"Festive" it certainly was - red and white striped tents sprouted around the Villaggio Del Sole filled with smiling vendors, the smell of their delicious food permeating the air. Kids were jumping away in the bouncy castle and enjoying the carnival games. The main stage was home to live entertainment from Mark O'Toole to Musicology and our very own Chef Tina demonstrating some of her amazing recipes. The spaghetti eating and grape stomping contests were definitely a hit too - congrats to all our winners!

A special thanks to all the media teams who came out to compete for charity in our media grape stomp challenge - Channel 13 KTNV ABC won their heat for the second year in a row! KXNT News Radio 100.5 FM/840 AM brought home the win in the second heat. Each will receive a $500 donation to the charity of their choice.

We'd also like to thank all our wonderful vendors and sponsors for participating and especially to all you guests who came out to enjoy the festival with us - we ate, we drank, we were ITALIAN!

The Italian Festival takes popular restaurants and vendors, mixes them together with exciting entertainment and adds a dash of tantalizing wines creating the perfect recipe for fun. Italian delicacies like calzones, pizza, sausage and pepper sandwiches and various specialties prepared by local restaurants and the M Resort's world-renowned chefs will be available.

New this year, the Festival will highlight Villaggio Del Sole's Main Stage. The stage will feature a variety of entertainment including performances by the classics crooner Mark O'Toole and the children's group Musicology Academy, cooking demonstrations by Chef Tina Martini and contest favorites including spaghetti eating and grape stomping. Children can enjoy face painting, tattoo artists, colorful balloons and more.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12 and free for children under age 5. Paid admission includes choice of one select beverage. Tickets to purchase food items will be available at the Meetings Registration Desk on the Spa Level and during the Festival at the ticket booths located in the Villaggio Del Sole area.

So embrace autumn and embrace being Italian whether you are or not. This Saturday and Sunday, we'll all be Italian together here at M Resort!

Sterling said designing M definitely started with Anthony and Tony Marnell, incorporating not only what they wanted the property to be, but also incorporating years of their knowledge after literally designing and building much of what we recognize as today’s Las Vegas skyline. Here’s how Sterling describes the initial process:

“First we develop the brand, which isn’t just the logo and marketing side of things – it’s the overall voice that you create for any project. It’s a very strategic way of thinking. You have to understand the customer, talk to the client and look at the competition. It’s about predicting the future and price point positioning. You’re setting the tone of the entire property.”

So what’s with the suit and tie? Like the overall design and feel of M, an Armani suit is classic, timeless and a perfect example of subtle elegance. It’s one of those things that will never go out of style. You’ll own it and wear it for years. A Versace tie is what provides the personality – it’s the swirling geometry of the casino floor carpet (which by the way got its inspiration from a real Versace tie design), the luminous red lights in Marinelli’s, the Riva wooden speedboat inspired Veloce. Another way to look at it is like a number of children from the same family:

“Think of the brand as a family – each child has their own distinct personality, but when you put them together, you can see they’re all related. The individual venues and spaces here also have their own distinct personalities but you can still feel the voice of the overall design of the property coming through to form a whole. When you walk through the M, you can hear that voice. It travels down every aspect of the experience and applies to everything.”

One thing we returned to several times and which became the theme of M Resort’s design was the combination of aesthetics and functionality. Sterling said you’d be very challenged to find a property that offers the beauty and elegance that M does and the level of functionality it maintains. Most properties are lucky to possess one or the other. Things like the ingenious ceiling on the casino floor that houses modules which incorporate HVAC, cameras, fire extinguishers and more, but do so without creating an eyesore and also allow ease of relocation. Or the extensive corridor and elevator system running behind the restaurants which allow staff, food and trash to move quickly and efficiently without intruding on the guest experience. The columns, distinct rooflines and terraces, these too most certainly offer function but do it in a way very pleasing to the eye. Everything was laid out methodically and for a reason. Like a big jigsaw puzzle, everything fits together architecturally and functionally.

