High Steaks in Vegas: Vic & Anthony's

You don't need to leave the Golden Nugget for a fabulous meal. Go to Vic & Anthony's for some of the best steak around. Enjoy dining in a totally old-school setting.


Maple glazed quail ($16.95).


8 oz. filet mignon ($37.95) + bleu cheese bacon butter ($4.50).


Surf and turf special (market price).

Macaroni and cheese ($7.95).


Creamed spinach ($8.95).


Vanilla bean crème brûlée, fresh berries, candied orange zest ($9.95).


Croissant bread pudding, cinnamon custard, bourbon sauce, caramel ice cream, toffee ($9.95).

Great solid steakhouse. All hits. No misses.

This meal was comped.

Very Wrong: Venice Room

Someone with terrible taste took me to the Venice Room (2428 S. Garfield Ave., Monterey Park). It looked sort of cool and retro from the outside.



But then I stepped inside. It's a dump, one that is stuck in the '70s.

The daily lunch special is a cook-your-own steak with baked potato, salad, bread, and butter. It's $7.75 for a 7-ounce steak and $13.50 for a 13-ounce steak. You get what you pay for.

I paid for it in the bathroom all afternoon.

And you know what? I was stupid enough to return because another person with terrible taste convinced me to try Wednesday Burger Day.

Hamburger ($6.00).


Jalapeño burger with Swiss cheese ($6.00).


Steak sandwich with grilled onions ($6.00).


Bacon burger with American cheese ($6.00).

Believe it or not, I spent another afternoon in the bathroom. I hate this place.

Steak in Your Heart: David Burke's Primehouse

When we stayed at The James Hotel, we received two free $25 gift cards that we could use for either parking or the hotel restaurant, David Burke's Primehouse. We decided to spend our first $25 gift card on a Valentine's Day brunch.

The place is sleek but warm and inviting -- not stodgy like the restaurant the night before. But, like Chef Rick Tramonto, Chef David Burke was also a contestant on the second season of Top Chef Masters. He appeared as a guest judge on a recent episode of Top Chef: All-Stars as well.

Power Driver -- orange, carrot, ginger ($5); Very Berry Smoothie -- raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, cherry ($7).

The fresh juices and smoothies rock. Definitely order one.

Primehouse features brunch bentos on the weekend. The lacquered plastic compartmentalized boxes and a bit of tempura are the most Japanese parts of these brunches. The rest is pure beefy Americana.

Mystery Box of the Day -- slider with cheddar cheese, steak tips and whipped potatoes, lobster scrambled eggs with crème fraiche and caviar, tempura ($35).

The Mystery Box changes all the time and is composed of whatever the chef feels like doing that day. When our server listed the items for us, we were sold. Everything in this box was excellent.

Little Bull -- 207L beef tips, arugula, bleu cheese, vinaigrette; grilled steak, mushrooms, onions, whipped potato; short rib dumplings, horseradish, cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce; tempura green beans ($21).

How much awesomeness can you pack in a box? When it's the Little Bull, a whole lot! The meat at Primehouse is superb. High quality. Well prepared. Adorably assembled.

Lollipop Tree -- cheesecake lollipops, raspberry cream ($14).

It's a tree! With lollipops! Made of cheesecake! With a pot of cream! There are not enough exclamations to convey how fun this was!

After our tasty Valentine's Day brunch, we decided to use our other $25 card at the restaurant again the next day. Hey, Chicago is really cold in February. It was so convenient to walk downstairs to discounted deliciousness.

Complimentary popover.

Bravo, beautiful bread!

Pastrami Burker -- bacon mustard, Swiss cheese, rye bun, truffle Asiago fries ($10).


Oh, man. Good. Really good.

40-Day Dry-Aged Prime Steak Burker -- garlic spinach, crispy shallots, bacon mayonnaise, toasted potato bun, truffle Asiago fries ($12).


Oh, man. Good. Really good. Yeah, I just said the same thing for both burgers.

Mini ice cream cones -- nine mini sugar cones with assorted ice creams and sorbets ($10).


Squeeeee! The whimsy! The wonder! We loved the desserts here!

We thoroughly enjoyed our absolutely delightful meals at David Burke's Primehouse. They were made even better with a $50 discount!

Decent Steak Dinner: Carmel Chop House

Carmel Chop House was at the bottom of our hotel, so we gave it a whirl. It has closed since our visit, but this post is still relevant because Chef Kurt Grasing moved just a few doors down and serves most of the same menu at Grasing's now.

Our laziness in going to the restaurant at the bottom of our hotel actually paid off. We didn't have high expectations for Carmel Chop House, and we found the food surprisingly palatable. Word has it that Grasing's is even better, so consider this my endorsement for the new restaurant.

