What a weekend indeed! So many wonderful people, so much wonderful food, so many wonderful cocktails! It’ll be hard to top in 2010, but I’m willing to check it out.
1) I had a great time at Friday’s Culinary Workshop: A Passion for Pasta with Executive Chef Carlos Buscaglia of FiAMMA in the MGM Grand. Chef Buscaglia demonstrated a whole host of fabulous pastas, including gnocchi with a black truffle crema, short rib raviolini, and a yummy panna cotta. The pasta buffet and matching wines were outstanding. My only complaint? That I had to leave most of my food uneaten in order to run to the next event!
Chef Joel Robuchon
2) I couldn’t wait for the Celebrity Chef Blackjack Tournament at the Wynn/Encore, and it definitely did not disappoint. Though most of the celeb chefs were eliminated in the first round, it was quite the sight to see such big names, including Colicchio, Flay, Bartolotta, and Joho, trying their hands at a little 21. Master chef Joël Robuchon took his post at the tables very seriously. Recent James Beard Award winner, Paul Bartolotta, won the whole shebang, for the second year in a row!
3) Finally, you know it’s a party when the Travelocity gnome makes an appearance at every event. Who knew that he actually traveled as much as he does! What a job!
Famed master chef, and owner/executive chef of El Bulli, Ferrán Adrià, has decided to venture into the pizza-making business! According to the Los Angeles Times, Adrià, along with his brother and collaborator, Alberto Adrià, are in the process of developing a new pizzeria to be located in Barcelona. Known for his avant-garde style of cooking, more commonly referred to as ‘molecular gastronomy’, Adrià hopes to create an ‘honest interpretation’ of the popular food.
“We’ll learn to make it well, this national dish of yours,” Alberto told La Stampa, the daily newspaper in Turin, during his recent visit to the city in the northwestern region of Piedmont.
For traditional Italian pizza makers, or pizzaioli, the feelings are mixed on the famed chef attempting his own version of the revered dish.
Giulio Ferrari, owner of Pizzeria La Cozza, said he was thrown by the news of Adrià wanting to get into pizza. “I hope he’s not going to deconstruct it too much and turn it into a foam,” he said.
Some are also concerned about the use of additives in the new pizza creation, noting Adrià’s support of a European Union project to promote synthetic food chemicals.
You can read the complete article from the Los Angeles Timeshere.
Tony Abou-Ganim, Steve Olson, Patricia Richards, Francesco Lafranconi
When wine and spirits consultant Steve Olson took the stage at Friday’s ‘Cocktails and Cuisine’ event at Wynn’s Encore, I knew we were in trouble. The spunky, aptly-named ‘wine geek’ announced from the stage that we’d be having six cocktails during the two hours of the presentation. Ouch. As his sidekick, and master mixologist in his own right, Tony Abou-Ganim moved from guest to guest, pouring an intoxicating Latin drink into empty glasses, I was glad I had downed a large breakfast.
During the event, Tony and Steve, along with fellow mixologists Francesco Lafranconi and the Wynn’s Patricia Richards, demonstrated how to make a number of cocktails. Guests were able to mingle and interact with the masters as they poured, muddled, and mixed at their own ‘mixing tables’, with each drink paired up with fabulously decadent small bites created by chef James Benson.
Six cocktails? Two hours? We were all good friends after that! Remember – ‘We’re not drinking, we’re learning!’
Hot on the trail of my celebrity chef weekend extravaganza at the 2009 Vegas Uncork’d festival, SmartMoney.com has a great list of Ten Things Celebrity Chefs Won’t Tell You.
While I’ll be the first to tell you how fun it is to get to know ‘celeb’ chefs, it’s long been a complaint of mine that most ‘celeb chefs’ really aren’t chefs at all. Sure, they’re nice and friendly, and they’re familiar with the kitchen to a certain extent, but most fans would be surprised at how few really have experience in a restaurant kitchen.
“It’s not necessary that there are professional chefs on the Food Network,” says Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential author and a celebrity chef in his own right. “But what they really need are good cooks, and they have precious few of those.”
Perhaps it’s my experience in catering that makes me a bit of a stickler with that regard, but I’m always more interested in the chefs who actually put in the hours in the kitchen – the Bartolottas, the Bourdains, the Buscaglias – vs. the Rays, if you will. I’ve noticed that even some of the more local celeb chefs aren’t always working the line. Nonetheless, the list of ten is certainly interesting to peruse.
