VegasChatter

Eating / Dining / Vegas Uncork'd / Restaurants / Bellagio / → All Tags

Vegas Uncork'd Opens With Knives, Trucks And Food, Food, Food

If you've ever wanted to mix and mingle with your favorite Vegas celebrity and top-tier chefs, then Vegas Uncork'd is made for you. Three days of fine dining and quality drinking. And, lots of both.

Fifty chefs are scheduled to prepare, talk, teach and contribute in an annual event organized by Bon Appetit magazine which showcases the astonishing array of major restaurants that fill this city.

The festivities kicked off in suitably dramatic Vegas fashion, with the cork from a bottle of Mionetto prosecco ceremonially sabered-off by Wolfgang Puck. We all were ready to duck. (Actually, it took him a couple of tries. Shhhh.)

Luckily they had back-up supplies at hand. It's not surprising it was a tough task when you see what he was working with. We're sure if Wolfgang had grabbed one his paring knives from his kitchen, it would have ably done the trick.

A photo opportunity featuring all this Vegas culinary talent is a very rare occasion. Some of your familiar names included Flay, Savoy, “Nobu” Matsuhisa, Payard. All the chefs in that photo are competitors, but all have an obvious and mutual respect for each other. They want to succeed in business, but during this weekend, you can sense the pride of showcasing themselves at their best for their peers and the informed attendees who truly appreciate their craft.

Here's Hubert Keller (Fleur, Burger Bar) taking a photo of us taking a photo of him taking a photo. It's a foodie love fest!

After the photo taking, it was down to the real business at hand, letting the mixologists work some magic. A trend was started -- indulgence was now in. A gastronomic Disneyland for three days had been created on the Vegas Strip.

Later in the day, a very specialized Italian wine tasting was held at Old Homestead. Vertical flights were presented to sample, the youngest wines from a vineyard and to much rarer, older vintages.

This writer's ignorance of wine is nonpareil, to the point of asking in confusion last night how could pinot noir be a white wine? Seemingly, this cluelessness is written on our face and Marcus Hanson from distributor Southern Wine (and visiting from Minneapolis) took pity on us and chose to brilliantly educate on aeration, coloring, properties, and in an extraordinary act of precision, broke down the different taste notes we'd experience in a particular year of a wine. How we'd smell the herbs, the fruit and, after a pause of choosing the right word, how we'd smell the "barnyard" in a 1981 Castello di Monsanto wine.

This was a wine untasted by Marcus. Yet he knew. When we tried it, an unmistakable, almost barnyard smell emerged. It was a revelatory, olfactory experience. And, an indication of the depth of knowledge among many of the participants and attendees at this event. There is no half-hearted commitment among the folks at these presentations.

In the evening, 15 food trucks arrived at Bellagio for a night of more drinking and sampling. Food trucks are a growing fascination in Vegas, but they just never make it to The Strip so this was an amazing way to experience companies we'd only heard about. In our gallery you'll see most of the participants. They all have websites and twitter feeds so you can find out where you can grab their nightly, limited time offerings. A number of celebrity chefs like Julian Serrano and Todd English also joined in the fun.

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Gambling / Golden Nugget / Aria / Palazzo / Bellagio / Planet Hollywood / Craps / 3 Card Poker / Blackjack / Video Poker / → All Tags

Where Do You Get Lucky In Vegas? (And, Where Do You Not?)

Now that we know where you like to gamble, which casinos are the luckiest for you and which seem to be cursed?

We know that, in the long run, gambling odds will even out. For example, if a game of blackjack offers returns of 96% then playing long enough we'll eventually lose just $4 of every $100 we wager. Of course, few of us will sit and play at the same table long enough to attain true odds. It's more likely that we'll hit a string of wins or losses and move on. With that being said, we can understand that many (not all) of our wins and losses are really a matter of timing.

Our gambling at Aria is minimal because we never seem to win at most games we play. Maybe it's the constant shuffle machines at blackjack or maybe it's the cold feeling we get by the decor and maybe it's just bad timing. We don't always lose here, but we lose a lot more than we win so we tend to avoid it unless visiting friends want to check it out. The same cannot be said for the Golden Nugget where we've never had a winning session on any game.

