If you follow ELV on Facebook, you know that a week ago he reported that Hubert Keller‘s Fleur de Lys in Mandalay Bay will close in August, to re-open before the end of the year as a casual, small plates, world tapas bar concept.
The good news is: Hubert Keller (and his chefs and crew) will still be running the new restaurant, and are actively working on said concept and menu as we write this.
The further good news is: Hubert has personally promised Eating Las Vegas that there will be a tarte flambee on the menu, so at least all is not lost, and we have something to look forward to…..(sigh).
The bad news is: This closing is yet another step in the dumbing down of Vegas restaurants — to fit a clientele who doesn’t want to pay for anything more elaborate than burgers, sliders, pizzas, and (god help us) more mediocre sushi. The creeping California casualization of American dining continues, and we fear this relentless trend towards small plates and grazing platters, represents a step away from quality and bodes ill for the future of good restaurants in our humble burg.
But if anyone can make us a fan of another tapas concept, it’s Keller. So an open mind we shall keep.
California casualization – dont agree. This has nothing to do with California. This has to do with 15% food cost, with little man power. The restaurant isnt that expensive with its current tasting menu specials.
As well, small plates can be done with delicate procedure and technique.
Lets just look at the reality of the restaurant scene, instead of blaming vistors. Fleur de lys got the short squeeze out the door. Visitors rather go to Aureole , Stripsteak, Lupo or RM, and as usual the cheapos bump over to red, white & blue or the buffet. Thats VEGAS.
I wouldnt be surprised if China Grill, Red Square then Mix to go next.
But back to Fleur de lys, the restaurant hasnt even been open a decade and has to change concepts – tells you something about the managment, PR firm handling the outlets sustained reputation.
Unless its open for lunch, this change will do nothing for this property to its last stage of survival. And this is a big IF
Sorry Hubert Keller – better just keep to making burgers at Mandalay Place. Your on your last leg in Vegas.
It just makes room for the next generation of chefs – out with the old in with the new.
Soooo sorry to hear of Fleur De Lys closing. The restaurant was a too well kept secret by all who could/should have talked about and praised it to anyone who would listen. Mediocrity doesn’t have to reign. There are enough places that serve that every day. Fleur De Lys was an escape into a beautiful world of all the senses. I, for one, will miss it.
It is a smart move for Huber. Foward thinking, should have changed the concept change sooner!!!
Had my birthday dinner here in March, and sat in the wine room upstairs. That was the good part. Everything that followed from the 7 courses of boring and flavorless food (and truffles from a jar), to wine that I saw for $8 dollars a bottle in the grocery store the next day and green service to boot. Worst $600 I ever spent on a tasting menu. I say good riddance and good luck.
There’s always Guy Savoy !
I think it’s a shame to see The only quiet, romantic, room change, but as a business person myself ( nightlife) I understand that knowing your market is essential to survival and when your market changes you must change. Without fluid movement no las vegas venue can keep topping the others, we need constant adjustments in price point dining style ect….. even a facelift will keep old patrons loyal and attract more business.
Fleur De Lys already offers tapas, and numerous menu options. Hubert Keller is a visionary who sees a trend coming and is willing to go with the flow to stay on top. Keller is known for his creative artistic plating and Fleur De Lys according to my expirience and numerous reviews, on yelp, open table, ect… The staff offers some of the best service in town.And the fois gras is to die for!! I can’t wait to sample many of keller’s new food creations. I’m looking forward to the reopening! I’m hopeing for more tables, last week they were sold out nearly every night!
In response to Wise Guy’s comment above; I can say I have dined at all of the resteraunts you named. Mandalay has a nice selection of resteraunts! Fleur De Lys is contemporary french, Aureole is traditional french, RM Seafood offers rolls, raw bar, and primarily seafood. Mix is in the hotel and the view is fabulous, but the menu is small and alacarte, Strip steak is a steak house. See the difference?
Everyday in the news we hear about lost jobs and layoffs in Las Vegas.
So on a positive note, I’m looking forward to the job oppertunities expanding creates. I think only positive things can come from this! So let’s listen to Curtis and keep an open mind!
I just hope they keep my spot at the bar
Any fancy shmancy french restaurant that doesnt bother to serve burgandy by the glass (even a piss poor trader joe’s version)in the bar/lounge is out of touch with the Vegas scene. Charge 20 bucks a glass, but fer chrisakes open a bottle.
they do, it’s about 15$ a glass, Givry, it’s not a piss poor 2 buck chuck :)
BartenderBecky knows all!
This is the new reality of operating a high-end restaurant in a recession, especially in a city where corporate partnership ensures gratuitous over-pricing. Keller should be praised for his willingness to scrap the restaurant that made him famous to be the first in front of a changing restaurant scene. He was the first haute French chef to challenge fine-dining principles in SF decades ago and in much the same way that Burger Bar completely changed the national restaurant scene, Keller’s new concept will most likely be copied and replicated across the country. Just another example of a transcendent chef without ego or bravado who probably doesn’t get the praise and recognition he deserves.
My wife and I have reservations at Fleur de Lys next week.
Has anyone dined there recently? Are they “phoning it in” now that they’re re-imagining the restaurant?
There are so many great restaurant options in Las Vegas, and this is the first trip to LV for my wife — I would like to ensure it’s a great experience for her. Would Joel Robuchon, Twist, Guy Savoy, or Picasso be safer bets?
Vegas Dave, It’s spelled BurgUndy. One should not drink what one can’t even spell…………
Sorry for the typo Classy. I was too busy drinking my ’07 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles-Vignes to hit spell check. Did I spell that correctly azzwipe?
