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| - My NY daughter, who is fast becoming a food connossieur herself, was very interested in trying a restaurant by one of her celebrity chef idols, Tom Colicchio. Although there are a few to pick from in Manhattan, she came with us to Vegas to have her first experience (and ours) in one of his restaurants. For all of us, this was our one big splurge meal on the trip. While not much in Las Vegas is reasonably priced anymore, we went here knowing this would be the case.
Overall, I give Craftsteak 4 stars, but as it honestly reminded me so much of Mastro's, I found myself comparison rating it up one side and down the other. I really liked the food at Craftsteak, don't get me wrong, but I didn't think it was worth the prices they charged, and yes, they were more expensive than Mastro's. They pretty much served the same types of entrees and sides, but I really think Mastro's is one cut above (no pun intended.....well, maybe a little).
Service was good, but nothing and no one will top Erin @ Mastro's in Thousand Oaks. She was truly that notch above and made us feel like we were the King and Queen of dining. We wanted for nothing. However, the two male waiters @ Craftsteak were nice, but I often felt uncomfortable asking for their assistance, and they certainly weren't treating us all that special. I think they stayed a little too much in the background, but yes, they got the job done. I will say, however, when I did ask questions, they were forthcoming with their opinions of the food, and we were not steered wrong.
There was one aspect that was disappointing........both my younger daughter and I LOVE rack of lamb, and while it was on the menu and we wanted it, it was NOT available by the time we placed our order. Big letdown.....but not the restaurant's fault, either. Here is what we did order..........
32 oz. porterhouse steak, served with bearnaise sauce - at $96.00., it should have been outstanding, but it was very good. The meat was a little tough in areas. It became excellent with bearnaise sauce on it. Well done on a sauce that I haven't had in YEARS. LOVE that sauce.
Diver sea scallops - waiter recommended, and they were excellent. A little light on flavor, but cooked to perfection.
Grilled asparagus - very nicely prepared and seasoned, and not too lemony as I feared it might be. Asparagus is truly my favorite vegetable.
Roasted fingerling potatoes with rosemary - while not dried out, it needed some kind of sauce, and I was a little disappointed that the promised rosemary was not infused into the potatoes in a much bigger way, instead of just a sprig decorated on top. I dipped them in the steak au jus, which was quite good. If it were me ordering a potato side, this would NOT have been my choice, especially with all the choices available.....but my daughter selected, so this was what she chose.
Mushroom assortment (4 different kinds) - a wonderful introduction into some exotic mushroom types - maybe could have been sauteed a little more, and perhaps with a bit more butter / flavor, but still, they were good.
Caesar salad with pickled anchovy - we ordered 2 caesar salads, which were split in half, and there was MORE THAN ENOUGH salad to go around between the four of us. Very generous portions. Not a huge fan of lettuce leaves in their whole form. I much prefer the lettuce be cut already, but it also didn't detract from it for that reason. What did detract was the ever-present lack of enough dressing issue. Always happens. What leaves did have enough dressing on them tasted just fine. The pickled anchovy wasn't too bad, either, esp. if eaten sparingly.
For dessert, my daughters ordered chocolate souffles with caramel sauce and a simply divine hazelnut ice cream laced w/chocolate shavings. The ice cream was TRULY amazing. I didn't care too much for the souffle, though. I think it was a bit undercooked. Never been my thing, though. My husband and I split the cinnamon monkey bread with sour cream toffee ice cream. Not sure how I feel about this dish. The ice cream was dreadful......waaaaaaaaaay too much on the sour cream. Strange. As for the monkey bread, yes, it was delicious, esp. with the ooey-gooey caramel sauce over it, BUT........I felt like I was eating a breakfast food item. It just didn't smack of the stuff elegant nighttime desserts are made of. I don't know, I just wasn't feeling it. Because we were celebrating my younger daughter's birthday, they brought a complimentary cheesecake w/ a raspberry coulis.
While I have been somewhat critical of the food, overall, we definitely enjoyed our meal here. However, for this restauranteur's celebrity status and the matching prices, I honestly expected better from him. That being said, I would certainly return to this place. I just can't give this a 5-star rating.
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