When I got the invitation to attend the opening of 35 Steaks + Martinis at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, my first thought was “Didn’t they just open a new steakhouse?”  Frankly, I never understood why they closed AJ’s Steakhouse, and hadn’t even made it to Rare 120; so the idea of attending another Vegas opening (what my college buddy, Nicole, would’ve jokingly referred to in a giggling sing-song voice as “same fa-ces/diff’rent pla-ces”) was met with a wave of ennui.

So, I opted to preempt the crowds, and got Jacob and I greased into one of the “play days” before the official opening, and I’ve gotta say – it was great.  Right out of the gate they hit a homerun with the 35 Gimlet (shaken with Hendricks gin, cucumber essence and hand-pressed lime juice; the glass is then decorated with wafer-thin slices of cucumber).  Jacob is still raving about it.  And on the subject of specialty cocktails, my stepmother recently proclaimed that the Spicy Signature Serrano Martini (Belvedere Intense vodka, basil, fresh lime, and muddled Serrano chilies) was "one of the best drinks ever" - and this is a woman who likes things spicy and knows her way around a liquor cabinet.

Having dined there, twice, some of our favorites from the menu include the French Onion Soup (35-hour stock, caramelized onions, Brioche, Gruyere gratin), the Chopped Salad (air-dried Jamon Serrano, Manchego cheese, Piquillo peppers, Brioche croutons, cucumbers, artichokes, radishes, red grapes), the Salmon (head-on White Shrimp, French fingerling potatoes, fennel, spicy tomato jus), and the Spicy Tuna (spicy Torgarashi-rubbed sashimi-grade tuna, avocado ginger emulsion, lime and mint field greens, caramelized soy sauce).  It’s not surprising, though, that my absolute favorite item at 35 Steaks + Martinis is the Tomahawk Chop, a 35oz. long-bone rib-eye that is presented tableside, then carved and plated for two.  And on the off-chance that you don’t think you’ll be good-to-go with that, the trio of surf-and-turf options (lobster tail, King crab legs, or three giant prawns – grilled or sautéed) are sure to leave you sated.

It's no wonder, then, that 35 Steaks + Martinis is already a favorite of such celebrities as Ice-T and Coco, musician Pete Wentz and his model girlfriend Meagan Camper, reality personalities Audrina Patridge and Heidi Montag, singer Christina Milian, recently retired PBR-great Ross Coleman, and actors Shawn Pyfrom (Desperate Housewives) and Dan Byrd (Cougar Town, Easy A).  

35 Steaks + Martinis
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Click HERE for menu and reservations

Get into it!