This restaurant is located inside the Mandalay Bay Casino and Hotel. There is no question that Mandalay Bay, and her sister Casino Luxor, are on the top end of places to see in Las Vegas. The atmospheres in both are modern and beautiful. So you would expect that the restaurant would emulate that same feeling.
My teammates picked this restaurant based on the look of the place and the fact that it was not as expensive as several others nearby locations. But the outside had the feel of a decent steakhouse. And the look of it from the outside is very much steakhouse style.
But once you enter the restaurant things change a bit. The layout is nice, if a bit cramped. The bar area to the far right as you enter is more reminiscent of an upscale pub than anything else. Anyone who has been to some of the older NYC bars in the midtown area will know the feel of the bar. Still it is a very nice wood bar with a full assortment of liquors and beers.
The tables were very nice with modern style cutlery. The layout as I mentioned is small, with just enough room for an average sized adult to pass between tables. The lighting is subdued but bright enough to see everything the place has to offer without trouble. There is no music, thank goodness, just the sounds of people passing in the hotel, the casino floor a little ways away, and conversations from various tables. The flooring was unremarkable. The wood and glass walls are simple and effective in giving a warm feeling to the place without making you feel claustrophobic.
But the feel was odd. It felt like a very upscale diner. And I couldn’t place why. But when one of our party was able to order a bucket of several bottles of beer, it started to hit me why.
Then we had the menus in hand. This confirmed my suspicions. It read like a diner alright.
Unlike most restaurants, Red White and Blue has no specialty. It’s not a steakhouse, though it had 3 types of steak prominent on the menus. There were a couple of chicken dishes, seafood, and a combo platter as well. The menu read and was designed like any you might find in a decent local diner, except for the prices. They were more steakhouse or upscale.
I like steak so I was inclined towards the 18ounce bone-in rib eye. When I asked the waitress about it, and she was very pleasant and honest, she told me that it is a very fatty cut. Few that order it are very satisfied. She recommended the New York Strip, a mere 12ounces large for $44 as I recall. Several of my teammates had that, a couple ordered pasta, 2 ordered the combination platter of roasted chicken, a sausage, ribs, and something else I forget.
While I awaited my meal, I ordered a house merlot. Again the prices were higher end, $11 a glass. The merlot was a decent wine. Not outstanding, but I did ask for a house wine. Several of the other wine choices I saw on the wine list were familiar to me, and every one of them was dramatically overpriced compared to the real cost and other venues I had tried them at.
When the meal came, the pasta selection was huge portions. The combo platter was equally large and smelled great. The steaks though were ok. They were cooked to the right temperature (I order medium-rare), and looked appealing. The presentation on the plate was boring and ordinary though. The taste was average at best. Hardly worth the price paid.
The staff at Red White and Blue is good though. The waitress was attentive and informative. She had a pleasant demeanor and was energetic in providing drinks or answering questions.
Was Red White and Blue a nice restaurant? Sort of. It was adequate in terms of the meal. It was warm in the atmosphere but not inviting. Nor could I shake my feeling of an upscale diner.
Was Red White and Blue price properly? No. In all honestly I found it to be overpriced for what I received. The steak was ok. The wine was over the norm. The presentation was boring. Nothing excited me about the place besides the neon sign in the front.
At a cost on average (from the 8 people in my party) of $65 per person, including 1 – 2 drinks and including the mandatory 18% gratuity, it’s not the most expensive meal I’ve had by far. But for the cost I expected better. Far better. I would have expected a meal of this quality to cost around $40 per person or less.
I don’t recommend Red White and Blue to those that visit Las Vegas or Mandalay Bay. For those going to the area I would recommend the Cat House in Luxor. That review will come soon.
