The current buzz of Las Vegas is Robuchon, a fancy new frenchery that has earned the coveted Michelin five diamond rating and five stars from Mobile.  The superlatives suggest that Robuchon may be the finest restaurant ever, the best diner that ever existed, destined to go down in culinary history. 

So, is is all hype?  Is Robuchon a flash in Le Pan, or is it destined to be a permanent Las Vegas fixture? 

We decided to find out.  In the traditional French style, Robuchon offers an amazing 10+ course tasting menu, and for the modest price of about $360 (expect to pay $1,200 for two, including wine and tip), you and your loved one can enjoy a 2-3 hour eating marathon. 

Robuchon is very French, lots lots of courses that are heavy on the "fishy" flavored courses (Caviar, fish served with its' skin), dishes that make gastronomes drool, but do not have appeal to the unwashed masses.

While there is no shortage of people in Las Vegas who are willing to drop $1k for an unforgettable dinner, the question remain if Robuchons' classical French  menu will have the same mass appeal to the uncultured American palate.  Does Robuchon aspire to be the next Puckery, bringing gourmet to the masses, or are they content with their far more limited audience of cultured diners?

Robuchon ala' carte
 

For those who don’t like spending your evening in a restaurant, Robuchon also offers an a ala-carte annex, L’atelier, which has a casual more casual atmosphere than Robuchon.

L'atelier also offers numerous tasty tidbits for only $125-250 per couple (without wine), and they try to cater to more conventional American tastes.

Watch your food being prepared at Robuchon's L'atelier

"Le Burger"  Only $20 w fries!

L'atelier tries to cater to traditional American tastes with "Le Spaghetti" and "Le Burger", a silver dollar sized hamburger with a meat patty and Fois Gras, which we discarded, because, like many Americans, we refuse to eat foods from tortured animals.

It remains to be seen if there are enough true gastronomes to keep Robuchon afloat.  In the ultimate irony, Robuchon is located on the MGM casino floors right next to Wolfgang Puck's, a chef who mastered the pop culture culinary spin, redefining the American taste for gourmet chow.