A Las Vegas Steak House Tries Its Luck in New York

"When it comes to Las Vegas restaurants, the cultural exchange tends to flow inward, not out. At every level of dining, from cheap chain to ultra-luxe destination, the city has imported big-name brands from elsewhere-a Spago here, a Momofuku Noodle Bar there. There's an outpost of New Orleans's Turkey and the Wolf, and a branch of the downtown Manhattan pizzeria Scarr's; hell, there was even a Rao's, for a while, and it was actually pretty easy to get a table there."

"The city's hotels, still rigidly racially segregated, wouldn't allow Black performers to dine in the very venues where they headlined, but the Golden Steer, a stand-alone restaurant, did not abide by such restrictions, so it became the favored post-show spot of the Rat Pack: Sammy Davis, Jr., would hold court at booth No. 20, Dean Martin at No. 21, Frank Sinatra at No. 22."

"If any Vegas-endemic restaurant were going to attempt the crossing, Golden Steer is the one to do it: it has the branding, and the mythology, and certainly the point of view. Opened, in 1958, as a cowboy-themed joint, the restaurant was off-Strip, freestanding, deliberately removed from the casino world it served."

Las Vegas typically imports restaurants from other cities rather than exporting its own establishments. Golden Steer, opened in 1958 as a cowboy-themed steakhouse, represents an unusual exception to this pattern. Originally located off-Strip, the restaurant became a cultural landmark by welcoming Black performers during the segregated casino era, earning it status as the favored post-show destination for the Rat Pack. Celebrities including Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Joe DiMaggio frequented the restaurant, with specific booths dedicated to their memory. The establishment's strong branding, mythology, and distinctive point of view position it as a viable candidate for successful expansion beyond Las Vegas.

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