Question of the Day - 03 September 2020

It's true that José Andrés is known for far more than his culinary talents and nearly three dozen restaurants around the country, including four in Las Vegas: Bazaar Meat at the Sahara and É by José Andrés, Jaleo, and China Poblano at the Cosmopolitan.

He was named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” in 2012 and 2018 and has been awarded “Outstanding Chef” and “Humanitarian of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation. He's also a bestselling author, TV personality, and pioneer of Spanish tapas in the U.S. He's also the only chef in the world who has both a two-star Michelin restaurant (Minibar, Washington, D.C.) and four Bib Gourmands (deemed good value by Michelin inspectors).

His humanitarian work is renowned. Andrés is a tireless advocate for immigration reform, being an immigrant himself (from Spain). And in 2010, Andrés launched the World Central Kitchen, a non-profit working toward ending hunger and poverty. He received enormous accolades for providing 3.6 million meals to the people of Puerto Rico after September 2017's devastating Hurricane Maria, from which several Caribbean islands still haven't entirely recovered. 

We could go on about his awards and kudos, but to answer your question about Bazaar Meat, it's just that good. John Curtas, author of our Eating Las Vegas series, whose alimentary canal has digested more Las Vegas restaurants meals than any intestinal tract in history, writes, "José Andrés is a high priest of meat and this is his temple."

John continues in his description. " For pure carnivorous joy, I’ll put Bazaar up against any porterhouse pit in the country, any day, but I’ll also stake its tapas and sausage and gutsy Spanish comfort food against any this side of the Iberian Peninsula."

And never shy in stating an opinion, he concludes, "It’s also one of the greatest restaurants in the world."

But don't take John's word for it. Bazaar Meat is also the recipient of Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence, was named “best restaurant in Nevada” by Business Insider, and was voted "Best of Las Vegas 2018 - Fine Dining" in the annual Las Vegas Review-Journal popularity poll. And Andrew Zimmern, one of the world's food experts, ranks it "the best meat house in America.” 

Put it all together -- Andrés' professional and personal badges of honor, the stellar notices in the press, the Las Vegas location (best thing about the Sahara), and an aggregate 4.5 stars from upwards of 800 consumers on TripAdvisor -- and you can start to see why Bazaar Meat receives so much media acclaim.