Rosemary’s Restaurant

Hang on if you’re reading this!
They’re coming back!!! And closer to the Strip and Downtown than ever before!!!
ETA: 2014 (but I hope much sooner)
This was the greatest restaurant I’ve ever been to. And to hear that Chef Jordan is returning is wonderful.
This has got to be the best news I’ve gotten all year.

Sad News…
Looking forward to my second visit here since May of 2010…
I called today for reservations and was told they closed for good.
Very sad… awesome place!

Overrated.
From the reviews it sounded like the perfect Birthday restaurant for my wife. It was OK at best.
Lets start from the top.
Place from the outside was not the typical fine dining restaurant, it’s in a strip mall but I knew that from other reviews so didn’t count that.
Got seated right away with reservation, received menus and then sat there for 15 mins + after we closed them and put them on the side.
Food: The gifts from the chef were a nice touch, they were good.
Appetizers, the Risotto was good but heavy, the parm soufflé was good as well but nothing special.
Entrée: Flank steak, I love flank steak because it has nice texture and flavor, this one has flavor but a little tough on certain parts, I cut my pieces against the grain but still a little chewy.
Lamb chops: good but a couple of pieces had a lot of fat still on it which made it more gamey, I know I could of just trimmed it but it’s fine dining… The mushrooms under the lamb was over buttered.
So overall the food was good so 4 stars, the service was bad for fine dining standards though. The place is not big so how is it that the waiter seemed to be busy. He walked passed us a few times with his head in the clouds and ignored us. There is a waiter and his help but the waiter is the one for orders, checks, etc. He was not to be found for most of the night.
Service was cold. Right before Dessert he asks «wasn’t is someone’s birthday»
Yeah from the different color napkin my wife had and the person making sure she spelled my wife’s name right, I assumed they would put her name on the dessert plate. Didn’t happen, he probably forgot and did it last minute with a pre-​done plate.
Overall with all the options out there not worth it.

This is a review of their small plates lounge menu.
The Skinny: Poor execution ruins what could have been a great dish (2.5), service: impeccable even at the bar with lovely touches like an amuse bouche, bread service and mignardises (4) value: due to the poor execution, the bar food isn’t something I’d return for… the prixe fixe is a better tasting meal overall (2).
It pains me to no end to write this review.
Here’s the story: it’s been a while since we’ve hit Rosemary’s (too many restaurants, so little time) so we were excited when we saw that they were putting out a small plates menu for the lounge. So the hubs dutifully went to Costco and purchased their gift certificates ($ 100 for $ 79.99). It is pretty impossible to spend all of the money on one go (it’s a lot of food), so we tried about 70% of their savory menu on two visits. (please check out the pics for info on individual menu items).
The good — even though we were sitting at the bar, we received great service by the staff. It was also nice that they offered amuse bouches, bread service (love the still warm white chocolate pecan roll) as well as a small plate of mignardises (lemon bars are my favs). You simply do not get this kind of service at any other happy hour bar menu anywhere else.
The bad and the ugly — the best thing on the menu were the things that required the least cooking (ie, the cheese plate and the deli meat plate). Given our past experiences here, I was surprised by the quality of dishes we tasted.
From the poorly grilled scallop (burnt in places, lacking a nice golden crust) served with a flavourless quinoa to the odd duo of tartars (too many ingredients mixed into the dish made you lose the aroma of the beef and salmon — plus the hard boiled egg it was scooped in kind of overwhelmed the food), there is clearly an execution issue here. Their version of a croque madame was one huge soggy mess. The quesadilla was overly heavy due to the avocado and really needed some acidity to provide balance.
In addition to the execution issues, there are also problems with how certain things were thought out. Who the hell wants to eat french fries shaved so thin that it’s hard to eat even with a fork (plus, it loses it’s crispiness quickly)? Or have a caesar salad croûton that is so big that you can’t even get your mouth around let alone cut? Or a filet slider served overloaded with weird Asian flavoured pickles (I think the burger could potential receive signals from outer space) that don’t go well with the burger at all?
I wanted to really love their bar menu but it was nothing but a disappointment. If it was for the service alone, I’d give this place a four but unfortunately the food just didn’t hold up to standards of the dining room. For that, Rosemary’s gets a 3 starred review and removed from my Vegas Hit List.

