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| - KATSUYA BY STARCK
SLS Las Vegas
2535 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109
5 STAR
The night started out badly due to a flood warning and heavy rains in our area. The parking garage at the SLS is an extremely old structure. Thankfully, we parked on the first floor because the elevators were shorted out due to the rain. I am disabled, so struggling down one flight of stairs along the outside of a very wet, roof pouring water on top of me, uncovered stairwell, was a bad start and a bad reflection on the SLS Hotel only (not the restaurant). I also had to walk through large puddles of water in some very expensive leather shoes. This put me in a very bad mood before even starting dinner. But enough of that.
Our reservation was for 8:30pm. We arrived at 8:22pm at the Hostess Station but no one was manning it. However, a hostess showed up within minutes. and we were seated at our choice of table or bar. If I'm seated within ten minutes of my reservation, I consider it five stars. We were seated a few minutes prior to our reservation. So, kudos again. Our waitress' name is Ashley. She, along with two helping servers/bus persons, did an excellent job.
Although I have rated everything for the evening, I do have to point out that the reservation was well known by the staff and we were being presented the best service, table seating, timely food service, just the best of everything under the direct supervision of the general manager. We expected no less. So this review should be judged by readers completely on the taste and presentation of the food alone.
We chose our food selections according to reviews we read, selecting only the items people had raved about and that we had not ordered on our first time in the restaurant. We order two drinks, a Burning Mandarin and a watermelon/cucumber cooler (not sure the price but Happy Hour showed them for $7 each), and two waters with lemon. At the same time we also ordered our appetizers, Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($13) and Wagyu Shashimi ($18). The drinks came out instantly and were quickly followed by the appetizers. The watermelon/cucumber cooler was delicious. The waitress remembered the lemon slices for the water. I didn't like the Burning Mandarin, it seemed too strong to me, but my son loved it. The Crispy Brussels Sprouts were not anything like I imagined. They looked more like wilted mini leaves in a bowl. Looks were deceiving. They were sooo delicious and different (in a good way). I cannot wait for someone to leak the recipe so I can make them at home. The Wagyu Shashimi was outstanding too. It was medium rare tender beef strips with a light flavored oil on top. Also delicious. I added wasabi to my bites and it just elevated the flavor.
For our main course, we ordered a Wagyu Rib Eye ($48) medium rare, A4 Wagyu Fried Rice, Pork Belly and a Tiger Roll with fresh wasabi. The Pork Belly and Tiger Roll arrived first, shortly followed by the Rib Eye and Fried Rice. The Pork Belly should get 10 stars. I died and went to heaven with my first bite. My son does not eat or like fatty meats, and yet, he fell in love with it on the first bite, too. I will be ordering a side of Pork Belly every time I eat there from now on. It was the star of my meal. The Tiger Roll was large with about 12 pieces, and scrumptious, a definite 5 stars. The Wagyu Rib Eye arrives on a sizzling plate topped with truffle butter and a side of wasabi-ponzu sauce which you can use for dip or to pour over the beef. The beef is sliced atop two large caramelized onion slices. Perfect for sharing, which is what we did. The Wagyu Rib Eye was good, very tender, but not extraordinary, but definitely 4 stars. My son felt like the Wagyu Fried Rice was the star of his meal. The rice is sticky style so it's easy to pick up with chop sticks. It has a luscious sauce and was topped with five larger than bite-size portions of Wagyu beef, very tender, and sooo flavorful.
Lastly, I have to mention the General Manager Jonathan Toobi. He was awesome (and gorgeous (but that's a different review *grin*). He made us feel so welcome that it was almost like eating with family.
Overall, I have to give the experience and food 5 full stars. I am also attempting to remove my original one star review, because I no longer feel it does the restaurant justice. If you have had a bad experience at Katsuya, it may be in your best interest to give it a second chance, and mention to the hostess that your first experience was not good and you are hoping for better service. I'm sure they will make note of your request and go out of their way to show you your experience may not be the norm for the restaurant. Also, maybe stick to the food items that have received gushing remarks of goodness. They have a new summer menu featuring an appetizer, entre and dessert for $39 a person. We'll be trying that soon and will let you know if the great experience continues to stand.
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