Recently I was dining with a friend at the Orleans as we went to try the new steakhouse, Alder & Birch. Boyd Gaming has upgraded many of its restaurants throughout their family of casinos. I’ll be writing about some of the others in the coming weeks.
Alder & Birch took over the spot occupied by Canal Street, a fixture at the Orleans for as long as I can remember. I had many good meals there while facing the mural on the wall with the little twinkle lights.
A&B is decorated, as you would expect, as a classy steakhouse with rich wood but has modern, hip vibe.
To start I had a good Onion Soup for my appetizer. My friend went with an order of roasted Bone Marrow, which was average compared to other places in town.
We also shared an order of Braised Beef Short Rib served with Portobellini mushrooms and horseradish crème. This was a great appetizer that I would recommend for sure.
As far as my steak, I chose the Bone-in Rib Eye, a big 22 ounces cooked perfectly to the temperature I ordered. Prices were lower than most steakhouses on the Strip; my ribeye was $49, which would typically be $60. My friend’s Pork Chops were served with pan fried apples.
The sides are big enough to share so we went with Grilled Asparagus and Grilled Creamed Corn. The Asparagus was good but I have to tell you the corn was amazing. It’s really hard to describe, just trust me, if you like corn you will love it.
If you want to go for Happy Hour or as they call it Social Hour for drinks and appetizers they have select dishes ranging from $8 to $12 daily from 4 to 6 p.m. in the bar area. During this time they have several 14 ounce craft beers on tap for $7.
I was too full for dessert, having planned to hit the poker tables after dinner.
Alder & Birch is a nice addition to the Orleans restaurant line-up as in addition to a nice selection of steaks they have a nice line-up of seafood offerings along with chicken, pork chops and Colorado lamb chops.
So if you go with a group there will be something on the menu for just about every taste. Service was good plus the waiter was very friendly and attentive to our needs. The manager stopped by our table to see how our dinner was, which as I have said many times is such a nice touch. I give Alder & Birch a rating of 3.50 Forks.
Marco D’Angelo is a Race Horse Owner & Breeder, Professional Sports Handicapper & Bettor. You can find Marco at WagerTalk.com and by following him on twitter: @MarcoInVegas. Email: [email protected].