Bavette's Steakhouse & Bar — Restaurant in Paradise

My review of this restaurant is far overdue, so let's start from the initial visit. My family and I first tried this steakhouse back on 25 Feb 2023 while we were staying at the Park MGM. The restaurant experience that night was great; the drinks were outstanding, the food was magnificent, and the service was remarkable. One thing I love about being a Las Vegas resident is that we have so many different steakhouses to choose from; whether you want that luxe/exquisite, quieter type of restaurant, or that rustic-looking, Chicago-themed steakhouse (which is exactly what it feels like when you dine here). I didn't get the opportunity to take a picture of every entrée sitting on our table that first night but I did attach a few of them (Baked Crab Cake, Classic Ribeye - Chicago Cut, Roasted Chicken, Buttery Mashed Potatoes, and Broiled Asparagus). We also ordered the Short Rib Stroganoff and Button Mushrooms, but unfortunately, my selfishness kicked in and I just wanted to eat, so no pics for those items. The ribeye was good; however, it wasn't the best I had in all of Las Vegas. That Stroganoff though, was out of this world - we wanted to order it again during our recent visit because of how superb that entrée was, but I convinced myself to try other items on the menu.

Speaking of recent visits, my wife and I were doing a staycation on the strip while family were visiting, and we opted to return to this restaurant based on our experience last year. We ate at Bavette's on 24 Feb 2024 (one day shy of 365 days), and were seated in the back room, off to the right, as you walk in the restaurant. Which by the way, was an awesome table - the chairs were comfy and the table was large enough to house all our food and drinks without feeling like plates or glasses were going to fall off the edge of the table. The décor in the entire restaurant was the same as last year (go figure right)...but it was downright transcendent. We ordered the Lamb Chops, Glazed Black Cod, Truffle Mac & Cheese, Charred Broccoli, Bacon Roasted Tomato Salad, and of course, the infamous Sourdough Bread. Everything was remarkable with the exception of the Lamb Chops and Bacon Roasted Tomato Salad. Whereas, those dishes weren't bad by any means, I just felt that the salad lacked an adequate amount of watercress - that bacon and tomato though, was truly special. Also the Lamb Chops were good, but I enjoy pairing it with either a mint chutney or chimichurri sauce. I mean, is that similar to dipping steak into steak sauces (a sin in which I don't commit)? Of notable mention, the other entrées/items on our table were the Fresh Oysters, Wedge Salad, Dry-Aged Bone-In Ribeye, Dry-Aged, Bone-In New York Strip, and Carrot Cake - everyone loved their food!

Now the exciting part of my review...the service. Our server for the 24 Feb visit was Gaga, which I thought was unique and coincidental since THE Lady Gaga had her museum/store on the same property. Regardless, our Gaga did an outstanding and admirable job serving us...and this includes her assistant server, JC (I don't know the term in the restaurant business...maybe the sous chef of servers?). Both of them were very professional, attentive, and highly efficient. I really appreciated how she went out of her way to get our server's name from our first visit almost a year ago based on the type of drink I had ordered (Tokyo Old Fashioned) - she narrowed down the server that recommends this drink...so I would be remiss to not give a special shout out to Dustin as well for his opulent service during our 25 Feb 2023 visit.

Overall, everything Bavette's has to offer is good and I don't feel anyone would be disappointed when eating here. I understand that everyone has different types of tasting receptors so it is impossible to make everyone happy. But at the end of the day, I will say that I like this restaurant and I highly recommend this restaurant to all visitors and locals. And finally, thank you, Bavette's for your support to the active men and women of the Armed Forces, to include its Veterans - greatly...

Knowing we’d be in town, we booked a reservation here a month in advance. (If you’re going spur of the moment you might be able to sit at the bar.)

Reception was friendly and welcoming. Comfortable seating area but we only waited about 5 minutes.

Soon the hostess guided us to a second room towards the back, with a quieter bar area and seating. We were seated in a quiet corner of the room. Relaxed and romantic.

Our server, “Gaga”, introduced herself and took our drink order. She was super friendly and helpful. During the meal she was the perfect level of attentive.

Drinks came and we already knew what we were going to order, to split. Sourdough bread, Baked Crab Cake, 20 oz dry aged Ribeye steak and Garlic mashed potatoes.

