I love the Hard Rock as a property, and want to love all the food options as well, but wouldn't make the effort to return here. Funniest item was a honey almond micro brew from WI which came in a can so large that it was impossible to finish-good thing for beer I guess! Prices were firm for the portion sizes which were not generous-and the Seared Tuna Salad which I ordered was reasonably tasty-but the presentation was lackluster at best=looking like a bowl of lettuce with a few shreds of this or that thrown in and a few chopped up pieces of grey looking tuna which were certainly hard to distinguish from a lettuce leaf-hardly the normal presentation of fresh slices of seared rare tuna one would expect as the featured item in your bowl. Service was mediocre=no refills on ice tea and long lapses with barely a suggestion of dessert on a not full Monday night. Seems like an adequate option if you want drinks and bar food in an interesting vibe-but don't come hungry and expect to fill up unless you order plenty and if eating healthy is the idea-would pass also. Most of the rave food options are fried and heavy on fat loaded dips-maybe the right idea to ward off a hang over..
Review Source:Never again.
My husband and I ate here on July 13th.  We were seated outside, under a mister that was more like  London drizzle than mist.  I ended up soaking wet from the back of my legs to the top of my shirt.
Next, the food. Â I the pretzel roll fondue was the highlight and that isn't saying much. Â The rolls tasted like store bought, but the fondue was good. Â Thus the one star.
I had the fried chicken. Â It came out greasy with a biscuit that tasted more like lard and a dash of honey than anything else. Â The gravy was not good either. Â I ate less than half of the chicken.
My husband had the jambalaya. Â It was basically a bowl of rice. Â We were warned it was spicy but that was not the case. Â The sausage was flavorless and he had ONLY TWO SHRIMP, both of which were mealy and the size of a quarter. Â I've had better quality cocktail shrimp at Du-Par's downtown. Â Not worth the price.
I woke up later that night with a racing heart, nausea, and clammy skin. Â I ended up sick and for the better part of the next day all I tasted was the grease from that chicken.
As locals, we are always looking for a new, fun place to eat. Â This ain't it.
So Fun....... And the food is delicious too.
I was here with my coworkers and was so impressed with the food and atmosphere. Â The food was average priced for vegas. Â I had the Tuna Salad and my only issue was the fishy taste of the tuna. Â The salad portion was excellent and the pretzel bites were awesome!
I am a fan! Â I love the atmosphere of this place, casual and relaxed. Â It was a comfortable environment to sit back, have some fun food and try a good beer. Â My friend and I went during happy hour, it was perfect. Â The food was simple and good. Â The beer was excellent. Â The door to the pool was open but I was not hot. Â It was a pleasant experience and I would definitely go back. Â Pretzels and cheese? Â Awesomeness! Â Oh, and it was not insanely busy or too crowded.
Review Source:I've waited 7 days to write this review but the sweetness of the king crab and the slithery deliciousness of the oysters are still fresh in my mind. Oh Culinary Dropout you are bad, very very bad!!! I was staying at the HRH on business and happened to stumble on this place and I'm so glad I did. I don't know if it was one too many vodka whatevers but everything tasted so good. Culinary Dropout you had me at provolone fondu! We started with pretzel and the very good cheese fondu and went to appetizer heaven from there. Next was fries and the homemade chips. Fried were perfectly crisp and the dip for the crunchy potato chips was definitely craveable. Next king crab legs, dozen oysters and huge monster shrimp. The oysters were beyond fresh, I mean it was like someone just dove into the ocean shucked them and brought them to us. Not to big but perfect to enjoy. The crab legs were obese with meat and equally fresh and good. The shrimp were so big that one was equivalent to other restaurants cocktail. Again equally fresh and so yummy. Next not the table was fresh French fries. I know what your thinking, Felicia, you already mentioned you had fries. Well guess what we ordered more!! Pigs, we were pigs!! Lastly, the monkey bread and vanilla bean ice cream. Words cannot do justice to this gooey, cinnamony, pillowy soft pull apart desert demon!! The ice cream was just icing. We didn't even get to any of the main courses so I will definitely be back but it will be so very hard not to order the exact same things. Service was awesome but to be honest the server could have slapped me and I would not have noticed with all of the goods!! You make me proud Culinary Dropout. Oh just in case you were wondering this place is way casual so don't worry about dressing up too much. Enjoy!
