| rev:text
| - My first thought upon reaching Brand Steakhouse was that I would not enjoy fine dining when I could so clearly see the glare, glitz and goings-on of the Monte Carlo casino floor. That actually ended up not being a problem, so I think it says a lot that that chaotic element was mostly eliminated from the dining experience. The restaurant interior is slightly dark, but not so dark that you can't see the funny cattle-inspired ceiling paint job. Appetizers, salads and drinks all had that extra Vegas dollar (or five) that you only find in Sin City. I didn't think the entrée selections had similar markups.
Our table shared the ultimate steak for four, which was easily shared by six grown men. This was thanks to the free rolls (DELICIOUS!) and the three sides that come with the ultimate steak. There is plenty of food to go around. The steak was mostly cooked medium rare, but they did make an appreciated effort to get some medium portions as well for the two of us that preferred a longer cook. I had some of the more medium rare pieces and thought they were quite good despite that not being my normal preference. The ultimate steak comes with two house steak sauces that I thought complimented the taste of the meat quite well.
We ordered asparagus and some mushrooms as our sides. I didn't try the mushroom plate because I'm not one to eat mush. The asparagus was supple, and had a delicious flavor. They came with an even better sauce that could be poured on them. A side of potatoes also comes with every ultimate steak. We did have to send those back because they were very crunchy. The new potatoes came out quickly and were better cooked, though there were still some crunchy pieces towards the bottom.
All in all, I paid $70 for my share of the appetizers, entrée, taxes, tip and my soda. Not bad at all. Brand turned out to be a great place for the nice bachelor party dinner we were looking to have for our friend.
|