Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak

Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak is the Top Chef judge's ode to meat, precision, and sourcing ingredients that actually matter. It's one of the Strip's top steakhouses, which usually means it's expensive as hell—but happy hour flips that script. Sunday through Thursday, 4-5pm, you're getting $5 beer and $7 cocktails, which is borderline disrespectful pricing for a restaurant this serious about beef.

The One-Hour Window

Sunday through Thursday, 4-5pm—one hour, no weekends, early enough that you might still be digesting lunch. It's a tight window, but the pricing makes it worth planning around. $5 beer is dive bar territory, and $7 cocktails at a Tom Colicchio restaurant is the kind of deal that makes you wonder if someone made a typo.

Steakhouse Drinks, Not Steakhouse Prices

The $7 cocktails include classic steakhouse standards: Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, martinis made by bartenders who know what the hell they're doing. These are proper cocktails with good liquor, not well drinks pretending to be premium. The $5 beer selection includes craft options and imports—nothing offensive, everything drinkable.

Apps Worth Ordering

The happy hour menu includes select appetizers, usually in the $10-15 range (prices vary, but they're all discounted from dinner pricing). Expect steakhouse classics: shrimp cocktail, oysters, crispy calamari, maybe a wedge salad. These aren't groundbreaking, but they're executed at a level that reminds you why Tom Colicchio has multiple James Beard awards.

The Craftsteak Philosophy

Everything here is about sourcing and simplicity—get the best meat, cook it perfectly, don't fuck it up with unnecessary nonsense. That ethos extends to the entire menu. During happy hour, you're experiencing that same attention to detail without committing to a $200 dinner. It's a preview, a tasting menu of the Craftsteak vibe.

Atmosphere & Crowd

The space is modern and masculine—dark woods, warm lighting, open kitchen where you can watch the grill action. During happy hour, it's quieter and more relaxed than dinner service. The crowd is a mix of MGM Grand guests, locals who know about the deal, and food nerds who want to try Craftsteak without the full financial commitment.

Strategic Move

The 4-5pm window is early, so treat this as a pre-dinner drink situation or an extended late lunch. Order a couple $7 cocktails, get some apps, and either move on to dinner elsewhere or just call it a meal. If you're actually hungry for steak, the happy hour pricing doesn't extend to entrées—you're paying full price for beef.

Why It Matters

Getting Tom Colicchio-level quality at $5 beer and $7 cocktails is one of the weirdest arbitrage opportunities on the Strip. It's a glimpse into high-end dining at prices that make zero sense, and it's available four days a week if you can hit that one-hour window. Set an alarm, show up on time, and enjoy steakhouse drinks that cost less than a casino beer.