STK
Brioche Pull-Apart, Blue Cheese Butter, Chive Oil
Foie Gras Pop Tart, Grape Preserves, Vanilla Icing
Butter Poached Whole Maine Lobster, Morels, Asparagus, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, King Crab Croquettes
Tater Tots, Parmesan Cheese, Remoulade
Mushroom Pot Pie
Drip Coffee, Cream, Sweetener
STK Sweet Potato Donuts – Maple Glaze, Candied Pecans, Crème Chantilly
Vanilla Cheesecake – Fresh Blueberries, Lemon Sauce, Toasted Meringue
Flourless Chocolate Cake – Chocolate Crémeux, Candied Peanuts
Banana Bread Pudding – Sticky Toffee Cake, Ambros Banana Whiskey, Warm Toffee Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream
#THECLOUD – White Chocolate Crémeux, Grand Marnier, Angel Food Cake, Strawberry Ice Cream, Cotton Candy Cloud
Last visited in 2016, shortly after Pastry Chef Brigette Contreras accepted an offer to re-imagine the Restaurant’s Dessert menu, it was on Wednesday night that STK was found predictably packed, an ongoing situation for the concept originating out of Los Angeles and now spread across the globe.
Serving Sin City since The Cosmopolitan’s grand opening, one of several Restaurants that has survived the property’s sale and most certainly the most successful, it is on the third floor that STK opens its doors at 4:30pm daily, Executive Chef Stephen Hopcraft manning stoves focused on Steaks and Sides while a good looking staff serves an even more attractive crowd.
As serious a Steakhouse as it needs to be, the “see and be seen” aspect of a place lit such that everyone appears a little sexier impossible to ignore, it is passing by a bar often three-deep that diners find banquettes built for small and large parties, the music loud enough to create a pulse and eventually best described as “thumping” once the place is full.
Energetic with servers to match, professionalism plus a bit of witty banter generating several laughs across the course of ninety-minutes, it was declining Cocktails that dinner began with the first of two Brioche Loaves, arguably Las Vegas’ best complimentary Carbohydrate thanks to soft morsels slathered in Blue Cheese Butter abut still greedy to sop up fragrant green Oil.
Unafraid to be creative, though luxury items frequently come with a price-tag to match, it was having already tasted several STK Signatures during a prior visit that Dinner began with Chef Hopcraft’s Foie Gras Pop Tart, the seared Liver inside still sporting a few veins but otherwise delicious inside crisp Pastry topped in housemade Jam and a equal drizzle of Icing.
Onward next to Entrees and additions, mixed seasonal Mushrooms and Cream under a golden dome still one of the best Steakhouse sides in town, it was in addition to crisp Tots with Remoulade that $100+ Market Price Lobster was presented, a generous two-pounds nicely poached in Butter and bolstered by Morels with a “Thermidor” feel, though the Croquettes were filled with King Crab as opposed to Potatoes.
Saving plenty of room for Dessert, a bottomless cup of hot Coffee cleansing the palate between bites, it is at $15 each and $20 for #THECLOUD that Chef Contreras’ work is offered, the hashtagged new addition torched tableside to reveal delicate Strawberry Shortcake imbued with a bit of Booze that plays well off wisps of Sugar while Sweet Potato Donuts dripping in Maple Glaze remain an STK signature for good reason.
Using Crémeux in place of Ganache to lighten Flourless Chocolate Cake, a clever maneuver that allows each layer its own identity and the dish as a whole unexpected levity, it is even creamier that guests will find Cheesecake splattered by Blueberries and perfumed by Lemon, though night’s sweetest bites came by way of “Banana Bread Pudding” served Sticky Toffee-style with a crisp Feuilletine and Vanilla Ice Cream helping to mellow locally-made Banana Whiskey.
FOUR STARS: In a city full of serious Steakhouses it may seem surprising that STK continues to pack ’em in nightly, yet despite being trendy before everyone had Instagram the brand has remained relevant by sticking to big flavors and fun presentations plus some of Las Vegas’ most under-discussed desserts from Pastry Chef Brigette Contreras.
RECOMMENDED: Brioche Pull-Apart, Foie Gras Pop Tart, Mushroom Pot Pie, STK Sweet Potato Donuts, Banana Bread Pudding, #THECLOUD.
AVOID: Listed as MP, the Lobster does not justify more than a Benjamin compared to other presentations in town.
TIP: The online menu posted by The Cosmopolitan is woefully out of date, as are desserts listed at www.stksteakhouse.com/venues/las-vegas.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/restaurants/stk
