Robert Irvine announces plans for signature restaurant at Tropicana

Chef Robert Irvine rappels down the side of the Tropicana hotel-casino prior to an announcement that he will open a new restaurant at the property at 3802 Las Vegas Blvd. South on Monday, May 16, 2016. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Chef Robert Irvine, in spotlight, rappels down the side of the Tropicana hotel-casino prior to an announcement that he will open a new restaurant at the property at 3802 Las Vegas Blvd. South on Monday, May 16, 2016. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Bob Sheldon, president of Las Vegas operations for Penn National Gaming, right, announces that chef Robert Irvine, left, will be opening a new restaurant at the Tropicana hotel-casino during a press conference on the property at 3802 Las Vegas Blvd. South on Monday, May 16, 2016. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Eric Schippers, senior vice president at Penn National Gaming, left, listens to chef Robert Irvine during an announcement that Irvine will open a new restaurant at the Tropicana hotel-casino during a press conference on the property at 3802 Las Vegas Blvd. South on Monday, May 16, 2016. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Chef Robert Irvine makes a face while describing what it was like to rappel down the side of the Tropicana hotel-casino during an announcement that he will open a new restaurant at the property at 3802 Las Vegas Blvd. South on Monday, May 16, 2016. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Food Network celebrity chef Robert Irvine rappelled 22 stories of the Tropicana’s facade Monday night to announce the opening of his first signature restaurant in the casino.

Once reaching the crowd below, he started the reveal by saying, “it’s a very special place, Vegas, and I think for years I’ve been coming here and seen all these great chefs open restaurants and wondered, ‘when is it gonna be the day that I come here and do this?’”

No one knows for sure.

Chef @RobertIrvine repelling the @TropLV to announce his restaurant there. Opening 2017. #RJnow pic.twitter.com/d4GuyZtjPD

— Kimberly De La Cruz (@KimberlyinLV) May 17, 2016

Few details were released about the debut, but the chef of 25 years and former host of cooking competition shows “Dinner: Impossible” and “Worst Cooks in America” said doors would be open sometime next year.

“What we’re going to do in the building right behind us,” he said, gesturing to the white tower that displayed a temporary projection of his face in the background, “is not done in Vegas, that I guarantee you.”

Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV