Restuarant Review: FIX

I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about FIX, but my opinion after dining there last night is that it’s overrated and overpriced. I’m not generally particularly snobby about food or demanding about service, and though I like to eat out, I don’t go to expensive restaurants very often. When I am spending $75-$100/person on a meal, however, I expect to get more than a trendy atmosphere and a fancy preparation, even at what is technically a ‘casual’ restaurant.

Even on a Tuesday night, it was a good thing I’d made a reservation (less than two hours in advance was sufficient), because the place was packed. The hostess was both friendly and attractive, and though my girlfriend and I had to wait a few minutes for our table, we weren’t herded into a lounge and pressured to buy expensive drinks, which was a nice change of pace from some other Vegas hot spots.

FIX does have a fun atmosphere about it, hip and energetic without being as overwhelming as the decor in a place like Mandalay Bay’s rumjungle. But ultimately it is still just a part of the casino floor, and from where we seated in the corner of the restaurant, there was no ignoring the passers by outside or the blinking and bleeping of the slot machines that were both distracting and mood killing.

Warm breadsticks and a delectably sweet, creamy butter kept us company as we examined the menu, and our waiter was prompt to take both appetizer and entree orders. Generally, I appreciate quick service and disdain overly chatty waiters. However, when I’m spending upwards of $40 for a piece of fish, I appreciate some additional attentiveness in helping me to select an entree and explain the details of the preparation. I guess we could have requested more time, but the waiter took our orders so quickly that my girlfriend and I didn’t even have time to discuss what to get, and we ended up both ordering the Seabass.

We started with Lobster Tacos, an interesting but largely successful creation. At $21, they weren’t cheap, but they did contain many large chunks of lobster and came with a very tasty guacamole, making them something of a bargain relative to the more standard appetizer fare that was similarly priced. An overly heavy dose of cilantro occasionally drowned out the more subtle flavors, but all in all we were both impressed with the Lobster Taco appetizer.

Another nice touch I’ve enjoyed at other high-end restaurants like Mandalay Bay’s RM is an extra little starter or appetizer sent out compliments of the chef. It’s never anything large, but sometimes I’ve gotten a single piece of sushi or something that was fun to try and added to the experience of luxury. Not only was there nothing like this at FIX, but the entrees didn’t even come with any sides. I’m fine with restaurants serving expensive food in small portions, but I do appreciate getting something else to round out the meal.

The seabass itself was quite good, but it didnt quite rise to the level of exceptional. Aside from its butter-braised top, the fish itself was kind of bland, though the lemon risotto, baby shrimp, and lobster broth with which it was served were all quite tasty. I would have been happy spending $20-$25 for a dish like this, but it was hard to see where the extra $20 was going.

For dessert, we shared a root beer float that was supposed to come with warm chocolate cookies. It was tasty enough, but ultimately it was just IBC root beer and generic vanilla ice cream. And the cookies were decidedly not warm. I realize this is a petty complaint, but again, it led me to wonder why I was paying $9 for this.

The quality of service really deteriorated over the course of the meal as well. Whereas the server had initially been attentive if a bit rushed, we waited nearly ten minutes after finishing our float to get the bill, during which time our server was nowhere to be seen. At comparably priced establishments, I’ve had multiple servers hovering nearby and swooping in to brush away crumbs or bring a new menu as soon as one course is finished. The service at FIX was far from terrible, but it just wasn’t up to par for what they were charging.

And that was really the theme of the whole experience: perfectly good, but just not good enough to warrant the exorbitant prices. It may sound naive to complain about paying too much for something mediocre at a Las Vegas casino, but the truth is that that hasn’t been my experience at other expensive casino restaurants. If you’re looking for a nice dinner out, spend just a few dollars more for one of the fine dining establishments at Mandalay Bay. Nothing spoils the aftertaste of a good meal like the lingering feeling that you’ve been ripped off.