Gordon Ramsay’s newly opened Hell’s Kitchen restaurant in Las Vegas got 12,000 reservations in 10 days
Gordon Ramsay’s newest Las Vegas restaurant, Hell’s Kitchen, opened just a few days ago. Already, it’s the hottest restaurant in town.
Twelve-thousand people have booked in the last 10 days, according to Caesars Entertainment. “It is unprecedented. We’ve never seen this kind of demand,” Ramsay said Sunday.
Fueled by the immense popularity of the TV show of the same name — Ramsay said “Hell’s Kitchen” is shown in 132 countries — the 300-seat Hell’s Kitchen restaurant is located outside Caesars Palace on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road.
Cooks dressed in uniforms replicating those of the TV show’s red and blue teams toil in an atmosphere Ramsay likened to the one created for the long-running series.
“It’s like walking onto the ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ set in L.A.,” he said. “The producers had input with the contractors, and the designers had input with the contractors.”
Ramsay wanted what he called a “quiet opening,” one that would be “off the radar” as his staff worked out the inevitable kinks of a new business. But with the prime location and Ramsay’s appearances over the first weekend, that proved impossible.
It is walk-ins only until Jan.16, the first day for which reservations are being accepted. That said, with tens of thousands of hungry fans already booked, reserving a table may prove as challenging as winning the top spot on the TV show.
The winner of the current Season 17, which concludes Feb. 2, will earn a contract as the head chef at Hell’s Kitchen.
The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For dinner, appetizers include scampi prawn flambé ($24), tuna tartare ($19) and Waygu meatballs ($18).
Among the entrees are beef Wellington ($49), a perennial challenge for competitors on the TV show; rack of lamb ($39); crispy skin salmon ($32); and an aged porterhouse steak for two ($125).
Desserts include a festively presented pineapple carpaccio ($9) and the British chef’s signature sticky toffee pudding ($9).
The restaurant’s cleverly curated cocktails include one that, at first glance, appears to be a main course. Chef’s Stew ($18), a gin-based concoction, is served bubbling away in a pot garnished with rosemary. It’s a cold drink, however; the bubbles and steam are thanks to the dry ice that is added just prior to serving.
Hell’s Kitchen is Ramsay’s fifth restaurant in Las Vegas. The others are Gordon Ramsay Burger at Planet Hollywood, Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips at the Linq Promenade, Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars and Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris. But the sharp-tongued chef said that simply putting his name above the door isn’t a recipe for success.
Success in Vegas isn’t a given, Ramsay said. “Vegas is one of the most competitive cities anywhere in the world. Every top chef in the world wants to play here.”
Now Ramsay has his sights set on yet another Vegas venture, based on his response to a question.
“Am I done? That’s a really good question. No, I’m definitely not done,” he said. “I want to get this one right first, but there’s a potential sixth restaurant in the pipeline.”
Info: Hell’s Kitchen, (702) 731-7373
4 p.m. Tuesday: A previous version of this story said Gordon Ramsay’s newly opened Hell’s Kitchen restaurant in Las Vegas received 50,000 reservations in 10 days. It received about 12,000 reservations in 10 days..
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