Chef Joseph Keller has gained quite a reputation in Las Vegas and beyond. Although his brother Thomas' Bouchon restaurants in the Napa Valley region and now the Venetian on The Strip have gained more notoriety, Josef's Brasserie at the Desert Passage mall was a critical darling for its inventive menu and charming atmosphere.

The bad news is that Josef's closed a while back. The good news is that Joseph Keller is back with what I consider to be an even better restaurant: Como, a steakhouse of sorts at Lake Las Vegas, about 20 minutes east of town.

Regular readers of this column will know that I'm a fan of the Lake Las Vegas area and its world-class hotels like the Ritz Carlton, lively and often-generous casino, charming shopping area and recreation options. Having a great restaurant like Como in the area makes it even more worthy of your attention.

Located in the heart of the MonteLago Village, Como both fits right in and stands out among the Italianate architecture of the area. Its gleaming white two-story exterior is graced by lovely outdoor patios, recessed terraces, and rows of windows overlooking the scenery. Inside, the dark woods and shades of blue decor lend it a perfect ambience for a romantic dinner, a business lunch or even a festive celebration with friends and family.

It would be too easy to dismiss the menu as steakhouse basic. Sure, the fine cuts of meat (filets, Kobe flat irons, New York strips, etc.) and prime rib are the centerpieces, but look beyond that to the country meatloaf done in a port wine sauce or the pork tenderloin smothered in a root beer barbecue glaze. Every steakhouse worth its salt finds a twist to set it apart, and Como does so by adding unique dishes that you won't find anywhere else to the repertoire.

Starters are mostly seafood-based, a steakhouse sin that those of us who aren't fans of seafood have a hard time forgiving. But your choices within that limitation are varied -- jumbo Gulf shrimp cocktails, escargot in garlic butter, Maine lobster bisque, and more, plus a couple of non-fishy items like a goat cheese and Portobello tart.

My party and I sampled the onion soup gratinee, as we are wont to do at steakhouses, and were pleasantly surprised by the robust flavor. It doesn't have red wine in it but you'd swear that it does after sampling the smoky broth, covered in a tangy, gooey gruyere cheese.

Salads at dinner include a traditional Cobb and Caesar, of course, but seek out the grilled prime rib salad if you dare. It's topped with tender pieces of the namesake meat, a tangy bleu cheese dressing and onion rings. This same basic concoction is found in a drop-to-the-floor-delicious tortilla wrap available only on the lunch menu. Serving steak or prime rib in sandwiches, wraps or salads is a dangerous proposition unless you can find a perfectly tenderized and prepared cut of meat to include, and Keller has.

There are a number of seafood entrees on the menu as well. Steamed mussels in a white wine sauce are a chef specialty, but be warned -- if the concept of steamed mussels doesn't do it for you, these won't change your mind. What may, however, is the rainbow trout, a lightly grilled piece of fish that could even convert the non-seafood lovers like myself. I won't go so far as to say it tasted like chicken -- that would be almost an insult -- but it was not at all fishy, and both the texture and the flavor were enticing.

Another non-steak standout is the rotisserie chicken -- you get half of one with a seasonal vegetable (butternut squash on our visit) on the side, and it's a delight. It was perfectly seasoned with a zesty flair and cooked to the precise point where it is neither too dry nor too moist, something many rotisserie chickens fall victim to. Excellent all the way around, and one of our favorite dishes on a long list of favorites.

In addition to the aforementioned steaks, you'll also find a bone-in 20 ounce rib eye, a baseball cut 8-ounce, and the "Oscar style," with crabmeat, asparagus and bearnaise sauce, among others. All come with either shoestring fries or mashed potatoes and additional sides of veggies are available for an extra cost.

At lunch you'll find that prime rib wrap we loved alongside a few others -- a chicken Caesar, a California Cobb, and a grilled vegetarian sampler. Sandwiches are the main portion of the daytime menu, including a smoked turkey with melted brie, salmon, blackened mahi mahi, lobster roll, and Maryland crab cake temptations. We were too full to sample everything, but the next time we go for lunch we're heading straight for the prime rib sandwich with a caramelized onion marmalade and horseradish creme fraiche. If it's as good as the other prime rib dishes on the menu, you'll have to pry us off the plate.

Entrees and steaks are also available for lunch.

Dessert -- our favorite course, of course. There's sorbet, creme brulee, and a white chocolate bread pudding that sounded divine, but we headed straight for the flourless chocolate cake and were not disappointed. It was gooey and thick, almost as if it hadn't been fully cooked -- but in a good way just as you eat cookie dough before you bake them. Pure chocolate heaven.

A full and very satisfying wine list plus a full bar are available at all meals.

Prices are about what you'd expect for a restaurant of this caliber in this city. If you go whole hog for dinner with appetizer, salad, a steak, sides, dessert and wine you're going to be in the $50 to $75 per person range, perhaps even more depending on what cut you choose. Appetizers run $8 to $15, salads $6 to $14, entrees $14 to $24, steak and prime rib $22 $49, sides $3 to $5, and desserts are all $7.

At lunch the prices for appetizers, salads, and many of the same entrees are a few bucks cheaper, with the sandwiches and tortilla wraps in the $7 to $11 range. In other words, it's definitely on the expensive side, but comparable to similar restaurants on the Strip and not at all out of line.

Service was also top notch, a hallmark of the Keller family restaurants.

It has become my mission to get as many people as possible out the Lake Las Vegas area because it's such a scenic, fun and different experience from the often overwhelming Strip. Even if you don't stay in one of the hotels, make an afternoon out of it with some shopping, a little gambling, a stroll by the lake, maybe a boat ride, and absolutely, without a doubt, a meal at the fantastic Como restaurant. This is what a vacation is all about.

Vegas4Visitors Grade: A

Como at Lake Las Vegas
10 Via Brianza
Henderson, NV 89011
(702) 567-9950

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily

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