US Airways - September 2013 - (Page 24)

Wine & Dine 24 september 2013 usairwaysmag.com michael’s Gourmet room while classic cool vegas dining has been largely driven off the strip, it’s far from extinct. from Joe DiMaggio, Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, and Elvis to current regulars Mario Andretti and Nicolas Cage. The Steer has been voted 2013 Best Steakhouse by Las Vegas Journal Review readers, while Zagat named it one of America’s 15 most iconic restaurants. The emphasis, of course, is on steaks — big steaks — such as filet, strip, and porterhouse, plus prime rib. Classic starters from the ocean include Alaskan king crab, jumbo Gulf shrimp, Rhode Island crab cakes, and fresh oysters. The signature non-steak specialty that draws many fans is fresh Dover sole, deftly deboned tableside. Although not for the budget-minded, the Golden Steer is a price point below the Strip’s many celebrity chef steakhouses — and throws in a trip back in time. top of binion’s steakhouse is another hidden gem, atop Binion’s casino hotel, more famous as the birthplace of the World Series of Poker. Many locals and visitors don’t even know about this eatery, accessed by express elevator. It opened in 1965 and moved from the adjacent building in 1994, and Pat, my waiter of 36 years, moved with it. The restaurant’s cornerstone is Kansas beef — grass-fed, cornfinished, and dry-aged for 28 days. With one very notable exception, the menu is straightforward steakhouse fare: your choice of cut served with potato, plus extras like French onion soup, oysters Rockefeller, an iceberg wedge salad, and creamed spinach. The exception is perhaps the oddest signature dish in Vegas — Chicken Fried Lobster — which I of course had to try. A large whole lobster tail is removed, flattened, immersed in milk and flour, deep fried, and served with remoulade and melted butter. It is, needless to say, rich, decadent, and delicious. Kitty-corner to Binion’s is the Four Queens Hotel and Casino, home to Hugo’s Cellar, another frozen-in-time steakhouse featuring continental influences and tuxedoed waitstaff. Hugo’s signature salad cart is wheeled to the table, and salads are assembled to order, while the menu includes old-school rarities such as duckling anise flambé, beef Wellington, and seafood en papillote, served with shallots, carrots, white wine, leeks, and mushrooms. Although the aforementioned steakhouses are pricey enough to be considered special-occasion restaurants, not every classic Vegas eatery requires an expense account. In suddenly trendy photo courtesy of lvcva Survey. “It’s the best restaurant in Vegas that no one knows is here,” says Courtney Fitzgerald of the city’s Convention and Visitors Authority. Michael’s opened in 1979 as the centerpiece of the Barbary Coast Casino, thriving for about 20 years in a prime Strip location, until the casino was sold (and closed). Named for Barbary Coast founder Michael Gaughan, it was transported — including its famous giant wooden door and Tiffany glass domed ceiling — to Gaughan’s newer South Point Resort south of the Strip. Every detail that could not be moved was replicated, including the fabric of the banquettes. Seating just 50 for dinner, Michael’s is an exercise in perfection. Crisply attired waiters and captains diligently attend to guests, refilling water glasses on silver trays and preparing everything from Caesar salad to bananas Foster tableside with striking showmanship. The food is excellent, with hard-to-find classics like coquilles St. Jacques, chateaubriand for two, and salad of beefsteak tomato, pimentos, and anchovies. The complimentary intermezzo is Michael’s signature lemon-lime sorbet with Dom Perignon poured over it. The ornate dessert cart, wheeled tableside, is a sweet-tooth fantasy, with cheesecake from New York’s Carnegie Deli, Key lime pie flown in from Key West, and flaming dishes including cherries jubilee flambéed before your eyes. The signature dessert is a ten-inch-high angel food torte with banana, kiwi, strawberry, and cream, enrobed in chocolate ganache. When I visited, the appetizer special was extra-large Florida stone crab claws, boat-to-table in 18 hours. Michael’s is quite pricey, but a true celebration-worthy experience unlike any in Vegas. Set in a strip mall a block off of Las Vegas Boulevard, the Golden steer, opened in 1958, is the city’s oldest steakhouse. It features dark wood, red leather banquettes, and Western art and artifacts. Everyone who is (or was) anyone in Vegas has eaten at the Golden Steer, http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - September 2013

Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Top College Football Rivalries
Hub Crawl: Montreal-Trudeau International Airport
Adventure: Falconry
Wine & Dine: Las Vegas Dining
Golf: Pacific Links International
University Spotlight: Salisbury University
Style Spotlight: Yacht Club
Gear Up: Cookout Tools
Travel Feature: Jamaica
US Airways: Countdown to Departure
Great Tastes: Fearrington Village, NC
Professional MBA: Wake Forest University
Travel: Apps for Business and Leisure
High Style: Fashion by Peter Millar
Great Dates
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - September 2013