I had dinner for two at Gordon Ramsay Steak. For $320, we thought it was expensive but worth it.

Business Insider

17 hours ago

I recently dined with a friend at Gordon Ramsay Steak in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The ambiance and tasty appetizers made us feel like we were in a high-end steakhouse.
However, I wasn't convinced that the steak I ordered was worth the high price.
I grew up watching marathons of Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares," so when I got the chance to finally dine at one of the famed chef's restaurants, I anticipated nothing but greatness.
On a recent girls' trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey, a friend and I stopped by Ramsay's steakhouse chain — aptly named Gordon Ramsay Steak — inside Harrah's Resort.
This was my first time truly exploring Atlantic City and dining at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. Gordon Ramsay Steak has seven locations: Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Vancouver, Baltimore, and Kansas City, plus Westlake, Louisiana, and Elizabeth, Indiana.
With a big celebrity name comes high expectations, and we left feeling overall impressed — though a little drained monetarily.
Here's what our experience was like dining at Gordon Ramsay Steak in Atlantic City.
We arrived right on time for our dinner reservation.
We booked a reservation about a week in advance for 7 p.m. on a Wednesday night. Since it was midweek and decently in advance, we had no issue getting a reservation at prime dinner time for two people.
We found the restaurant up one flight from the casino floor, instantly spotting a lot of neon signs — one with the restaurant's name, one with an illustration of Gordon Ramsay sharpening knives, and one with a diagram of beef cuts.
If the neon signs weren't enough to tip us off, there was also a video of Ramsay inviting guests into the restaurant.
The screen played a video of Gordon Ramsay discussing the restaurant and special items like the prix fixe menu.
As big fans of Ramsay, we thought this was a fun touch to our dining experience and made the restaurant feel more connected to the celebrity chef.
After waiting a few minutes for our table to be ready, a hostess escorted us into the dining room.
Inside, we were greeted by an accent wall painted with a Union Jack that led to the main dining room.
Ramsay was born in Scotland but raised in England, and many of his restaurants have a distinctly British flair.
We liked that the main dining room was completely separate from the rest of the resort, creating a more private and immersive dining experience compared to other restaurants we dined at during the week, which were right on the casino floor.
The dining room had a mix of regular chairs, high-backed chairs, and booths.
We were seated at a booth, meaning our party of two had plenty of room to spread out.
The dining room's overall aesthetic was cozy yet modern. Its muted color scheme was earth greens and blues, with pops of red throughout. It felt romantic, with luxe leather seating and candles placed on each table. Still, it was well-lit; no one would struggle to read the menu thanks to the overhead lighting.
The place settings had a touch of elegance.
We were each given a cloth napkin, two forks, and a butter knife. I was given a steak knife when I ordered my entrée.
We both ordered drinks from the specialty cocktail menu.
I ordered the Supersonic G&T ($18), which is Ramsay's version of a classic gin and tonic.
It contained yuzu, grapefruit syrup, and grapefruit juice, which made the drink slightly sweeter and more flavorful than the standard cocktail. I thought it was light and refreshing, and paired well with all of the dishes we tried.
My friend ordered the British Culprit ($18), the restaurant's take on an espresso martini made with rum instead of vodka. It was sweet but not creamy, which is just how she likes her espresso martinis. It was the "perfect pick-me-up" after a day of traveling to Atlantic City from New York.
Our server started us off with two house rolls and butter.
The rolls were warm and sprinkled with salt, and the butter was just soft enough to spread onto the bread.
The bread was slightly sweet, and while the butter didn't have a ton of flavor on its own, we were thankful to have a small bite to curb our appetites before the rest of our food arrived.
We consulted with our waiter on the most popular appetizers. He recommended the smoked wagyu beef tartare.
He explained that the beef tartare ($30) was smoked to add even more flavor to the dish. I'm a huge fan of this French dish, so I simply had to try it and compare it to other ones I've had in the past.
The egg yolk was perfectly creamy, and the beef tartare itself was absolutely packed with flavor.
The tartare, made with lemon zest, red onion, capers, and a quail egg yolk, was served with Yukon Gold potato chips.
