Top of the World at Stratosphere, Las Vegas

Top of the World Stratosphere Official Page!

Top of the World Stratosphere on Yelp!

Lots of Open Table independent reviews!

 

Aloha!

 

5/24/11 -  I do realize that insiders and locals in Sin City may question this particular Hawaii food blogger's restaurant of choice. I mean, once upon a time, Vegas was more known for cheap buffets than anything else, but these days, there's a higher concentration of world-renowned chefs here than almost anywhere on the planet, while also being home to more master sommeliers than any other city in America! Why then, with only one relatively pricey restaurant to choose from during our most recent stay in Vegas (self-imposed rule!), do we fore-go chefs like Joel Robuchon, Pierre Gagnaire, Guy Savoy, and Emiril Laggasse? Well... Without even mentioning how difficult it is getting into some of these places, nor of the cost, nor of the fact that the fanciest clothes in my suitcase were jeans, a pair of Van's, and a Gap shirt, I had to consider the ultimate reason, and that was simply - "Mom wanted to go!!!"

 

Yeah, I don't care what anyone says, I have always been and will always be a Momma's boy. A notorious creature of habit, mom makes sure to have dinner at the Stratosphere at least once during every trip to Vegas, so what can I say?

 

Not that Top of the World is a bad place to eat. And not that we didn't enjoy ourselves. After all, the food was pretty darn good, and the entire experience great over-all. In my mind, the only way you're gonna trash this place is if you compare it to some of the big-name chefs mentioned above, in which case, there's a good chance your sense of wanderlust will drag the whole experience down several knotches, at your own expense. Us? We just went and made the most of it, and had a great time in the process! There's something to be said about the foo-foo of big, glitzy, extravagant, and even touristy (isnt' it all touristy on the strip?), and for that, Top of the World and the Stratosphere in general cannot be denied!

 

Arriving, I was immediately surprised at how big the actual casino/resort was, beginning with the huge valet area. Upon jumping out of our taxi, I guess I was still thinking local-style (easy to do in Vegas!), and blurted-out a quick "Howzit?" to the valet guy.

 

He says "Oh, Hawaii, eh?"

 

"Sorry," I says, "It just came out!"

 

And that's why Vegas is the ninth island in the Hawaiian chain!

 

Before dinner, a mandatory walk through the voluminous hallways of the Stratosphere, which were full of shops, bars, and games galore!

 

 

A uniformed attendant and a special elevator takes you on an express route all the way up to the restaurant, and upon walking in, you'll be absolutely overwhelmed by the sheer scope and dimension of the structure itself. Makes Top of Waikiki look like child's play!

 

 

 

 

More than 800 feet up in the air, with unobstructed views of the entire city and a smooth, well-oiled turret rotating effortlessly around once every 80 minutes, I immediately saw why mom always has to come here. It's modern, elegant, and classy in feeling, while also being casual enough to not feel uncomfortable by any means. Two rows of seating styles line the perimeter, but any seat in the house is aaalll good, since the inner section is elevated as to not block the views! We chose the inner, booth section, and took our time ordering, as we wanted to enjoy the moment and also stay long enough to not only see the city by day, but also by sunset and by night!

 

Our waitress was friendly and helpful, with the two of us getting into a brief moment of camera talk before dropping-off a well-stocked basket of bread:

 

 

As always, not only do you always wanna sample local foods when traveling, but also local beers. Only, I'm sure Vegas has its own share of local micro-brewing companies, or even mega-brewing companies, but they didn't have one represented here tonight. The most interesting thing I could find was a Colorado-based amber ale called Fat Tire, which was slightly malty, slightly hoppy, and very rich, but also pretty darn crisp for having such body.

 

 

For starters, there were plenty of choices. We came close with two of them - a grilled portobello mushroom with buffalo mozzarella, roasted red pepper, herb oil, and balsamic reduction ($14), and a Wagyu beef tenderloin carpaccio with parmesan reggiano, capers, and white truffle oil ($16), but ended-up with the most expensive on the list, a combination of three different appetizers (also available separately) on a single plate ($39)!

 

 

First-up, my all-time favorite, foie gras. Nothing else on the planet like it. When I eat a good one, the flavor sensation leaves such an impression on my palate, it stays with me for a week. Just thinking about it, I taste it over and over again in my mind in vivid, kaleidoscope-colorful fashion. But that's for a good one. This version, accompanied by roasted pears and a berry gastrique, was a bit of a disappointment for me. I mean, it was undoubtedly the largest piece of foie gras I've ever had, but like an elephant garlic as compared to regular garlic, it seemed the taste was a bit dumbed-down, and not quite as rich. The searing outside was light, while the insides were on the mushy side, seemingly almost raw in the center. Just not as perfect a piece as I'd normally expect from foie gras, I guess. Perhaps I'm asking too much?

