Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Muriel Stevens: Sunset Station’s Sonoma Cellar hits heights for food, decor

Sonoma Cellar Steakhouse, the newest restaurant at Sunset Station, rates high on every point -- it's beautiful, offers excellent service and serves prime, dry-aged meats at fair prices.

The dining room is elegant and inviting, with vaulted ceilings, handsome wrought-iron chandeliers and posh appointments.

As nice as the decor is, the food is the real star here.

Traditionally, steakhouses serve the basics. What separates one from the other are the personal touches. There are many at the Sonoma Cellar.

I've watched Sunset's Executive Chef Henry Garcia make his way up the culinary ladder. He wasn't much more than a boy when I first met him, yet he was always enthusiastic and had the fire and passion that are the hallmarks of a good chef.

It wasn't too long before his skills were recognized. During his stint at the Boulder Station Broiler restaurant, I tasted many of his original dishes and was impressed with his subtle, but sure hand with seasonings.

At the Sonoma Cellar he has created the special seasonings that give the meat such distinctive flavor. All of the meat is dry-aged twice -- once at the packing plant and again after it arrives at the restaurant. Tender, and cooked perfectly, these meats are a carnivore's delight.

My dining companion and I opted to share the 20-ounce, bone-in New York steak ($27.99) and the Dijon mustard-crusted rack of lamb ($28.99.)

Ribeye, porterhouse, filet mignon and prime rib are priced from $16.99. The poultry selection ($16.99) includes a whole, boned chicken; the veal choices are a thick loin chop ($28.99) and veal piccata or Marsala ($21.99).

Grilled or pan-seared salmon, swordfish and jumbo stuffed prawns ($17.99 to $21.99) and Australian lobster tails, Alaskan king crab legs and the ubiquitous surf and turf (market price) are also available.

The king crab legs are exceptional. I got to taste one in the bouillabaisse-like soup that Henry made for me. He prepares these savory stews in a variety of ways. They are not on the menu, but can be requested.

There was one crab leg for each of us. This crab leg was fresh, the meat filled the shell. It was not salty and water-logged, the meat was tender like lobster, not stringy, and it easily pulled away from the shell. It was wonderful.

Included with all entrees are a large house salad, a choice of potato or rice, a vegetable of the day and a basket of house-baked specialty breads.

The salad was almost a meal. Mixed in with the crisp greens were candied walnuts and pecans, tomatoes, cucumbers and croutons; a topping of bleu cheese and a creamy vinaigrette made for a hearty, delicious salad.

The mustard crust on the rack of lamb (three double-cut chops) gave it a pleasing piquant flavor; the New York steak was cooked exactly as ordered. Both were excellent.

With it we chose the garlic mashed potatoes and two a la carte vegetables ($2.99-$3.99) -- sauteed fresh spinach and asparagus. Of course, we had no idea that the portions would be so generous. The leftovers made two more meals.

I especially enjoyed the coarsely mashed potatoes that purposely included lumps of the potato. It was a nice homey touch.

For dessert we had fresh berries, forgoing the "The Seven Deadly Sins" listed on the menu. Like our dinner, the berries were perfect.

In addition to the main dining room, Sonoma Cellar has rooms that can accommodate private parties, and there's a smoker's lounge with fine cigars and cognacs.

Sonoma Cellar Manager Jay Morrison and his staff are caring and informed. Our server and his assistant were able to answer my many questions and could describe every food preparation.

Dinner hours are from 5 p.m., nightly. For reservations, call 547-7898.

China Grill

Ever since I dined at China Grill in New York, I've looked forward to the opening of the China Grill in Mandalay Bay. It's not my usual kind of restaurant. China Grill New York is noisy, crowded and a hangout for trendy business types and singles.

But I loved the food and was eager to see if it would be as good in Las Vegas. As far as I'm concerned, it's even better, and the sound level is lower. You can talk and be heard, and it's not nearly as frenetic as the original.

The design of China Grill is exotic and dramatic.

An open kitchen gives a view of the chefs at work. China Grill's food is served family style and is sized to serve two to four. Dishes are served as soon as they are cooked so orders may not come at one time.

A prix fixe preview menu ($36) was all that was available the night I dined there, but it included many of the signature dishes. The full a la carte "Global" menu is now in place. The prices below are from that menu.

My friend and I chose dishes we had not already eaten in New York. As starters we had the broccoli rabe dumplings ($13.50) and the remarkable lobster-filled pancakes (market price) served with a coconut milk, chilies and scallion sauce.

After much discussion we chose the pan-seared mahi mahi with lobster mashed potatoes ($25) and the Japanese panko-crusted (bread crumbs) veal served with seasonal greens ($29.75).

One entree would have been more than enough for the two of us. The veal presentation was glorious. In the center were the greens; surrounding it, many slices of veal arranged like petals of a flower; around the veal were quarters of bright red cherry tomatoes. What a lovely dish.

The delicate mahi mahi didn't stand a chance against the superb lobster mashed potatoes -- a mountain of mashed potatoes filled with chunks of sweet, tender lobster. Simply sensational.

I was happy I had asked for the sweet and sour sauce that came with it to be served separately. It was the right decision. This dish needed no sauce. It was perfect as it was.

We shared a seasonal fruit tart for dessert. Unlike most fresh fruit tarts, this one had a streusel topping.

China Grill's food is wonderful. The service staff, mostly from Las Vegas, is just fine. General Manager Frank Beam told me that the company had started training sessions long before the restaurant opened.

The intensive training period paid off. Servers can answer any questions about the unusual dishes, so don't hesitate to ask. I fully intend to eventually sample every dish. They're so intriguing, and the ones I've already tasted have been terrific.

Dinner hours are 5:30-11, nightly. Call 692-7777 for reservations.

More Mandalay Bay

Getting to the restaurants at Mandalay Bay should be easy, but the hotel, having just opened, is still working out the kinks.

The west entrance valet service and parking garage are just a short walk into the restaurant corridor. Unfortunately, the night I was there the valet portion was blocked off. Signage is very poor in the garage so we found ourselves on the fourth garage level. There was plenty of parking on the lower levels, but we couldn't find our way back.

One of the two elevators wasn't in service and the wait was awful.

I'm sure that it won't be long before everything is running smoothly, but it's not a fun way to start an evening.

One bite of the delicious China Grill food and my good humor was restored.

Short orders

* Picasso a Beard finalist: Picasso restaurant at the Bellagio has been named one of the five finalists for the Best New Restaurant in America award given annually by the James Beard Foundation. The winner will be named at the awards dinner in May. This is the first time a Las Vegas restaurant has made it to the final five. Picasso's Chef Julian Serrano won a James Beard West Coast Best Chef award last year. Here's hoping he'll make it two in a row.

* Ferraro's Green Valley: Gino and Rosalba Ferraro have opened a second location, Ferraro's Green Valley, at Green Valley Parkway and Sunset Road, at the former site of Piazza de Angelo. The menu is similar to the one at the West Flamingo location. Mario Andreoni is the executive chef.

* Aureole lounge menu: Aureole at Mandalay Bay is serving a light menu in the restaurant's lounge. Prices range from $9 to $15 for hand-cut bluefin tuna tartare. Service is from 5:30 p.m. to midnight.