Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill

We were attending the Still Raining concert in the MGM Grand Arena on Nov. 25 and booked a table at this restaurant at 5:30pm, 2.5 hours before the concert start time. We were seated at the very back of the restaurant, which was fine with us as we had a view of L’ Atelier De Joel Robuchon (a restaurant I want to try in the future). Wary of my wine ordering experience the night before (see my review of Piero’s Italian), I gave Josh, our waiter, the names of two bottles of wine. They had a bottle of 2015 Chateau de Valois from Pomerol, somewhat overpriced but it was very good: a very smooth, mainly Merlot wine, full of fruit and hints of spice. We shared the Crisp Pork Belly appetizer. This was perfectly prepared and dressed with a sweet chili glaze, cucumbers, scallions and sesame seeds; the best dish of the night (to me). Our entrees were the Roasted Half Jidori Chicken, served over a bed of Yukon Gold Potato Puree and a rosemary-garlic jus and two pizzas: the Margherita and Wolfgang’s signature, Classic Smoked Salmon, with a dill crème fraiche, red onion, chives and dollops of Kaluga caviar. We had an issue with the pizzas; the Margherita came to our table cold … my salmon pizza was barely lukewarm. I can understand that of the salmon pizza, due to the use of crème fraiche, smoked salmon and caviar but there’s no excuse for a cold Margherita. Was it a delay by our waiter or was it due to the distance from the kitchen to our table? Whatever the case, we had to send the Margherita back. We shared the pizzas because they were more than any of us could consume solo. The Margherita was okay, and the salmon pizza was somewhat salty. I’ve had this pizza almost every time I’ve dined at Wolfgang so I’m very familiar with the dish. This one wasn’t their best; disappointing because (I believe) it cost $85. We finished by sharing a chocolate souffle. It was served with tiny dishes of vanilla ice cream and whipped crème fraiche. This, and the crisp pork belly were the standout dishes. Final thoughts? I always like dining at Wolfgang because I can count on getting a great meal. Service from Josh was great, and we had a perfect table. However, the entrees were somewhat disappointing, so just 4 stars, barely.

For being a pretty low key restaurant, the food was really good. We ordered the Italian meat pizza, fried calamari, and new York strip steak. All of it tasted great, steak was better than I had expected topped with some yummy mushrooms. I loved the fried veggies that were mixed in with the calamari. Also ordered an old fashioned and it came out just the way it should be.

One of the more reasonably priced eateries in any of the Strip casinos. A nice selection of basic menu items but well prepared and delicious. Definitely a casual atmosphere as you are in the middle of the gaming tables and slot machines. The prime burger was excellent as were the chicken wings and the Italian sandwich.

We were staying at the MGM and decided to first have drinks at Wolfgang Pucks. One of the best Margaritas that we have had. So we left and came back for dinner and that was WOW. We had the Truffle Fries, Dry Buffalo Wings, Crabcakes and more Strawberry Margaritas. It was soooo good that we came back again for dinner the next night too. The food came out fast and steaming hot too. Impressed.

The atmosphere was nice but the Diavolo was lacking in flavor. All the seafood was cooked correctly and the pasta itself was really good, but the sauce could use some work. Definitely lacking in the flavor department and also the sauce was a little loose. This could be that it was nearing the end of the night, but not sure.