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We Got Totally Uncork'd This Weekend

May 10, 2010 at 6:33 PM | by Mr Pappagiorgio | 0 Comments

This weekend we took in the annual smorgasbord of food, booze, more food, and celebrity chefs that is Vegas Uncork’d. We discovered new dishes and revisited old food favorites all while mingling with friends also both old and new.

As we finish digesting our third Rick Moonen moondog, we highlight five of our favorite moments from the weekend:

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Bottoms Up! Vegas Uncork'd Starts Today

May 6, 2010 at 11:55 AM | by juliab | 0 Comments

Are your tummies grumbling? Hope so, because from this afternoon it’s the weekend to get your greed on. Vegas UnCork’d launches with a bevy of superchefs and a champagne bottle being sobered off at miX at THEhotel this afternoon, and from then on, there are four days of eating, drinking and then eating a bit more to get through.

Many of the 30 events are now sold out (greed isn’t a spontaneous thing, see) but the list of what is still available is here. Tonight, you can attend the Shinkansen to Shibuya sake and sushi party at Shibuya in MGM Grand (10.30pm-1.30am, $80 inc free entry to Studio 54). Tomorrow morning there’s an interview with Wolfgang Puck (no food = boring), various lunches (including Puck at CUT, $150) and, in the evening, the glorious sounding Grand Tasting at Caesars in the Garden of the Gods (7.30pm, $175) followed by the celeb chef blackjack tourney at Encore.

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More Tickets Released for Vegas Uncork'd (But They Are Going Fast)

April 15, 2010 at 6:15 PM | by juliana | 0 Comments

Fresh off our all-we-could-eat buffet extravaganza, we have to admit it's hard to even think of food right now, let alone a four-day foodie festival like Vegas Uncork'd. But we know we'll be feeling better come May 6 and really, how could we pass up the chance to see and taste the best food from the best chefs in Sin City?

There are over 30 events taking place from May 6-9 at the Bon Appetit-sponsored affair and you can buy tickets to these events through the Vegas Uncork'd website. We had word that most of the tickets were sold-out but it looks like they just released a new batch yesterday.

Still on sale are tickets to the Celebrity Chef Blackjack Tournament, poolside at Encore on May 6 ($350 for players; $150 for spectators); The Grand Tasting, poolside at Caesars which features sample bites from a ton of Las Vegas restaurants ($175); as well as several demonstrations and dinners with chefs like Alain Ducasse, Charlie Palmer, Francois Payard, Bradley Ogden and Wolfgang Puck.

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10 Vegas Restaurants and Chefs Are Named James Beard Semifinalists

February 23, 2010 at 6:52 PM | by globetrotting gourmet | 0 Comments

Julian Serrano, second from right, named Outstanding Chef.

The James Beard Foundation Awards Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists were announced last week and Las Vegas cleaned house with ten contenders for these prestigious awards:

Outstanding Chef
Julian Serrano, Picasso at Bellagio

Rising Star Chef of the Year
Vanessa Garcia, Restaurant Charlie at the Palazzo

Best New Restaurant
Sage at Aria Resort & Casino

Outstanding Pastry Chef
Kamel Guechida, Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino

Outstanding Wine Service
Picasso at Bellagio

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Todd English Goes on Nightline, P.U.B. Remains Unopened

Where: 3720 S Las Vegas Blvd [map], 89109
February 12, 2010 at 8:28 PM | by juliana | 1 Comment

We mentioned earlier this week that Todd English is a very, very busy man. Well, he shows no sign of letting up, even if it means delaying the opening of his newest restaurant.

English been doing the full-court press on himself and his restaurants, with his latest score happening on ABC's Nightline.

Airing tonight, the special talks about the chef's special connection with love and food. He reveals that he loves "this English chef I love who sucks her finger when she's tasting something, and I think that's so sexy." Er. Ok.

Meanwhile, the PUB at Aria remains unopened. A reservations expert at Aria said they weren't sure when it would open but hopefully sometime next week. Yes, "hopefully."

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Inside Aria's Culinary Funhouse

Where: 3730 Las Vegas Boulevard [map], 89109
December 18, 2009 at 11:44 AM | by juliana | 0 Comments

CHEF ORGY!

As we've been telling you for quite some time, the restaurants at Aria Resort and Casino are going to require some serious stomach training.

During the CityCenter Grand Opening madness, we were able to sample bites at each of the restaurants as well as admire the restaurant spaces. Since we will probably roll out individual restaurant reviews throughout the year, we're only going to concern you today with photos of the restaurants.

We've broken it down into two parts: Upstairs and Downstairs.

The Upstairs restaurants, placed near the Viva Elvis theater on the Promenade, include: Sirio, Michael Mina's American Fish, Jean-Georges Steakhouse and The Buffet.

The Downstairs restaurants include: Blossom and Lemongrass off the casino floor; Sage, Julian Serrano, Bar Masa and the forthcoming Todd English gastropub off the lobby and registration; Jean-Philippe Patisserie and the casual Cafe Vettro near the back entrance of Aria.

For some reason (probably: vodka cranberries) we didn't snap a picture of the Cafe. D'oh. Sorry for that. We'll get right on it. For now, enjoy the food porn and chef orgy.

Note: There are even more eateries than the ones we photographed here but these are the ones with the big chef names behind 'em.

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Top Chef Heads To Napa To Finish Off The Culinary Gamble

December 3, 2009 at 4:32 PM | by globetrotting gourmet | 0 Comments

Last night, Top Chef officially crossed the line from prime time entertainment to nail-biting stressfest.

