Dining on Las Vegas Boulevard can be a different kind of gamble than most patrons are used to experiencing. Do you hedge your bets and save money by going to the buffet that was last cleared by the health inspector in 1973, or do you spend massive amounts of money on fine dining that is so snooty they charge you to use the bathroom while never making eye contact with you? It's a risky venture but if there is one place on The Strip that is a guaranteed jackpot visit for you and your dining party, it has to be Jean Georges Steakhouse. The reasons are many, but if you are the kind of Las Vegas visitor who wants the quick-and-easy soundbites for your adventures, trust me when I say this is worth the time and asking price.
For the rest of us still reading, I'll recap my visit whilst wiping the drool from my mouth as I fondly reminisce about some of these dishes.
My folks and I were looking for a nice steakhouse to close out our last night in town. And being that this was downstairs from our rooms in the ARIA, it was an easy reservation to make. But even without the convenience of proximity, Jean Georges is more than worthy of visiting. When we walked in, the duo of hostesses at the front desk greeted us and escorted us through the dining room to a banquette seat along the back wall. Along the way, we passed through a classy bar area, as well as a couple of dining rooms flanked with booths, tables and the most inviting atmosphere of any upscale dining I have seen in Vegas.
Almost seconds after being seated, Jason came by and welcomed us. Much like the hostesses, Jason was professional, engaging and fully committed to making sure each guest had their expectations exceeded. Since this was our first visit, and I tend to get confused by concepts like revolving doors, we appreciated the overview of the menu Jason provided. I especially was relieved to find out the sigils lining the walls are cow noses - you can totally see that when someone points it out to you. (I spent the first 20 minutes here thinking they were an abstract interpretation of Monument Valley.)
With generously poured cocktails in hand, we set our sights on the food. Mom opted for the butternut squash soup and soy-glazed short rib, Dad chowed down on the caesar salad and wagyu filet, and I decided to attempt cardiac arrest with the bacon-wrapped shrimp and 18-oz. ribeye. In most reviews, I would take the time to itemize each item and give the pros and/or cons, stretching the total word count to somewhere around the 600,000 word total. But everything here was impossibly wonderful. Truthfully, it started with the complimentary basket of breads, stuffed with everything from pretzel rolls to something I forgot the name of from Morocco that engulfed my taste buds in flavor and fire. Even the side orders of asparagus and fries met with our voracious appetites.
(And special note must be made for the quartet of steak sauces brought out - while two were better than the others, the fact that there was so much variety to choose from made for a nice addition. However, that green minty sauce that came in its own silo may be the closest thing to a transcendental moment I have experienced - I think the first bite sent me back in time, though that may have been the second house "mule" providing the foundation for this out-of-body experience.)
Unfortunately, with food this good, you are going to want to eat as much as possible. Why is this a bad thing? Well, in our case, due to the aftermath of our gorging, none of us had room for dessert. If tradition holds up, though, I'm sure the desserts are awesome.
Other random observations: the bathrooms are kind of cool, in that there are free-standing sinks atop columns in the middle of the floor. There is a photographer wandering the premises to capture your visit, but she was not obtrusive, at all. And whoever picked the soundtrack gets all the points in my book - until coming here, I never realized how cool life could be until I was eating a steak while the Pet Shop Boys' "West End Girls" was playing. (Seriously, the mix of current and classic new wave/synth pop music was excellent.)
I have one slight concern to mention, and it's one I typically harp on like a broken record: no manager came by to our table. I'm not even sure if a manager was walking the floor - my back was to the dining room. I'm sure one was making the rounds, though. In a high class steakhouse, I put a lot of value in a managerial presence speaking with the guests, even if it is just to thank them for coming in. It's a slight hiccup, and it's certainly not going to stop me from recommending this place, but it's just a suggestion to the powers that be to maybe have a bit more visibility in the dining room.
Again, though, that's a minor bump in the road compared to the overall visit we had the pleasure of enjoying. Sure, the pricing may deter some, but Jean Georges Steakhouse is proof you get what you pay for - it is a masterful dining experience.