Michel Richard is a resilient, smart man. He developed a strong following in Washington, DC with his flagship, Citronelle and Central. He recently opened Michel in nearby Tyson’s Corner at the Ritz-Carelton, and in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace.

Now he is expanding again. This time he’s opening up three venues in Atlantic City at Revel. The gambling town is close to the urban centers of New York and Washington DC – easy to get to by car. It has also already attracted celebrity chefs. That means the supply chains for specialty food items are already well established, there are trained staff available, and guests expect to find chefs of Michel’s caliber.

He joins the likes of Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, Kerry Simon, Luke Palladino, Michael Mina, and Robert Weidmaier. That’s practically enough for a weeklong trip, sampling each chef’s cuisine.

The three venues include his Michel Richard Central, with all the chef’s signature dishes like 72-hour short ribs. A new concept is “O” – as in the French word eau and the Atlantic Ocean:

The large 25-seat circular bar of the O Bistro and Wine Bar will bring a playful atmosphere to glorious life. The O Bistro and Wine bar will overlook the Atlantic Ocean with huge windows that will allow for a feel of the sea air, sunshine and sky. The O Bistro and Wine Bar menu will feature small plates, such as sliders, gratins, crab cakes potato chip nachos and chicken wings; and main dishes such as lobster rolls, brandade of crab, skate meuniere, and herb crusted roasted chicken.

The third venue is The Breakfast Room.

As the never-ending parade of new TV food hosts keeps coming, it’s refreshing to note that Michel, along with all the other Atlantic City celebrity chefs (except Wolfgang and Bobby) have expanded with cookbooks and new projects, but without a TV show or a branded food magazine.