Cut @ Palazzo 10/14 - the full review

Off the bat, I'm sure some of you who are familiar with my tastes & opinions on steakhouses are thinking to yourselves - really? #1 Carnevino fanboy Jilly is eating at Cut?!? But, as much as I love Carnevino, I wanted to give Cut another try, as it had been a few years - and since we were staying at Palazzo on a comp, I thought it would be fun to "bookend" the trip with meals at their two highly-regarded steakhouses - plus, although I prefer the masterfully dry-age beef at Carnevino, our previous experience with Cut had left me impressed with how they did everything else - I liked the ambiance, the appetizers & desserts were first rate, and the service was top-notch - so, that's the how & why of how Cut made the "cut" and onto our dining itinerary again this trip.

And I must say, I'm glad it did! Everything that I remembered having stood out several years ago continued to shine again - perhaps even a little brighter this time.

Service at Cut always starts out with the little show that has become so common at high-end steakhouses these days that it's almost cliche [ever been to a Morton's?] - where they bring you out the tray with the cuts of beef - though in the case of Cut, perhaps it's partly a play on the name of the restaurant? - but really, I think it's more of a hard-sell on the "Kobe" & "Wagyu" beef - they make a big deal about educating you on the superior marbling - and yes, American "Kobe" and Australian Wagyu do indeed still have superior marbling to even the primest of prime beef - but at the prices they charge, IMO it's really kind of a rip-off, because unless the laws have changed since the last time I checked, you really can't get true Japanese Kobe in the states anyway - yet they're generally charging you close to true Japanese Kobe prices - so when I want to spend a couple hundred bucks on a steak, I'll go with one of Carnevino's extra-long dry-aged "Riserva" steaks over a piece of similarly priced faux-Kobe every time - but that's just me - if you enjoy American "Kobe" or Wagyu and think it's worth the price, as long as you enjoy it, that's really all that matters.

But before I bore you all again with one of my interminable dry-aged beef lectures, let me get back on point about Cut - and I think my favorite thing about Cut is the appetizers - they have so many interesting appetizer choices it really made it a tough decision for both myself & the wife. I was tempted to try the veal tongue just to gross Mrs. Jilly out the way she'd been grossed out when I'd gotten the lamb's tongue at B&B some years ago, and was also tempted to try the oxtail soup with bone marrow dumplings - but ultimately decided to go with the Bone marrow "flan", even though I had it before because a) I'm a sucker for a good bone marrow dish & b) I just remembered really enjoying it last time - so no points for me on the advenure scale there - but definitely points for me on the delicious scale , as it at least met, and probably exceeded, my memory-based expectations - perhaps a bit savorier and more garlicky than I remembered, but both in a good way - and the presentation can't be beat, the way the tall bones come out in a little tower on the plate, surrounded by dollops of a wonderful mushroom chutney and topped with a nice little salad which, in addition to adding a nice dash of color, provides just the right amount of crispness & freshness to what is an admittedly fatty dish - an occasional bite of which helps to cut the fattiness from becoming too unctuous or overpowering. Having now had this dish twice, I feel I can really recommend it equally to both someone who already enjoys bone marrow as well as to someone who has always wanted to try it but not done so yet.

Mrs. Jilly - a known beet fanatic - predictably went with the beet salad, which was presented artfully enough and featured three different beet preparations - whether they were three different types of beets, or just beets done three ways I forget - but since I absolutely detest beets, all I can really say about it is that it looked very pretty & Mrs. Jilly raved about it, so I guess if you like beets, consider having at it yourself should you ever make it to Cut.

For the main course - despite everything I just rambled on about earlier - we decided I'd go with the lobster, while Mrs. Jilly would order the sirloin tasting - a trio of petite dry-aged, American "Kobe" and Australian Wagyu sirloins - and then share them, so that way we could both have some lobster & some steak. We also split a side of Brussel sprouts [not my first choice, but the wife likes 'em, so that's what we got].

