Strip Steak @Mandalay Bay Fall 2014

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Overview:

It’s steak, the pinnacle of protein.  Ask anyone what they would want for their final meal before shifting off this mortal coil and 100% of the time they’ll answer steak, and if they don’t, they’re gay.  What, gay people are awesome and love them so tube steak so that does work.  They’re Hitler.  Right, no one likes Hitler.  Whatever, its steak and its goooood.

This time around, Michael Mina steps up to the plate to see if he can impress our pallet and dethrone STK, which I totally agree is the best steak in Vegas. But who is this Michael Mina guy.  Well, he’s a James Beard winner, whatever that means, as well as being declared chef and restaurateur of year multiple times from multiple people, what-evs.  He’s got 18 restaurants in the US and 4 in Vegas.  We tried Strip Steak at Mandalay Bay

Vegas Mate Rating - 4/5 chips

Mark's Rating - 3/5 chips

Alastair & Keren's Rating - 4/5 chips

Center Cut Steakhouse @Flamingo Spring 2014

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It's almost unfair. Because Vegas has so many dining options that are stellar, good just isn't good enough. In fact good can often be considered bad. That very well might be the case with Center Cut at Flamingo.

Unarguably the nicest space in the property, Center Cut's decor congers up memories of Tender @ Luxor. The vibe and the fact that they both serve steak is unfortunately where the comparison ends. Despite enjoying virtually everything else the property has to offer, Flamingo has given us a rather remarkable streak of disappointing dining experiences.  Center cut would did not buck that trend. 

Vegas Mate Rating – 3/5 chips

Alastair & Keren – 3/5 chips

Mark - 2/5 chips

The View & Moon @Palms Fall 2013

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Palms invented the Vegas nightclub.  Posh, over-the-top environments where the beautiful people congregate to see and be seen.  Many mocked the financial viability of creating a diversion that keeps people from gambling for extended periods of time.  Not only did Maloof prove them wrong, he did it so well, it drew people away from the strip at night. Now, nightclubs are one of the most profitable amenities Vegas properties offer.

Eventually, as happens so many times in Vegas, the idea was replicated all over the strip and is now another Vegas staple.  They’ve become so popular that it gave birth to the idea of day clubs.  Despite breathtaking views of the strip from the top of their towers, Palms are no longer a major player in the game they invented.  That brings us to the present

The clubs that once caused long lines nightly, advertising exclusivity have become displaced in the market.  Retheming and renovations are underway in an attempt to return to glory but his has them in a period of transition.  The Playboy club has now been transformed into the View, A place where people can relax, play some pool and enjoy a drink as well as the view from atop their fantasy tower.  Now that Ghostbar’s renovations are complete, Moon is closed so she can undergo the same changes, having lived the shortest life span of the nightclubs at the property.  The odds are long that Palms will be able to reclaim their thrown as nightlife lords but then again, the same was said about those clubs ever being successful in the first place so they are trying.  Only time will tell if they are successful.

Flamingo Hotel & Casino Spring 2014

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The Flamingo. The property that changed everything. The 3rd hotel/casino built on highway 91 introduced luxury to it.  It created one of the cities most famous, all be it the most inaccurate, story of a mobsters involvement in a casino and made Bugsy Segal the cities unofficial father of the strip.  

The Flamingo has grown and expanded to the point that its original exterior design is unrecognizable in its current incarnation. It's said that virtually nothing remains from the original construction however stories of found hidden underground tunnels and bullet proof rooms live on in order to keep the legend of Bugsy alive.  While it is true that the Flamingo has fallen all the way to the low end of the market, it has outlived many properties that came after it including icons like the Sands, the Dunes & the Desert Inn. 

Standing as proof that location, along with a well run property that adapts to its environment and evolves to cater to it, is truly how you survive in the implosion era. 

When you consider the table limits, the low room rates and having one of the best pools in Vegas, the Flamingo is the best option in the market for the thrifty visitor. 

Vegas Mate Rating – 3/5 chips

Mark, Keren & Alastair – 3/5 chips