"BestOfVegas"
05/09/08 -see other reviews-
 Attitude - 4 Eye Candy - 3 Price - 3
"Nice Blend of Old, New Vegas"
--by Heidi Knapp Rinella, Las Vegas Review-Journal
"Golden Steer Steak House is a throwback to Old Vegas, no doubt about that. But as no throwback is truly authentic, this one comes with both the conveniences of modern living -- the smoke-free air, bottled water if you want it (and without arm-twisting), great wine selection and diversity of staff and guests. But it also comes with the drawbacks, which were mostly embodied by customers in shorts and sweatshirts, in a decidedly non-shorts-and-sweatshirts kind of place.
Geez, people; if you're paying $40 for a steak, would it kill you to put on long pants and a decent shirt? And this in the middle of winter.
But I digress.
Yeah, the prices are very much more New Vegas than Old, which I guess is to be expected on (or, more accurately, just off) the Strip these days. But in all other areas, the Golden Steer manages to meld the best of the old and the new.
The shrimp cocktail ($17) would be called a prawn cocktail in most places, for the extremely large crustaceans (jumbo, the menu said, in one of the great oxymorons of all time). When shrimp get that large, they tend to end up tough from overcooking, but that wasn't the case here, and they were fresh and sweet, the seafood sauce that accompanied them with plenty of punch.
We chose Chicken of the Angels ($26) simply because of Las Vegans' regional fondness for the otherwise-appellated Chicken Angelo, and this interpretation did justice to the classic.
And a filet mignon ($36). We chose the petite filet, which at 8 ounces is still too much meat, and it was tender and prepared rare as ordered. Five dollars seemed a little excessive for the cup of bearnaise we requested (filet mignon being so lean that it's not the most flavorful of cuts), but it was warm, buttery and contained plenty of fresh tarragon.
We also liked the atmosphere, with the Sinatra and associated "luxe" music, the red-leather U-shaped banquettes and other decor elements that clearly have been updated periodically but haven't lost any of their period charm.The Golden Steer will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. Even though I'm sure there have been ownership shifts over the years, the fact that it has survived that long and maintained an air of the past is unusual in any city, nearly unheard of in this one.
And long may it hail."
Complete Review
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Attitude - 1 Eye Candy - 1 Price - 4