YEE: Fine Dining At The Charcoal Room

This has gotta be the smallest, yet more generous event i’ve attended. There was maybe 24 people total at the event, 10 – 12 per table (i know ours went from 10 to 12 later in the evening).
I’ve been to the oyster bar next door a few times, and the most recent time, i saw this are being renovated. When i arrived, i was quite amazed how nice it looks (especially in comparison to the rest of the casino around it haha) Apparently charcoal room exists in every station casino (i didnt know. did you?)
Décor and ambiance of the main dining room is nice. Small wine rack room with glass walls at the entrance and next to the bar. In the back, there’s a room (where we were) that has the ability to close doors (keep noise out XD)
There were two specialty drinks. One martini, one. something else. XD the something else was good. The martini, not so much =X
Upon «movement» to the private room, two big platters were placed on each side of the room filled with seafood. Raw oysters, crab, lobster tail, shrimp, and crab meat. Super fresh, nice and sweet. Even the oyster was nice and sweet. Quite clean as well. Also 4 sauces on the side (totally forgot what they were. it was like horseradish, some special sauce for the oyster, cocktail?, and something else…)
The food didn’t stop there…
Two HUGE salads came out. One was a Caesar salad with thin toast size croutons on the side. Other was a house chop salad. Both were quite heavy on the dressing but were delicious as well. The chop salad had blue cheese in it. Not too strong/​overpowering though (which is nice)
Entrees — choice between a bone in rib eye, filet mignon, sea bass, and scallops. Now in hind sight, i should have gotten anything other than the rib eye. lol Not saying it was bad, (aside from it being overly big and i couldn’t finish it), should have gotten the other ones that i usually dont get at other places. XD oh well. rib eye was ordered medium rare. came more towards rare, but not exactly rare. Seasoning was lacking. Had to add some salt and pepper. The sauce it came with was nice but didn’t help too much. The sea bass looked really good and was said to be delicious. Really generous portion on that as well. Saw the scallops too and they looked perfectly seared as well.
Sides. Mashed Potatoes. Creamed Corn Au Gratin. Creamed Spinach. Grilled Asparagus. Potatoes Au Gratin. Didnt get to try the potatoes au gratin but the cream corn au gratin was the best of the side dishes. whole kernels baked au gratin style. delicious. Rest was, normal? XD
Desserts. Carrot Cake. Cheese cake. Crème Brulee. Berry Cobbler. Chocolate Cake. Rice Pudding. All classics essentially. Crème brûlée had a hard (i was hitting it with a spoon. XD) sugar shell. berry cobbler was flavorful. As if we didnt have enough food already…
Overall. Food was great. More close type of event vs the usual. Got to interact and know each other better. Apparently i have a Unilocal mom and dad now??? i was called a baby T_​T
During the dinner, the restaurant did a giveaway of 5 different hard liquors (where two went to the non-​drinkers…) LOL grats to the winners. But best of all, at the end, everyone got a goodie bag (2 martini glasses, 1 bottle of wine, deck of cards, 2 craps dice, Unilocal swag…)
Thanks to the staff at the Charcoal Room, Nate, and Unilocal staff for organizing the event. Small but nice :]
Side note — noticed lately the +1 thing has been kind of unannounced. so of the like 24 people, essentially ½ were elites, ½ were +1s. wonder how it would have been if it was only elite and no +1s?

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend this event as a plus one. Top notch event. The staff and venue put on a great event. The general manager, the chef, and the staff made it a point to interact with all the guests and make sure everyone was enjoying the experience. The venue was the back party room which was spacious, nice and great for small to medium groups. The restaurant area itself is well laid out and the bar area is a nice area for mingling and socializing.
The event was a great way to meet the new community manager Nate and Ms. Tiffany. Nate did an excellent job of coordinating the event and made sure that everyone had a good time. Nate will be an excellent CM for Unilocal.
The drinks looked really good and appeared to be a clever brand of mixology. I didn’t partake, but those who did seemed to be enjoying them. The seafood appetizer was well laid out and consisted of shrimp, crab, lobster claws and oysters. Delicious seafood. The salad course was very good and consisted of chopped salad and a caesar salad. The entrée options all looked delicious. I had the sea bass and had the chance to try a bit of the scallops. They were really delicious and well done. The family style sides of asparagus, potatoes, cream corn, mac and cheese and spinach were good. The desert options were family style and five great options.
Great company and it was a pleasure to see some people I’ve met before and meet some new folks.

