We have been looking for a good, reliable fine dining room in Vegas ever since Roberta’s/Flame closed, with little luck so far. On our early December trip, we stayed at the Gold Coast for a few days and decided to try the Cortez Room there using the 15% off coupon received at check-in. Started off with a bottle of wine which, at $20, was reasonably priced, a pleasant surprise. We both ordered the prime rib, med-rare, I with an iceberg wedge and my wife with a Caesars salad. My wedge was OK, came with a large slice of blue cheese and topped with a few thinly battered, deep-fried onion rings. The Caesars salad, looked more like coleslaw, was drenched in dressing, and came piled in a pyramid shape with two tiny breadsticks. It was not appetizing. (Note to chef: artfully arranging poorly prepared food does not increase its palatability).
The prime ribs were large but cooked to medium rather than the requested med-rare. They had unusual brownish casts to them, a clue I failed to pick up on at the time. I cut off a small piece on the end and it was tasty. Then I attacked the main portion of the prime rib and, with some difficulty, cut off a piece. Meat was flavorful but dry, and man was it tough. I chewed on that first piece for a very, very long time before I was able to swallow it. At this point I noticed that my wife was having great difficulty trying to saw a piece off her prime rib. The meat was so tough that she eventually gave up trying to cut off a piece to eat. We called the waiter over and told him that the prime ribs were inedible. He claimed that the meat was tough because it was sliced too thick and offered to cut us thinner slices, we declined and asked for the bill. We were not charged for the “rubberized” prime ribs and were given a 15% discount on the wine, salad, mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts. The manager never put in an appearance to apologize, no offer of a complimentary coffee/desert. It was like the staff didn’t really care.
I can’t believe this place stays in business if they routinely serve meat like we were given. And yet repeat customers were there because the staff appeared to know some of the diners, regulars I take it, so all of food they prepare can’t be inedible. My only thought is that the staff pegged us as tourists (coupon gave us away) and they over micro-waved a left over piece of prime rib and served it to us figuring we were unlikely to ever return no matter what the quality of the food. Well, they were wrong, it is not unlikely, it is a certainty that we will never return!
The prime ribs were large but cooked to medium rather than the requested med-rare. They had unusual brownish casts to them, a clue I failed to pick up on at the time. I cut off a small piece on the end and it was tasty. Then I attacked the main portion of the prime rib and, with some difficulty, cut off a piece. Meat was flavorful but dry, and man was it tough. I chewed on that first piece for a very, very long time before I was able to swallow it. At this point I noticed that my wife was having great difficulty trying to saw a piece off her prime rib. The meat was so tough that she eventually gave up trying to cut off a piece to eat. We called the waiter over and told him that the prime ribs were inedible. He claimed that the meat was tough because it was sliced too thick and offered to cut us thinner slices, we declined and asked for the bill. We were not charged for the “rubberized” prime ribs and were given a 15% discount on the wine, salad, mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts. The manager never put in an appearance to apologize, no offer of a complimentary coffee/desert. It was like the staff didn’t really care.
I can’t believe this place stays in business if they routinely serve meat like we were given. And yet repeat customers were there because the staff appeared to know some of the diners, regulars I take it, so all of food they prepare can’t be inedible. My only thought is that the staff pegged us as tourists (coupon gave us away) and they over micro-waved a left over piece of prime rib and served it to us figuring we were unlikely to ever return no matter what the quality of the food. Well, they were wrong, it is not unlikely, it is a certainty that we will never return!
