Guy Savoy on Fine Dining and the Inspiration for His Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup

Guy Savoy sat down with gossip columnist Robin Leach and Vegas Magazine documented their dinner together and musings on the culinary changes in the past 10 years in Vegas. Here's a look at some of the soundbites from the dinner at Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace.

Robin Leach on the culinary scene in Las Vegas: "It still doesn't have the respect that I wish it had, and I think a lot of that has to do with American palates and lack of knowledge and appreciation of food. This a country, unfortunately, that is brought up on the badness of fast-food franchise restaurants. It's a country that doesn't give time to eating and drinking fine food."

Guy Savoy on fine dining: "I explain that a fine dining restaurant is the last bastion of civilization. It must stay. It's necessary. Not formal, but it's the art of living because I don't know another place where you have more attention. When you arrive at the reception, a smile, you are with the maitre d', the sommelier, everybody is for you. Around the table is like a ballet, a discreet ballet that's very efficient."

Robin Leach on Guy Savoy: "?we are so fortunate in Las Vegas to have this level of chef here. You would never think it, you would never think that Las Vegas, which is the home of slabs of beef and shrimp cocktail, would ever welcome people like this."

Guy Savoy on how he created his infamous artichoke and black truffle soup: "Two stories. The first story: My mother, when I was a baby, I can eat only artichoke puree. I can't eat anything else, she explained to me. I just eat artichoke. I think it's the basis of the dish. The second story: A guest of my first restaurant explained to me, "The artichoke soup is you." Why? Because the artichoke is a very power product, it's like your family, it's a symbol. The truffle is your way of excellence, and the brioche is your soul."

Robin Leach on the evolution of fine dining in Vegas: "So everybody came to me wanting Wolf[gang Puck], Emeril [Lagasse], all of them. So when you think about it, The Venetian and Bellagio divided up the top chefs, and Palazzo scooped the rest. Then you were left with these guys. Caesars got Guy, MGM [Grand] got Joel [Robuchon], Mandalay Bay got Alain [Ducasse], and now Mandarin Oriental got Pierre [Gagnaire]. So that's been the progression of dining."

Guy Savoy how fine dining differs from the theater: "In theater, you play the same for everybody. In a restaurant, every table is another show. In Paris, two times a day, for lunch and dinner, for every table. The sensation is different every night. It's a live show for every table."
· Photos: Champagne and Caviar at Guy Savoy's Last Bastion of Civilization [LVS]
· All Coverage of Restaurant Guy Savoy [~ELV~]