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| - The newspaper's Friday "Neon" section has a coupon for a free bottle of wine (or $15 off any bottle), and advertises Florida Stone Crabs for $28. A local recommended the Flame. The casino was not too smoky, and the restaurant was fine. Decor is what you expect for downtown; a bit worn and dated. The waitress probably worked there forever and was very knowledgeable about the wines and the menu.
The stone crabs were very good,although I didn't expect them cold, on a bed of ice. I switched out for a dry plate, which was better. The dipping sauce included was mayo based, tangy and delicious. We asked for and received warmed butter. I prefer melted to drawn butter, so I decanted most of what they brought and melted the table butter in the candle warmed dish. Combining the sauce with the butter was the best flavor combo.
The sides were just average. A few slices of fried potato, and a small vinegar based coleslaw. An order of grilled asparagus with a wonderful Hollandaise sauce was well worth $5.
For a $5 wine upgrade, we selected a French Beaujolais; it was perfect with crab.
Use the included crab cracker tool. I cut my finger trying to pry open some pre-cracked shell. These crabs have a thick shell.
We don't eat meat. There are other seafood items on the menu, so plenty to choose from. And I'm sure you could get a good steak there.
The El Cortez is two blocks from the Fremont Experience, so go there after dinner. Unfortunately it RAINED last night, and we discovered the arches over Freemont street are porous and we got soaked. But Vegas gets like 4" of rain annually, so what's the chance that will happen to you?
Overall, we liked the meal, and will go back.
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