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Gordon Ramsey Steak July 21, 2013

Discussion in 'Restaurants & Buffets' started by martay, Aug 3, 2013.

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  1. martay

    martay Low-Roller

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    I ate supper at Gordon Ramsey Steak at Paris Las Vegas on July 21, 2013. Here's how it went:

    I was four days in on my guy's trip. The five of us wanted a steak, so around noon, I made reservations for five of us to eat at 9 p.m.

    By mid-afternoon, I was getting pretty hungry and the guys were waffling about whether they wanted to drop the cash necessary for the meal. By 6 p.m., all but me and my friend Justin had dropped out. We called the restaurant, and they were happy to change our reservation to two people, and could get us in right away.

    We walked from the Monte Carlo to the Paris and were immediately seated. Our table was a little two-person table in long row of tables, with an ok view of the kitchen. The row of close tables made it easy to hear all the conversation of the people next to us, but they were a fun young couple and it was pleasant.

    The restaurant itself is very open and airy, with a second story and open kitchen. You walk through a stylized tunnel (like going through the chunnel from France to England) and then through the crowded bar before emerging into the main dining area. It was a little loud for a fancy restaurant, but it was very pleasant. The noise was more of a murmur of excitement than anything offensive.

    The crowd seemed fairly young for such a fancy restaurant -- lots of couples in their 20s through 40s. Not a ton of senior citizens.

    I'm a Gordon Ramsey fan -- my wife and I really like the British and American Kitchen Nightmares shows, and we've watched three or four seasons of Hell's Kitchen. My goals for the meal were to eat a Beef Wellington, a Scallop Risotto (both of which are prominently featured on Hell's Kitchen all the time), and the place's famous Sticky Toffee Pudding, which seems to get mentioned in any review of the place.

    We were presented with two ordering choices -- the regular menu, or a special five-item "Hell's Kitchen Tasting Menu." The tasting menu had all three of my desired dishes, plus an amuse bouche and a salad. It sounded perfect. I don't think that Scallop Risotto was available on the main menu but I might be wrong about that.

    Justin was excited about the tasting menu as well, and we decided to order it. We also sprang for the wine pairings that came with each course. The tasting menu was $145 per person plus $75 per person for the wine. That made it the single most expensive meal I have ever eaten. The tasting menu also came with a souvenir menu (which I'm using as a reference as I write) and an autographed photo.

    The service was very attentive, in kind of a "team" approach. Many different servers took care of different aspects of the meal, and each wine course was served by a sommelier who had interesting things to say about the wines. The servers made a special point to ask if we had any allergies, which was nice, because I do have a mild walnut allergy, and as it turns out there were walnuts in one of the breads we were served.

    We started out with water and a small plate of breads. The breads were great -- six small buns, 2 each of three different flavors. My favorite was made with pancetta but I also liked the one made with figs. I of course skipped the one with walnuts, but Justin liked it.

    The first item was the amuse bouche -- a Scotch Egg made from a soft-boiled quail's egg and sausage, served on red cabbage. It was a fun little amuse -- it was gone in one bite and was tasty, though the overwhelming taste for me was the yolk of the quail's egg. It was paired with a Louis de Sacy champagne, which was very light and tasty.

    The second item was an heirloom tomato salad with a red pepper vinaigrette, cauliflower puree, and spiced almonds. The tomatoes were small little things (small than a ping-pong ball), but packed an intense blast of fresh tomato flavor, which was very enjoyable. I didn't get much out of the cauliflower puree or the almonds other than texture, but the whole package was great. Something about intense little salads like that make you feel that if you ate nothing but them, you'd live forever. The pairing was a 2012 Martin Ray Rose of Pinot Noir. I'm not a fan of pinot noir. I don't know why, but I just never have been. Justin really likes pinot noir and said this was a good one. I drank it, of course, but that wine wasn't a highlight of the meal for me.

    Next came the scallop risotto. To this point in the meal, we were definitely having a good time and were enjoying what we had been served, but we hadn't yet been blown away by anything. I knew the scallop risotto would set the tone as to whether this meal was swinging for the fences or just hitting base hits.

