Nobu to open hotel in Las Vegas
When it comes to sushi on this side of the Pacific, few American-based restaurants can compete with the likes of Nobu. Capitalizing on this celebritydom, chef Nobu Matsuhisa has recently announced plans to open up his first Nobu-branded boutique hotel in Vegas.
With 26 restaurants on five continents – three of which have been awarded highly-coveted Michelin stars – you’d think that Nobu and his partner Robert De Niro would be content to rest on their laurels. On the contrary, the Nobu Hospitality group is currently preparing to make an aggressive expansion into the boutique hotel market.
And what better place to inaugurate a new entertainment venture?
The answer is none other than Las Vegas, Nevada. According to a recent press release, the oldest tower at Caesar’s Palace is set to undergo a renovation by the same interior design team that brought you City Center.
The resulting transformation will thereafter be known as the Nobu Hotel Las Vegas.Although Nobu already operates a restaurant in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, to date there are no Japanese themed hotels on the Las Vegas strip. Now, I know exactly what you’re thinking. “But wait…haven’t you forgotten about the Imperial Palace?”
Trust me. There is nothing authentically Japanese about the Imperial Palace!
In stark contrast, the Nobu Hotel Las Vegas will emulate the minimalist interior of the restaurant chain while attracting a smart and savvy clientle. With only 180 rooms, it will also strive to offer the highly personalized service that characterizes the hospitality industry in Japan.
In their words:
“With a renowned location in Caesar’s Palace, the luxury Nobu Hotel Las Vegas will be a destination for style-makers and trendsetters, offering an immersive, fun and social experience. [Guests] will enjoy private check-in and the unique benefit of room service from Nobu’s acclaimed culinary team.”
One of the most unique aspects of the business deal is that the Nobu Hotel Las Vegas will be completely surrounded by Caesar’s Palace – not at all unlike how the Vatican City is completely surrounded by Rome.
For guests at the Nobu Hotel Las Vegas, this puts the casinos, shops and entertainment at Caesar’s within easy reach. For everyone else, this not only sets the bar for future boutique hotel ventures, but also signals that post-recession Vegas is still alive and well.
Haven’t yet experienced the gastronomic wonder that is Nobu? Stop by a branch near you, and sample the black cod with miso that first put this superstar restaurant on the culinary map.
** Caesar’s Palace image courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons Project. All other images are from Nobu: The Cookbook, and are reproduced here for the purpose of critical commentary. **
Save big at Atlantis resort
We’re still not all that far into spring … which means the stinging cold of winter isn’t yet a distant memory. If you need a brief break from the places you saw covered in snow not too long ago, check out the latest deal from the Atlantis, Paradise Island Resort. You can pick up a nightly rate of $399 until May 26, 2010, if you spend four nights there. After that, a $499 a night reservation is available until June 20, 2010.
The $650/night value includes plenty of extras, including two dolphin interactions at the resort’s 14-acre dolphin interaction and education center, a round of golf at the Ocean Club Golf Course and one-night access to Aura. Enjoy two signature margaritas at Bobby Flay‘s Mesa Grill and two sunset martinis at Jean Georges‘ Dune … and munch and sip on a sushi and sake mini-tasting for two at Nobu.
Yeah, there are worse ways to put the winter behind.
Tokyo restaurants tops in Michelin
Tokyo is the top dining city in the world, according to the latest Michelin Guide. With 11 restaurants at three stars, it’s pushed past Paris, the former top dog in the culinary world. Eight of the nine Tokyo restaurants with three starts retained their Michelin ratings year-over-year, and three were bumped up from two stars to three for 2010. Paris has only 10 three-star restaurants in the 2010 Michelin Guide, and New York only has four.
According to Oyvind Naesheim, Nobu Hong Kong’s executive chef, “Tokyo is an unbelievable city for food,” continuing, “The passion and perfection at some top Tokyo restaurants show us why this city is so outstanding in fine dining.”
Two thirds of the 197 Tokyo restaurants listed by Michelin focus on Japanese food, focusing on common styles includingfugu, soba, sukiyaki, tempura and sushi. Three of the 11 three-star spots went to French Restaurants.
In total, Tokyo has 261 stars, more than any other city in the 23 countries that Michelin covers. Look for the list of Tokyo three star restaurants after the jump.
- Esaki, Classic Japanese (new)
- Ishikawa, Classic Japanese
- Joel Robuchon, French
- Kanda, Japanese
- Koju, Japanese
- L’Osier, French
- Quintessence, French
- Sushi Mizutani, Sushi
- Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten, Sushi
- Sushi Saito, Sushi (new)
- Yukimura, Classic Japanese (new)