Press Releases

MGM Grand: Redefining the Las Vegas Culinary Experience

10/21/2007 9:15:00 AM
LAS VEGAS – In Las Vegas, the dinner table has become as exciting as the blackjack table. MGM Grand’s President Gamal Aziz and his team of food and beverage professionals have collaborated with some of the country’s best chefs and award-winning designers to stir up a veritable culinary revolution and recast the paradigm of Las Vegas dining.

“The last few years have brought a major transformation to MGM Grand,” said Gamal Aziz, president of MGM Grand. “We have unveiled extraordinary restaurants representing some of the finest in the culinary world. I’m proud to say that our entire team has worked to establish MGM Grand as one of Las Vegas’ most talked about dining destinations.”

In July 2001, MGM Grand embarked on a multi-phase approach to redefining the Las Vegas food and beverage scene, with the introduction of NOBHILL, a Michael Mina culinary showcase. At NOBHILL, San Francisco-style dining emerges in a sophisticated Tony Chi-designed space. In 2002, NOBHILL was the first restaurant in Las Vegas to be nominated for the “Best New Restaurant” James Beard Award.

In December of 2001, Asian cuisine was turned on its head with the opening of Pearl. At this bold and modern temple to Chinese cuisine, Tony Chi designed a space where the décor is as modern as the menu. With a dedicated sommelier overseeing the restaurant’s own wine cellar, an aperitif trolley and a digestif selection – details not often found in a Chinese restaurant – Pearl provides a unique dining experience from beginning to end.

When Craftsteak opened in July 2002, Aziz introduced the concept of modern steakhouse dining to a potentially skeptical audience. At that time, James Beard Award-winning Chef Tom Colicchio’s New York City-based Craft had yet to burst onto the scene. Such foresight has become the cornerstone of MGM Grand’s culinary evolution and set the stage for the years to come.

In August 2003, MGM Grand opened its doors to New York restaurateur Stephen Hanson. Fiamma Trattoria and Bar introduced a dash of SoHo style to the Las Vegas Strip. The menu of regional Italian dishes became instant favorites as did the perfectly paired traditional Italian desserts of Pastry Chef Elizabeth Katz. Fiamma’s Master Sommelier Greg Harrington’s wine list, upgraded in 2005 to the Best of Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator Magazine, presents a thoughtful, versatile and impressive array of more than 400 selections. Designed by award-winning design team Yabu Pushelberg, the dynamic contemporary space offers a café, bar and lounge, dining room and private screening room.

Later that year, Michael Mina, James Beard Best California Chef 2002, turned his sights toward casual seafood when he opened SEABLUE in October 2003. This seafood-centric brasserie comes to life through a brilliant environment created by internationally known designer Adam Tihany. The sexy, high energy atmosphere at SEABLUE encourages guests to gather with friends, enjoy cocktails and explore the bounty of the sea. The menu at SEABLUE offers guests a range of options and encourages family-style sharing.

In June 2004, MGM Grand introduced Diego, a sophisticated traditional Mexican restaurant. Designed by Vicente Wolfe, the 2003 James Beard Winner for Restaurant Design, Diego embraces the vivid colors of Mexico’s cultural landscape. The creative menu features small sharing plates in traditional tapas style, organic vegetable dishes and salads and large-size entrees. Tequila Master Julio Bermejo has made Diego his desert home, overseeing the restaurant’s extensive collection of only 100% Blue Agave tequilas and mezcals.

Later that summer, MGM Grand opened Shibuya, an elegantly modern Japanese restaurant, designed by Yabu Pushelberg. Shibuya takes its name and inspiration from a neighborhood of Tokyo known for its bustling urbanism and contemporary lifestyle. Modern Japanese cuisine shares the limelight with a sake program that has been hailed as one of the country’s best. The menu features distinct Japanese ingredients updated with the best of modern Japanese and American techniques. To create a sake list unlike any other, MGM Grand tapped into the brilliance of renowned sake expert John Gauntner who delivered a sake program at Shibuya worthy of grand recognition. Less than one year after opening, Bon Appetit named Shibuya one of the top 50 restaurants in the country.

Providing the proverbial feather in its cap, MGM Grand inked a deal with “Chef of the Century” Joël Robuchon to bring two of his restaurants to Las Vegas. In September 2005, both Joël Robuchon and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon opened at MGM Grand.

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon marks this great chef’s first U.S. outpost of his wildly successful concept. The open kitchen and counter seating allows a dynamic interaction between chef and diner, yielding direct access to the inspired culinary process.

The focus of the menu is on the highest quality ingredients prepared with equal parts precision and abundant creativity. The stylish black and red décor by Pierre-Yves Rochon offers a minimalist aesthetic allowing the kitchen and wait staff, all dressed in black, to provide a sleek canvas for the culinary activity within.

Joël Robuchon marked culinary history as legendary Chef Joël Robuchon opened his first fine dining restaurant in the United States. Also designed by Rochon, this dining room calls forth the glamour and élan of 1930s Paris with plush black and purple fabrics and touches such as the dramatic Swavorski Crystal teardrop chandelier. Joël Robuchon provides an exclusive opportunity to experience this chef’s formidable cooking talents in their fullest expression. When designing his menu, Chef Robuchon expanded his traditionally French repertoire to include Spanish and Asian influences, creating a blend of ingredients and techniques unique to the establishment. Six months after opening, Joël Robuchon received one of the highest marks of distinction within the culinary community when it was nominated to receive the 2006 James Beard Foundation Award for “Best New Restaurant.” One year later the acclaimed restaurant earned the 2007 Mobil Five-Star and 2007 AAA Five Diamond Awards.

Through the years, MGM Grand has placed great focus on offering the best of everything – including culinary and beverage offerings – to its guests. With this latest phase of evolution, MGM Grand is poised to be the dining destination of choice for locals and visitors alike.

# # #