I just returned from Vegas and saw some obvious demolition/construction at Caesars Palace around the end of the pedestrian bridge from the Cromwell. What's going on there?
Caesars Entertainment spokeswoman Celena Haas-Stacey replies, “The restaurant located on the Strip in front of Caesars Palace is under construction and will become the world’s first Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen later this winter.” It replaces Stripside Café and predecessor Serendipity 3. (Too bad: We liked Serendipity 3.)
“The space will be designed by Jeffrey Beers International to be an experiential destination where guests will feel like they're on the ['Hell’s Kitchen'] studio set, as if they're participating in the TV show. The design will be a nod to teams featured on the show and the busy kitchen will be the centerpiece,” reads a Caesars press release. It adds that the restaurant will seat 300 and feature different menu items every day, particularly those featured on the TV series, which may shoot some episodes there, too. (So you might want to dress up a bit if you dine there.)
Gordon Ramsay’s fifth Las Vegas restaurant, Hell’s Kitchen will be the first anywhere to feature that particular brand: “Announced with the fiery ignition of a 17-foot pitchfork,” VegasEater chronicled.
Paperwork filed with Clark County indicates that the project had been long a-borning. Beers International’s design credits include Estiatorio Milos at Cosmopolitan and DB Brasserie at the Venetian (now defunct).
In keeping with the TV theme, the restaurant will be divided into “Red” and “Blue” team sections, the whole venue redolent with the aroma of wood-fired cooking. You'll be given the chance to vote on whether the Red or Blue team did a better job of cooking your meal.
Don’t expect a placid dining experience, as “pots clanging and loud chefs” are promised. If that’s too much for your senses, you can eat on the 2,000-square-foot patio — a new addition to the old Serendipity footprint.
Ramsay’s ambitions don’t end at blending his new restaurant with his TV show. “What I want to do is bring a type of 'Iron Chef' live event where we have a 'Hell’s Kitchen' cook-off. I set down the gauntlet and invite Bobby Flay to do a cook-off. He’ll take over the Red kitchen. I’ll take over the Blue kitchen.”
Exiting diners will, of course, be shuffled through the gift shop, where they can "memorialize their experience by purchasing pictures, aprons, cookbooks, cutting boards and other fun, approachable, and high-quality items.” Survivors of the "Hell’s Kitchen" series will moonlight as chefs in residence.
Given that Hell’s Kitchen has been on the air nearly two decades, we’re surprised that this franchise is only being rolled out now. “Fans of the show have been asking us to bring a Hell’s Kitchen restaurant to life since day one, so I’m thrilled to finally be doing it here at Caesars Palace,” Ramsay told Variety. “A key element of the show’s success has always been the diners’ experience, so we are excited for guests in Las Vegas to feel like they too are part of the show – flames and all.” British network ITV America will be a partner in the restaurant along with Ramsay and Caesars.
“Throughout dinner, you’ve got a chance to go into some of the confessional rooms that the contestants use to either complain, shoot a viral video, or actually interact with what’s going on that night,” Ramsay told the Los Angeles Times.
As for the 17-foot pitchfork, it’s still there and has “already become a popular photo op for visitors,” according to the LAT, which pegs the cost of the restaurant at $15 million.
Don’t head for Hell’s Kitchen just yet: It won’t open until an unspecified date this winter.
