Las Vegas of the 1980s was a bit of a wasteland. The government launched a big push in the 1970s to get the mob out of the city. Ultimately they were successful, but when the mafia left the casino business they took all of their money with them and development in Vegas came to a virtual standstill.

The last hotels of any major significance to open in Las Vegas were Caesars Palace in 1966 and Circus Circus in the early 1970s. Sure, there were some new names and some remodeling in the 1980s, most notably after the devastating fire in 1981 at the MGM Grand (now Bally’s). But for the most part, it was status quo on The Strip, with the decades old hotels and casinos just growing older, rotting in the sun.

Vegas became a bit of a punch line; the last stop for has-been entertainers and a pit-stop for tourists looking for cheap thrills.

Then along came Steve Wynn. After parlaying a small bankroll into a big bank account with his successful Downtown hotel The Golden Nugget, Wynn was ready to move to The Strip. But his vision for his next project was unlike anything that Vegas, or the world, had ever seen.

At a project cost of over $600 million, The Mirage would be the most expensive hotel ever built at that point. With more than 3,000 rooms it would be the largest hotel on earth. And with a host of luxury amenities including high-end rooms, expensive restaurants, and high-priced shows it would be several rungs on the price ladder above what anyone was paying to stay, eat, or be entertained in Las Vegas.

It was a huge gamble, financed mostly with junk bonds, and at the time many looked at the project as being folly, destined for failure. Remember at that time, rooms, meals, and shows were practically given away in an effort to get people into the casino. But Wynn believed that if you give the public something worth paying for, they will. And he was right.

When it opened on November 22, 1989 the effect was literally traffic stopping as cars on The Strip came to a halt to watch the volcano in front of the place erupt. Visitors goggled at the indoor rain forest and giant aquarium behind the check-in desk and dolphin habitat out back. Guests were practically giddy at the level of service and amenities in the rooms and throughout the property. Superstar chefs were born at the restaurants. Siegfried and Roy eschewed the showgirls and brought big-time spectacle to the showrooms.

The opening of The Mirage garnered attention from around the globe and visitors flocked to Vegas to see it and then kept flocking to the city to see what came next. Excalibur; Luxor; Treasure Island; MGM Grand; Bellagio; New York-New York; The Venetian… the list goes on and on. To say that none of these hotels would have existed without The Mirage is perhaps too hyperbolic, but certainly some of them wouldn’t have and most of them wouldn’t have been the successes they were if The Mirage hadn’t paved the way.

And it absolutely changed the dynamic of Las Vegas. Almost overnight, the city went from ticky-tacky to over-the-top luxury. The companies that created these palaces to excess opened up new revenue streams, to the point where now the hotels, restaurants, shows, and shopping generate more money than the casinos do.

Some may say that’s a bad thing. Vegas used to be a place where the Average Joe could afford to get away from it all but over the last 20 years that has changed. Now it’s a playground for the wealthy, or at least those that are willing to spend money like they are wealthy. Until the economy went south and room rates started coming down, the Average Joe was relegated to places like Downtown or Boulder Highway.

True, there are lots of things to dislike about modern Vegas but there is also a lot to love. The spectacle, the silliness, the attention to detail, the luxury, the fine food, the world-class entertainment, and simply the outrageous fortune of imagining that anything is possible in this place… a lot of that is thanks to a little place called The Mirage.

Happy 20th Anniversary!

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I had a 16 ounce bone in filet, Illinois corn fed beef aged 21 days and then grilled over hard wood and charcoal, topped with blue cheese and caramelized onions. At 16 ounces it sounds bigger than it really was (a good chunk of the weight came from the bone) but it was still an enormous cut of beef and it was so good, so flavorful, and so tender that I polished it off as if I just returned from being lost in the forest, subsisting for weeks on berries and leaves.

Don't miss the mac and cheese side dish, a recipe that reportedly took two years to perfect and it shows.

The prices are nothing short of shocking, both in LA and in Vegas. The ala carte Illinois beef starts in the $50 range and goes up from there, dry aged Nebraska beef starts at $60, American Wagyu is in the $70 and up range, and the Japanese Kobe is going to set you back about $25 an ounce. Add in the $12 sides, the $10 toppings, the $2 sauces, and your appetizers, drinks, and tax and there is virtually no way that you can get out of here for less than $100 per person unless all you have is a big hunk of meat and wash it down with tap water.

But steaks on The Strip are expensive. It's virtually impossible to find one for less than $50 ala carte that is worth talking about, so if you're going to pay that much money, what's an extra $10 for a truly fantastic steak?

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