SW Steakhouse

Just thought I'd put something here, for people who are coming around looking for info.

It's pretty good, but not as good as the hype. We eat at a lot of steakhouses. This is America, and Americans love steak. Our meal at SW was better than any Ruth's Chris we've ever had, but not as good as we've had at other places. Old Homestead at Borgata in AC is better. Peter Luger's is better. Roy's in Waikoloa was better. (We haven't been there for almost 10 years, hence the verb tense.)

I had a strip, others had filets. The strip was tall and short, savory but not as marbled as I would have liked. The menu called it "grass fed prime"; grass fed tends to be leaner. It came medium rare, just barely this side of medium. It could have been redder and still passed for m/r, but it wasn't a returnable miss. We had to ask for salt and pepper. We had to ask for the home made sauces; With four diners, the chances are someone will want to dip a bite or two in the sauce.

Caprese salads were pretty good, the balsamic reduction was the real deal. Tomatoes were mixed heirloom, which is how I make Caprese at home. Sides were good. No one goes to a steakhouse for the sides, though. If you get more than a bite or two of each, you are related to Joey Chestnut.

They do have a decent beer selection, with one of everything from pilsner through the pale ales, porters, stouts, and Belgians. I had a Dirty Dog IPA from the local Big Dog Brewing Co, served in a 22oz beer glass. That was perfect for the meal.

We were seated on the Lake of Dreams. Meh. There is an odd animatronic show with musical frogs, and balls, and flowers. It was very Disney-like, and seemed out of place.

Price-wise it wasn't out of line with what other places charge for the same fare. I don't have anything else in Vegas to compare it to, and we just had the one meal, so I can't say that there are better. But what I can say is that there was nothing here that would make me rave about it, that would make me write that it is a must-try place to make reservations. Especially in Las Vegas, where almost every hotel and casino has a signature steakhouse. My recommendation would be to make a reservation at the one most convenient, it will probably be about as good. Which, don't get me wrong, is pretty good, better than your typical Ruth's Chris, but not as good as I would have expected.

Quote: Mosca

Just thought I'd put something here, for people who are coming around looking for info.

It's pretty good, but not as good as the hype. We eat at a lot of steakhouses. This is America, and Americans love steak. Our meal at SW was better than any Ruth's Chris we've ever had, but not as good as we've had at other places. Old Homestead at Borgata in AC is better. Peter Luger's is better. Roy's in Waikoloa was better. (We haven't been there for almost 10 years, hence the verb tense.)

I had a strip, others had filets. The strip was tall and short, savory but not as marbled as I would have liked. The menu called it "grass fed prime"; grass fed tends to be leaner. It came medium rare, just barely this side of medium. It could have been redder and still passed for m/r, but it wasn't a returnable miss. We had to ask for salt and pepper. We had to ask for the home made sauces; With four diners, the chances are someone will want to dip a bite or two in the sauce.

Caprese salads were pretty good, the balsamic reduction was the real deal. Tomatoes were mixed heirloom, which is how I make Caprese at home. Sides were good. No one goes to a steakhouse for the sides, though. If you get more than a bite or two of each, you are related to Joey Chestnut.

They do have a decent beer selection, with one of everything from pilsner through the pale ales, porters, stouts, and Belgians. I had a Dirty Dog IPA from the local Big Dog Brewing Co, served in a 22oz beer glass. That was perfect for the meal.

We were seated on the Lake of Dreams. Meh. There is an odd animatronic show with musical frogs, and balls, and flowers. It was very Disney-like, and seemed out of place.

Price-wise it wasn't out of line with what other places charge for the same fare. I don't have anything else in Vegas to compare it to, and we just had the one meal, so I can't say that there are better. But what I can say is that there was nothing here that would make me rave about it, that would make me write that it is a must-try place to make reservations. Especially in Las Vegas, where almost every hotel and casino has a signature steakhouse. My recommendation would be to make a reservation at the one most convenient, it will probably be about as good. Which, don't get me wrong, is pretty good, better than your typical Ruth's Chris, but not as good as I would have expected.

