Top Chef personality and James Beard Award-winning Chef Tom Colicchio brings the Steak ruckus on the Las Vegas Strip.
When Craftsteak landed at MGM Grand in 2002, a new standard was set for the Las Vegas steakhouse. Now the Strip is the steakhouse center of the universe and the choices are seemingly endless - yet Craftsteak remains on the shortlist for almost any carnivore looking for a righteous cut of Beef (or otherwise) while in Sin City. The interior exudes class and sophistication plus the service doesn't let the swagger of the digs or kitchen down at any moment. If you don't feel like you are in a real deal Steakhouse... Well, that is on you.
The menu changes daily but you can count on most (if not all) Beef cuts to be available on any given day and they are prepared either by grill or pan sear. Neither of which you can go wrong with as I can attest to. The restaurant offers a Prix Fixe - and it is a good one to boot - but you are best served by choosing your own cut and then sharing the sides family style. This way you get your Steak your way and everyone enjoys the sides in a communal fashion. The prices are on par with any in LA/OC Steakhouse which basically means they are obscene or fair depending on your stomach for a Steakhouse bill.
Like any stark, raving mad carnivore I love Ribeye, Filet, and Strip Steak - but as an aficionado of the sport I was immediately drawn to the 10 ounce Black Angus Hangar Steak (a consummate steal at $38.00) thanks to the near perfect blend of fat/meat ratio and a mouthfeel so divine your very own butcher saves the cut for friends and family. Craftsteak puts together a very, very gratifying specimen of a Hangar Steak. Softly charred outside, buttery meat within, and a mouthfeel worthy of the gods. You really have to try this, it is that good (Yelp - italics would help with descriptions such as this...).
Happy. Stoked. Loved. Pick your superlative.
The side courses are also mesmerizing and deserve a review of their own but that isn't why you are reading this review, right? It doesn't matter much anyway thanks to them changing daily so go with the server's recommendation and get the cut of your fancy and enjoy.
Craftsteak is the absolute realness. Try it yourself and tell me that I am wrong.