What better way to officially meet our new CM Nate than doing some fine dining with some fine diners? The Charcoal Room hosted an intimate dinner in their private dining room, allowing a group of 10 Elites and their +1’s to sample their menu. There were bottles of liquor raffled off during dinner, and gift bags were handed out to everyone at the end of the event. Diego and the team at Charcoal Room certainly know how to entertain.
Specialty drinks for the evening were a Unilocalertini (Raspberry Lemon Drop) and a Unilocal Smash (Whiskey Smash). They also offered wine and other spirits if the specialty drinks weren’t your thing.
The appetizer round consisted of their Jackpot Seafood Platter: lobster, crab, oysters, and shrimp. Following the seafood starters were a chop and caesar salads served with sourdough, pretzel, and rosemary bread. These courses alone were enough to be a meal in itself!
For the entrée round I tried both the Bone In Ribeye and the Seared Scallops. The ribeye kept a good charred flavor while being cooked to a medium rare, and the scallops were nicely portioned and cooked just right. The sides were served family style and paired well enough with any entrée chosen. I would tell you about the desserts, but after two small, very small, bites of the crème brûlée, I had to tap out.
The food served at The Charcoal Room is executed well offered in generous portions at an affordable price point. After looking at their menu, starters can be had for around $ 10 each on average, entrees can be had for $ 30-​$ 40, and sides can be added for just $ 6 each. The Charcoal Room can offer a steakhouse dinner for two for the price of a steakhouse dinner for one at other restaurants; there’s certainly value to be had here.
Thank you Charcoal Room, Nate and Tiffany for throwing a fantastic event!
Tip: At the end of an event that Nate throws, be sure to check under your seats.

What a lovely intimate event! We started out at the bar with our choice of a sweet but potent martini and/​or a bourbon lemony drink. I would have tried the bourbon drink if I hadn’t already been three sheets to the wind from the martini. Then to the beautiful private back room for the main event, which started with a self-​serve seafood buffet: jumbo shrimp, lobster, crab claws, crab legs, oysters, and assorted sauces to accompany them. We were seated at two long tables, but not so big that we couldn’t interact. The wine was flowing, raffles were drawn by the GM Diego for bottles of an ascending quality of booze, culminating with a Dewar’s 12-​year-​old Double-​Aged Scotch. Thank you, Diego, for drawing my name!!!
The staff was incredibly attentive and made sure that everyone got to sample, no, make that pig out on a sumptuous dinner. After some delicious chopped or Caesar’s salad, Herb and I both had the filet mignon, perfectly cooked, and tasted all of the sides: terrific roasted asparagus and an assortment of higher-​calorie carbs. I especially loved the Mexican creamed corn. The dishes we didn’t order looked enticing, too, and any one of them would have been a great choice.
And when we were all too full to eat another bite, five or six outstanding desserts were served family-​style. Oy! More deliciousness!
We had a great time sitting next to Stefany and getting to meet Boris, but also being able to talk to others at our table. It was nice to meet Unilocalers who were new to me and visit with other Unilocalers from different events. I also enjoyed getting to meet the chef, Fernando, who did an outstanding job.
As if the presentation and the food weren’t enough, we were treated to a send-​off goody-​bag surprise given to Elites as well as their Plus 1’s that was over the top in its generosity.
Special shout out to our gem of a CM, Nate M., and his lovely Tiffany O. Nate, do NOT let her get away! Nate has proven in his short tenure that he is the consummate professional who is not afraid to pull out all the stops, and is a master at facilitating events that are warm and welcoming to all who have the pleasure to attend.
If I’ve forgotten anyone or anything, my apologies. There was so much to savor and enjoy at the Charcoal Room that my head, heart AND stomach are still too full! Thank you to all who made this such a memorable event!

