Summary: Very solid off strip restaurant.
Neighborhood and this part of Sahara Blvd have seen it's better day and I am sure that they have their up-hill battles w/ marketing this place. The lady and myself ate there on a Wednesday and every seat at the bar was filled for their happy hour (7pm). The two main parts of the restaurant were empty and they sat us at a banquette circular table in the bar area. Little tight in the bar area as the actual bar itself is only a few feet away from the tables. So when you sit at a table in this area you are sort of forced to stare at the backs (and cracks) of the people sitting at the bar. Decor was retro and speakeasy like - place was clean and well kept. Red patterned wallpaper, TV's playing black and white movies and the music playing the old crooners (Frank, Dean, Sammy etc.).
We ordered two appetizers - the little-neck steamer clams and the fried Calamari. Both were amazing, very tasty and well presented. The juice or broth that they present the clams in was to die for. They give you a piece of bread that you can dip into the sauce when you are finished eating. We took advantage and LOVED them both!
Good timing in the part of the waiter had our steaks presented to us with enough of a break between finishing the appetizers and starting the main course. Every night they have "happy hour" till 8pm and feature all steaks 1/2 price. We took advantage. My date had the fillet ordered rare + (with a fried egg on top) and I went with the rib-eye medium rare with an au pove sauce. We each chose the garlic mashed potatoes as a side.
Steaks were right on and cooked perfectly. Been having issue with this and the chef at Herbs delivered perfectly! The cuts and the sides were stellar and would compete with the best steakhouses on the strip. My rib-eye was as good, if not better than the steak I had at the Wynn, Bellagio, Cosmo and Venetian.
We each ordered two of the "custom signature throw back cocktails" from the lengthy drink menu. The menu spans the eras and the drinks from each time period. There are no prices on this section of the menu so be aware of what you are ordering. Most of these drinks fell in the high price or strip casino range ($12 - $15). Little too high priced for an off strip restaurant. They should also feature a couple drinks from this menu during their daily happy hour. Think people would take advantage.
We were way too full and passed on desert (but it looked and smelled delicious).
Bill came and the two of us racked up almost $150 in costs. Was a slightly taken back by this as those prices are what we do at a fancy strip restaurant. Seemed a little excessive for the local driven location. Might hinder price conscious locals? Might hinder us from going back more often, but we will most certainly go back. Food was delicious, service was on point.
Food here is the big winner, food and service earned the 4 stars.
Good job Herbs & Rye - enjoyed the visit.