Carversteak
Carversteak is the new kid on the Strip, with a super-modern interior, a spacious patio, all the classics, as well as American, Australian, and Japanese wagyu — all in a steakhouse that comes in at a sizable 13,500 square feet with a staggering 70-foot bar. Seafood lovers can order the lobster en croute, in which an entire lobster is wrapped in puff pastry. The wagyu cheesesteak bites are a sleeper hit, just right for whetting the palate for super tender and flavorful steak.
Sunday, May 4:
Oleksandra Spa & Salon: Sundays are made for relaxing. For the ultimate spa experience, pair one of the signature massage treatments with a Radiance Hydrafacial before checking out the sauna.
Monday, May 5:
Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood: This 1.2-mile shopping promenade features apparel, accessories, art and collectibles, including some delicious new additions at the Miracle Eats Food Court.
Tuesday, May 6:
Happy Camper: For prime people-watching and a great patio, head here for happy hour. Enjoy discounted light bites along with deals on spritzes and espresso martinis for the perfect afternoon.
Wednesday, May 7:
SlotZilla: This 11-story slot machine-inspired attraction is sure to get your adrenaline going. Get ready to cruise over the crowds for a memorable experience that you’ll want to share.
Thursday, May 8:
Carversteak: A trip to Las Vegas isn’t complete without an upscale steakhouse dinner. Kick things off with one of their shellfish plateaus before enjoying a great cut.
Friday, May 9:
Fountains of Bellagio: This is one of the most iconic attractions in Vegas. The free show plays every 30 minutes during the day, increasing to every 15 minutes at night. With 30 different songs, you’ll want to watch time and time again.
Saturday, May 10:
Josh Groban: This award-winning and multitalented performer brings a special five-nights-only show, Gems, an exclusive Las Vegas engagement, to The Colosseum. This is a show you won’t want to miss.
When it comes to the food and beverage industry, you might not meet a more immersed and successful person than Steven Geddes. Today, Geddes is the vice president of food and beverage for Carver Road Hospitality, which operates the popular Resorts World Las Vegas steakhouse, Carversteak. “This (job) is the crowning glory of my 45 years of hard work in all departments,” he says. “Using all my wisdom and skill set and knowledge, it’ll keep me busy and challenged.”
Geddes has helped open some of the most well-known restaurants in Las Vegas, working both front and back of house, and he’s also helped launch restaurants in Miami, New York, Seattle, Kentucky, L.A. and San Francisco.
“I’ve always believed that our business is about the art of gastronomy,” Geddes says. “A chef, a sommelier, bartender, manager, barback, server, dishwasher—it’s not just food, or beverage, or service, or ambience … it’s all of it.”
Geddes has worked as a chef, he’s a certified sommelier, he’s worked behind the bar and as a server out on the floor, he’s been a dishwasher and a restaurant manager, and he created the wine program at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits in Las Vegas—there’s really nothing this man hasn’t done in the industry.
“The thing I’m most proud of is I have many different viewpoints,” he says. “It’s not just coming from one angle. It comes from all the different skill sets that I’ve learned and acquired, and it allows me to look at a problem from more than one angle, and that is one of my biggest superpowers—to be able to talk with chefs, bartenders, servers, and understand what’s going on.”
Carversteak might appear at first glance to just be a steakhouse, but that descriptor is selling it seriously short. This restaurant from Carver Road Hospitality has a little bit of everything for every taste—there’s even a vegan menu!
The room itself is simply massive, with a cushy lobby and bar flanked by a dining room tucked back on one side, and private dining rooms on the other, as well as an expanded enclosed patio in the rear. And on one wall of one of the private rooms is a gorgeous display of high-end knives, perfect for this venue.
Start your meal with either a signature starter like everything spiced brioche, warm bleu cheese bread and Vermont butter or an ounce of caviar—your choice of Siberian, golden Kaluga or ossetra. Whatever you order, make sure to pair it with a cocktail like the Spiced Alibi, featuring Patrón silver tequila, Grand Marnier, Lustau East India sherry, verjus blanc, mulling spices, rooibos and saline.