Mosca,

1. Roy's in Waikoloa is still superb, as of 2 years ago. Can't beat that Parker Ranch beef, and the Japanese and ultrarich presence on the island requires the finest cuts. They fly a B747 into Kona once a week and run cattle down to it for export. I should put the video up. I had more damned fun with those guys; moooooooove your airplane...what's the mooooooovie this leg.....I crack myself up.

2. Had dinner in Harrah's Ruth Chris Wednesday, and we sat at the bar looking out the window at Caesar's rather than waiting for a table. I do care about the sides; blue cheese lettuce wedge, sweet potato casserole, and mushrooms in buttah were all exceptional; the cowboy ribeye (bone-in) was truly great and done perfectly. However, when it was LB's steakhouse, it was beyond great. So I have to agree with you about Ruth's overall. But the difference between great and superb, while important, is much less to me than between good and great; m/r steak is my happy place.

Anyone been to Mastro's? I heard it is pretty good.

Quote: beachbumbabs

Mosca,

1. Roy's in Waikoloa is still superb, as of 2 years ago. Can't beat that Parker Ranch beef, and the Japanese and ultrarich presence on the island requires the finest cuts. They fly a B747 into Kona once a week and run cattle down to it for export. I should put the video up. I had more damned fun with those guys; moooooooove your airplane...what's the mooooooovie this leg.....I crack myself up.

2. Had dinner in Harrah's Ruth Chris Wednesday, and we sat at the bar looking out the window at Caesar's rather than waiting for a table. I do care about the sides; blue cheese lettuce wedge, sweet potato casserole, and mushrooms in buttah were all exceptional; the cowboy ribeye (bone-in) was truly great and done perfectly. However, when it was LB's steakhouse, it was beyond great. So I have to agree with you about Ruth's overall. But the difference between great and superb, while important, is much less to me than between good and great; m/r steak is my happy place.

I'm glad you said that, bbb. I've had three of the best steaks of my life on BI: Brown's Beach House and Hualalai Grille were the other two. Other memorable steaks were Doe's Eat Place, the original Morton's in Chicago, and the few mentioned above. The original Gallagher's in NYC. There are more, those are the ones I always thing about, though, the ones where the beef hits your tongue and the flavors go wild, and you shut your eyes and stop for a moment to savor the experience.

I got no problem with Ruth's Chris in concept, but some locations can be snooty beyond belief. Yeah, we know where we are. It's a freakin piece of meat. Tap water will be fine, thank you. It gets to be a bit much sometimes; I guess they get a lot of first timers. Just be friendly and serve us efficiently, I know how to divide and calculate a fair tip.

From everything we'd read about SW, we were expecting superb. Instead, it was great. Nothing wrong with that, but not worth a cab/Deuce ride if there is another place nearby, is all.

Quote: Mosca

I got no problem with Ruth's Chris in concept,

I've eaten at RC's twice and thought they were very
overpriced. I'd rather have the prime rib from Binion's
old basement cafe, it melted in your mouth. 20 years
ago if you got it to go and gave the girl a good tip
in advance, she'd make sure you got a double portion.
Those days are long gone..

Quote: Mosca

I'm glad you said that, bbb. I've had three of the best steaks of my life on BI: Brown's Beach House and Hualalai Grille were the other two. Other memorable steaks were Doe's Eat Place, the original Morton's in Chicago, and the few mentioned above. The original Gallagher's in NYC. There are more, those are the ones I always thing about, though, the ones where the beef hits your tongue and the flavors go wild, and you shut your eyes and stop for a moment to savor the experience.

I got no problem with Ruth's Chris in concept, but some locations can be snooty beyond belief. Yeah, we know where we are. It's a freakin piece of meat. Tap water will be fine, thank you. It gets to be a bit much sometimes; I guess they get a lot of first timers. Just be friendly and serve us efficiently, I know how to divide and calculate a fair tip.

From everything we'd read about SW, we were expecting superb. Instead, it was great. Nothing wrong with that, but not worth a cab/Deuce ride if there is another place nearby, is all.

