Meet the seven James Beard Foundation contenders in Las Vegas

Reporting from Las Vegas —  Looking for some of the best dining in Las Vegas? The James Beard Foundation announced its list of semifinalists for the 2015 Restaurant and Chef Award categories on Wednesday with seven restaurants and chefs landing on the long list.
Perhaps the biggest accolade goes to Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, nominated for Best New Restaurant. The steakhouse from Washington, D.C.-based Andrés opened at the SLS Las Vegas in August with a hunting-club setting replete with antelope horns for chandeliers and what the restaurant calls “the world’s longest dining table.” Open kitchens use wood grills and rotisseries for cooking up the meats here while a raw bar dishes out ceviches, carpaccios and tartares.

French chef Joël Robuchon earned the most nominations with three. His executive chef at his eponymous restaurant at the MGM Grand, Claude Le Tohic, was nominated for Outstanding Chef. He won Best Chef: Southwest for the restaurant in 2010. Joël Robuchon also landed in the Outstanding Service category. Robuchon’s pastry chef Salvatore Martone earned a nomination for Best Pastry Chef at L’Atelier Joël Robuchon, the more casual Robuchon restaurant at the MGM Grand.

Elizabeth Blau of Blau & Associates earned a nomination for Outstanding Restaurateur. Her collection of restaurants includes Honey Salt, a restaurant meant to share dishes Blau and her family normally serve to guests in their home; Made LV, her American tavern at Tivoli Village; and Simon Restaurant & Lounge, her restaurant with rock-and-roll chef Kerry Simon at the Palms.

Restaurant Guy Savoy’s executive chef Mathieu Chartron landed on the Rising Star of the Year list. Mathieu joined the French restaurant at Caesars Palace in 2011.

Japanese standout Mitsuo Endo of Aburiya Raku may be the Susan Lucci of the James Beard Foundation. He’s a semi-finalist for Best Chef: West, an accolade he’s earned every year since 2011. Raku, which earned a JBF Best New Restaurant berth in 2009, specializes in grilled dishes on the robata grill.

The James Beard Foundation announces finalists on Tuesday, Mar. 24, and the 2015 James Beard Awards gala will be held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 4.

Info: James Beard Foundation