There’s an enormous shellfish and raw bar menu, highlighted by yellowtail sashimi, giant tiger prawns and Alaskan king crab, but don’t skip over the wide array of entrées like lobster en croute, wrapped in puff pastry with lobster-cognac cream, Jidori chicken breast or Colorado lamb chop. And, of course, the remarkable steak program, featuring everything from filet mignon and boneless ribeye to Australian wagyu and tomahawk. Sides like beer-battered onion rings, roasted mushrooms and mac and cheese gratin are all stellar accompaniments.
Now about that vegan menu … fans of plant-based cuisine will be thrilled with the selection. Appetizers include chickpea fries with cilantro and jalapeño lime dip and “calamari” made with king trumpet mushrooms and served with sweet peppers and tomato sauce, while main courses include a vegan chop made with organic grains and legumes and served with broccolini and roasted tomatoes, as well as Binchotan grilled eggplant, served with a tofu and garlic confit purée and chili umami crunch.
For dessert, go with the Baked Nevada, a beast made with mixed berry sorbet, toasted meringue and coconut lime cake that feeds up to six.
How many times have you come out of a production show, live performance or nightclub on the Strip and realized: “I’m pumped! I need something to keep this feeling going!” It’s a natural reaction to the adrenaline high you feel after all that excitement. And, usually, that feeling is accompanied by hunger and thirst. Luckily, there are more than enough options to satisfy both in Las Vegas. The city is filled with venues that stay open late in the night and early morning. Happy dining and drinking!
Flanker Kitchen + Sports Bar
Not only is this quickly becoming one of the go-to spots for sports viewing (boasting perhaps the largest screen on the Strip), it’s also a great venue for late-night drinks and dishes, open until 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Some of the highlights here include shareables like ahi tuna tartare tacos and tailgate nachos with Tajín-dusted chips, sandwiches like the smoked pork dip and entrées like the New York steak and fries, which you can wash down with specialty cocktails like the High Heater with Tanteo jalapeño tequila, lime and pink grapefruit. There’s also a healthy beer list featuring both local and national award-winning labels.
Steak can be intimidating. There are so many different cuts and ways to prepare those cuts. It’s a lot to learn, especially if you are headed to a steakhouse for the first time, and you probably don’t want to brush up on every cut of steak you need to know before you go. To take some of the guesswork out of the ordering equation, Daniel Ontiveros, Corporate Executive Chef at Carversteak, spoke exclusively to Daily Meal and shared what dish newbies should avoid ordering. Chef Ontiveros says, “Advice to the rookies — I would say stay away from a dry-aged steak. Just like wine, you want to ease your palate into appreciating new flavors and nuances rather than blowing away the experience.”
What exactly is a dry-aged steak? It is going to sound a little gross, but this is a steak that undergoes a controlled rot where yeast and mold help break down the tough tissue. It’s stored in a drying chamber at a temperature that is cold enough to prevent the yucky kind of bacteria from growing. The process allows for the steak to lose moisture at a consistent rate, which gives the steak a more concentrated flavor and a more tender, mouthwatering consistency than regular steak.
It’s all about the flavor
The flavor of dry-aged is often described as funky for the uninitiated and nutty once you get the hang of it. If you are a fan of stinky cheeses like Pavin d’Auvergne, stilton, or blue cheese, you may enjoy that funky flavor. In fact, dry-aged steak gets beefier the longer it ages. But, that’s not all — it also gets pricier.
Why is dry-aged steak more expensive than regular steak? Put simply, they take more time to produce, which proportionally raises the price. When you are ready to try a dry-aged steak for the first time, start with one that has been aged for 15 to 20 days, and you can then work your way up to one that has been aged for 60 or 90 days. Until then, stick with a nice filet mignon with red wine sauce or a ribeye with pepita-lime butter.
