From Reality TV to Reality: Hell's Kitchen.

Dining Out At Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen Las Vegas.

Remember when Cliff Crooks attempted to shave Marcel Vigneron’s head on season two of Top Chef? I do and am still shook. This early 2000’s era of television marked the beginning of my food obsession, which has always extended past eating and into my everyday life. I’m still mesmerized by reality food competitions. Food Network’s Tournament of Champions is as sacred a bracket in my house as March Madness. And don’t get me started on The Great British Bakeoff: Episodic delightfulness. There is something about the fiery passion of the chefs, the high-stakes drama that emerges over relatively low-stakes challenges, and the drool-worthy final creations that I still find endlessly entertaining and worthy of infinite rewatches.

No one understands this formula better than Gordon Ramsay. It’s why you can pretty much catch him cooking, screaming, or mentoring on FOX every week. After decades of watching Hell’s Kitchen, MasterChef, MasterChef Junior, Next Level Chef, and Food Stars, it was beyond time to dine at a Gordon Ramsay establishment. With the assistance of a well-timed business trip, the moment finally arrived to make a reservation at Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas. 

For the first time—literally ever—my husband

Jacob

was able to join me on a business trip. Luckily for us, the destination was Sin City. As we arrived at the standalone restaurant, a rarity on the Las Vegas Strip, I was stunned by its exact replication of what I had seen on TV for years down to the flaming letters and pitchfork.

But as soon as we approached the doors, I started to get uncharacteristically nervous. What if this was a bad choice? Was this too touristy? Am I lame for going to a TV restaurant in a city when there are literally thousands of alternatives? Does this hurt my foodie street cred? The FOMO grumbled louder than my stomach.

And then my phone dinged: An obligatory work message signaling the need to run a quick errand approximately 5 minutes before we were to be seated. Darn you work for making me work on a work trip! This resulted in me running back to the Bellagio then to Caesars and finally power walking out of breath back to the restaurant in a sweaty panic that we wouldn’t get seated if we were late. Riddled with anxiety was not how I imagined starting this dream dinner. But my more-sane-husband grabbed my hand, calmed me down, and we proceeded to cross the as-seen-on-TV threshold.

There was something about the tension of this buildup that never fully released during our time at Hell’s Kitchen. We were greeted by an annoyed and unfriendly host (as an ex-host myself, I tend to forgive this unpleasantness) and were led to our table right in front of the dual colored kitchen. I’m not going to pretend otherwise, I was super excited to be there. But rather than eating at a fine dining restaurant, I immediately felt like a tourist with my camera out on the roof of a double decker Starline bus: And on your left was the home of Michael Jackson.

Our tour guide, I mean, waitress told us what dishes were popular from the hit tv show and without hesitation we ordered like true Hell’s Kitchen fans: Scallops, lobster risotto, beef Wellington and more. 

So here is a diehard Gordon STAN’s review of Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas:

• First and foremost, the food is Vegas-pricey and the portions were small. This was the only meal during our trip that left Jake & I hungry.

• We started with the lobster risotto, which was lusciously creamy, unexpectedly delicate, and topped with a glistening lobster tail cooked just enough. What made this dish for me was the sprinkling of crispy onions that gave a much needed textural counterpoint to an otherwise soft dish.

Lobster Risotto at Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas

• The pan seared scallops were totally delicious and not at all RAW. The meat was sweet and succulent and beautifully caramelized on top. The celery root puree dolloped beneath each scallop completely surprised me. It added this delicate vegetal complement that I didn’t know I wanted, but enjoyed with every bite. 

  

  Pan Seared Scallops and Beef Wellington at Hell's Kitchen Las Vegas

• For our entree we couldn’t miss the dish that has starred on as many seasons of reality TV as Chef Ramsay: The iconic beef Wellington. Can you even say you’ve eaten at Hell’s Kitchen if you skip this course? Ok friends, I had high expectations for the Welly, and I have to admit the real thing was worth the buzz. Of course the filet mignon was heavenly and you can’t go wrong with a decadent potato puree, but it is the little details that makes this dish magic. I couldn’t get over the sea salt that crowned the perfectly buttery brown flaky pastry and the burst of flavor and velvety creaminess of the mushroom duxelles and Parma ham that blankets the beef inside. This is the dish that Gordon Ramsay built an empire on and after eating it I get why.

• We finished our meal with a duo of desserts: A traditional sticky toffee pudding and an apple cheesecake. My first bite of the former elicited an “Oh God. Nom nom nom”—a phrase I don’t utter lightly. If that’s not a rave review, I don’t know what is. The melt-in-your-mouth sticky toffee pudding was punctuated with a cold Speculoos cookie butter ice cream that cut through the gooey sumptuousness of the soaked cake. A British specialty, this dish was the most homey and comforting plate we devoured all night.

  

  Sticky Toffee Pudding and Apple Cheesecake at Hell's Kitchen Las Vegas

• Biting into the apple cheesecake was a wild tasting experience. You crack into the tuille, then dip your spoon into a combination of creamy vanilla ice cream and a zingy but refreshing apple sorbet. From there, you hit the layer of deeply spiced stewed apple compote, and then dive into that rich apple cheesecake. A little powerhouse, it hits on all levels: Texture, acidity, spice and flavor.

So how did the Hell’s Kitchen of my imagination stack up against the Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas experience?

Well to start, there was no shouting in the kitchen and no celebrities pulling up in their Ferraris. The quality of the food was impeccable, the taste indulgent, and the prices expensive, but the whole dining experience felt like a fever dream. It was more Disneyland than a restaurant. But that’s Las Vegas, right? There’s a fantasy and facade of luxury that constantly bumps up against and is challenged by reality. The tension I brought in with me, the almost scripted service, and this looming pressure to turn and burn our table made it so I never fully relaxed during my time at Hell’s Kitchen. While I was excited to be there, it also felt as if I was holding my breath the whole time, desperate to exhale.

Everything was lovely and the food delicious, but would I return? Probably not.  Instead, on my next trip to Las Vegas, I’ll try one of Gordon Ramsay’s other five restaurants on the strip. Maybe even the Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill inside Caesars Palace, just a four-minute walk from Hell’s Kitchen, where you can also order a beef Wellington and sticky toffee pudding (my highlights of the night).

As-seen-on-TV dishes, texture and flavor, Welly in my belly.

Ergo Yum.

Jake & I taking an obligatory HK picture. #MomAndDad’sFirstVacay #LuvUGordon