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| - DATE/TIME: March 24, 2013 // 10:15pm
PRICE: $50-$100/person
VALUE: The prices are pretty typical of a higher end steakhouse.
AMBIANCE: Lots of reds, blacks, and grays. As mentioned by many other Yelpers, you enter through a "tube" (http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=6uhas67fyLO3rEi1f1VMNw&userid=BwFEjsr9yLqdszAmAxFYQg) that "transports you from Paris to London." Sounded kitschy to me at first but is actually more tastefully done than I initially expected. The dining area itself is a huge two-story dining room with large red neon artwork (http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=XbS7ww57AwhWY9VhmdPCsw&userid=BwFEjsr9yLqdszAmAxFYQg) at the center of the ceiling, which the hostess pointed out as she seated us. It is an artist's interpretation of Gordon Ramsay's hand movements while making his signature dish: the Beef Wellington of Hell's Kitchen fame. Ambient lights are attached to a wire that runs across the walls. Music is a bit on the louder side, definitely not the typical stuffy place designed for hushed tones and mousey eating.
SERVICE: Our server checked up on us frequently and filled up our waters often, but rightfully seemed a bit like she was anxious to go home by the end of the night. (We were one of the last people to leave)
CHANCE OF RETURNING: 60%
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[ ACTUAL RATING: 3.5* ]
This place, like so many of Gordon Ramsay's newer restaurants since I last went to Maze in New York, is clearly catered towards his Hell's Kitchen fan base. They even have a "Hell's Kitchen Tasting Menu." Seriously. Kudos to the growing empire for capitalizing on the media-inspired fame as well as they have.
The meal was definitely good - not quite mind blowing (don't expect something comparable to a Michelin-starred restaurant) but definitely a decent steakhouse. If there weren't so many places still on my list of destinations in Vegas, my chances of returning might be closer to 70%.
The wine and cocktail menu is available on an iPad, like that at Charlie Palmer's Aureole.
Unfortunately, by the end of our meal we had no space at all for dessert. I might be back sometime before the end of this trip to try the STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING at the bar, which consists of a sweet pudding cake, brown sugar toffee, and brown butter ice cream.
TIP: If you don't already have a Total Rewards card, get one. It only shaves $1-$3 per dish but that's money you can allocate towards a higher gratuity for your hard-working servers! ;-)
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:::: [ THE FOOD ] ::::
* BREAD TRAY
http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=Pvi2lZcSgkHc0gEiaEpw7w&userid=BwFEjsr9yLqdszAmAxFYQg
- [4/5 - We were served with 6 kinds of room temperature bread including a pancetta brioche, black truffle brioche, and blue cheese and walnut bread. On the side was a somewhat cold imported butter. My favorite hands down was the black truffle brioche, though the blue cheese and walnut bread was also pretty good. I couldn't really taste the pancetta in the pancetta brioche, which I was actually most excited about when the tray arrived at our table.]
* SEARED FOIE GRAS - $25
http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=QytfTD2Hpp1yWcvuV30xiQ&userid=BwFEjsr9yLqdszAmAxFYQg
- [3.75/5 - Perfectly seared creamy foie gras, delicious huckleberry, and marcona almonds. This is nowhere near the top 10 foie gras dishes I've tried, but that's coming from someone who actively seeks both Michelin-starred as well as regular mid-range restaurants who fellow Yelpers claim serve great foie gras. Be sure to use every drop of the sauce on the plate or you will find your foie gras disappointingly bland.]
* ROASTED BEEF WELLINGTON FOR 2 - $100
http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=7sjGYKbej_1IkprjvGR1Sw&userid=BwFEjsr9yLqdszAmAxFYQg
- [3.75/5 - Served with a red wine demi glace, potato puree, and glazed root vegetables. The pastry portion of the beef wellington seems to be where all of the sodium is allocated, so be sure to portion your bites of meat with enough of it or you won't have even distribution of seasoning. The glazed root vegetables seems like an afterthought. Coming from someone who loves purees and generally soft, creamy, foods - the potato puree is a bit more liquefied than I'm used to - it could've been slightly richer and just a tiiiiiiiiny bit better seasoned. While I prefer to include a bit of each ingredient on the plate with each bite, I also like to start my meal by trying everything on it's own and am especially pleased when every element manages to "carry their own weight."]
* MAC & CHEESE - $13
http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=MjlAOhIvQrSWmo0YRi7dPw&userid=BwFEjsr9yLqdszAmAxFYQg
- [3/5 - A combination of blue, cheddar, and parmesan cheese with truffle. Mediocre mac & cheese. Not that well-flavored.]
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