When you’re scanning a steakhouse menu, it’s easy to skip over certain cuts in favor of the showstopper steaks — the ones that cause “oohs” and “aahs” when they’re delivered to the table. It’s hard not to be impressed by the big-boned tomahawks, T-bones, ribeyes, porterhouses, and plump, juicy filets. But, Daniel Ontiveros, Corporate Executive Chef of Las Vegas restaurant Carversteak, calls one cut the most underrated steak and one that you should not overlook: the hanger steak.
“Not too many people know about this hidden gem of a steak,” says Ontiveros, who definitely knows his cuts. Many butchers, he explains, consider hanger steak to be the tenderest cut of meat. “It has great marbling, which provides a rich and juicy flavor,” he says.
Hanger steak has a long, thin, and cylindrical shape. It’s similar to a skirt or a flank steak but is more tender since it comes from the diaphragm, which is a supporting muscle that doesn’t get the kind of strong workout that makes certain cuts tough. It comes from the same section of the cow as short ribs, ground beef, and skirt steak, where there is more fat.
Butchers’ hidden secret
While hanger steaks are underrated by shoppers, they’re so beloved by butchers that they often kept it for themselves, which is why the cut is also known as “butcher’s steak.” Hanger steak is also relatively inexpensive where compared to other cuts of beef. Beware of it becoming a more popular cut, however — there are only two hanger steaks per cow.
To get the most flavor from a hanger steak, chefs marinate it, cook it over a high heat for a short amount of time, and let it rest before serving. Marinades are usually simple and include Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, olive oil, and some herbs and spices. Don’t be daunted if your steak has a little heat from chile or Dijon mustard; the meat’s rich taste will stand up to more intense flavors. Your waiter will likely suggest ordering it medium rare, as anything beyond medium will make it too tough. That’s the last thing you’d want for this cut!
As an entree, steak is about as fancy a meal as any carnivore can get at a restaurant — but unless you’re a seasoned steak expert, it can be tough to know what to order. Luckily, Daily Meal spoke with Daniel Ontiveros, the corporate executive chef at Carversteak in Las Vegas, to find out what the right questions to ask your server are — which are, in turn, the key to must-know steakhouse secrets for next time you’re eating out.
According to Ontiveros, it all boils down to two simple components. “It is important to ask where the meat is sourced from [and whether it] is grass fed or not,” Ontiveros says, pointing out that choosing between grades like Wagyu beef, prime beef, or choice beef grades can make a huge difference when it comes to your dining experience. These questions not only help you understand the quality of the meat; they can also clarify whether or not you’re getting a good deal for your meal. Per Ontiveros, this can even aid in asking your server follow-up questions to clue you in as to the flavor and texture of your desired steak.
Why sourcing, grazing, and meat grade matter for steak
Chef Daniel Ontiveros’ advice about asking where your steak is sourced, along with its grade, comes with solid reasoning. In terms of the sourcing, this can give you clues as to what the cow’s diet might be, which will ultimately affect your meat’s flavor. Different countries have varying laws surrounding how beef should be raised, fed, and processed, which in turn can have an effect on the flavor and texture of your steak. You may also find some countries raise different types of cattle. (For instance, in the United States you’ll find a large number of Angus or Belted Galloway cows, whereas in Colombia, Cebu is the most commonly raised cattle.)
Similarly, a cow’s diet of grass versus grain can also help you understand what flavor to expect. Animals that have been grass-fed have a different flavor than those that have been raised purely on grain. With the former, you might pick up on gamier flavors, reminiscent of animals such as venison; the meat itself also tends to be leaner. On the other hand, beef from cows have been grain-fed rather than grass-fed usually has more marbling — which, as Ontiveros notes, “provides a rich and juicy flavor.”
The grade of your meat, on the other hand, gives you a better idea of its texture. Grading tells you how much marbling, or fat distribution, is in the meat, which can indicate how tender and juicy a cut will be. So remember: If you find yourself unsure of what to order the next time you’re at a fancy steak joint, ask your server where your steak is sourced; from there, depending on your specific tastes, you’ll know exactly what to do.
