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Redwood Grill at California

Discussion in 'Restaurants & Buffets' started by ChecknPlay, Aug 29, 2014.

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  1. ChecknPlay

    ChecknPlay Tourist

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    I first visited this resturant in 1997. My last visit was two weeks ago after missing it the past few trips over the last 3-4 years. If you are looking for a great steak special in a old school vegas atmosphere then this is your place. They still have an off the menu poterhouse special for $24 which is a steal IMHO. Included is a soup or salad (the house dressing on the salad is one of the best I have ever dad) a 18 oz. poterhouse steak, choice of baked or mashed potato or rice and a apple cobbler with ice cream desert. The service is very good and there is a piano player in the small attached lounge on weekends. The California casino is not a place most would go out of their way to visit however the Redwood is a great spot if you are planning a trip downtown for a night if your are staying on the strip and a must visit if you are staying downtown.
     
  2. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    Though I've yet to dine here, one of my favorite bar-backs at the Hard Rock (Phillip) girlfriend works at the Redwood and he just swears by the place. He's constantly telling me, "you can spend more money, but you won't get a better meal." Not to mention, the Redwood gets considerable love from VMB posters... looks like I'm overdue for a trip downtown!
     
  3. Aces and Eights

    Aces and Eights VIP Whale

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    I used to go to Redwood Grill with a friend who was comped a suite at the Cal. I have to say the steaks there were excellent. Although he was comped, the menu prices for the steaks were half the prices of an upscale steakhouse on the Strip.
     
  4. craiger122003

    craiger122003 Low-Roller

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    My locals secret I go once a month . Hillario is the BEST waiter in town.
    30 bucks for a 10 oz filet mignon includes soup and bread. A STEAL.
    I paid 34 for a filet mignon at Benihanas the other day it was dirt compared
    to my usual filet at the Redwood.
     
  5. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    We are big fans of Redwood and have been for over a dozen years. Just do yourself a favor, avoid Brian as a server. Occasionally ok, must most times a giant Ahole.
     
  6. jrinct1

    jrinct1 VIP Whale

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    This place and the Pasta Pirate are hidden gems and have been so for YEARS!
     
  7. roycpa

    roycpa High-Roller

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    The porterhouse special is still a great deal, though I remember when it was $12.95! The other items are still a value even at their regular prices. My wife likes the lobster tails, and I like the king crab. An intimate setting (it's a small place) so reservations are highly recommended. I guess I'm just agreeing with all the previous responses.
     
  8. pphold

    pphold pp Park Place Degenerate

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    someone posted a pic of the $24 Porterhouse in a TR or post that looked really go but I can't find it.

    If that is how it looks. It looks better than Ellis Island's and most steak houses.

    I'm going to find out next week. Steak at Redwood and Ribs at Ellis island this time.
     
  9. Croce

    Croce Newbie

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    Glad to hear they decided to return the piano player. The last time I was there, the piano had been removed and more tables added. That porterhouse special was my favorite dinner and a must stop every trip until the price went up and the music stopped. Then I moved to the Flame at El Cortez, but that has closed so I will try the Redwood again.
     
  10. Vegas dreaming

    Vegas dreaming Tourist

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    Is the off menu porterhouse special available 7 days a week?
     
  11. Royal Flusher

    Royal Flusher Savvy Gambler

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    I didn't want to say it out loud but now that you've opened the argument, counsellor, just how do you go about avoiding him without offending anyone?

    I've had the same experience with that guy and I'm avoiding the place now because of it.
     
  12. Electroguy563

    Electroguy563 Vegas Joker

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    Brian. I've got to remember that. Can you make reservations and ask for a particular waiter/server? This is the only way I can think of avoiding this Brian character. Are there other waiter/servers we can ask for that were good?
     
  13. Julie888

    Julie888 VIP Whale

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    Warning, it's not open 7 days a week. Call ahead so you're not disappointed.

    Now I'll have to be on the lookout for Brian.
     
  14. craiger122003

    craiger122003 Low-Roller

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    Wow I never knew all these years that they had a piano player. I only go on the weekends so how long ago did they remove the piano player?
    Strange since I have been going for at least a few years and never noticed a piano.

     
  15. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    Flusher, I could give a crap if I offend him. If I have our host make the reservation, I tell her flat out we don't want Brian. I have made my own reservations a couple of times using the house phone and forgot to mention it, but the hostess remembers us and we walk in, she says no Brian, right?

    I'm terrible with names and I only remember Brian because of too many bad previous experiences. But the Hawaiian(?) woman is great and so is the Hispanic(?) guy.
     
  16. Royal Flusher

    Royal Flusher Savvy Gambler

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    I'll just ask to be seated at your table. :)

    Hard to understand how he is still there when there are so many pleasant people. I adore Beatriz at the Pasta Pirate, for example.
     