I have been going to try Rosemary’s for quite awhile. It’s just down the street a few miles, but I never got around to it. I recently got a gift certificate for Rosemary’s as a result of an NPR donation so off I was to try it out. I had spoken to a friend who’s been here with his wife several times, and I decided to sit where he suggested. When I arrived about 15 minutes early, I requested a seat at the rear food bar. There is a counter that looks directly into the cooking area with the two grills and you can watch Leonard and Jason do their magic – along with the rest.
I decided to do the 5 course tasting menu. Smart idea – it was great. I had two amuse-​bouche – an eggplant caviar on a fried wonton and sauteed mushrooms.
The courses:
First: Duo of Tartars — Beef and salmon tartars. The beef tartar was on a soft boiled egg, part on each egg half. Very nice plating.
Second: Pan seared pompano on a bed of sauteed spinach. This was the first time I had pompano and I was pleased with the taste of the pompano and I liked it a lot.
Third: Texas BBQ shrimp with Maytag blue cheese slaw. Outstanding! The combination of BBQ sauce with the blue cheese and slaw was amazing!
Fourth: Rack of Lamb over sauteed kale. Another winner! Perfect rare cooking for the lamb and very tasty. I wanted to gnaw on the bones.
Fifth: Dessert — this was a trio of desserts — crème brûlée, chocolate cake, and a beer float. Since I had no alcohol, the server asked if I’d want root beer instead of the lambic beer they use and I chose the root beer. The trio was quite tasty, especially the crème brûlée.
After dessert, I was brought some mignardises, a brownie, a lemon square, and a peanut butter cookie.
Service was impeccable. Before my iced tea was finished, the server brought me a fresh glass when I had less than ¹⁄₃ left. He asked me again later if I need another replacement and he was there in a few moments.
Some of my friends from Unilocal have mentioned the saltiness of some things. I noticed that last night, but as a person to loves salt, it was not an issue for me. You might want to be aware of this in advance.
I have to say a word about my seating. SInce I dined alone, this was just perfect. I enjoyed watching the kitchen staff do their thing and it was great fun to watch the ballet of grilling, searing, sauteeing, and plating that took place before me. Even if you were there with a significant other, it would be a good place to sit but not for a romantic dinner.
This was a superb dinner – 5 star all the way! I will be back!

This place seems to be a local favorite. It’s tucked away in a strip mall and about a 15 minute taxi ride down the strip. My husband and I were intrigued try this place out and we quickly became «Rosemary» fans.
They have a nice bar area as you first walk in with high top seating options. We sat here before our table was ready and we were lucky enough to catch happy hour (which goes till 7). The restaurant has 2 different rooms for seating (both connected though a doorway). Depending upon your mood you may want to make a request as to which one you prefer. The dining area with the kitchen in it is definitely quite a bit noisier.
The evening we went I somehow had a craving for pork. When our waiter told me that their «12 oz. double cut grilled pork chop» was his favorite I couldn’t resist. It’s the only item on the menu that has been consistently on the menu (since the restaurant opened 12 years ago.) Even after I had the last bite I was still craving it. My husband ordered the risotto starter and Tasso crusted salmon. Both were delicious.
Entrees are pricey here ($ 37 range). They also offer a chef tasting menu ($ 80) and a fixed prix menu ($ 55).
Service overall here was exceptonal until the very end. Once we received dessert the waiter neglected to clear our dishes. Despite that lack of attention still a good experience.

F@#!$%* Perfect.
I’ve been here twice and this place is just absolutely incredible in every aspect.
The food will WOW you and they have AMAZING beer on tap. You cannot beat the price or the amazing service!

Thank you Rosemary’s! Now I infuse my own rosemary infused vodka and shake into a chilled martini glass with goat cheese stuffed olives at home. Bless you! Thank you also for your industry, and ladie’s night, and for the perfect first date destination.
I love your veal porterhouse wrapped in prosciutto, your mashed potatoes with kalamata olive gems, and your somm is always on point for wine suggestions.

