Dan Marino's Retaurant at the Hooters Hotel Casino in Las Vegas; read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com

Who says the number 13 is unlucky?

For Dan Marino, 13 has been a winner for many years, and much better than the lotto. His Miami Dolphin jersey number was 13 (displayed in the restaurant lobby, under glass); he must have picked that number because of his devil-be-damned attitude on and off the grid iron.

Marino recently opened his fourth Dan Marino’s restaurant inside the new Hooters Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (the former San Remo). The Miami quarterback has three restaurants in south Florida, so this gives him a chance to branch out in the Western states.

Dan Marino, left, is now in Vegas!

Remember the great steakhouses of the ‘50s and ‘60s? They all had names like “The Embers”, “The Flame”, or my favorite, “Chuckwagon”. The one thing they all had in common was a sleek modern look that included a flagstone fireplace or flagstone wall that appeared like a fireplace. Dan Marino’s brings back the kitchy retro look with flagstone walls, polished aluminum awnings, burnished wood planking with Jetson-like mode track lighting, and heavy, dark mahogany-like furniture.

My favorite aspects in the atmosphere department were the plush, lush leather booths that were like sitting on a classy leather sofa, waiting for the big game to begin. The only place I have seen nicer leather is on Mexican tuck and roll bench seats in a restored 1936 deuce coupe.

Even though Dan Marino’s has a few seafood and pasta entrées, what this place is all about is great steaks. One thing I noted about Dan Marino’s steaks is that they are hand picked from the top 12% of grain-fed beef, raised in the high plains of North America, and they are aged for a minimum of 21 days to bring out the premium flavor and tenderness.

My dining mate, Matt, is known far and wide for his reputation as a prime rib aficionado, and he will go out of his way to find the best in any given town for notable cuts of it, but now that he knows Dan Marino’s is just down the street from our Jetsetters Magazine office here in Vegas he has to travel no farther.

	Dan Marino's is one of the many reasons to visit Hooters Hotel in Vegas.

Forget that bowl of Spagett (Marino is Italian so it must be obligatory) and braise me some beef. You can watch the chefs in action through full restaurant length glass windows. Watching them tenderize my Skirt Steak (you can choose three different portion sizes all at ascending prices) made the dining experience more of an interactive feeling. I ordered the nine ounce fire roasted and marinated portion served with homemade garlic smashed potatoes and fresh steamed vegetables (about $18). For $4 more add the Roasted Button Mushrooms and Carmelized Onions, or for $3, add the Schwarzkopf Melted Bleu Cheese Crumbles.

I guess if you are a football player they feed you lots of red meat, because there is plenty of it on the menu at Dan Marino’s, including Tender Beef Tips (filet mignon sautéed in a merlot sauce served over homemade smashed potatoes and topped with fried onion crisps), or the Baby Back Ribs that are braised Asian or BBQ style (full rack toasted with your favorite BBQ or Asian sauce, served with French fries), or the New York Strip Steak (14 ounce steak topped with garlic butter, warm garlic smashed potatoes and fresh vegetables), or a sure fire favorite: Home Style Meatloaf (bacon wrapped, oven toasted, then finished with a mushroom merlot sauce served with garlic smashed potatoes and fresh vegetables).

If you are a legal fish lover, then Dan Marino’s best choices are the two Mahi Mahi entrées: The Nut Crusted Mahi is a favorite of Dan’s, dusted with assorted nuts and baked golden brown, served over his famous vanilla rum butter sauce, sautéed spinach, and garlic smashed potatoes, and a real bargain at under $8; or try the Salmon or Mahi-Mahi Oscar, which is a fire-roasted and topped flank of seafood with jumbo lump crab meat, fresh asparagus and finished with Hollandaise sauce, at about $20. There is also Shrimp Scampi (pan roasted jumbo shrimp in lemon garlic and herb butter, served with spaghetini, topped with fresh diced tomatoes), or the Sesame Tuna Dinner (sushi grade tuna served with Asian-style vegetables and thin noodles, fresh cucumber, wasabi, and ginger soy dressing, about $19).

Some of Dan Marino’s side dishes are great, too, including Virginia’s Cream Corn, Potatoes Au Gratin, Sautéed Fresh Spinach, and Fresh Broccoli Florettes. For appetizers Matt and I mentally arm wrestled over the Crab Cakes or the Calamari Marino (Asian or traditional style). We were both glad that the Crab Cakes won us over.

	The 13 Martini Bar has more than 13 specialty drinks.

I would like Dan Marino to be the host of any of my future football tailgate parties because he also can spin together some great drinks, such as those served at the Hooters 13 Martini Bar right next door to the restaurant. Try the Marino Margarita on the Rocks, the house specialty drink, which can be served right to the dining table, as well as at the bar. It is served in a salt rimmed glass with Sauzo Conmemorativo Tequila and Marino’s own specialty blend of sweet and sour mix, Cointreau, and a sidekick of Grand Marnier, all for only $9.

Embedded in the stonework at the restaurant entrance is a metal plaque of one of Marino’s famous quotes: “Find the Guy, And Let It Fly.” We have found our guy and we certainly will fly on back to Dan Marino’s at Hooters Hotel in Vegas.

— By Kriss Hammond, Editor, Jetsetters Magazine.