Review Source:Absolutely phenomenal food! Â
My wife and I were desperate for some good eats, but nothing too fancy. Â We used to go to Johnny Small's at the Hard Rock, but took a chance on this restaurant. Â We sat at the bar and had the best happy hour food we've had in a long time. Â The draft beer was 3 dollars a mug (note, not just domestic... draft), and we got Grilled Cheese Sliders, Smoked Salmon Bruschetta, Kobe Beef on a Stick, Antipasto, and it all came in under 40 bucks! Â Amazing wait staff, great bar staff, and this place is now officially on our top eats list when we're visiting in Vegas.
Thank you guys for such an excellent culinary experience!
Been hearing good things about CD recently so I finally stopped in with a group of people for dinner. Â Apparently, several in the group hadn't heard of CD and were putting me under the gun for my recommendation...in the end everyone gave me props.
We started with some antipasti which was all very good and if that's your thing I would recommend giving a meat, a cheese, olives, and tomatoes a whirl. Â But at the very least, get yourself some of the 'crusty bread and good olive oil' Â The bread was awesome and the olive oil was even better, I'd get it every time.
So many of the items on the menu sound good it was tough to decide. Â The overwhelming favorite order was the Turkey Pastrami...how can you go wrong with a pretzel bun? Â I was fortunate enough to convince a friend to go halfsies on the Turkey Pastrami and the Shaved Prime Rib dip. Â We both agree the dip was phenom and the better of the two choice.
They have a pretty solid selection of beers and actually offer a cool deal where for $2.95 you can get a cheap as hell beer in a brown bag. Â The beer was sort of a mystery and I think it changes every so often...it would even be better if it changed order to order. Â This go around it was a 'Buck Range Light'. Â I had never heard of it but someone at the table had.
The waiter mentioned they have some nice specials certain nights. Â I think on some Sunday's they do $3 Jameson drinks and $1 oysters if you're into that.
The only thing keeping Culinary Dropout from a 5 star rating (in my opinion...obviously) are the portions. Â For the prices we paid for a sandwich, I thought they could have been a little bigger. Â The shave prime rib dip was amazing, but the given the size i could have had 1.5-2 easily. Â For an $18 sandwich I'd hope to at least have to put up a fight to finish or feel full afterwards. Â That's my only warning, otherwise, it's a pretty cool and delicious place to grab a meal. Â They even feature outdoor seating for days when it isn't 115 degrees.
The soft pretzels are a must do! The staff is always friendly and accomodating (during restaurant week one of the menu items that I wanted to try was not on the menu. In speaking with the chef I mentioned wanting to try it and he said he would kindly make the substitution for me). With all around good choices on the menu, they have one of the best outside dining experiences that I have been to so we enjoy coming here in the spring months for the atmosphere.
Review Source:I'm a local almost never eat at hotels but I was at the pool at Hard Rock last week and my friends and I were very hungry, the Dropout hit the spot, our server Dominique was very friendly and made some suggestions, great burgers and P.B.R... We all went back to the pool very content...
Review Source:I really wanted to like this place. The reviews on Yelp got me a little amped up and was about to forget about the fact that I'm about to spend $22 for a fried chicken dish. Others raved it was amazing and worth it.
The hostess was great and seated us near the bar. We noticed it was incredibly hot in there and asked the staff if the air conditioning was on. Then I noticed the large sliding door behind the bar was open. Why would you have it open in June with it 95+ degrees outside. We were about to leave, but decided it would be worth it to stay.
Our server was the next bad part. He came right away with water but when we told him we were ready to order he told me he is only taking drink orders right now. We settled with just water. He came back 20 minutes later to finally take our food order. Again, we stayed because we knew it had to be worth it.
I ordered the fried chicken of course and my buddy ordered the stroganoff. Luckily it didn't take too long for the food to arrive though it wasn't fast either. I was starving by the time it arrived. I took a bite into the chicken and didn't really expect the honey glaze. It was alright, but just a little surprise. The chicken was cooked amazingly. The breast was very juicy and not dry at all. It did need some more seasoning though. It came with gravy so i guess you're supposed to dip it into it. The gravy was pretty bad. It tasted like it came in a paper pouch that you buy for $.50 at the grocery store.
The side dishes were not good. The cole slaw was soggy and lacked any flavor. Even with a ton of salt & pepper it didn't taste very good. The mashed potatoes tasted bland. What restaurant just serves mash potatoes with no seasonings or spices in it? Again, the gravy was bad. The biscuit though was really good. The honey crust on top was flavorful.
