RESTAURANT REVIEW: Golden Steer Steak House - Neon

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Jan. 25, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Golden Steer Steak House

Air of the Past: Golden Steer Steak House a nice blend of Old, New Vegas

By HEIDI KNAPP RINELLA
REVIEW-JOURNAL

HEIDI KNAPP RINELLA
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what: Golden Steer Steak House

where: 308 W. Sahara Ave.

phone: 384-4470

overall: A-

food: A-

atmosphere: A

service: B

pluses: The best of Old and New Vegas.

minuses: A $24 overcharge.

Golden Steer Steak House is a vestige of Las Vegas' past, but one that's been gracefully updated over the years.
Photo by Ralph Fountain.

Golden Steer Steak House is a throwback to Old Vegas, no doubt about that. But as no throwback is truly authentic, this one comes with both the conveniences of modern living -- the smoke-free air, bottled water if you want it (and without arm-twisting), great wine selection and diversity of staff and guests. But it also comes with the drawbacks, which were mostly embodied by customers in shorts and sweatshirts, in a decidedly non-shorts-and-sweatshirts kind of place.

Geez, people; if you're paying $40 for a steak, would it kill you to put on long pants and a decent shirt? And this in the middle of winter.

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But I digress.

Yeah, the prices are very much more New Vegas than Old, which I guess is to be expected on (or, more accurately, just off) the Strip these days. But in all other areas, the Golden Steer manages to meld the best of the old and the new.

Our drinks, for example. We don't usually do cocktails with dinner, but an Old Vegas steakhouse somehow just screams "martini and shrimp," I guess in honor of Dino & Co., and so I'd start with gin, extra-dry, straight up with olives ($12), and it was perfect -- a cold, clear homage to the simple purity of the bartender's art in the days before we had vodkas flavored with everything but broccoli, and I have no doubt that will be next.

The shrimp cocktail ($17) would be called a prawn cocktail in most places, for the extremely large crustaceans (jumbo, the menu said, in one of the great oxymorons of all time). When shrimp get that large, they tend to end up tough from overcooking, but that wasn't the case here, and they were fresh and sweet, the seafood sauce that accompanied them with plenty of punch. And since we'd mentioned to our waiter that we wanted to split it, he brought it with two plates and seafood forks, for a bit of Old Vegas above-and-beyond service.

We continued the simple theme with a tomato salad ($9). The promised "bed of romaine" turned out to be a leaf, but that was OK because the tomatoes were the kind that you and I can never seem to find, ruby-red and beefy-firm and tasting as though they weren't long off the vine, and the house vinaigrette was perfectly balanced, with enough vinegar to justify the name.

We chose Chicken of the Angels ($26) simply because of Las Vegans' regional fondness for the otherwise-appellated Chicken Angelo, and this interpretation did justice to the classic. Chicken breasts had been pounded until they were thin as scallopini, then sauteed just until cooked and served, with sauteed artichoke hearts and mushrooms scattered atop, with a light and nicely astringent lemon-butter sauce.

And a filet mignon ($36). We chose the petite filet, which at 8 ounces is still too much meat, and it was tender and prepared rare as ordered. Five dollars seemed a little excessive for the cup of bearnaise we requested (filet mignon being so lean that it's not the most flavorful of cuts), but it was warm, buttery and contained plenty of fresh tarragon.

Cream of corn ($8) on the side was pretty good, with a fresh crispness and a sauce that was just creamy enough to justify the name.

And Cherries Jubilee ($12 per person), prepared tableside in the Old Vegas fashion, the tart cherries playing off the sweet vanilla ice cream on which it was served in retro dishes. We loved it. What we didn't love was that they charged us for it twice, so that we were billed $48. What we loved even less was that we didn't catch it until a few days later.

And the only disappointment of the evening, Our Signature Garlic Bread ($3), which turned out to be nothing to brag about, simply toasted (actually, kind of over-toasted) bread with some garlic butter. At first I thought I'd just been spoiled by all of the over-the-top garlic breads around these days, but another look at the menu confirmed that it was supposed to be made "with imported cheese fresh daily," and though I don't doubt the latter I saw no evidence of the former.

