Final Cut Steakhouse – Hollywood Casino in Jamul

Last Saturday we took our first trip to San Diego’s newest casino, the Hollywood Casino in Jamul.

The casino is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, which made the impressive structure stand out even more.

Here’s a small portion of their gaming floor.  They have a ton of gaming machines and they are all really new and pretty cool looking (and I don’t really gamble much).

But, we did have a purpose to this little excursion… to eat!

We were invited to dine at Final Cut Steakhouse.

Inside there was a bar area immediately to the left.  To the right was the main dining area which was quite beautiful.

The dining room had high ceilings and special Hollywood memorabilia on display.

Check out this original Superman costume!

We were seated at our table which was nicely decorated.  We liked their modern take on a steakhouse as it didn’t feel stuffy like some more traditional steakhouses.

They have a nice and extensive menu with pretty much something for anyone.

Here is our amuse bouche (compliments of the chef)… a delectable morsel of steelhead trout with little microgreens.  It was reminiscent of ceviche.

This is their freshly baked French bread which was INCREDIBLE.  The butter was whipped perfectly and the perfect accompaniment to the bread.

Our first appetizer was the Oyster Rockefeller.  These were delicious because you could taste the full body of the oyster which was perfectly cooked.

This was the Crab Louie salad that I shared with Jorgina.  There were huge chunks of crab interlaced with avocado which made us both smile.

To keep the crab theme going, we also opt’d for the crab cake.  It was definitely above average.  However, there were a couple areas where it seemed a bit too pasty.

Jorgina ordered these beautiful scallops which were prepared flawlessly.  This could have been the best dish of the night and we enjoyed the golden raisins throughout.  The sweetness of the raisins contrasted nicely with the smokiness of the bacon and the acidity from the pan juices.

I went with a more traditional surf and turf route – a prime porterhouse steak with a fresh lobster tail.

The lobster was almost perfect, but it was slightly overcooked by 30 seconds or so.  The overcooked parts were a bit chewier, but the middle of the lobster was lovely.

I typically get my steaks medium rare, but I’ll settle for medium sometimes.

The steak tasted delicious, but of some of the edges were overcooked to medium-well.

The filet portion of the porterhouse was a bit more forgiving and I thoroughly enjoyed those pieces.

The staff was great however and asked if I wanted another steak once they found out it was overcooked, but I told them “no” because I didn’t want to be wasteful.

Butter broccolini was a nice side to cut through the protein.

Sauteed mushrooms were also fantastic and cooked just right.

Here’s Jorgina’s Idaho baked potato with all the trimmings.  She thoroughly enjoyed this, but I’m not a huge potato fan, so I let her work on this mostly herself.

Now normal people would probably throw in the towel here after such a delicious and decadent meal.

Guess we’re not normal people and we dove straight into dessert!

I ordered this chocolate molten cake as my second choice because they were unable to make the donuts this evening.

Boy, I’m glad I ended up with this one!  The chocolate “cake” was perfectly done with a soft molten center.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been disappointed in the past with these because you need to be perfect with timing a souffle.

The freshly made hazelnut ice cream was a wonderful treat too.

Jorgina ordered the creme brulee with fruit and tiny pomegranate jewels.  The jewels gave a nice pop of tartness which enhanced this classic dessert.

Finally, we got two house made lollipops as parting gifts.  We ate these a couple days later with our kids and they were a big hit!

Final Thoughts

Overall we had a very pleasant experience at Final Cut this evening.

The service was excellent and we loved the modern decor with Hollywood accents throughout.

Executive Chef Keoni Simmons continues to pay attention to detail throughout the establishment and has great help here with Chef Michael Montoya leading the charge at Final Cut.

And, our highest compliments to the pastry chef (Chef Cali Charlton) who really killed it tonight on all fronts!

They will be updating their menu soon and no doubt will be continuing to refine and improve all aspects of their dining experience.  We can’t wait to come back.

Oh, and we noticed this special menu on our way out which looked like a decent deal for a nice steakhouse.

For those of you looking for a more casual dining experience, the Hollywood Casino also offers a few other dining options throughout.

Emerald Chinese

Food Court

Loft 94

Tony Gwynn’s Sports Pub

We aren’t very big gamblers, so we didn’t play anything this time around, but if you do… good luck!

** Please note that we were invited to dine here and our meals were complimentary.  No further compensation was received and our opinions remain our own.

Final Cut Steakhouse @ Hollywood Casino
14145 Campo Rd
Jamul, CA 91935

http://www.hollywoodcasinojamul.com/Dining/FinalCut