Mosca,

If you ever want to have the best steak anywhere and are willing to take the trouble, you have to go to Sidney, NE, which is right in the center of Nebraska near nothing else at all. I-80 crosses about 10 miles south of it; go to the Sidney Steak House, on the left a few blocks into town. Porterhouse overlapping the plate in all directions, cut with a fork, all you hear in there is chewing and moaning in ecstacy (kidding, but almost). My dad was in the business for over 30 years and he knew where to go for it. He sold (and in some cases invented) the wholesale packaging for all those guys; IBP, Morrell, Swift Premium, Schyler, Hormel, etc. were all his customers. One of the perks was that he got to shop the company stores at their prices. We grew up on corn-fed prime 3-4 times a week; spoiled rotten for food nobody can afford now.

Quote: beachbumbabs

Mosca,

We grew up on corn-fed prime 3-4 times a week; spoiled rotten for food nobody can afford now.

Enjoyed Homestead at Ceasars and Delmonico's at Venitian and feel they are among the best we've had in Vegas. I don't understand the negative view of Ruth's. Sounds a bit snobbish to me, then I have a very limited frame of reference. Next trip we're going to try the weekly fix price at Palmers in the Four Seasons ($48), sounds worth a shot.

Regarding the beef prices, they tent to get that way when we insist on burning their food. Corn makes much better fuel for a cow than a car.

Have eaten at SW twice in the past year - fantastic meal both times - once a party of 6 and once party of 4 - everybody loved it.

Maybe your expectations were too high - or might have caught them on a bad night. It happens.

Just a low key hijack here. Where can the best steak in Las Vegas be found?

I would have to say Old Homestead but my frame of reference is way too small (6 to 10) for my opinion to be worth too much.

Anybody been to Gordon Ramsay Steak? (Or, for that matter, Gordon Ramsay Pub?)

Quote: teddys

Anybody been to Gordon Ramsay Steak? (Or, for that matter, Gordon Ramsay Pub?)

I'm hoping to do the Gordon Trifecta early next year when I come there.

deleted

GR Steak was outstanding. Have not made it to the pub.

Quote: Nostron

Have eaten at SW twice in the past year - fantastic meal both times - once a party of 6 and once party of 4 - everybody loved it.

Maybe your expectations were too high - or might have caught them on a bad night. It happens.

Both of those might absolutely be true. I thought very carefully as I wrote. There is a lot of hype about SW on the travel sites, but I believe that hype notwithstanding, expecting superb is a good place to start. There is no doubt, that was a great dinner, but how did it compare? especially with so many other choices within a 20 minute radius? I didn't leave thinking, "Okay, this is the Vegas place!" Since I have no other comparisons, my conclusion was that it is best to say that a diner has an equal chance of having the meal we had at most other high end steakhouses on the strip.

With your input taken into consideration, we will definitely eat there again. It wasn't written off anyhow, We'll try some others, but we will still go back. I think SW probably encourages high expectations, and it was probably an off night.

Quote: beachbumbabs

Mosca,

If you ever want to have the best steak anywhere and are willing to take the trouble, you have to go to Sidney, NE, which is right in the center of Nebraska near nothing else at all. I-80 crosses about 10 miles south of it; go to the Sidney Steak House, on the left a few blocks into town. Porterhouse overlapping the plate in all directions, cut with a fork, all you hear in there is chewing and moaning in ecstacy (kidding, but almost). My dad was in the business for over 30 years and he knew where to go for it. He sold (and in some cases invented) the wholesale packaging for all those guys; IBP, Morrell, Swift Premium, Schyler, Hormel, etc. were all his customers. One of the perks was that he got to shop the company stores at their prices. We grew up on corn-fed prime 3-4 times a week; spoiled rotten for food nobody can afford now.

Oh babs, can you sense my envy?! I'm the guy who is just itching to click the buy button for the $500 sous vide machine, rationalizing that it's just a couple hours in the casino. Mrs was raised by a widowed father, a railroad engineer who was gone for days, then showed up with shopping bags full of ribeyes. She said that was all they ate, he was never home. Ribeyes and baked potatoes, and canned green beans.

I'm not sure we'll ever be in Sydney, but we are always looking for a great steak. Our daughter lives in Chile, and travels to Argentina several times a year. She has told us that we simply have to visit her, and she will take us to Buenos Aires for beef that rules the planet. We're probably going to take her up on that next year.

