A Las Vegas Strip Sandwhich · 27 July 2007
The setting of Last Call by Tim Powers is the Las Vegas before its modern revival. Circus Circus, Caesars Palace (pre-renovation and Forum shops), and the Flamingo are the most widely lavish hotels. The Dunes, the Sands, and the Stardust are big powerhouses. One of the characters mentions that the Excalibur is under construction. The Mirage has just opened, ushering in a new era of mega-casinos. This is Las Vegas before it remade its image into that of a “family-friendly town,” a Las Vegas that had no place for fun and games or innocence, a Las Vegas in which people came to win or lose, at cards or at life.
I did a little bit of research on Vegas in order to write this review. And while Vegas really tried to clean up its image in the 1990’s, I read a few interesting tidbits. In 2000, the MGM grand closed down its amusement park due to lack of interest. In 2003, Treasure Island closed its video arcade, and revamped its kid-oriented pirate’s theme. In 2004, the Wet n’ Wild water park closed down.
It seems the roots of Las Vegas run deep, and the town itself is resisting the attempts to “clean it up.” The idea that Vegas is a seat of old power that wouldn’t take kindly to squeaky-clean family-fun is one that fits right in with the themes of Last Call. Las Vegas has a distinctive flavor, and it isn’t bubblegum.
Even though Las Vegas seems to be in an adult revival period, now more committed to catering to its libertine clientèle, a few people have claimed that the food in Las Vegas is changing, and I'd agree. There's been an infusion of celebrity chefs to join the celebrity entertainers and apparently it's no longer easy to find food on the cheap. But, at the heart of Las Vegas is the original home-style food first introduced at the Hotel El Rancho in the 40's. The last time I visited Vegas (admittedly 6 years ago) this food was still the bedrock of buffets all over town.
Moreover, you can see from a great collection of menus from the 1960's, that even if the selection wasn't as multinational back then, the idea of going out to a nice dinner in Vegas isn't new.
So food has long been part of the hedonistic experience of Las Vegas. When I think of eating in Vegas, I usually think of eating buffet style. That should have made it easy to come up with something to discuss, after all just about everything from sushi to scrambled eggs can be found in a buffet these days. But, I wanted to capture the original seedy feel of Las Vegas, the gambler's Vegas in which people who would look abnormal in the light of day.
He had found other things: the old women who played as obsessively as he did and who wore gardening gloves as they pulled the slot machine handles to fertilize a cold and stingy soil; he had seen players . . . so obese or deformed that their mere presence would elicit involuntary shouts of wonder in any town but this one, in which the facts of action made physical appearance genuinely irrelevant . . . - Last Call by Tim Powers
I remembered hearing a story about how the sandwich was named after one of the Earls of Sandwich, who favored the meal as something he could easily eat at the gambling table. It turns out there is a bit of ambiguity as to the truth of that rumor but it persists all the same.
The marvelous thing about modern sandwiches is that you can put just about anything on them. In order to tap into the feel of the Vegas that Scott Crane occupied, I decided to use some traditional Vegas buffet ingredients and make a steak sandwich. As usual, I set a challenge for myself with this recipe. You may have noticed that almost everything posted on this site is vegetarian. I do eat meat, but I rarely cook it myself. Even though it's summer, and the cooking trend is for fresh and fabulous, I decided on a hearty recipe to complement the mood of the city that never sleeps, for a sandwich appropriate to a casino in which you can hardly tell whether its night or day, much less what season it is.
Steak (or Portobello Steak) Sandwich with Carmelized Onion
Recipe adapted from - Epicurious. Steak Sandwich is pictured at top, and the Portobello one is pictured directly above.
- 1/4 cup prepared white horseradish
- 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, divided
- 2 1-inch-thick beef tenderloin steaks or 4 whole Portobello mushrooms
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 4 oz large shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced
- 1 cup beef broth
- 4 large ciabatta rolls, halved horizontally, lightly toasted
- 2 cups fresh spinach
Method
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until dark brown, about 25 minutes.
Add mushrooms; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth; boil until juices are reduced to glaze, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Season onion mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
If using steak, melt 1 tablespoon butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle tenderloin steaks with salt and pepper. Add steaks to skillet and cook about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Using tongs, transfer steaks to work surface and slice into strips. Return the strips to the skillet and stir-fry another 1-2 minutes to soak up the vegetable juices.
If using Portabello mushroom, add 3 Tbsp broth to the same skillet. Simmer on medium-low heat approximately 2 minutes on each side. Transfer mushroom to plate.
Toast ciabatta rolls. Place 1 bread bottom, cut side up, on each of 4 plates. Spread each with horseradish and top with 1/2 cup spinach leaves. Top spinach leaves with onion mixture, then with steak strips or Portabello mushroom. Place tops on sandwiches.
The steak sandwich was quite tasty. The horseradish added a nice bit of zing to the otherwise relatively mild flavors of the sandwich. The steak was excellent on the medium-rare side. I chose to cook the steak in the vegetable juices (rather than the opposite which was recommended in the original recipe) partly to keep the vegetable vegetarian, but also because I thought it would add some flavor to the meat. I'm happy to report that it worked well and that the Portobello eater also appreciated and enjoyed the mushroom sandwich.
Last Call,
Las Vegas,
mushroom,
Onions,
Portobello,
Steak,
Tim Powers
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Chris · 28 July 2007, 12:35
Yum! This one sounds easy enough for me to be able to accomplish ;) I’ll have to try this one. I’m a big meat eater and Megan’s a big veggie eater and LOVES Portobellos, so I’ll have to do this one one day for the both of us!
Nymeth · 28 July 2007, 14:31
This sounds good, but if I ever attempted it it would be without the mushrooms. I just can’t stand mushrooms of any kind (blasphemy, I know, but I can’t help it).
I tagged you for the “5 reasons why I blog” meme. You don’t have to do it, of course, but I’d love to see your responses.
Kim · 30 July 2007, 15:50
Chris – The was super easy.
Nymeth – I felt the same way about mushrooms for a long time so I don’t consider it blasphemy. I’m glad I enjoy them now, but it took some work.
This is actually great timing for me and the meme. I’ve been meaning to update the “About “ section on the site and answering it will provide some good raw material. It will probably be a late week post, since I’ve got my ComicCon wrap up to post first!
Chris · 30 July 2007, 16:28
Yay! A ComicCon post. I get to live it vicariously through you :)
jean pierre · 31 July 2007, 08:54
very interesting post about las vegas! this makes me want to read the book even more. i’m intrigued by your (and the book’s) depiction of a harder, darker las vegas.
and that steak sandwich…! it looks delicious :p
Stefan · 5 August 2007, 11:56
Last time you went there was 5 years ago.
shamesmiley ;)
Kim · 5 August 2007, 21:44
Ah, yea, I counted that as 2001 for some reason instead of 2002. Mea culpa ;)
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