As a break from watching horse racing and football at the Caesar’s Palace Casino in Las Vegas, we walked right next to the sports book and into the Mesa Grill. The place is pretty well-known for being Bobby Flay’s restaurant and I guess Bobby Flay is some sort of a big deal because of his Iron Chef work and such, but I still get him confused with Michael Flatley of Riverdance fame. Confusion or no, I had heard great things about the Mesa Burger and zoned in on that when I got my menu.
I was actually a little disappointed by the list of toppings. Horseradish mustard sounded like a bad vegetable concoction, while grilled Vidalia onions made it sound even worse. The redeeming quality of the burger was the double cheddar cheese, so I still ordered the burger with the cheese on it. I told the waiter that I was ordering my burger strangely and he replied that it wasn’t strange at all. This friendliness in an anti-unvegan world showed me that even unvegans are welcomed with open arms in Las Vegas. I ordered the burger cooked medium and he told me they served a very liberal medium, meaning my burger would be quite pink. This was just fine by me.
As we waited for our meals, we were treated to a pretty stellar bread basket. This thing was loaded with blueberry coffee cake, jalapeno muffins and some crazy sorts of scones. All tasted awesome and our waiter joked to us about the occasions when a parent accidentally gives their child a jalapeno muffin. Hilarity ensues, at least for everyone that isn’t the child or neglectful parent.
When the food arrived, I looked upon my burger in disappointment. Although the menu had made no mention of additional toppings on the burger, I saw that it had some sort of purplish lettuce on it and a big fat slice of tomato. I remedied the situation, while cursing Bobby Flay for creating such a monstrosity. Finally, the plain cheeseburger was ready for tasting. I bit in and my re-creation tasted pretty good. The meat was juicy and not too pink. The cheddar was oozing over the top of the burger and the bun, although quite large, didn’t distract from the good burger flavor.
The fries were a great addition to the burger. Perfectly crisped with just enough Cajun spice. I guess I was just a bit disappointed that after all the work to get the burger correct, my Mesa Burger became a glorified cheeseburger. It would have been nice to have more burger options and I suppose I have been spoiled by Umami Burger. The Mesa Burger was good, but the price (although I wasn’t paying, thanks girlfriend’s parents!) of 16 bucks could have added up to a better unvegan burger.
While you’re there, try the Prime Rib French Dip at Raffles Cafe in Mandalay Bay if you get a chance. It’s about half a cow’s worth of thick-sliced, dripping rare roast beef on a large roll that’s just crusty enough to soak up the au jus and the horseradish sauce that are served on the side. Goooooood memories…
I’m already back from Vegas, but that does sound awesome.
So, just so I’m totally clear. You ordered what is a regular burger with regular orange cheddar, the only thing being different is the horseradish mustard (which you could have gotten on the side to taste for a decent review, instead of judging based on how you thought it sounded), the color of the lettuce (yes, there is more then just iceberg and romaine), and the fact that they named a very common onion instead of just saying ‘fried onion’? I was impressed that you ordered the meat “ordering my burger strangely”, meaning medium, but wonder about this ‘un-vegan’ thing. You seem very focused on the doneness of the meat, and how different things sound or look different. Where are the questions on the ethics of the restaurant?
I have a particular way of eating that typically involves avoiding vegetables. Those are my own ethics.