Okay, so Las Vegas continues to mushroom, and locals continue to complain about traffic congestion, long buffet lines, and increased prices in food, drink and entertainment. The good news is that with growth has come such a proliferation of dining choices that we can no longer mumble about having to go to L.A. to find a restaurant to our liking. Las Vegas has attracted such fine celebrity chefs, east-coast eateries, and family entrepreneurs that we just might have to re-nickname our city “The Restaurant Capital of the World.” 

Chef Tom Colicchio, owner of New York’s Craft and Gramercy Tavern and author of a cookbook, Think Like a Chef, focuses on simple roasting and braising. Tom talks about “trilogies”: combining three ingredients “to make one dish that’s quick.  Juxtaposed in interesting ways, these ingredients prove that the whole can be greater than the sum of their parts.” Colicchio is a recipient of the James Beard/American Express Best Chef Award for New York City. His Las Vegas restaurant, Craftsteak, is situated in the MGM Grand Studio Walk. “Everything is about simplicity and the taste of the product,” says Tobias Peach, Craftsteak manager. Specialties at Craftsteak are aged prime beef and braised dishes. According to Peach, the beef served at Craftsteak comes from Wyoming cattle, raised “Kobe style.” This means the cattle are “fed a lot of corn and the meat becomes buttery.” We’d have to agree that the Beef Kobe Flat Iron Steak, medium rare and served in thin, layered slices, had a special flavor. The Braised Beef Shortribs, served in a deep pot, contained no bones. Our waiter served all the dishes on individual plates placed in the center of the table, “family style─so you can share.” The Shellfish Sampler contained a portion of seaweed salad, rare even in Asian-American restaurants. The bread plate features a combination of wheat, sourdough and olive bread. We enjoyed the Nova Scotia Lobster Bisque, the Purée Potatoes had a nice garlic flavor, and the vegetables were very fresh. Our only disappointment was the roasted Diver Scallops, slightly rubbery, as if they were an afterthought on the menu. John and Caroline Vidmar, visiting from the Isle of Man, ordered the roasted red peppers and arugula salad. “We felt a little adventurous,” said Vidmar, “so we mixed the two on one plate and found them a perfect match.” The dessert menu prepared by pastry chef Melinda Eusantos features soufflés, truffle cake, puddings, cheesecake, pineapple or pear compotes, fresh fruits, a sorbet and ice cream sampler (peanut butter sorbet!), a trio of ice cream sandwiches, and cheeses. The Cinnamon Monkey Bread with milk sauce seemed a little heavy after such a satisfying dinner─perhaps something you’d come back to Craftsteak to enjoy later in the evening after a little gambling. Each cup of coffee is served in an individual French Press brought to your table. Hot water added to freshly ground beans makes for a really strong cup of coffee, which can also be ordered decaf. Craftsteak is not for the faint of wallet: the liquor menu features nearly 100 single malt scotches, some “forty to fifty years old” (and in the $500/bottle range). But we found the overall experience well worth the pricy menu: low music that doesn’t get in the way, friendly Edison lighting, “natural” surroundings of Brazilian oak and leather seats, a warm staff, and of course, memorable food.

We’d  go back for: Braised English Peas that still have that just-picked-off-the-vine feel and Roasted Foie Gras that melts in your mouth.