Las Vegas always wants to resurrect the downtown area so we at Vegas24Seven.com thought we should do our part too. Where better to start than at one of the oldest casinos here in the city that never sleeps. Our destination was the famous El Cortez Hotel Casino. Specifically, The Flame Steakhouse was where we were headed. A quick trip to downtown, a quick valet parking and we were in. I must say that the recent renovations made the casino/hotel very appealing and classy looking. It was nice!
We had no wait at all and went straight to a very spacious and comfortable circular booth. It was well decorated and Ray the piano player was already setting the mood for the evening with some wonderful music. It was just the right volume with just the right lighting for an intimate evening. The place even had a pleasant unique aroma that further added to the atmosphere. Even though The Flame has an extensive wine list and plenty of spirits we chose the non-alcoholic beverages as usual. That’s just how we roll. We were brought our drinks and then we met our server Linda. Linda was super friendly, charismatic and made the evening a success with her recommendations and quick wit. We had fun with her and she seemed to “gauge” us pretty quickly. It was like she knew who we were and what we wanted.
Linda recommended the Calamari Fritti and the Panko Crusted Fried Shrimp for appetizers and were brought selections of some great bread. There was cranberry bread, French bread and cheese bread. The bread was warm and the butter was tasty as well. The shrimp was very tasty with just a little kick to it. It was accompanied by honey Dijon mustard. What a portion of calamari. It was light and crisp and came with a spicy tomatoes sauce. Great way to start a meal. That’s for sure. Equally impressive was the traditional Caesar Salad and the house special Chicago style “Garbage Salad”. It was unlike any salad I’ve ever had.
For dinner we ordered the Roast Prime Rib of Beef, Filet Mignon, Porterhouse and the Tournedos of Beef Rossini. For sides we selected the Garlic Mashed Potatoes and their special Creamed Corn. Our meals arrived shortly after the salad extravaganza and YUM!!! Everything was cooked to perfection and seasoned just right. The prime rib was a generous portion, juicy and tender. The Au Jus was great. The filet just melted in your mouth and was garnished with fingerling potatoes. We love our porterhouses and definitely were not disappointed with this one. The Tournedos of Beef Rossini was a pleasant twist with two filets served on a bread bed with Pate Foie Grois and a demi-glace sauce on top. To die for. It may have been the tenderest filets I have ever eaten and the sauce was perfect for the beef/pate combo, Magnifique. We loved the potatoes and who would have thought we would be raving about creamed corn. A great dinner……. But not over yet.
Time for dessert. The Flame Steakhouse manager Christopher was a great help and recommended the Romanoff and we also ordered the Raspberry Sorbet, Fresh Baked Apple Streusel a La Mode and the Six Layer Chocolate Ganache. Ahhhhh and finished off with some espresso. What a great dining experience. We can’t wait to go back. We want to meet the chef next time, enjoy some of the famous seafood they have and some other sides and desserts. Just like Petula Clark sang “things’ will be great when you’re Downtown, no finer place for sure, Downtown”. Vegas24Seven agrees!
Review written by Jay Reppart