I love Vegas! This is our first Elite event after we moved to Vegas from Providence, RI and we had a blast!
CM Nate & his team are AWESOME! We got there late coz work, everybody had been seated when we arrived. Nate was the best host i could ever imagine; When he first saw us he immediately identified himself, got us settled in, introduced us to the other Unilocalers, helped us to blend in the crowds. All the Vegas Elites Unilocalers are very friendly, we had a great time sharing the restaurants tips, talked abt drinks, chatted abt life!
Our servers Laura & Joe were very attentive and took good care of us. Food was good and drinks were filled the entire night. Did i mention how wonderful the manager Diego was, he had couple raffle drawings for us and i think that was very cute, everybody was happy & cheerful… ^_​_​^
Food, drinks, desserts and generous goody bags to take home? Almost too good to be true. Keep up the good work!

This was my first Unilocal event in a very long time (since January), and will be my last for a while seeing as how I am due in about two weeks. I have to say that this was an incredible way to complete my year of being an elite.
It was great meeting our new CM Nate and the very lovely Tiffany. I think they deserve a huge thank you for organizing such a well run, smooth event. Also, a big thank you to the GM Diego who helped make this wonderful event happen, and chef Francisco who helped make the amazing food happen. Our staff was also incredibly accommodating and attentive.
I loved the method of collecting the tip. Everyone had an envelope that was turned in to Nate at the end of the event. It ensured that we were fair to our hardworking staff. and also that we were a classy bunch!
I was not interested in the alcoholic beverages although they looked delicious. I was almost scolded by Nate while sipping on my ginger ale and sugar free red bull… I think his mind wandered more toward whiskey on the rocks and possible FAS based on the color and appearance of my drink. It was pretty amusing, but hey, our CM cares!
We started off with a generous family style serving of variety of fresh seafood: oysters, crab claws, prawns, lobster and various sauces. I took it easy on the seafood, but did sample some of each. Delicious!
Next came the chopped and caesar salad served family style on giant platters ensuring there was more than enough to go around. The chopped salad was great, but this pregnant woman needed her carbs and luckily there was a delicious breadbasket in front of us. It consisted of pretzel, rosemary and sourdough bread, all of which were equally fresh and delicious.
When it was time for our generous entrees I opted for the pan seared sea scallops while my husband went with the sea bass. Anyone who has prepared scallops or ordered them before knows how unforgiving scallops are to cook. It is a matter of seconds in which they go from perfect to a rubber ball. These scallops were cooked to perfection. The portion was incredibly generous, and the citrus butter sauce that came on the side added a new dimension of flavor to these already delicious scallops. I had a couple of bites of my husband’s sea bass, and it was buttery and delicious.
The entrees were accompanied by number of sides that were shared family style; we had anything from mashed potatoes and creamed spinach to creamed corn and asparagus.
The evening was topped off with various desserts: chocolate cake, cheesecake, tapioca pudding, crème brûlée, etc. We also had coffee to help shake us out of our impeding food comas long enough to get home.
Throughout the evening they raffled off various bottles of liquor and sent all of the attendees home with a bag of goodies.
Both my husband and I were thoroughly impressed and satisfied with not only our meal, but the event in its entirety. I loved the intimate setting which allowed us to converse with fellow Unilocalers while indulging in great food and ambiance.
We will be back, and we will have no problem paying full price for the food that we sampled last night.
Thank you again to Nate, Unilocal,and the gracious management and staff at The Charcoal Room!

