Gordon Ramsay Steak

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At a Glance

Full Review

British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has made quite a loud name for himself in the United States with his “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares” shows, on which he mostly yells at people, or so it seems. Until recently, Ramsay has stayed out of the Vegas dining scene allowing the Pucks, Lagasses, and Flays to rule the roost but that changed in a big way. Ramsay’s British invasion includes no fewer than five restaurants, including this his flagship steakhouse at Paris Las Vegas.

The design on the room is fun, as you enter through an artistic interpretation of The Chunnel, completing your transition from Paris to London. The two story facility boasts high ceilings (painted with a Union Jack of course), warm woods, and modern furnishings. It’s sort of a contemporary spin on an English drawing room, if drawing rooms were staffed by women who look like they are auditioning for a Robert Palmer video.

The menu is a mix between classic American steakhouse and British pub grub, with various cuts of been mixed in with over the pond favorites like Beef Wellington and fish and chips.

Starters include a substantial shellfish section including oyster, clam, lobster, and prawn platters of such size that they appear to threaten to collapse the table beneath them. Caviar, soups and salads, and some steakhouse appetizers (fried oysters, chorizo stuffed Maine Lobster, smoked beef tartare, foie gras, etc.) round out the things with which you can fill up on before your main course.

Speaking of which, beef is the main focus here (hence the Steak portion of the restaurant’s name) and include cuts both traditional (filet, rib eye) and less obvious (Royal Long-Bone Chop for two). You can get the standard steaks, which are dry aged for 28 days in Pat La Freida’s Himalayan salt room (Google it) or you can get American Kobe for a premium.

A selection of sauces is available to enliven your steaks that include Worcestershire, Bearnaise, peppercorn, bone marrow, and French butter.

Pork, veal, and lamb chops plus a selection of fresh fish round out the steakhouse portion of the menu.

Ramsay’s signature dishes include the aforementioned Beef Wellington and fish and chips plus a red wine braised short rib, roasted chicken breast, and the Fisherman’s Grill, with lobster, mussels, scallops, and seasonal fish.

Everything is served ala carte so don’t forget the sides like sautéed asparagus or mushrooms, mac and cheese with truffles, fire roasted corn, and potatoes in various presentations (baked, pureed, roasted, etc.).

Our table started our beef overload with a selection of sliders, which were exactly what you’d expect them to be and nothing more, and the British ale onion soup, which was nothing like a traditional steakhouse onion soup, all kicked up with tangy pub flavor.

Next we went for the traditional filet and the rib cap American Kobe, the latter being the topmost portion of the rib eye and is supposed to be the most flavorful. The former was terrific and perfectly prepared with the right hints of smoky goodness that impressed while the latter was a tad undercooked and so disappointing if for no other reason than that. The sea bass was also sampled and declared a success by people who know about such things.

Desserts run the gamut from cheese plates to chocolate cake with stops at blueberry cheesecake, peach ice cream sandwiches, Bing cherry upside down cake, and banana toffee tarts with caramel. We settled on the sticky toffee pudding with brown sugar and brown butter ice cream and couldn’t have been more pleased with our choice.

Prices are definitely on the high side. Starters are all around $20 and that’s before you get to the $300+ caviar presentations, steaks start at around $50 and go up over $100, other entrees start around $30 and go up from tehre, sides all in the $12-$13, and desserts in the $13-$16 range. With tax, tip, and drinks you’re looking at $100 per person easily. Granted, that’s not out of line with other high-end steakhouses and restaurants on The Strip, but it’s still pretty darned expensive for a meal that, while satisfying, didn’t wow.