They literally rubbed meat on the walls of the dry-aging room at the new Peter Luger in Las Vegas.
Caesars Palace has a Roman Empire root word , but somehow the resort seems to be in a perpetual New York state of head . The 58 - twelvemonth - honest-to-goodness stalwart welcomedPeter Luger Steak Houseas one of the biggest Las Vegas eatery openings of 2023 , replacing Rao ’s , an frontier settlement of another iconic New York spot . The restaurant is now one of two steak joints in the casino along withStanton Social Prime , an offset of Manhattan ’s now - closed Stanton Social , call for over red - meat responsibilities from ( you think it ) another Big Apple favorite , Old Homestead , which closed last twelvemonth to clear way of life for aFrench brasserie by New York aboriginal Bobby Flay . Even theForum Food Hallhas the only DiFara Pizza outside the Empire State .
While there ’s a certain irony in not take a full - service Italian restaurant on hotel grounds , the reshuffle is working to the advantage of Caesars Palace . appetite are majuscule than ever in 2024 and Peter Luger Steak House is survive up to the hoopla , get the best a jolting history , and carrying some serious impulse into the young year .
Keep in mind that the chophouse is 137 years old and does n’t open up new locations lightly . Peter Luger himself , a German immigrant in a German neighborhood , open up the Brooklyn master in 1886 as Carl Luger ’s Café , Billiards & Bowling Alley in a nod to the nephew who ran the kitchen . Over the years , the name , owners , and neighborhood changed with the Peter Luger Steak House suddenly finding itself in a convenient location near the Williamsburg Bridge , which get in touch to the Lower East Side .
Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
With a rugged brick outside and corner lot , the restaurant developed a loyal followers and help define the classic American steakhouse while setting itself apart with a no - frills range root in the spirit of a Bavarian beer mansion house . A meal is n’t complicated . customer are advance to keep the order simple , edict beer , and contribute cash . The blank space has long defy to consent acknowledgment cards , ready a lone elision for its own in - mansion Peter Luger identity card , which is a badge of honor as much as a form of requital . According to management , more than 100,000 have been issued — and occasionally passed down through propagation when the holder pass on away .
In late year , Peter Luger has become a popular punching bag among New Yorkers , who will ferociously debate on whether the steakhouse is as good as competitors like Keens , Gallagher ’s , Smith & Wollensky , and yes , Old Homestead . The restaurant was infamously given a " zero star " revaluation by the New York Times in 2019 and lose its Michelin star in 2022 . Few complain about the steaks , but inquiry kept creeping up about the prices , a growing report as a holidaymaker lying in wait , and a notoriously inert waitstaff that ’s either part of the magical spell or no longer deserving being digest during an expensive meal .
A steakhouse fit for Caesar
With that being said , there ’s a wad on the line with the reaching of Peter Luger in Las Vegas . It ’s only the fourth location for the steakhouse , following openings in Long Island in 1968 and Tokyo in 2021 . Fortunately , the newest Peter Luger manages to get the formula right ; keeping what kept the original gravid while make subtle adjustment for a discerning Las Vegas consultation that ’s image more than a few outsider come and go in the tourist corridor .
The Peter Luger squad was given its own dry - age room in the basement of Caesars Palace – a 40,000 - square - foot space that can hold more than a million one dollar bill worth of beef at any given prison term . That alone does n’t entail that they can repeat the taste of Peter Luger ’s key signature steaks , though . The teetotal - age way in Brooklyn has been around for decades , and over the age it ’s develop a unique New York - bred mould and Casimir Funk that return the meat its iconic terroir .
So the team actually ship in aged beef from Brooklyn to break in and " seed " the fresh facility at Caesars Palace . " That dry - aged funk from Brooklyn – all that mould , all that fungus , and all that bacterium — we were literally rubbing it on the wall , " says Daniel Turtel , Managing Member at Peter Luger International . " So when you get your first shipment of fresh meat , it commence to colonize with the right bacteria . "
Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
The squawk is dry - aged between 26 and 35 day , bet on the sizing and contour of the snub . When it ’s ready , it ’s quick , and the steaks are cook the same twenty-four hours they ’re slaughter .
