British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was served a Michelin star for his new LA eatery as the Michelin food guide unveiled its second annual lists of top restaurants in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Ramsay, the expletive-prone star of TV shows such as “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares,” earned a star for Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood which opened in June, taking his total number of Michelin stars to about a dozen.
His restaurant was among 16 eateries in a list of 343 restaurants and hotels in Los Angeles to be awarded one star while four restaurants were given two stars – Melisse, chef Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, Urusawa and Providence.
Ramsay, 41, who also has restaurants in London, New York, France, Ireland, Tokyo and Dubai, charges $85 for a seven-course chef’s menu at his first West Coast venue compared to $135 for a seven-course menu at New York eatery Gordon Ramsay at The London.
No restaurant in Los Angeles has yet managed to snare the top three-star rating from Michelin.
The Las Vegas list featured 172 restaurants and hotels with one establishment boasting three stars – French chef Joel Robuchon’s Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand Hotel which charges $250 for a six-course chef’s tasting menu.
In Las Vegas there are also three two-star restaurants – Alex, Guy Savoy and Picasso – and 13 one-star restaurants.
New York City boasts four three-star restaurants among about 69 restaurants worldwide with the top ranking, which means “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.” Two stars means “excellent cuisine” and one star denotes “very good cuisine.”
The Michelin lists are based on the recommendations of a team of inspectors who visit restaurants several times throughout the year, incognito, to decide the rankings.