The lobster was removed from its shell flawlessly - without the different sections of meat getting broken up - and then artfully presented - and was probably one of the best lobster dishes I've had in a while, the meat was buttery, delicate & delicious - simple, but in a good way that allowed the sweetness of the lobster meat to shine through - it really made me glad I'd decided to go with it.

The trio of sirloins came with a side of corn salsa that was a pleasant surprise, and the three pieces each had an absolutely beautiful char on them, and were cooked perfectly to just under medium rare as we'd requested. Mrs. Jilly gave me the dry-aged piece in its entirety - and I have to say, they did a good job for a place that doesn't exclusively dry-age - it hit all the right earthy notes and had the right, more yielding but still firm texture that all good dry-aged steaks should. I only had a bite each of the "Kobe" and Wagyu - but I must admit, as much as I ragged on them, they both did absolutely melt in your mouth - although for my palate, they were otherwise on the bland side - I felt most of the flavor came from the char instead of the meat itself [although it was a very exquisite char!] - but Mrs. Jilly absolutely loved it.

Personally, I find brussel sprouts to be too bitter, and these were no exception - so after having one or two, I mostly stuck to picking out the pieces of bacon that were mixed in with them - and I will say, it was really good bacon - firm without being burnt & with a wonderful smoky flavor - I would say I enjoyed it enough that it will seriously make me consider trying their pork belly appetizer next time if that's the quality of bacon they're using. The wife loved the sprouts - so I guess, much like with the beets - if brussel sprouts are your thing, take that as an endorsement over my personal opinion.

Dessert was another area where I'd remembered Cut shining in the past, and once again it did not disappoint - I went with a whisky-soaked chocolate cake that probably shouldn't be legal to serve to anyone under 21 - very strong, but I like whisky so to me, that was a positive - while Mrs. Jilly went with a classic chocolate souffle which she also enjoyed very much.

Service throughout was friendly & professional - we never wanted or waited for anything, yet at the same time didn't ever feel like we were being stalked or interrupted - and the room has just enough panache to make it a little less masculine - and dare I say almost romantic? - compared to many "steakhouses" - and I found the tables to be well spaced - we actually scored a banquette that probably should have seated at least four, and which gave us a nice amount of privacy - and the noise level was enough that you didn't feel deafened but also still not so hushed that you felt everyone would be listening in on your conversation - a really good middle ground in terms of atmosphere.

So, while I'd still probably go to Carnevino for steak - if steak were the one & only thing on the agenda - I also think Cut deserves your serious consideration not necessarily just as a "steakhouse" option - but as a well-rounded choice for a good meal no matter what you're in the mood for thanks to it's plethora of interesting & well-executed appetizers, seafood dishes, sides and desserts - I know we'll consider it again for sure.

 

Great review! I've usually skipped dessert at CUT (my only dessert there was disappointing) but now you make me want to give dessert another try.

Your discussion of wagyu/"Kobe"/etc was balanced. While I'm a fan of what was formerly available, you're right about the high price, and the hard sell - especially troubling, given that the people I talked to didn't seem to know much about the beef they were pushing.

When I heard CUT was again offering true Japanese wagyu (the ban was recently lifted), I stopped by the restaurant and asked some questions. It turns out they're only able to get A4 -- very good quality, but not top grade 5, which had been available a couple of years ago. The BMS (marbling score) is only 6 - again, much lower than previously available. I decided it wasn't worth it at the price they were asking (around $185 for the top cut).

 

i hadn't heard that the Japanese wagyu ban was lifted. i'm going to have to find out if any MGM restaurants are serving it yet and try it out when i'm there in a couple of weeks. i often order the "kobe" when i'm at a steakhouse. the price is outrageous, but i'm not paying for it. i do find it a little bland, though, but they often serve it with some kind of ponzu-type sauce that's really good. but i'm definitely interested in trying real Japanese wagyu.

