Here we are at day 2 of the Bon Appetit Uncork'd event in Las Vegas, a rolicking weekend of some seriously good food, lots of celeb chefs, and loads and loads of gossip. This here is the Masters vs. Rookies Culinary Pro-Am outside of Caesars, which takes place today and tomorrow. We made it to the second showdown: Our buddy Todd English and actress Lorraine Bracco vs. Hard Rock Hotel chef John Church and Amaeteur Gourmet blogger/author Adam Roberts. It's a mini Iron Chef, with celebrity hosts (for a tiny woman, that Cat Cora is a raucous one) and guest judges (Alan Richman, BA's Barbara Fairchild and Andrew Knowlton, Food Network's Bruce Seidel) secret ingredients, timed cooking, the works. Let's just say this, hearing that you'll be eating these four ingredients together---foie gras, pineapple, rabbit and cactus---is terrifying. Unless, of course, you're Todd English. We'll have the full story and more this weekend and Monday.
There are people who complain that the big-name marquee chefs barely step foot in their Vegas restaurants. True, in Vegas, chances are slim you'll see Flay running around Mesa Grill or Guy Savoy working the lines at Guy Savoy. But this weekend, they and all the others will be in the house: Bon Appetit's Uncork'd---a mega-culinary excursion where everyday folk (with a wad of cash) can hobbnob with chefs like Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Laurent Tourondel, Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck, Paul Bartolotta and Daniel Boulud---begins Thursday, May 8. Looks like most of the events (luncheons, cooking demos) are already sold out, but tickets are still available for the grand tasting at Caesars. Us: We'll be blogging from the sidelines, eating, gossipping with the chefs, and rooting for Border Girls Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Miliken to take Todd English or David Burke in blackjack. You: Maybe a spontaneous road trip is in order.
· Bon Appetit: Vegas Uncork'd [Official site]
We were on a press tour of the Palazzo today and the reps pointed to this empty front right on the Strip and said it will be a new concept from the people behind Tao, the hot-and-heavy spot at the adjacent Venetian. We let out a squeal: Is this the new project for Ludovic Lefebvre? Quite possibly. Last month he told us he was working on something with those very same people at this very same place. Barring any hiccups, this could be Ludo's new home, and it's the exact opposite of personal and homey, what he was going for in LA. But, hell, If you're going to do Vegas, you might as well do Vegas.
· Where Art Thou Ludo? [~ELA~]
· Adelson not likely to cut losses in legal fight with club operators [Las Vegas Sun]
Every now and again, the Los Angeles Times sends S. Irene Virbila to wine and dine at the resorts in Vegas because, you know, there aren't enough places to cover in LA. She doesn't write reviews, per se, but she definitely doles it out, Miss Irene-style. Yesterday, it was all about the Palazzo restaurants---Batali's Carnevino, Wolfgang Puck's new Cut, Restaurant Charlie from Charlie Trotter, and Emeril Lagasse's Table 10. Today, we have Miss Ireneisms from the rest, and in truth, she picks some winners: breakfast at Payard, oysters at Bouchon, and bargain dining at Lotus of Siam and Guy Savoy, if a $75 glass of Champagne at Guy Savoy is a bargain to you. "Budget" dining is in the eye of the wallet-holder, that's for sure.
Payard Patisserie and Bistro at Caesars Palace:
"Breakfast here is sheer poetry. For a mere $16, you get good, strong coffee, fresh-squeezed orange juice and as many of Payard's exquisite morning pastries as you can devour in one sitting. That means a croissant so buttery and flaky, you and the table are covered in crumbs at the first bite. You'd be hard-pressed to find one anywhere in Paris (I mean the real Paris) of this caliber."
In an extra special Week in Reviews, S. Irene Virbila takes off to Vegas for what seems like two months of meals (if she really ate everything she mentions) and barely comes up for air. The biggest non-news: Batali's Carnevino, Puck's Cut and Trotter's Restaurant Charlie are 'spensive. The shocker: She actually suggests getting a reservation at Cut in Vegas because its easier than Beverly Hills. We boil it down to the best nuggets. First up: The newcomers at the Palazzo.
CARNEVINO:
"Naturally, the star of the steak menu is that pricey fiorentina for two, which by the time I visited a second time had been reduced to $145 from $160."
"Salt makes too strong an entrance in many dishes."
"Bottom line: As good as the beef is here, I'd rather eat at B&B, Batali's more intimate Italian restaurant in the Venetian next door. It's not cheap, either, but it's got more soul -- and a more consistent kitchen."
