Bob & Brenda Geocaching

Our Observations

This was our most anticipated restaurant opening in Las Vegas. Chef Ramsay has been stocking Stations Casinos with winners of Hell's Kitchen, but he hadn't opened one of his own here yet. We've loved his shows (and if you're only seeing him on Hell's Kitchen or Kitchen Nightmares, you're missing his best ones on BBC America.) We own most of his cookbooks and have tried a lot of his meals on our own, but we really wanted to sample some of his creations under the direction of Executive Chef Deric Meininger. We weren't disappointed.

This is where we decided to go for our wedding anniversary. I made reservations over a month in advance to make sure we didn't run into any snags. I had flowers waiting for Brenda on the table and her daughter had stopped in one evening to have a nice bottle of wine waiting as well. Although we had reservations, we still had to wait a few minutes to be seated. We weren't upset considering how many people who were just walking up to the podium were getting turned away because they didn't have reservations.

Once our table was ready, we were walked through the large (noisy) bar area into the high ceilinged dining room. The first thing we noticed when sitting down (besides the large Union Jack on the ceiling) was that it seemed the music was playing much louder than it needed to be which distracted a bit from the romantic evening. However, by the time the food was served, we hardly noticed it any more.

Because this was a special occasion for us, we decided we were really going to splurge on our meals. I really wanted to try the Hell's Kitchen Tasting Menu ($145/person), but there were so many other good things on the menu to try as well I decided to wait until next time for that. While we were ordering they brought out a selection of breads with Devonshire butter topped with black sea salt. The rolls with the pancetta in the center were fantastic. Brenda really wanted to try some of the sauces that were listed with the shellfish platter (tiger prawns, king crab, clams and lobster) so we started with that. When it arrived on a huge platter, we knew we weren't going to be leaving hungry. There was at least two of each type of shellfish and the sauces (especially the champagne mignonette) really brought out the flavors, much better than the regular cocktail sauce you get everywhere else. Our second course was the seared Foie Gras. It came with a delicious puree and was quickly polished off by the two of us.

We both knew we wanted steak with our dinner. Your waiter asks ahead of time whether or not you're having steak and if so, they wheel out this large mirrored display with the various cuts of beef that they serve and explain each one to you. I went with the 32 ounce Royal Long-bone Chop and Brenda ordered the American Kobe Filet. For sides, we had the heirloom carrots, sautéed spinach, caramelized Brussels sprouts and the fingerling potatoes. (I said we were splurging.)

While we waited for our food, we ordered another bottle of wine and watched the wait staff in action. They were exactly what you'd expect from a high end restaurant'attentive and polite but never intrusive. When the food arrived, we knew our stomachs were in for some trouble. Brenda's filet was probably the perfect size at 8 ounces, but I think I could have beaten someone to death with the long-bone chop because it was so large. Not only was my steak huge, but the side dishes were as well. No spoonful of vegetable/potatoes/whatever here-these are large bowls (at least a full cup or more) of each one. They are definitely meant for sharing. Both steaks were fantastic. Even though the chop was over an inch thick, it was still tender and cooked to the perfect medium rare. Brenda's filet was so tender you could cut it with a fork. If there was any disappointment (very little) it would have been the side dishes. The Brussels sprouts were good, but not as good as the ones we cook at home using Chef Ramsay's Christmas Special recipe. I liked the fingerling potatoes, but prefer the ones at GR Pub & Grill a bit more. The spinach though was outstanding and it was the only thing that didn't get taken home in a doggie bag. To cap off the dinner we both had cappuccinos and I ordered some Sticky Toffee Pudding after hearing all the raves about it. I don't have a very big sweet tooth and this was just on the border (for me) of being too sweet but it was worth it. The brown butter ice cream that came with it, although sounding strange, was very good and went perfectly with the pudding cake. Luckily the GR Pub & Grill has the toffee pudding on their menu as well so we can find it somewhere without spending so much money.

Overall we had an outstanding meal, service, and experience. The cost was a bit on the high side ($500 for two of us, including two bottles of wine and the tip), but well worth every penny. It's not a place you're going to go to every month, but if you have that special occasion and don't mind spending the money it should be one of your "must visit" food destinations.