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Events / Food Trucks / Pop-Up Restaurants / Silverton / Fukuburger / Venetian / Palazzo / Epicurean Affair / Vegas Uncork'd / Bellagio / Caesars Palace / The Cosmopolitan / Mandalay Bay / Rain / The Palms / The Flame Steakhouse / El Cortez / Hot Dogs / First Food and Bar / → All Tags

Hunger Heaven: Foodie Fests, Championships, Qualifiers, Pop-Ups, Affairs, and More

This is what happens when we brainstorm story ideas before eating. For those about to eat, we're sorry. For everyone else that can't wait to eat, we salute you with an all almost (actually not even close if you can believe it) encompassing upcoming Las Vegas foodie event wrap-up.

LAS VEGAS' FIRST FOODIE FEST
Silverton Casino Hotel
Saturday, April 28 (noon to 11 p.m.) and Sunday, April 29 (noon to 9 p.m.)
Family friendly food and fun with over 30 gourmet food trucks, 15 food vendor booths, a farmer’s market, eating contests, beer garden, carnival rides and games, live chef demos, a tequila party tent, live bands, DJs, and after parties. Trucks you may know include White Rabbit Truck, Fuku Burger, Vizzi Truck, Devilicious and Mangia Mangia. Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the event. To buy said tickets or more info, visit Las Vegas Foodie Fest.

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One Fun Thing / Bill's / Bellagio / Caesars Palace / Absinthe Show / O Show / Beer Pong / Fat Elvis / Blackjack / → All Tags

One Fun Thing: Caesars, Bill’s and Bellagio

Let’s paint a scenario. You’re in Las Vegas. You’ve done all of the obvious touristy things, but you want to know something not-so-obvious to do. Something fun and different. This series will walk you down The Strip, a few properties at a time, offering one fun and different thing to do at each. We hope you enjoy it and find something new to check out the next time you are in town.

We are almost halfway through our One Fun Thing series. As we cross Flamingo Avenue, we finally make it past Caesars Entertainment Row (or should we call it Linq LINQ Row?) where we talked about O’Sheas, Imperial Palace, and Flamingo. Today, we’ll offer some reasons to stop in at Caesars Palace, Bill’s Gamblin' Hall and Saloon, and Bellagio.

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Circus Circus / Hotel Renovations / Bellagio / Hotel Rooms / → All Tags

In Some Ways, Circus Circus Is Just Like Bellagio (Seriously)

We know what you're thinking. We obviously are writing this under the influence. But, the only high we're on is one of the vanilla latte nature.

Back in January, we showed you the new rooms of Circus Circus. Unexpectedly nice and modern, they are a refreshing change to a hotel we still name as one of our top budget picks.

What we didn't realize, though, is that a lot of the new furnishings came from Bellagio. So, not out of the box new, but still a lot better than what the property previously offered.

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Pools / Pool Scenes / Cabanas / Venetian / Palazzo / Vdara / The Mirage / Monte Carlo / MGM Grand / Mandalay Bay / Bellagio / Aria / → All Tags

How Much That Poolside Cabana Costs

It's probably the most asked question after "are Vegas pools open?" How much does that shady seat or cabana cost?

A simple question, that's not always as easy to discover. A lot of resorts don't even like to quote starting rates as they can (and do) change based on demand, just like hotel rates. But, we give a lot of props to the hotels that do say because at least we have some idea of when to cut back on those tanning sessions what to expect.

So, how much is Vegas charging for pampered fun in the sun these days? Check out our list below, but keep in mind, the prices you find in person may appear larger than the ones on your screen.

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Awards / Food / Dining / Eating / James Beard / Venetian / Palazzo / MGM Grand / Joel Robuchon / The Cosmopolitan / Bellagio / Aria / Wolfgang Puck / Jose Andres / Jaleo / → All Tags

Las Vegas Asks, Where's The Foodie Love?

