I am always the first to wake
up in the morning. I needed to start thinning out our groceries so we didn’t
have too much to take back home with us. I had a leftover naan bread and
decided to make a flatbread pizza with it for breakfast. I topped it with some
butter, shredded parmesan cheese, and sprinkling of salt and pepper. I used the
convection setting on the microwave and got the cheese all bubbling and gooey.
It turned out pretty good.
Since it was Memorial Day, we
decided to leave the grilling to someone else this year. A 10-minute leisurely
walk from the Elara is Shake Shack. This is the very first Shake Shack location
to open up west of the Mississippi. It made its debut on December 29, 2014,
just in time for the New Year’s Eve festivities on the strip. Shake Shack
started in 2001 as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park in Manhattan, NY. They
won a bid to open a permanent kiosk in 2004 and the rest is history. It is very
fitting that they opened their location at the New York New York Hotel &
Casino in Las Vegas. The menu is so diverse, pretty much everyone in your party
will be able to enjoy.
They have a buzzer system
that tells you when your food items are ready. You’ll receive your food whether
it is hot or cold just as it is ready. You might receive your food in stages
but you’ll know that it is the freshest it can be.
Beer Float is seasonal dark
beer topped with vanilla frozen custard. If you mix the frozen custard and beer
together to form a creamier drink, the flavors work well together. A more
subtle stout that has more roasted coffee or dark chocolate flavor forward
would work a little better. Otherwise, it was really good and reminded my hubby
of his college days. Rating: 4.5/5
SmokeShack is a cheeseburger
topped with all-natural Applewood smoked bacon, chopped cherry pepper, and
ShackSauce. The seasoned beef patty was grilled to perfection. The lettuce was
crisp and the tomatoes were juicy. The onions were not overpowering and had a
sweetness to them. The cherry pepper was a little intense but it had a good
spicy kick. The bacon, however, was a little dry making it both tough and
chewy. The bacon either needs to be thinner and crispier or thicker and fried a
little less for a softer texture. Rating: 4/5
Shack Stack is a cheeseburger
and a ‘Shroom Burger (crisp, fried portabella mushroom filled with melted Muenster
and cheddar cheeses) topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce. If you like
steak and mushrooms, this is the burger for you. The fried portabella mushroom added
a crispy texture, but once you bit through, the mushroom was just juicy and
oozing with melted cheese like a mushroom popper. The beef patty was juicy and
beefy. The bun was brioche-like and held together to the last bite. Rating: 5/5
Cheese Fries are topped with
a special blend of cheddar and American cheese sauce. The fries were crispy and
the crinkle cuts helped hold the cheese sauce on the fries. An addition of
chili or bacon bits would be great options to add to the menu. Rating: 4.5/5
All Shook Up Concrete is
vanilla frozen custard, Gimme Some Sugar banana peanut butter cheesecake, and
chocolate toffee. The vanilla custard is made on premises and made with real
sugar and milk from hormone-free dairy farms. You definitely feel the presence
of Elvis while eating this! All it needed was some bacon. It was a great mix of
flavors but the cheesecake was really heavy - maybe less of the cheesecake and more
fresh banana. The vanilla custard was creamy and fantastic! Rating: 4/5
- 5% of sales from All Shook Up Concrete supports First Friday Foundation Las Vegas, advancing local artists and inspiring civic art.
With our bellies full, we
took the long way back to the Elara on the west side of the Strip. Since rain took
away the clouds, the sun was out, making it very bright and hot. With water in
hand, we walked through The Shops at Crystals, part of the Aria Hotel. An architectural
80-foot sculptural Tree House provides dining room space for Maestro’s Ocean
Club. On the ground floor, it houses the Concierge desk. The walkway connected
to cross Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue back to Planet Hollywood and the
Elara. Since, the pool was busy again, we spent the hot afternoon in our cool,
air conditioned room.
Just south of the famous Las
Vegas welcome sign, is an outdoor shopping center called Town Square. Fleming’s
Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar has a location here. Fleming’s is an upscale
steakhouse with locations across the country. We are big fans of Fleming’s and
eat at the Newport Beach location often. Dinner time called for steak!
- If you are a Friend of Fleming’s member, you receive special notifications of events and dining credits. Through June 11, 2015, Friends of Fleming’s members receive a $40 dining credit when you spend a minimum of $100. Reservations must be made through the special email link.
The dinner starts off with
their cheese bread with a choice of sundried tomato butter or a chardonnay
infused gorgonzola butter with apple and cranberries. They are both fantastic
so bounce back and forth between flavors.
The New Wedge Salad is topped
with grape tomatoes, crispy onions, caramelized bacon, bleu cheese, pepitas,
and bleu cheese dressing. It was nicely presented but would be easier to eat
with the bacon and bleu cheese crumbled. The flavors work well together for a
perfectly sized dinner salad. Rating: 4/5
Dry-aged Prime Ribeye is aged
a minimum of 21 days and seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper, and finished
with butter and parsley. The steak was tender, succulent, and sliced like butter.
It was perfectly broiled to black and blue doneness with nice char on the outside
and cool dark red interior. It could be seasoned a bit more with salt and more
melted butter on top. Rating: 4.5/5
Prime Bone-In Ribeye is aged
a minimum of 21 days and seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper, and finished
with butter and parsley. The steak was perfectly broiled to medium-rare
doneness. It was also tender and succulent with tastier meat near the bone.
This was also under seasoned and could use more salt and butter. Rating: 4/5
Truffle-Parsley Mashed
Potatoes tasted like homemade mashed with small lumps inside. The truffle could
be more flavor forward. The texture was a little granular and could be a little
creamier. Rating: 3/5
Creamed Spinach was creamy
and silky and works well with steak or prime rib. The parmesan on top added an
aged, tangy flavor to the mix. Rating: 4.5/5
As we drove back to the
Elara, our Memorial Day weekend has come to an end. We got to revisit parts of
the strip that we normally don’t see and try new restaurants. We will miss you,
Las Vegas, but we will be back soon enough.
For more information:
80 East Harmon Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89109
+1.702.669.6700
3790 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
+1.725.222.6730
Hours: Sunday through
Thursday from 11am to 12am, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 2am
6515 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89101
+1.702.407.0019
Hours: Monday through
Thursday from 5pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 11pm, and Sunday
from 4pm to 10pm
