The menu at Public House consists of several dishes that offer a hint of familiarity served up with a high-end touch. I recently had the chance to taste a variety of dishes on the menu. Here are the highlights:

The short rib sounds simple enough … until you realize it’s served in a puff pastry with butternut squash purée. The crispy oysters, served in a half shell, come with foie gras, golden raisins and cider gastrique. For the most part, I like seafood, and I loved the oysters as well as the octopus, which was served with white bean salad.

In addition to tasting a variety of the sea-inspired dishes, I tried my taste buds on a few other things as well. The Welsh rarebit was a favorite at our table. This dish, which consisted of sliced bison on cheddar-beer sauce toast, has a great mix of flavors. There were other dishes that also perfected the right mix of sweet with savory, such as the country pate, which was served with mustard sauce and fruit compote. I also tried escargot, which was a new experience for me, and I found it to be a bit salty but quite tasty when served on a small puff pastry.

Though I didn’t have expectations for anything on the menu (how could I, when I didn’t have any clue what to expect?), there were a few things that I could have passed on. I was looking forward to trying the Devils on Horseback, which are blue cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, but the blue cheese was too overwhelming. These have the potential to be good, but the version served at FIREFLY is far superior. Also, I found the pork belly, which was served with goat cheese on a polenta cake, to be a bit mushy.

For dessert, I had the chance to sample three options. The apple cobbler was my favorite—flavorful and nothing fancy, which was a nice change of pace from the dinner menu items. The chocolate stout cake, which is served with whipped cream and bacon crispies, would have been better without the bacon, in my opinion, though the other people at my table said it would have been better without the whipped cream. As for the hazelnut brown ale float, it’s probably just me, but beer doesn’t have a place at the dessert table. The standard root beer float is not a force to be reckoned with.

Prices at Public House were pretty standard for the caliber of the restaurant. Bar snacks ranged from $5.00-$6.00, and meals started at $24.00. The restaurant’s beer collection contains more than 200 selections. It’s worth noting that this is a very meat-heavy restaurant, and vegetarians won’t find much on the menu to enjoy beyond a few salads. The restaurant itself is open and large, bathed in warm lighting and a muted decor. It is a comfortable and cozy yet high-end restaurant and, in a way, I feel like men dressed in tweed jackets smoking cigars should be lounging around, actively serving as the latest intelligentsia.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• I Love Las Vegas: Dick’s Last Resort
• Food of Huatulco | Oaxaca, Mexico
• I Love Las Vegas: Brunch at Simon | Palms Place

I Love Las Vegas: Public House | Kaleidoscopic Wandering

To kick off my Las Vegas blog, I encourage you to take part in our 2-night giveaway at Paris Las Vegas. Of course, if you win, I want to see your hotel suite long enough to take some notes so that I can write about it.

Just kidding. Sort of.

In all honesty, though, I would love for you to continue following my Las Vegas writing over at Las Vegas Logue. Please feel free to follow along on Facebook, Twitter or via RSS.

As a final farewell to my Las Vegas content on Kaleidoscopic Wandering, I wanted to round up the I Love Las Vegas reviews I have written about the city I currently call home:

Entertainment:

• Ethel’s Annual Chocolate Wonderland
• Penn & Teller
• Short Bus Comics
• Le Reve at The Wynn

Restaurants:

• Dick’s Last Resort
• Terra Verde
• Brunch at Simon | Palms Place
• Shuck’s Tavern

Other Places:

• The Village at Lake Las Vegas
• Red Rock Running Company
• FAO Schwartz
• Ice Box Canyon at Red Rock Canyon

Images:

• Palazzo | Winter 2009
• Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens | Holiday Season 2009
• Palazzo | Spring 2009

The Story of Sin City: An Update on Las Vegas Writing | Kaleidoscopic Wandering

There are a smattering of Dick’s across the United States, but the only one in Las Vegas is located in Excalibur Hotel. Every time I’ve walked past the restaurant, there’s been a line out the door. After hearing rave reviews about the Dick’s experience, I braved the line (only a 15-minute wait on a holiday weekend) so that I could see for myself whether it lived up to its hype.

The point of Dick’s Last Resort is to provide a humorous dining experience where all the rules are broken. The servers make you wait to order, act annoyed at any request you have and are generally rude and un-customer service like—that’s the point. I saw one male wait staff member sitting on a girl’s lap while she was trying to eat. Another brought out several smaller cups of soda instead of one large glass for someone who had ordered a Coke. People sitting at long picnic tables flung wadded up pieces of paper at each other as they waited for their food. The Dick’s in Las Vegas is known for the hats that each customer receives while dining. On the paper hats, the wait staff writes commentary about everything from sexual preferences to physical appearances, all in the name of fun. My hat, for example, said: “High Maintenance, But at Least I Swallow.”

While some people dine at Dick’s for the entertaining atmosphere, I was interested in checking out the food. Large menu boards are posted on the walls with minimal descriptions, but suffice to say everything is basically of the barbecue variety. I had a brisket sandwich with French fries, both of which were very flavorful and filling. The people I was with ordered various other meals, including fish and chips, hamburgers and chicken, all of which received rave reviews around the table.

The strange part of the Dick’s dining experience for me was understanding the line I could cross to get customer service when I needed it. I ordered a Sprite that tasted like tonic water. Was that part of the joke? Could I request a new drink? I wasn’t sure what to do. My husband, who is much more outgoing than I am, took an attitude with our waitress about me being high maintenance (see the hat) and demanded another drink. Our waitress threw some snide comment back, but then asked me what was wrong with it before bringing me another drink. I also needed a fork to eat the brisket that fell out of my sandwich but felt that might be a bit much to ask, so I let that situation be.

A meal at Dick’s Last Resort is a memorable experience, but only if you understand and can handle the service that comes with it. The food is definitely worth stopping for, but if you prefer to dine in a place where the customer is always right, then pass on Dick’s Last Resort.

If You Dine at Dick’s Last Resort:

• While kids are allowed in the restaurant, I highly recommend leaving anyone younger than 13 at home. There is inappropriate language thrown freely around the restaurant, and with kids in the restaurant, wait staff have to tame their antics, which dampens the experience for those who want to be razzed.
• To be immersed in the full experience, request to sit on the left side of the restaurant between the two bars where the long tables are located. You might need to share a table with strangers, but if you’re seated on the right side of the restaurant, you are forgotten and not really involved in any of the fun.
• The male servers seem to be much more assertive with their raunchy jokes. The female servers can tell when their customers are uncomfortable and really hang back on their act. Again, if you want the full experience, request a male waiter.
• Don’t be afraid to speak up about problems with the food. The staff at Dick’s Last Resort wants you to return, so if there’s something actually wrong with your food, say something. You may be teased at first, but your wait staff will work with you to rectify the problem.

Dick’s Last Resort | Excalibur Hotel | 702.597.7991

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• I Love Las Vegas — Shuck’s Tavern
• Dinner at Domingo’s — An Astronaut’s Favorite
• I Love Las Vegas — Penn & Teller
  

I Love Las Vegas — Dick’s Last Resort | Kaleidoscopic Wandering