It's rare when something to eat becomes such a phenomenon that it becomes a part of pop culture. It happened with the Starbucks (SBUX) Unicorn Frappuccino and the Popeyes chicken sandwich, but it's an event that does not happen very often.
And while the Starbucks drink did not lead to a lot of competitors knocking it off, that is exactly what happened when Restaurant Brands International's (QSR) Popeyes. turned a pretty basic chicken sandwich into a viral hit. There's nothing that unique about putting a fried chicken breast with pickles and mayonnaise on a soft bun, but the chain clearly did so in a way that resonated with people.
Once Popeyes had its hit, every fast-food chain that might even consider offering a fried chicken sandwich had its own version of it. That's exactly what happened to pastry chef Dominique Ansel when he created the Cronut, his iconic combination of a croissant and a doughnut.
Pretty much any place that sells either a croissant or a doughnut created their own take on the Cronut, but the original has endured. Ansel is bringing his famous creation to Caesars Entertainment's (CZR) Caesars Palace as one of the menu items at his new Dominique Ansel Las Vegas, which opens Oct. 21.
Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet
Caesars Palace Welcomes Cronut Creator
Ansel's new eatery in Caesar's Palace will offer the Cronut as well as his popular DKA (Dominique's Kouign Amann), freshly baked French viennoiserie and the new "Lucky 7" collection -- a set of pastries that includes:
- Lucky Penny Pig: Milk chocolate crémeux, homemade raspberry jam and salted peanut feuilletine sandwiched between vanilla sablé cookies to create a pig, which is topped with a lucky gilded chocolate penny.
- Ladybug: Elderflower mascarpone mousse, fresh strawberry compote, strawberry gelée, fluffy chiffon cake and a lychee meringue make up a mini garden watering can, which is finished with a tiny chocolate ladybug.
- Goldfish: Tropical flavors of calamansi coconut mousse, fresh diced mango, mango passionfruit gelée and coconut dacquoise make up a goldfish, complete with hand-painted white chocolate fins.
- Four-Leaf Clover: Coffee mousse topped with hazelnut dacquoise, dark chocolate crémeux and crispy feuilletine create a four-leaf clover.
- Fortune Cookie: A sablé Breton base is topped with jasmine tea crémeux and lemon curd. A white chocolate "fortune" sticks out of the cookie, wishing luck in Las Vegas.
- Feather: A vanilla sablé cookie is topped with chestnut mousse, banana jam, orange marmalade and banana cake and is garnished with a white chocolate feather.
- Evil Eye Éclair: A classic French éclair is filled with cassis jam and Valrhona Caramelia whipped ganache.
Ansel's Caesars Palace location will also include many of the traditional bakery items he sells at his other locations.
"In addition to bringing some of our signatures from New York, I'm most excited to launch our newest creations for everyone," Ansel said. "Like each of our shops around the world, we've developed a collection of pastries that will be exclusive to Las Vegas, and I can't wait to meet everyone and share what we've created with you all."
Caesars Palace Also Adds a Formula 1 Party
If you like Cronuts and Formula 1 (F1) racing, Nov. 5 might be a good day to be in Las Vegas. Dominique Ansel Las Vegas will be open and the resort casino will be hosting a massive party celebrating next year's F1 race that will take place on the Las Vegas Strip on Nov. 18, 2023.
Dubbed the "Launch Party," the event aims to "bring together the spectacle of Formula 1 with the high energy of the Las Vegas Strip," according to a press release,
The free party will include "exciting activations and events designed to thrill guests throughout the day." And, several F1 race teams and drivers will be at the event which will feature driving demonstrations where fans can "hear the roar of the engine, smell the burning rubber and witness the power of the cars up close and personal as drivers hit high speeds in front of some of the world’s most iconic landmarks."
There will also be a drone demonstration and the Formula 1 Pit Stop challenge, where you actually get a chance to see if you can swap out tires on a Formula 1 car in under three seconds. There will also be Formula 1’s esports simulators, which offer fans the chance to race head-to-head on the official Formula 1 game.
The event ends with an afterparty at Caesars Omnia nightclub.
