Prime Dining

See why this year’s Best of Nevada winning restaurants are a cut above the competition.

By CHARLIE JOHNSTON | July/August 2012

Best Restaurant: North

The U.S. Department of Agriculture designates only about two percent of beef in the country as USDA Prime; it’s the most tender, juiciest, and most flavorful beef around—the best of the best. It is only fitting that Best of Nevada winner, Cactus Creek Prime Steakhouse in north Reno’s Bonanza Casino, serves 100-percent USDA Prime steaks.

“When I came [to Cactus Creek] I wanted to make it the very best in Northern Nevada,” says Director of Food and Beverage and Executive Chef Chris Romm. It would appear that Romm and company have accomplished that goal, earning top billing in Nevada Magazine’s Best of Nevada readers’ survey for three consecutive years.

Romm’s appreciation for great food and service started at an early age. “I grew up eating good food in fine restaurants and learned the difference between mediocre and exceptional,” he says. Cactus Creek’s dedicated staff shares Romm’s passion for food. “Our chefs just love to cook,” he adds.

And what they’re cooking are some of the best cuts of beef available anywhere. The thick and juicy filet mignon is so tender it barely requires a knife, and rib eye topped with garlic-infused butter literally melts in your mouth. “Put our steaks side-by-side with 10 other steaks,” Romm challenges. “You’ll see the difference.”

Beyond the beef, Cactus Creek is doing right by its less carnivorous guests as well. “We serve a tremendous amount of fresh fish for a steakhouse,” Romm says. That fish is always from sustainable fisheries and spends as little time between the water and diners’ plates as possible, he adds. Among the many surf offerings, Lobster Slider appetizers come overflowing with a generous heap of lobster meat on a Brioche bun, drizzled in a sweet and slightly tangy herbed buerre blanc, a velvety French sauce with butter, white wine, and shallots. Free range, organic chicken stars in the lightly breaded, Gruyere cheese-stuffed Chicken Kiev entrée smothered in a rich Mornay cheese sauce.

Tableside desserts (Caesar salad is also prepared tableside) bolster the restaurant’s air of steakhouse sophistication and include decadent flambéed Bananas Foster with creamy vanilla ice cream.

Cactus Creek’s balance between steakhouse traditions, old-world classics, and non-traditional fare is complemented well by the restaurant’s creative décor. The southwest adobe-inspired dining room foregoes traditional vertical and horizontal lines in favor of whimsically winding walls, protruding corners, and atypical angles that bring to mind the work of Salvador Dali. A remodel, set for completion by the time this issue hits newsstands, will leave the décor intact while separating the steakhouse from the rest of the casino to provide greater privacy and a more intimate atmosphere for guests.

Quarterly Winemaker Dinners are a huge hit at Cactus Creek and combine Chef Romm’s most inspired culinary creations with wines from favorite regional vineyards for four courses with generously poured wine pairings. 

UPCOMING WINEMAKER DINNERS

Robert Keenan Winery – Monday, October 1
Duckhorn Vineyards – Monday, December 3

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Cactus Creek Prime Steakhouse
Bonanza Casino
4720 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89506
cactuscreek.net
775-323-2724

Best Restaurant: Rural

Touted by Tropicana Laughlin as “the tri-state area’s premier dining destination, complemented by a professional staff that caters to your every whim,” The Steakhouse specializes in house-aged steaks and fresh seafood. But there’s no need to take the resort’s word for it. Readers of the local newspaper, the Mojave Valley Daily News, have voted it best steakhouse for 12 consecutive years.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Steakhouse
Tropicana Laughlin
2121 S. Casino Dr., Laughlin, NV 89029
tropicanax.com
888-888-8695 x.6375

Best Restaurant: South

While Hash House a Go Go was born in San Diego in 2000, it has since become an honorary Nevada native with five popular locations in Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno combined. The self-described “twisted farm food” eatery specializes in comfort food favorites with flair, such as the hugely popular Sage Fried Chicken & Bacon Waffle Tower with maple reduction and fried leeks, plus burgers stuffed with everything from blue crab and chili mayonnaise to mashed potatoes, bacon, and cheese.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Hash House A Go Go
Five Locations:
6800 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89146
702-804-4646
1 S. Main St. (inside the Plaza Hotel & Casino), Las Vegas, NV 89101
702-384-4646
3535 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (inside Imperial Palace), Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-254-4646
12300 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (inside M Resort), Henderson, NV 89044
702-797-1500
219 N. Center St. (inside Harrah’s), Reno, NV 89501
775-788-2895
hashhouseagogo.com