Las Vegas: Mesa Grill
I’ve always been a fan of Bobby Flay in a detached sort of way. He comes across as a cocky New Yorker, but his food is typically zesty, yet oddly simple.
Years ago, while in Manhattan, I had eaten at the Mesa Grill. It was my first experience with a “celebrity chef” restaurant. I left impressed with the meal and the service.
Now, years later, I’ve dined at unique, exclusive restaurants around the world. I was interested to see whether my fond memories of the Mesa Grill would be reinforced at his newest location in Las Vegas.
And the answer to that burning question - a resounding NO.
Don’t get me wrong. The meal was fine. But I had allowed myself to anticipate more than fine. I will also admit to feeling a bit under the weather that evening, so that may have taken away a bit of the enjoyment as well.
We started with a couple appetizers that we shared. I chose the Cojita Crusted Quesadilla wth wild mushrooms, chiles, and a white bean white truffle hummus. It was actually the highlight of the meal, at least for me. But I’m a sucker for hummus in just about any form. We also sampled the Tiger Shrimp & Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale. It was ok, but actually a bit on the bland side.
For an entree I ordered the Coffee Spiced Rubbed Rotisserie Filet Mignon, served with a horseradish potato gratin. The Filet was served nearly cold, and the texture of the meat was mushy. I admit that I expected much better. On the other hand, the horesradish potato gratin was wonderful, and I’ll need to spend some time trying to recreate it.
Vic had ordered the Crispy Whole Fried Striped Bass with a five-pepper ginger sauce and coconut cashew rice. He was underwhelmed as well. While the presentation was very interesting, as seemed to be the theme of the evening, he also described his fish as “mushy”.
We finished the meal relatively unenthused, and couldn’t really work up an interest in dessert.
The next time we go to Las Vegas I suspect that this will be a restaurant that we skip. Though I admit I’d be interested in revisiting the Mesa Grill in Manhattan to see if it has maintained higher standards.
The burgers at lunch were good, so was the quesadilla…thanks for warning me about the dinner. There are so many good places in Vegas to choose from, no reason not to get the best of the best.
I ate there numerous times in the past year and I got to say that dinner there was the single best culinary experience I have ever had. Executive Chef Paul Del Favero is the best!
My husband and I went to Mesa Grill for a romantic evening. The entire time it was ice cold in the restaurant and the food was absolutely NOTHING to write home about. We rarely saw our waiter and when I expressed my concern for the coldness (which lead to the food being cold as well), he offered coffee for just myself, not my husband who was as equally cold, and then it took 20 minutes to get it! just because it’s a “famous chef” doesn’t mean the food or customer service should suffer.