One of the things that I’ve loved most about the Vegas Uncork’d event is the personal interactivity. From blackjack to cocktails to the Ultimate All-Star Interactive Luncheon, it’s really been a great opportunity to rub elbows with culinary stars while learning a few tricks of trade.
Saturday’s Ultimate All-Star Interactive Luncheon was the ultimate in audience participation. Hosted by super business woman Elaine Wynn and Bon Appetit’s Barbara Fairchild, the event included five courses, each demonstrated and hosted by top chefs, with cooking stations and assisting chefs at every table.
The five top chefs chosen for the demonstration were Alex’s Alessandro Stratta, Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare’s Paul Bartolotta, Switch’s Marc Poidevin, Daniel Boulud Brasserie’s Daniel Boulud, and Wynn/Encore’s Frederic Robert. The fabulous menu included Chilled Lobster, Sauteed Sea Scallops with Porcini Mushrooms, Spring Gnocchi with Peas and Proscuitto, Marinated Squab Breast with Caramelized Japanese Eggplant, and Strawberry Vacherin! Mmmmm, mmmm! Guests were delighted to receive autographed aprons from the super chefs as well.
For a quick clip of the luncheon, tune in to Wednesday’s broadcast of Late Night with Carson Daly. Carson slid in to the seat next to me just long enough to shoot a few promos for the show and down a bit of the first course!
Paul Bartolotta, Marc Poidevin, Daniel Boulud, Frederic Robert, Alessandro Stratta
Boulud and Bartolotta talk seafood before the event!
Yesterday’s presentation of the ‘Farm to Table’ panel, as part of the Vegas Uncork’d festivities, was outstanding! Four top Las Vegas chefs – Edmund Wong, Bradley Ogden, Rick Moonen, and recent James Beard Award winner Paul Bartolotta – sat side by side to discuss the importance of sustainability and the support of local food production, with Barbara Fairchild, Editor-in-Chief of Bon Appetit, Andrew Knowlton, BA’s BA Foodist, and Vegas’s top restaurant reviewer, John Curtas.
The panel discussed everything from fishing to farm production, even out here in the dry region of Vegas. Surprisingly, there are a number of farms within the local area who are utilized to provide menu ingredients. All of the chefs encouraged their consumers, and restaurant guests, to continue their education on organics and local food availability, noting how important it is as chefs to develop sustainable menus themselves.
“As a definite, you shouldn’t ever have [the outrageously over-fished] Chilean Sea Bass on your menu,” noted chef Rick Moonen.
All four chefs thanked their ‘foragers’, or staff members who are dedicated to finding local produce, and building relationships with farmers and producers. Wong, the Executive Chef of the Bellagio, with over twenty members in his food purchasing team, mentioned having a staff member who’s sole responsibility is to check ripeness of his produce inventory.
Moonen, with a long history of sustainable interest and support, noted that his restaurants even require questionnaires for their wine producers to ensure proper, sustainable production of their wines.
“I never thought I’d see this tipping point [of restaurants/consumers going green and sustainable],” Moonen commented.
On the importance of consumer education of food production:
“Let’s get people to buy fresh first, and then we’ll try to get them to buy organic…consumers have a bigger pull with what’s going on in their grocery stores [than they realize].” – Barbara Fairchild, Bon Appetit
On understanding the cost of local/organic vs. traditionally harvested food items:
“As a consumer, you must realize that the cost to produce unique food is not cheap.” – Paul Bartolotta
Paul Bartolotta, John Curtas, Andrew Knowlton, Barbara Fairchild, Bradley Ogden, Edmund Wong, Rick Moonen
Tonight we attended the Vegas Uncork’d Grand Tasting event, held poolside at Caesar’s Palace. We agreed that if you could only get tickets to one event this weekend, this was the one to pick!
Over thirty-five of Vegas’ best restaurants were on hand to provide samples from their menus. Many executive chefs such as Bobby Flay, Hubert Keller, Bradley Ogden, and François Payard, were present to work the line and mingle with Vegas Uncork’d guests. Dishes we sampled included Braised Short Ribs with Ramps from Colicchio’s Craftsteak, a White Bean Gazpacho with Rock Shrimp from Bradley Ogden, and a mini Chili Burger from BLT Burger. Plenty of wine (and not enough water) was available to go along with all the food, with reps from fifteen vineyards vying for our glasses, as well as sake and cocktail selections . Overall, it was a great night for foodies in Las Vegas.