Pulling off a perfect grilled steak at home can be a bit daunting, especially if you’re hoping to make it as good as at your favorite restaurant. To find out the best tips for making restaurant-quality steak at home, Daily Meal spoke with an expert: Chef Daniel Ontiveros, the corporate executive chef at Carversteak, a Las Vegas steakhouse.
First things first, don’t overdo it on the seasoning. Ontiveros says, “Kosher salt and toasted cracked black pepper are the way to go, let the flavor of the meat speak for itself. Great quality meat should never be covered with other spices or seasonings that could overpower the flavor.”
Additionally, there’s one easy thing that you can do during the prep stage that makes a huge difference — let the steak rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes before you start cooking it. Ontiveros notes, “This will allow the steak to not be so cold and cook more evenly.” This trick is especially true for thick cuts of meat, like many cuts of steak. If steak is cooked straight from the fridge, the center will take longer to cook to temperature than the exterior parts, resulting in an overall uneven cook.
How Ontiveros Recommends Cooking a Tomahawk Steak at Home
A tomahawk is, undeniably, a show-stopping steak — the kind that you may want to cook up at home to impress dinner guests. But what’s the best way to cook a tomahawk steak according to Chef Daniel Ontiveros? He says, “My favorite way to cook a tomahawk at home is on a grill over a nice bed of cherry wood coals (for flavor depth) while sipping an adult beverage.”
If you want to try Ontiveros’s suggestion, then grab your favorite adult beverage and get your grill ready to go. The best way to grill tomahawk steak requires two stages, one with lower heat and one with higher heat. A lot of the time this means searing the steak on a pan, then popping it in the oven, or, for a reverse sear, doing the opposite. You can use the grill in place of the stovetop for either of these two-stage methods, but you can also rely on just the grill. For this method, you’ll grill it on a lower temperature for a long period of time, then finish it off by getting a nice crust over a much higher temperature. Ontiveros says the final step for cooking any kind of steak at home is to “baste your steak with butter after it is done to lock in the moisture.”
There are tons of steakhouses all over the United States, all of which are great places to chow down on some delicious grilled meat. The only trouble is, as delicious as the meals at these restaurants are, many times, they’re not particularly easy on the wallet.
Daily Meal spoke with Daniel Ontiveros, corporate executive chef at Carversteak in Las Vegas, and he provided some exclusive steakhouse secrets to help us get to the bottom of what to order even if you’re on a budget. Ontiveros says: “Ordering a [50-ounce] tomahawk to split with your friends or family is a great option.”
The tomahawk has a generous amount of meat on its bones, making it a cut that can go a long way. What’s more, you won’t be selling yourself short on flavor or texture. Chef Ontiveros also notes that this particular cut usually has an impressive presentation, making it feel decadent even if you know you’ll be splitting the bill at the end of the night.
Tomahawk’s flavor doesn’t disappoint
One of the main reasons, shares Chef Daniel Ontiveros, to opt for a tomahawk is that “there is a substantial amount of beef with maximum flavor, juice, and tenderness.” Tomahawk steaks have quite a bit of marbling, which refers to the amount of fat distributed throughout the muscle. That marbling means that when you cook the steak, you get a juicy bite with a lot of rich flavor to it. A tomahawk steak also has to be cooked for a longer time, which helps release all the meat’s natural flavors and gives it a succulent texture.
In terms of aesthetics, tomahawks are served on or next to the bone, which can give it a dramatic presentation at the table. What’s more, a 50-ounce tomahawk is quite large. Split the tomahawk between two, three, or even four people and you’re still looking at 25 to 12.5 ounces of steak per person. Pair that with a couple of tasty side dishes and you’ve easily got enough to make a meal.
Finally, in terms of cost, while a tomahawk can cost between $90 and $225, when you’re splitting the cost between several people, you can wind up paying less than you would for a single steak of a different cut. Add up all these factors, and you’ve got a winning way to save on steak next time you’re eating at a fancy steakhouse with friends.