Located in the year old Cosmopolitan hotel, restaurateurs Billy Richardson and Chef Anthony Meidenbauer of Block 16 Hospitality bring us Holsteins,  a “new burger concept.” This burger bar and restaurant puts emphasis on fresh, natural and organic ingredients custom crafted in-house. With a live DJ spinning on weekends, Holsteins’ party-like atmosphere fits nicely with the overall concept of the edgy and glamorous Cosmopolitan Hotel.

Over the course of my week long stay in Las Vegas, I managed to eat at Holsteins twice and take out once. Admittedly, this may have been, at least in part, due to Holsteins being the most price friendly of all the restaurants at The Cosmopolitan, even with $15 burgers. The first time, I went with a large group and although our entire party was not there, the staff was very accommodating, seating us when most, but not all of the party arrived. After being seated, we were greeted with cheesy, crunchy and salty popcorn in metal pails. Waters arrived soon after with multicolored neon straws, small touches being a constant throughout the meal. We started with calamari, artichoke ‘guac’, fried pickles and buffalo wings. The artichoke ‘gauc’ was delicious, with a hummus like taste and consistency and served alongside spiced pita chips. The Calamari was standard but good, and I heard the buffalo wings were as well. During another Holsteins dinner we also tried the pizza twinkies, which were basically pizza croquettes in twinkies shape. These were okay but also somewhat standard compared to other favorites. The highlight of all of the appetizers we tried was most definitely the fried pickle chips. Served alongside olives, fried caper berries, proscuitto, salami and with a herb-caper mayo, everyone in our party was surprised by the unexpected favorite. With a perfectly fried exterior and a matching crunchy pickle inside, these were amazing. Snookie is definitely onto something.

Next came the burgers. I had the “Captain Hook,” grilled Atlantic Salmon with frissee, pickled shallots, caper-herb mayo and house cured gravlax. Of course, for whatever drunken reason, I added avocado as well. This was seriously out of this world delicious. It was kind of strange eating a burger with gravlax and frissee but every single bite was incredible. I had this served with shoestring fries which were perfectly fried and crispy. On two other  visits to the restaurant (one being take-out)  I also had the Urth’ Burger, a house made vegan patty with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, sprouts & avocado alongside really delicious and perfectly cooked sweet potato fries..  On one visit I had it served as-is,  but another occasion I un-veganized it with cheese and lobster. Vegan or not, this burger is insanely delicious, honestly one of the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t recommend the lobster, it was definitely overkill, but the cheese, if you’re not vegan, was a delicious addition.

Meat eaters in our group raved about many of their burgers, with three coming out as clear favorites. The Classic, with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, ketchup and pickles, was simple but cooked perfectly.  The Longhorn, a beef patty topped with Texas smoked beef brisket, whiskey BBQ sauce, creamy coleslaw and a dill pickle, although heavy (everyone could only eat part of this) was apparently out of this world. And finally, Holsteins’ signature burger, The Gold Standard. A dry aged beef burger with smoked bacon, aged goat cheddar cheese, tomato confit, arugula and garlic-chive aioli was definitely an all around favorite.

After three visits, I can honestly say that we were neither sick of, nor less impressed with Holsteins. The burgers were worth every penny, the service was fantastic and the atmosphere was fun. Don’t forget the people watching, Holsteins is located across from the Marquee nightclub. On a Saturday night, you’re bound to see some, um, Vegas-like behavior. I would tell you, but the saying is there for a reason;  what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Go!
(From $13- $16 for burgers)

Where: Located on the second floor of the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, across from Marquee.

What: Start with fried pickles, follow with The Gold Standard if you’re a meat eater, the Urth if you’re vegetarian. You won’t leave this place dissatisfied.

When: Weekends for the DJ

Why: With a laid back but edgy vibe, this milkshake and burger joint is far from average.