Exclusive Sneak Peek: Hell's Kitchen At Foxwoods Is The Ultimate Shrine To Gordon Ramsay

Fans of the "Hell's Kitchen" television show will feel a rush of nostalgia upon entering the restaurant. "Hell's Kitchen" Season 10 winner Christina Wilson certainly does because the hallway that serves as the entrance is modeled directly after the television set. As soon as you enter Hell's Kitchen at Foxwoods, you'll find yourself walking the same walk as the contestants on the show when the series begins, as well as when they are cut from the competition.

Once you arrive in the dining room, you'll see the first markings of Hell's Kitchen's infamous calling card: pitchforks. These are woven extensively throughout the decor — in the hanging light fixtures, patterned to the walls, mounted along the sides of the wooden booths, stitched into the napkins, and bound into the leather chair backs. The dining room itself is open and massive with soft lighting and a pleasing color palette that gives the room a feeling of warmth even though it's windowless.

The open kitchen that spans virtually the entire length of the restaurant is designed to mirror the famed "Hell's Kitchen" open kitchen with intricate blue and red tiling that, in the show, divides the kitchen between the red team and the blue team. When Hell's Kitchen opens, all of the chefs and line cooks will be wearing signature red or blue-shouldered jackets and matching bandanas depending on which side of the restaurant they're assigned to work on.

Season 10 winner of "Hell's Kitchen" Christina Wilson describes Gordon Ramsay's beef Wellington as a mirror of Ramsay himself: "complex, with tons of layers." The dish is also a reflection of Ramsay's culinary training in France under the late Joël Robuchon, evidenced in the exquisite preparation and plating as well as the accompaniment of a potato purée that was inspired by Robuchon's famed method for buttery, decadent potatoes. Of all the dishes we sampled at Hell's Kitchen, the potato purée was our favorite. According to Wilson, the restaurant goes "basically pound for pound" in terms of the ratio of butter and potato. There is also, of course, a heavy dose of cream.

We must admit, the beef Wellington lives up to the hype. The dish might even be worth making the trip to Foxwoods. Diners can expect a center-cut filet that's been seared and brushed with dijon mustard, wrapped with layers of prosciutto, mushroom duxelles, and a herbed crepe, then nestled in a puff pastry, and baked to medium rare. The beef Wellington is served with that exceptional potato purée, a red wine demi glaze, and roasted turnips and carrots. The lobster tail risotto is a delicious seasonal take on Ramsay's risotto, here served with tomato saffron, sofrito, roasted cherry tomatoes, and mascarpone cheese, finished with fresh chives and showcasing a butter-poached lobster tail that's sliced for easing sharing.

Whether you're a super-fan of the show, or you just live in the area and are looking for an upscale night of dining with a bit of a theme, Hell's Kitchen Foxwoods caters to both demographics. You can even have a nice family dinner here where children can dine on meatballs — they just happen to be Wagyu. The menu is going to be large and rotating, and the oversized long tables and massive booths flanking the restaurant are equipped to handle large parties, so bring your friends.

This restaurant is elevated and sophisticated in a campy way, evidenced in large photographs of Ramsay as well as a massive life-size digital version of the famed chef greeting guests at the front of the restaurant. Some 700-pound mirrors hang over the long glossy bar with invisible television screens behind them that can be turned on to showcase Ramsay's many series or disappeared to amplify the ambiance. After all, the restaurant is housed in a resort casino, so it needs to be versatile. But above all else, you will enjoy your meal here, especially if you order the true standouts like the beef Wellington, lobster tail risotto, and any of the masterfully-crafted desserts.