THE Steakhouse at Circus Circus

If you have read any of my other Vegas Bright articles you’ve noticed that points collecting is a hobby for me. Prior to my last visit to Las Vegas I redeemed 10,000 Open Table points to score a $100 gift check. Open Table gift checks can be used at any restaurant that uses Open Table for reservations. So with the $100 gift check in my pocket I made a reservation to dine, with my sister and brother-in-law, at THE Steakhouse at Circus Circus. This steakhouse is often included in “The Best” lists of steakhouses, so I was anxious to try it.

The ambiance of the room is very clubby, a little worn and puts out an old school vibe: lots of dark colors and dim lighting.

In the center of the room is the grilling area.

We passed the meat aging locker on the way to our table and got a glimpse of the deliciousness to come.

We were team served by two waiters, one of which had worked there for 28 years. He knew his stuff and told us that the room sees a lot of regulars: no surprise since it’s been here for a long time and does a respectable job with the food.

Once seated and while perusing the menu we were presented by a basket of bread (I don’t remember the details of the bread, but bread is bread, so yum) and our water was poured. It was bottled Arrowhead water, which I thought was a nice touch. Granted they could be bottles refilled from the tap but I liked the idea. The menu, which has a very readable large font, is limited but not in a bad way: eight appetizers, five salads, six kinds of steak, nine seafood options, and one chicken option.

Additionally, there were four “accompaniments”: lobster tail, shrimp, crab legs, and sautéed mushrooms. There are no a la carte sides as is typical in a steakhouse; instead THE Steakhouse entrees include the chef’s vegetable (asparagus in this case) and either black bean soup or a house salad and a choice of garlic mashed potatoes, a baked potato or a wild rice blend.

I ordered an appetizer, the 1/2 order of jumbo shrimp on ice. It consisted of two thumb-sized shrimp accompanied by cocktail sauce and a creamy horseradish for, wait for it…$12. $12! For two shrimp! Although well-cooked I felt a little violated for paying that much.

We all ordered the same entree: the petite filet. It came out perfectly cooked with a nice char and was full of meaty flavor, with a side of béarnaise that was piping hot, buttery and delicious. I haven’t had a steak that good in quite some time and dipping it in the béarnaise took it over the top. I ordered the wild rice blend, I think the only thing blended in was dryness and lack of flavor – I wasn’t a fan. My sister’s baked potato came with the usual topping suspects of butter, sour cream, chives, and bacon.

For dessert, the three of us split the chocolate mousse cake, and I had coffee. The coffee wasn’t hot, which is always a mystery to me. How can you serve a hot beverage and it not be hot? The chocolate mousse cake seemed to have been plated prior to service and had little flavor – a sad waste of calories.

Overall I enjoyed our meal at THE Steakhouse. The total bill was $260.80 including tip, and subtracting out my $100 Open Table check it was brought down to $160.80, which is a terrific deal for a Strip steakhouse.

[Images: Bob Z]

Bob Z

Bob lives in Atlanta and loves to travel, sharing his experiences with other folks. Las Vegas is one of his favorites.