Primo’s Steakhouse at the Suncoast

The plans for the evening had been made a week or so beforehand, and I was anticipating this special occasion. I’d already had a wonderful evening of blind wine tasting the night before (Score: Wines-5, Irene-1) and was ready to enjoy some good food and wonderful wines with friends. The arrangements had already been decided upon; since we were going to a concert at the Suncoast, why not enjoy the steakhouse! The steakhouse at the Suncoast is named Primo’s and is only accessible via private elevator to the floor above the Casino.

We all arrived at the scheduled time and were led to our table which had a wonderful view that overlooked the stunning late afternoon Las Vegas scenery. Yes, I said “stunning.” Sometimes those of us who live in Las Vegas tend to be a little too blasé about all that’s here, and we forget to appreciate why we chose this as our home in the first place.

We received the menus and wine list after being seated and of course I immediately tackled the wine list to see the prices. While still too high in my estimation, they are not at the gouging level of most steakhouses. For instance, Four Vines Naked Chardonnay, which normally retails between $12 to $14, was $26. 2004 Chalk Hill Chardonnay, normally about $45, was $60 on Primo’s wine list. There was 2004 Stag’s Leap “Artemis” which sells for about $50, and was listed at $72. So as you can see, it’s *not too bad* for a steakhouse. However, we had brought our own wines.

Donna and Fulton brought a NV Louis de Sacy Naked Cuvée (Cuvée Nué) Champagne. An unusual bottle, the label is only readable through the bottle glass, which makes for a bit of conversation! We had the Champagne as a starter, and it was crisp, dry, unusually rich, and flavorful. The grapes are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and the “Naked” moniker comes from the fact that no additional liquor is added after disgorging, *not* - unlike Four Vines Naked Chardonnay - because no oak is used.

For starters, we were served baskets of warm rolls with both plain and herbed butter. Our water was served, and we studied the menus while sipping our Champagne.

Let me take a quick moment to praise the wait staff, especially our server, Mike. They were efficient, and we were never left with dirty dishes or empty water glasses. The service was competent and unobtrusive. The downside to this experience was that the only wine glasses were Burgundy-style wine glasses. Not at all suitable for the Barolo and Bordeaux blends we drank. But I digress.

The menu prices were very reasonable, and I was able to turn off my mental calculator.

The next wine opened was brought by Tex & Gidget (yes, this is *the* Tex from the Fritz & Tex’s Wine Club Thing), and it was 1998 Aldo Ricardo Seghesio Barolo Vigneto la Villa. It was a pretty garnet (my birthstone), with a spicy floral, smoky, and red cherry nose. It had a silky, almost Pinot Noir mouthfeel, with mineral, smoke, and tart cherry on the palate. There was an elusive *something* that we couldn’t quite figure out, but we finally decided that it was wood notes. Who knows. Honestly, I’m still not sure!

I had French Onion Soup ($6), while everyone else passed on appetizers. The cheese on the soup was suitably stringy, and the chunk of bread had been toasted before being placed on the soup. So far, so good. However, I prefer French onion soup to have well-caramelized onions and for the broth to be almost a consommé; in other words, dark, translucent, and redolent with rich, meaty flavor. Primo’s French onion soup had lots of onions, but the onions weren’t caramelized, and the broth was opaque, making it more like a gravy than a broth. It was seasoned okay, but the heavy, gravy-like aspect of the broth was off-putting. The cheese, on the other hand, was perfect.

Three of us had ordered the Fillet; Gidget ordered the small and asked for medium, Tex had the medium and requested medium-well, and I had the medium and requested medium-rare. Donna ordered the Tournedos Neptune Fillet, which is described as fillet medallions with crab, asparagus and béarnaise over mashed potatoes. She asked that the medallions be served medium. Fulton ordered the Lamb Primo which is Colorado lamb served with braised shallots and a Pinot Noir sauce. Mike ordered the bone-in ribeye, but I don’t remember his doneness request. All entrees come with a house chopped salad, and customers have their choice of mashed or baked potato.

Of course it was time for the next wine. Mike brought 1999 Gary Farrell Encounter Proprietary Red Wine (Sonoma). It was a big, smoky, Bordeaux-style wine with great complexity, smelling and tasting of earth, black cherry, cassis, mushroom, tobacco and subdued spice box. It was subdued because of the age, and I appreciated the differences between that wine and the Barolo.