I wouldn't come back here. Everything on the menu was overly priced and sorry but the chicken was over hyped. Sure it was fried very nicely, but lacked spices.
I have dined at Culinary Dropout twice, both before concerts. Even though I made a reservation each time (7pm on a Tuesday, 8pm on a Friday), it didn't seem necessary. My guest and I were seated without a wait. The ambience is cool, yet comfortable. It is difficult to identify servers since they do not have a uniform, but they are very attentive.
On to the food...like all of the previous posters, you will do yourself a disservice if you don't have the soft pretzels with provolone fondue. If you don't use all of the cheese, save it for your meal. My husband dipped his fries in it and also spread it on his perfectly grilled burger. I had the chicken club sandwich. The chicken breast was grilled, tender, and flavorful. With the turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard, it was a perfect combination of flavors and textures.
I highly recommend saving room for dessert. This was my favorite part of the meals. The monkey bread is baked when you order it, served warm a la mode. Very delicious. However, I think my new favorite is the caramel custard. The very generous portion of the salted caramel custard has a consistency similar to creme brûlée. It is topped with a thick layer of caramel syrup and their own delicious caramel corn. It is decadent and rich, more than enough to share with one or two people.
This restaurant may be a good replacement for a fun meal since Johnny Smalls closed.
I was staying at the Hard Rock and checked out Yelp to figure out where to stop in for a quick dinner with my friends. I loved the chill vibe and cute decor of the restaurant. We checked out their patio but opted to sit indoors....the patio is super cute and has a great view of the pool. Now to the food....it was so good! I enjoyed every dish we ordered to share. The highlights were the artichoke app, turkey pastrami and the sweet corn pasta. The only complaint that I have is that it was tad warm in the dining area. Other than that...I def recommend for a casual dinner that has great food options!
Review Source:Great visit. We sat outside during our visit and got to enjoy the live show!
Two things I came to Yelp about. First is the Soft Pretzels & Provolone. DUDE! Completely worth it! They were even good reheated. True story!
Second I must rave about the service that Felicia provided. What an experience! She is what I hope for everytime I visit a restaurant. Great service, great personality and completely knowledgable of the menu and made great suggestions.
I can guarantee my return for the pretzels and I will definitely request Ms. Felicia! Me and my lady were completely impressed with everything.
If you're thinking about going, I hope that this review will convince you that it is totally worth a shot.
Visiting Vegas from Sam Francisco and was looking for a quick tip from yelp. This place had solid four stars after 123 reviews. How could that many yelpers be wrong.?
Well they weren't! Â Had the pretzel fondue and yesterday soup for starters and both were great! Soup was very flavorful and came with a slice of toasted seasoned garlic bread. Only critique here might be a little less seasonings on the bread so you can use it to balance the taste of the very flavorful soup to your preference. The fondue was nice and saucy after having a chance to heat up. To make it easier for hungry diners to dig right in, perhaps it could have been melted to saucy consistency right before serving. It was only Luke warm when it got to the table, but warmed up nicely after a few minutes. After that, consistency and taste of cheese and pretzels were great!
Fried chicken was the main course and it did not disappoint! Cooked perfectly juicy tasty and tender, you get half a chicken, two sides and a biscuit so be hungry! Or share.
Monkey bread for dessert. Fresh from the oven with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Like a different kind of apple pie a la mode. Â If you have room left to enjoy this is the dessert to get! Or jut come in for dessert after a night of party or gaming.
I didn't know what to expect upon hearing the name of this restaurant. Â Was it run by culinary students who failed culinary school? Â And if so, do we dare host a job interview meal here? Â I don't know the origins of the restaurant name - but we did host our job interview meal here last night and had a wonderful dinner! Â This is a must see, must eat Vegas restaurant!! Â
There are oh, maybe, 500 restaurants "to see" in Las Vegas - this is one of them! Â Culinary Dropout blew my mind. Â It is beautiful!! Â It is Classic Industrial at it's finest! Â The furniture is contemporary classic - tufted sofas, wingback chairs, wooden industrial tables. Â Simply stunning decor. Â Beautifully decorated with a wall of windows overlooking the HRH pool, with a GINORMOUS patio outside that probably seats 100 people easy. Â Hands down, best patio dining I have seen in Las Vegas!! Â
I'm a terrible Yelper for not taking photos. Â I was interviewing a job candidate - not showing off my YELP skillz. Â You will have to go see the place for yourself!
