The Luxor is a beautiful hotel and casino. It is a mix of post modern and ancient designs. The blend is pleasing to the eye and invigorating. The same can be said of the CatHouse restaurant/lounge.
I didn’t have my camera with me at the time, but the location of the restaurant/lounge is off the casino floor to the right, well inside of Luxor. It might seem an odd location, but it fits in nicely with the décor and feel of the casino. CatHouse opens its doors at 6pm, and has a happy hour until 8pm. And you would do well to arrive early or make reservations.
The theme of the CatHouse is exactly what the name implies. From the outside you are treated to the front of a house with the upstairs windows containing a silhouette of women in various stages of preparing garters. That tells you what is to come once you enter.
As you go up the stairs to the bar and dining areas (I believe a curtained area on the first floor to the left is a VIP area, but I’m not sure) you will note that the walls are filled from floor to ceiling with various photos of early 1900’s era women in lingerie and tasteful nude art. This is obviously not a place for children or prudes. But let me emphasize that this is art and tasteful.
The stairs continue to a lounging chair that I noted several female patrons stopped to take pictures on and against. All part of setting the mood and atmosphere of the location. As you circle around the stairs to the left, you enter the bar area.
The bar is a nice tall dark wood, with a lavish selection of top end liquors, as well as ample variations of beer. The selection is quite nice with about 6 or 7 separate scotches that I noticed (including the Glenlivet 12 and 18 year olds). Sadly the Glenlivet 21 reserve is not among the scotches anymore, but a fine selection for scotch drinkers.
A special point of interest, if you can afford it, is the fact that the Cat House does carry the Louis XIII cognac. For those unfamiliar with this liquor, which is almost everyone, it is a very top end drink. A bottle of this can go for $1,500 or more. The crystal bottle goes for $100 – 500 empty. There is a special edition of the liquor that sells for $43,000 (it has a 4 carat diamond embedded in the dark crystal container. At the CatHouse a single pour goes for $275 – and I swear I was tempted to have one. But this gives you an idea of the nature of the restaurant.
The interior design of the entire restaurant is modern, comfortable, and relaxing in a tempting sort of way. The lighting is dim, but easy to see everything. The colors are black and dark browns, making it seem far less well lit, and amplifying the intimate mood the decorations inside create. There is even a small room in the far wall of the dining area that contains a model that is dressed in lingerie and fixes her make-up and hair about every 30 minutes as if no one else was around. It reminded me of scenes from a Mae West movie.
If you have had a reservation, or you are in the ample bar area, the first thing you will notice is the bar maids and waitresses. They are all dressed in thigh high high heeled boots, garters, short skirts, a bustier, and a small shoulder jacket (not sure what it is called). While nothing on any of the women is exposed, there is plenty of cleavage though, it does catch the attention. I’m sure it’s been the cause of more than one man getting a slap upside the head from his partner. And it’s worth it.
Beyond the look, all the staff are polite, attentive, and well versed in the drinks and foods in the restaurant. Even the busboy is on the top of his game – as he told me about the various liquors in the bar and why the Louis XIII was not on display at the time I was there (sadly a former busboy accidentally broke the full bottle). In all they were completely pleasant and what you would expect in service from a high end restaurant.
But the big question for me at the time was the food. Having had the bad experience in Mandalay Bay, I wasn’t sure what to expect here. Was it going to be overpriced and underwhelming? Was it going to be a match of décor and expectations?
I can happily say that there is a reason that reservations are needed. The food was excellent. I was part of a party of 4 and we were in the bar area just after seeing Chris Angel (review pending) perform his 7:30 show. We had a drink and looked over the menu.
This is not an inexpensive restaurant. The least expensive item was $19 (Spaghetti and meatballs) and things went up quickly from there. I considered the steak, at about $44, but decided to try another favorite – the wild salmon. One of my friends had the brick roasted organic chicken, another had a prime "CatHouse" burger, and the last had a specialty of the night, an Ahi burger.
I wish I had my camera, but the best I could do was the cell phone camera one of my friends had. As you can see from the photos above, the presentation of each dish was excellent. One of my friends studied as a chef and was blown away at the quality of the presentation of each dish. There was no skimping or details missed.
As for the taste, well again this was a homerun. My wild salmon was perfectly seared with a well seasoned crust that just melted in each bite. The portion size was very good, even for me (I normally eat a 20+ ounce steak at a sitting with a baked potatoe or 2). The vegetables were in season, fresh and delightful.
The Ahi burger was fantastic. While it sounded a bit odd, the texture and taste was a great blend. Again the portion was just right. The organic chicken was tender, juicy, and held just enough spice to have your attention without being close to overpowering. The "CatHouse" burger was also cooked to perfection.
The average price of a beer was $7, and a mixed drink – Captain and Coke – was about $12. The average cost of each entrée was about $36 per person. I believe this restaurant, like most in Las Vegas, had a gratuity already included but I added more to the bill.
To summarize the CatHouse in the Luxor Hotel & Casino is a great experience. It has the atmosphere, mood, and food that one would expect from a high end restaurant in Las Vegas. It is an adult place, and children should never be here (not sure if they could be if they wanted). It’s excellent for a couple, or a group of friends that want to explore finer dining or just have a really pleasant time.
In addition I want to mention that I thought Marisol (I recall that as her name) who was working from 6pm on Friday night, was especially pleasant and friendly. Plus, if you are there at happy hour you can get 2 for 1 drinks with the purchase of an entrée. Well worth the deal that it is.
I highly recommend the CatHouse to anyone in Las Vegas.
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