Dateline: Town Square Mall (that is neither square, nor in any town)
Effective two weeks ago, Brian Howard, chef extraordinaire, has left Nu Sanctuary.
Also gone is front of the house G.M. John Anthony.
Continue reading “He was a great chef as chefs go, and as chefs go, he went…”
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…and the crumbs…touched my palate….(and) a shudder ran through my whole body, as I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary changes that were taking place….at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me…
— Remembrance of Things Past, Vol. 1: Swann’s Way
Proust got it right; sometimes the taste or smell of food can create an out of body experience.
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.