The food? Â Oh yeah, the food! Â They have an awesome starter menu of Antipasta where each table can individually create their own antipasta plate by filling out a menu card - similar to sushi places where you mark what you want. Â We started with a few meats and cheeses - all of which we enjoyed. Â They are served with some bread and mini breadsticks that resemble pretzels. Â
The menu contains a little bit of everything. Â Really, everything. Â From meatloaf, to chicken curry, to fried chicken, to steak, to jambalaya, to a slew of salads and sandwiches. Â There is something for everyone here. Â
I decided to order the Bistro Steak - served with house fries and a gorgonzola sauce. Â I don't consider myself a Steak connoisseur by any means - but this steak was awesome!! Â Perfectly tender and juicy and charred - and served off the bone in a strip of mini segments of meat. Â The fries are hand-cut and also very good. Â My dining partners had the fried chicken and the salmon - both of which were devoured. Â
For dessert we shared the Monkey Bread that other Yelpers recommended. Â Served hot with a side of ice cream, it is PERFECT for sharing and was amazingly delicious!! Â
Prices are actually reasonable - but if you want to enjoy the place you can expect about $50 per person with drinks for dinner. Â Our party of 3 with many drinks, appetizer, entrees, and dessert ran us $177. Â
The service was excellent - their beer selection is "crafty" and "traditional" and the restaurant ambiance is stellar. Â We had a very enjoyable meal - staying for almost 3 hours and enjoying every minute. Â I will return here soon with my husband and friends!!
This was a great addition to the Hard Rock Casino, which was lacking a good restaurant to relax and enjoy good food. The staff and service was attentive. Â The food was even better. Â We ordered the Fried Chicken, Fish and Chips, Â Chicken Club and all dishes we shared were good, Not a bad bite of anything. Â The Monkey Bread for dessert is a must! Â For fun we ordered the Beer in the bag, which came with a surprise beer each time. If you like cheap beer like Pabst or Milwaukee Best, this choice is for you.
The overall ambiance is cool, dark stained wood with industrial look inside and modern and hip patio with a view of the pool. Â Great for people watching and wondering eyes.
We have one here in Scottsdale yet I have never been. Our buddy had eaten here the night before and was raving about it and then I realized what he was talking about and got excited myself since this would be my first time.
Cool location in the hotel as it opens up into this pool area with a cool patio. Food was awesome. I had the turkey ruben and would definitely get it again. Its a big portion so I easily could have shared.
They were having issues with their carbonation for their drinks but the waiter was cool about it and made up for it so we were pleased.
I saw an ad on the back of our taxi and just from the name we decided to go. That and i was meeting a client at the Hardrock.
If you are entering the casino it's tucked away just off the casino floor over looking the Paradise pool area. We went on a fabulous weather day in Vegas. Low 80's with a breeze. We sat inside because well who wants body sweat and suntan oil smell seeping into your lunch?
Decent fat friendly seating.
We came with zero knowledge or expectations other than what we saw on the back of the cab.
Nice surprise!
The best part was the Service. extremely nice hostess, waiters etc. constantly there just in time to refill the drinks or see if we needed anything.
Cocktails: My bloody Mary was hand made. Nicely prepared with bacon, cucumber garnish. Decent selection of beers both foreign and domestic.
BEST PART of Food: a do it yourself antipasta bar - & raw bar. Huge selection of meats, cheese & veggies plus shrimp, crab legs oysters etc. (only one of us is not allergic to shell fish). I would go just for this. BUT
They have mini grilled cheese sandwiches. and fall off the bone ribs and yummy close to mama used to make meat loaf.
As a local to Las Vegas, we usually only go to casinos on or close to the strip when we have company or clients in Vegas but we have gone back twice just to go to Culinary Dropout. Worth the $5.00 to the valet to park.
Oh and the pool eyecandy was nice too. No speedos to be seen.
So good! The best food I've had in Vegas, proper. Order the ribs- or the fried chicken- or the fish and chips. All perfect. Get the pretzels, too.
The service was terrific! The staff was courteous and worked as a team. I placed a huge takeout order for a party upstairs (best part is that it's located in the Hard Rock Hotel) and they missed the ribs on my order. BOOM. 15 minutes later had them delivered to my door.
