- I dined at Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen restaurant in Atlantic City for the first time.
- I ordered Ramsay's most famous dish, beef Wellington.
- I now understand why the chef is famous for this delicious and impressive-looking dish.
Few chefs are as synonymous with their signature dish as British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is with his beef Wellington.
With roots in both French and British cuisine, beef Wellington is a dish of tender beef filet encased in mushrooms, Parma ham, and pastry. It is also one of Ramsay's most famous dishes, appearing on the menu at most of his restaurants.
It is a frequent challenge for chefs competing on "Hell's Kitchen" and "MasterChef," combining pastry skills and the art of the perfectly medium-rare filet.
So, when I got the opportunity to dine at Hell's Kitchen in Atlantic City, I knew I had to order the chef's signature entrée as my main.
Here's what I thought, and whether it was worth the price.
Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen was located off the main casino floor inside Caesars Atlantic City.
Hell's Kitchen is perhaps Gordon Ramsay's most iconic restaurant concept, with the Las Vegas location serving as the centerpiece of his hit TV series.
There are seven Hell's Kitchen restaurants across the United States, including in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Miami, Lake Tahoe, Washington, D.C., Mashantucket (Connecticut), and Valley Center (California).
The restaurant was lively, with homages to Ramsay and its namesake TV show throughout the space.
The dining room felt like stepping into an episode of "Hell's Kitchen," with portraits of past winners, TV screens replaying iconic moments, and a lively open kitchen where diners could watch chefs at work.
The space was themed with pitchforks, red-and-blue flame murals on the walls, and warm lighting. Servers bustled across the floor and welcomed me to observe the action up close.
Every bite of Ramsay's signature beef Wellington lived up to its legendary reputation.
At Hell's Kitchen, the Wellington ($71.99) is served with potato purée, root vegetables, and a red wine demi-glace.
When the beef Wellington arrived, it was already sliced in half, revealing the perfectly medium-rare center wrapped in golden pastry that flaked with each cut of my knife.
One bite was enough to understand why this dish is Ramsay's hallmark.
The beef was practically melt-in-your-mouth tender, while the layer of soft puréed potatoes was creamy and indulgent, providing the perfect base for the meal.
The pastry, baked to a crisp golden brown, added textural contrast and made it all the more filling, and the rich demi-glace tied everything together in a savory, comforting dish that had me practically licking the plate.
Even if you're not a Gordon Ramsay fan, this dish was worth ordering.
It was clear from the first bite that Ramsay — and the chefs working in his empire of restaurants — have the Wellington down to a science.
At just under $72, the beef Wellington was one of the priciest entrées on the menu. It's more than I'd usually spend on a main course, but for a special occasion, I'd consider ordering it again.
It struck a balance between elevated comfort food and fine dining — familiar enough for a Sunday roast yet refined enough to earn its place on a Michelin-starred menu.