While we were enjoying the wine, our salads arrived. This was my second disappointment. If you’ve ever gone to California Pizza Kitchen (Fashion Show Mall in Vegas), you may have had their chopped salad. It is really *chopped* with small pieces of everything mixed in with lettuce, basil, turkey breast, mozzarella, blah blah blah. It is my one addiction that I will almost always eat when I’m there. The side salad at Primo’s, however, was not exactly chopped. It consisted of bite-sized pieces of Romaine, shredded carrots, olives, corn, pieces of marinated red pepper, with the Italian vinaigrette dressing served on the side as I had requested. The salad was okay, but definitely not chopped. It seemed almost like an afterthought rather than a carefully considered part of the meal.

Our entries arrived as we were finishing Mike’s wine, and it was time to pour the 2004 Robert Young Scion. Somehow I managed to receive several more bottles of this than I’d planned (and yes, I paid for all of them). I had opened a bottle over the July 4 weekend, and paired it with something from the grill. It was fragrant, rich and lush then, and this bottle was exactly the same. Leaving it as the last bottle to drink was a great idea - its youth, fresh berries, plums, chocolate, cassis and spice box would have obliterated the older, more sedate wines. For more information on this Bordeaux-style wine, see the post about the vertical I had at my home.

My fillet arrived and instead of being medium-rare, it was closer to medium-well as it was barely pink on the inside. I could tell it was not dry-aged, as it lacked the intensity of flavors that only dry-aging can impart. Maybe because it was more done that I prefer, I perceived the flavor as “flabby.” It tasted okay, but could have been so much better. Donna expressed a mild disappointment that the fillets in her Tornedos Neptune dish were well-done instead of medium. Fulton raved over his lamb chops, and they looked absolutely spectacular. Everyone else’s dishes were cooked the way that they had ordered. I had mashed potatoes, and they were, well, just mashed potatoes! Not garlic, not rosemary, nothing but potatoes. Fortunately, they tasted like homemade, so the flavor wasn’t a disappointment. It’s just that I was expecting something a little more elaborate.

And finally, there was dessert. Whenever I go to a restaurant that has Crème Brulée on the menu, I almost always order it. I make a killer Crème Brulée, and will challenge anyone to a “Th’owdown” (Bobby Flay doesn’t realize that in the vernacular, the “r” is silent). Mano a Mano.

I would have won such a throwdown with one hand tied behind my back.

The Crème Brulée was covered in fresh berries – raspberries, blueberries, and slivers of strawberries. The sugar crust was pretty much non-existent. My spoon went through it just like any other custard. The flavor was passable, but did not have the depth and richness to which I have become accustomed. We all shared it, and the overall consensus was that while it was very nice custard, it was barely a passable Crème Brulée.

My Crème Brulée is made with free range – preferably organic – egg yolks, evaporated cane juice, genuine heavy cream (not the chemical soup labeled “heavy cream” in the supermarket – read the label; you’ll be shocked) and Bourbon Vanilla. I use the same cane juice mixed with Turbinado sugar for the crust. And I use a Bernzomatic propane torch (purchased from Home Depot) for the “Bruléeing.” It takes a couple of taps of a spoon to break through, and it’s like having a crunchy candy treat with the custard. The custard itself is silken in texture and is rich with creamy, complex flavors. Am I proud of it? You bet. Conceited? Probably!

All of this adds up to a nicely appointed steakhouse in a locals casino that has good - not great - food, moderate prices, and a spectacular view. Would I go back again? Sure. First, the service was pampering level. Fulton’s lamb looked tempting, and Gidget’s comment that the Veal Loin Medallions - which she’d had on a previous visit - were wonderful and she’d get them again is enough to bring me back.

Primo’s Steakhouse is located in the Suncoast Hotel & Casino, 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89145. The restaurant is open daily for dinner only, beginning at 5:00 pm. Their website is: http://www.suncoastcasino.com/dining/primos. Note that while the online menu is up to date, the wine list is obsolete.

And by the way, we had a great time at The Lettermen concert! I even had my picture taken onstage with them!

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