 

still, even if available, japanese wagyu still does not mean it is kobe, correct? more power to any marketer that can get more dollars for something by creating an image, but i just know that aging and the prime designation are real things, versus created panache by misnaming something similarly to something that is not even available.

if someone could find that post of ken2v's linking us to, the great kobe beef scam, from forebes.com, that might be educational here.

thanks for eating beef!

 

Correct, it's not Kobe. However, to further muddy the waters:
1. True Kobe IS true wagyu. "Wagyu" is a less specific term.
2. True Kobe isn't necessarily better than true wagyu. Some wagyu is better than some Kobe.
3. Some Kobe is better than other Kobe; it comes in grades.

 

It's indeed available again as of a couple weeks ago, although still in fairly limited supply: http://www.lvrj.com/taste/prized-kobe-beef-returning-to-las-vegas-restaurants-171309151.html

 

that article says they have A-5 at Social House at Crystals. anybody know if that can be room charged to an MGM room?

 

You know, that's actually a good question. I've seen promotions before with resort credit that specifically excluded Crystals charges; the most recent one I saw phrased it as "Crystals (including Todd English PUB) charges", which I thought was kind of odd, since it only mentioned that one restaurant and not the others. That being said, I'd be surprised if you couldn't, especially since it's one of many Angel Management Group venues in the MGM arsenal, but MGM has surprised me before, so you'd probably be best off just calling and checking.

 

I believe the Japanese was going for $165 for a 6oz sirloin & $275 for the 8oz ribeye - But I guess it goes to show how jaded I'd gotten over the whole faux-Kobe situation, because at the time even though they said it was Japanese I just assumed it wasn't real anyway- not that it probably would have swayed me to order it anyway even if I had believed them at the time, because I prefer dry-aged anyway - and the "trio" Mrs. Jilly ordered still only had the American & Australian on it - and even that was $145 - which raises another good point: even with the true Japanese now available again, they still have a lot of American & Australian "Kobe"/Wagyu all over the menu - practically as expensive as the true Japanese - but available in a wider variety of cuts & sizes - so anyone who goes to Cut [or any other high-end steakhouse for that matter], you should still be careful about what you order to be sure which "Kobe" you're actually getting & paying for.

Also, here's the link to Ken2v's Kobe thread from a few months ago:

https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77759&highlight=Kobe

 

This is all fascinating to me, I think mostly because I don't eat beef so it's entirely an academic question.

 

I'd definitely give CUT a whirl.

 

Two comments on this. CUT's "baked alaska" in my opinion is the best dessert in Vegas... maybe the world.

Second, I agree if you're going to get real kobe you want a marbling score of 9; getting something of lesser quality and you won't be able to tell the difference between that and Prime (still delicious though).

1 and 3 are absolutely true, but since I currently live in Australia (which has waygu even at Subway) and just spent a week in Japan I would say that generally Kobe is better than 'wagyu' pretty much across the board. Nowadays you might argue reputation dictates market prices but that reputation was well earned. CUT makes it obvious what you're getting by showing you the raw pieces and you can see the marbling in A5 kobe beef is just insane.

Yes...errr... check with them. I have eaten there and charged to Bellagio and done the same with Todd English PUB. However, when I ate at PUB and I said it was a room charge at Bellagio and was told they don't do that. I claimed I had just called them 24hrs ago to ask and she then came back and confirmed with the manager that I could indeed room charge. Should be no issue but make sure you know where you stand.

Burger Bar at Mandalay will not let you room charge.

 

I just read John Curtas's blog last night about the return of kobe in LV steakhouses. Reader's comments are just as interesting as the article.

http://www.eatinglv.com/2012/09/a-kvetch-about-kobe/

 

so i thought i'd update this that it looks like Le Cirque has A5 Japanese Kobe Tenderloin. i'm hoping it's available when i'm there tomorrow night as i'm really stoked to try it.