Doin’ Lunch at DELMONICO
No one goes there anymore. It’s too crowded – Yogi Berra
Delmonico has been around so long (12+ years), we tend to forget how great it is.
One of its many excellent attributes is that it’s open for lunch, as in: a real, classy, white tablecloth lunch, in quiet, elegant setting, perfect for conversation, business or romance. Not an easy thing to find at the noon hour in our humble burg.
A lunch at which you can order one of their great dinner steaks, perhaps enjoyed after a light and stimulating amuse:
…perhaps followed by a lobster roll slider composed of chunky lobster meat on a buttery bun:
…followed (if you’re ELV) by succulent-yet-crispy fried chicken that takes a back seat to no version you’ve ever had:
…succeeded by one of the greatest cheeseburgers you’ll ever chomp on:
ELV's usual at Delmonico
…a ten ounce beaut composed of prime filet, prime rib-eye trim and fat from the short loin. “Tastes like a good steak,” is how the King of Burgers put it after his first bite, and we couldn’t have agreed more. Chef de Cuisine Ronnie Rainwater (great name that) tells us they form them a little neater, more uniformly than you might expect. “They almost look store-bought,” is how he puts it, the better to improve their appearance inside the firm-yet-slightly-squishy brioche bun. Rainwater brushes that bread with some mayo on both sides, then adds Tillamook cheddar cheese, Bibb lettuce, heirloom tomato and thinly shaved red onions — thus supplying every land-locked food group known to man in one tasty bite. All in all, a well-considered construct of burger perfection.
Anyone looking for something light for dessert in an Emeril Lagasse restaurant ought to have their head examined. The Bam Man may be from Rhode Island, but his sugary soul was captured by New Orleans/Southern cooking long ago, and you’d have to have the willpower of a Buddhist ascetic to resist this duo of Pastry Chef Stephanie Nikolic’s fabuloso desserts:
…consisting of a pecan pie to end all debates and profiteroles that aren’t far behind. That pie comes on at oatmeal/shortbread crust and is, according to Nikolic: “…baked in a buttery, cast iron mold we think gives it the crust and comfort of a homemade pie.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
ELV’s meal was unexpectedly comped, but he left a $40 tip.
DELMONICO
In the Venetian Resort and Casino
3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702.414.1492
Restaurant reviews, quips, picks and pans-with some seriously salivating history-from the man who eats his way through Sin City every day.
August 11th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Do you know what that meal would have cost. Because I am inviting 3 people to lunch to split that exact meal. That is an impressive line up.
August 11th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Yes, one of the best burgers in town at any price–made from dry-aged trimmings, I’m told, and it shows.
Tragically, you didn’t get one of their milkshakes, which are also non pareil.
August 11th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
ELV responds: The burger is $17, the fried chicken about the same, and the sliders around $22 if memory serves. Desserts are around $10 each….so the whole kit and kaboodle would have run around $80, without drinks, exclusive of tax and tip (but that’s just a rough estimate). The burger is only a buck more than the one at I Love Burgers, and so much better, you’ll want to run over to The Palazzo Shoppes and beat someone over the head with a rib bone.
August 11th, 2011 at 8:47 pm
happy to hear it John. I have loved their Bone In NY since inception as the meat was trimmed perfectly and there was little waste. boredom set in and the quality went down in the last few years. as a prevous writer commented their master sommelier Kevin Vogt is top notch and had been a terrific guide around their wine list.
glad to see that they have opened for lunch and the food has taken a step forward.
August 12th, 2011 at 6:52 am
Have I told you lately that I love you? No Homo…
August 12th, 2011 at 8:09 am
I have to agree. I used to eat there all the time, but hadn’t gone back consistently for a couple of years secondary to my perceived lowering of quality across the board. However, I ate dinner there last Friday and was blown away by how perfect everything was. I thought maybe this was a fluke and returned the following night only to be blown away again by the same perfection. The rib-eye was perfectly cooked, rested and seasoned. The creamed corn and grits were piping hot and delicious. Kevin also picked a great bottle of Pinot for us too. I consider it my personal loss for not frequenting them more often prior.
August 14th, 2011 at 6:54 am
I’ve always just kept walking past Delmonico seemingly on my way to what I thought was a better steakhouse in another hotel. Now I’ll have to try it.
August 15th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I had their old burger and fries and it was not very good. The ones you pictured look a ton better.
August 20th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
The service in the restaurant has always been top notch. The food has returned to Grade A with Chef Ronnie’s promotion. Between the waitstaff, Kevin Vogt’s wine, Chef Ronnie’s food and Chef Stephanie’s incredible desserts (always order the special), It’s as good as any steakhouse in Las Vegas.