Service throughout was great, except for that $24 mishap, the oversight of which I'll blame on the martini.

We also liked the atmosphere, with the Sinatra and associated "luxe" music, the red-leather U-shaped banquettes and other decor elements that clearly have been updated periodically but haven't lost any of their period charm.

The Golden Steer will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. Even though I'm sure there have been ownership shifts over the years, the fact that it has survived that long and maintained an air of the past is unusual in any city, nearly unheard of in this one.

And long may it hail.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or e-mail her at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. sar wrote on October 12, 2008 11:34 AM: please open for lunch at the golden steer. Calif Man wrote on August 13, 2008 02:55 AM: I should have read some of the reviews before I went there , over priced and lack of service had to ask to get my water glass filled and the food was average at best. I only hope the new owner takes the time to read some of the reviews that is if he cares at all ! M ary Denise wrote on July 20, 2008 01:15 PM: We have dined at the Golden Steer for at least 25 years, approximately once a year for special occasion. The gimlets are always perfect, and the food has always been very good, until this year when we dined there for my husbands birthday. People do wear quite an assortment of clothing, but the service was lacking, the choices were unclear, my steak dinner was served to me while I was still eating my soup. We had to take some of the food with us because we ordered to much. They put only the meat in a container. We had quite a bit of food leftover and we never saw that again. Our dinners and one cocktail each came to $230.00. I will not return. The relaxed unhurried atmosphere which use to be a large part of the ambiance no longer exists. I would not recommend this restaurant for a special occasion. gpm wrote on May 23, 2008 05:06 PM: place is way over rated and so are the prices. Rigo V. wrote on May 15, 2008 09:26 PM: I have lived in Las Vegas for 40+ years and ate at the Golden Steer many times before so I thought I would give it one more try May of 2008( mistake ) food was average , service average and way over priced for what they have to offer ( steak and lobster $95 ) not here not ever again . Good bye Golden Steer from a long time Las Vegas resident, you will never see me again and further more I will make as many people as I can aware of the kind of restaurant that you have turned into. Viva Las Vegas ! vls wrote on April 28, 2008 04:01 PM: Heidi, yes there have been ownership shifts over the years. In the 1960's and 1970's it was owned by my Great Aunt and Uncle, Ruby and George Gogian. At that time it was the best restaurant in town! Every item sold was hand picked and inspected by the owners. During this time many members of the Rat Pack enjoyed long evenings at the Golden Steer! Wonderful times, great food and an excellent atmosphere with the best service available. I hope the newest owners take note and assure that the standards of the past return. mark wrote on February 10, 2008 11:18 AM: I was at Golden Steer about three months ago. My steak tasted like low grade dog food. You could still see the marks where the jockey was hitting it. myron bernstein wrote on January 28, 2008 11:20 AM: I DO NOT KNOW IF YOU THAT "LARD" IS OK BY OUR STATE STANDARDS TO BE USED IN COOKING AND FRYING- YES- THAT INFORMATION WAS ADVISED TO BE BY "ROCKING BAHA' RESTAURANT, WHEN I INQUIRED WHY THE FRYING ITEMS WERE ORANGE IN COLOR. IT WAS TOLD TO ME THAT LARD WAS USED AND RE-USED- WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAMP- CHECK IT OUT . THANKS Mike Masarsky wrote on January 26, 2008 02:11 AM: A long overdue review! Golden Steer-Long may it Live! I did have two concerns, however. Filet Mignon is not a lean cut if it is a good one, Heidi. My family were Kosher and regular butchers for 60 years. Second the GIN would kill your taste buds and should have not been consumed before you sampled the steak. Kathy DePatta wrote on January 25, 2008 12:27 PM: Since when is Filet Mignon lean? Heidi needs a lesson on beef cuts Read All Comments