Charlie Palmer's "Progressive American" cuisine has received raves and awards alike. With restaurants in New York, Las Vegas, Reno, Sonoma and Washington, D.C., he is just as enthusiastic today as he was when he was named Executive Chef at the River Cafe in New York in the mid 1980s - when The New York Times awarded him three stars - and when he opened his first Aureole a few years later at the tender age of 28. The only difference? Today he's a lot busier! An accomplished author who's penned titles such as Great American Food, Charlie Palmer's Casual Cooking and The Art of Aureole, his most recent creation is The Practical Guide to the New American Kitchen. He's been involved with one hotel already, the Sonoma, Calif.-based Hotel Healdsburg, which houses his Dry Creek Kitchen restaurant, and is well on his way to opening a restaurant in a second one, this time off the Las Vegas Strip. We've heard he's also entertaining the notion of creating high-end grocery stores, complete with maitre d's. With all his knowledge and experience, you know that when you walk into a Charlie Palmer establishment, you're in for an outstanding and enjoyable experience.

Charlie Palmer Steak is no exception. Located off the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel, a non-gaming establishment, you'll immediately note the elegance upon entering this spectacular steakhouse. At once you'll see the large glass doors with brass handles, framed in wood, and the two glass walls next to them, which read "Charlie Palmer Steak" on either side. As you enter, you'll immediately see the stained-wood hostess station, on top of which sits a copy of the menu. Beautiful wall-mounted lights are evident throughout this area, in particular, and throughout the restaurant in general. Large, comfortable brown leather chairs populate this reception area, with round glass-topped tables next to them that are topped with copies of Palmer's cookbooks. Looking past the reception area, you'll see a portion of the main dining room and the bar/lounge area. While the entryway is primarily wooden, once you are inside the main dining room, warm shades of sunrise predominate.