Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6221
THE TASTING PANEL: It's so wonderful to see you here in Las Vegas. Tell us the difference between your restaurant here and Guy Savoy in Paris? Guy Savoy: They are the same—twin restaurants. If there is one difference in the menu, it is that there is no beef on the French menu. The beef here in the U.S. is much better. TP: What was your motivation to open a Las Vegas restaurant? GS: Well, my first impression of Las Vegas was very bad. Caesars Palace invited me here in 2003, and I was surprised about how wonderful my first meal was [at Bradley Ogden] and then another wonderful dinner at Picasso at Bellagio. I was so impressed by the level of the dining experience here and the magnificent wine lists. Then, to top it off, I saw my first Las Vegas show. It was Céline, and I was won over. TP: Last night you brought us a wonderful winter dish, called Chestnut All Around. What inspired that plate? GS: It was my mother's recipe. We make a chestnut island with milk and celery, a chestnut flan, all to create different consistencies with chestnut, including a chestnut crisp. TP: Yes, this has become a foodie's paradise and, thanks to you, an even higher-level playing field. GS: My opinion has changed, and I see Las Vegas as trend- setting a city for food as I do New York and Paris. And I must tell you, I have a passion for the Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay and the Mesa Grill right here at Caesars. And the shopping here is also incroyable! CHef TalK savoy Fare Two or ThrEE TimEs a yEar, Guy SaVoy comEs To his EponymoUs vEgas rEsTaUranT aT caEsars palacE. ThE TasTing panEl was on ThE spoT aT ThE righT TimE To caTch ThE michElin ThrEE-sTar chEF aT a qUiET momEnT The Champagne of Experiences at Guy Savoy For private dining, the Krug Room at Guy Savoy—the first of its kind in the U.S., following Hong Kong and Tokyo—offers an ever-changing seasonal menu paired with various expressions of Champagne Krug, including vintages from 1985 to 1995. For lighter eaters, Guy Savoy's Bubble Bar is a place to get small plates and peruse a selection of premium champagnes. PHOTO: CATHY TWIGG-BLUMEL Franck Savoy runs Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. His father recently paid a visit, and together with puppy Gizmo, they posed for a photo. 90 / the tasting panel / january–february 2010