Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill in Las Vegas Hits Plateau

Las Vegas is know for a great many things including the greatest hotels, restaurants, shows and performances; and it is claimed to be the fastest growing city in the United States. In fact, if you are to be considered one of the greatest hoteliers or chefs in the world, it is a prerequisite to have at least one established venue on the Las Vegas Strip.

When in Las Vegas last September, I had an opportunity to visit Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. As an expert on cuisine and avid food network viewer, I selected his restaurant, from the many, as a direct result of what I have seen him create on his many different programs. Most people have probably heard of Chef Flay and have seen him on one of the many shows, including his losing streak on his "challenge show" Throwdown, his incredible performances on the Iron Chef America, or any of his other number of previous television appearances. As a world renowned chef he has some of the finest restaurants in places like New York City and Las Vegas.

My intention is not to tell you that Bobby Flay is lacking in talent whatsoever. In fact, my first opportunity at Mesa Grill was so delicious it warranted a second visit this past weekend while visiting Las Vegas. Granted there is so much to do and see in Las Vegas that one should take the opportunity to try something new each time they visit. However, the experience was so pleasant I had to visit it one more time. As a result it might be my last visit to Mesa Grill in Las Vegas.

Valentine's Day is a special occasion and falling on a weekday this year, my fiancé and I decided to celebrate Valentine's the weekend before and to make the most of our time. She knows how much I enjoy food and particularly that of the Mesa Grill. Accordingly so, she made reservations about one month early and found that the best time for a reservation that could incorporate her special requests would be an early dinner. The day before we dined she called the restaurant just to make sure that everything would be ready for our visit. I can not tell you if the following occurred because Chef Flay is too busy with his television programs to oversee his restaurants, or if the people hired are incompetent. Perhaps it is a combination of both with and addition of other factors not mentioned.

We arrived at Caesars' Palace early, did a bit of gambling and drinking and then went to the restaurant. Arriving no more than two minutes early we waited at the hostess stand for five minutes while the hostess carried on a non-business related conversation with a coworker, ignoring us the entire time...even though they were directly behind the hostess stand where were waiting. Eventually the phone began to ring and the manager walked up. She answered the phone and then briefly spoke with her manager. Finally she acknowledged us; we gave her the name for our reservation and were instructed to wait as the table was not yet ready. It is a rather rare occasion to have service start off this poorly, especially at a world famous restaurant. Nonetheless we had a drink at the bar while waiting. The part I cannot explain is why the table was not ready when we arrived; the restaurant was not even at 20% capacity at that time. They had more than a month, and even a reminder the day before, to have our table prepared.

Finally we were seated at our table, but not the one specified; and it was not prepared as requested...strike two. After speaking with the manager and informing him of how we requested the table he was kind enough to have someone move us to another table. We requested nothing out of the ordinary; just champagne at the side of the table, Rose petals on the table, a vase of flowers, and a large table away from most people to ensure a degree of privacy. (This is why our reservations were suggested for an early dinner.) The floral items had to be order by us from a florist and delivered to the restaurant. We specifically ordered two batches of rose petals so that we could have one to take home for a romantic encounter. When the table was changed, the restaurant took it upon themselves to use our final box of petals to decorate the table. This did not bother me so much at first, because I thought the restaurant would correct the matter in the end.

Initially we were placed at a table for two, directly between two other tables with other people sitting at them, the rest of that particular area was empty and everyone was placed next to one another. I know much about customer placement in a restaurant, but I won't go into that for risk of writing a novel. The thing that most disturbed me was the fact that we asked for a large table. With the petals and a vase on the table I could hardly see my fiancé on the other side, let alone have a place to eat. Thankfully they were accommodating enough to move us to another table.

We did have a pleasant waiter and a delicious meal, but the beginning of the experience was so terrible that I voluntarily choose to never revisit Mesa Grill in Las Vegas unless Bobby Flay specifically invites me because he is there overseeing the service and cooks our meal himself. Although the food was fantastic and I absolutely love the Blue Corn Pancakes (crepes) with Barbecued Duck and Habanero Chile-Star Anise Sauce, the service was atrocious. We spent more than 300 dollars alone on the meal, not including the floral arrangement which we had to provide. Not only did we not get to take home the extra Rose petals we ordered, but the restaurant did not feel any responsibility in the matter. Typically I would expect the manager to offer a free dessert, pay for the champagne, or even comp one of the entrees; but when we received the bill there was a big fat PAY US FOR TERRIBLE SERVICE sign.

If I could say one thing to Chef Flay it would be: you have some of the most delicious culinary creations in the world, please spend more time overseeing your restaurants so this terrible service does not drive away your clientele.