Travel Reference
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a tender, large T-bone steak for those who stop by on Tuesday nights. Soul food,
pasta, Mexican, Pacific Rim and American classics, and desserts are served at the
other stations. Friday the emphasis is on seafood, and Thursdays features scampi
and filet. All told, I counted up a whopping 55 entrees and side dishes and 30 dif-
ferent desserts when I last visited, and though they weren't as exotic as what you'd
find at many a Strip casino, Southern staples such as collard greens and ham
hocks, black eyed peas, mashed sweet potatoes, and finger-sucking-good BBQ
compare well to what you'd get at a fine Memphis BBQ pit (and I mean that as a
high compliment). Desserts are also a cut above the usual, even the sugarless ones.
$$$-$$$$
With
Little Women
-era decor—brass chandeliers, carved wood-pan-
eled walls, and even an antique railway car (a Pullman, of course) called the Louisa
Alcott providing cozy seats for pre-dinner cocktails—the
Pullman Grill
(in Main
Street Station, 200 Main St.;
%
800/713-8933 or 702/387-1896; Wed-Thurs and
Sun 5-10pm, Fri-Sat 5-10:30pm; AE, DISC, MC, V)
is possibly the only budget
steakhouse in town that has the dignity and pomp that a huge hunk of tender cow
flesh traditionally requires. The obsequious waiters wear the classic black bowtie
and coat, and tables are comfortably set apart, perfect for high stakes business
meetings, but the steaks here cost half what's charged on the Strip or at such
chichi new casinos as the Red Rock (where the smallest steak starts at $42, with
a T-bone for two going for $94 . . . without side dishes). At $17 for prime rib with
your choice of potatoes or $23 for a filet mignon, it's not a steal, but that's not at
all bad for a “special occasion” dinner. And Pullman has an edge over most other
steakhouses in that it does its surf as proficiently as its turf; the swordfish ($23) is
excellent, as are the crab cakes ($12). Pause for a moment as you leave the restau-
rant to take in the grand doors with their copper relief figures: They once fronted
the Pullman mansion in Illinois.
$-$$
Two more buffets round out Downtown's recommended dining scene:
The Golden Nugget Buffet
(in the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, 129 Fremont
St.;
%
800/846-5336; www.goldennugget.com; Mon-Fri breakfast
$
7, lunch
$
8,
Sat-Sun brunch
$
14, Mon-Thurs and Sat-Sun dinner
$
13, Fri dinner
$
17; Mon-Sat
7am-10pm, Sun 8am-10pm; AE, DC, MC, V)
and
Makino
5
(p. 97).
Located in
the hotel of the same name, the Golden Nugget is a worthy choice if you don't
want to leave the craps table too long. While not nearly as good as Main Street
Station's Garden Court Buffet (p. 95), it's a pleasant place to eat, still carrying the
thumbprint of Steve Wynn, who once ran the place. You'll see the golden light-
ing, ruffled awnings, cluster chandeliers and etched glass here that he later used at
the Bellagio and Wynn's Las Vegas, albeit on a much smaller scale. Small is the key
word here as the buffet is quite limited, with mostly American food on offer, and
the booth seating can be a bit cramped, especially if you're with a large party. But
what you do get is tasty food: intensely clammy clam chowders, flavorful rice and
beans with chunks of pork, fresh salads, crisply fried cod, and the like. Desserts
are a bit of a disappointment—the Golden Nugget has no ice cream machine
(gasp!) and the “famous” bread pudding must be famous as some sort of indus-
trial glue—it ain't sweet enough to be famous as a dessert, and I felt like my lips
were permanently smacked together for about half an hour after trying it. Friday
is seafood buffet day at $17, but you'll do better a few blocks over at Main Street
Station's abundant shellfish feast.