This was by far one of the best beef tartares I've ever had — and I've been to Paris multiple times. I could tell that the beef was high quality, and it certainly wasn't lacking in the flavor department — it was perfectly salty, savory, and the smoke flavor really came through.
However, $30 felt a little steep considering the size of this appetizer. It was just about enough for two people to get a decent portion, so those dining with a larger group might feel a bit disappointed.
While the potato chips added a balanced textural element to the dish, they also felt slightly low-brow next to the tartare. I would have preferred a few pieces of crispy bread.
For our second course, we split the wedge salad.
The market wedge salad ($18) was presented beautifully. Two heads of baby iceberg lettuce were absolutely drenched in deliciously creamy Stilton blue cheese dressing and topped with red onion slices.
The dressing was poured over the lettuce, and the salad plate was also lightly smeared with dressing underneath the rest of the salad, ensuring that every bite was covered.
The salad was a bold yet refreshing take on the classic wedge salad.
The iceberg lettuce provided a cool, crunchy base that contrasted well with the smoky richness of the pieces of applewood-smoked bacon, while the slices of heirloom tomatoes and crisp chunks of English cucumber added bright notes to the dish.
The creamy, tangy, and unapologetically pungent dressing brought the entire dish together in a symphony of flavors.
If you're a fan of blue cheese, definitely order this salad.
My friend ordered the branzino as her main dish.
The pan-seared branzino ($59) was served with rock shrimp, artichokes, kalamata olives, shaved fennel, sundried tomatoes, and lemon broth.
The dish was beautifully presented. It was on the lighter side for an entrée, but after the bread, beef tartare, and dressing-coated salad, she was ready for a slight reprieve.
The branzino appeared to be heavily inspired by Mediterranean dishes.
While the restaurant showcases British staples like beef Wellington and roast chicken, we were excited to see other culinary influences woven throughout the menu.
The branzino, for instance, had a distinctly Mediterranean flair. It was served on a bed of kalamata olives, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes, which delivered bold flavor without weighing the dish down.
The fish had a crispy skin while retaining its tenderness. The base of the dish was almost like a stew, and could have been eaten with a spoon. It tasted like a delicious "ecosystem" of Mediterranean flavor, my friend said, and left her feeling satisfied but not stuffed.
For my entrée, I decided to splash out and order the most expensive steak a-la-carte on the menu.
I ordered the 8-ounce American wagyu filet. At $120, it's both the most expensive cut of steak and the most expensive item on the restaurant's menu.
There's also a triple-seared Japanese A5 steak on the menu, which was priced per ounce, but I ordered the most expensive based on the price listed on the menu.
I ordered my steak medium-rare, which the waiter recommended.
This steak was supremely tender, but not what I expected from a wagyu cut.
I don't pretend to be an expert on steak, but I was a bit surprised when I cut into the filet. I expected more marbling.
That said, the flavor and tenderness won me over. The steak was boldly seasoned with pepper, with a beautifully seared crust that gave way to melt-in-your-mouth, buttery meat inside.
The steak was undeniably delicious. However, for over $100, it came with no sides other than a light smearing of jus and a dollop of whole-grain mustard.
Yes, the steak did speak for itself. But I think I would have been just as happy with a 16-ounce New York strip ($80) or an 8-ounce filet ($70).
I'm not sure I would order it again solely based on the price.
We were both too full to even consider dessert, so we opted for a pre-casino cocktail instead.
Eager to try more of the cocktails on the restaurant's menu, we each ordered a spicy margarita to fuel us through a night of exploring Atlantic City.
The Mayahuel margarita ($18) was made with Patron silver tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime, passion fruit, and jalapeño. It was spicy and salty, and was the perfect end to our meal, priming us to live it up in Atlantic City.
Our meal was expensive at $320, but it was worth it. We'd go back, but I would order a different entrée.
After tax and tip, our bill at Gordon Ramsay Steak came to $320 for two appetizers, two entrées, and four cocktails.
While that's more than my friend and I would typically spend on a dinner out, I did order one of the most expensive cuts of steak on the menu.
Next time, I'd probably opt for a cheaper cut of steak but order the same appetizers and cocktails.