The BLT Burger
For years now, Las Vegas has been a city built around the joys of Big Beef, with a sprawling steakhouse in every casino: Prime in the Bellagio, SW Steak in the Wynn, Delmonico Steak in the Venetian, Charlie Palmer Steak in the Four Seasons, Carnevino in the Palazzo, StripSteak in Mandalay Bay and even the highly regarded Steak House in Circus Circus. But these days, the mighty steak is facing heavy competition from the hamburger, which is certainly one of the more telling bits of evidence that – the cheerleaders of Washington notwithstanding – we are wallowing our way through a period of economic recession.
Recently, Laurent Tourondel announced that, rather than opening one of his steakhouses in Vegas, he will open BLT Burger later this year at the Mirage. And at the Red Rock Casino, chef Anthony Meidenbauer (former executive sous -hef at the Wynn) is opening an upscale burger spot called LBS (as in pounds) by the fall. And why not? When construction ran behind at Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay in 2003, classic French chef Hubert Keller opted to occupy himself with a casual joint called Burger Bar in the shopping mall between Mandalay and the Luxor; it's been jammed since the day it opened, serving everything from plain patties to Kobe beef with foie gras and black truffles.
The rise of the hamburger (albeit, the Upscale Hamburger) in a bellwether city like Las Vegas speaks volumes about the state of our spending. Add onto that word that gambling revenue in Las Vegas is down 4% so far this year, and we have, if not a trend, then at least a statement. The burger is about to become the special treat meal of choice. When it descends to cans of Chef Boyardee, we'll really be in trouble.
– Merrill Shindler