    The scallop risotto was a small bed of risotto with a beautiful, fat scallop, perfectly seared, sitting atop it. The risotto had corn, fava beans, and oaxaca cheese in it. From the first smell I knew they were swinging for the fences. I love scallops -- they are my favorite protein in the whole world. This one was absolutely outstanding -- fresh tasting and naturally kind of buttery, with a nicely defined texture and beautiful seared color. The risotto was also great -- not runny or mushy, very flavorful, and hearty without being heavy. Easily a top ten dish I've ever eaten. The pairing was a 2010 Pala Entemari, which I enjoyed.

    After the risotto there was a fairly long break in the action, which was fine with me, but which seemed a little longer than planned. The sommelier brought out the signature wine of the night -- a 2004 Quintessa, a big, bold red wine that really grabbed your attention. Then out came the Beef Wellington. I had never eaten Beef Wellington, so I was very excited to try it. It's a filet mignon wrapped in a pastry crust and baked. It was served with a potato puree, a red wine demi-glace, and some small root vegetables. Beef Wellington always seems to be the dish that gets people into trouble on Hell's Kitchen -- apparently, it is easy to over-cook them or to have the whole thing come out raw. No problems with ours, however. The pastry crust was tasty, and inside it was a perfectly medium rare filet. I think the portion served to us was a half of a Beef Wellington. It was plenty of food. The demi glace and potato were extremely good, and it was fun to just kind of eat it all at once. Overall, I liked the scallop risotto better, but this was certainly a top-notch course.

    By this time, the wine was catching up to me (I hadn't exactly started with an alcohol-free bloodstream, as it was Vegas, of course). I was plenty full, but not over-stuffed. Our dining neighbors were also getting a little more relaxed, and we started a nice conversation. The only thing left was the sticky toffee pudding.

    The "pudding" part of the sticky toffee pudding is pudding in the English sense -- more like a soft cake. It was about the size of a small cupcake. It was served with a little pitcher of liquid toffee and a vanilla ice cream shaped like a stick of butter. It was paired with a Young's Double Chocolate Stout -- at that point in the night, beer was sounding pretty good.

    It was pretty clear that the wait staff took great pride in the sticky toffee pudding. Three different people (the sommelier and two waiters) all told us to be sure to eat the first bit of pudding with some ice cream and toffee, and then take a drink of the stout, to get the full effect.

    I took that bite exactly as prescribed. It blew me away. Two or three bites in, I declared that the stick toffee pudding was the greatest single thing I have ever eaten. Hands down.

    Remember the climactic scene of the movie Ratatouille, where a bite of the signature dish causes a flood of memories to overwhelm the restaurant critic? That's what I felt like eating the sticky toffee pudding. The taste reminded me of something from my early childhood that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I was a whisker away from crying, it was so good. It was incredibly sweet, but I still wanted to eat every bit of it.

    Desserts aren't my favorite. I've never been into dessert. But my favorite dish of all time is this dessert.

    We were in no great hurry to leave, but the time came. The bill, including tax, was something like $485. We left $600, which seemed right (Out of the blue, Justin graciously paid for the food and I paid for the tip, which was very nice of him).

    Overall, our only regret was that our wives weren't there with us -- it was certainly the kind of special meal that one would expect to share with one's wife. Was the bill big? Yes, but I'd pay it again in a second, and have every intention of taking my wife the next time we are in Las Vegas.
     
  2. queuetee

    queuetee VIP Whale

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    Thanks...the best review I have ever read of the Ramsey place
     
  3. lmondun

    lmondun Low-Roller

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    Great review

    Yes, this was a very well-written review. Made me wish that I had known more about Gordan Ramsey before our one meal there last December, in which I don't think we tried any of his signature dishes.
     
  4. phinfan08

    phinfan08 Low-Roller

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    Thank you, this is the closest I will get to this restaurant any time soon. :cheers:
     
  5. gmoney590

    gmoney590 VIP Whale

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    That was an excellent review. It firms up what I will be ordering if I can fit it in to my drunken gambling schedule.
     
  6. OnTheHorizon

    OnTheHorizon Low-Roller

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    Excellent review - thanks for sharing.
     
  7. USCHawks

    USCHawks High-Roller

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    I'm glad you enjoyed yourself! I didn't get the tasting menu but I did try both the beef wellington and the sticky toffee pudding. The wellington was good, but the sticky toffee pudding was on another level. I can easily say it is the best dessert I've ever had in my life, and probably among the top overall dishes I've ever tasted.
     
