The
appropriately named Envy Steak House is one of Vegas’ best-kept dining secrets….
Last week Jeff Starr, of VCO’s “A Little Off he Top” and I, had the pleasure of
dining at “Envy The Steak House” at the Renaissance Hotel on Paradise Road, near
the Convention Center.
The
first thing that greets your eyes upon entering, is an impressive floor to
ceiling wine cabinet. The approximately 40 ft display tended to whet our
appetite for an anticipated evening of culinary delights. We were not
disappointed……
We
were greeted by a gracious hostess and shown to our seats in a dining area with
enough lighting to see your dining companion (s) and read the menu, but not
bright, like a breakfast café…. One gets a sense of class, not “stuffed shirt”
class, but the type of establishment to impress a business client or a date (or
your wife) or even your in-laws, pure CLASS.
At
this point we experienced the only negative
(an inconsistency, actually)
of the evening. For we then noticed two different styles of chairs throughout
the dining area…… We could not ascertain a rhythm or reason for this somewhat
minor distraction…
We were
promptly greeted by our server, Joey, who proved to be not only friendly and
courteous, but knowledgeable of the whole menu. He presented to us with
an expansive wine list and the dinner menu.
After
making our wine selection, we were greeted by Envy’s Manager/mSommelier, Anett Minderman. She offered to answer any questions and told us about an “Envy
exclusive”, the recently introduced 4 course “Champagne Dinner for Two”.
Her description of the appetizer, main course, dessert and four different
champagnes served with each course, made my taste buds percolate, just as they
are now, writing about it……
Anett
then introduced us to Executive Chef Stephen Kauth’s Chef De Cuisine Aaron
Losch.
Chef Losch told us about the 4 sample dishes he told Joey to recommend to us.
As a
self-professed steak house connoisseur I will go over the menu and the actual
dining experience we had, followed by my
(famous) Star
rankings………..
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Our dinner
choices were:
The
sample items that Chef Losch had us try were
superb……..Our appetizers’ included Envy‘s Signature Tuna
and Crabmeat Dynamite and Angus Beef Carpaccio with
Truffle Mustard Aioli.
Soup
served was - Split Pea Vermont Cheddar and Prosciutto,
and for our salad we had Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs with
Crispy Pancetta and Baby Spinach.
Our main courses
were: For Jeff, Prime Bone-In Ribeye, 19 oz.
and I, a Black Angus Filet and Wasabi and Sesame Crusted
Tuna, Surf and Turf.
Our
sides dishes included Truffle Mac & Cheese and believe
it or not "the
pièce de résistance"
which is Envy's Signature Truffle Reggiano Fries. Now I
usually don't talk about and for sure I don't
rave about
potatoes while doing a review of a steak house, but,
these fries were the best I have ever tasted, EVER!
Quite different and one can make a meal out of the large
portioned Reggiano Fries.
The
desserts were quite unique also: Strawberry & Vanilla Soup…
different and delicious, Cappuccino Custard with
Chocolate Dipped Biscotti
(great to dunk in my
coffee)… Summer Fruit Cobbler and my favorite was a
Lavender Milkshake, don't ask me to explain only that it
was delicious with a capital D! |
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My
Star ranking are ….. |
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Location |
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Atmosphere |
½ |
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Décor |
½ |
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Service |
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Wine
List |
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Menu |
½ |
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Prices |
½ |
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(relative to other top rated steak houses) |
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Served courses appearance |
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Overall food palatability |
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Overall Ranking |
½ |
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Envy,
which opened in 2004 has seating for 178 people, including a chef’s table in a
private booth with a view of the open kitchen for VIP guests………
One draw
back for Envy is a lack of conspicuous lighted signage on Paradise Road that
allows you to almost drive past, unless you know its there……. I get the feeling
that it is a temporary thing, that will be remedied once construction in the
area is completed.
All in
all, in a city renowned for its innovated steak houses, Envy stands out as one
of the top 2 2 or 3…
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Treat you and yours
to an evening at Envy's and be the "envy" of all your friends.... |
