. "1"^^ . "0"^^ . "4"^^ . . "2012-06-03T00:00:00"^^ . "0"^^ . "My first Mastro's experience took place inside the treehouse of the steakhouse chain's Las Vegas restaurant. I had never expected to take the plunge at Mastro's in Vegas, as I have been eyeballing its SoCal locations for years but never had set foot inside.\n\nThe verdict? In the overall spectrum of Las Vegas steakhouses, Mastro's was superior to Craftsteak but a significant step down from CUT. \n\nThe high point of the meal arrived early in the form of the seafood tower, which was over-the-top but fantastic. In short, the seafood tower here crushes the one at Oceanaire. It's the best reason to have dinner here.\n\nThe low point of the meal was my filet. In fact, in an unexpected turn of events, I left feeling as though I should have ordered the salmon instead. Like everyone else at my table did. As for wine, order the duck horn merlot. \n\nSurprisingly, another underwhelming aspect of the meal were the sides. Mastro's take on mac and cheese was a bust compared to CUT. The lobster mashed potatoes were a let down too, especially given the hype and eye-popping price tag. As a salad, I had wanted to order the caprese, which generally is a favorite of mine. Our server talked me into the heirloom burrata instead, which I regretted doing after tasting it.\n\nFor dessert, the chocolate cake sounded like the best choice after skimming the menu, but turned out to be dry. The better option was effectively donuts with ice cream. Neither, however, were good enough to recommend with much enthusiasm."^^ . .