When is a steakhouse not a steakhouse? For the answer, you only have to look as far as the reinvigorated StripSteak at Mandalay Bay, where Executive Chef Gerald Chin has transformed the staid steakhouse into an extraordinary culinary destination.

Chef Gerald Chin has done nothing but impress since beginning at StripSteak, and the Kurobota Pork Duo is one of his best concepts. The first element of the duo is tenderloin, wrapped in bacon and stuffed with diced apple, Matsutake mushrooms and parsley. The second is braised belly, topped with a celery root “angel hair” and served with spiced, baked apple. The tenderloin is done to barely medium, leaving the moist, savory center with

For every mainstay, there’s a new innovation reviving the restaurant. Crispy foie gras dumplings deliver a surprisingly subdued dose of unctuous fattiness balanced by a sharp huckleberry and umeboshi jam. And then there’s Instant Bacon. This slab of five-spice-rubbed pork belly accompanied by a tempura oyster atop julienned jicama is delivered under a glass dome clouded with smoke. The unveil releases campfire scents that bathe the senses.