Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen in Las Vegas

By Zeke Quezada

Gordon Ramsay is a lot nicer when you actually meet him. You expect him to lash out and scream something instead he sits down, ask you a question and you wonder if you should stop believing everything you see on television.

We had the opportunity to visit with Chef Ramsay in Las Vegas recently as he opened his newest addition to the Las Vegas culinary landscape. Hell’s Kitchen opened to a crowded dining hall and word of it now being the hardest table to get in Las Vegas. Luckily for me I had an invitation so I would not be braving the crowds outside the front door.

While my time with Chef Ramsay was limited to small talk about his restaurants and the work ethic of the people he had running them we were treated to a healthy portion of his food and cocktails. If anything can be said about Gordon Ramsay, is he knows hi sway into a guy’s heart, feed him with plenty of beef and liquor!

Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas

The large main dining hall is a scene from a reality television show. The expansive show kitchen places everyone on display as if the cameras were rolling and the competition was set to begin.  A long bar that is perfect for Las Vegas socializing anchors the west wall and picture framing windows dominate the view from everywhere else. This buzz in the room is palpable and if you seek out a high energy dining experience this is what Vegas and Gordon Ramsay do quite well.

The 300 seat restaurant is already the hottest reservation in town with nearly 25000 confirmed reservations through the first 6 months of operation. Open for lunch and dinner guests will be delighted to be able to sample some of the television show’s favorites including crispy skin salmon and the lobster butternut squash risotto. Gordon Ramsay staples such as the Beef Wellington and the pan seared scallops will delight fans of his other restaurants. The cocktail program is quite strong and is pulled together with “Notes From Gordon” a gin concoction that comes complete with a personalized note from the chef himself. You will be surprised to see how many different notes he has placed in these drinks.

What You Should Try at Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas:

• Beef Wellington: You’ll have to taste the flaky crust that envelopes the delicate beef to truly understand and appreciate a puff pastry. The red-wine demi-glace that is perfect for sloshing your meat around will just add to the experience.
• Braised Short Rib: This dish will do well on a cool evening in Las Vegas as it is hearty and abundantly rich in the flavors of the fall. Not sure if it would work in the middle of the heat but you cannot go wrong with polenta and a well braised piece of beef.
• Pan Seared Scallops: The flavor is created in the ocean but a quick encounter with bacon lardon and soon these scallops become magical morsels of savory refinement. This is a must do.
• LUNCH Hell’s Kitchen Burger: Just enough spice to give it a kick in the Fresno pepper jam and a combination of ghost peeper jack cheese and bacon make this a winner. Split the burger though because the grilled cheese is worth a sampling.

Hell’s Kitchen is open daily for lunch and dinner in the Roman Plaza just outside the Caesars Palace Las Vegas lobby.

TIP: If you don’t have a reservation they do accept walk-ins, you just might have to wait awhile to get a table.

Gordon Ramsay has 4 other restaurants on the Las Vegas strip: Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Las Vegas, Gordon Ramsay BurGR at Planet Hollywood, Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace and Gordon Ramsay Fish and Chips at the LINQ.