I had dinner with dag last night at the Cortez Room. My first impression was that they didn't spend much money renovating the old Italian joint. It looks about the same to me.

We had a great time and some very good prime rib. The king cut of prime rib was very good quality and at $20, a darn good deal since it comes with soup or salad and a side item. The bread was fresh and hot. The butter for the bread was soft which was a nice and pleasant surprise.

The baked potatoes were undercooked but edible. I prefer this over the overcooked baked potatoes.

There were several downers to the meal. Our server had no sense of humor. Dag and I gave it our best. We asked for really big cuts of meat knowing that's not really a negotiable item. Every other cut of prime rib we saw were larger than ours. The prime rib came swimming in the juice which can get messy, and it did. The salad was out of bag, the tomatoes were out of the freezer, and the salad had purple beans and beets on it. Not really a quality salad and reminded me of the Prime Rib Loft at The Orleans. We were not offered a relish tray which is traditional in the Cortez Room. We asked the waiter about it and he didn't seem to care. I think his reply was "I guess the guy didn't bring it out".


Good company and good prime rib kept this meal from being a disaster.

I'm sure Wendell will give this place a whirl now that it's open again. How log ago did this place open compared to your visit? Maybe it will get better????

We did sample the Cortez Room in their new location during our July trip. Personally, I liked the decor of the old location better than the new, however, I was pleased to note that the quality and price of the menu had not changed and we enjoyed our meal. We surely will give it another whirl during our November trip - we have to have at least one meal in the Cortez Room per trip. Also, we sampled the Jazz Band in their new location and chatted briefly with their leader - they did not like their new location because people entering the Gold Coast could not see or hear them - and were not aware that they were anywhere around. Their new location was bigger and nicer, but left alot to be desired, I am sure their patronage will improve as soon as the locals know where they are.

While my last trip left a sour impression, there may be some reason to it.

The waiter is under no obligation to laugh with us. If he wants a better tip, he should at least act interested.

We were there about 5:30, which is before prime time. That may explain why the bread was hot and the butter wasn't frozen. It may explain why the baked potatoes were not quite done. It may even explain the smaller cuts of meat which might get bigger in the middle of the roast.

The salad was a disaster and not really excusable for a fine steak house. Nor is there an excuse for no relish tray.

The decor is fine. It just isn't what we were used to and it certainly isn't a classic old Las Vegas atmosphere.

The meat was good, the potatoes were okay, and the price was right.

I think I'm ready to give Canal St another try and see if they refresh my interest in Boyd steakhouses.

Wendell, if dag ever publishes his trip report...HINT...there is a pleasant surprise/challenge for you.