Wouldn’t you like to get away? Maybe go somewhere everybody seems to know your name? Well, one of the newest restaurants in Las Vegas, Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas aims to give you that feeling, and a whole lot more.
Like Bourbon Steaks in other cities, Vegas was designed to engender a certain feel in everything from design to menu and tableside dishes. “We like to make it really have a sense of place and, Las Vegas is now home for me, and has been for a while. And so I said, you know, I definitely wanted to do a Bourbon Steak,” said Mina.
The community feel in the former Charlie Palmer Steak space starts from the moment you pull up to the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas valet—Palmer was Mina’s mentor. “What I always loved about this space was it was the ultimate locals hangout, because everything is about ease of entrance … you’re not walking to a casino, you’re pulling up to an amazing valet team that makes you feel right at home, and you walk right into the restaurant, and I was like, ‘This is perfect,’” said Mina.
For Vegas, Bourbon Steak captures a sleek feel that harks back to classic steakhouse style, with arched entrances, plush velvet and leather couches in the intimate lounge accented by modern art and a bright flower mural at the end of an intimate bar. You can grab a classic drink here while waiting for your table, like a Negroni or a Manhattan. Of course, a twist on a staple is appreciated, too, like the pistachio espresso martini, created with Patrón reposado, Patrón XO Cafe coffee liqueur, espresso, molé bitters and pistachio.
Once at your table, dive into the menu, where you’ll find not only dishes that remind you of your classic local steakhouse, like the shellfish platter, but also lots with modern, innovative touches, like the signature salt-baked & hay-smoked dry-aged tomahawk, a Las Vegas exclusive. The tomahawk is marked on the grill, encased in a salt crust, and anointed with bourbon tableside, where the crust is flamed. Each aspect creates a layer of flavor that stays with the beef, says Mina. The unusual hay smoke flavor was inspired by the cowboys of Washington state, where Mina grew up.
Although the menu seems much like other steakhouses, you’ll find that innovation in product all over, from the tableside caviar presentation of a “Twinkee” with yuzu crème fraîche to the spinach souffle, an alternative to classic creamed spinach. Even the whipped potatoes are given extra oomph through the inclusion of Echiré butter. Go ahead and choose an accompaniment to you 8-ounce filet mignon, like black truffle butter. Other dishes to look for include the lobster pot pie, prepared tableside, and black truffle agnolotti with burrata filling. You’ll find a lot of tableside preparations to choose from here. “We eat with our eyes, we eat with our smell, and then we eat with our palate. So tableside gives you a little bit of all of that,” says Mina.
Cap off dinner with a dessert like Michael Mina’s banana tarte tatin with preserved citrus caramel and macadamia nut ice cream. You know, we’re sure they’re glad you came.
Four Seasons Las Vegas, 702.632.5000. bourbonsteak.com
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