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7 Must-Try Steakhouses in Las Vegas – Locals’ Picks

By U.S. News & World Report

Dry-aged or wet-aged, filet or rib-eye, sauce or no sauce — when it comes to steaks, there are seemingly endless options, and with a steakhouse in every casino, Las Vegas does not make the decision-making any easier. To help you find your choice steak on (or off) the Strip, local experts weighed in on their favorite meat-eries.

Bazaar Meat by José Andrés

For the adventurous set: Celebrity chef and restaurateur José Andrés infuses Bazaar Meat at the SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino with creative twists and tastes of Spain. The dry-aged steaks are “par excellence,” according to Andrew Kiraly, editor of Desert Companion, a southern Nevada lifestyle magazine. But he adds, “It’s also a shrine to molecular gastronomy and has an excellent seafood menu. So, it is like three or four different restaurants rolled up into one. You can have a great steak, order some oysters and do some martinis, but you can also order cotton candy foie gras and air waffles.”

[Read: The Best Hotels in Las Vegas.]

There’s a raw bar that includes caviar flights from $45 to $350 and a meat bar featuring tartares, carpaccios and cured meats. Unique beef offerings include three A5 wagyu options from $35 to $50 an ounce, “vaca vieja” (which means “old cow” in Spanish and refers to an 8- to 10-year-old Holstein) for $65 per pound and a $75, 16-ounce chateaubriand. Small plates, such as the $14 patatas bravas, reflect Andrés’ Spanish heritage, as does the whole suckling pig, which must be ordered in advance, for $540.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse

The James Bond table is reason enough to take a short ride off the Strip to Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, according to Joe Moracco, concierge at the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas. You can’t sit at the 007-inspired masterpiece, but you can watch it come alive as it opens up to display a selection of custom Bond-themed wine bottles. Plus, Moracco assures that “the food is phenomenal.” He recommends the jumbo lump crab cake, which you can order as an appetizer for $21.

The a la carte menu features steaks ranging from $42.50 for an 8-ounce filet mignon to $89 for a 32-ounce wagyu tomahawk chop. Sides start at $10.50, but the decadent lobster macaroni and cheese will cost you $18.50. Monday through Friday, you can enjoy the steakhouse’s happy hour, featuring half-price bar menu items, including a top-notch burger and select adult beverages. It’s held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the patio and in the bar.

Charlie Palmer Steak Las Vegas

“One of my favorites is Charlie Palmer Steak at the Four Seasons,” says Kelly Messina, senior director of leisure sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “They have kind of a secret menu called the Cut of the Week. It is a $58-per-person, three-course menu with bottomless glass wine pairings, which is a tremendous value.”

Otherwise, the a la carte menu includes A5 wagyu rib-eye from Kagoshima, Japan, for $30 per ounce, as well as a more affordable $41 flat iron steak. You can add seared foie gras to your steak for $24 or half a Maine lobster for $25. Sides start at $9.

Prime Steakhouse

If you’re looking to impress your dining guests with lakeside luxe, celebrity chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio Las Vegas is for you. As Tina Matson, head concierge at the hotel, says, “It is a traditional steakhouse, and it has a huge patio that guests love because they get to watch the fountains of Bellagio.” Be sure to call ahead to reserve a table with a view.

[Read: 5 Unique Las Vegas Tours.]

Matson recommends starting with the onion soup and moving on to the dry-aged, bone-in rib-eye, which costs $73 for the 18-ounce cut. “If someone does not necessarily love steak, they also have the best blackened Dover sole” for $68, she says. Sides start at $13 on the a la carte menu.

Carnevino

Carnevino at The Palazzo Las Vegas is one of the few steakhouses on the Strip where you can enjoy lunch. Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich’s steakhouse offers a three-course, two-martini lunch for $65. And don’t skip the martinis — the cocktails at Carnevino are as noteworthy as the riserva (Italian for “reserve”) steaks, which are dry-aged for six to nine months. The riserva cuts have limited availability, so call to confirm they are being offered if you’re questing for dry-aged extremes. They are priced by the inch and served in 1- to 3-inch cuts. The rib-eye and porterhouse are $115 an inch, and the New York strip is $88 an inch.

[Read: 9 Great Places to Shop in Las Vegas.]

Otherwise, you can enjoy the standard 90- to 120-day dry-aged, bone-in rib-eye for $152 or the similarly aged New York strip for $70. For fans of sauce, there are 10 options, each costing $5. Vegetarians and Italian-lovers will appreciate the lengthy pasta menu, with options starting at $19.

The Steak House

For a bit of vintage Vegas with your steak, Melinda Sheckells, editor-in-chief of Vegas Seven, a weekly Las Vegas lifestyle magazine, thinks you can’t top The Steak House at Circus Circus Las Vegas. “You pull in [to Circus Circus] on a Friday night, and you feel like you’re in another place and time in Las Vegas,” she says. As for the restaurant itself, Sheckells admires the “incredible aging room, where you see all the meat,” which is ultimately grilled over mesquite wood. “It is such a great vibe, and the food is great.” Steaks average $55, and every entree includes a vegetable, a choice of black bean soup or salad, and a choice of potato.

Echo & Rig Butcher and Steakhouse

“It is worth the drive out to Summerlin to eat at Echo & Rig,” says Carol Styles, concierge at The Venetian Las Vegas and The Palazzo Las Vegas. The Southern Nevada Hotel Concierge Association awarded this local favorite Best Off-Strip Restaurant in 2017. Proprietor and chef Sam Marvin is also behind the acclaimed Bottega Louie in Los Angeles. You can dine alfresco on the patio overlooking Tivoli Village, an outdoor shopping development, while an on-property butcher prepares cuts.

With a wide selection of cuts, including hard-to-find beauties such as the bavette, that cost about $30, Echo & Rig Butcher and Steakhouse saves you enough to afford the trip off the Strip. Vegetarians will appreciate the salads and small-plate vegetables starting at $6.40. Echo & Rig also serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To experience more of what Las Vegas has to offer, check out the U.S. News Travel guide.

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7 Must-Try Steakhouses in Las Vegas – Locals’ Picks originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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