Paul Bartolotta, Alessandro Stratta, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay at Vegas Uncork'd Grand Tasting
Want to see more of our exclusive Daily Blender pics? Check it them out here! Don’t forget to stay tuned for more Vegas Uncork’d events tomorrow!
Woo! We finally made it in to Las Vegas late last night to start the Vegas Uncork’d show! Arriving to the late-night benefit at PURE for Three Square, the intimate gathering atop the Caesar’s nightclub was a great way to start the party. Fellow foodie guests included Bon Appetit’s Barbara Fairchild, Andrew Knowlton, spirits consultant Steven Olson; celeb chefs Bobby Flay, Cat Cora, and Kerry Simon; and Las Vegas restaurant reviewer, John Curtas. The drinks were fab, the seats were comfy, and the view of the Strip was well worth the short hike in tall boots!
Posted by Jennifer Heigl
The Daily Blender staff had such a great time at the 2008 New York Wine & Food Festival that we just couldn’t wait to get ourselves to the 2009 Vegas Uncork’d event!
Kicking off this Thursday with a champagne toast hosted by Bon Appetit’s Editor-in-Chief Barbara Fairchild and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, the Vegas Uncork’d show looks to be a blast!
Follow our live coverage of the weekend’s events here at Dailyblender.com and via our Twitter feed. We’re even introducing a new Las Vegas Daily Blender correspondent! Could it get anymore exciting!?
Some of the events we’re attending include:
Thursday’s after-hours cocktail reception at the Caesar’s Palace PURE nightclub, benefiting Three Square, southern Nevada’s only food bank, featuring chefs Cat Cora, recent James Beard Award winner Paul Barolotta, Rick Moonen, and Kerry Simon.
Cocktails & Cuisine at the Wynn, hosted by Bon Appetit’s Wine & Spirits Consultant, Steven Olson, and celebrity mixologist, Tony Abou-Ganim.
The Grand Tasting at Caesar’s Palace featuring 150 top chefs and spirit mavens!
And, perhaps the big event we’re most looking forward to - the Celebrity Chef Blackjack Tournament, at the Wynn’s Encore! Hosted by actor Kyle MacLachlan, the players list includes a number of our favorite celebrity chefs – Tom Colicchio, Daniel Boulud, Rick Moonen, Bobby Flay, Carla Pelligrino, François Payard, and Joël Robuchon, among many others.
Bon Appetit’s BA Foodist Andrew Knowlton, who’ll also be attending this weekend’s events, chimed in earlier this week with his favorite Uncork’d picks as well.
It was quite the Twitterfest for last night’s James Beard Awards! Between @seriouseats and @eaterny, as well as @beardfoundation, tweeting live from the awards ceremony, Daily Blender was able to stay on top of the winners as they were announced!
In case you didn’t get a chance to follow us, we’ve wrangled together the complete list of winners for you!
Outstanding Restaurant:
Jean Georges (Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Owner: Phil Suarez, New York, NY)
Outstanding Chef:
Dan Barber (Blue Hill, New York, NY)
Rising Star Chef:
Nate Appleman (A16, San Francisco, CA)
Best New Restaurant:
Momofuku Ko (Chef/Owners: David Chang and Peter Serpico, New York, NY)
Cookbook of the Year:
Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes (Author: Jennifer McLagan, Publisher: Ten Speed Press, Editor: Clancy Drake)
Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America:
David Burke (Chef, Entrepreneur, New York, NY);
John T. Edge (Journalist, Director, Southern Foodways Alliance, Oxford, MS);
Betty Fussell (Author, Culinary Historian, New York, NY);
Dorothy Cann Hamilton (Founder, The French Culinary Institute,
New York, NY);
Clark Wolf (Clark Wolf Company, New York, NY)
America’s Classics:
Arnold’s Country Kitchen (Owners: Jack and Rose Arnold, Nashville, TN);
Breitbach’s Country Dining (Owner: Mike Breitbach, Sherrill, IA);
Mustache Bill’s Diner (Owner: Bill Smith, Barnegat Light, NJ);
Totonno’s (Owner: Lawrence Ciminieri, Brooklyn, NY);
Yank Sing (Owner: Vera Chan-Waller, San Francisco, CA)
Humanitarian of the Year:
Feeding America
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Ella Brennan (Partner: Commander’s Palace Family of Restaurants)
