Vol. 4, No. 6, June 2008
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Downtown delight
Hugo’s Cellar a Fremont Street gem
Hugo’s Cellar in the Four Queens is the best-kept secret in Las Vegas—try to get a table without reservations if you don’t believe that—because it is one of the best fine dining values in the city.
The restaurant has a feel of old-school Las Vegas to it. The classy décor makes it look like the kind of place where the Rat Pack might get together for a martini or a steak. Coupled with outstanding service—including a free rose to each female guest—that makes everyone feel like a VIP, it isn’t surprising that Hugo’s remains a strong draw after more than 30 years.
Of course, good design and exceptional service don’t account for much without excellent food. In this department, Hugo’s shines.
Entrées at Hugo’s are not served a la carte, unlike the trend at many contemporary restaurants. All entrées include bread, a salad, vegetables and choice of potatoes or rice, as well as a dessert of white and dark chocolate-dipped strawberries, apricots and figs.
Salads are prepared tableside to order, with diners having the option of adding everything from peeled tomato wedges, sliced mushrooms, croutons and blue cheese crumbles to bay shrimp, roasted pine nuts, marinated artichokes and hearts of palm.
A fruit sorbet is served next to cleanse the palette before the main course arrives.
Entrée selections are, for the most part, standard fare for an upscale restaurant. There are traditional steak cuts like ribeye, New York strip and filet mignon; some seafood, including swordfish, salmon and Chilean sea bass; and some chicken, veal and lamb cuts as well.
There are also some items on the menu that are not so common, even in a city with as many fine restaurants as there are in Las Vegas. The Queen’s lobster, featuring medallions of lobster sautéed with garlic, Chablis, red peppers, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes, is a house specialty and a customer favorite. The stuffed jumbo prawns and Alaskan king crab legs are other popular seafood choices.
For the dedicated carnivore, the rack of lamb and the veal chop make for nice alternatives to the tried-and-true steak selection. The rack of lamb is marinated with olive oil, garlic and rosemary and served with an Indonesian-style sauce. Hugo’s uses lambs from New Zealand, which are less gamey. Roasted to perfection, this is a tough entrée to pass on. The veal chop is another favorite at Hugo’s. The 14-ounce chop is charbroiled to order and served with a bordelaise sauce.
Hugo’s makes finding the perfect wine for any dish very simple with expert sommeliers and a huge selection of wines from which to choose. There are 300 wines on the wine list, but a number of additional bottles are kept on-hand to cater to VIPs. Like the entrees, the bottled wines are considerably cheaper than they are at most restaurants on the Strip.
And while the wines are exceptional and the sommelier is able to find the perfect complement to any main course, there is another drink from the bar that Hugo’s takes exceptional pride in: their martinis. The Manhattans are quality, too, and there are a number of beers available if you’re a little more NASCAR than you are Formula 1.
For a real treat, finish the meal off with something sweet from the dessert cart accompanied by the Cona coffee. The coffee is brewed on the table in a glass contraption that resembles something heisted from a high school chemistry class. It’s worth it alone for a science experiment, but the coffee is pretty good, too, and it is a good end to a great dining experience.
With a staff dedicated to anticipating and addressing the customers’ needs and excellent food comparable to the best restaurants on the Strip but at a fraction of the cost, it’s not surprising to see that Hugo’s Cellar has remained a Fremont favorite for more than three decades.
Hugo’s cellar
Four Queens Hotel Casino
202 Fremont Street
702-385-4011 (reservations necessary)
Hours
Sunday—Thursday 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
