Nothing about this place is as good as its reputation. - Seymour Britchky

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Nobu is the perfect example of what happens when a celebrity chef gives up, sells out and cashes in. It is the gastronomic equivalent of a once-innovative cook deciding to abandon his legacy to the highest bidder and spend his retirement padding around his culinary house in a succulent silk robe and savory slippers.

None of this is surprising. By now, everyone knows Las Vegas is where they all come when it’s time to settle back and rake in the cash, because our captive audience of 40 million yearly visitors are credulous enough to buy the hype and settle for what little substance they get. But, not being rookies to the celeb chef rodeo, Eating Las Vegas‘ savvy readers know that it is those customers who ultimately pay for the luxury that these (former) titans of gastronomy and their retainers enjoy.

Las Vegas is also where our brimming-with-cash casinos are more that willing to throw money at an established chef’s brand in hopes it will save them from the food and beverage disasters they inflict upon themselves when left to their own devices (cf. Wynn Hotel/Switch). The money men behind Nobu know this, so this is where they’ve decided to plant his flag one last time time before he sails into the Peruvian-Japanese sunset.

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ELV update: Well the mystery meat mystery has been solved folks! Susan Stapleton reported earlier today that Charlie Palmer, he of Charlie Palmer Steak fessed up and issued a public apology to Anthony and Ottavia Bourdain for the steak he served them 12 days ago.  And Bourdain graciously accepted. For the record ELV regrets his mistake in identifying the hotel the Bourdains were staying in. Had he been a more diligent reporter, he would’ve sought confirmation of the information he received.

Geez Louise! What a tempest in a teapot!

Ottavia Bourdain, whom Grub Street New York describes as “foodie  royalty” was in Las Vegas two weeks ago to take in a UFC match, shoot machine guns and drink a lot of Amaretto with her husband Tony. (more…)

Gnocco fritto

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A recent lunch for two at Otto consisted of the following:

- small octopus salad

-  grilled radicchio with smoked mozz

- gnocco fritto (fried dough strips)

- short rib ravioli

- tagliatelle with ham and Spring peas

- ice cream dessert

To make an expensive, disappointing story short, the radicchio was billed as grilled, but tasted so strongly of  kerosene that all nuance (not to mention flavor) was obliterated. (Side note: ELV loathes the chemically-odoriferous scents left on food from gas grills, and wonders why chefs even bother.)  The gnocco fritto were as tasty (and about as complex) as something you’d get at a county fair, and the two pasta dishes were seriously flawed.

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So the evening is proceeding quite swimmingly Friday night. We’re ensconced on the second floor of Gordon Ramsay Steak, watching Ramsay work the crowd like a master, chatting everyone up, posing for pictures and stopping by every table — basically charming the pants off the lassies while impressing the lads about what a down-to-earth bloke he is.

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The trouble with Las Vegas is, people (tourists and conventioneers mostly) are clamoring for this, basically raw, green bean salad:

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“My problem with ‘wichcraft,” says the Burger Maven of Las Vegas, “is that it’s okay, but it isn’t that great…even though he (owner/Top Chef star/judge/über-chef Tom Colicchio) loves to tear Top Chef cheftestants a new asshole over the sandwiches they make.”

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The VEGAS Inc. reported yesterday that Landry's Restaurants of Houston, Texas has agreed to buy both the Beso restaurant and nightclub, en toto, but that the former basketball fan /delinquent tenant/sexpot will retain a 30% interest in a newly formed company that "will have the right to use the Beso assets" and that she'll be contractually obligated to make appearances there.

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ELV used to say that barbecue was like pizza and sex: the worst he ever had was still pretty good.

That was before his trip to Famous Dave’s the other day.

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Daniel Boulud recently closed his two Vancouver restaurants. Gordon Ramsay has opened and closed outlets from Prague to Los Angeles in the past five years, and some wonder if the whole “celebrity chef” thing has suffered from a surfeit of sensationalism (or “fabulous fatigue” as the New York Times dubbed it). Our friend and colleague Steve Dolinsky weighs in with thoughts on these and other chef/restaurant phenomena (and quite a bit of discussion about the Vegas restaurant scene) in this article in the Montreal Globe and Mail (where Ramsay recently opened to (what sounds like) a collective shrug).

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