The Hard Rock has opened some new restaurants. Pink Taco is a Mexican restaurant with a tequilla bar. They also have opened AJ's which is a steakhouse. Nobu is a Japanese restaurant. Has anyone tried any of the new restaurants at the Hard Rock and what did you think of them?
Registered: 08/11/99
Posts: 197
Loc: las vegas, nv
I've only sat at the bar at the Pink Taco but have done so on a couple of occasions. The interior is quite hip in keeping with the overall feel of the HardRock. They have 9/6 .25 bartop VP but no card reader. The chips are hot and fresh and the 4 salsas are very tasty. I had one entree from the menu and the food was very good.
I mentioned in a new note that Nobu received a rave in the current issue of Gourmet Magazine.
If it is as expensive as its New York counterpart, expect to part with a good chunk of cash. No comps, either, as the Hard Rock doesn't own it.
If you go, I wouldn't "waste" my money eating ordinary sushi or sashimi, although you can order it there. I'd urge you to try some of the sensational innovative stuff that you can't eat anywhere else.
I will be eating at Nobu during an upcoming Las Vegas trip, and will let you know what I think about it. (I will be going from Las Vegas to San Francisco on business, so I should be eating a few exceptional meals during THAT trip!).
This is off-topic, but if you want to eat sensational Peruvian food in San Francisco, try Fina Estamapa on Mission. It's a hole in the wall but the food is outstanding, especially the ceviche, parihuela, and anything with beef, onions, and potatoes.
Thanks for the advice on SF eateries; unfortunately, I didn't get your message until after I was there. I did eat at Tommy Toy's and at Postrio (a Wolfgang Puck place), and enjoyed both. I also had a great meal from room service at my hotel, the Mandarin Oriental, while I watched the Mets beat the Diamondbacks and raided the mini-bar.
My meal at Nobu was quite good, although I don't know exactly what I had because I didn't order!
Sorry I got to you too late, Mark. I've eaten at Postrio many times -- I've stayed at the hotel adjacent to it on business trips. Guess who provides room service for the hotel!
Don't worry about not knowing what you ate at Nobu. You can know what you ordered and still not figure it out.
Registered: 08/11/99
Posts: 197
Loc: las vegas, nv
Went to AJ's Saturday night. The Hard Rock is "rebooting" their comp system on 1/3/2000 and if you don't use your comps by then you lose them!
I've never eaten at a Morton's but I suspect the menu is similar. We each had a Caesar Salad which was up with the best I've ever had. We had a Filet and a NY for our steaks. While cooked perfectly and supposedly Prime cuts, I thought they were lacking the flavor of a true prime cut of beef. The bartender at the bar before the meal told us the cuts of meat were from Chicago where Morton's gets theirs. It wasn't a bad steak by any means, I just was expecting something more memorable. The side of wild mushrooms and onions were delicious. Of course we had the requisite bottle of wine. We did not have appetizers or dessert. The wine list was decent and fairly priced for such an establishment. Not cheap but not rediculous like Aureole's. My one complaint is the vintages were not printed on the wine list. The service was good and the room was quite pleasing in keeping with they typical Hard Rock good taste. Overall a very pleasant experience. Without drinks expect to pay $100+ for two.
My room service at Mandarin Oriental was from Silks, which was quite good.
As for Nobu, I think I'm HAPPY about not knowing what I ate, although I'd like to be able to describe it to other people. ____________
Randy:
Interesting what you say about the flavorless steak. I wrote in another note that I've never really had a GREAT steak in Las Vegas, though I've had some of my favorite meals there.
Registered: 08/11/99
Posts: 197
Loc: las vegas, nv
Had more HR comps to burn before Y2K so we went to AJ's again. While at the bar waiting for our table we saw our waiter from last time. He remembered us so we asked for his table again. It's not that he's a great waiter or anything, he just had a good personality. He was getting slammed by huge parties both nights we were there and would occasionaly sit at our table to take an order and catch a break and apologize for any lengthy waits. In return for our "don't worry about it" attitude he comped after dinner coffee and dessert both times.
We started off with a shrimp cocktail this time. There were 4 medium-large shrimp that were the meatiest and freshest I've had in a long time. The sauce was outstanding also. We both had a Caesar salad and like I said before, this is one of the best Caesar salads I've ever had. This time we did realize a secret ingredient in the dressing: garlic!
For our entrees this time I had a veal chop and Kelly had the Porterhouse. Unlike the Filet and NY we had last time I thought the porterhouse was very flavorful. The veal chop was large and meaty and although it wasn't the absolute best I've ever had it was good enough that I wouldn't hesitate to order it again. Our sides of baked potato were huge! This time we opted for cordials for dessert as we were stuffed.
Definitely 2 thumbs up. STill pricey, though. About $100 for two NOT including drinks.
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