Restauranteur, celebrity chef, and Food Network star Bobby Flay burst onto the restaurant scene in the 80s and his culinary resume has only gotten larger, and more impressive since. Only seven years after graduating from the French Culinary Institute, as part of the inaugural class, Flay opened up his own restaurant, the Mesa Grill, in New York City. With inventive Southwestern dishes like blue corn pancakes, ancho chile-honey glazed salmon, and goat cheese “queso fundido,” Mesa Grill eventually grew beyond its New York borders, with Flay opening up a second location inside Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, and then a third in the Bahamas shortly thereafter. Four years after opening his Mesa Grill Vegas outpost, Flay’s restaurant won an elusive Michelin star, cementing his reputation as a culinary whiz kid.
If you’re hoping to get a taste of Flay’s award-winning Southwestern cuisine, you’re out of luck, because all locations of Mesa Grill restaurants have since closed. Flay’s original, career-launching Mesa Grill in New York City closed in 2013, after two decades of serving prickly pear margaritas to the masses. According to reports, the closure of Flay’s Union Square Mesa location was due to leasing issues, but further reasoning was never revealed. Flay’s Bahamian location quietly closed in August of 2015, 8 years after opening, much to the chagrin of hungry fans, and the Mesa Grill Vegas location was closed to make room for his new concept, Amalfi by Bobby Flay.
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Transitioning His Las Vegas Restaurant
restaurant closure sign hanging on door – Nathan Griffith/Getty Images
The restaurant industry is no stranger to churn. Considering Flay’s first two Mesa Grill restaurants enjoyed a 22 and 16-year lifespan respectively, it’s clear that Flay knows how to open and run a successful joint. Flay’s move to replace the Vegas iteration of Mesa Grill with a new concept makes sense for a man who is always looking to sharpen his culinary skill set. In a press release announcing Amalfi’s launch, Flay stated, “Mesa Grill has meant so much to me over these last 16 years, but it’s important to evolve and stay ahead of the curve, especially in Las Vegas.”
The menu at Amalfi, as you can imagine, is inspired by the Southwestern Italian coastal town of the same name, so it’s packed with Chef Flay’s take on pasta and pescatarian dishes — although you’re not likely to see a cod dish on the menu anytime soon. In the three years since Amalfi by Bobby Flay first opened, it has garnered thousands of reviews and a favorable rating from visitors on both Google and Yelp. Despite Mesa Grill’s string of closures, Flay is still finding success with his other restaurant concepts, television appearances, and a string of popular cookbooks.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill restaurants have faced some challenges in recent years. The original Mesa Grill in New York City closed its doors in 2013 after 22 years of operation. The Las Vegas location followed suit in 2018, leaving only the Mesa Grill outpost in the Bahamas.
The closures were attributed to various factors, including changing tastes and preferences of diners, increased competition in the restaurant industry, and rising costs of operating a high-end eatery. Despite their closure, Bobby Flay continues to be a prominent figure in the culinary world with his numerous other restaurants and television appearances.
It remains to be seen if Mesa Grill will make a comeback in the future, but for now, fans of Bobby Flay’s southwestern cuisine will have to visit the Bahamas location to get a taste of Mesa Grill’s signature dishes.
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