The core and essence of M Resort as Sterling sees it? It’s comfortable. You feel comfortable here and for the most part, you’re not even sure why. The guest service is outstanding, the food is amazing, the rooms are incredibly well-appointed, and on and on. There are a million specific things you can point to that people love about M, but there’s also something wonderful which permeates this place, something you can’t see or touch, it’s something that simply is M.

There are a lot of things which connect M Resort with wine - Hostile Grape, our wine bar with more than 160 wines-by-the-glass through our super-cool Enomatic dispensing systems; the Marnell family's vineyard in California which produces six different labels we serve here at M; the some 250,000 bottles we give away as gifts to iMagine Rewards members every year and of course the fabulous events we host like Rock 'N Roll Wine's Reggae Pool Party.

With so much here relating to wine in one way or another, we thought it might be helpful to pass along some wine tasting basics that may help you enjoy your wine a little more and possibly discover a new wine you love. Here are some great tips and wine tasting basics from our Assistant Beverage Manager here at M - Charlie Moavero:

1. Start with a clear wine glass. The rim of the glass should end inwards to help funnel aromas to the nose and allow you to swirl without spilling.
2. Now pour a little wine into your glass - an inch or less is best. If you are tasting several wines, begin with the lightest (sparkling wines, roses, then light whites followed by full-bodied whites) and progress to the heaviest (light reds to more full-bodied reds followed by dessert wines). This will help keep your taste buds more sensitive so you can better appreciate each wine in the series. A sip of water between wines can also help preserve your palate.
3. Notice the color of the wine. It often helps to hold the glass up to light or hold it against a white background like a white napkin. The color can give you a clue as to the age of the wine. White wines generally gain color as they age. Red wines generally lose color. That is, young red wines are more red or burgundy while older wines tend to show a hint of tawny brown around the rim. Regardless of age, the colors of wine are just fun to see, ranging from pale yellow-green to ruby red to brick red-brown.
4. Swirl the wine a couple of times by moving the glass in a circular motion. Holding the glass by its step, instead of the bowl, allows you to swirl more easily. Swirling is done to aerate the wine and release vapors, evaporating from the sides of the glass, allowing you to better smell the wine.
5. Put your nose right over the rim of the wine glass and breathe in. Take note of the wines aromas and bouquet (the range of smells a particular wine possesses).
6. Take a sip, letting the wine spread across the tongue from front to back and side to side before swallowing. Notice the flavors and acidity of the wine. How silky or rough does the wine feel?
7. Swallow a small amount if you wish to note any lingering "finish," but if you're tasting a number of wines - in a winery tasting room, for example - your host will usually provide a large container for you to spit out the wine instead of swallowing. (Don't worry, this isn't rude!) Everyone in the wine trade is accustomed to the swirl-sniff-sip-slosh-spit routine. No one wants an intoxicated taster or worse, an intoxicated driver.

The bottom line is that a good wine should always give pleasure. It should smell good, taste even better and be smooth and satisfying by itself or with whatever food you're pairing it with.

At M Resort, the concept of social dining is intimately incorporated throughout. Those terraces overlooking the pool boast a unique south to north view of the Strip and invite people to see and be seen. The terraces tempt conversation and interaction. Private dining spaces and perfect portions of unexpected delights come together to create an unmatched experience for guests. The music is right - the lighting is too. The materials that surround you were chosen with utmost care, just like the ingredients in every dish, cocktail and dessert.

Social dining is a concept meant to offer you the diner, (and in turn the guest we're meant to entertain), options when it comes to enjoying our restaurants - and we're not talking just the variety of menu items you'll find. Are you a table kind of person, someone who likes to be out in the middle of things and don't mind being seen? Maybe you prefer a nice closed-in booth, allowing you an intimate setting but the ability to see and watch those dining around you. Maybe it isn't other diners you want to see but people passing by outside the restaurant or lounging out by the pool. Dining at M is something akin attending the opera or a concert - you can be in the front row, sit way in the back, or maybe prefer a box seat overlooking the crowd.

