Today begins Las Vegas’s biggest and best food week ever….at least in terms of national and international exposure for the chefs and restaurants of our town. Tonight from 6-9 PM is the Star Chefs – Rising Chefs Revue at Green Valley Ranch. Star Chefs is an organization dedicated to educating and promoting young kitchen talent throughout America, and deserves our gratitude for directing attention to the hardworking guys and gals who actually cook the food we enjoy in notable restaurants throughout the U.S. of A. — not their bosses, who are usually on airplanes or in board meetings.
Michelin Ratings Revealed
Here they are sports fans….the 2009 restaurant ratings of Las Vegas swanky eateries from the mother of all guidebooks Le Guide Michelin. ELV will be commenting more on these ratings in the near future, but for now:
Notable changes from last year: Mesa Grill lost its star.
Biggest disappointment: Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare and RM Seafood not gaining one.
Biggest surprise: Andre’s and Alize keeping theirs.
Most satisfying “I told you so:” The too-good-for-this-world DJT being recognized for its short-lived excellence.
MICHELIN RESTAURANT RATINGS
ONE STAR (*) (by neighborhood)
ESTABLISHMENT NEIGHBORHOOD HOTEL
Alize West of the Strip Palms
Andre’s (Downtown) Downtown
Aureole The Strip Mandalay Bay
Bradley Ogden The Strip Caesar’s Palace
Daniel Boulud Brasserie The Strip Wynn
DJT The StripTrump InternationalHotel & Tower
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon The Strip MGM Grand
Le Cirque The Strip Bellagio
Michael Mina The Strip Bellagio
miX The Strip Mandalay Bay
Nobu East of The Strip Hard Rock
Restaurant Charlie The Strip Palazzo
Wing Lei The Strip Wynn
TWO STARS (**) (by neighborhood)
ESTABLISHMENT NEIGHBORHOOD HOTEL
Alex The Strip Wynn
Guy Savoy The Strip Caesar’s Palace
Picasso The Strip Bellagio
THREE STARS (***)
ESTABLISHMENT NEIGHBORHOOD HOTEL
Joel Robuchon The Strip MGM Grand
NORA’S (The Original)
Daniel Gonzalez and Antonio Trillo are the two best reasons to go to Nora’s on West Flamingo. Having trained under uber-cocktail maven Gaston Martinez, they can conjure up a cocktail with the best in town. Best of all, those drinks (all made with fresh-squeezed juices and house-made mixes), are bargain priced; only $9 for an array of tasty libations that run the gamut from a Pisco Blast (Barsol pisco, M.B. Peche, yuzu and fresh sour) to a Pilgrim’s Passion (Plymouth gin, Elderflower Liqueur, passion fruit coulis, fresh sour, mint).
We’ve had their Luscious Leopard (Absolut Mandarin, Cruzan Mango tequila, mango coulis, Remy Red) and a Ruby Delight (Absolut Ruby Red, Lychee Liqueur, cilantro and blood red orange juice), but what really whets our whistle is their Spicy Daisy, a blackberry-lime-green-chile-tequila-Absolut Kurrant concoction that flirts with the pain/pleasure principle possibly as perfectly as any potent potable.