Restaurant Review: Deck on CraftSteak

I definitely don't want to make a habit out of posting past dated restaurant reviews.  And actually, this should be my last one as I head out on the road to Boston next week, and can dive into the restaurant reviews.  But it would be sacrilegious to have a food blog and not talk about my dining experience at CraftSteak.

CraftSteak, one of the Craft family of restaurants created by 5-Time James Beard award winner Tom Colicchio, is located in MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  Besides being an award winning chef, Tom Colicchio is the head judge on Top Chef, one of my favorite food shows on television.  So, after watching him rate, review, and breakdown contestants, I wanted to see if he could really deliver the goods.  So, since I was in Vegas, I grabbed my friend Nick (aka DJ Nicky Tsunami*), and headed over for dinner.

After a day at the pool where we hadn't exactly consumed a lot of food, we sat down at our dinner ready to eat.  Fortunately I had thought ahead to make a reservation as it is quite the popular place, though the bar does offer the full menu.  The first thing that came out was a pan of dinner rolls.  Eager for some sort of sustenance I dove in.  The rolls were absolutely delicious.  Light and fluffy rolls with buttered tops, but it was the hint of salt on top that actually put them over the edge.  We each put away two rolls before we even opened the menu to look at the food.

With our hunger briefly satiated, we took a look at the menu.  It featured a wide variety of steaks and sides and appetizers, all of which had the potential for deliciousness, that Nick was trying to wrap his head around.  So, rather than try and figure out what was best, I suggested that we do the Wagyu chef's menu, figuring that it would be better to let the chef put his best foot forward.  The chef's menu consisted of three courses; appetizer, entree and dessert, and all of the courses consisted of multiple dishes, and to say that we were excited to see what would come out is an understatement.

Within a few minutes the appetizers arrived at the table, and instantly we knew that we were in for something special.  We both went immediately for the steak tartare served with a nice crostini.  I heaped a generous portion on the crositini, took a bite, and felt like I could die happy.  The texture was so smooth and creamy, the flavor of the beef was so rich, and then the crunch of crostini was just perfect.  It was so incredible that it is making my mouth water right now, just thinking about it.  I could have made an entire meal out of that alone.  But that was only one of the appetizers.  Also on the table in front of us were some delicious and perfectly cooked breaded prawns.  As an appetizer on their own, they would have been excellent, but they paled in comparison to the tartare.

Now sufficiently happy, full of tartare and more rolls (seriously, they were just addictive), it was time for the star of the show.  You can't possibly have a restaurant called CraftSteak without serving steak.  I should also say here that I don't go to a lot of steak houses because I feel like for the price, I can make something that is equally good.  But this was Tom Colicchio's restaurant, so I gave in.  And am I glad that I did.  We did not only have placed in front of a beautifully prepared, medium rare, prime cut of filet mignon, but also an even more beautifully prepared, medium rare prime cut of Ribeye, hands down my favorite cut of meat.  Our server could barely get his hands back in time before the forks went flying into the steak.  One of my biggest criticisms with a lot of places that do steak is that they don't let the meat shine.  There is too much seasoning and flavoring and sauces on top of the steak or it's not rested properly or it's overcooked or any number of other things that ruin a steak.  CraftSteak knew how to make the meat shine.  With a light spice blend that seemed to feature no more than salt, pepper and rosemary the flavor of the meat was just the star.  The first bite was the filet which was so moist and juicy, just terrific.  Then there was the Ribeye.  The Ribeye was a thing of beauty, an unbelievable cut of meat that put a smile on my face and made me close my eyes sit back and enjoy.

After devouring the steak and a good, though unspectacular accompaniment of side dishes (potatoes and asparagus), we were treated to a variety of dessert options.  For me, the sorbets were excellent, especially the pear sorbet, one of my favorite flavors of anything. 

CraftSteak absolutely lived up to its billing.  The service was fantastic, the type of service that is efficient, but non-invasive, where we were able to have a conversation, look down, and our plates and silverware had been swapped out for the next course.  For me, the only non-amazing parts of the dinner were the plating (very simplistic, but expected for a more "family-style" service approach),  the side dishes which were for the most part unmemorable, and the desserts which were pretty simple (unlike Fleur de Lys, where I actually had to take a picture prior to eating).   

But the steak, oh the steak.  It was far and away the star, and made all the other things not really matter that much.   CraftSteak is an absolute must visit on your next trip to Vegas.  As Nick described it, "That was the food of the Gods".