Quote: Sabretom2

I don't understand the negative view of Ruth's. Sounds a bit snobbish to me, then I have a very limited frame of reference.

They're franchises, and the quality depends on the franchisee. Old Homestead, Smith & Wollensky, Morton's, and others are also franchises, but they are much smaller networks, and consistency among the houses is easier to achieve. With a Ruth's Chris in almost every podunk town in the US (we have one here in Wilkes-Barre PA), it is almost inevitable that there will be franchises that are not well managed. That brings down the overall impression of the brand, and makes a diner wary of dropping the big dollars for the meal: once bitten, twice shy, after all. Adding to that, sometimes the employees of a loosely run point get the idea that they are above the hoi polloi and take on an attitude. It's usually the most expensive place in town, locals make it the anniversary spot and pick up the wrong fork. Pick the tap water and you're marked as cheap, pick the bottled water and you're marked as a sucker.

Our local franchise is actually very good, but I've been to several where I was not pleased. I'm really laid back, and a good patron. We went to a RC with my inlaws, who are frugal. Not poor, but they tend to seek bargains. He is a process engineer, and it is his nature. As revenge on the asshole waiter, I picked up the tab and told George to cover the tip for 6.

GR Steak was the best overall steakhouse experience we have ever had. From the sommelier recommending the perfect wine for our tastes, to the coffee after the best desert I have ever had (sticky toffee pudding).

The steaks were outstanding...and while others in this thread say that sides don't matter...we could not get enough of the hot wing and ranch seasoned carrots with fried chicken skins. I crave that more than the steak (Its easy to get a good steak, I have never had carrots like this). Can't wait to go back.

Honestly, the best thing about GR Steak is that they appear to pay equal attention to EVERYTHING and try to make the best of each item on the menu. Carrots are not just carrots, coffee isn't just coffee. (spoiler alert: Spoons holding chocolate infused with various liquors.)

Been to GR Burgerrrrr as well. Great burgers, not the best. Don't judge sticky toffee pudding from the version served here. Would go back.

I am still sad that Bradley Ogden is gone. That was the best burger I have ever had in my life.

Quote: craigGA

I am still sad that Bradley Ogden is gone. That was the best burger I have ever had in my life.

Bradley Ogden was great. A very memorable meal to be had there.

I will probably try GR Steak or GR Pub with my Caesars comp. It's either that or Old Homestead (but probably GR). Got unlimited RFB at Sam's Town (!), so will get to sample many varieties of their B-grade beef :)

Mosca (or anyone else) - where else have you eaten a great steak in Vegas that I should try?

I've been to:

SW
Gordon Ramsey
Delmonicos
Mon Ami Gabi (nice bone in ribeye at the french place!!)
Strip House in Planet Hollywood

I've done all these multiple times - I need to branch out

Strip House in PH is my favorite in Vegas, though I have not been to SW. Ramseys Pub in Caesars is not worth the hype to me though the Pretzels are very good and come with an incredible mustard. BurGR in PH is good for a light burger meal and has a much better beer selection than the PUB.

Quote: Nostron

Mosca (or anyone else) - where else have you eaten a great steak in Vegas that I should try?

I've been to:

SW
Gordon Ramsey
Delmonicos
Mon Ami Gabi (nice bone in ribeye at the french place!!)
Strip House in Planet Hollywood

I've done all these multiple times - I need to branch out

I don't know. We've only been to SW, that's why I want to try other places as well before deciding on our "go to" place. We went to Mon Ami Gabi, but I had the chicken because no one makes chicken like the French do. (I almost never order chicken in a restaurant. It was FANTASTIC. Moist, perfect skin, rich flavor.) I shied away from Gordon Ramsey because celebrity chef, but seeing all the good buzz here means we'll try it next time.

I've only been to a couple places for steak in Vegas. The place in Luxor was OK. Nothing memorable besides it being free
Other place was Del Frisco's which no one in our group really cared for. Food was good, but our waiter was terrible. I am used to getting good service at nice resturants, but he had an attitude and also forget one of the sides that we ordered.
My favorite place to eat no matter where I'm at is Fogo De Chao. Hard to beat unlimited meat and a great salad bar. Plus its walking distance to the strip, but probably not advisable at night.