Working In A Goldmine

Tonight is dinner at STK at the Cosmopolitan. First time there. Wow. I love it. Parts of it are a little too Hollywood & young for me but there's an air of sophistication the Palms and Hard Rock don't have. Cosmo is like the younger, cooler, sexier sister of Aria; Cosmo is the one you wanna date. Aria is the one you wanna marry. On initial appearances it kicks the shit out of anything I've seen on the strip. Small and intimate but cool and refined-modern. It lived up to the hype in my eyes.

Our reservation is for 7.00p. We get there about 10 minutes early but they seat us immediately. We sit in a big round booth in the middle. Excellent location. I ask the hostess to let Chef Hopcraft know that I am here.

When we sit the music is funked-out 80s. I'm lovin' it. So far mom & dad are ok with it too. It's loud enough to provide the cool-vibe but soft enough to still have a conversation. I look over and see a familiar face. Joe one of the servers at Seablue is there with his girlfriend and another couple. Joe is one of the most likable guys around. He's Korean and tries to teach me words sometimes. I'm not really into it so we joke that I'm a "bad Korean." In typical Joe fashion he tells his waiter to box up the bone from his steak and give it to me for my dog. Come on. That's adorable. Even the guys I've dated wouldn't have thought of something that sweet.

We order drinks and before they come Hopcraft is in front of us. "I wanna hop over the table and grab you," he howls at me. Love this kid. Miss this kid. Hopcraft is the guy you want at your party because he's just so fun - in every situation. (Check him out on old eps of Bravo's Top Chef.) He's one of my favorite people in the world. There isn't much I wouldn't do for that kid & his family. He asked if he can do a menu for us and of course we say yes. 

Dad's Zinfandel arrives. I get a Malbec. Mom gets a Riesling. And then the plates start coming. Hamachi, beef tartare, butternut squash angolotti, lil' BGRs, and my favorite - absolute favorite - foie gras french toast. Back when Chef was at Seablue he used to save me & Trubes foie. It's terrible for you but it's so goddamn good. 

Table clears and dad & I order another round of wine. Mom's still sipping on her Riesling. Out comes the serious dishes. First Colorado lamp chops then a 24oz porterhouse. Oh yeah, there were sides too: broccolini, asparagus, spiced maple carrots, parmesan truffle fries and my mom's favorite, the mushroom pot pie. 

Did I mention there were only 3 of us? It was ridiculous how much food he sent. He came out a couple times to check on us. "You don't have to eat it all, just be sure to try a little of everything," banters Chef. Excellent advice. 

Plates clear and we hear, "Save room for desert." My mom literally groans in delight. Out comes a trio of trios: creme brules, cheesecake popsicles & bread pudding. Dad is so full he only tried 1 cheesecake popsicle and eats the ity-bity sized cookie garnishes on the sides of the plates. Mom and I have tastes of all of the rest. So good. Not as good as the foie but good nonetheless.

2 hours in and we are so done. The check comes out and we didn't get charged for a single bite of food. That's Steve. Yes, I've hooked up Hop for things at the arena and I will continue to do so when I can but he didn't have to treat me so well and he didn't have to be so good to my parents. That was all Steve. 

Couple of notes on the restaurant: it's loud. By the time our main dishes arrived we couldn't hear each other talk. Granted I was with two 76 year olds but even I had a hard time hearing. There are only a couple of bathrooms. I didn't go but my parents did at different times. I think they said there are only 2 unisex ones with a guy outside of them like a doorman. When we left there were probably 8 groups of people waiting by the entrance to get in with the lower bar all full. It was a Wednesday night in May and the place was packed. Get there early or make a reservation. Chef is Working In A Goldmine. Now I know why. Now I know where I'll be taking my friends, dates, colleagues. STK. Check it out. And tell Hopcraft Ames sent you.