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| - When Bear reminded me that I needed to think about what restaurant I wanted to go to for my birthday, it's not like I was stumped for suggestions. If one thing's for sure about Vegas, there will NEVER be a shortage of places to explore different cuisines, excellent to otherwise. Echo and Rig was one I'd heard about before, and I saw it when we went to Tivoli Village to another eatery, Cantina Laredo, which was also excellent. So once I saw it on Open Table as I flipped though, selecting it was a no-brainer.
Now, we like to pride ourselves on a knack for one-upping the quality level of our experiences, each time we go out to a new place to eat. Anyone who does knows that there's about a 50/50 chance you'll have a great time, or not-so-great. I am over-the-moon to report that E&R was nothing but spectacular.
Let's start with walking in. More of a butcher shop that just happens to have a full bar downstairs, and a restaurant upstairs, the meat cases are the very first thing to capture your attention as you enter. And you realize immediately, seeing the impressive various cuts of steak and pork and who-knows-what-else on display, that no, Dorothy, we're not in Kansas anymore. We ain't at the local Safeway Meat Department, either.
We were warmly greeted and invited to have a drink from the bar and a seat in the lobby, while we waited for them to get our table set. I don't think the chairs had a chance for our butts to warm them up, when the receptionist came and took us up to the dining room.
Once she seated us, again it was only a brief moment before our server, Sam, (fancy that - easy name to remember, too!) appeared to see to us. When the wait staff in Vegas establishments is good, they are VERY good, and Sam is top-notch. Knowledgeable, witty, accessible and quick with great suggestions, he made sure that as the 'birthday boy', I was well taken care of, but he DEFINITELY made sure that we both got exceptional service, as did all the staff who delivered our several different courses.
Now, experienced 'foodies' know that because you spend a boatload of cash on a steak dinner, it doesn't necessarily equate to a GREAT meal. Echo And Rig makes any concerns you may have about that aspect disappear as quickly as the moisture from the misters out on the patio did, by laying down some of the best damn food I think we've had in the almost five-year span we've been designated 'local Las Vegans.'
The bread-and-butter starter as you peruse the menu is a 'green flag' for what's to come. The bread is right-from-the-kitchen fresh (even if it isn't warm), with creamy, whipped, unsalted butter to go with, and they will keep bringing as much as you like. But you'd best control yourself with that...you WANT to have room for all the other offerings, because they are worth it.
I have NEVER experienced anything like the Portobello Fries with Avocado Aioli before, and a few more go-rounds with them may convince me to '86' potato fries for GOOD. Golden brown with crispy, crunchy breading, they are as tender, juicy and meaty on the inside as you would expect portobellos to be, and the aioli complements them with a mild creaminess and flavor that never becomes too overpowering. We kept forging ahead with the thick-cut bacon with barbecue sauce, (pig candy addicts everywhere, BEWARE - this will NOT help you kick your habit!), plus a bowl of what may be the greatest Onion Soup known to man. I could have EASILY done three bowls of that with bread and a salad, and simply called it a day. (Glad I opted NOT to do that.)
When Sam explained how they handled the meat dishes, he treated us to the spectacle of a display tray of brontasaurus-sized slabs of beef. He told us the actual cuts were for family-style service and that we could opt for the saner cuts from the menu - which we did. Bear's eyebrows arched in recognition of the Tri-Tip with the Santa Maria rub, (he hails from SLO), so there was no question what he was having. After Sam answered my questions about the Spencer Steak, I went for that. With our entrees, at Sam's enthusiastic urging, we had the cauliflower with Chile de Arbol, crispy shallots and the Kennebec Salt-and-Pepper fries. Yeah, I know - I said the Portobello Fries were my new 'bae', but these reminded me of what it is about fries I dig in the first place...the crispy tenderness dunked into ketchup with a forkful of steak? ORGASMATRONIC.
Portions here aren't MAN VS. FOOD-sized, nor did they need to be. With a great wine, we were pretty much stuffed to the gills by the time we got halfway through. (Oh, yes...there WILL be doggie bags.) The beef was everything as advertised, and MORE. I may have even learned how to like medium-well steak now, (I usually won't eat steak unless Drogon has breathed on it. For a VERY long time.)
At the conclusion, Sam surprised me with a complimentary birthday dessert of two different sherbets, and that clinched the deal. Amazing. Will we be back? Does Trump Tweet?
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