 Art
on a Plate
Stepping
into Les Artistes Steakhouse is a bit like going
back in time, to fin de siecle Paris and the heyday of the art nouveau
style – all elaborate gilt and iron work and an enormous stained
glass ceiling. The booths in the downstairs dining room are upholstered
with famous artwork – one example, Monet’s water lilies,
line a wall of banquettes. Upstairs, they go one step further by
assigning each booth’s upholstery with a famous artwork -
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Seurat is in
one, Degas’ ballerinas is in another.
The
effect is akin to dining during Europe’s Belle-Epoque, in
a grandhall, complete with an old-style
 glass
elevator. And the cuisine, as with any work of art, is also open
to interpretation.
We
opted to go with classics such as escargot and foie gras to start.
Les Artistes version of the
escargot was slightly more modern – a fricassee of Burgundy
snails with tomato, garlic and sherry vinegar sauce as compared
to the traditional garlic and parsley butter – and it was
excellent. It was lighter, less overpowered by garlic, with the
tomatoes and sherry vinegar adding a welcome citrus touch to the
dish. It’s refreshing to see this style being offered and
the presentation was completely new to me, too. It was served in
a very modern bowl, with a rustic-type of French bread studded with
olives. As for the pan-seared duck foie gras, well, it was deliciously
rich, as only foie gras can be. Not much can be done to it to make
it better.
 On
to our main courses of Steak Oscar and what I’d like to call
a “surf and surf” combination. The steak, a recommendation
our server, Lupita, was a fantastic combination of a filet mignon,
topped with crab meat and béarnaise sauce and some asparagus.
For those who want their fill of red meat, without having to wrestle
with a 12 oz. cut would do well to order this. It’s enough
to sate your craving for red meat; and that added hint of seafood
with the tender clumps of crab meat, provides just the right touch
of the sea, without having to order a surf and turf combination.
My
dining companion, a seafood lover, opted to go all-out and ordered
the Australian lobster tail with shrimp. The roasted lobster was
fleshy, meaty and sweet; hardly needing the lemon-black pepper butter.
And so were the shrimp.
 Diners
can also select from sides such as macaroni and brie, creamed spinach,
French fries, mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms or baked
potato. We sampled the seasonal vegetables and the ‘mac and
brie’ which was mildly-flavored and very creamy.
The
restaurant has been in operation for nine years and throughout,
has undergone slight changes to the menu. It may very well be the
style of cooking, or the introduction of some new menu items, but
it will always stay true to its core of being, first and foremost,
a steakhouse. A quick glance at the room, which, by the way, was
packed on a Monday night, and it was obvious that most of the items
on the menu are all someone’s favorite, although I did see
a lot of orders of the shellfish platter – a heaping combination
of king crab, oysters and shrimp served on a bed of ice, in a large,
cast-iron vessel.
 Dessert
was an entire chocolate affair of a chocolate soufflé, and
gateaux de pain, which was chocolate-chip bread pudding served with
a chocolate tuile, chocolate sorbet and chocolate sauce. You will
need to order the chocolate soufflé or fondue well in advance,
because it takes about 20 minutes to prepare.
I
suppose the beauty of this restaurant is that it serves portions
that are just right, enough so that you
can enjoy a complete meal of starter, main
course
and dessert, without feeling like a glutton
afterwards.
You can even add some wine to your meal. It has no airs, no pretensions,
no nouvelle
cuisine
mumbo-jumbo. They simply serve steak and seafood in the best way
they know how. Expect
these classics to get updated when their new menu is launched. Les
Artistes regulars need not fret
(and
we hear there are a couple who come at least once a week) for we
had a quick peek at the revamped menu and the classics are still
there, only upgraded with a few luxe touches in the manner
of preparation such as design-your-own mashed potatoes; and with
the addition of prime cuts of beef such as wagyu.
As
far as we’re concerned, the food ranks right up there with
the great works of art that adorn the walls and tables of Les Artistes.
-Rachel
M. Sugay
Les
Artistes Steakhouse
Casino level, Paris Hotel, 3655 Las Vegas Boulevard South. For reservations,
call 946-4663. Open daily, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Price
range: Appetizers, $15-$19; Soups, $8-$9; Salads, $10-$12; Steaks,
from $35; Meats, from $28; Crustaceans, from $50; Fish, from $28;
Side dishes, $7; Desserts, $9-$11. Extensive wine selection.
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