Hell’s Kitchen

Information

At a Glance

What is it?
A fifth (!!) restaurant from celeb chef Gordon Ramsay, this time with the theme of his TV show.

Where is it?
At Caesars Palace on the Center Strip.

What kind of food is served?
An eclectic mix of everything from burgers (at lunch) to steak (at lunch and dinner) with stops at Beef Wellington and Sticky Pudding along the way.

What is the atmosphere like?
Upscale with big windows looking out at The Strip and Caesars Palace.

How was the service?
The kitchen was a little backed up but the waitstaff handled it with aplomb.

What are the prices like?
No two ways about it – this place is expensive.

What else do I need to know?
It can be difficult to get a table here.

What’s the bottom line?
Another interesting concept from Ramsay that doesn’t live up to its potential.

Full Review

I have to say I haven’t been a huge fan of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants in Las Vegas, with the exception of his burger place. The others are fine verging on quite good but I haven’t found anything to rave about and the prices, in general, are on the high side. With so many good options on The Strip at all price points, it’s hard to recommend his restaurants too strongly. His latest – his fifth in Vegas – hasn’t really changed my mind.

The restaurant takes over the former Serendipity 3 space out in front of Caesars Palace along The Strip. The entire place has been redone with an upscale vibe – dark woods, chic lighting, and big windows offering impressive views. It says it is inspired by the Hell’s Kitchen TV show but other than the omnipresent HK pitchfork logo I didn’t really see it, although I’ll admit to being a very occasional viewer of the show.

It’s obvious, though, that there are a lot of fans out there. Getting a table at the restaurant as of this writing shortly after it opened is very difficult. Expect to have to book at least a few weeks in advance if you want a peak meal time and if you drop in for a standby table, wait times are upward of an hour (if you can get in at all). That will calm down over time but expect this to be a very popular place for the foreseeable future.

The menu is eclectic so it’s hard to find a theme here. At dinner you start with chilled seafood like shrimp cocktail or oysters on the half shell then move into scallops and Wagyu meatballs for appetizers. A couple of salads (Caesar, naturally, and red quinoa among them) and a single soup (pumpkin) give way to the entrees, of which there are only a handful. Ramsay’s signature Beef Wellington is on the list along with roasted rack of lamb, chicken, salmon, a few steaks, and that’s about it. A lunch you have most of those things plus a half-dozen or so burgers, sandwiches, and pizza options.

We tried the scallops, done with braised bacon lardons (yum) and granny smith apples. This is normally an appetizer but it will do just fine as a main course with a side. Ditto the Wagyu meatballs, done with polenta croutons in a tangy tomato sauce and lots of parmesan cheese. Both were really good. The brick pressed chicken with sweet potato hash was good – nothing to write home about. The same goes for the braised short ribs served on a bed of creamy polenta. The New York strip steak was large and very flavorful, better than I remember the steaks being at Ramsay’s actual steakhouse, but on the dry side.

So it was all good but as with most of Gordon Ramsay’s other Vegas restaurants, it isn’t spectacular and at prices like these it better be spectacular. Most of the appetizers and salads are above $20 and the main courses run $30-$50. Lunchtime sandwiches, burgers, and pizza are all around the $20 mark. So four of us having dinner with one round of drinks, tax, and tip came to almost $300, or $75 per person if you’re math challenged like me.

Chef Ramsay, I’m still looking for spectacular.