Recognition by the Michelin dining guide is one of the most coveted and elusive honors for chefs and restaurants throughout the world. Yet the publication only covered Las Vegas twice — back in 2008 and 2009.
🤔 So What Makes Michelin Reviews So Special?
The guide dates back more than a hundred years to when the Michelin tire company (the same one with that cartoon Michelin Man logo) put together a travel booklet for European road trips.
Over time, guides were developed for different cities and reviews of restaurants were conducted by anonymous full-time “inspectors” who would give the best a rating of one (very good), two (excellent, worth a detour), or three (exceptional, worth a special journey) Michelin stars.
🍽️ Which Vegas Restaurants Earned Michelin Stars?
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Three Stars
- Joël Robuchon: Still going strong as a picture-perfect French dining experience at the MGM Grand.
⭐ ⭐ Two Stars
- Alex at Wynn: Alex Stratta’s inventive French restaurant closed at the Wynn in 2011 and despite a few attempts, the chef never found a new long-term project in Vegas.
- Restaurant Guy Savoy: The Caesars Palace restaurant still rivals Joël Robuchon for the best French dining experience in Vegas. I actually prefer it of the two.
- Picasso: Julian Serrano’s French restaurant closed last year and is being replaced by Carbone Riviera (with a boat on the Bellagio fountains).
⭐ One Star
- Alizé: André Rochat's top-floor restaurant at the Palms is now closed.
- Andre's: André Rochat's Downtown restaurant is now closed.
- Aureole: Charlie Palmer's Mandalay Bay restaurant was famous for its wine tower, but is now little more than a rentable event space.
- Bradley Ogden: A Caesars Palace restaurant ahead of its time, and responsible for some of the best chefs running their own restaurants today (including James Trees of Esther’s Kitchen).
- DB Brasserie: Daniel Boulud’s Wynn restaurant closed and tried a brief revival at the Venetian.
- DJT: A New American steakhouse named after you-know-who at Trump International.
- L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon: The more casual counterpart to Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand. Still exceptional.
- Le Cirque: Chefs and menu revamps come and go over the years, but the French restaurant remains one of the best at the Bellagio.
- Mesa Grill: Bobby’s Flay’s Southwest concept at Caesars Palace was replaced by the celebrity chef’s Amalfi with a focus on fresh seafood and Mediterranean flavors.
- Michael Mina: The seafood restaurant is still next to the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and if anything, has only gotten better over time.
- Mix: Alain Ducasse’s top floor restaurant at the hotel now known as the W was renamed Rivea years ago and closed last month, but never matched the reputation of the chef’s restaurants in Europe.
- Nobu: The Michelin star was awarded for the version at the old Hard Rock (now Virgin Hotels) before a better version opened at Caesars Palace.
- Restaurant Charlie: Charlie Trotter’s Palazzo restaurant was ahead of its time, but didn’t last long.
- Wing Lei: The Wynn restaurant was the first Chinese restaurant to earn a Michelin star in North America and continues to set the standard for Asian fine dining on the Strip.
👋 Why Did Michelin Leave Vegas?
The bad economy was the reason given for skipping a 2010 guide. There hasn’t been a Vegas edition since, although some countries and cities will commission guides 💰 Maybe the LVCVA will make the investment one day?
In the meantime, I paid a visit to DJT, the most surprising restaurant on the list, considering the man behind the initials seems to have a fondness for McDonald's and well-done steaks topped with ketchup. I sat at the bar (with Fox News audible on a nearby television) and ordered the filet, since the bartender recommended a steak when I asked about the “best thing on the menu.”
I skipped the $40 “Millionaire’s Old Fashioned,” but noticed a bottle of Fortaleza on the shelf. (“My favorite,” the bartender said. Points scored.) Served on the rocks, the tequila paired well with the steak, plated with thick cuts of smoky asparagus and roasted potatoes — cooked and seasoned to perfection. Even the WiFi worked. (Password: “trump” 💻)
Michelin stars only reflect the year issued, and DJT seems more comfortable as a friendly overachieving lobby restaurant than an overrated Michelin-starred restaurant. In its current role, it works.
- City Cast Las Vegas discusses the art of rating restaurants — and if Las Vegas really needs a Michelin guide after going without one for so many years. [City Cast Las Vegas 🎧]
