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 features selections like charred Spanish baby octopus (à la carte options are available as well).
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 tongue-tingling 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. Whatever you decide on, be sure to start your meal with the tasty goat cheese queso fundido, served with rajas on top and blue corn tortilla strips on the side.
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 Orleans-influenced culinary creativity, the menu emphasizes market-fresh ingredients. Must-tries include the chicken and andouille sausage gumbo and the succulent USDA Prime bone-in ribeye.
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. Guests can expect only the finest cuts of beef and freshest seafood from the fiery “Hell’s Kitchen” chef, all served up in a playful dining environment. In addition to the savory steaks, be sure to try Ramsay’s fish and chips and his roasted Beef Wellington — each of which is perfection on a plate.
—Heather Turk
Custom Publishing Writer