text: Well, this is a first for me, in writing a review where the experience was so poor on entry to engaging the restaurant that I can't even comment on the food.\n\nTonight is our 10 year anniversary, so I thought it fitting that we go to an iconic location while in Las Vegas, The Bellagio.\n\nPrime is their center field front row top steak restaurant, or so they market themselves.\n\nThe idea is a traditional steakhouse in an ideal setting with indoor and outdoor dining while viewing the majestic Bellagio fountains.\n\nI took the time to call this afternoon and secure a late reservation (9:30pm) indicating clearly the importance of the date and asking for a special location.\n\nWhen we arrived, after walking through the Bellagio AKA Grand Central Station meets Disneyland's crowd, we approached the hostess stand.\n\nNow a restaurant selling itself as a top notch experience should have a direct human interaction upon entry, not two teenage girls working behind a desk.\n\nWorse, what clearly must have been the assistant manager walked past us, ignoring us on the way to take a phone call that was obviously more important than acknowledging their guests.\n\nWhile we stood there dressed in suit and my wife's beautiful gown, we endured the conversation that consumed the attention of both \"hostess\" explaining to the fat man in shorts and an untucked polo shirt, that he was welcome to come in later but needed to wear pants.\n\nNow at this point I have to laugh at the irony. Clearly Prime's reputation is strong enough from a perception standpoint to bring clients in, and the stuffy 'dress code' is there to enhance the \"exclusivity\" if you will. All the while the service is worse than the worst McDonalds restaurant. What a joke.\n\nWe finally connected with one of the hourly employees at the front counter and they proceeded to try to negotiate with me about wether we had actually requested an outside table or not. It was the equivalent of a conversation with a night club promoter about what it would take to get he table you want. Happy Anniversary I guess... \n\nThe good news is we went to the bar where a very friendly, competent and quality old school bartender provided real service. We ordered a glass of champagne, settled the check and informed person number 6 that I had to interact with that we would be going elsewhere.\n\nThey quickly back peddled, all of a sudden a front row table outside was available.\n\nI politely informed them that we would be going elsewhere.\n\nThe four employees were huddling around with the real manager and watching to see what we would do. I doubt they expected that I would take the time to share the truth about the experience on line.\n\nLook, here is the bottom line. When you are heading out to an expensive dinner, especially for an important event, and preparing to spend a considerable amount of money, you deserve the absolute best service and mentality. There's no entitlement here. Just because your restaurant is overlooking the Bellagio fountains doesn't mean it's automatically any better than a revolving restaurant exploiting its view to sell you overpriced food.\n\nThe restaurant is down stairs from the Bellagio Esplanade, it's a stuffy, dark, cave like environment with a very heavy small of cooked and worked over food. Think senior retirement center cafe with expensive decor.\n\nIf you want my advice, there are a dozen steak houses in town, all much better in every way. I would recommend the SW at Wynn or Carnevino at Pallazo. Of course I can't speak to the food since I couldn't stand the mentality. I can only tell you about the smell and the attitude. Both stink.\n\nTry the bar I guess then high tail it out of there before they take your cash and feed the snob beast.\n\nBetter luck elsewhere.