That wasn’t at all a problem with the axis venison medallion and wild boar loin, which both were quite moist as well as well-flavored in their own ways, the venison just slightly gamy, as it should be, the boar with suitably porky overtones. Game, especially venison, can be a challenge to prepare well because its lean nature means it dries out very quickly. Fazel is big on game (although not big game, thankfully), so the Wild Game Tasting ($36) was clearly in order.

The snow-white fish with a delicate flavor and meaty texture had been sauteed and served with wild rice - an earthy delight if ever there was one - and a melange of tiny green beans and edamame. I remember an uncle introducing me to Great Lakes fish many years ago, and this dish at Tender evoked memories of its simple pleasures. In fact, we didn’t even have steak, because the menu offered so many other interesting opportunities. For both of those, though, I’d have to qualify with “after a fashion,” because the shrimp cocktail, with its coconut-curry Greek yogurt sauce and cilantro-lime aioli in addition to cocktail sauce, and the creamed spinach, with roasted garlic and Parmesan cream, aren’t like the shrimp cocktail and creamed spinach you’d encounter in other local steakhouses.Īnd that’s because Tender Steak &Seafood isn’t like other local steakhouses. If you look hard enough, you will indeed find shrimp cocktail and creamed spinach. And so there are, yes, steaks of every description, somewhere around 19 (including five filet mignons and five rib-eyes) ranging from slabs weighing in at 24 ounces to comparatively diminutive 8-ounce cuts. Tender Steak &Seafood at Luxor fills the slot that’s a given - almost a requirement - at any Las Vegas hotel-casino. Then again, there’s something intensely boring about it. There’s something intensely comforting about a restaurant that typifies the classic steakhouse, with the usual cuts of beef and shrimp cocktail and creamed spinach and so on. (Jeferson Applegate/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Juan Villalpando serves beverages at Tender Steak & Seafood restaurant in the Luxor hotel-casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb.

Luxor hotel and casino steakhouse