Mr. Monkey opted for the $29.95 prix fixe three-course meal. The items below without a price comprised the prix fixe deal. I got a mish-mash of other items.

By now, you all know the truth. We share everything!

Warm spinach salad, diced pancetta, beets, feta, dijon vinaigrette ($9.75).

Refreshing start with some great flavor, thanks to the pancetta.

Butternut squash soup.

Warm and comforting.

Grilled prime top sirloin, Tawny port reduction, sweet potato bleu cheese fries, sauteed garlic broccoli.

The sides were forgettable, but this was a very nice cut of meat.

Kurt's duo of bacon-wrapped jalapeño-jack shrimp and BBQ pork baby back ribs ($16.50).

The barbecue sauce was a tad too sweet, and the shrimp was overcooked. But the ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender. That was the saving grace of this dish.

Side of mac 'n' cheese ($7.50).

A bit bland but still a welcome accompaniment.

Seasonal fruit and oatmeal crisp with cinnamon vanilla ice cream.

Strong end to the meal. Like homemade.

Carmel Chop House wasn't perfect by a long shot, but we had a decent dinner for a decent price. Grasing's is probably worth a visit if you're staying nearby.

Something for Everyone at StripSteak

The Oros and the Vegases joined us for dinner at Chef Michael Mina's StripSteak before we went to the Muse concert.

If you're looking for a good place for group dining that will accommodate both adventurous eaters and meat-and-potatoes types, StripSteak works beautifully. We sat in the most fantastic roomy booth that fit the six of us very comfortably.

This card greeted me when we sat down.

What a nice touch!

I started with a California Mule ($13).

Krome vodka, ginger beer, and fresh lemon and grapefruit. If ginger beer is on the menu, I will get it!

Rock & Rye.

Wild Turkey infused with orange, lemon, cinnamon, cloves, and rock candy syrup served over a 2-by-2-inch ice cube. Mr. Vegas, who currently bartends at another restaurant on The Strip, had his eye on this drink from the get-go, so you know this was good! I had to get a picture of that huge ice cube!

Complimentary trio of duck fat fries -- (1) smoked paprika and mustard fries + smoked paprika and mustard crème fraîche, (2) truffle fries + truffle aïoli, (3) rosemary and onion fries + onion ketchup.

Duck! Fat! Fries! We demolished these. The paprika fries were my fave.

Complimentary olive oil focaccia.

The free goodies kept coming! This continued the streak of yumminess started by the duck fat fries.

Most of us opted for the three-course prix fixe ($55).

Prix Fixe Starter #1: Bibb wedge, avocado, bacon, Oregon Smokey Blue cheese.

What a nice twist to use Bibb for a wedge salad! Very pleasant, fresh, and mild.

Prix Fixe Starter #2: Maryland blue crab chowder, bacon lardon, parsnip.

Scrumptious and packed with plenty of crab. Creamy and and well spiced.

Prix Fixe Main #1: Half organic chicken, truffled mac & cheese, caramelized onion jus.

Mr. Oro gave me a generous bite, which I enjoyed immensely. The chicken was impeccably cooked -- juicy, savory, and terrific. It's not often that chicken impresses me at a restaurant, so this is saying a lot.

Prix Fixe Main #2: Slow-poached prime rib of beef, bacon lardon Brussels sprouts, truffled mac & cheese, bacon-creamed spinach.

My pick! And I was so happy with it! The prime rib was superb, but I may have been even giddier about the three side dishes! Variety is the spice of life! Thumbs up to everything on this plate! I love exclamations!

Dry-aged bone-in rib eye ($10 supplement to prix fixe).

Mrs. Vegas picked this as her main. It was enormous!

Angus filet mignon ($15 supplement to prix fixe).

Mr. Monkey's filet was rich and tender. I had a nice chunk of it.

King salmon ($36, non-prix fixe).

This salmon delighted Mrs. Oro. I was glad our no-red-meat friend liked her meal!

Tomato-dusted onion rings ($9).

Light and crunchy. Yum yum yum.

Bacon lardon Brussels sprouts ($12).

Mrs. Oro would not be Mrs. Oro without her Brussels sprouts! I don't often have them shredded like this. They were delectable.

Prix Fixe Dessert: Michael’s Root Beer Float, sassafras ice cream, chocolate chip cookies.

Each prix fixe meal came with this, but mine was a little more special. Tee hee hee! While root beer floats are always a treat, the real stars of the plate were the cookies. Warm, ooey and gooey!

We had such a blast at StripSteak! This was made even better by the following: (1) our portion of the bill was comped, (2) the Vegases used a $50 restaurant.com gift certificate, and (3) the Oros had a $50 food credit thanks to their Mandalay Bay hotel package.

Do we know how to have a good time for less or what?