text: I have been in Las Vegas all week working NBA All-Star. Last night we had dinner at Michael Mina's new franchise Strip Steak. Bobby Flay was at the table next to ours with his crew. Raj as usual has put together a nice wine list though we all found it a bit strange that there are so many Austrian Rieslings' at a restaurant that revolves largely around meat and more meat. Maybe I am missing something... I found the food a bit mediocre particularly for the price ($36 for skirt steak or $50 for a filet. The Kobe beef started at $50 for American to $195 for Japanese, all ala carte.) The many sides of potatoes were nearly the consistency of a soup with some actually bleeding liquid when dished on to the plates. The mac n cheese though very tasty with the truffle oil was dry with absolutely no creaminess ever being apparent. The foie gras \"sliders\" though tasty and a very large portion of liver did not quite translate. The sweet potatoe mash was so dosed up on clove as to make it unedible.  For dessert we had the mini doughnuts with a trio of sauces. The sauces were tasty but unfortunately the doughnuts were over cooked and very dry. Service however was exceptional and friendly.\n\nFor wine we had a great bottle of 2004 Freeman Akiko's Cuvee.\nThe Akiko's Cuvee has always been my favorite Freeman wine besides the chardonnays and last night was no exception. We popped and poured and she was away to the races right away. Out of the gate this wine has a haunting nose of cherries, cranberry and black licorice with baking spice and a touch of shitake mushroom. The palate is incredibly silky with super fine tannins with. Everyone at the table called it soft. Sweet ripe fruits are in abundance but the fine tannins keep them in check. The oak in this bottle is much more integrated than the last bottle I had providing an immensely seamless pleasurable experience.\n91+pts\n$115 on the list there