Restaurant Week: Tender

Our seventh Restaurant Week meal was our last. We had a friend join us for dinner at Tender inside Luxor. I made same-day reservations directly with the hotel. We arrived at 8:00, but it took a few minutes for them to get a table ready. The lounge, bar and dining room were all packed to the brim. We were led to a round-table for six, despite us only be three diners. However, it’d be too cozy for three to share the high-back booths that lined the room.

We quickly got our drink order out of the way. We snacked on fresh slices of bread: multi-grain, sourdough and olive, while we perused the menus. We found both menus appealing; we opted to order from each. My selections were from the restaurant week menu, Frank and Shane each ordered daily specials and we also ordered five cheese selections to get us started.

The cheese we chose were the following: Bermuda Triangle goat, San Andreas sheep, Bandich and Purple Moon cheddars, and Marieke gouda. The plate was served with baguettes, honeycomb, walnuts, dates and cherry fig chutney. As a group we enjoyed all the cheeses with the exception of the Bermuda Triangle. It was awfully bitter and sour. None of the accompaniments made it any better. My favorites were the San Andreas sheep, and the Bandich Cheddar. Both were creamy with bold flavor.


Next, I had mixed greens salad dressed with black currant balsamic vinaigrette; it was topped with artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. The dressing had a great balance of acidity and sweetness. I thought it was great.


Our entrees followed not long after. Shane ordered the ribeye tasting trio: bison, American Kobe, and Angus beef. The bison was the standout, it was lean yet tender and it had a bold meaty taste. The Angus was the second best and the American Kobe came in last, it was grizzly and very fatty.


Frank chose the seared halibut with fettuccine in an alfredo-mushroom sauce. The halibut was a bit dry, I think it was overcooked. The sauce and fettuccine were excellent.


I had Hawaiian blue prawns over rice pilaf with Andouille sausage and Louisiana gumbo. The prawns were cooked well, the Andouille was nicely spicy and the gumbo was tasty, too. I enjoyed the dish. I only wished there was more Andouille sausage.


Lastly, I was the only one to receive dessert. I sampled the cinnamon monkey bread. The caramel sauce was runny; the bread was overcooked and hard. Only the absolute inside was gooey and appealing. I left the rest behind.


Service was good throughout the meal. Tender met our expectations. It’s a nice option within the Luxor.