Exploring the Las Vegas food scene can be an expensive hobby. Just setting foot in some of the valley’s top restaurants will likely set you back several hundred dollars, while extravagant tastings can drive the price tag much higher. So, we’re always looking for ways to experience the best that Las Vegas has to offer without breaking the bank. Take, for example, the brand new 10-item The Classics menu, available for just $99 on weeknights in the Bazaar Meat lounge.
Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres is one of the most sophisticated and creative steak-focused restaurants in Las Vegas. It can also carry one of the city’s highest culinary price tags. With beef costing as much as $50 per ounce and a pair of tasting menus priced at $205 and $290 without beverages or supplemental add-ons, it’s no wonder that, in addition to naming it one of our Top Strip Steakhouses, Best Special Occasion Restaurants, Best Celebrity Chef Restaurants and one of the Best Places To Eat Near the Convention Center, the experts we surveyed for the Neon Feast restaurant guide also named it one of Las Vegas’ top spots for a Big Splurge (or best places to eat when money is no object).
Introducing “The Classics”
Of course, we can’t all throw financial caution to the wind when choosing a restaurant. So, for foodies on a budget, Bazaar’s executive chef Frank Medina has rolled out a “curated collection of 10 tapas” available for $99 every Sunday through Thursday (no weekends) from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Bar Centro lounge.
“It’s called The Classics,” Medina said of the tasting menu during a recent Food and Loathing podcast interview.
“And it’s those signature dishes that Chef Jose has had on the menu since Day One. Really amazing. We have the Chicharron that we make in-house. We make the Classic Tartare, Chateaubriand.”
Other items on the menu that will be familiar to frequent Bazaar visitors include Ferran Adria Olives (liquid olives), Croquettes de Pollo, Endive Caesar Salad, Gazpacho, Buttered Potato Puree, Josper-Roasted Asparagus with Romesco Sauce, and assorted Desserts. Medina says that in addition to being some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, they all illustrate one of its guiding principles.
Value, Ingredients, Time
“We wanted to make a value menu full of very, very good ingredients. Because that’s the secret of this place. We use very, very good ingredients, and we do very little to it. We touch it with fire. We touch it with salt.”
In addition to a much lower price, The Classics requires less of a time commitment than the $205 Jose’s Way menu or the $290 Ultimate Tasting. The bar setting makes it more accessible to solo diners, so the chef views it as a perfect introduction to the Bazaar Meat experience.
“Sit at the bar, by yourself or with a friend,” Medina encourages. “Have a drink – our cocktail program is absolutely fantastic. And then have this menu. I think that’ll set you up for the next visit, to maybe try something else.”
