This casino offers an off-the-menu, dry-aged delicacy

ARLINGTON — The best steaks at Whiskey Prime aren’t on the printed menu, and that’s intentional.

The steakhouse inside the Angel of the Winds Casino Resort in Arlington can’t keep up with customer demand for its dry-aged steaks, which are stored in a specialty refrigerator for 45 days, said Chris Bertand, the steakhouse’s manager.

“We don’t want to leave people disappointed,” he said.

Bertand said that the dry-aged steak choice is a secret menu item for their repeat guests in the know.

Luckily for me, I was let in on the secret.

One bite and I was hooked. The slice of tender ribeye steak melted in my mouth, enhancing the beefy flavor more intensely than other steaks I have eaten in my life.

Chef De Cuisine Chandler Smith smiled at my delight.

He explained that through a controlled, weeks-long aging process, natural enzymes break down the meat’s muscle tissue while moisture evaporation intensifies the taste.

“The meat tastes more beefy,” he said.

Smith said the steak is aged in special Dry Ager refrigerators manufactured in Germany, which regulate humidity, air flow and temperature.

I’ve been to dozens of steakhouses over the years, but I’ve never been offered a dry-aged steak.

I wondered why more steakhouses don’t offer customers a dry-aged beef experience, given the elevated taste, but Bertand explained it’s expensive for restaurants to offer the choice.

He said that, in addition to high production costs, aging the steak for a month and a half means waiting a considerable time before a restaurant can make a sale and sell it to a diner.

Another issue: meat shrinkage.

Bertard said the meat shrinks by 20% during dry aging due to moisture loss.

Bertand said the dry-aged steak is sold to diners at $6.25 an ounce, meaning a typical 14-ounce steak would cost $87.50.

That’s more than the 18-ounce non-dry-aged rib eye that sells for $71 on the restaurant’s menu.

Yet, despite the price of dry-aged rib eye, Jeff Wheatley, chief operating officer of the Angel of the Winds Casino Resort, said the cost to restaurant-goers is discounted.

“We would be charging more if this were a stand-alone restaurant on the streets of Arlington,” he said.

Wheatley said the restaurant’s food experience is slightly discounted to draw gamblers to the casino. The Arlington casino complex, run by the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, wants to draw more people to gamble, the profit center at Angel of the Winds.

Particularly, he said, the hotel wants to satisfy high rollers who demand a top-notch dining experience and are often given complimentary meals at the steakhouse.

“It’s a must-have,” Wheatley said of the casino complex’s steakhouse.

In addition to a selection of steaks, of course, Whiskey Prime offers a menu of other options, including chicken and fish dishes.

Whiskey is in the restaurant’s name, and the menu shows more than 100 whiskey selections.

Bertand said the restaurant also offers more than 100 wines.

He said the restaurant will apply in February for consideration for a Four-Diamond award from the American Automobile Association, which rates restaurants.

Bertand said the year-long process involves an anonymous visit by an AAA inspector who will determine if the restaurant receives the award.

The AAA website lists only seven restaurants in Washington that have received the designation, none of which are in Snohomish County.

There is only one AAA five-star restaurant in Washington, top-rated The Herbfarm Woodinville.

Randy Diamond: 425-339-3097; randy.diamond@heraldnet.com.