WAKUDA

Landed in Vegas for a work thing and ended up at Wakuda inside The Venetian. Had heard enough about Tetsuya Wakuda's name attached to this place that I figured it was worth the detour from the strip nonsense.

First visit, so I'm still in observation mode. Ordered the wagyu beef tataki, the black truffle and edamame tofu, some nigiri, and a couple of the hot plates. The tofu was the first thing that told me the kitchen knew what it was doing — texture was clean, not wobbly or overseasoned, the truffle wasn't just for show. That's a harder balance than people think.

The wagyu tataki was properly seared, not the lazy approach where they torch it table-side for drama and leave the center uneven. Sear line was consistent all the way around. As a former line cook, that's the kind of thing I notice before I even take a bite.

Nigiri was good. Not life-changing, but the rice temperature was right — a lot of spots in Vegas get lazy with that, especially at high volume. Fish quality was honest.

Service was attentive without being performative. Nobody explained the menu to me like I'd never eaten Japanese food before, which I appreciated.

What I don't know yet after one visit: whether the kitchen is consistent or whether I caught a strong night. Whether the tofu tastes exactly like that every time or if there's variance. Vegas restaurant kitchens run hard and turnover is brutal. One good meal in a casino hotel is table stakes. I need to come back on a random Tuesday when nobody's trying to impress a full room.

Receipt is filed. Total was on the higher end — this isn't a cheap meal — but the execution justified most of it. Will return before I decide anything.