Top chefs battle for restaurant dominance in Las Vegas

• 

Las Vegas isn’t just a gambling and nightlife hotspot – its one of the best places in the world to get a meal.

For the world’s big-named chefs, vying to outdo each other with ever-more innovative restaurants and powerful brands, making a mark in Sin City is key to building on success. 

British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay says he’s always looked to Vegas as one of the world’s culinary capitals.

"One of my first ambitions when I fell in love with this country more than 20 years ago was to absolutely nail a steak house here," says Ramsay.

Ramsay, who owns Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris, Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill at Caesars and the newly opened BurGR at Planet Hollywood, says the Las Vegas market now is more competitive than any city in the world because every chef has an outlet there.

“There's no other city in the world that houses so many top chefs, so everyone raises the game. So the more chefs that come in, the higher the standards," he says.

While Ramsey has three locations, Wolgang Puck has seven, which include Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, CUT and Trattoria del Lupo. Puck was one of the first celebrity chef’s in Las Vegas, when he opened Spago more than 20 years ago.

"I'm really proud of being here for 20 years, big part of the community, knowing so many great people and Las Vegas is my second home," says Puck.

Hotels and casinos hope that big name chefs will help attract guests.  Topping the bill are chefs Susan Feniger and Sue Millikens’ Border Grill, Michael Mina’s Stripsteak and Hubert Keller’s Fleur.  Also attracting attention are Alain Ducasse’s Mix and Brian Massie’s Red Square.

Ramsay says that this five cooking shows, which air on FOX, bring people to the table (“Hell’s Kitchen” season 11 just kicked off with its premiere shot in Vegas). But it’s the food that keeps them coming back.

"I think the pressure on the chef today is far greater than ever before, their on more financial pressure, so TV exposure can help fill their dining rooms, providing the standard of the dining room is what they preached, they'll never have an issue."

View the original article here

Chefs dish about season 11 of 'Hell's Kitchen'

For fans that can't wait to get their fix of the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's toxic-tongued kitchen antics, the wait is almost over. 

Tuesday kicks off the newest season of "Hell's Kitchen" with a two-hour episode on FOX.

In the premiere, three contestants --Amanda Giblin, Dan Ryan and Jessica Lewis --are among the 20 chefs that compete in front of a live Las Vegas audience for a cooking challenge that pits the men against the women. They talked to FoxNews.com’s Ashley Dvorkin about what it’s like to be on the show and what’s in store during this—the 11th season.

Giblin says one of the biggest challenges for her was cooking in front of the large, live audience, for which they were given no advanced warning. “It was incredible, scary,” she said.

In Tuesday’s show they say there’s an extra contestant that is neither man nor woman.  Also the winning team (they don’t say who) gets a VIP night on the town, while the losers get a bumpy ride home on a hot school bus.

Ryan said there’s plenty of action packed challenges this season.  “There are more out-of-the-kitchen challenges this year, than inside the kitchen.  I’ll leave it at that.”

And about what it’s like working with Ramsay, and his penchant for cursing like a sailor, Lewis says, “he will yell at you, but his remarks sometimes, you don’t know whether to cry or to laugh or to hide.”

Each week, the aspiring restaurateurs will face a host of grueling team challenges, with the losing team picking a member of the team to eliminate.  They compete for the grand prize--a position as Head Chef at Ramsay's new Las Vegas restaurant.

“Hell's Kitchen” airs Tuesday, March 12, 8:00 pm ET on FOX.

View the original article here