I made my first trip to Las Vegas in 1984 and one of the first places I went to was The Steak House at Circus Circus.
It opened in 1982 and has been an “old school” Vegas fixture ever since. The reputation basically grew from its opening, as diners would be welcomed by the traditional elegant wood decor and the glass enclosed meat locker. All the meats were hanging while they aged, till the day they hit the grill.
One of thrills of dining at The Steak House, if you get a table on the main floor, is being able to watch all the steaks on their open-hearth, mesquite charcoal grill. The chef doesn’t cook in the back but rather right out in the open for all to watch and, even better, smell.
All of the steaks are dry aged in a room for 21 days, bringing them to the peak of flavor and tenderness.
It had been years since I had been to Circus Circus but my “steak posse” was together and we decided to go old school for the night.
The four of us ordered different steaks. My buddy Gill is always a lock for a Filet and Marc went with the NY Strip. Cris, as he does almost 100% of the time, went with the Bone-In Ribeye. I went with the Porterhouse, which was the best I have had in some time. The steak was full of flavor, extremely tender and cooked just how I ordered it. I couldn’t have enjoyed it more.
I started my meal off with a house salad and had a baked potato and grilled asparagus, which for me are the perfect sides with a great steak. The price was $53, right in line for a quality steak house, especially on the Strip. But here $53 is a bargain.
Most steak houses are ala cart, meaning you pay for the steak and everything else you want is separate. Your salad would be an additional $8-12, your potato $6-9 and your vegetable another $6-9. So that $50 steak at most places is now $70 or more.
That isn’t the case at The Steak House as your salad, choice of potato and vegetable are all included, so my Porterhouse was a bargain at $53.
We were all too full for dessert even though the dessert cart was oh so tempting.
All in all, I had a fabulous night. The only knock I had was our service, which wasn’t the best. I attribute this to one of two things or both.
First off, we were there on a Monday night and had a late reservation. Secondly, no one ordered a cocktail or wine, and sometimes a table with no alcohol loses a waiter’s interest as he thinks he will get a bigger tip from a table knocking back the cocktails. It just seemed that our waiter wanted to get home.
The classic mistake at the end was asking if we saved room for dessert, which is what you are supposed to say. But when the house has a dessert cart you wheel it over, then ask the question as it’s always harder to say no looking at something so tempting.
My steak was so good I am willing to overlook the service. I will go back but just ask for a different waiter.
I give The Steak House a rating of 3.50 Forks out of 4.
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 @MarcoInVegas. You can contact him at [email protected].