Because of Groupon, I made several visits to dine at Rosemary’s. Service here is top notch here (in the dining area, not so much in the lounge/​bar area). And making a reservation ahead of time is definitely recommended, the restaurant is busy even during weekdays (I can only guess how much more busy they must be on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays).
The amuse bouche that were served during my visits were mostly good to excellent. Too bad they don’t offer an appetizer portion for these, because I think they as a whole were better than the apps on the menu.
Like Misti has mentioned in her review, the food here is a little hit or miss. I tried the 5-​couse Chef’s Tasting menu on my first visit. The Fourst Course: Roasted Rackof Lamb was great. The First Course: Duo of Tartars (Filet of Beef was good, the Salmon Tartar was way too salty) was okay. The Second Course: PanFried VealSweetbreads w/​Foie Gras Butternut Squash Quinoa (sweetbread was probably way too over-​fried, but the quinoa and the Bloody Mary Butter Sauce was really good). Third Course: Yellow Fin Tuna on Andouille, was okay. Fifth Course: Dessert Trio was uninspiring.
I have also tried other items from the regualr and daily menu. Likely it was good or so-​so. Below are a brief review of what I have tried:
Panko Crusted Crab Boulettes w/​G-ma’s Sweet & Sour Cucumbers & Emulsified Ravigote Sauce $ 15 — Pretty good.
Baked Crab Stuffed Shrimp w/​Apricot Hollandaise & Herb tossed Pea Shoots $ 14.50 — Kind of hard to eat (messy), but the shrimp and crab were good. Didn’t like apricot in this dish.
Hugo’s Texas BBQ Shrimp w/​Maytag Blue Cheese Slaw. $ 14 — Overall, alittlesalty for me. Good Maytag Blue Cheese flavor on the slaw, shrimp was cooked cook (probably be better if it was seared on the grill quickly and not cooked all the way through), not a fan of the «sauce».
Twice Baked Parmesan Soufflé w/​Wild Mushrooms in a Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce. $ 14 — Good Soufflé, love the wildmushroom in roasted garlic cream sauce. If you like soufflé then I highly recommend this hot app.
Seared Sea Scallops w/​Parsnip Potato Purée, Crispy Prosciutto, Parsnip Strips & Apple Cider Beurre Blanc $ 36 — One of my scallops was starting to have that off-​flavor, but it was cooked perfectly. The parsnip strips was a great garnish.
Duck «Corned Beef» & Mustard Braised White Cabbage w/​Roasted Garlic Reduction Sauce. $ 37 Overall, it was good, but the sauce was too salty for me.
From what I have heard, Rosemary’s was a really excellent restaurant when it first started, but it has lost some of the shine since then. Too bad I wasn’t here to try it back then, but it is still a nice little neighorhood restaurant to enjoy a good meal and good service.
The reason I am only giving it 3 stars on Unilocal (A-​Ok) is that for this kind of restaurant it is just okay compared to others in its class. Service is what you expect from similar quality fine dining restaurants. Price is average compared to its peers. Taste — have items I truly enjoyed and others that I will not order again. Probably the best deal here is Lady’s night and happy hour pricing on drinks.
Décor: ⁴⁄₅ Dimly lit for that intimate and romantic atmosphere. Seats are comfortable.
Food: ³⁄₅ Hits and misses, sauces are on the salty side for my taste.
Location: ³⁄₅ Perfect for locals living on the SW side of LV. Cab fares will add up for those staying on the Strip.
Price: ³⁄₅ AVerage compared to similar quality restaurants.
Service: ³⁄₅ Knowledgable staff providing good service.

Outstanding food and the best restaurant to enjoy a beer pairing with each course. The craft beer sommelier is of the highest caliber.
It’s become a «must stop» on each visit to town.

What’s left to be said after so many glowing reviews?
Here’s a summary of Rosemary’s:
fine dining that’s not on the strip
excellent service
high but not extravagant prices
delicious food
One star off for the décor inside — a drop ceiling when people are spending $ 100/​head???
*note: $ 75/​person no show fee on weekend reservations!