*Side note:  Nick has been helping me promote my blog, and I need to help him promote his music.  Check out his mixes at http://www.letsmix.com/nicky_tsunami.  When it comes to food, I'm your guy, but when it comes to music, it's all Nicky Kats. 

Restaurant Review: Deck on The Mesa Grill, Las Vegas

For my first restaurant review, it only seemed natural to go back to the place where it all started for me, The Mesa Grill by Bobby Flay at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.  The first time I went there was about a year and a half ago.  I was in Las Vegas for work, attending a small conference.  Not really wanting to venture out of the hotel as I had just wrapped up a day at the show and still had a bit of work to do that evening, I decided to just head down to one of the casino restaurants.  The Mesa Grill was close to my elevators, and looked interesting, so I headed in.  I recognized the chef from a Food Network show that I had seen as a barbeque guy, but really didn't know anything beyond that.

When I walked in, I headed to the bar.  I figured I was dining by myself, no need to get a table.  I ordered myself a beer, and asked for a dinner menu.  While looking over the menu, trying to find an entree that would allow me to stay close to my dinner per diem, I reached out and grabbed one of the bread sticks sitting up there.  As I took that first bite, the flavor just exploded in my mouth.  This was no ordinary breadstick.  Firm on the outside, but soft on the inside, with a hint of spice, and a dash of cornmeal.  I quickly polished that off and reached for another.

Now, with my taste buds alive, I quickly made a decision on the menu; the New Mexican Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon-Ancho Sauce.  When I asked how I'd like it prepared, I hesitated.  No one had asked me that on pork before.  The bartender, noticing my slight bit of confusion, said that the chef recommends medium.  So, I went with it.

About 15 minutes (and probably a half dozen breadsticks) later, I saw the plate making its way toward me.  At this point, I was almost giddy with anticipation.  The first thing I noticed was the aroma, a spice with a hint of sweet.  I cut into the first piece of tenderloin and took a bite.  Instantly, I knew this was like nothing I had tasted before.  The pork was so juicy, the spice blends just right, and the sauce just pulled it all together.  I quickly devoured the first piece of tenderloin before noticing that there was a tamale on my plate.  Thinking back, I think it was one of the sage butter tamales.  It tasted like a perfect piece of cornbread, but had this just creamy, melt in your mouth texture that was unlike any tamale I had ever eaten before.

When I finished every last bite on my plate, cleaned up the sauce, and had one last breadstick, I felt like I was in food heaven.  Now don't get me wrong.  It's not like this is the first time I'd ever been to a nice restaurant and had delicious food.  But for some reason, it was this experience that really seemed to bring everything together for me.  Food and flavor took on a new meaning.  I knew that when I walked out of there, I wanted to start trying new things, creating sauces to accompany my food, exploring different cooking techniques.  Why it was Mesa Grill, I couldn't tell you.  Maybe because the flavors were uniquely different and appealed to me.   Maybe because it took things that seemed so basic, and transformed them to something so much more.

The memory was so great that I had to revisit during my trip to Las Vegas last week.  This time, I dragged my friends with me.  I was a little worried because I had set such a high expectation in my mind, and in theirs as well.  Could Mesa Grill deliver the goods again?  In a word, Absolutely!  I recommend the pork to Nick, and ordered the Lamb Porterhouse for myself.  This time when I asked how I wanted it prepared, I remembered to ask, "How does the chef recommend?"  Again, I was blown away.  I've never had lamb cooked so perfectly, and flavored so wonderfully, with that perfect blend of spice with just a little sweet.  I don't know any other way to describe it.  But, the biggest telling point was when my friend Cliff took his first bite.  Before he had even finished chewing he said it was probably the best lamb chop he had ever eaten.  High praise for someone that has spent his entire life on a sheep ranch in Wyoming.

I know that this post has gone on for awhile, but, I think that the back story is important, and the Mesa Grill deserves it.  It opened my eyes, and my palette, to food in a different way, both in my own cooking, and when I go out to restaurants.  If you ever find yourself in Las Vegas, there are many fantastic places to eat (and I know that there will be more chronicled in this blog), but the Mesa Grill is one place that is absolutely worth visiting.  The food is superb, and is very reasonably priced ($25-$40/entree).  My only regret from that first trip is that I didn't eat there every single night.