Mirage to Open BLT Burger in 2008

This week, the Mirage closed the white tiger habitat to make room for a new restaurant called BLT Burger. The eatery is part of acclaimed Chef Laurent Tourondel’s BLT Restaurant Group, and is a spin-off of the company’s New York City BLT Burger, which was awarded Time Out New York magazine’s Reader’s Choice Award for Best Burger Joint 2007.

BLT Burger’s menu offers everything from traditional burgers to those made with American and Japanese Kobe beef, as well as lamb, turkey and Ahi tuna offerings. There will also be a veggie burger offering and a farmer’s salad for those not eating meat. Prices for the burgers at the NYC location range from $7 to $16 (for the American Kobe), with the Japanese Kobe the highest price at $62.

Sides include regular, sweet potato, waffle and chili cheese fries, along with vidalia onion rings and cole slaw, with prices ranging from $3 to $6.

But while the food offerings are simplified, the drink menu really offers something for everyone. Indulge in a thick milkshake, both virgin and spiked, along with nostalgic glass bottle sodas, cocktails, wine and beer.

The design of the restaurant will be a hip take on the classic diner, with table tops lacquered with large table numbers, an illuminated bar area with overhead flat-screen TVs and rock’n’roll music playing in the background. The neutral palette will be accented by red brick, golden upholstery and plenty of wood, to create a warm dining environment.

BLT Burger is expected to open in the spring of 2008.

But the real question is will it stand out in what is quickly becoming an overcrowded burger market on the Strip. There’s already the Burger Bar at Mandalay, and the recently opened duo of Le Burger Brasserie at Paris and Stripburger at Fashion Show Mall.

What do you think? Are you looking forward to this restaurant opening or should they have left the free white tiger habitat (it should be noted that you can still see the white tigers at Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage, which charges a $15 admission fee).