You’d be hard pressed to find a better off the strip restaurant than Rosemary’s. Despite its strip mall location, it’s one of the best spots in the suburbs to have a sophisticated and elegant meal. When my wife and I moved to Las Vegas a few years ago some friends brought us here for our first «nice» meal in town. We were blown away back then and on our return visit a couple days ago we were still impressed.
There wasn’t a single disappointing dish. They started us off with two rolls each. The potato roll was good, but the sweet white chocolate pecan roll was delicious, with a texture like a sticky, chewy cinnamon roll.
Shortly after dropping off the rolls the waiter returned with an amuse bouche of goat cheese quiche with bacon. It’s salty and tart flavor was a bold way to start the meal.
I opted for the $ 55 prix fixe option — ordering two apps and an entrée. My wife ordered a la carte, getting one app and entrée. It’s great that Rosemary’s allows customers to either order two apps and an entrée or an app, entrée and dessert as part of the prix fixe. That kind of flexibility is nice for people who want to skip dessert.
/​/​Appetizers/​/​
Panko crusted crab boulettes w/​g-ma’s sweet & sour cucumbers and emulsified ravigote sauce. The cucumbers were the star of the dish with its combination of sweetness and acidity. The sauce was tangy and added good flavors to the mild tasting crab.
Shrimp with pistachio crusted goat cheese, avocado. This dish was a salad topped with slices of avocado, three large shrimp, and goat cheese balls. It was a deliciously refreshing and light app.
Butternut squash soup with chipotle aioli, pumpkin seeds and crème fraîche. There were hints of spiciness from the chipotle aioli with a sweetness provided by the crème fraîche and a nice crunchy texture from the seeds. This was one of the best butternut squash soups you’ll find.
/​/​Entrees/​/​
Seared sea scallops w/​parsnip potato purée, crispy prosciutto, parsnip strips and apple cider beurre blanc. Delicious scallops that didn’t have any hint of gritiness. The prosciutto was so light and crispy and the beurre blanc was so creamy. In combination, all the ingredients made this an excellent dish.
Crispy skin Texas striped bass w/​garlic spinach, sizzled leeks and meyer lemon caper beurre blanc. The fish was meaty and perfectly cooked. I’m not usually a fan of leeks but these were delicious. Another dish with a beurre blanc sauce, however this one didn’t seem as buttery or thick as the one used with the scallops.
/​/​Dessert/​/​
They dropped off a plate of mignardises to end the meal. Three bites of a lemon bar, a peanut butter dessert that was crunchy and airy, and a chocolate brownie that was dense and moist. The sweet bites were a perfect way to end the meal without leaving us feeling too full.
Service was very good. There were two waiters swooping in and out setting and resetting silverware, cleaning off the table, pouring water, and checking in on us. Even though they were around a lot, they were as unintrusive as possible.
The price of the meal, while not cheap, was reasonable. Armed with a $ 25 gift card from
, we walked out after spending $ 145 (including tax tip and two drinks).

For years, I have longed to try this place, but somehow my friends and I had managed to miss coming here. So, for our first time, we decided to «Go big or go home.» (As my friend put it!) We had one of everything and shared it all. We chose to do the prix fixe menu. This seemed like the best deal and in keeping with our mission statement to try everything. And it was ladies night (50% off for ladies on food plus an 18% gratuity).
Here’s what we got:
Parmaesan soufflé
Texas BBQ shrimp — blue cheese coleslaw was so good. very creamy and the shrimp was cooked perfectly and not chewy like some jumbo shrimp can be.
Crab Boulettes — I was not a fan. Bland.
Beef & Maytag Blue Cheese Carpaccio Salad — Order this! so good if you love carpaccio and I definitely do!
Arugula, Endive & Radicchio — Excellent. Basic salad
Some other salad which was on the specials menu — Don’t recall anything other than thinking it was good.
Milk Fed Veal Porterhouse — I didn’t try my friend’s dish, but she professed her undying love to it. Repeatedly. So I assume it was good.
Seared Sea Scallops — The scallops were cooked perfectly. My friend had to keep stabbing me with her fork to keep me out of this. The prosciutto really sent this over the edge into heavenly. Very yummy.
Prime NY Strip — This was excellent and a really big portion. My friend had enough for lunch the next day. This is one of the dishes which has an additional $ 5 surcharge on the prix fixe menu, but worth every penny.
Striped bass — I ordered a bass dish off of the specials menu. It had scallops and some sort of cream sauce. I thought the fish was really well cooked but the scallops were kind of rubbery. Especially when compared to my friends seared sea scallops.
Although there were a few misses, overall I found Rosemary’s to be pretty out of this world. So glad I finally made it here. It was nice to go to a nice restaurant off strip. I get really tired of walking a mile in a casino for a great meal. Four ladies, tons of food, copious amounts of alcohol and our total bill was $ 230. My friends also ordered two desserts, but by that point I was out of commission. Must have been good though, because it was all gone!