If I had to live in that god-forsaken town, this restaurant could not get rid of me.
On the outside, Culinary Dropout looks like it's going to be an All-American bar where  food and drinks shoot out from the back and the music blares in the front. It's not necessarily the opposite, but it's definitely an upper-scale version of what a good dinner restaurant should be.
We came here with no expectations and left with full stomachs and smiles on our faces. We had the grilled artichoke (which had a great dipping sauce), cheese and prosciutto (plenty to share) for appetizers, and my friend got the Bistro Steak (on the small side but still filling) and I got the Jambalaya (spicy and full of sausage and seafood).
We capped it off with a Monkey Bite, which is essentially a cinnamon roll crammed into a bed of baked apple and served with a scoop of ice cream. It was amazing. And delicious. And it was probably what put the restaurant over the top when it came to the food.
Our server was attentive and didn't make things awkward. We didn't feel like we were being checked on every 2 minutes.
Something to note is that the employees here don't have a uniform - they're free to dress in whatever way makes them feel comfortable. We used this as a conversation starter and learned a lot about our waiter.
I'll definitely be coming back here again: Great service, good food, happy stomachs.
Check out my review on ElevatorBuzz here: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.elevatorbuzz.com%2F2013%2F04%2Fvegas-life-culinary-dropout-at-hard.html&s=bba83441986edcef001a4980f4ad180ea181edeb48fa255e24f54fa8a27173ab" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.elevatorbuzz.…</a>
Arrrrgh I wish I could do half-stars!! I feel this place merits 3.5.
The quality of the food is GREAT. Interesting menu with astonishing variety, quality ingredients and genuinely creative approach. My table shared the mussels and burrata pear thingy for apps, then I had the chicken curry while others had the ribs, the burger and the ribeye. Everything was great, and no pricier than any other gastropub in a Strip hotel.
The atmosphere is a bit on the douchey side. It's REALLY loud, and opens out onto the epicenter of the douchiverse, the Hard Rock pool. The waitstaff are all waaaay too cool for school; apparently, the shtick is that there are no uniforms; they can wear whatever they want..which means trendy-slutty apres-pool attire for the ladies, and hipster-douche chic for the dudes. The service was OK; it was really busy (right before the Def Leppard show) so I'll cut 'em some slack for the lackluster nature.
I'd come here again, but on a slow night. I like to TALK over my meals, and it was just too freaking loud.
This place is awesome! I wish there was one near my home, I would be here all of the time. he menu is fabulous and the beer selection is absolutely fantastic! Plus, the vibe is great! Staff are friendly and genuine. I like to sit on the patio during the day and at the bar in the evening. I have been here many times and have not yet had a bad meal. The appetizers are all good, especially the antipasto selection. And the friend chicken? WOW!
You can't go wrong here...
My goodness, they have improved the pretzel!! I have been here three times now and I hope to head back soon. I do not head to the Hard Rock very often, but it appears plenty of other people do because this place is always busy. The location is right by the pool and has a nice stage. The patio is excellent and there is a bar outside.
The food is out of this world. Leave your diet at home and try the Grilled Cheese Sliders!! YUM!
Stumbling across this place was like finding a hidden treasure! We had been at the Hard Rock for a concert, and afterwards were feeling a little bit hungry and up for a drink. We walked past several restaurants before the smell of juicy burgers drew us to this one. The sign outside mentioned specials on drafts and we could see that they had an outdoor patio so we decided to try it out.
The patio was absolutely the best feature of this place! Big wing back chairs, fire pits, couch seating, white lighting, etc. Beautiful and so inviting! They had a live musician up on stange playing guitar and singing, he was really talented and was taking requests, it was a nice addition to the atmosphere.
We weren't hungry enough to order a whole meal because we'd eaten at a buffet earlier in the day so we ordered draft beers ($3.50 special) and their specialty - the soft pretzels with provolone fondue ($12). TO DIE FOR!
The service was good - our waiter was patient and attentive. We can't wait to return.
Staying at the Hard Rock, I wanted to check this place out. Â It looked really cool inside, and their menu looked good and reasonably priced.
The inside was in fact really cool. Â I liked that you could see all their fresh fish right there. We got a nice cozy booth. Â I ordered the fish and chips. Â The cod was very tasty, moist, flaky perfection. The chips AKA french fries were cold...bummer.
