Rare Society – Extreme Passion with Some Head Scratching

I recently tried a new steakhouse from San Diego which recently opened in Las Vegas called Rare Society. The restaurant is off strip and across the street from the Durango hotel casino which makes it convenient if you want a night out off the strip. Durango itself has a lot of good food options, as well as lively nightlife venues like the Wax Rabbit speakeasy or the Bel Aire lounge. However, back to Rare Society. The interior is a stylish mix of classic steakhouse with modern vibes.

Our server was extremely passionate about the menu and described many items in great detail. We started with the Caesar salad. It is one of the rare times I would say that a Caesar rivalled my homemade recipe. I loved the showering of pecorino on top which made it look like a fluffy cloud. I also liked the detailed touches like fried anchovies.

We also had the thick bacon which was totally delicious. Our server told me it took 6 days to prepare including being smoked and sous vide. There was a perfect smoke on it, it was fork tender, and had an Asian touch with gochujang sauce.

For our steak I chose the 22 OZ 35 DAY DRY-AGED BONE-IN RIBEYE. Here is my verdict: the steak was cooked well – med rare. However, it could of used more crust and seasoning. Also, I could only taste a hint of aging. It was decent, but not out of this world.

As for the sides, this is where things got strange. The onion rings were pickled but it was not done well. All I tasted was vinegar. It was really strange. I was disappointed because I felt like they ruined an otherwise perfectly fried onion ring (not to mention the “crack” sauce was really flavorful). As for the summer corn, it too was ruined by too much vinegar. I did not understand these items.

During dessert, things picked up again because I would put the butter cake as one of the 10 best desserts I’ve ever had. It was kind of like a sticky toffee but better. The butter worked so well with the texture of the cake and I could detect a bit of salt which brought all the flavors together. There was nice contrast of temperatures as well. So so so so so so so so good!

Overall, this was a very enjoyable dinner. Service was extremely friendly, knowledgeable and detail oriented. Our server even noticed when someone brought me a drink without a coaster and he brought one without anyone asking. That is attention to detail! Even though the steak was just a 7, the whole experience with the atmosphere, service, other outstanding food, and location, would make me return; and recommend.