppers, and more. 
• Prosciutto Carpaccio: Salty with a little bit of sweetness, our carpaccio is served with arugula, oven roasted tomato, balsamic glaze and crostini.
• Char Grilled Octopus: Grilling is ideal for summer! The unique flavor of octopus is augmented with a blood orange vinaigrette, black garlic yogurt, mint, and lemon bread crumbs. 

Entrees

While every entree on the Bottiglia menu is delicious at any time of the year, you may find yourself craving grilled dishes in the summer! Here are some of our most summer-friendly dishes:

• Grilled Salmon: Grilled salmon has a fantastic flavor that makes you feel like you’re by the shore. This entree comes with a quinoa salad, chickpeas, and lemon herb vinaigrette.
• Wood Grilled Filet Mignon: For an elegant grilled dish, consider our filet mignon. It’s served with creamed spinach, red wine reduction, and crispy potatoes.
• Cheese burger: It’s not summer without burgers! Our cheeseburger is not like the average specimen. It’s served with fontina cheese, arugula, cherry pepper aioli, and truffle fries. 
• Rotisserie Chicken: This crispy-edged chicken entree will make you think of a summer picnic. It’s served with rosemary, olives, and capers. Perfection!

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Dessert

Continue to keep your cool with our chilled desserts! Consider these sweet treats for capping off a summertime Italian meal: 

• Strawberry Panna Cotta: Cooked cream infused with strawberry is chilled to a better-than-pudding-like perfection, and then served with ith lemon thyme pound cake. Perfection!
• Tiramisu: Our version of the classic Italian dessert is made with frangelico, mascarpone, and espresso. 
• NY Cheesecake: Creamy and cool, cheesecake is a great decision at any time of year. Ours is served with cherries and tastes like pure bliss.

Of course, if figuring out which dessert to try is hard consider our dessert sampler, which includes an assorted sampling of our signature desserts. 

As you can see, there are plenty of tasty options for enjoying Italian dishes for summer at Bottiglia Cucina Enoteca! We hope to see you at our Green Valley restaurant very soon! 

What’s your favorite Italian dish during the summer?