Don't forget that when you choose to spend your hard-earned money dining out, that in addition to an excellent meal, the entire experience should be pleasing. From the elegant Veloce perched atop the hotel tower to the spectacular Hostile Grape sunk cozily below the spa level and everything in between, we think you'll find a dining encounter that will certainly please you… gastronomically and socially.

Our love of food though isn't anything new. If you aren't familiar, the Marnell family is credited with bringing many unique culinary innovations to the Las Vegas market while owning and operating the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino from 1992 to 2001. Many of the innovations are still widely used today. Below is a sample of some:

First in Las Vegas to host James Beard Out-of-House Events, which included the most recognized American celebrity chefs. It was the catalyst in attracting the late Jean-Louis Palladin, who eventually made the Napa Restaurant his home.

First in Las Vegas to introduce programs that exemplified an unsurpassed dedication to food.

First full seafood buffet in Las Vegas.

First in Las Vegas to sell specialty foods made on premise.

First to establish rooftop restaurants and lounges in Las Vegas.

First to have a master sommelier on staff in Las Vegas.

First to have own charcuterie on premises in Las Vegas.

Largest wine cellar and tasting room in Las Vegas - first to open it to the public.

If you've eaten at our restaurants, let us know your favorite meal. If you haven't eaten here, what are you waiting for? Here's a sample of some of our favorite dishes.

Osso Bucco, mushroom risotto & roasted vegetables @ Marinelli's

Maryland Lump Crab Cakes, mustard remoulade & lemon @ Terzetto

Banana Gelato and Vanilla Bean Gelato @ Baby Cakes

Surf 'N Turf Roll, spicy tuna, kobe beef, sushi rice, nor seaweed @ Veloce

Tiramisu, mascarpone cream & coffee lady fingers @ Marinelli's

Flan @ Baby Cakes

Filet Mignon w/ Bearnaise Sauce @ Terzetto

Tomahawk Ribeye @ Terzetto

Chicken Lettuce Wraps, spiced chicken, peanuts, green onion & water chestnuts @ Veloce

First begun by the Marnell family 17 years ago at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, the Italian Festival was a locals' favorite, attracting thousands of people over the course of the two-day event. For a decade, the Marnell family Italian Festival was the talk of the town in our great city. Now, we've brought it back at the M Resort - with a few added twists.

Our Italian Festival weekend is all about food, fun and entertainment for the entire family. (By the way, admission is free!) Here's a rundown of what you can expect:

A Feast for the Senses

Stroll through our outdoor piazza and treat yourself to authentic Italian dishes like calzones, pizza, sausage and pepper sandwiches and various specialties prepared by local restaurants and our very own world-renowned chefs. We'll also have over-the-top desserts like cheesecake, cannoli, biscotti, Italian ices, spumoni and the ever-popular fried dough.

For the Bambinos

We have face painting, colorful balloon art, airbrushed tattoos and roaming stilt walkers - not to mention great live entertainment by Louis Prima Jr. on the main stage at 3, 5 and 7pm.

Grape Stomp

Check out your favorite local radio and TV personalities as they compete during one of our Grape Stomping Competitions on Sunday at 2 pm. We also have public contests throughout both days.

Spaghetti Eating Contests

If clearing your plate comes easy, save room for spaghetti and put your skills to the test at our Spaghetti Eating Contest. Kids and adults can sign up at our festival information booth.

Bocce Ball Tournaments

If a true competition is more your style, sign up for our bocce ball tournaments or free play hours.

Farmer's Market

Authentic Italian cuisine can only be achieved with the freshest of ingredients. Shop Italian-style at the open air Farmer's Market and take home delicious fruits and vegetables.

Here's a recap of the most important information:

The Details

This Saturday & Sunday, October 17 & 18

11am to 9pm

M Resort's Villaggio Del Sole Outdoor Piazza

FREE Admission

Hope we see you there!