Today in Las Vegas Magazine

That Old Black Magic

I read somewhere that Vegas is a ‘steak and potatoes’ kind of town, and that every Vegas hotel must have a steakhouse, possibly a holdover from the Rat Pack days. VooDoo Steak & Lounge at the Rio is a wonderful example of that. Well, sort of. Scratch any reference to Creole- and Cajun-inspired dishes, as the restaurant recently underwent a menu transformation. Rest assured, the killer view from the 50th floor and the ‘voodoo-inspired’ theme – colorful murals of what seem to be hexes and diagrams, moody lighting, mismatched chairs – are still there, lending charm to the place.

Fans of this New Orleans kind of vibe and flavor, need not despair. Chef Honorio Mecinas, who took over the menu make-over six months ago says, “We try and please everybody. We’ve kept the classics like the gumbo and the beignets, but we also try and introduce new flavors and ingredients.”

The formula seems to work, because the place was packed on a Wednesday night. The baby-faced chef, whose bio lists impressive accomplishments, adds “I basically had two weeks to develop a new menu, and we still try and improve on it by adding our specials and new ingredients, with dishes like the cast-iron Chilean sea bass.”

First things first – access to the restaurant is via a special elevator located on the second floor. Don’t make the mistake (like we did) of trying to get there by using the lifts at the lobby. From then on, it was a smooth, quick ride to the top and on to one of the most pleasant dining experiences we’ve ever had.

The second thing is – come hungry. Upon seating, you’re immediately welcomed with a bread basket, along with your drinks. Now on to the meal. Because I was under the mistaken notion that the food was heavily influenced by Creole and Cajun cuisine, I expected popular fare like oysters rockefeller, jambalaya and the like. In reality, the restaurant now serves a more traditional ‘surf and turf’ fare – there’s that ‘steak and potatoes’ again. It doesn’t matter though, for it does offer some inspired touches that set it apart from the rest of the pack. Like the witch doctor sampler, an appetizer platter comprising coconut shrimp, creole crab cake, rock shrimp hush puppies, tasso ham beignets and buttermilk frogs’ legs. All were tasty and provided the right amount to whet our appetites, though my favorites were the hush puppies and the beignets and I felt that the batter for both was adequately spiced not to need the pepper jack fondue or basil aioli dips. Though deep-fried, they were not greasy, but were in fact crispy, with a crunch that bordered on perfection.

Looking back, we probably shouldn’t have ordered the lobster bisque, but we couldn’t resist the promise of a creamy, seafood-infused soup. It delivered on all levels – from the presentation, to the execution, and most important of all, the taste.

For our main courses, we ordered the 10 oz. wagyu flat iron steak and the seared scallops. At least I thought I ordered the flat iron steak, but I believe our server just caught the ‘wagyu’ part of my order and mistakenly sent me the rib-eye and what a glorious case of miscommunication this was. The rib-eye, already a fairly fatty cut of steak, was given that added oomph (at least to me) with its ‘wagyu’ distinction. (Wagyu or Kobe-style beef refers to a specific cattle-breed fed on a special diet of beer and sake and known for its intense marbling.) I would have been perfectly happy with the flat iron steak, though the rib-eye just sent me to an almost trance-like state of bliss. Fat bliss. If you’re going to give this a try, I suggest you order the 5 oz. minimum, that way you have room for one of the side dishes like the Cajun-spiced shoestring potatoes or the mac and cheese. Another luxe addition to the steaks is roasted bone marrow and for the squeamish, I will add that it’s beef bone marrow, if that makes you feel any better, though that should already be understood. Really, it’s like beef-flavored butter, and a natural (and very tasty) extension of the steak.

In contrast, the pan-seared jumbo scallops was the polar opposite of my wagyu steak – the clean, fresh and sweet flavor of the scallops proved a refreshing change with its medley of black trumpet mushrooms, spring peas and crispy prosciutto.

If you pace yourself, or bring a large group, you may still have some room for dessert. Top on the ‘must-try’ list is the VooDoo fondue – a many-tiered fantasy of flavored marshmallows, pound cakes, crispies and fresh fruits and comes with a chocolate dipping sauce. One order is for a minimum of two persons, so be forewarned. Or the cheesecake, which was almost too-pretty to eat - the operative word being, almost.

However you want to classify it, hex or not, the food at voodoo has some pretty serious mojo going on, guaranteed to put you under a spell.

-Rachel M. Sugay