Gordon Ramsay adds third US opening in LA

Gordon Ramsay is to continue his global growth plans with a venture in Los Angeles, his third in the USA.

Ramsay is set to open two new restaurants and a bar in the London LA hotel, currently called the Bel Age hotel, in West Hollywood. They are due to open in spring 2007 after the hotel undergoes a complete redesign.

The bars and restaurants will be designed by David Collins, but the food offering has yet to be decided.

It's a busy time for the Ramsay Group on the other side of the Atlantic, as the three-time Catey winner's first US venture, in New York, is due to open this October.

This will be closely followed by Angela Hartnett's eponymous restaurant at Cielo in the Boca Raton Resort and Club, south Florida. The 125-seat restaurant will feature an Italian menu, private dining for 40, a chef's table and cocktail bar. Located on the 27th floor, it will have views over the Atlantic Ocean and is scheduled to open in November.

A spokeswoman said: "While Angela will be visiting Boca Raton regularly to oversee the operation, she will still remain very much involved and on hand at London's Connaught."

Hartnett's current head chef in London, Neil Ferguson, will be heading across the Atlantic to Ramsay's New York restaurant, while Richard Thiebault will travel the other way from New York to replace him at the Connaught.

The US projects continue Ramsay's relationship with Blackstone-backed hotel owner LXR Luxury Resort Collection, which owns the London NYC hotel, the London LA and the Boca Raton Resort.

By Emily Manson