By Carol Diuguid, ZAGAT.com staff editor
Seems there are two things that no superstar chef can be without these days: a sharp knife and a Vegas restaurant. Among those rolling the dice in Sin City: Daniel Boulud (DB Brasserie, opening in April), Tom Colicchio (Craftsteak), Thomas Keller (Bouchon), Nobu Matsuhisa (Nobu), Bradley Ogden (Bradley Ogden), Wolfgang Puck (Spago) and Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Prime).
What's drawing them? Demand and dollars. "Las Vegas is not just a place to gamble anymore – people go there with high expectations about the food," says Nobu Matsuhisa. He's clearly meeting those expectations – his Vegas Nobu, in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, was rated No. 1 for Food in our last Las Vegas Survey.
Bradley Ogden, whose eponymous restaurant is set in Caesars Palace on the glitzy Strip – a sharp contrast to the bucolic surrounds of the Lark Creek Inn, his acclaimed northern California flagship – agrees: "Look at the increase in luxury hotel rooms in Las Vegas – all these guests are perfect for our style of restaurant."
And resorts are going out of their way to make Vegas ventures a recipe for business success. "They're usually very good deals – there's no money you have to put in," notes Tom Colicchio of NYC's highly rated Gramercy Tavern and Craft, who has two outposts in the MGM Grand – Craftsteak and 'wichcraft.
Indeed, owning a Vegas restaurant can be like hitting the jackpot at the slots. "The amount of money that the restaurants in Las Vegas are grossing, including Prime, is staggering," says Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the culinary powerhouse behind Bellagio's Prime steakhouse as well as several top spots in Manhattan and elsewhere.
Most chefs would argue that their Vegas ventures match the quality of their flagships. But the clientele can be a bit more laid-back. "We have people walk into the restaurant with beer bottles in their hands! That doesn't happen elsewhere," says Matsuhisa.
How do these chefs' Vegas restaurants rate with Zagat surveyors? Here's the verdict:
Strip
Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
(Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
702-731-7110
www.caesars.com
| Food |
Decor |
Service |
Cost |
| 27 |
25 |
26 |
$72 |
Connoisseurs come to Caesars Palace not to bury chef Bradley Ogden but to praise him for his "extravagant, outstanding" New American menu featuring "superb" organic dishes made from "farm-fresh" ingredients (such as a "Maytag blue cheese soufflé that'll make you think you died and went to foodie heaven"), accompanied with "serious china and linens" and presented by an "engaging" staff; such a "sublime experience" "doesn't come cheap", though, so you'd "better win big or you'll leave hungry."
These ratings & review are based on the reviews of initial visitors
Strip
MGM Grand Hotel
3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
(Tropicana Ave.)
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
702-891-7318
www.mgmgrand.com
| Food |
Decor |
Service |
Cost |
| 24 |
23 |
23 |
$68 |
"Craft your own meal" at this "gorgeous" "high roller", a surf 'n' turfer in the MGM from Manhattan chef Tom Colicchio, whose menu is a virtual "primer on artisanal and organic foods" ("incredible vegetables", "moo-velous" beef from "grass-fed" cattle) that allows guests to "graze on" "pure", "unique flavors"; the "family-style" feasting means the "fun" just "gets better the larger your group" is, but be sure to leave folks who "don't like to serve themselves" back in the hotel room.
These ratings & review are based on the reviews of initial visitors
East of Strip
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
4455 Paradise Rd.
(bet. Flamingo Rd. & Harmon Ave.)
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
702-693-5090
www.nobumatsuhisa.com
| Food |
Decor |
Service |
Cost |
| 28 |
23 |
24 |
$69 |
"Master/showman" Nobu Matsuhisa's "magnificent", "mind-blowingly" "artful" creations are "so beautiful you hate to eat them", but they're also "simply" "sublime" ("whether cooked or raw"), "amazing taste buds" and earning this "trendy" east-of-Strip Peruvian-influenced Japanese the No. 1 rating for Food in our Survey; "crowded" with the "young and hip" having "noisy" "fun", it's "not a great place for the rookie", and you'll definitely need to "bring your yen" (or "your banker"), but rest assured that it does "live up to the hype."
These ratings & review are based on the reviews of initial visitors
Strip
Bellagio Hotel
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
(Flamingo Rd.)
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
702-693-7111
www.bellagio.com
| Food |
Decor |
Service |
Cost |
| 27 |
27 |
26 |
$72 |
"What all steakhouses hope they grow up to be", this "classic, classy" chophouse in the Bellagio is a "carnivore's delight" sporting chef-partner Jean-Georges Vongerichten's "signature panache"; "rich" is how "satisfied meat eaters" sum up its "sumptuous" decor, "great martinis" and "superb" cuisine, which includes "fabulous appetizers", and, of course, "perfectly prepared" beef; besides, the "beautiful fountain views" and "knowledgeable", "gracious service" are themselves "worth the hefty prices."
These ratings & review are based on the reviews of initial visitors