Come for the classics, stay for the innovation. That’s the philosophy behind Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak at Four Seasons, which prides itself on its modern reimagining of the American steakhouse.
All the hallmarks are there—expertly crafted cocktails and wine pairings, top-shelf cuts like Creekstone filet mignon and, of course, whipped potatoes. But beyond these beloved staples, creativity defies expectations.
“It’s taking something that’s very cozy and comfortable that people know, and flipping it on its head,” says executive chef Josh Smith.
Take for example the creamed spinach pop tart, a savory confection with comté cheese and bechamel packaged in puff pastry ($23).
“That just took over. We wound up getting the spinach souffle off the menu. And now the pop tart [version] is in New York, Southern California and all the other Bourbon Steaks,” Smith says.
Although there are 11 other Bourbon Steaks across the country, Mina and Smith take the Vegas location “personally.” Smith, a born-and-raised local who has worked under culinary dynamos Jacques Van Staden and Andre Rochat, teamed with Mina to set up this venture as a “test kitchen” where experimentation and imagination meet fine-tuned structure and quality control.
It’s not their first team-up. Smith worked for Mina in 2005 at Seablue at MGM Grand, where he started as a sous chef and quickly rose to become the youngest to hold the title of executive chef in the Mina Group. He also left his mark on Estiatorio Milos when it was at the Cosmopolitan, and at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Chicago before returning to Las Vegas in 2014 to help Mina open Bardot Brasserie at Aria.
After a departure and four years at Delilah at Wynn, Smith is back with Mina at Bourbon Steak, which opened in December. While the space oozes elegance with velvet and leather-lined seats, various chandeliers and a backlit bar that reaches the ceiling, it also has pops of playfulness—deep blue walls, floral and animal prints and a sparkling red piano at the center of the lounge.
The scene is set for steakhouse dinners that are anything but ordinary. Maine lobster, wild mushroom and black truffle takes pot pie ($112) to a whole new level. English pea agnolotti ($65) elevates the humble pasta with Cypress Grove fromage blanc. And Vegas decadence is evident in the 40-ounce “smoke show” tomahawk steak ($335).
The locals’ prix fixe menu—a secret for those who know ($85)—starts with an amuse bouche duck fat fry trio. Appetites are further whet with a choice of mini hamachi tostadas, tempura squash blossoms or mini crab cakes. For an entree, the Black Angus ribeye satisfies, as does grilled branzino and roasted chicken. And for dessert, diners can choose between warm beignets with aged butterscotch sauce or a brûléed Basque cheesecake.
Smith is keenly aware of Vegas’ culinary prowess, and ensures that comes through in his food.
“There’s always going to be something that we’re catching on fire tableside, carving, smoking, salt crust,” he says. “There’s the competitive part of being creative, too. If you’re just regurgitating ideas that other people have, I think [people] can see right through that.”
BOURBON STEAK Four Seasons, 702-405-1896, bourbonsteak.com. Daily, 5-10 p.m.
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