Hubert Keller brings contemporary flavors from his world travels to new Las Vegas Restaurant Fleur at Mandalay Bay (United States)
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Hubert Keller brings contemporary flavors from his world travels to new Las Vegas Restaurant Fleur at Mandalay Bay (United States)
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Category: North America & West Indies / Carribean islands - United States - Gourmet restaurants
- Gourmet restaurants
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2011-01-07
Celebrating International Small Plates, Fleur By Hubert Keller Marks New Culinary Concept For Critically Acclaimed Chef
Fleur by Hubert Keller, now open for lunch and dinner at Mandalay Bay, debuts the innovative chef's latest fashionable epicurean experience. Featuring gourmet small plates packed with powerful bites of flavor, Fleur's contemporary menu is inspired by Keller's travels to Spain, Italy, North Africa, South America, Asia, and his homeland France. As the first small plates concept for Keller, Fleur offers guests a new dining experience from the Bravo "Top Chef Masters" cheftestant in a welcoming, casual-chic environment.
Situated in the former location of Keller's Fleur de Lys, the newly redesigned restaurant is a high-energy social dining destination in the heart of Mandalay Bay. Guests will enjoy a relaxed ambiance that extends from the venue design to the cuisine. The menu's fun and flexible choices will please both fast-paced travelers and lingering diners with options from light and refreshing dishes to savory and hearty plates.
"At Fleur by Hubert Keller I'm taking guests on a journey to different countries through small plates that are really well prepared, with great flavor," said Hubert Keller, chef-owner.
"My new restaurant features several different moods and dining experiences. Guests can watch sports and enjoy a beer in our circular center bar, take in the hotel action from our patio dining, sip cocktails in the lounge, enjoy an elegant dinner in our main room or have an exclusive meal or celebration within our semi-private cabana dining spaces."
SIGNATURE OFFERINGS
Inventive Small Plates. Fleur's menu spotlights classic recipes transformed through Keller's imaginative ingredients, innovative culinary techniques and whimsical presentations. Kushi Oysters topped with margarita sorbet and orange puree are served on an illuminated block of dry ice that billows with a seductive cloud at the table; Maple Glazed Pork Ribs are hidden beneath a smoke-filled glass dome that when lifted, reveals the sweet and savory combination as smoke wafts out; and the Wagyu "Lava Rock" is served with tender slices of wagyu beef and cooked to guests' preference on a sizzling hot lava rock, then drizzled with wasabi-lime sauce. Keller pays homage to his appearance on Bravo's "Top Chef Masters" with his competition-winning "In The Shower" Mac & Cheese made with lobster and brunoise vegetables. Also featured is Keller's signature $5,000 FleurBurger 5000, made with Wagyu beef, foie gras and truffle, and served with a bottle of 1995 Chateau Petrus; Diver Sea Scallops "Borscht" topped with baby beets and horseradish; as well as the Crab & Avocado Sphere, which sits atop a long glass vessel filled with watermelon gazpacho, to be sipped as a finishing touch. Keller delights the senses with thoughtful vegetarian dishes such as Truffled Onion Soup veloute; and the Artichoke Barigoule trimmed with asparagus, baby carrots and basil.
Sweet Endings. Drawing from his pastry background, Keller tantalizes taste buds with traditional French treats and ups the ante with unexpected creations such as the Carnival of Desserts, an assortment of cupcakes, cotton candy and shakes; and unique Cheesecake Lollipops served with a raspberry coulis dipping sauce. Other crowd favorites include the Afforgatto a la LN2, a coffee-based dessert frozen tableside with liquid nitrogen, then topped with Bailey's ice cream and espresso; and Keller's famous Chocolate Souffle, filled with chocolate ganache and paired with house-made ice cream. The chocolate lover's treat is so addicting it will be featured on the Food Network's upcoming series "5 To Die For."
Dramatic Cocktails. Fleur is Vegas' first restaurant to offer cocktails infused with liquid nitrogen, which freezes the beverage into the consistency of sorbet, intensifies the flavors and results in a spectacular tableside presentation; new flavors are offered daily. Another unique element is the Fleur Flights, which present a sampling of the restaurant's specialty libations, paired by complementary flavors. The Tropical Flight features Cherry Limeade, Sparkling Peach Blossom and the Fleurtini; while the Decadent Flight includes White Chocolate, Chocolate Coconut and Espresso Martinis. Fleur features one of Las Vegas' largest collections of Absinthe, prepared traditionally or Russian-style: flambeed before guests' eyes and served with passion fruit, orange juice and vapors. Fleur also presents an eclectic selection of beer and sake. Tucked away at the top of the restaurant is the secluded wine room. Visible from the main dining area, the room houses more than 3,500 bottles of wine, laced with global influence.
AMBIANCE & INTERIOR DESIGN
Natural Elements. The 5,500-square-foot space features an earthy color palette of warm greens, rustic reds and woody browns to transform Fleur into a cozy retreat. Nature's majestic beauty can be seen as the designer's muse and felt in the choice of decor from the iron branch style chandeliers suspended from the ceiling to emulate a tree canopy and the rosewood table tops in the dining room, to the outdoor table tops made from terrazzo and recycled glass.
Patio Dining, Center Bar and Lounge. Set alongside Mandalay Bay's bustling promenade, the restaurant's 46-seat open patio invites guests into its space with traditional dining tables and informal lounge seating. Interconnecting the restaurant's open floor plan is a large sociable bar with two big-screen televisions. The bar's central location is a great gathering spot for guests, whether they wish to have a relaxing drink or nibble on the cuisine.
Dining Room and Semi-Private Cabanas. Beyond the bar sits the main dining room set against a wall of scaling stones. Framing the 78-seat dining room are four semi-private cabanas enclosed by curtains, which feature tall wooden tables cut from one large tree and light fixtures reminiscent of lanterns. The wooden tables can be adjoined to create a larger communal dining experience seating parties up to 24.
Located at Mandalay Bay, Fleur by Hubert Keller leads the next culinary wave with gourmet small plates and a knock-out dining experience. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
About Hubert Keller
Keller's whimsical flavors and aesthetically pleasing plate presentations are a result of his years of classical training with France's top chefs. He has opened a host of world-renowned restaurants including Fleur de Lys San Francisco; his wildly popular Burger Bar restaurants in Las Vegas, St. Louis and San Francisco; as well as his cutting-edge SLeeK Steakhouse and Ultra Lounge in St. Louis. Revered by his colleagues and fans, the Frenchman boasts a long list of accolades and awards including being named the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: California and among the Foundation's prestigious Who's Who in Food and Beverage. Food & Wine magazine tapped him as one of the Ten Best Chefs in America; and Restaurants & Institutions gave him its Ivy Award. Keller also has appeared as a judge on Bravo's "Top Chef" and was a contestant in the first season of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters." He recently was a resident judge on Bravo's "Top Chef: Just Desserts." This month, Chef Keller will begin recording the third season of his highly successful cooking show, "Hubert Keller: Secrets of a Chef," on a new set at Vegas PBS. The show will air nationwide on PBS stations in spring 2011.
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