The most conflicted meal of my life – Cipriani Las Vegas

Everyone that tells me about Cipriani falls into two camps. They either love it (which is the minority) or they hate it. The New York times wrote a review which heavily influenced my opinion of the place before eating there. I know the type of place, all show, no substance, and overpriced. The existence of such polar opinions about this place made me genuinely curious about trying it for myself. In cities which have one, I would make a reservation based on someone telling me they love it, then cancel when another friend who recently ate there said they did not like it. More recently, my daughters ate there and told me it was good. I trust their opinion so on a recent trip to Vegas, I decided to finally take the plunge and try it. My first impression was that I liked the place. It had a classy nautical theme which I read a lot about prior to coming. The crowd was well dressed and good looking. I tried to do some research prior to coming and looked up some of the items they were best known for. We started with the steak tartar Cipriani.

It wasn’t bad, but it was very bland. Next, Homemade Baked Tagliolini With Ham which was delicious. This was easily the best thing of the night.

Next, the tenderloin. It was very tender but not the best steak I’ve had. I’d rate it pretty average.

For dessert, the meringue cake. Very nice browning, but just ok taste. One thing that gave it points in my book was that it was not overly sweet, but it was also not overly flavorful.

Overall, this was an ok meal. I get why people don’t like it. Its very expensive for food that ranges from average to good. Its also obvious the company is good at managing food costs and maintaining margins. However, I also see why some people like it. Overall, service was pretty good. Would I go back? Maybe. I would definitely not crave what I had except for the pasta, but that also makes me curious if there are other things on the menu that are that delicious. Add in the overall atmosphere, and its not a bad place. For the right person, I would recommend it, and for also another right person, I would recommend against it. Its conflicted!