Dave,
You were wrong on all fronts. FDL does serve a BurgUndy BTG as Becky corrected you on. Both Red & White for that matter. FDL has always been in touch with the Vegas scene offering a pre theater menu, a tapas menu, & alacarte menu before any other “fancy Shmancey” restaurants even saw it necessary (see restaurant Charlie)…… you also mispelled asswipe, asswipe
I ate there for my birthday in April, and was highly disappointed. We went to Stripsteak the night before, and I thought that was *way* better.
Yes, the trufle onion soup was good, and the mashed potatoes were amazing, but the yukon gol ravioli and filet mingon both lacked flavor. I thought stripsteak was a much higher quality meal overall (and cheaper!)
My sweetie and I were at the FDL in March 2010 and the food AND experience was awesome. I have some dietary restrictions (health) and the staff and Hubert were *very* accommodating, to the extent of making items OFF menu for me (without me asking- they offered!) and giving my sweetie and I a mini tour of the kitchen and spend some time chatting with Hubert (parlez vous tres bien!).
It was a wonderful evening that i will never forget and the food was DELICIOUS- and i have eaten in some of the best restaurants in Toronto and Vancouver. Sad to see it go but at least that means more time for the Burger Bar (yum as well!) and more time to make P&P popcorn!
And for the wine drinkers out there- i am a Niagara gal- long live Canadian Ice Wine.:)
Disappointed last year as well, like most others here. The stodginess of the room helped none at all. The “feel” and the food was just too similar to Aureole next door. Not going to miss this at all.
OMG. Can’t believe this restaurant is changing its concept. I just returned home from Vegas where my wife and I celebrated our anniversary with the most wonderful and memorable dining experience of our lives. The food and service are second to none. Everyone from the friendly bartender in the lounge to the meticulously attentive service staff added to the pleasure of our experience. But the food…to say the food was simply amazing wouldn’t do it justice. We both had the four course meal and went in different directions so we could share several things. The onion soup was like an edible orgasm. It was so flavorful and creamy. It had the appearance of being a heavy soup, but the taste was light and delicious. My wife got the fillet and it was undoubtedly the finest cut of meat I had ever tasted. Fortunately, the portion was large enough that she had to give me several pieces. It literally dissolved in my mouth.
I’m so sad to hear the restaurant is changing gears and hope enough people will come forward with their stories to convince the management team to reconsider. I also hope this dumbing down of restaurants in Vegas is overly exaggerated. Restaurants like Fleur de lys may be very expensive, but the create memories and experiences that couples like us treasure for a long time. I promise ten years from now we’ll still be talking about that onions soup and the fillet. That doesn’t happen at Outback Steakhouse.
Burgundy? or BurgUndy? who cares how you spell it….just carry it. I was in this nameless place yesterday..the place had no A/C and the Cabernet was warm like coffea (I was told by the bartender who was told by the wine dealers.sommeliers-who go to school for this- to keep it at room temperature…Las Vegas room temperature.) I go to these seemigly nice places and I ask if they have Reisling wine…they say that I have to go the bar across town..they have more selections. The wine has to be kept in the frig. and cooler the wine better the taste (the waitress brought some ice cubes to cool it down…it tasted like a diluted wine spritzer. Glad I didn’t ask for Burgundy or a Reisling. I am digressing…the reason that FDL and two other high-end places at Venitian/Palazzo closed is for the sole reason that they were supported by Wales with the Casino Comps. Case Closed.
It’s nice to know that the Welsh once thought so highly of our humble burg.
Watch yourself Harry or some smartass Friend of Elv will attack you for your your lack of spelling skills and unsophistication re: overpriced, overrated Vegas clip joints (aka fine dining).
Unsophistication comes from lack of content and substance, not from mis-spelling a word or two-Wale instead of whale. There is difference between lack of spelling skills and mis-spelling.
So, we dined at Fleur de Lys Saturday night, and it was very good (with the possible exception of the veal ravioli). The truffled soup and souffle were great. Fleur de Lys was not, however, as good as Sage on Friday night. Sage was a revelation — my sincere thanks to Mr. Curtas for recommending it on this site.
rm upstairs was the unfortunate, lone disappointment. The food was frequently brilliant, but that’s easily the worst service I’ve ever experienced at an upscale restaurant. I really hope they figure things out — the fact that the table of folks behind us actually got up and left may drive the point home.
This is the second time in as many months a thoughtful, experienced diner has complained on this site about the service at RM Upstairs….
David Ross and Jeff Meeker of egullet.org went through similar contortions to get served during Uncork’d.
Calling Rick Moonen! Calling Rick Moonen!
Who is minding the store?
I thoroughly enjoyed waiting an eternity between courses. NOT
How sad! A friend and I stayed at the Mandalay Bay in February. Fluer de Lys was the highlight of our trip.. great bar… awsome staff. What a shame.
Let’s not overlook KS’ comment about the onion soup – ELV – a phrase to repurpose???
I almost resist going to FDL for fear that my uber-pleasant memories will be sullied in the runup to closure. Any date set by the great HK?
Anyone go recently to FDL? I am traveling to Vegas in September and want to find out if its worth going to or are thry going thru motions before reinvention? I have wanted to go to a Hubert Keller restaurant, but I don’t know whether to go to a more long-standing great restaurant or try one of the newer chefs? (short list: FDL, Picasso, Le Cirque, RM, Bradley Ogden, Sage)
Late to the party I guess… I am sad to see FDL close. Is Ian the sommelier still around?
To this day, I cannot fathom how he managed to get an ’89 Haut Brion on the list for $1300… I saw the same bottle last night at a “trendy” steakhouse in Chicago for $4900- as overpriced as Ian’s bottle was under-priced…
Anyone been to the new Fleur?