Restaurant Week 2011 was in full effect a couple weeks ago, where many restaurants have lunch specials for $20.11 and dinners for either $30.11 or $50.11, with part of the proceeds going to charity. It may be for a good cause but at most restaurants you really won’t be saving much when you compare the RW prices with the a la carte prices of what you get. What really gets me is that at other cities dinners at high-end places top out at $30-35, but in Vegas $50 is the norm. Still, I’m always a sucker for the marketing hype that is Restaurant Week and make a few visits to spots around town.
Our first dinner out for RW was at Charlie Palmer Steak, a place we probably wouldn’t have visited if not for their great sounding RW menu. It’s on the ground floor of the Four Seasons. The interior is quiet, elegant, and dimly lit — perfect for a romantic night out or if you just want a dinner where you can converse with the rest of your party without screaming over music.
Our meal was one of the better RW dinners we’ve had. They started us out with a savory and delicious kobe style beef tartare amuse bouche. As a supplement to our dinner we ordered half a dozen oysters (kusshi, I believe) a la carte.
Next up, a salad with caramelized black mission figs, Oregon blue cheese, and a sherry shallot vinaigrette. It was a great earthy mix of sweet, sharp and tart.
The petite sirloin entree was nicely charred and tender. It was accompanied by a butter poached lobster tail filled mostly with stuffing, but contained a couple succulent pieces of lobster meat.
The dinner also included sides served family style. Both the sweet corn succotash and Russian banana fingerling potatoes were delicious. Rounding out the meal was a creamy, and surprisingly light, citrus cheesecake with pistachio olive oil ice cream.
It was a great meal in a nice setting, but service was spotty. After being seated, we sat around for a good 10-15 minutes before we flagged a waiter down to take drink orders. After that, service was slightly more attentive, but far from a personalized, engaging experience. There were two waiters for our table and both seemed like they wanted to be elsewhere. It was the start of college football season, so maybe they did. Can’t really blame them if that’s the case.
4 Stars
The Four Seasons
3960 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 632-5120