Just like Peter Luger in Brooklyn , customers do n’t really ordinate from a list of cutting . They regulate by political party sizing . A steak for one is a striploin , a steak for two is a Porterhouse , and a steak for three or four tends to be some sort of thymine - bone combination . A rib steak ( bone - in ribeye ) is a comparatively late improver to the Peter Luger macrocosm , served in part for one or two people .
" The waiters are very well - condition , lease them take the air you through the carte , " Turtel say . " It ’s not that complicated . In Brooklyn , it ’s very rarefied for them to actually give you a computer menu . "
Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
The prime steak , sourced from Midwest and Western ranch , require minuscule seasoner . Each cold shoulder is afford a light dusting of salt ( no pepper ) and broiled for just 4 - 5 minute , remind a sear on the top that create a crust - like char while protecting the heart indoors and produce a tender pink centre .
Every steak fare to the mesa with a smell and sizzle that others in the dining way ca n’t help but notice . The plate sit at an slant , countenance the server to well dip the individual pre - cut spell in the butter and natural juice . The plate is scorching live , which affords diners an chance to cook a slice of meat a minute longer by dragging it around the rim .
In an abrupt change of pace from the Brooklyn original , the Vegas version of Peter Luger does n’t shy away from seafood entrees , including Salmon River , dover fillet of sole , and lobster . It ’s also the first Peter Luger location to carry shellfish towers . The jumbo lump crab louse patty is worth your attention , broil like the steak with zero breading and minimal filler .
Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
Peter Luger regulars will be glad to see intimate signature sweetheart like the German - style potatoes , cream spinach , and chummy - cutting Francis Bacon , which was originally served as a staff meal and became a requested detail before discussion spread and it was contribute to the menu right .
There ’s also the far-famed Luger Sauce , a sourish combination of tomato , red cole , and a few unknown ingredients to keep things mysterious . Do n’t add together sauce to your steak — those are perfect as - is — but run it across almost anything else . Strangely enough , it ’s amazingly effective on the off - carte salad of sliced beefsteak tomatoes , onion plant , Sir Francis Bacon , and shrimp .
The Luger Sauce appears in the Bloody Mary , too , for a smasher of savoury - tart that wed in to your food for thought . There ’s a overnice selection of German beer , of course , but the cocktails feel like a better fit for Vegas , with a few Old Fashioned and Manhattan variations on the computer menu .
Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
Power lunching in legendary fashion
If you want to douse your toes into the Peter Luger experience , doors opened for lunch at 11 am Wednesday – Friday . Skip the main dining room , which is overpoweringly bright and jolly empty during the day , and savor the snugness of the bar and lounge that anchors the front half of the eating place . The menu is nearly identical to dinner party with two notable specials available until 4 pm .
The Luger Burger is fabled in New York and cursorily building a reputation of its own in Las Vegas with a $ 24.95 price tag . The 10 oz patty — a 2:1 ratio of premier ground chuck and dry - aged steak trimmings — is grilled , finished in the broiler , and serve with an Allium cepa on a sesame cum bun . No sauce . In New York , it ’s American cheese only . Here in Vegas , guest can also request cheddar or patrician cheese with compact - cut bacon on the side .
The Steak Sandwich is $ 35.95 — pricey for a sandwich , but a deal for a steak this trade good . A smaller five to six - troy ounce version of the prime dry - ripened Strip is sliced and served inside an onion bun with grilled onion . rust the first half as it comes . Pull out the pith in the 2nd one-half and finish it off with a knife and fork . Whether flummox the burger or the sandwich , splurge for the fries on the side , cooked in beef tallow like the German - style potatoes .
Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
It ’s not the inexpensive lunch in township , but it ’s one of the most rewarding . And yes , you may pay with a credit entry card .
