AJs Steakhouse - Located around towards the Paradise Road side of the Hard Rock, AJs seemed like a place to burn some comps in my quest for the best steak in Las Vegas. I didn't think that I would find it here, and I didn't. I did have a good meal, good service, and the price was right...FREE. The strip steaks on display were huge. The looked to be about the size of a quarter of a football. The porterhouse looked small sitting next to the strips, but it looked like it had potential. I usually try the Porterhouse since it should have the flavor and texture of a filet on the small side, and a strip on the large side, accompanied by both pieces having the extra flavor and protection provided by the bone. The bread basket brought to my table was interesting in that it had a few slices of sourdough bread and a few slices of rasin bread. I can't recall getting rasin bread at a steakhouse before. They were both fresh and pretty good. The shrimp cocktail was only acceptable. 4 large shrimp and the cocktail sauce was very mild. The iced tea was okay. For sides, I ordered a baked potato, and a sautee of spinich, garlic, and olive oil. The potato was just right, and the spinach was a little oily, but not too bad. The steak itself was not bad either. It failed to qualify as one of the best steaks in town, in my book. It was a little stringy, and spotty fat portions where I wasn't expecting them. It ranks higher in my book than some premium steak houses, but not a must do when looking for that special steak. They were not very crowded, and might be something to think about if you are looking for a steakhouse and the big ones are booked up for the evening. My meal topped out at about $70 for the steak, 2 sides, shrimp cocktail and iced tea. AJs is not an old restaurant, although it is decorated to take you back to the old Vegas days. The open kitchen is the only modern touch. It is decorated in old brown, has a few pictures of old hotels in their earlier years, old style light fixures, and a general retro touch. The piano in the bar area, played some nice music during the meal.

Joe, you obviously did some serious eating on your recent trip. How did you manage to get a comp at AJ's?

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John
Moderator Dining Forum
john@talkvegas.com

The comp was easy, I had to empty my slot card credits before Y2K or lose them. I was surprised that I had enough for that meal, plus enough for entirely too much Hard Rock gift shop stuff.