Las Vegas: The new home of the celebrity chef

It used to be that you had to travel to Manhattan to eat from the table of a celebrity chef. It also used to be that Las Vegas was a barren wasteland of $5.99 all-you-can-eat prime rib buffets. Both are no longer true. In the last 15 years, the Las Vegas culinary scene has changed dramatically. The worlds of conspicuous excess and super gourmet dining have fused together under the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip.

Vegas, the place to be

Sure, most of the best celebrity chefs still have restaurants in New York, but that is no longer enough. Now every major hotel and resort boasts one or more world-class restaurants run by a celebrity chef. The MGM Grand out does them all with four celebrity chefs in its stable: Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck, Tom Colicchio and Joel Robuchon.

No one knew it at the time, but when Wolfgang Puck opened a branch of his famous Spago eatery at Caesar's Palace, he started a trend that has nearly every celebrity chef opening a restaurant in Las Vegas. Before Spago, thoughts were that people went to Vegas for entertainment, while dining and culinary events were an afterthought. The famous Las Vegas buffets were just a way for casinos to keep their patrons close to the gaming tables. The success of Spago, however, showed that Vegas visitors were also looking for unique dining experiences to go along with the gambling and shows.

A "who's who" of culinary captains

It may have taken them a while to call Vegas home, but you can't walk a block on the Strip without seeing the names of celebrity chefs plastered on billboards or up in lights. Nearly every major resort and casino boasts a top celebrity chef, whose culinary careers have expanded in the Vegas area. Here are just a few that serve the tourists and the high rollers.

* Wolfgang Puck

One of the first celebrity chefs and the first to open a restaurant in Las Vegas, Chef Puck is the clear front runner, with six restaurants in Sin City. He has a sampling of everything from bistro to Chinese fusion to a taste of southern Italy.

* Bobby Flay

This Food Network star was an early adopter to Las Vegas. His Mesa Grill Las Vegas continues Flay's unique blend of haute and Southwest cuisines. Your meal is sure to be spiced up with anchos, habaneros or chipotles, a Bobby Flay signature.

* Michael Mina

With three Las Vegas restaurants, Chef Mina seems to be chasing after a Wolfgang Puck-like coverage of the strip. Of the three, Seablue at the MGM Grand is the best. It's maybe even the best seafood restaurant in Las Vegas.

* Nobu Matsuhisa

Anyone who has ever eaten at one of Matsuhisa's 25 restaurants around the world knows that they are in the presence of a master sushi chef. The competition among sushi restaurants in Las Vegas is fierce, but Nobu Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino has no problem rising to the top.

* Alain Ducasse

So what do you do when you are literally the greatest French chef on Earth? You open a restaurant in Las Vegas, of course. Mix in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Resort and you get Chef Alain's classical French traditions to new-style American cuisine. The results are undeniably delicious.

The list of celebrity culinary talent continues with Emeril Lagasse, Charlie Palmer, Daniel Boulud, Bradley Ogden, Todd English, Mario Batali, Hubert Keller, master French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and many more. The culinary awards that come from these chefs and their restaurants in the Vegas area continue to grow.

Clearly, if you go to Las Vegas for the entertainment and fun, you should stay for the food.

Information in this article was provided by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas. Contact Le Cordon Bleu today if you're interested in developing marketable knowledge and career-relevant skills with an industry-current degree program. (Le Cordon Bleu does not guarantee employment or salary.)

Courtesy of ARAcontent