CUT:
"Though the menu is almost identical to the Beverly Hills steakhouse, the look is quite different from the cool white expanses of Richard Meier's design for the original Cut. This one, from the local design firm ABA, is warmer, featuring generous booths, a striped rug underfoot and bulky geometric chandeliers."
"Prices, at least compared to Carnevino's, seem almost moderate, though in the real world, of course, they're vertigo-inducing -- a 3-pound lobster is a mere $110."
Here again, an update from Sin City from our Vegas man on the street, John Curtas. Got some LV goss or news to share? The door is open. Photo courtesy Luxor/MGM Mirage
Celeb-backed Company American Bistro opened five months ago at the Luxor in Las Vegas with a top shelf pedigree in the kitchen: Adam Sobel, the former executive sous chef at Guy Savoy, was appointed top toque; David Varley, former exec sous at Bradley Ogden, was his number one; Top Chef'sMarcel Vigneron was brought on board to foam his way to further fame; and Ralph "Ralphie" Perrazzo was put in charge of desserts. Despite this talent pool, and the heretofore Midas Touch of the Pure Management Group, the whole thing has fallen apart faster than an under-baked souffle. Varley said sayonara over a month ago, Vigneron and Perrazzo, bolted soon thereafter, and Sobel resigned last week. Was their food too hip for the decidedly middle-brow audience of the Luxor? Or is PMG scaling back on its "creativity" now that its finances are being investigated by the IRS? Yet to be seen.
By all accounts, Charlie Trotter should be as fond of Vegas as PETA is of prime rib. His eponymous restaurant flamed out famously in 1995, after 15 months in the MGM Grand. Bloodied but unbowed, he maintained his flagship in Chicago while (apparently) plotting a return to the High Desert whenever the time was right for a return bout. He doesn’t seem to have the empire-building urges of many of his colleagues---Cabo San Lucas houses his only other outpost---so when word got out that the Palazzo was granting him a rematch, gourmands and bean-counters alike wondered if he was punch drunk. Open almost two weeks now, Restaurant Charlie is primarily seafood-focused and has a "sky loft" chef's table perched above the kitchen for optimum viewing, while Bar Charlie seats only 18 for sushi, Trotter-style (tasting menus only). Our Vegas operative John Curtas grabbed Trotter for a Q & A just two days into the new ventures.
John Curtas: It was a sad day for local gourmands when you pulled up stakes here in 1995. The smart money said we’d never see you again. What happened then and now?
Charlie Trotter: We started out as an all-comp restaurant for high rollers exclusively. It really went much smoother than people think it did. Sure, there were occasional requests for prime ribs and baked potatoes, but we handled them and it was never an issue as got reported at the time.
JC: The rumors were that no one could touch the sacred food of such a renowned chef (serving only rigid, degustation menus every night), and you balked at the low-to-middlebrow tastes of the casino crowd and couldn’t take it anymore.
CT: The real issue was a new management team took over the MGM and wanted to double our size (from 65 seats), change our menu, eliminate the tasting menu and add more “basic” food like meatloaf and spaghetti and meatballs, and we did balk at that. But until that happened, we were happy. I was the one who talked Emeril into opening in the MGM. I had a 10 year contract to be there and was happy with it right up until the point that (the Food and Beverage people) began wanting to tell me what I should serve. They ended up buying me out of my deal after 15 months, so I was happy with that too.
The Palazzo is slowly adding to its restaurant roster. A quick dispatch from our Vegas operative, John Curtas, who got a preview and the above snap of the restaurant earlier this week: "CUT Las Vegas officially opens this weekend, but a sneak peek at the Wolfgang's latest revealed a design by ABA Design's Todd Lenehan that references the Richard Meier original, but stakes its own comfortable-casual claim to the serious business of big-meat eating in Sin City. There won't be anything casual about the prices, although unlike Carnevino across the hall, they won't make you faint. The food promises to be a dead ringer for the Beverly Hills flagship, and from a sneak taste, the imitation was more than just a form of flattery." There's also a lounge, a la Sidebar at the Beverly Wilshire, for those kobe sliders and other fancy bar snacks. This is Wolfie's sixth restaurant in LV since he first opened Spago at the Forum Shops in 1992.