  17. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    Maybe Brian's last name is Boyd!:evillaugh:evillaugh
     
  18. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    I'm a very easy person to please ( I think).,, because I was in the food/beverage business for the first 20 years of my career, I'm pretty good at understanding when something's beyond a server's control and when it's directly related to them. There was a fella at the Hard Rock's Mr. Lucky's who ALWAYS seemed to be having a "bad day"... busy or slow, didn't matter... his attitude made me feel like I was an imposition on his day.

    I'm not going to mention his name, because there are two-(2) other servers there with the same name and they're excellent. Anyways, I'm also not the type to "demand the manager" unless it's truly warranted... so after the fourth time over a three-(3) month period, I politely asked him if I could have another server. He responded gruffly, that the counter is his section and "was there a problem"? I again politely replied, "Im not feelin' your lack of friendliness" (I like to speak their language) and got up and sat at a table. His retort was, "whatever dude..."

    A young lady, who saw me move, came over to assist me and asked me if everything was OK... I told her I love sitting at the counter, since I generally dine alone when eating there, but was tired of Mr. Crappy pants ruining my good moods. She told me "that's why they give him the counter instead of the tables, so he has less interaction with the customers."

    Mr. Lucky's has a long counter that is immediately in front of the cooks and the orders come-up under a long line of heat lamps when they're ready... in addition to Mr. Crappy Pants generally bein' a dick, he likes to stand over next to the soda machine (out of sight to all except those at the counter) and just stand... doin' nothing. My additional beef with him is that he seemed to actually enjoy allowing your order to sit 6 feet in front of you, under the lamp, without making a move... then walk past it several times on the way to nowhere, before he'd act surprised it was there.

    So, I'm now taking up a four-(4) person table, as a solo diner and can't see the TV's, which I like cause as a solo, it makes you feel a little less lonely... but now Mr. Crappy Pants decides he's gonna give me the "stank-eye" every time I make eye contact. I'm a pretty good-sized guy and rarely have people do the little funky "intimidation" thing to me, so when I walked up to the front to pay the check from what was a wonderful meal, I asked for the shift manager. The guy who came up was one I'd seen and acknowledged many times, so he knew me to be a regular. I was just honest with him... "Mr. CP is a dick and has been on four-(4) separate occasions. Perhaps it's just me, but he ruins a good meal. I just thought you should know."

    I haven't seen Mr. CP in a year and have no way of knowing if my comment was directly related to his exit or as I suspect, added on to the others that had most likely been received. I didn't go overboard... I was just honest... I've been eating there for 6 years a few times a month... people have good and bad days, but this fella was in the wrong line of work. Let someone know...
     
  19. yoyoseven

    yoyoseven Grizzled Vereran

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    OK, I agree that the food at the Redwood is good for the prices they charge - a perfectly good meal at a reasonable price. But let's not get carried away. When you go to an "upscale" steakhouse (and I DON'T mean a place like Brand at Monte Carlo), you're likely to get USDA Prime grade beef that has been wet or dry aged for a fair amount of time. And for a truly excellent steak, you want USDA Prime. What you're getting at lesser steak houses, like the Redwood, is USDA Choice. USDA Choice is what you'll find at your local supermarket (high end markets might carry some prime beef, but it's hard to get because it's generally snapped up by high-end restaurants).

    Now, I'm sure that beef wholesalers can tell the difference between the lower and higher ends of the USDA Choice spectrum, and probably try provide their restaurant customers with the "better" Choice steaks, but make no mistake, you could certainly tell the difference if someone set down two steaks in front of you - one USDA Prime, and the other USDA Choice.

    So, the high prices you pay at upscale joints on the strip are the result of several factors: 1) the cost of USDA prime beef, 2) the cost of aging that beef (some is wasted as they trim away the outer shell of aged beef), 3) the property values of the locations of those joints, 4) the fact that the joints on the strip can simply get away with charging exhorbitant prices.

    If a steak joint is serving USDA Prime steaks, their menu will say so. If the menu doesn't say so, it's a 99% certainty that they are serving USDA Choice.

    Again. don't get me wrong, I like the Redwood and have eaten there several times. For the price, it's a bargain. But it's not the same experience as a well-prepared, aged, USDA Prime steak that you'll find at a truly upscale steakhouse.


    http://www.primesteakhouses.com/how-usda-grades-beef.html
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2014
  20. Aces and Eights

    Aces and Eights VIP Whale

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    I agree wholeheartedly with Yo. The taste combined with the price makes me rank Redwood Grill that high, and I remember how great it was when I had it over a decade ago. If I go back there, I hope it will be as good as I remember. I hope it's not because I never had prime-grade steaks before at that time, and choice-grade was just much better than the select-grade I had before it.

    At one point a long time ago, I used to think that Black Angus was great. But that was because I only had Sizzler before that. And Sizzler was great when I only had Denny's before that.
     
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