The Cosmopolitan gem serves over 40 rare exemplary brews
The name and décor of Holsteins pays homage to all things Bovine and Beer, which is certainly to be expected for this gourmet burger restaurant at The Cosmopolitan. But by taking a deeper look, it reveals that the product of fermented barley is also part of this eatery’s forte.
Bovine Décor and Burgers
As for the bovine aspect, you certainly can’t miss the life-sized pink and white Holstein cow as you enter the restaurant on the 2nd level of The Cosmo. The décor continues with several cartoon-like images of cows and burger characters. And the food menu contains a variety of decadent burgers, like the Forager, made with a beef and mushroom blended patty, steak sauce, tomato confit, marmalade onions and Swiss cheese with an indulgent fried egg.
Non-carnivores can be happy here too, with options of Veggie Burger, Spicy Ahi Poke and salads like the Kale & Quinoa, which consists of grapes, red peppers, sunflower seeds, feta and chervil vinaigrette. A not-to-be missed side is the garlic-parmesan fries piled mountain high served with garlic aioli with the option of adding truffles for an up-charge.
Beery Goodness
As for the beer, the list is one of the most esteemed on the Vegas Strip and certainly has the most extensive and refined list of any of The Cosmo’s restaurants and bars. Beers pour from 24 taps and dozens more from bottles and cans, which are curated by General Manager Ivan Cuevas. He began working at Holsteins six years ago.
Cuevas said, “When it comes to our bottle/draft program, we believe that great food, deserves even greater beer, and we strive to stand out in the Cosmopolitan as the ‘beer house.’”
Regarding local beers, he shared that “people always ask about local beer,” and added that with the recent supply problems that adding more local brews, which have greater availability, makes a lot of sense.
On my recent visit, I found several taps pouring locals brew and representing a diverse range of beer styles including Able Baker Atomic Duck IPA, Bad Beat I Love Nevada Amber Ale, Big Dog’s Las Vegas Craft Lager, CraftHaus Evocation Saison, Lovelady Pineapple Sour and Tenaya Creek Bonanza Brown. This certainly qualifies for a candidate for one-stop shopping for local beer.
Non-local brews worth getting excited about are the likes of Dogfish Head 2018 barrel-aged World Wide Stout and the Belgian classic Delirium Tremens.
For even more beery goodness, be sure to ask to see the Reserve Beer List, which is akin to a select wine list, with an additional 40 plus rare, vintage, and exemplary beers (priced accordingly) including:
- The Bruery Reuze Terreux Lambic-Geuze
- Firestone Walker Stickee Monkee Barrel-aged Quad
- Deschutes The Dissident Oude Bruin Sour Brown Ale
- Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
- Plus seven variations of Fifty-Fifty Eclipse Imperial Stout.
Boozy Shakes and Cocktails
If beer’s not your thing, you can consider combining your dessert with a libation by choosing one of the Bam-Boozled Shakes. These unique creations are loaded with a wide assortment of sweets, the craziest of which is the Cereal Bowl, a whimsical combination of Loopy Vodka, Cap’n Crunch, Froot Loops, Cereal Crispy Bar, Strawberry Pocky Sticks and vanilla frosting; or try a slightly tamer Drunken Monkey, a sugary sip with Hazelnut Liqueur, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, malt, banana, Chick-O-Stick, Banana Laffy Taffy, vanilla frosting and Reese’s Pieces.
Cuevas noted that the signature cocktails sometimes outsell the beers, with the top performers including:
Grilled Mezcal Margarita, a modern day elixir combining Bruxo Mezcal, thyme honey syrup, smoked lemon juice and a splash of lime.
The Lone Ranger, a cocktail made with Maker’s Mark, port syrup, Lagavulin, lemon juice and Angostura Bitters.
Holsteins is open Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For additional information, visit Holsteins’ website.