Exactly, as good as it gets. It’s been a while so I don’t remember much details of my food but I just remember being amazing! The food just too good, service just amazing. It won’t give much to this little restaurant in a shopping plaza but you will give a lot once you go through the menu and eat their food.
3 stars –4stars quality

Been here a few times already. Only have been here for dinner and I keep coming back-​so that’s a good sign right? We went on New Year’s Eve this time. They did not accept the coupon but I used the gift cert. from Costco. We got the prix-​fix for $ 55. When we arrived it was happy hour in the bar. Yay! The martini was just regular nothing amazing.
I find service to be spectacular each time I came. I was sad they got rid of the ribeye steak even though their website menu says they have it. Would be nice if they updated their website. Oh well I was certain they would have other good things on their menu.
I got the yellowtail tuna, panko crab cakes, and endive salad. Fiancé got the filet with leeks beef carpaccio, and parmesan soufflé. I loved his appetizers. The parm soufflé was to die for. My salad was just ok and I was not a big fan of the crabcakes. The tuna was pretty good.
I will surely be back since I have consistently had good meals here. I will order something else next time. For $ 55 for 3 courses off the strip with no hassles, I think it’s a nice treat for special occasions.

Rosemary’s Restaurant has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the highest rated Las Vegas restaurants on Unilocal.With over 240 reviews and a 4.5 star average, I felt comfortable planning a reception here and was excited to finally try their food.
First off though, service is definitely the attribute that distinguishes Rosemary’s from the rest. Although they are typically closed on Sundays for lunch, they agreed to open their whole restaurant for our small party and to give us a private room.
They then proceeded to customize the menu according to the favorites we had heard about on Unilocal and were always quick to reply, respond, and help.
The day of the lunch, their staff was professional, friendly, and flexible. Food came out promptly and was hot and delicious. I personally thought the meal was quite good and was happy with all I ordered.
Hugo’s Texas Shrimp — this is definitely only for blue cheese fans, but the shrimp came out moist and delectable with the tasty BBQ sauce and was served on a wonderful bed of slaw flavored with blue cheese. The blue cheese and BBQ sauce worked very well together and I see why this is a fan favorite.
Rack of Lamb — Normally a dinner item, Rosemary’s was happy to include it on our lunch menu for no additional charge. Two large pieces of lamb came out that were cooked medium rare. The sauce was a slightly sweet combination that went went with the meat. A solid entrée. I loved the diced olived and mash potatoes that accompanied the lamb.
Apple Tart — a warm apple tart was served with a cookie and caramel ice cream. I found the tart to be lacking apple, but liked the cookie and ice cream.
Despite it’s strip mall location and off-​the-​strip location (about 10 miles), Rosemary’s is definitely worth the visit. The value here is fantastic, including prix fixe lunch menus and $ 55 prix fixe dinner menus and you’ll definitely get more than you could at a mediocre hotel restaurant.
We look forward to returning the next time we are in Las Vegas and thank Rosemary’s for their great service and hospitality.
Rosemary’s accepts credit cards, including American Express.