This was truly a 5 star elite event! If I could give it more than 5 stars, I probably would. It was also the most intimate event I’ve ever been to, with only 10 elites and their +1’s in attendance. Although I wasn’t invited, I was fortunate enough to be Andrew C’s +1. Thanks buddy!
After checking in promptly at 5:30 pm, we chilled at the bar for a sort of cocktail hour and sampled the signature drinks for the evening: Unilocalertini and Bourbon Smash. Both were really good and the Bourbon Smash was extra strong. After trying 1 of each I was already feeling it a little… not a good idea on an empty stomach I guess. But then it was time for dinner and by 6 pm we were all led into a private dining room in the back.
Dinner began with giant seafood platters, followed by giant caesar and chopped salads served family style. For our entrees we had a choice between 4 different dishes and nearly everyone at my table went with the bone-​in ribeye or sea bass. The ribeye was huge! Had to have been well over a pound because most of us couldn’t finish. My steak was cooked perfectly and was delicious! Each table also got various sides to share, including: creamed corn, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and creamed spinach.
Throughout dinner, The Charcoal Room held raffles for bottles of liquor — 5 in total. Congrats to all the winners, which included Roger T and wifey Riah T.
After dinner we were all super stuffed and falling asleep when it was time for dessert… What! Each table got one of each dessert to share — 6 in total. My fave was the crème brûlée. It was sweet and very creamy mmmmmm. I would come back just for this dessert!
At the end of the event, we took some group pics and were surprised with large gift bags as if the food and raffles weren’t enough already! Big thanks to CM Nate M and The Charcoal Room for putting on such an impressive event! I definitely look forward to returning for more steak!

What an event!
Most Unilocalers will give Elite Events 5 stars automatically. I’m even guilty of this. But on the real, this one was as good as it gets. Thank you, Nate and Tiffany!!! You guys now have a standard to live up to.
It’s been a while since I’ve been to an Elite Event and my first with Nate as our CM, so I arrived semi-​prepared. I reviewed the menu expecting the typical sampling that you get at these events. In other words, I didn’t expect a full dining experience. I even ate a full meal an hour before and had another full meal waiting at home for after. I sure didn’t need it since the Charcoal Room didn’t leave us unsatisfied. we started drinks, apps (lobsta, crab legs, oysters), followed by multiple salads & breads, let’s not forget the full on sides, then there’s the huge filet mignon that I had, and finally ending with dessert & coffee. I’m full just thinking of it.
I had a great time with great Yeeps. Thank you Charcoal Room for hosting this event. Thanks again, Nate. I look forward to many more events like this. Peace Out!

WOW! Actually this event deserves 5 wows.
First off I am very appreciative that I got selected as one of the 10 Elite Unilocalers to be able to attend this prestigious event. Each Elite Unilocaler got to bring a +1 so that made it that much better. So a total of 20 of us had our own room set up for us in the back of the restaurant.
Before we made our way to our tables at 6 pm, we all pretty much hung out at the bar at the entrance of the restaurant where we were treated to complimentary drinks. My limit was 2 diet sodas.
As 10 of us sat down at our own big table, the other half did the same. Our new Community Manager Nate M gave us a little intro about what’s to come. Before anything even happened, I was already impressed with the how organized Nate had things ready for us.
Then came the food. OMG. Im not even gonna get into it for I will have flashbacks because my stomach will start aching. But it was the good kind of ache if there ever was such a thing. Please refer to all the scrumptious pics. I know, you’re jealous right?
They could have stopped with just the food alone and everybody there was already impressed but Nate and company took it even further. They had a raffle for you to win several different bottles of premium liquor. I like the fact that when you came to register, your name was automatically put in the raffle. No separate paperwork needed. Me and the wifey’s name was drawn so we both had two bottles of alcohol to take home.
As if the raffle should have already been icing on the cake, again we were pleasantly surprised with grab bags of goodies which included a bottle of wine, playing cards, dice, a beer mug, two margarita glasses and a 50 dollar gift card to come back.
To me the main highlight of the evening was that we were given Unilocal Elite Socks! Now these babies I know are hard to find and not easy to get so you can imagine just how giddy we were after receiving one.
Hats off to the fine folks at The Charcoal room for providing great service and putting up with us.
Another shout out goes out to our seat mates Bailey Z and his +1 (whom I am ashamed to say did not get her name), Terri R, Mel C, Andrew C, Brian P, Dana S and her husband Evan, and new to the community Queenie L and her husband Philippe. The tag the noob tradition went to Queenie for this was her first Elite Event since moving to Vegas from Rhode Island.
Last but not least, major props goes out to Nate M and Tiffany O for not only doing a great job setting this up, but they are truly genuinely nice people who make sure that you are having a great time. Nate, I appreciate what you do not just for us, but for the Vegas Unilocal Community as a whole.
Unilocal 2014 365 Review Challenge #188

