CUT (Las Vegas, NV)

For a Las Vegas trip with the guys, a visit to a prime steakhouse is a must.  Having already been to a number of the top Las Vegas steakhouses, instead of trying one that we hadn't been to, why not just go back to one that had already served us one of the best steaks we've ever had?

CUT is a Wolfgang Puck steakhouse that is located in the Shoppes at the Palazzo hotel.  They serve a variety of dry aged beef, as well as other meat and seafood dishes.  But we came for the steaks.  The meal began with a duo of amuses; Gruyere cheese Gougeres and Parmesan cheese breadsticks.  Both were delicious, and I wished for more than one of each.   Bread service was next, with a selection of white, wheat, pretzel, pumpernickel, and onion focaccia.  In order to complete our introduction to the meal, we ordered a couple of salads: a butter lettuce salad with avocado and blue cheese, topped with a champagne-herb vinaigrette and a caesar salad. 

[DANIEL] Finally, the steaks came.  Two years ago, I enjoyed 35 day dry-aged, USDA Prime, Nebraska corn-fed New York Sirloin at CUT.  I wanted to try something else, so I went for the American Wagyu/Angus "Kobe-style" beef from Snake River Farms in Idaho.  The steak was extraordinary, rich and perfectly cooked at medium rare.  The steak was so well marbled it almost melted in my mouth, oozing almost a meaty "butteryness".  This was one of the best, if not the best, steak that I've ever had.

[CHRIS] While Daniel typically goes for a sirloin or strip cut of steak, I prefer the flavor of a ribeye steak.  Therefore, I decided to order the 35 day dry-aged, USDA Prime, Nebraska corn-fed 16 oz Ribeye.  Again, I wish that I had taken my camera with me to illustrate the quality of these steaks.  The pictures below do not do it justice.  I never know whether its CUT's dry-aging process, the steaks they choose, or some other Wolfgang secret, but the ribeye here, this one included, is less fatty than your typical prime ribeye but still provides that rich, mature, full-bodied "beefy" flavor. 

To go along with the steaks, we ordered a number of side dishes: asparagus with poached organic egg on a  topped with a warm bacon vinaigrette; creamed spinach mixed table side with a fried organic egg; the CUT version of Mac & Cheese (Cavatappi Pasta with aged Quebec cheddar); Potato Tarte Tatin; and their roasted artichoke special.  

To accompany our fantastic meal, we ordered a bottle of the 2007 Antica Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley region.  The picture was so poor (and the wine was so good) that I decided to retake the picture from a couple of bottles I purchased when I got back home. 

 

To finish the meal, we were provided a variety of small desserts.  Nothing special here, but its nice touch to finish the meal. 

We've been to CUT twice, as well as other steakhouses like Carnevino, Craftsteak, Flemings, Ruth's Chris, Mastros, Capital Grille, etc., and not only does CUT impress everytime, it is our absolute favorite.  Even though we are ones who enjoy trying new restaurants, we just cannot say no to CUT.  It is the pinnacle of steak and one of the best reasons why we want to share our meat.