Gordon Ramsay Steak (Las Vegas, NV)

Gordon Ramsay Steak
Paris Hotel
3655 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Dining date: 5/11/13

Gordon Ramsay Steak has been high on my list of Las Vegas restaurants to try since it opened last year, when I sampled Ramsay’s delicious beef wellington at the Vegas Uncork’d Grand Tasting. Ramsay has more than two dozen restaurants around the world now, ranging from Michelin three-star to mediocre. However, his steakhouse has garnered consistently strong reviews over the past year, so I anticipated a meal closer to the former (not that this restaurant has 3-star ambitions though). My dad’s dined here before and enjoyed it, but this would be the first trip for the rest of our family.

Located just off the casino of the Paris Hotel, the restaurant’s entrance was inspired by the Channel Tunnel, transporting diners to the UK.

The USDA Prime steaks are from noted butcher Pat LaFrieda, dry aged a minimum of 28 days in a Himalayan salt room. The marbling (and pricing) moves up from there with a selection of both American wagyu and true Japanese wagyu. Each cut is on display at the onset of the meal, with the exception of the Japanese wagyu. If asked though, they will bring out the beautifully-marbled piece of cow.

Even though we had a late reservation, many of us were still full from lunch at the aptly named Bacchanal Buffet. Still, my mother couldn’t get enough of this bread, even requesting a second batch. Walnut, pancetta, mushroom-truffle, and foccacia made up the selection.

Hamachi Crudo granny smith apple, iberico ham gelee, domestic caviar, perigord truffle

Our meal began with this light appetizer with an all-star cast of ingredients. I didn’t get too much of the iberico ham gelee flavor, but the tender fish was definitely tasty with the salinity of the caviar and earthines of truffle.

Smoked Beef Tartare lemon zest, red onion, capers, guinness infused mustard seeds, yukon gold herb chips

Loved the presentation of this dish, with the smoke aroma making it all the way to the table. Indeed a slight smokiness imbued the raw beef, complemented by the heat of the mustard seeds. The lemon zest and red onions helped to brighten up the bites, while potato chips obviously provided the texture.

Royal Long-Bone Chop for two, 32oz

My dad and I split this bone-in ribeye. Cooked just right with a crusty sear and pink, medium-rare interior, the meat was very tender and juicy. However, I didn’t get as much of a beefy depth of flavor as I anticipated. Very good, but not great (for $98, I wanted great).

Roasted Beef Wellington glazed root vegetables, potato purée, red wine demi glace

My mother and brother went for the beef wellington for two, which didn’t share the same presentation as the ribeye. It just looked like two single orders. The wellington was as I remembered, with an earthy mushroom filling complementing the relatively-mild flavor of the tenderloin. Cooked just right. A flaky crust wrapped up each bite, while the red wine demi glace added a ton of flavor as well.

American Wagyu Rib Cap 8oz

My dad tried this cut last time and wanted to get an order to share for the table. Indeed, the ribeye cap is becoming a very trendy cut of beef nowadays. This American wagyu first came to our table devoid of any pink; the restaurant’s second try yielded a rare-medium rare. As expected, this was an excellent piece of meat, with a fatty richness that really defines the ribeye cap. However, my dad remembered it being more stand-out last time.

Loaded Baked Potato smoked gouda béchamel, sour cream, bacon, chives

This potato was huge! It was done well, with a fluffy, steaming-hot interior melting the cheese and sour cream. Add some bacon lardons, and these were some rich bites. Pretty tasty.

Chocolate Layers chocolate cake, passion fruit ganache layers, dark chocolate gianduja ice cream

Flavors of chocolate and hazelnut were the primary profiles here, complemented by just a bit of passion fruit.

Caramel “Banoffee” banana toffee tarts, chocolate creameaux, coffee ice cream, cocoa nib, cotti thyme

Served warm, this dessert had a very flaky pastry with strong banana and caramel/toffee flavors. I really liked the combination of flavors, and the hot-cold from the pastry and coffee ice cream really worked well.

Our meal at Gordon Ramsay Steak was very good, though fell short of very high expectations. Maybe my expectations were unrealistically high, but I found the ribeye to be missing a little more of the beefy depth of flavor, and the inconsistency of the ribeye cap was a concern. And while the appetizers were much stronger than the average steakhouse, they weren’t altogether that memorable. Still, this has to be one of the best steakhouses in the city and a reliably good meal.