text: I had very high expectations for Mesa Grill as I have become a huge fan of Bobby Flays and have recreated many of his dishes at home The restaurant was a mad house which was ok as we knew it was going to be lively and it is literally right in the middle of a casino We took a seat in the bar and were immediately struck by how unkempt the actual bar was There was a best cocktail recipe book stuck on one of the shelves and a bottle of jug wine sitting next to it I asked for a glass of sparkling wine or champagne and was given a mini bottle that tasted so terrible I had to send it back and get a margarita which was delicious We were seated shortly thereafter and our waiter was great really on top of things and enthusiastic about waiting on us We ordered a few more drinks S getting one that was bubblegum pink so he made me switch with him but were saddened by how awful the wine list was There were no California wines which would have matched up perfectly to the Tex Mex style of food at Mesa Grill nor were there any great wines to try it was as if the wine list was a complete afterthought We persevered and placed our order to start we ordered the Goat Cheese Queso Fundido and the Salmon and Tuna Tartars The cheese and salmon were delicious but the tuna smelled really fishy so we sent it back We were brought another scoop of salmon and all was made right in our worlds For our main courses I ordered the New Mexican Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and S had the Southwestern Spiced Duck Breast My dish was inedible because the spice rub was too heavy and all you tasted was spice not seasoning but spice S was happy with his dish especially the Brussels sprouts he ordered as an additional side Our waiter handled the situation perfectly and was awesome when I sent mine back so it was not a big deal All in all I had high expectations for Mesa Grill and they fell flat against what was delivered It felt like Bobby Flay put his name on the restaurant and just left I cannot imagine that he would be thrilled with the food that was leaving the kitchen and the atmosphere did not feel like a celebrity chef was involved except for the conception of the idea and that where it stopped The one bright spot were the Brussels sprouts amazing and only a handful of ingredients you can find the recipe in his Mesa Grill cook book