Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Gordon Ramsay at the London opened Thursday, marking the Manhattan and stateside debut of the 40- year-old British chef whose empire spans as many continents as the latest James Bond film.

Located in the London NYC hotel (formerly the Rihga Royal), the restaurant aptly resembles the inside of a transatlantic luxury liner. The venue comprises two distinct spaces: a 70-seat ``casual'' room called the London Bar and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, a 45-seat formal dining area.

If you'd like to eat at the restaurant, call exactly two months in advance.

As you'd expect, neither half is cheap. My dinner for two was over $250 -- in each. That's a lot more than it costs to watch him cook on TV or buy his hair-raising autobiography, ``Roasting in Hell's Kitchen.'' But Ramsay needn't worry: He's probably the most popular fancy chef in the world.

In case you're wondering, this is the same strapping guy who runs London's only three-starred Michelin establishment while humiliating and cursing aspiring cooks on the Fox network's ``Hell's Kitchen.''

The London Bar serves small, tapas-style dishes, which is why I'm still pondering my $262 bill for two for a ``casual dining and bar experience'' -- as Ramsay's Web site describes it. That's only $22 less than my next night's meal in the formal dining room.

Natty Dressers

Jackets aren't required in the bar area, but nearly every man I saw on Thursday night was wearing one, often with jeans and fashionably tousled hair. Women sported dresses or glittery tops and pants that complemented the polished decor: teal banquettes, a silver travertine bar and cool nickel tables with checkered resin tops. Very retro, very natty.

Very British.

Everyone in the room was spying on one another -- and so was I, except when temporarily blinded by a nearby food blogger who insisted on taking flash pictures of her red beetroot over white ricotta.

To be fair, that dish was pretty; it's served the same way at Maze, a Ramsay venue in the U.K. that inspired this one. More than half the plates here are similar, if not identical, to those at Maze, like the tuna and swordfish carpaccio or the white-onion veloute topped with a slice of black truffle.

Four- and six-course tasting menus are available for $55 and $75. The a la carte dishes range from $12 to $16, and you need about five savory ones for a proper meal. If those precious little plates remind you of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, it may be because Ramsay used to work for the French chef.

My dinner for two at the London Bar included a bottle of Pellegrino, three cocktails, three glasses of wine, four savory courses each and two desserts.

Formal Ramsay

You have that reservation, so you are led through two tightly closed doors and into Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which takes its cue from the chef's namesake venue on Hospital Road in London.

I like to think that those who have the patience to wait 60 days for a table are more concerned with cuisine than scene. Maybe this is why diners on Friday weren't looking past their own plates. Ramsay's signature white-bean cappuccino amuse -- also available on Hospital Road -- deserved more attention than clothing labels.

Women Waiters

Though the men had their required jackets, no one was as stylish as anyone in the London Bar. Many of the youngish servers, including our head waiter, were women, and in contrast to the shaky service outside, everything in the inner sanctum operated like a machine that had been humming for months.

The nautically inclined space is sedate but clever, with ship-like portholes, floor-length tablecloths and sea-green chairs that swivel like those on a vessel's helm.

A fish-heavy menu matched the decor. We tried appetizers of pan-fried mullet with grapefruit, lobster ravioli in a chervil veloute, and entrees of braised halibut stuffed with smoked salmon and red-wine-poached ``line-caught'' turbot on pomme puree with leeks, braised salsify and civet sauce.

Yes, this is artful food that makes you ponder the meaning of life, but it's also accessible, gutsy fare that excites the senses and fills the tummy. Diners who want lighter, architectural creations should stay in the bar.

Three-course a la carte and seven-course tasting menus are $80 and $110. (Hospital Road prices are almost twice that.) Our three-hour dinner for two, which included two glasses of sparkling wine and a $40 bottle of Torrontes, cost $284.

Gordon Ramsay at the London is at 151 W. 54th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues. Information: +1-212-468- 8888 or http://www.gordonramsay.com.

(Ryan Sutton is a writer for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Ryan Sutton in New York at rsutton1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 21, 2006 12:15 EST