I remember attending the opening of N9NE Steakhouse (and Palms Casino Resort), nearly a dozen years ago. I was with my then-roommate, Lieuchi, who was wearing this body-hugging ivory crocheted dress; and when I nearly tripped over Samuel L. Jackson, as we walked on the red carpet, the actor laughed and said to the camera crews “Never mind me, with this beautiful creature standing right here!” It took me a minute to realize that he was talking about Lieuchi and not me, but not before I blushed and thanked him.

Anyhoo – N9NE was among the city’s first major millennial gourmet-rooms, and ushered in an era of restaurants conceived and operated by nightlife companies, where the dining rooms seated later than 10pm, the music was louder, and the scene more vivid. But the most fantastic thing (aside from Executive Chef Barry Dakake’s flavorful fare) was the lounge. More times than I can count, friends and I would take our meals there, foregoing the formality of the dining room for the lounge’s comfortable low-slung atmosphere.

The lounge is still there, and the scene is as hot as ever; albeit more grown-up and with the brick-and-mortar equivalent of an eye-lift, a chin-tuck, and a syringe-full of Restylane. Under new management (both the restaurant and the property), but with Chef Barry still helming the kitchen, N9NE Steakhouse is every bit the glamorous room it ever was, if not more so. The round counter in the center of the dining room has been replaced by a tent of sheer pleated fabric, under which hangs a spiked chrome chandelier, turning the space underneath into a semi-private dining room. When I posed the question of privacy to Dan Lee, Palms’ new CEO, the amiable Lee quipped “If they want privacy, they can order room service!” You tell ‘em, Dan!

The lighting story is a far more flattering one, the silver of the room tempered by magenta-hued gels over the lights (because, let’s face it – everyone looks better in pink lighting).

Meanwhile, if the crowd at Friday night’s opening was any indication of N9NE’s future, then the popular steakhouse – voted to Conde Nast Traveler’s “Top 100 Restaurants in the World” and OpenTable.com’s “Top 100 Dining Hot Spots of 2013” – is gonna continue broiling, grilling, and chopping, well into the next decade.

N9NE Steakhouse
Palms Casino Resort
Click HERE for info and menu

Get into it!