651 Mall Ring Cir, Henderson, NV 89014
Sunday – Thursday: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Apple Pay, cash, and credit cards accepted
Located in the parking lot of the Galleria Mall, the sleek, contemporary design of West Texas Chophouse fits right in with the bright, alluring shops surrounding it. This restaurant chain from El Paso, Texas established its first out-of-state location in Las Vegas, NV. Despite its recent Oct. 28 opening date, the steakhouse has already obtained a sizable following.
Most people, including myself, would expect a rustic Texan steakhouse featuring wood seats and worn out booths filled with rowdy families. However, West Texas Chophouse is everything but. The lobby has an exquisite chandelier and soft, comfortable lighting with friendly waiters seating customers. It immediately impressed me with the sophisticated decoration and the gold, black, and wood decor theme.
The menu features a wide variety of steaks; everything from $20 sirloin cuts to $80 tomahawk ribeye cuts. Other dishes include burgers, and Mexican-influenced dishes like queso fundido, nachos, and chicharrones.
For appetizers, my family and I chose the Queso Fundido ($10.99) with green chile strips. It consists of melted mozzarella cheese with jalapeño strips served in a griddle. The presentation of the dish was aesthetic, but the mozzarella cheese was a seemingly poor choice as I was prepared to be disappointed by mozzarella’s typical rubbery consistency. Dipping my tortilla, however, I was impressed with the gooey stretch of the cheese and the explosive jalapeño flavor. The only setback was the excessive oiliness, but the flavor made up for that.
I ordered the 8 oz. Top Sirloin ($19.99) for my main entree, which is served with a baked potato. The potato skin was tough, but made a good contrast to the smooth, velvety inside. It was by far the best baked potato I have ever had. The bacon on top added a smoky flavor and depth to the texture by adding a slight crunch to the creamy potato inside. I moved on to the steak, which was melt-in-your-mouth moist. It defied the norm of dryness and grainy texture typical of cheaper steaks. It had an adequate amount of seasoning and tasted strongly of pepper, which I found very enjoyable. However, the homemade steak sauce was very disappointing. It had a metallic taste to it and the steak would have been much better without it.
While the steak was still excellent, I was much more impressed by what my sister had ordered for her main meal: a Mac & Cheese Burger ($15.99). After hearing the crunch of her biting into the crisp burger, I had to try it. The macaroni was rich and cheesy, while the toast on the bun was absolutely perfect. The meal portion was large and definitely worth the money. Macaroni and cheese on a burger may sound odd, but the combination worked and I would definitely order this item next time.
We finished off the meal with two desserts, Alex’s Cheesecake ($12.99) and Sissy’s Peach Bread Pudding ($9.99). The first dessert to arrive was the peach bread pudding. The peaches on top were delicious, but it became soggy very quickly and tasted like wet bread by the end of the meal. I also felt there wasn’t enough ice cream to go with the bread pudding.
When the cheesecake arrived though, I was absolutely blown out of the water. I stopped eating my peach bread pudding immediately and devoured nearly half of the cheesecake. At first, I thought a strawberry cheesecake was too simple to really enjoy, but the freshness of each ingredient after the heavy main meal made it a definite highlight. The cheesecake was firm, but dissolved in my mouth on impact. It had a creamy aftertaste that lingered on the tongue and tasted remarkably fresh when compared to the heavy bread pudding. The strawberry sauce that came with it tasted incredibly fresh, unlike most fruit sauces which taste artificial.
Looking back at my dining experience, there were definitely some low points. The prices were a bit high, especially for some of the appetizers, and I was very disappointed by the steak sauce. All in all though, the meal was extremely flavorful and filling. The quality of everything from the decor to the meals to the service puts West Texas Chophouse a clear head above other steakhouses. I will definitely be back for that Mac & Cheese Burger and look forward to my next visit.
