You saw these celebrity chefs on television, now taste them in Vegas
Twenty years ago, when Wolfgang Puck opened Spago inside The Forum Shops at Caesars, he held the honor of being Las Vegas’ first celebrity chef. Today, however, Puck shares the Strip with a veritable who’s who of culinary stars — many of whom cut their teeth on hit cooking shows like “Top Chef Masters” and “Hell’s Kitchen.”
One of the best celebrity-chef-helmed restaurants in town is RM Seafood, which offers guests two exquisite dining experiences inside Mandalay Bay. Chef Rick Moonen — who is usually on the premises — was runner-up during the second season of Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters,” and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better seafood chef on the Strip. Guests can dine downstairs, where a casual, contemporary menu includes a perfectly prepared cobia (a fish that Moonen calls “the veal of the sea”). Or patrons can venture upstairs, where a lavish seven-course chef’s tasting menu is featured.
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay, whose television credits include Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” and “Food Network Star,” knows how to please Vegas palates with his menu of Southwest-inspired dishes at Mesa Grill. With tonguetingling menu selections like the tender New Mexican spice-rubbed pork tenderloin with bourbon-ancho chile sauce, this bold Caesars Palace establishment definitely knows how to spice things up.
Another celebrity chef who’s no stranger to television is Emeril Lagasse. Star of several cooking programs, including the Cooking Channel’s “Emeril’s Florida,” the food correspondent for “Good Morning America” currently has four restaurants in Las Vegas, though Table 10 inside the Shoppes at the Palazzo might just be his best-kept secret. Showcasing the celebrity chef’s renowned New Orleansinfluenced culinary creativity, the menu emphasizes market-fresh ingredients.
The newest celebrity chef to hit the Strip is Gordon Ramsay, who opened his first Las Vegas restaurant — Gordon Ramsay Steak — at Paris Las Vegas in May. Expect fine cuts of beef and fresh seafood from the fiery “Hell’s Kitchen” chef, all served up in a playful dining environment. Try Ramsay’s fish and chips and his roasted beef Wellington — each of which is perfection on a plate.
From top to bottom: Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse and Rick Moonen
