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The Daily Dose/June 7, 2011
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
Notes from around The Human Experience...
CAPSULE RESTAURANT REVIEW: Binion's Ranch Steakhouse, Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada: It's not easy for a steakhouse to stand out in Las Vegas. As a rule, Vegas does beef fairly well and is generally loaded with great places to enjoy a steak.
Binion's, however, stands out quite nicely. One, it is located on the top floor of the hotel tower, 24 floors up, and while you may not want to see every part of downtown Las Vegas from that high up, overall the view is spectacular, particularly if your dining experience starts in late afternoon and ends well after dark.
Two the food and service are very good, and, three, the room is really nice, lots of wood and glass, very old Vegas.
History Lesson: As it should be be. The Horseshoe was founded in 1951 when Benny Binion purchased and renamed a couple of dives on Fremont Street the Horseshoe. Over the years some pesky legal matters and family infighting, among other things, took its toll and Binion's is no longer owned by the Binion family.
Dry, Technical Matter: Actually, calling Binion's a hotel nowadays is not accurate, because they closed their hotel in 2009 because nobody was staying in it.
May I Help You: Our waiter for the evening was Pat. Like a lot of people at Binion's Ranch Steakhouse, Pat was not working his first shift that night and he provided attentive, leisurely service. Though the restaurant was doing good business, and we had a prime window seat in the corner, Pat let it be known we were in no way to consider ourselves rushed to get through our meal.
OTOH: Pat's timing was perfect, because at no time were we turning our heads wondering where in the Pat was.
Bill Of Fare: The food is very good. After a hiatus of a couple of years, I reacquainted myself with my old and dear friend Mr. Prime Rib. We don't eat much meat anymore, but, honestly, it was really nice visit Mr. Prime Rib again. The Woman raved about her porterhouse and our dear friend Debbie did not issue any indictments against her filet.
All of us started with the French onion soup, which we knew from prior visits is also very good. Not the very best we've ever had, but pretty darn close.
Fly In The Ointment: The idiot bartender forgot to put the champagne on the bill, something Pat did not notice until the bill had been tendered, but Pat heroically recovered and graciously corrected the error.
Oh Yeah: We didn't indulge in it this trip, however Binion's offers a dish we have not seen anywhere else: chicken fried lobster, which is as good as it is unique.
Standard Internet Disclaimer: Gaylon is not a professional food critic, unless you're talking about cheeseburgers or macaroni and cheese, in which case Gaylon has significant street cred and is to be considered a leading authority. His opinions are completely subjective and are not measured against established culinary standards.
Standard Internet Disclaimer II: To protect the integrity of the Capsule Restaurant Review, reviews are done anonymously and at either Writer's Shack expense, or whomever we can foist the bill off on.
We Interrupt This Column For A Word From The Ratings Department: Following is the Official Writer's Shack rating scale:
EX - Excellent; the very best the Human Experience can produce in every respect.
VG - Very Good. Well worth your time.
GD - Good. Worth your time.
AR - All Right. Not completely without merit.
SP - Nothing of substance; a steaming pile, utterly without merit.
Final Ranking: VG. It's possible, though not easy, to top the dining experience at Binion's Ranch Steakhouse, but we don't really want to. The room, the view, the service and high quality of our meal, all add up to a first class dining experience. The desserts are good but would not make the medal stand at the Dessert Olympics.
WHEN IN THE COURSE OF HUMAN EVENTS: The Lee Resolutions, proposing "the United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States" is proposed by Virginian Richard Henry Lee in the second Continental Congress on this date in 1776. The resolution would be seconded by John Adams, though it would not be voted on and passed until July 2.
We Hold These Truths To Be Somewhat Self-Evident: The United States Supreme Court rules that citizens have a right to privacy, even though such a right is not specified in the Constitution, on this date in 1965.
Ruling 7-2 in Griswold vs. Connecticut, the Court ruled that 19th century Connecticut law prohibiting the use of contraceptives to be unconstitutional, ruling that the law violated a couple's right to marital privacy.
Dry, Contraceptive Matter: We were kind of wondering who the test case was in this instance, and were more or less relieved to find it wasn't an actual couple that was involved, because who in the hell was responsible for enforcing that law?
Rather, those arrested were associated with a Planned Parenthood clinic that had been set up in New Haven in 1961 specifically to challenge the law.
Really Dry, Technical Matter: We weren't asked, but we concur with this ruling. One of the arguments our Founding Fathers had when writing the Constitution and whether or not to provide for a bill of rights. Some said, yeah, there better be a bill of rights, dammit, because if they're not specified they'll bet taken away while others said no, it's not necessary because any rights not specifically detailed are reserved by the people.
Get Your Official Writer's Shack Policy Right Here: That's a good point, but it's always good to get something in writing.
FunFact: Rights not specifically granted in the Constitution are covered by the Ninth Amendment which more or less says that any rights not specified are reserved by the people.
Thank You John Jay: Actually, the Constitution is so wonderfully succinct that it would've been easier to quote the Ninth Amendment directly than to summarize it. So here it is:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Thought For The Day: He forged fiercely a path for his truth, until at last kings, popes and emperors catered to him, thrones trembled before him, and half the world listened to catch his every word. - Will Durant, on Voltaire.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: Huey Long of Louisiana is the only other sitting United States Senator besides Robert Kennedy to be assassinated. Long was shot at the Louisiana state capitol in 1935.
Today's Stumper: The Second Continental Congress, which approved the Lee Resolution and, later, the Declaration of Independence, also managed the Revolutionary War, appointed ambassadors and generally performed the functions of a national government. From what legal authority did the Second Continental Congress derive these powers? - Answer next time!
Comments? Recipes? Complaints? Email the Writer's Shack here!
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