Celebrity chef and restaurateru Guy Fieri made a stop at Harrah's Casino & Hotel in Council Bluffs on May 20, 2023, where he is opening his new restaurant, Guy Fieri's Kitchen + Bar. Here are some of his remarks and a small taste of the menu.
COUNCIL BLUFFS — Guy Fieri’s Kitchen + Bar is officially open at Harrah’s Casino & Hotel.
This is Harrah’s first celebrity restaurant. During a pre-grand opening event Saturday, Fieri — who was in Council Bluffs for the celebration — said he chose the location for multiple reasons, the main one being the people.
“Here we are in the center of the country. We are surrounded by great people,” he said. “Good people like good food and like to have a good time, and that’s what Harrah’s is all about.”
A variety of dishes from the menu had been prepared, including Trash Can Nachos, an "Old Skool Steak" sandwich and a bacon mac-n-cheese burger. One dish pays tribute to Iowa — the Awesome Iowa Chop — which is a smoked, thick-cut pork chop with corn and pepper relish, loaded garlic mashed potatoes and whiskey glaze.
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“You don’t come to this part of the country and not have an awesome chop,” Fieri said.
While some dishes have a more local vibe, the cajun chicken alfredo is a dish that Fieri created in college that helped him graduate, he said. He had to invent a restaurant and run it for three days at the school, and the top dish he sold was the cajun chicken alfredo, he said.
The chefs have gone through a lot of training to make sure these dishes have the same bold flavors as Fieri’s. There are two ways Fieri cooks — hot and fast, or low and slow — and these chefs have learned the techniques, he said.
“This has really been such an amazing partnership,” Fieri said. “(Harrah’s) really invested in us. My team has been great at getting involved with them from the design to the training.”
The restaurant's grand opening was Monday. For more information about Guy Fieri’s Kitchen + Bar visit bit.ly/3BOmRXu.
“As you can tell I’m a guy who just likes to eat great food,” Fieri said.
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