Las Vegas, for many reasons, is considered ground zero for design
creativity and drama. "The casinos have hefty budgets," explains
Clark Wolf, who is currently guiding restaurant expansion at
Mandalay Bay. "And to reduce risk, they're bringing in bigger- and
bigger-name chefs:
Alain Ducasse,
Daniel Boulud, Joël Robuchon,
Thomas Keller, and
Bobby Flay are the newest arrivals. One way for
them all to compete is through spectacular design. Restaurants have
to compete with each other, of course, but also with the casinos,
the acrobats, the shows."
Wolf also notes that, all things being equal, it can be 30 to 40
percent cheaper to build in Vegas than in
San Francisco or New
York. "Casinos have their own construction companies," he says.
"They can fabricate in the desert and haul everything in. Much of
what you find in
Las Vegas is new construction. So you're not going
into a 150-year-old building and spending a third of your budget on
demolition." As a result, serious cash is devoted to design - and
the public is eating it up.
But you hardly have to go to Vegas to find cutting-edge restaurant
design. These days, no matter where you're dining, you can bet on
being served a hefty side dish of spectacle. "Diners today want a
whole experience," says Beers. "It's not just about dinner, it's
about entertainment. They want good tastes, smells, visual
stimulation. But, above all, it has to be fun."
10 places for dazzling design and world-class
cuisine
per se, new york city
überchef
thomas keller's luminous, new $10-million restaurant in
the time warner center has natural materials - wood, stone, metal,
glass - and a chocolate, caramel, and cream palette combined in a
striking room that's tailored yet totally luxe. (212) 823-9335,
www.frenchlaundry.com