Click: Fun and Games: Las Vegas Scene
Gordon Ramsay Steak
Guests at Paris Las Vegas can cross the Channel into England at Gordon Ramsay’s first restaurant in town, the two-story Gordon Ramsay Steak.
Executive chef Kevin Hee showcases prime beef dry-aged for a minimum of 28 days, with cuts like the 32-oz. Royal Long-bone Chop for two ($105). Selections like American Kobe with a beef-marbling score of nine or higher can be paired with demi-roasted bone marrow ($14), foie gras ($19), lobster tail ($38) or crab legs ($40).
The restaurant’s signature dishes reflect Ramsay’s traditional British roots and personal eclectic flairs. They include a British ale onion soup made with Boddingtons Pub Ale ($17), smoked beef tartar ($22) and sticky toffee pudding.
Reservations are recommended a week to 10 days in advance for weekends, but Gordon Ramsay’s Steak’s SmartCellar bar and lounge serves the full menu and allows guests to use an interactive iPad to order cocktails directly from the device. The iPad contains details about each of the more than 325 labels represented on the wine list, as well as photos and components of the “Perfect Ten,” a collection of Gordon Ramsay Steak’s signature cocktails. The interior was created by EDG Design Firm and includes a giant Union Jack on the ceiling and neon modern art displayed on the walls.
Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Tel.: 702-946-4663, Hours: Dinner daily, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Bar and lounge open Sunday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight, Web: mgmgrand.com
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Wild West Horseback Adventures
Anyone who’s ever dreamed of being a cowboy or cowgirl can whoop it up at Wild West Horseback Adventures.
The breakfast and lunch rides ($129) offer a full array of breakfast treats and barbecue favorites, paired with an hour of riding time down a three-mile trail through Red Rock Canyon.
On the dinner trip ($159), guests ride between four and five miles through the Valley of Fire, which takes roughly 90 minutes. Afterward, riders enjoy a sunset barbecue with a choice of steak, chicken or salmon, and roast marshmallows by the campfire.
Each ride is intimate, with an average of 13 guests and five wranglers per trip. Summer is a slower time, but reservations are recommended. Wild West provides transportation with pickups at all Las Vegas Strip hotels and downtown. For breakfast and lunch rides, the drive time to the starting point is about 30 minutes, and for dinner, 40 minutes.
Wild West Horseback Adventures, Tel.: 702-792-5050; 877-945-3978, Web: wildwesthorsebackadventures.com
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L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Dissolving the boundaries between kitchen and dining room, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand lets guests observe chefs creating their meals at bar-style seating.
This bistro is at a more approachable price point than the Joël Restaurant next door. Signature dishes include the foie-gras-stuffed free-range quail ($25) and steak tartar ($41), garnering a AAA Four Diamond award and one Michelin Star.
The menu of small tasting portions includes carpaccio ($33), langoustine fritter ($23) and duck ($39) served with executive chef Steve Benjamin’s attention to detail, like quail egg and laurel accents. From the à la carte menu, guests can enjoy a Maine lobster salad ($49), caramelized kampachi ($57), smoked salmon ($31) or a 12-ounce Wagyu-beef rib eye ($97).
The desserts (all $15) include caramelized bananas, green chartreuse soufflé with pistachio ice cream and orange infused with caramel and milk chocolate mousse, and an assortment of sorbets.
The dining room seats 33 at the counter and 25 for table dining, and reservations are recommended. The minimalist and modern interior was designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon, who also designed Robuchon’s original restaurant.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Tel.: 702-891-7358, Hours: Dinner daily, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Web: mgmgrand.com
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SW Steakhouse
Steve Wynn’s SW Steakhouse offers an American classic in an elegant environment.
Overlooking Lake of Dreams, a 200-foot-wide lake framed by a 105-foot mountain and more than 1,500 trees, SW serves steak-house fare with personal touches from executive chef David Walzog, whose résumé includes The Steakhouse at Monkey Bar and Michael Jordan’s The Steak House NYC.
Starters include crab cakes, foie gras and tuna (from $20 to $25), and entrées feature scallops, lamb chops and chicken (from $37 to $50) for those not interested in steak, as well as rib eyes and dry-aged tomahawk chops paired with lobster tail and crab legs (from $21 to $78).
Executive pastry chef Kimberly Valdez balances savory and sweet flavors in the desserts ($12 and up), offering a selection of treats for those who aren’t too full after a big steak dinner.
Walzog’s creative twists to an otherwise traditional fare earned SW the AAA Four-Diamond award from 2008 to 2011, and the double rib eye was recently featured on Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate.”
The Las Vegas desert and the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright inspire the dining room, designed by Vicente Wolf Associates. SW includes a main dining room, outdoor seating, two private rooms, a bar and a lounge. Reservations are recommended one to two weeks in advance and, despite the swanky interior, the attire is business casual.
Unique to the SW experience, diners enjoy the Lake of Dreams show — beginning after dark and occurring every half hour — which transforms light, water, horticulture, architecture, music and imagery to create a multisensory experience. The seven shows use water effects, light, music, projections, robots, an enormous frog and even a giant head rising from the lake.
SW Steakhouse, The Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Tel.: 702-770-3325, Hours: Open for dinner service, Web: wynnlasvegas.com
Kira Cole 