Finally met our new CM, Nate M. At a fancy-​shmancy steak place inside my favorite local’s dive casino, no less. I guess I just walk straight from the entrance to the sports book, so I had no clue this place existed– definitely a hidden gem, as Nate himself put it.
Showed up and mingled with Unilocaler-​tinis and a whiskey beverage– the whiskey won and was BF’s drink of choice for the night. The evening was a sit-​down dinner for an intimate group of 20: BF selected the bone-​in rib eye for his entrée while I opted for the pan-​seared scallops.
The food was amazing: from the gigantic seafood platters that served as our appetizers to the entrees and multitude of sides (asparagus, creamed corn and spinach, and macaroni, oh my!) were all on point– followed by a smörgåsbord of desserts that I couldn’t do more than sample.
Mega shout-​outs to our captain, Nate M, and his second-​in-​command, Tiffany, who coordinated our evening, and to Diego and Francisco, GM and Chef of the Charcoal Room. Our servers and bartenders were all amazing as well!
Many gracious thanks to the venue and staff, great venue that I’m excited to know about now! The gift bags and give-​aways were an unexpected but appreciated touch– so much was over the top about this event!
As great as the food was, my favorite part was getting to bond with Sheila and Herb and Joanna and Josh! The group of 20 was perfect for quality conversation, which I really appreciated. Many thanks again for such a great night, looking forward to another event by Nate!

YEE-​haw! I am stuffed after attending the YEE food fest at the new Charcoal Room at Palace Station.
–Thank you to CM Nate M. and the lovely Tiffany O. for hosting this more intimate affair for 10 Elites and their +1s.
— A huge shout-​out to Charcoal Room manager, Diego, and his staff that kept us plied with tasty food and drinks. Just see all the pictures posted from the event for evidence; servings were generous and there was plenty to go around.
— On our side of the private dining room, it was nice to sit, eat, and converse with Dana S. and hubby Evan, Andrew C., Brian P., Riah T., Roger T., Bailey Z., as well as welcome Queenie L. and her husband Philippe to the Vegas Unilocal community.
— Unilocal Swag! Yes, I’m not ashamed to say that I’m jazzed that I have Unilocal socks now, the red ones that will come in handy during the upcoming holiday season. Also, the Charcoal Room hosted a raffle during dinner where five attendees each won a bottle of liquor. But, guess what? EVERYONE can blame it on the alcohol because we each got a surprise gift bag with a bottle of Pinot Grigio, playing cards, dice, margarita glasses, and a $ 50 gift card to the Charcoal Room, all courtesy of Station Casinos.
A five-​star Unilocal Elite Event? Yes, it was. Dana S. is about to have a baby, but so am I – a food baby, that is. Thank you for a great event, Nate and the Charcoal Room!

This is one of the best Unilocal Elite Events I’ve ever attended. The venue was exquisite, the staff was wonderful, and the food was amazing. I loved that this was a more intimate event, which allowed everyone to intermingle and get to know each other better.
The party started with cocktails are the bar, which quickly moved to the private dining room in the back. Dinner service started with a seafood platter offering that was better than any Vegas buffet. I loved the fresh lobster tail, crab meat, oysters, crab claws, shrimp cocktail, and king crab legs. It was enough to make any seafood lover cry.
The salads, served family style were well-​dressed and delicious. Of the two, I really liked the chopped salad, which had blue cheese, avocado, and bacon bits. For the entrees, I got the bone-​in pan-​seared ribeye, which was perfectly cooked to a medium-​rare. I also got to try some of my +1’s sea bass, which was full of buttery goodness. All the sides were enjoyable, mostly because it was some form of creamed [fill-​in-​the-​blank]. By the time dessert came around, I was stuffed, but I had enough space to enjoy the berry cobbler.
Thanks all around to the staff, chef, and especially Nate M. for organizing this event. The mystery goodie bags at the end was just icing on the cake!