  8. kathski

    kathski Tourist

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    Awesome review. Am keeping that in mind for my next trip!! I have had the sticky pudding at Gallaghers Steak House in NY. It is out of this world.!! Glad you enjoyed your dinner!!
     
  9. CCaroleann

    CCaroleann Tourist

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    Yes, all portions, except for dessert, are smaller on the tasting menu. But as you said it is plenty.

    Thank you for taking the time and posting such a detailed review. We ate here in October 2012, right after he opened. Your review brought back the great memory. I even got my souvenir menu out of the drawer to glance at. HaHa

    I too am a big fan of all things Gordon Ramsey and was just so thrilled to be there. I understand perfectly how you felt when you talked about wanting to experience the famous Beef Wellington.

    I believe being a fan of Hell's Kitchen makes this an restaurant an experience. For for me it was "must do". The food and service were wonderful and it was a night I will never forget. With that said, I don't think I would go back again. Maybe because it was an "experience" or maybe because there are so many other great restaurants in Las Vegas I want to try.

    CC
     
  10. ARE U SRS?

    ARE U SRS? Tourist

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    Thanks for your review! I'm planning to go there on my next trip, can't wait for it :)
     
  11. russtcb

    russtcb Low-Roller

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    We're going again on September 8 and we're really excited. We've only eaten there once but absolutely loved it.
     
  12. caseyjacks

    caseyjacks Newbie

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    Thanks!

    Sounds wonderful, and I do have reservations for 4:30 next Thursday. We will be trying to make it to Mirage for Beatles LOVE by 6:30, and it will not be enough time. Especially if we order the Beef Wellington, which you've totally sold me on. Assuming your long wait was because it requires quite a bit of time to prepare? I also have read so many good things about the Sticky Toffee Pudding, and I must have it! So, I'm thinking I need to try for a late reservation or go another night...
     
  13. Julie888

    Julie888 VIP Whale

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    Great descriptions. A well-written, favourable review like this makes me want try it. Excluding the quail egg.

    Do they have the sticky pudding a la carte?
     
  14. USCHawks

    USCHawks High-Roller

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    When we ordered the beef wellington they made sure to tell us that it would take approximately 45 minutes from the time we placed the order for it to be ready. My father and I split two appetizers and they offered to bring them out one at a time so that we could take our time while we were waiting for the main course.
     
  15. USCHawks

    USCHawks High-Roller

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    Yes, the sticky toffee pudding is on the main menu, and it's well worth it! I think it was around $13
     
  16. nubia11

    nubia11 Low-Roller

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    martay - Thank you for posting a detailed review of the tasting menu. We are planning a second visit to Gordon Ramsay Steak soon. Looking forward to trying the Beef Wellington as I didn't try it on our first visit. I did, however, indulge in the pudding and it was amazing.
     
  17. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    Great review.
    Any pictures of your meal?
     
  18. bshowell

    bshowell VIP Whale

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    What a great review! I'm an HK fan as well so the tasting menu is of interest.
     
  19. VermonterJohn

    VermonterJohn Low-Roller

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    I also truly appreciate the detailed review. It made me feel like I was at the table with you.

    My wife and I are also great fans of Gordon Ramsey, and watch all his shows. We also watch most of the cooking competition shows on the Food Channel.

    Sadly, we will never be in a position to dine at expensive restaurants. Once a dinner check for the two of us goes over $100...we're out of our league. (Can you say "Outback?")

    But don't feel sorry for us! We enjoy finding restaurants that are within our budget, and I suppose all things are relevant. If you're used to spending $400+ for two people, then you still face the same challenges as we do in spending $100 for two people. Hey, half the fun is the joy of discovery!

    When we visit Las Vegas, we "splurge" on the fancy buffets (Wynn, Caesar's, Cosmo, M) and do our normal dining at places like Maggioni's, Cheesecake Factory, Billy Bob's Steakhouse, Mon Ami Gabi and similar.

    Anyway, thanks again for bringing us along to GR Steakhouse. I think we enjoyed it almost as much as you did!

    John
     
  20. TylerH50

    TylerH50 Low-Roller

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    great review! I'll be at GTR at 7pm on September 1.
     
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