Oh, those anxious moments before the announcers take to the podium. The James Beard Foundation announced the 2012 finalists yesterday in the food equivalent of receiving an Academy Award nomination. And, this year, all the tension was bottled into a room at the Palazzo. But, despite Las Vegas hosting the event, the city was offered little love on the voting forms. Categories ranged from Outstanding Chef and Restaurant to best food blogger and humorous food writing. (Our review of the city's fried Twinkies is mysteriously absent.)

Over 550 judges tabulate the results derived from over 59,000 entries which sounds like a statistical nightmare. But, the Beard Foundation Awards are the apex of respectability within the food community and enormously prestigious for peer recognition and helping build an audience of informed and appreciative diners. The Venetian and the Palazzo's own collection of restaurants includes more James Beard award recipients than any other hotel in the Vegas. And, even more impressively, the world.

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Resort Fees / Bellagio / Aria / MGM Resorts / Vdara / Circus Circus / The Mirage / Monte Carlo / New York-New York / Excalibur / Luxor / MGM Grand / → All Tags

Who Do They Think They Are? MGM Resorts Bumps Up All Its Resort Fees

Just when we started to surrender be ok with the idea of resort fees -- after all, these daily charges do include some worthwhile amenities like Internet, fitness center access and bottled water -- comes some horrible, awful, infuriating news.

MGM Resorts has hiked resort fees at each and every one of its properties. All of them. At some, it's just a $1 (Circus Circus), but at others (far too many others) it's by $5 bucks. And, no, it doesn't appear as if any new amenities were added. Can you say price-gouging? Oh and don't forget, that's $25 PLUS TAX. Arrggh. Here's how it all shakes down:

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Openings / MGM Grand / Bellagio / Skylofts / Vegas Around The World / → All Tags

Vegas Goes (Even More) International

Soon, when you tell someone you're going to Bellagio, you'll have to clarify which one. Same goes for SKYLOFTS, too. And, you'll have to specify even more than Vegas, Detroit or Macau when it comes to MGM Grand.

Today, MGM Hospitality, the non-gaming arm of the MGM Resorts you already know, announced that the Bellagio brand is coming to Shanghai. The luxury and, yes, non-gaming, resort will be a partnership between the already joint venture, Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality Limited and Suning Real Estate.

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Bellagio / Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art / Art in Vegas / Events / Exhibits / → All Tags

In The City Of Neon, Claude Monet's Light And Shadow Shines

Experience a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of Impressionist paintings at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art's latest art exhibition. “Claude Monet: Impressions of Light” has just opened, steps from the casino floor and probably a welcome, calming, cultural respite for a number of visitors. These 28 painting are on loan via a special agreement with Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. If you need even more Monets in your life you have no choice, but to travel to Paris.

New York's Museum of Modern Art may have capitalized on its legendary room of Monet's Water Lillies, but a much more diverse overview of Monet's career is presented here in Vegas.

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Restaurant Week / Three Square / Mount Charleston / Gallagher's / New York-New York / Mandarin Oriental / BLT Burger / The Mirage / Yellowtail / Bellagio / → All Tags

Time For Restaurant Week Again Already?

Last fall, Restaurant Week treated Las Vegas with a twice as nice, two week eating extravaganza. Restaurant Week 2012 brings another double dose as a spring week has been added February 27 to March 4. This month's event is only one week, giving our still recovering waistbands a bit of relief. The event's website has a list of over 50 and growing restaurants offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner from $20.12 to $50.12. Some options popping out at us include:

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Vegas Uncork'd / Eating / Events / Bellagio / The Cosmopolitan / Mandalay Bay / Mandalay Bay Beach / Caesars Palace / → All Tags

Vegas Uncork'd Is Blowing Our Minds

Last year, we tasted everything we could, cut the cheese (sorry, but, it's true) and, in the end, came away with five things we learned about Vegas Uncork'd.

Tickets for Uncork'd 2012 (May 10-13) go on sale this morning at 9 a.m. PST and, after looking at the schedule that went up late yesterday, we've already put our fat pants in the dry clean pile. Really, we haven't said OMG so much since seeing Pee Wee Herman on Top Chef. (Ok, granted that was last night, but still.) Here are the top four reasons you should get excited, too, and break out that plastic now:

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