 

 

The center of our appetizer platter consisted of a single crab cake:

 

 

Sporting a crisped potato poof on-top and a bed of green papaya, red onion, pink grapefruit, various other vegetables, and a lemon buerre blanc sauce below, it looked very much impressive. Like our foie gras, however, this one also didn't quite live-up to its much-celebrated name. It's a pretty simple concept, really, especially at a pricey restaurant - just provide big chunks of real crab meat, is all! While tasting respectably fine and coming sizeable in portion, it was just too heavy on filler and too light on visible chunks of heavenly, divine, pure white meat from the sea.

 

  

 

And finally, on the far end of the platter, was a short stack of scallop:

 

 

Sorry, I forgot what that mysterious meat sandwiched in the middle was (Kumi probably swiped it from right under my nose!), though it looks like foie gras. I can say, however, that the scallops were done very well. Dusted with a southwestern spice mix, they were seared nicely and perfectly opaque-white in the centers.

 

One of the things Top of the World restaurant seems to be known for is their steaks. With both Kumi and mom ordering beef, we got to sample two of the three cuts, leaving out only a 14 oz. USDA Prime New York variety, with brandy peppercorn sauce ($54).

 

Mom's 10 oz. tenderloin ($53) was, unfortunately, of a USDA Choice selection, the second-highest class of beef in America after Prime.

 

 

 

Despite being the most expensive cut of meat on the cow, and very soft as far as red meat goes, its lack of fat puts a limit on its appeal, at least in my book. It was, however, an excellently prepared steak and a dish I'd be happy with any night of the week, with that smoky-strong, nicely-grilled touch you always need in a good steak. Combine it with a good drenching in the red wine mushroom sauce, and it was definitely a classic, very impressive undertaking, for sure!

 

As you can see, like the most expensive steakhouses, steaks come ala carte. Side dishes like potato gratin w/4 cheeses, yam puree w/browned butter, baby carrots w/honey and shallot, creamed spinach w/Maytag blue cheese, ricotta gnocchi "mac and cheese" w/white truffle oil, and pan-seared mushrooms w/garlic (seen next), all come at extra costs - $10 each, for the above-mentioned sides.

 

 

No regular button mushrooms here! These were all beefy, highly textured, richly embodied mushroom varieties like shiitake, oyster, and I'm not sure what else. Whatever they were, they sure were delicious!

 

The only side priced at over $10 is a twice-cooked potato ($12):

 

 

Basically, it was a large spud emptied of its contents, mashed, and placed artfully back inside its shell, with an extra dress-up of bacon, cheese, butter, cream, and green onion. Can't go wrong!

 

Kumi's main dish was a ribeye steak ($54):

 

 

While the tenderloin was USDA Choice, this ribeye was a USDA Prime, so we knew it would be a good steak. Like our tenderloin, the steak itself was delicious, cooked somewhere between rare and medium (I personally prefer medium!), and coming with that same smoky-grilled taste. Not so sure about the thick layer of horseradish crust on-top, however, which was a kind of mix between horseradish, butter, and a little cream or other mellowing agent.

 

 

Just for diversity's sake, I was kinda hoping Kumi would order something outside of steak, as there's no shortage of other items to choose from. Check out these entrees lifted from their official website (wine pairings also provided for each item):

 

Kurobuta Pork Chop with Adobo Sauce and Chipotle Crema 40

Yam pureé with brown butter, three chilies sauce with ancho, chipotle and guajillo.  La Capilla “Old Vine” Zinfandel, Lodi 10

 

Roasted Free Range Chicken with Black Garlic 40

Herb chicken jus, bacon lardons, fricassee of vegetables and mushroom.  Robert Mondavi Merlot, Napa 12

 

Seared Muscovy Duck Breast with Orange and Lime Hoisin Sauce 41

 

Colorado Rack of Lamb with Herb Lamb Jus 50

 

Seared Organic Salmon with Lemon Grass Beurre Blanc 40

Coriander dust, asparagus and caramelized shiitake mushroom.  Brancott Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand 12

 

Large Prawns and Scallops “A La Plancha” with Moroccan Couscous 44

Roasted Miso Black Cod with Ponzu Butter Sauce 44

Duo of Baby Lobster Tails with Jumbo Lump Crab Stuffing Market Price

Fettuccine Seafood Alfredo with Lobster, Prawns and Scallops 45

 

Surf and Turf

10oz. center cut filet with red wine mushroom sauce. Yukon gold mashed potato

With garlic prawns, beurre blanc and heirloom tomato salsa 59

 With lb. lobster tail, lobster sauce and heirloom tomato salsa 79

 Château Coutet, St. Émilion 16

 

Turf and Quack with Duo of Sauces 59