A lot has changed since Top Chef last filmed in Vegas. Jen’s hair got all sorts of curly (looks like Philadelphia’s end-of-summer humidity had its way with her). Kevin’s sweet little redhead seemed to lose a few hairs in the hiatus. Bryan got accessorized (note to Bryan: no one, and I mean no one dons big, oversized golf umbrellas on the west coast).

And Michael, well, not much changed with him, except he’s seamlessly stepped into the role of the resident jerkface since Mike I. got the heave ho.

The episode starts with everyone sitting at a train stop in Napa Valley, when low and behold, Napa’s finest mobile tourist trap pulls into the station – The Napa Valley Wine Train. Out walks Padma rocking some severe bangs and a baby bump (will we ever know who knocked her up?) and guest judge and owner of Napa restaurant, Bottega, Michael Chiarello.

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If You Can't Watch Top Chef, Play 'Date a Top Chef'

October 1, 2009 at 11:33 AM | by globetrotting gourmet | 0 Comments

Wah. We were totally crushed that there wasn’t a new episode of Top Chef Las Vegas last night and wish the marketing minds at Bravo TV had said something like, “See you in two weeks” after last week’s episode. A little head’s up would’ve been nice, since we schedule our social schedule around this Wednesday night ritual.

Just to be sure, we logged onto Bravo.com to confirm that our crappy cable TV provider, Comcast wasn’t fooling us, and found this titillating "Date a Top Chef" feature on the site’s landing page. Always up for a Cosmopolitan-esque quiz, we were ready to click our way through a few easy questions to a culinary match made in, umm…The M Resort. Nope – no such thing.

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Cowboy Cookout with The Top Chef Crew

September 17, 2009 at 6:03 PM | by globetrotting gourmet | 2 Comments

We we

re kinda non-plussed by Top Chef Episode 6, “Camping.” The usually opinionated/bossy Jennifer kept a low-profile. Mike I. wasn’t his usual obnoxious self. There really wasn’t any drama. Period.

About the only emotional aspect of the show came from Ashley The episode started with her calling her older brother, whose wife gave birth the night before and she was teary because she couldn't be with them. Later in the show, she reveals that she grew up in a very poor family in the middle of the woods with her single mother. Turn out, those circumstances helped in with the cooking challenge. So we like it when Ashley gets real, instead of angry. But on with the recap.

The main culinary component of the High Stakes Quickfire Challenge was determined via text – contenders included rattlesnake, cactus or kangaroo with cactus taking the lead. The remaining 12 contestants had 45 minutes to prepare their dishes at The M Resort's Top Chef kitchen, with the winner taking home $15,000 but no immunity. Chef Tim Love, a tried and true Texan man, was the guest judge.

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Quit Yer Crying on Top Chef: It's a Cooking Show, Fer Crissakes

August 27, 2009 at 3:46 PM | by globetrotting gourmet | 0 Comments

Let’s get right down to it. It’s only week two of Top Chef Las Vegas and we’re already rolling out eyes at the gambling themed gimmicks and unabashed promotion of The M Resort. Yeah, we get it. It’s a nice resort and the host hotel for Season 6, but fer crissakes, pretty please stop shoving it down our throats.

So, last night’s episode wasn’t exactly one for the memory books, aside from Ashley’s minor meltdown surrounding the Bachelor/Bachelorette party Elimination Challenge with special guest judge Todd English the celeb chef behind Olives at Bellagio.

But back to Ashley. She’s a lesbian. Big deal. But, she (rightfully) has strong opinions about the legal definition of matrimony. There’s a time and place to express such personal beliefs, and we’re kinda thinking she should’ve shut up and cooked at this juncture of the episode (not to be insensitive or non-PC, but seriously).

Anyway, it was a predictable battle of the sexes where after a quick likes/dislikes Q&A with the to be betrothed, the guys cooked for the bachelorettes and the gals cooked for the bachelors.

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Emeril Lagasse is Turning the Palazzo Sportsbook Into Lagasse's Stadium

Where: 3255 Las Vegas Boulevard South [map], 89109
August 5, 2009 at 6:32 PM | by juliana | 0 Comments

Last month when we hit up the Palazzo Las Vegas for the Hardbat Classic, we actually spent some time chillin' in the Palazzo's Sportsbook and Grill, which used to be called by another name--40/40, a sports bar/nightclub from rapper Jay-Z.

The food being passed around that night was done by chef Emeril Lagasse who has a Delmonico Steakhouse and a Table 10 restaurant inside the Venetian/Palazzo complex. But little did we know that the food we were noshing on would be part of the new menu inside the revamped sportsbook. Just in time for the football season, The Palazzo has announced the sportsbook will now be known as Lagasse's Stadium.

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The 'Steaks' Are High for Top Chef Las Vegas

August 3, 2009 at 7:19 PM | by globetrotting gourmet | 0 Comments

The countdown is on for the Season Six premiere of Top Chef: Las Vegas. We’re setting our Tivo to Bravo TV on Wednesday, August 19th, 9 p.m. ET/PT for all the tasty Sin City fun and to see if any of our Stalking Top Chef sightings ever panned out.

Just in case there's a few of you out there who aren't familiar with Top Chef, here’s how it works: Week after week, "cheftestants" show off their culinary chops over a progression of quickfire tests and elimination challenges. Losing chefs are whittled down and told to pack up their knives and go home.

Last man (or woman) standing will receive some serious swag: $100,000 furnished by the makers of the Glad family of products, $100,000 of merch provided by Macy's, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and will earn the title of "Top Chef."

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