Our first night in Las Vegas, and we were on our own, an unusual situation.  For at least the last twenty years or so, we have been staying at The Suncoast in the Summerlin district of Las Vegas, where two of our children and their families live.  When we first started staying there, we were kidded constantly that it was a “senior citizen” casino and that was fine, as it was quiet, uncongested and very easy to maneuver in; and I guess we grown into those demographics.  There was an Italian restaurant there with a piano bar, that we enjoyed, in fact, we had even eaten at the original restaurant before they moved to The Suncoast.  I figured that we were going to walk across the street and eat at Echo & Rig, but my Bride was doing some research and discovered that there was now a new steakhouse in the casino, and the evening that we would be dining there alone, they had a special promotion;  later we found out that we were the first to try this special, as it just started that day.

I don’t think that it would be too much of a stretch to figure out the William B’s was named after William Boyd who took over the reins from his father and became the Chairman Emeritus and co-founder of Boyd Gaming Corporation.  This was one of the first rooms that was remodeled from our last visit, and we only had drinks there the last time.  Now the main floor of the casino, as well as the second floor for banquets, was under renovation, and then afterwards, all the rooms will be renovated as well.  We got to the restaurant early and sat at the bar until the dining room opened.  My Bride wanted to try a Gin and Tonic and maybe it was the hundred-degree weather outside, but she fell in love with the drink.  I tried a glass of Charles Woodson’s Intercept Chardonnay Monterey County 2021 and affiliated with O’Neill Vintners & Distillers.  Intercept Wines was created by Charles Woodson formerly of the NFL, Super Bowl Champion, Pro Football Hall of Famer and the only defensive player to ever win the Heisman Trophy.  He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders and attended spring training in Napa Valley.  After a memorable dinner with Robert Mondavi, he was hooked, and his first wine was a 2005 Merlot.  In 2019, he launched Charles Woodson’s Intercept Wines.  The wine is pure Chardonnay and the fruit comes from the Arroyo Seco appellation along with a small percentage from Paso Robles.  The wine has the Initial Fermentation in Stainless-Steel tanks and then the Malolactic Fermentation and Sur Lie aging is done in French and European Oak for fourteen months.  A golden-yellow wine that offered notes of peaches, apples and white florals.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine displayed tones of peaches, apples, and a touch of lime with bright acidity and ending with a nice medium-count finish of fruit, oak and traces of shortbread.

As I said we were the guinea pigs for their culinary experiment that my Bride found and booked for us.  The dinner was described as William B’s Wagyu Wednesdays featuring a Chef Cut twenty-ounce Wagyu Ribeye, served Chateau-style for Two.  We had a choice of two starters, my Bride had the Caesar Salad with White Anchovies (and it was an excellent dressing), while I had the Heart of Romaine Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Strawberries served with a Champagne Vinaigrette; later that evening we were introduced to the Chef and he said that they were changing the salad I had to an Iceberg Wedge (and I think that we will have to duplicate this salad at home).  We then had a choice of two sides of six, and we went classic with Steamed Asparagus and Sautéed Mushrooms.  We also had a choice of two desserts of five, and we had Bread Pudding with a Brandy Sauce, and a wedge of Chocolate Cake with Caramel, Ganache and Crème Fraiche. We had a bottle of Lyeth Estate Red Wine Sonoma County 2017.  Lyeth Estate is famed for their Bordeaux-inspired wines and an early adapter and founding member of the Meritage Alliance, which was created in 1988.  The company was founded in 1981 by Chip Lyeth and after his death in an airplane crash, the estate was bought by the Boisset Collection, one of the largest producers in France and this was their first American winery.  The fruit is harvested from the estate and grower vineyards in Sonoma County.  The wine is a blend of seventy-seven percent Cabernet Sauvignon, eleven percent Petite Verdot, ten percent Merlot and two percent Malbec.  The wine was aged for sixteen months in French Oak.  The deep garnet wine offered notes of plums, cherries and lavender.  On the palate this full bodied wine displayed tones of ripe and dried fruits, white pepper, tobacco leaf and some refreshing orange zest and a nice medium to long count finish of fruits and spices.  We had so much food left over, that our waiter got us some utensils, napkins and take-home containers for our refrigerator, that we both had steak topped salads with vegetables the next day for lunch, and we had the chocolate cake for breakfast earlier with coffee.