Instead of gambling my money away in Las Vegas, I met up with my dear Unilocaler-​friend LiLy for dinner. She suggested Rosemary’s, because she has a $ 25.00 coupon for the restaurant.
This is a classy and dressy kind of restaurant. With an atmosphere like Rosemary, this is a type of restaurant you’ll never see me dine at. Once in a while, I need to use the Gold Credit Card and dine at nice places like here.
We started out with endless refills of water. Our waiter suggested a Prix fixed meal for $ 55.00 per person. With little experience what is a Prix fixed meal and LiLy not being all that hungry, we went our separate ways and ordered a dish for ourselves.
We were started with a pair of dinner rolls (one sweet and one savory).
Rolls:
And we had a small piece of a savory bread pudding made with a hint of Onion Marmalade and Tomato Vinaigrette.
Side:
She ordered the Grilled Pork Chop with some spicy mustard sauce. For $ 35.00, her huge pork chop had a crusty outer-​layer with a mixture of blended seasoning, but moist interior, and a mixed Rice and Black Eye Peas Pilaf. She also had a glass of «Old World» Cabernet with her meal. You’ll need to read her review for her take on her dish.
Her Pork Chop:
Ok, my turn. Ready for this?
I ordered the Rib Eye Steak. For $ 42.00, my Rib Eye Steak made grilled to perfection. My dish also comes with Anson Mills lumpy grits and drenched in a thick & homemade steak sauce. My higher-​end steak was very moist and juicy. And the homemade steak sauce made my steak a added kick. I know, I can get an affordable Rib-​eye Steak dinner elsewhere, but my presentation for my steak dinner absolutely blew me away. I also enjoyed my dish with a «New World» Cabernet.
My steak:
I also wanted to try one of the restaurant’s elegant desserts, but we were too full. We just settled with a complementary bite size dessert after our meal
Brownie, Lemon tart and Profiterole:
The service was great and efficient. And the food is definitely one tier above from my usual meals.
More importantly, getting together for a wonderful evening with LiLy was an added bonus.

Thank you Unilocal for recommending this place! I celebrated my 25^th birthday at Rosemary’s Restaurant, and had a wonderful time with my husband.
We chose the $ 55 prie fixe menu since it was a great deal. It was so hard to decide on which items you can choose since there are a lot of options on the menu! I chose the appetizer, main entrée, and dessert route. My husband chose the 2 appetizers and main entrée route.
The complimentary bread is so good! There was a white roll and a walnut raisin roll. Yum! I could eat the walnut raisin roll everyday, especially since the rolls were warm.
For appetizer we had the following:
1) Warm Mozzarella Crêpe with Tomato Vinaigrette and Pea Sprouts and Popcorn Fried Morel Mushrooms (Special of the day) — The crêpe was really delicious with the mozzarella cheese inside. The morel mushrooms were interesting. The batter was really light, so I wouldn’t consider it as «popcorn fried.»
2) Pan Fried Veal Sweetbreads — Wow! This was yummy. The sweetbreads were very tender. It’s one of the best sweetbreads that I’ve eaten.
3) Panko Crusted Crab Boulettes with Sour Cucumbers — This is the Rosemary’s version of a crab cake. The texture was a bit mushy to me, but you can taste the crab. There wasn’t a lot of carb fillers either. I prefer the other two appetizers over this one.
We also received an amuse busche of a vegetable lasagna which was complimentary of the chef.
For the main entrée we had the following:
1) Pan Fried Soft Shell Crab on bed of Chanterelle Mushroom and Fingerling Potatoes with Sweet Corn (Special of the day) — The dish is presented beautifully with the crab on top of the mushrooms and potatoes. The batter was very light, and everythign tasted great! I always like to eat chanterelle mushrooms.
2) Roasted Rack of Lamb — Oh goodness. The lamb was very tender and cooked medium rare. The portion of the lamb was very generous. I love the balsamic reduction sauce. I soaked up every bit of sauce with the lamb. I’m not a fan of olives, so I didn’t enjoy the mashed potatoes too much.
At this time, I was extremely full, but there is always room for desserts! I ordered the following as my birthday treat:
1) Rustic Apple Tart with candied walnuts and cinnamon ice cream –MmMMm. the dessert was so good! I was also thrilled that the pastry chef wrote «Happy Birthday» on the plate. Love the extra touches that the restaurant gives. I love how the apple tart came in a tiny puff pastry. It wasn’t what I expected since I thought it would be a mini pie. The dessert also came with a butter cookie underneath the ice cream. This is definitely a sweet dish but very good.
We also received a complimentary dessert from chef:
1) Fudge brownie which is really rich
2) Lemon tart
3) Two peanut butter balls — They reminded me of eating a really rich and soft Reese’s peanut butter cup.
The service was great, and food was delicious. Highly recommended place in Las Vegas!