Overall it was good. Â If you're staying in the Hard Rock, it is worth going to for dinner.
Their fried chicken was awesome! Â I would rate their fried chicken with 5 stars! Â Unfortunately, my friend ordered the fried chicken, and I could only taste a sample. Â I was stuck with their incredibly dry ribs (dry? Â for a signature item?!? Â oh boy!)...
Back to their chicken... wow! Â Sooo juicy and perfectly spiced. Â Quite possibly the best fried chicken I have eaten in a long time (I'm not a fried chicken eater btw...)
I am probably staying at Hard Rock (or the Cosmo, but I want to check out the Rehab Pool Party...) when I return in July, and if I eat here, I will have the fried chicken!
It was still Restaurant Week, and my long-anticipated introduction to Culinary Dropout was about to occur. Â After it was all over, I was pleasantly pleased by all I saw and ate. Â Amid the fitting sounds of hard rock, the decor of the restaurant is very casual, but seating on a banquette and upholstered chair was comfortable, and servers were very friendly, efficient, and accommodating. Â A request for a different salad dressing was immediately granted.
I began with Yesterday's Soup, which changes by the day. Â To my relief, this was not like the leftovers of a college cafeteria's previous day's rejected offerings ground up and mixed with broth. Â Ginger Soup was on tap on my dining day. Â And, this colorful soup literally took my breath away. Â I figured out why when I found out from my server that it contained Cilantro Jalapeno Pepper Sauce. Â The soup was not very hot but quite spicy, but soon I got used to it and found the distinct taste of ginger to be intriguing.
Next up was a House Salad with many mixed greens and a generous supply of good Sherry Vinaigrette Dressing.
For my entree, I selected Ma . . . The Meatloaf!?! Â Why it is so named I have no idea. Â But this was great, very hot meatloaf with a ketchup coating accompanied by really fresh French Style Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes with Brown Gravy. Â I also tried the Coleslaw, which was non-creamy and slightly sweet, while Diane enjoyed somewhat odd-looking dark brown but quite tasty and well-made Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Honey Biscuits.
For dessert we had a Chocolate Toffee Tart and Salted Caramel Custard with homemade Caramel Popcorn on top. Â Both were excellent, including the sweet popcorn.
It was fun to face and watch the chefs at work in the very open kitchen. Â When we left, we were very full from the large portions. Â Because the menu lists so many intriguing items that I want to try, including oysters and white shrimp by the piece, we will most definitely return fairly soon for additional meals--and will continue to do so if Diane keeps up her winning streak at the Hard Rock's slot machines and draws additional player's coupons for 2 for 1 entrees at Fu!
Culinary Dropout is real cool.
I was in vegas for a bachelor party and had to head up 19 dudes and was looking for a chill place to dine and all I did was pull up opentable with the parameters of dinner at 8 pm for a party of 20. Culinary dropout fit the bill with nice open seating, patio area to lounge and even live music. I chose the perfect spot. Kudos to me and yelp of course.
We all arrived on time and were seated immediately. As I said there was live music being performed which was on point. Just as a word of warning I was slightly inebriated for most of the night, but not enough to lose my memory and make an accurate account for this review.
Folks in my party were ordering beers on tap and other alky drinks. They came promptly and the drinkfest continued. Upon reading the reviews of this place beforehand the pretzels with fondue cheese were spoken highly of so the whole table got orders of that and it was bomb. I asked the waiter what he recommended on the menu and he pointed out that the most bang for buck dish was the fried chicken and that sold me. It was good but not mind blowing. There were three pieces; leg, thigh, and breast with a honey glazed biscuit, mashed potatoes and cole slaw. A massive dish indeed. Alky and greasy food go hand in hand.
The service was fantastic and the vibe and ambiance is well suited for big parties.
Love love love the patio. Â The place is huge and there is a stage for live music, however that night we were treated to a 2 hour sound check 1-2. Â I look forward to returning when there are actual live bands playing because this is a great setup. Â We went on a Sunday night in early March, and it wasn't busy, but with warm weather on the way I expect that will change.
The beer selection is pretty good, featuring local brewery Joseph James even. Â We started with a dozen oysters from their Raw Bar, which didn't last long with our group. Â I don't know what I expected, but their oysters weren't good, they were great. Â I ordered the Chicken Curry with potato, green beans, peanuts, mushrooms, lime & cilantro. Â It's quite good, but if you're looking for spicy heat, this isn't that kind of dish.