The Sourdough Bread was fantastic! I’m a mediocre sourdough baker myself. I’ve made a few “good” loaves, and I’ve bought several artisan loaves. This surpassed anything I’ve ever had. Thin, crispy, perfectly blistered top crust. Inside was moist, flavorful, chewy and perfectly textured. The bottom crust was just chewy enough, without being hard.

The Baked Crab Cake was an absolute delight. First, it’s BIG. Like 3” diameter and 1” thick. Easily shareable. It is chock full of chunky, sweet crabmeat. Very nicely seasoned with little filler. To simulate frying, it has a crunchy coating of toasted bread crumbs on the outside.

The mashed potatoes were creamy and buttery, with nice chunks of potato, and delicious whole cloves of roasted garlic on top. Perfectly seasoned.

Surprisingly, the Ribeye delivered to us, while very flavorful, was a solid “well” rather than the “medium rare” we had asked for. The first bites tasted so good, we were considering just going with it. Just then Gaga dropped by to check on us took one look and insisted on getting a fresh steak, cooked properly. She stopped back a minute later to let us know that the Manager was expediting a replacement steak, along with a fresh order of potatoes. About 2 minutes later the Manager stopped by to apologize for the error and assured us fresh food would be out shortly. No more than 5 minutes later, a kitchen staff member brought out fresh food.

THIS Ribeye was cooked to a perfect medium rare and even looked a bit thicker than the first. It was mouth watering tender and delicious. The flavor was deep and robust. Served with a light and tangy Béarnaise sauce. Truly among the top steaks we’ve ever eaten. And, in our opinion, far better than a similar steak we had at the “G” place across the street in NYNY.

To conclude the epic meal, Gaga brought us a complimentary serving of delicious Mango Sorbet. Light, fresh and delicious. Perfect!

We were satiated and happy when we finished. Too full for dessert. So, we ordered Carrot cake and Chocolate Cream pie to go. When we finally got around to eating them, both were delicious!!

Overall, we had a great dining experience at this Bavette. The food was excellent, the service was attentive, and the atmosphere was romantic. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to others. *UPDATE- 1 YEAR LATER We returned to Vegas 1 year later. The very first reservation we made was for Bavette’s. And, we had such wonderful memories, we ordered almost exactly what we had the previous visit! Just ditto everything I previously wrote, except the Steak was perfect the first time out of the kitchen. This time we also tried the Elote Style Corn which was excellent. Slightly spicy, bright, and a great flavor. Our server was Julian, who was tall, dark and fabulous. Warm, friendly and very attentive, with GQ looks. We’ll be back next year, and maybe venture into some...

Let me preface this by saying Bavette's in Chicago is awesome. I did not hesitate while staying at NoMad to book a table at Bavette's prior to our Bruno Mars concert in Vegas. I was actually pleased to see Bavette's was on site and literally steps away from the Dolby venue.

While there were zero issues with the food, the service was subpar when we entered the restaurant. The young lady at the reservation desk greeted us as if we weren't supposed to be there. She was borderline rude.

We were then seated in chairs inside a booth. Yes. Not a booth seat, but actual chairs inside the booth. I thought this was odd but did not immediately say anything. I did observe that there were two other open booths with actual booth seats available.

There were no issues with our server. My drink was good, and we had no complaints with our food. My son enjoyed his double thick chop, I enjoyed my lamb chops, and we both enjoyed the truffle mac and crispy brussels sprouts.

I glanced around the entire area and noticed only my son and I were sitting in chairs inside booths. It was kind of ridiculous, actually. I asked the server why we were seated in this manner. He had no answer and asked if we wanted a complimentary dessert. No. This was not about a free anything. I was genuinely curious why we were seated as such when other booths were available when we arrived.

Noticing my irritation, the server sent the manager over. The manager seemed put off by my irritation, shrugged, and began explaining that the booth seat was out for repairs. Okayyy???? He said he would remove the drink and sides from my bill. Again, it's not the point.

The point is that this is not acceptable for a "high-end" restaurant with prices to match. I made a few suggestions. 1) Use all intact booths before seating a customer anywhere else. 2) Advise your customer PRIOR to seating them that a booth in disrepair is the only option available and let the customer decide whether that option is suitable for them. 3) Advise your customer prior to seating them AND offer a complimentary drink, appetizer, side, or dessert as an incentive for the inconvenience. 4) Just take the darn booth out of service.

After all, the service should be commensurate with the prices. And why risk offending your customers by making them feel somehow less than or singled out for any reason, especially because your furniture is...