Local Eats: Happy Hour At Hawthorn Grill

Hawthorn Grill is located inside the J.W. Marriott in Summerlin. The hotel is attached to Rampart Casino through a hallway but technically the buildings are separate. This is a relatively…

Welcoming Fogo De Chao To The Burbs

Fogo De Chao just opened a new location in the suburbs of Vegas (Summerlin) and I was happy to greet the restaurant when it opened. The newest location for Fogo De Chao…

Checking Out Via Brasil

After a couple of bad experiences at a Brazilian Steakhouse in the past I decided to ignore the Brazilian Steakhouse that's around the block from my house. When I moved…

Bourbon Heritage Month

I've only been dabbling in the brown boozes for a couple of years now (see how I found which brown booze I enjoy most on Vegas Chatter). I enjoy a…

Prime At Bellagio, This Is How Steak Dinner Should Be

About a month ago I visited Prime Steakhouse at Bellagio. Dinner was so flawless that I almost forgot about it. Almost.

Prime sits on the Bellagio lake that looks out onto the Vegas Strip. We planned to sit outside on the patio so we could enjoy the Bellagio Fountain Show but it was a bit hot for that. The sun was setting on a 115 degree day and it didn’t seem like the right time to eat steak outdoors. Call me crazy but steak outside doesn’t sound awesome when it’s still 100 degrees outside. We opted to sit inside and ended up with a seat near the window so we could kinda see the show.

Since this was a birthday celebration dinner started with a couple of drinks. Macallan 12 with 4 cubes (of ice) was how I began the night. As usual the ice was nearly melted when the drink arrived and totally gone when I finally got around to taking a sip.

Macallan 12 At Prime At Bellagio Las Vegas
Macallan 12

Each section at Prime has 3 distinct waiters. SW Steakhouse at Wynn has a similar staffing model and it’s wonderful. You’re always speaking with someone who knows their section of the menu, be it a drink, food or otherwise.

There’s always a waiter checking in to see if you need something. THIS is how dinner at a $100+ per person meal should be served. Thankfully the service wasn’t the only great part of dinner.

Bone-In Filet Mignon At Prime At Bellagio Las Vegas
Bone-In Filet Mignon

I’m usually a New York Strip guy but recently have found myself enjoying a filet mignon my last few times out. When I saw that there was bone-in filet mignon on the menu, I had to have it. If there’s one complaint about the filet cut of steak is that it’s not flavorful. It makes sense since there isn’t much fat to keep the flavor in. The bone acted as a flavor saver (TWSS).

The bone-in filet mignon at Prime was outstanding!

As you can see I was so excited looking at the steak that I couldn’t wait to take a picture before digging in. The steak was so juicy and flavorful that I almost couldn’t believe that it was a filet. The steak was so gentle to the touch that I barely had to put pressure on the knife to cut it.

At BLT Steak; No Wine, No Cocktails, No Service

Bone-In New York Steak From BLT Steak At Bally's Las Vegas
Bone-In New York

I’ve been looking forward to checking out BLT Steak at Bally’s since the great New York City steakhouse was first announced. Last night I finally got to dine at BLT Steak. Since the NYC location of BLT Steak was a favorite when I lived there I was hoping for the same in Las Vegas. Any positive thoughts I had of the food were erased by bad service.

I ordered the Bone-In New York steak. Besides the last, and most important, bite it was really good. I don’t like my steak being sliced for me since it normally loses juice and flavor. This steak was prepared well enough that the flavor wasn’t lost. The last bite was a very charred and too burned for my taste – and I like char. I was saving this piece for my last bite and was disappointed.

The hash brown side was bland but fine. The bacon and jalapeño corn was fantastic. The corn was smokey and a little spicy. The corn was the standout dish of dinner.

Now for the service issues.

BLT Steak Opens At Bally’s

One of my favorite steakhouses in New York City has finally opened in Las Vegas! BLT Steak just opened its new Vegas location at Bally's. To coincide with the opening Bally's announced that they've…

Ruth’s Chris Open At Harrah’s

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse opened last week at Harrah's Las Vegas to minimal fanfare, which is appropriate. Ruth's Chris is a chain of steakhouses similar to Morton's, Smith & Wolenski, Del Frisco's…