So I was in Vegas this past weekend. As much as I wanted to get around and eat at every good restaurant, I ended up only being able to go out once for a nice dinner due to some transportation/communications snafoos with friends and such.
I was in the mood for steak, and didn't want to do the traditional American steakhouse thing. For one, I tend to be disappointed every time I do it, and I find that the high price tag of the Morton's-type club eatery not worth it. While there are many choices in Vegas, I decided to limit it to two choices. My first choice was Thomas Keller's Bouchon at the Venetian, and my second, Tom Colicchio's CraftSteak at the MGM Grand. I was going to take my friend with me, so I printed out the menus and let him choose. Since we're both currently watching (read: addicted) to Top Chef on Bravo, we decided to go to CraftSteak.
We arrived at about 7:30 on a Saturday night with no reservations, but were given a club table almost immediately in the bar section, since there was a huge party that couldn't decide what they were going to do. Score!
The atmosphere was nice. Leather wall panels and steel beams and the back wall of the bar was all glass showing the wine cellar behind it. The only thing I could say that I didn't like about the atmosphere was that the air was very stale, and it was warm. I have a tendency to get flushed in places like this, so I had to have the waitress bring me a glass of ice water (for dabbing on my forehead) and a vodka rocks asap. Once I cooled off though, it was fine.
Onto the food. I got three of the Olde Salt Oysters from VA which were absolutely screaming fresh and succulent/sweet. We then ordered the Kobe Beef Tartare for our appetizer. I've had a lot of tartare, but this one really took the cake for me. Buttery, unctuous, tangy, sweet... I don't know that I have the words or the memory to describe it, since I basically had a mini-orgasm when I took the first bite. As jaded as I can be about food sometimes, this was just plain wonderful.
For our main course, I ordered the 10oz. Bison New York Strip (med-rare), and my friend ordered the King Salmon. We're both experienced cooks, but my friend was flabbergasted when offered to choose his salmon's temperature (med-rare). For sides, we got grilled asparagus and potato gratin. I'm a real stickler for steak temperatures, but the first (and every) bite I had of the bison steak was SPOT on. Nice and crusty on the outside, nice and pink/red in the middle, and HOT. It was well rested enough that all the juice stayed in the meat and not run on into the jus that was served with it. Heaven. The salmon was equally delicious, all buttery and crunchy all at the same time. To be honest, the sides were competent but not earth shattering, which was ok, since the main dishes were so amazing. They really were just there to support the main protein and not overshadow it.
By the time we were done with the main courses, we looked through the dessert menus and decided that while everything looked very tempting, that it'd be best not to overdo it. Despite not ordering any dessert, we each got three pieces of something sweet from the pastry chef. A nice chocolate browny, an Italian Amaretto cookie, and a peanut butter fudge. All in all, I felt like I was in paradise.
Not only was the food great, but what really made the evening even more special was the server we had. She was so nice and attentive without being in our face. I actually left an almost 40% tip since the experience she provided was that great.
If this experience is a testament to the level of cooking that Tom Colicchio does in his own kitchen, I was more than thouroughly impressed -- yeah, he's got the chops to judge other chefs/cooks. Don't think about this one. Just go. You won't regret it.
