Masaharu Morimoto Coming To Las Vegas

In the ever-growing realm of Vegas dining, there are very few star chefs who haven't yet expanded their empires to include a restaurant there. Masaharu Morimoto was among them, but not anymore. Rumors have been swirling since last year that the Japanese master chef was in talks to open a restaurant in the city, and now the plans have been finalized: MGM Resorts International has announced that the chef will be opening a restaurant, to be called Morimoto, inside the Mirage, in the space currently occupied by Japonais.

The chef, who's perhaps best recognized as one of Food Network's Iron Chefs, opened his first eponymous restaurant in Philadelphia in 2001 (with the help of his business partner, restaurateur Stephen Starr), and this will be the seventh in the growing high-end franchise when it opens some time in 2014.

Chef Tom Colicchio has a restaurant in the works in the hotel as well, which will be called Heritage Steak. It's slated to open this summer, according to Eater.