Good food, very professional waitstaff, always in the top 5 of the Zagat guide with all the «Big Boys» and best of all FAR AWAY FROM THE STRIP…’nuff said!!!
P. S. The ONLY way to go is the 5-​course Chef’s Tasting with beer or wine Pairings… ALOHA!!!

Just about the smartest thing Jamie W. and I did on our trip to Vegas this past weekend was rent a car. Last time, we were stuck on the Strip with either extravagantly expensive restaurants trademarked by brand name chefs or the $ 6.99 Prime Rib special. Nothing in between… nothing. Driving eight miles west of the Strip on Sahara Drive, you can find a stylish, low-​key bistro in the middle of a strip mall. Yes, a strip mall. It’s called Rosemary’s, and there wasn’t a sign of an obnoxious out-​of-​town gambler in the entire place.
So here’s the deal — $ 55 for a three-​course prix fixe dinner, and you don’t have to get two desserts. Instead, we went with three appetizers, two entrees and shared one dessert. Bonus points to Rosemary’s for allowing such flexibility for the more peckish diners. It ended up being a whole lotta food, and most of it really good. We automatically got two big rolls on our bread plates, a Glazed White Chocolate Pecan and a Potato (see photo). Freshly baked and very tasty. We tried to save one for the dinner itself, but it was hard. Then we were given an amuse-​bouche, a little square of Vegetable Bread Pudding with Shaved Chives that was a homey, heavenly pop in the mouth.
The appetizers turned out to be a bit more hit-​and-​miss. The Twice Baked Parmesan Soufflé with Garlic Cream Sauce and Sauté of Wild Mushrooms (see photo) was impeccably presented but could have used more kick and texture to offset the excessive creaminess. The prawns in Hugo’s Texas BBQ Shrimp were really succulent covered with the thick barbecue sauce, an unusual mix that mostly worked, but the Maytag Blue Cheese Slaw was just a little too mayo-​like to fully enjoy (see photo). I think a vinaigrette would have worked better. The winners among the appetizers had to be the Panko Crusted Crab Boulettes with Emulsified Ravigote Sauce and Grandma’s Sweet & Sour Cucumbers (see photo) where the crunchiness of the boulette’s outer crust went very well with the relish-​like sauce.
There was nothing wrong with the Arugula, Endive & Radicchio Salad (see photo) except for the fact that it was completely overshadowed by the showy appetizers. Our luck significantly improved with the two entrees — the Creole Grilled Prime Ribeye with Anson Mills Carolina Quick Grits, Crystal Red Onion Crust and Rosemary’s Own Steak Sauce, and the Grilled Veal Tenderloin with Sauté of Asparagus, Prosciutto & Maitake Mushrooms and Roasted Garlic Reduction Sauce (see photos). Both were excellent — especially the way the meat was prepared, very tender and flavorful. Jamie and I were pretty full by this time (…we already had a to-​go box ready for the leftover meat), but we couldn’t leave without trying their Pecan Tart with Brown Sugar Ice Cream. If that wasn’t enough, they left us a little plate of little cookies with the check (see photos).
As good and abundant as the food was, it was really the attentive service that was most memorable about the meal. There seemed to be a trio of guys who were making sure we were served at exactly the right time and refilling our water glasses before they were empty. I kept imagining how much this experience would have cost if the place was in the Bellagio or the Wynn. So is it the Strip or a strip mall for you? Let your palate and pocketbook decide.
FOOD — 4 stars… some dishes soared, a few flailed a bit in execution, but the meat was very well prepared
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… quiet, dim lights in the main dining room… the typical romantic spot
SERVICE — 5 stars… truly stellar
TOTAL — 4 stars… a very solid four stars overall for Rosemary’s