Crab, avocado & mango stack
Chart House’s aquarium is a stunning backdrop for some stellar food
By Jack Houston
Photography by Steve Marcus
As backdrops go, a 75,000-gallon aquarium is quite the eye-catcher. Stretching from floor to ceiling, it’s the undeniable centerpiece of Chart House, the restaurant at the base of the Golden Nugget’s $150 million Rush Tower, which opened last November. Not only is it a centerpiece, it’s also a conversation piece, as guests stop to admire the multifarious tropical fish and coral formations that look like something out of Delia Deetz’ sculpture collection.
Chart House is owned by the Houston-based Landry’s Restaurants, which also operates Vic & Anthony’s, Grotto and Red Sushi at the Nugget, as well as the phenomenally successful Rainforest Café chain. There are nearly 30 Chart House locations from Massachusetts to California, but the Las Vegas location is the only one inside a casino, and for that matter, the only one with a showstopping aquarium.
Steaks and seafood are the specialties here, and pescetarians, in particular, have reason to be excited. Of the 25 entrées, 17 are seafood and range from the familiar (shrimp scampi, fish and chips, lobster tail) to the inventive (the new wave surf and turf: short ribs with a choice of either scallops or bronzed mahi).
An appetizer such as the crab, avocado and mango stack is a good way to gauge the effectiveness of the kitchen. The ingredients reach the table layered in a familiar tartare cylinder with the top layer reserved for the rémoulade-tossed crab meat. The idea is to admire the craftsmanship of the dish first, then get in there and mix it up, creating your own crab salad with the richness of the avocado, the tanginess of the mango and the creaminess of the crab meat offering contrasting flavor profiles.
Like the jumbo shrimp cocktail and oysters on the half shell (both of which grace the menu here), fried calamari probably isn’t going to win many originality points at most restaurants, but Chart House’s version is full of “friends” like fried bell and jalapeño peppers and a pair of sauces—citrus chili and traditional marinara—that keep things interesting.
Of the seafood entrées, the macadamia-crusted mahi, which picks up some Asian notes with its warm peanut sauce and soy glaze, and the halibut LaGriglia, sautéed with a champagne grape sauce, are clearly the more adventurous options. The indecisive diners among us can battle over who gets the last bite of jumbo lump crab cake in the mixed seafood grill, which also features bronzed mahi and shrimp scampi, while the “overfished” can rest easy with cuts of beef like the 14-ounce New York strip, served over Yukon gold potatoes. But, by all means, don’t leave the room without at least a spoonful of their fried mac and cheese, which, after breaking through a thick crust, reveals tender gomito pasta in a sinful smoked cheddar sauce.
A perfectly fluffy soufflé (with a choice of chocolate or raspberry sauce or Grand Marnier crème Anglais) or chocolate lava cake are ideal rewards after such a repast. On the way out, as you admire the aquarium’s inhabitants, it’s natural to wonder what’s going on inside those fishy brains of theirs. No doubt, it’s something along the lines of, “I’ll have what they’re having.”
Golden Nugget
Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. daily; dinner,
4-11 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 4-11:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat., 4-10:30 p.m. Sun. 702.386.8364