· Eater VegasWire: What's Open at the Palazzo? [~ELA~]
· Lunch at Cut: Three Take-aways [~ELA~]
Here we are, back for a little Sin City VegasWire. Know something, see something? Let us know, fo sho. Yellowtail, rendered
BELLAGIO: This June, the Light Group will open Yellowtail in the former Shintaro space. Designed by The Rockwell Group, the 180-seater will overlook the fountains, and offer and extensive sake collection, and a menu (traditional sushi, sashimi, hand rolls and tempura) from chef Akira Back. He worked at Matsuhisa in Aspen for several years. [VegasWire]
HARD ROCK: Our VegasWire operative, John Curtas, went to the Ago opening party on Monday night: "The new northern Italian restaurant helmed by Augustino Sciandri opened two months ago to nary a peep. Now along comes some guy who doesn't even cook, and the paparazzi are poised as if Britney and Lindsay are bingeing again. Ya gotta hand it to Sciandri's partner---some guy named Bob DeNiro---he's remarkably gracious to those seeking to bask in his aura, and even chats it up with a few A-to- C-list interviewers, all the while sporting his trademark grin. And you know it's a happening when Siegfried and (still injured but slightly ambulatory) Roy make an appearance-minus their housepets-for a little reciprocal basking of their own." [VegasWire]
LUXOR: Kerry Simon's CatHouse has been open for just a couple of months, but closed on February 25 due to some "structural damage." An official statement from CatHouse PR: "While an inspection and repairs are in progress, the ultra-lounge will be closed to the public. The restaurant also will be temporarily closed to the public. More information, along with reopening dates, is forthcoming." [LVRJ/VegasWire]
There are five Michelin three-star restaurants in America, and Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand is one of them. And for what it's worth, the adjacent L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon is one of our personal faves, definitely in the top five. Like the majority of marquee chefs in Vegas, Robuchon himself swings through about every other month to check on things, but unlike many others, he doesn't arrive with a phalanx of flacks in tow and actually spends more time in the kitchen than posing for photographs (few exceptions, see right). Last week was one such week. Eater VegasWire operative John Curtas had a chance to chat with the chef to get his thoughts on cooking and eating in the era of the foodblogger. As one can imagine, it takes a lot to impress the man.
Something big is going down with Pure Management Group in Vegas right now. PMG is one of the major nightlife and restaurant players in town---they own Pure at Caesars, of course, but also partnered with LAX and several new restaurants and lounges at the Luxor, Social House at Treasure Island, Dick's Last Resort at Excalibur, Lucky Strike at the Rio, and Coyote Ugly at New York-New York. And last week, the IRS raided the their offices and confiscated computers. It's rumored to be about how much money the doormen clear and where it goes, with estimates up to $10,000 a night. If you've never been to one of these clubs, it's chaotic: The lines are out of hand and it takes a lot money to get inside. And we're not talking the $20 you might slip Craig for a quick table at Dan Tana's. The whole Vegas nightlife industry, and we imagine the host properties (Caesars and MGM-Mirage) included, are on edge. No one has been accused of or charged with a crime, and in an official statement PMG said they are fully cooperating with the IRS investigation. On the plus side, this might mean the usually tight velvet ropes will be a little bit looser on your next visit.
· Feds take a look at LV cash flow [LVRJ]
· Was Pure Unpure? [Moveable Buffet]
Welcome back to our weekly check in with our man-about-Vegas, John Curtas. Got some goss, a tip, some Sin City news? The Vegas tipline is always open.
THE MIRAGE: We love us a good rendering, especially of a $5 million burger restaurant. This is Laurent Tourondel's BLT Burger, which we suspect will open late spring, soon after his BLT Steak debuts here on the Sunset Strip. Expect similar fare as the one in NYC: lamb merguez burgers, Atlantic salmon burgers, good old-fashioned burgers, milkshakes, sweet potato fries, chili cheese waffle fries, onion rings. Fitting. [VegasWire]
THE PALAZZO: One by one, the restuarant are opening in the Venetian-adjacent restaurant. Dos Caminos, a 700-seat Mexican restaurant and Sala Lounge debuted on Monday. Emeril's Table 10 is officially open. The last date we had for Wolfgang Puck's CUTwas today, but it's still under construction. Official word is March, but unofficially it could be sooner. And Restaurant Charlie by Charlie Trotter is, according to our sources, "about two to three weeks out." [VegasWire]
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By all accounts, Charlie Trotter should be as fond of Vegas as PETA is of prime rib. His eponymous restaurant flamed out famously in 1995, after 15 months in the MGM Grand. Bloodied but unbowed, he maintained his flagship in Chicago while (apparently) plotting a return to the High Desert whenever the time was right for a return bout. He doesn’t seem to have the empire-building urges of many of his colleagues---Cabo San Lucas houses his only other outpost---so when word got out that the Palazzo was granting him a rematch, gourmands and bean-counters alike wondered if he was punch drunk. Open almost two weeks now, 
HARD ROCK: Our VegasWire operative, 
There are five Michelin three-star restaurants in America, and 