2013 Spring Restaurant Week Review:
While walking through Hard Rock I saw a sign stating "Patio Open." Â So, I put on my leg brakes and walked straight on in.
The restaurant is huge and looks like Restoration Hardware threw up all over it. Â The servers all look like they were bussed in from Williamsburg. Â But, my only focus was the outdoor seating.
It's glorious, by the way. Comfy banquettes, outdoor bar, poolside, and firepits. Fire!
Oh, anyways, the food.
I chose the carrot-ginger soup, fried chicken, and chocolate tart options from the RW menu. Â My table also went for the pretzel and cheese fondue appetizer. Â
The pretzel fondue was really great. Â The pretzels were soft and chewy and the cheese was delicious, although a little clumpy. Â I do wish they served the cheese a little hotter. Â Overall, a great appetizer.
My first course, the carrot-ginger soup, was really flavorful. Â I couldn't eat it all so I asked for a box. Â Instead of boxing my leftovers, they gave me a whole new soup! Â
The second course, the fried chicken, was pretty good. Â There were three huge pieces and each was moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Â Unfortunately, the chicken was bit too salty for me, but the batter definitely had a great flavor. Â The dish also came with a tasty honey biscuit, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Â I really enjoyed the coleslaw because it wasn't caked in dressing.
My favorite part of the meal was probably the toffee chocolate tart. Â I've been on a tart kick lately and this one was the best of the batch. Â The chocolate was dark and rich but not too sweet. Â A great way to end the meal.
Our server, Thanon (sp? Sorry!), was the nicest server I've had in a long time. Â He went out of his way to make our meal amazing. He even offered to box up my leftover Sazerac! Who does that?!?! I would go back just for the service, it was that good.
The food, overall, is probably a 3 star experience, but the service and ambiance deserve extra stars. Â I'll go back for sure!
I was looking for a place off the strip, just didn't feel like dealing with parking and then walking through a long line of slot machines to get something to eat. So Yelp to the rescue. We were right by the Hard Rock Cafe Hotel so we decided to give it a try.
The waitress was friendly and we were immediately seated.
I took the advice of my fellow yelpers and immediately ordered the puffy pretzel bites with cheese fondue. Oh my gosh just order them. You get a basket of 12 warm pretzels. They are not hard and accompanied by cheese fondue. Â Perfect for sharing.
We then shared a turkey burger which was also excellent. What I liked most about the place was that it was nice but not too pretentious. After all, it is VEGAS. We weren't ordering a lot of food and we didn't get any attitude. There were some dressed up people but others were casual. Â They have a pretty big beer and whiskey list.
They had a live musician playing on a stage. The music was entertaining but not overpowering. It was a cold and rainy day but if not I would love to sit outside on the patio- they have fire pits- a great place for a big group.
Every once in a while you go in with low expectations and come out with a winner.
I have dined at some of Hard Rock's previous eateries and was less than impressed so I entered this experience expecting to find overpriced lackluster food and horrible service.
We entered a few minutes prior to our reservations and were seated right away. Â Our waiter patiently waited for our order and took the time to make suggestions when asked. Â We went for the Pretzel Bites with the Provelone cheese fondue. Â The fondue was tasty if a little mild, something like Gouda might have worked better. Â The pretzel bites were amazing and it was a huge portion. Â Note to self, if you order the pretzel appetizer, only order one entree for every two people.
We then ordered the fried chicken and the butternut squash ravioli. Â The fried chicken was the best fried chicken either of us have had in recent memory. Â The coating was crisp outside, soft inside and with a sweet flavor with a little kick of spice at the end. Â The chicken was cooked perfectly. Â The butternut squash ravioli was not as amazing but was still well prepared.
Our app and drinks came out very quickly and the waiter was very attentive.
The only drawback was the sides. Â The mashed potatoes were soupy and bland and the corn bread too crumbly.
We didn't get to sample the deserts as we were overstuffed.
One of my new favorite restaurants, this is where casual dining meets amazing chefs. I love to sit at the bar and watch the chefs prepare the antipasti... those guys are amazing at what the do!
I highly recommend the Capicola, Sopressata Toscana and the bresaola salumi meats, paired with the Humboldt Fog... I ordered... and re-ordered this 3 times during  my dinner!
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