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| - 7/4/13 Dinner
My third time dining at Mon Ami Gabi doesn't disappoint. For a French steak restaurant on the Strip, this place offers great food at a great value. My party of 4 arrived promptly for 6:30pm reservation. Surprisingly we were offered the option of indoor dining or the patio outside overlooking Bellagio fountain across the street. Patio is usually first come-first serve but on a 108F day we just didn't feel like eating outside. Plus all the hustle-and-bustle on the street.
Server was friendly, ready to make cocktail suggestion. Despite being very busy for 4th of July, service was not pushy at all. We spent almost a cocktail's time looking over the big menu, which features grain-fed Mid-West beef.
*Paris Romance ($12): a rum base cocktail with a tinge of lemoncello.
*Grey Goose Cosmopolitan ($14): just the way I like it, a slightly more vodka compared to cranberry juice, fresh lime (there's pulp) a beautiful pink
Our table goes for beef since this is a classic French bistro specializes in meat.
*Chicken Liver Mousse Pate ($10.95): the tangy red wine mustard goes really well with the very creamy liver spread on warm toast. It really set the mood of dinner for the evening.
*Filet Mignon Merlot ($34.95): very tender, almost like Wagyu, beef seared to a medium-rare pink, with a butter/red wine reduction. I've had Harris's filet mignon and loved it. But Mon Ami Gabi is just as juicy, and every bite of meat is "even." This is one of the best filet mignon I have had. The handcut frites are warm crispy, with the texture of sliced potato chips. They give you so many that I couldn't finish.
*Steak Classique ($24.95): a slimmer cut sirloin steak served with house-special herb butter. My BF also had it medium rare and it was pink like mine. He did better with the frites and licked the plate clean.
*Steak Au Poivre ($25.95): probably the strongest tasting steak on our table, served with a brandy peppercorn sauce. Our dining companion also opted her sirloin medium rare. I was very impressed at the overall consistency in how their meat was prepared here.
*Prime Cheeseburger ($12.95): with blue cheese. This is a Mon Ami Gabi's classic and they charge the same price as for lunch. Medium cooked beef patty served on a brioche bun. Instead of fries, my dining companion got French green beans on the side.
We concluded the meal with warm chocolate torte and assorted sorbet. The whole experience---food, service, drinks, and decor, is top-notch but you pay decent prices for it. It's one of the best value on the Strip. Make sure you have a reservation. I always have dinner here when I'm in Vegas.
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