My first experience with STK was at the NYC location, and I was hardly surprised when they decided to bring an STK to my current digs in Los Angeles -- a city that has its fair share of trendy restaurants that lack culinary inspiration. Suffices to say I was less than shocked when I heard the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas would also feature an STK restaurant. \n\nMy experiences at all three locations have been markedly different. The NYC location boasted good food and a classy atmosphere in the Meatpacking District (an area which wasn't hurting for culinary hot-spots at the time) and was able to deliver consistently, even in its nascent stages (I moved out of NYC shortly after it opened so I wasn't able to see how the restaurant fared in the later stages of its existence). While the steaks left something to be desired, the restaurant was trendy and the overall experience was fun. I'll unabashedly add that, hands down, the best steaks still come from Texas. \n\nWhen the Los Angeles restaurant opened, I was happy to see that same ambiance maintained, but unfortunately, the food was inconsistent at best (definitely nothing to write home about) and it's \""trendiness\"" quickly declined within its first year. STK LA's biggest redeeming quality was (and still is) its proximity to other LA nightlife hotspots, and the location is enough to get me there with a group of friends for some cocktails and light appetizers to kick the night off. \n\nFast forward to 2011 and the latest trendy hotel in Vegas, the Cosmopolitan, now boasts its very own STK. A group of us made up of my closest friends from Texas, New York and California were staying at the hotel for the weekend to celebrate my birthday, so we decided to check out STK. I tried making a resie through the hotel but, annoyingly, the restaurant handles its own reservations and my call was promptly directed to their hostess. Getting a reservation was easy enough -- I called 4 days in advance of our arrival -- and we figured 9:30pm would be a good time to eat before an insanely late night of dancing. Our group of 4 arrived on time and the hostess informed us that the wait would be half an hour...with a reservation. Disgruntled, but determined not to let the unfortunate news spoil our mood, we proceeded to the bar to have some very expensive, very plain drinks -- if you are price-sensitive and like to imbibe, then this is not the restaurant for you. \n\n45 minutes later, we were seated and STARVING. This is when things got exponentially better. Our servers were incredibly fun, enthusiastic and attentive. Throughout the entire meal, our waitress helped us by making great recommendations, taking photos of us to help commemorate the trip, and showering us with an endless supply of complimentary birthday shots as well as a celebratory dessert plate, replete with delectable bite-sized cake and ice-cream lollipops. Crisis averted. Be sure to request Raquel M. as your server -- Raquel and her fellow cohorts will make sure you have a blast. The restaurant manager even let us explore the kitchen, meet the chef, observe the plating ritual and peruse all the fresh ingredients. The kitchen was very clean and well managed and the staff was very friendly. \n\nThe giant seafood platter we ordered was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone but me (I'm picky, obvi) --  the king crab was a little soggy for my taste and the oysters left me underwhelmed -- and the steaks were actually better than the ones I had at the NYC and LA locations. I ordered the ribeye medium rare and the cut and flavor were excellent. Still not on par with Texas steaks, but as far as the STK chain goes, I really enjoyed my meal.\n\nNet/net, while the steaks at STK restaurants are not my favorite, the ambiance is usually pretty fun and the staff at the Las Vegas location absolutely made this experience worthwhile. If you are staying at the Cosmopolitan and/or looking for a fun/trendy place to eat before you head to Marquee, this is the place to go.