We’ve always liked Treasure Island.
Back in January 2018 after spending a weekend there, we wrote, “Though it’s often overlooked and under-reviewed, the TI is a fine place to stay and play and relatively inexpensive for a Steve Wynn-built hotel-casino right in the heart of the action.”
It’s still true, especially considering that parking is, and always has been, free. So when we heard that a new seafood restaurant opened there, we looked into it. And something about it — not exactly sure what; call it the vibe, maybe — intrigued us, so we gave it a try.
We’re glad we did.
Called the Yacht Club, it occupies the space that used to be the Seafood Shack. When we got there, we still couldn’t figure out what we saw in the place. It’s easy to find, right off the parking garage escalator and past the sports book on the way to the food court, but the entrance is marked by a couple of oversized bathtub-toy-type boats.
Inside, there’s not much atmosphere; trophy fish on the wall are about it.
The prices are reasonable, not notably expensive like most Strip seafood eateries, but not a bargain either. Appetizers start at $20 for crispy calamari and the mussels and go up to $25-$26 for crab cakes, tuna poke, Littleneck clams, and ceviche. Pastas run from $30 for linguine and clams to $41 for lobster mac ’n’ cheese. Chilled oysters, shrimp, crab, scallops, and lobster are market price; the seafood tower is $80/small, $130/large. Pan roasts are $53, the clam bake for two $95, fish and chips $27, salmon and snapper $45, chicken $29, and steaks $55. Catches of the day, specialty entrees (cioppino, seafood risotto, shrimp and grits), burgers, and sandwiches round out the menu. Sides, such as carrots, broccolini, fries, and potatoes, are $13.
When the food started coming, we finally realized why we were there. We tried an oyster shooter, Littleneck clams, cioppino, grilled trout, and broccolini and everything was excellent. The clams were plentiful and fresh.
The trout was moist and grilled perfectly and the cioppino chock full of big chunks of fish with a broth among the best we’ve ever tasted. We got happier with each bite.
The bill came to $??? and we didn’t feel gouged.
Best of all, we got in the car and drove away — no ticket, no gate, no credit-card charge. The free and easy feeling of that on the Strip cannot be overstated.
Was the cost of the meal left out on purpose?