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| - I live in Las Vegas so I'm used to having some great places to eat. And in my view one of the best places on the Strip is Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris casino. We go there from time to time and we're consistently impressed. It's excellent from the moment you sit down to the minute you leave. We're not all too concerned with price, particularly for a great experience, but it's hard not to notice how expensive Steak is. Still, it's just that good.
This weekend we gave Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill a try at Caesars casino. It's decidedly different. Far more casual than Steak and focused on pub style food. Overall, we had a very good experience but as I recollect it now, I'm not sure it's enough to get us to go back. It's the kind of place that I'd gladly step into if I were strolling through Caesars, perhaps there to shop at the attached mall, but I don't think I'd make a special trip in just to eat there again. It's not that it's bad, not at all. But it's surrounded by a city full of great dining experiences.
To start (and despite some terrible reviews here to the contrary), our server was lovely, vivacious and helpful. She was friendly and attentive. The bar menu, complete with some innovative custom cocktails, tons of beer options, and a serviceable wine list, was presented on an iPad that provides plenty of details and an easy way to sort through to find what you want. We started with two of their own cocktails (I tried "Mother's Ruin," a nice mix of gin, sage liqueur, cucumber and lime), and some oysters, which were tastefully presented on cutting boards with traditional accompaniments. The bread service was a nice array of crusty, warm, house-baked pretzels (three different kinds) and a nice cheese dipping sauce, all very good.
The only hiccup in service was when our mains arrived so quickly that our appetizers hadn't yet been cleared. The servers who delivered them (not our waitress but two other men) seemed flummoxed. Their hands full they sort of just looked at us to move the dishes aside for them. But the table being small, there really was no place to put the spent plates and utensils. A line manager came to help, but he too seemed sort of clueless and overwhelmed. Neither of us thought too much of it and helped as best we could, but it was a strange moment that you'd expect the team was better trained to handle.
Our food was good. I had the beef cheeks, which has the consistency of a pot roast. It was served over some mashed potatoes and roasted onion. The portion was very generous and the dish was tasty, though just a little underseasoned. My wife had the mustard-basted flat iron steak served with an onion puree and Stilton cheese. Good, but underwhelming, she said.
We split sides of smashed fingerling potatoes (which were seasoned with double cream, butter, and black truffle) and creamed spinach with Stilton cheese. Both were very good. The sticky toffee pudding for dessert was excellent.
At the bar that night was Jan'el Witt, the recent winner of Ramsay's television show "Hell's Kitchen." Our waitress told us that she'd begin her reward as the "head chef" of the Pub & Grill in August.
So, in all, that leaves us at about a 3-star rating. A nice evening, a good meal, a fun time. But with so many options in Vegas, I'm not sure we'll be back again to the Pub & Grill. Unlike Gordon Ramsay Steak, which just screams a kind of uniqueness, Pub & Grill is good, but perhaps not special enough to warrant a return trip.
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