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| - Sadly, I have to give Gordon Ramsay's Pub and Grill at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, a less than stellar review. I can only muster the kindness to give this restaurant two stars. I must admit, that were my rating based solely on my latest dining experience there, I would give the restaurant three stars, and, had I based my review solely on my first dining experience there, I would have given four stars. I'm sure that you will ask, "How does the average of 3 and 4 equal two?" The answer: disappointment.
This will sound silly, but bear with me. The reason I returned to P&G after my first visit is also the reason I will not return: potatoes. Specifically, two potato dishes: the Potato Puree and the Pub Fries. These were not ordinary mashed potatoes and French fries. These were a demonstration of what a potato can taste like if a fine-dining approach is taken when preparing ordinary dishes. Every now and again you taste a dish and experience it for the first time all over again. Such was my experience with the fries and mashed potatoes at P&G. They made me feel that, as a foodstuff, potatoes have much more potential that I had previously imagined.
The key to their french fries was the cooking technique: thick-cut potato planks, steamed, then lightly coated in seasoned flour, then deep-fried, then baked. The result: a hearty potato plank with a crispy outer crust that created the perfect seal to keep steam inside. When you cut into them, you discovered a steamy, flaky potato meat. These fries did not need any condiments whatsoever, and highlighted how good a potato can taste if treated properly
The mashed potatoes had a beautiful flavor. The fluffy peaks of this dish were topped off with a drizzle of a chive infused olive oil that exploded in your mouth, filling your entire palette with the aroma of garden-fresh chives. The key to this explosion was temperature of the potatoes: served piping hot.
On my second visit, I ordered these two side dishes again. This time, the Pub Fries were plain, old french fries, and slightly soggy at that. The mashed potatoes were a salty, gluey concoction that someone had tried to repair by thinning it out with copious amounts of cream and butter. They were served cold.
Other highlights of the evening: arrived at 7:15pm and checked in for my 7:15pm reservation. The hostess forgot to check me in, and when I made eye-contact with her every time she seated a walk-in customer before me, she quickly looked away and left the podium. I approached a different hostess and was seated right away. I ordered the seared scallops: scallops were seared on one side only. They were served in a bland seafood broth, with carrots, and artichoke hearts. Not flavorful at all. I ordered an espresso with dessert and it arrived cold. The chocolate mousse trifle was sensational, though.
At any rate, I believe that what happened to this restaurant is not so much carelessness on the part of its founder or staff. It is a reaction to the caliber of the customer. I spoke to the manager about the food, and he admitted that they had to change some recipes because their customers did not see the value in waiting extra time for french fries to be cooked three ways or for mashed potatoes to be prepared to order. So, they have turned from their fine-dining philosophy to a food-mill philosophy: crank out orders.
And that is where the disappointment lies. P&G once provided a fine-dining take on British pub fare. It now caters to the lowest common denominator and provides tourists a place to grab a quick bite and gain some bragging rights: "I went to Vegas and ate at Gordon Ramsay's. You know? That guy from TV?"
Sadly, the Gordon Ramsay on TV is no longer anywhere to be found at P&G. The Gordon Ramsay on TV preaches fine ingredients, food prepared to perfection, good seasoning, good service, consistency, and, above all, passion and pride. Where is the pride to be found when you don't stand by your food, and, instead, you cut corners to ramp up production.
Sorry, that's not fine-dining. That's a factory. I'll gladly drop $20 at Applebee's for factory food. Not $200 at Gordon Ramsay's.
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