Kansas City’s newest steakhouse ’37 Steak in Harrah’s Casino is not your average casino restaurant. The concept for this establishment, named for the year (1937) when the very first Harrah’s opened in Reno, is to be a restaurant in a casino, not a casino restaurant.

Since I am not a big gambler or buffet eater, the thought of going to a casino for dinner never crossed my mind, until now. I recently had the chance to preview and sample some items from ’37 Steak and was certainly impressed.

Every aspect you associate with a casino restaurant flies straight out the window with ’37 Steak, starting with the cocktails.

There are only a few places in the metro that offer the kind of unique craft cocktail experience you will find at ’37 Steak. The detail that goes into making these drinks is truly an art. Fresh herbs, fruits and veggies as well as unique liquors are used and the technique is fascinating to watch.

For instance, the Sage of Anthos begins with catching a sprig of fresh rosemary on fire and includes a liquor infused with variety of herbs including: sage, rosemary, fennel, thyme and more with lemon and simple syrup finishing the drink. This is definitely a lemonade for grown-ups that is absolutely delicious.

The Treaty of Amity, featuring Applejack Brandy is served in a glass infused with apple wood smoke. The sweetness from the apple brandy combined with the smokiness from the glass is a unique combination and would pair well with many of the grilled steaks and other entrees ’37 steak offers.

 

 

Fresh red jalapeños, Thai chilies, whiskey and Absinthe make up the Smoke and Spice which is a new drink that will be hitting the menu this fall. The heat from the peppers, the coolness of the ice, the sweetness from the liquors, the spicy scent and the gorgeous red peppers adorning the glass ignite all of you senses. This is one drink not to be missed!

If you like to drink your dessert, the Egg Cream is the perfect ending to your meal. Godiva chocolate liqueur and mint are poured over a compressed ice sculptured sphere, which is made right before your eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The solid sphere of ice keeps this sweet and chocolaty drink from getting watered down from ice melt.

Head Craft Bartender Michael Strohm is truly an artist and has a wealth of knowledge about many different liquors. He keeps what he calls a “Personal Rolodex” in his head full of cocktail recipes that are not featured on the menu. For instance, when I told him that lavender was one of my favorite herbs, he made me The Dennie, a drink he named after his mom.

Prior to pouring the concoction which includes Aperol, Dolin Blanc and Tangqueray the glass is misted with an infused lavender liqueur. The lavender scent is intoxicating and the taste is delightfully light and not to sweet. The color and garnish of fresh sage almost made it to pretty to drink, but I seemed to manage!

If you don’t see a drink on the menu you would like to try, just tell bartender Mike what you like and he can create a personalized cocktail just for you. You can also catch him on Mixology Monday on YouTube where he demonstrates how to make a new drink each week.

Tucked away from all the hustle and bustle of the gaming area, the decor at ’37 steak is sleek and modern and will make you feel as you are at a swanky venue downtown. The stunning dining room features beautiful lighting, stone accents and an elegant fireplace with plenty of seating as well as private dining areas and rooms that can host meetings and events.

The bar area is just as lovely with plenty of tables and chairs as well as bar top seating where you can get a front row seat to the cocktail slinging action.

 

The bar side also offers a very laid back casual but unique menu featuring a grilled mac and cheese sandwich and their famous candied bacon, which by the way is phenomenal! Other bar bites include tenderloin sliders, flatbreads, wings, shrimp, house-made chips and more and start at just $5.

Like every detail ’37 Steak considers for your cocktail the same goes for your meal. The wine room features a great selection of wines from all over the world while the food menu offers a fine dining selection of entrees featuring some of the best steaks and seafood available. Elegant appetizers, fresh salads, house-made soups and gourmet sauces, butters and sides complete the menu to appeal to any taste.

The pricing is comparable to other steak houses with entrees starting in the $20 range with the most expensive being the seafood trio consisting of lobster tail, king crab leg and 3 jumbo prawns for $74. I do need to mention that I saw this dish go by and the crab leg was enormous! I just got back from a trip to Alaska and didn’t see crab legs that big! Most of the filets and steaks are in the $30 to $40 range. The array of sharable sides are only $5.

Hubby and I split a gorgeous 12 oz filet and sharable sides of off-the-cob sweet corn and baked potato. The filet was perfectly cooked and the corn still had kernels connected from being cut straight from the cob. The loaded potato rounded out this delightful meal and experience.

For dessert we shared the Peanut Butter in my Chocolate, which is their version of the beloved peanut butter cup. I have to mention that chocolate and peanut butter is one of my all time favorite combos and I enjoyed this dessert immensely. The chocolaty crust and the creamy peanut butter filling was a tasty!

I wish to thank ’37 Steak for hosting me but also need to mention to you, my readers that although I was a guest of ’37 Steak, I only write about an experiences if I truly think is something you are missing! Even if you are not a big fan of steakhouses you should at least go for one of their magnificent cocktails and some candied bacon from the bar!

The service is great, the atmosphere is delightful and the fare is tasty! ’37 Steak is worth a visit.

And to make that visit a little easier on the wallet, ’37 Steak has given me a $50 gift certificate to give away.

To enter leave a comment below what your favorite cut of steak is.

For more information you can check out ’37 Steak’s Twitter page and Harrah’s Facebook page as well as the What You’re Missing KC! Facebook and Twitter pages.

Entries will be received until midnight Friday, September 19th. Winner will be drawn using random.org and be notified via email, so be sure to leave a valid email contact with your entry!

Good Luck!

’37 Steak
Harrah’s North Kansas City
1 Riverboat Dr North Kansas City, MO 64116
816-889-7037