Here’s a quick little quiz for all you uber-foodies out there:
Quiz Question #1: What do Hubert Keller, Eric Bost, Paul Del Favero, David Werly, Kerry Simon, Francois Payard, Paul Bartolotta, Kamel Guechida, Rick Moonen, Anthony Amoroso, Marc Poidevin, Adam Sobel, Mike Minor, Theo Schoenegger, Martin Heierling, Alex Stratta, Carla Pellegrino, Vincent Pilon, and Michael Mina have in common?
Answer (Multiple Choice):
A) They are responsible for putting and keeping Vegas on the world’s culinary map;
B) Individually and collectively they are responsible* for ELV gaining 15 pounds over the past ten years;
C) Last Friday night, individually and collectively, they probably wondered what the hell they were doing suspended hundreds of feet in the air;
D) All of the above.
What they were doing of course was providing a great photo op for the kick-off to this year’s Vegas Uncork’d 2009 presented by Bon Appetit. Which leads us to:
Quiz Question #2: ELV was supposed to join them, but didn’t because:
A) None of them was cooking up there;
B) Anytime ELV gets higher off the ground than the top of his head, he loses his appetite and needs a diaper;
C) Uber-wine guy Kelly McAuliffe (the one pouring), said there wasn’t enough booze in the Southern Wine and Spirits warehouse to keep ELV calm enough to enjoy himself;
D) Considering all of the above, ELV decided to take a road trip to Southern California;
E) All of the above.
Which gets to the whole point of this post:
Quiz Question #3: You should attend this year’s Vegas Uncork’d 2009 because:
A) These guys risked their lives for you and this publicity shot;
B) You’ll get to meet, greet, hobnob, cook, discuss, observe them working and kibbitz with each of them (and dozens more of the world’s greatest culinary talents — both in and out of their restaurants) during the four-day festival;
C) You will increase your gastronomic IQ by at least 50 points by attending;
D) You will eat and drink some of the best food on the planet — with the guys and gals who make our world so delicious;
E) By attending, you also get to hang out and chew the fat with Restaurant Editor-as-rock-star Andrew Knowlton, perenially cranky critic Alan Richman, uber-food-magazine Editor Barbara Fairchild, lots of other famous faces, a host of other food journalists (some famous, some not so) and…..drum roll please…ELV! (applause applause).
E) All of the above.
Normally, ELV tries to remain objective and detached in all things gastronomic, but when it comes to any event involving the James Beard Foundation, Bon Appetit magazine, or Vegas Uncork’d, he is an unabashed and unapologetic cheerleader. Sign up now and we’ll see you on May 7-10th. For a complete itinerary of events click on the GoogleAds box on the upper right, or go to www.vegasuncorkd.com .
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* Each and every one of them know, in the deep recesses of their diabolical minds, that ELV can resist anything but temptation.
Ok John, for those of us on more of a subsistence salary who can only afford one event (or maybe two) which one should we not miss? I’d love to be there for every single event, but would need a lottery win for that to happen.
If you’ve got only one event to go to….make it the Grand Tasting. The workshops on Friday are also quite a good deal….Bobby Flay will be the toughest ticket….and the late night thing with Joel Robuchon should be a blast.
bwdining, if you ask one of the sponsoring resorts, maybe one of them will give you a temporary line of credit for VU 2009.
ELV, not only are you “un avocat terrible,” but also a wimp. Steve Wynn was willing to sit on top of the Encore Resort for his promotional video. The least you could have done was pretend you were going on an extended Stratosphere ride …. after drinking three shots of absinthe. And please be nice to Alan Richman. We know why he’s perennially cranky. He just needs to move out West.
You forgot that interactive luncheon at the Wynn on Saturday. To me, that would be a lot of fun, as well as the late night session with Joel Robuchon. Do I need to bring my own knives to these events?
Oh my gosh, can you just kill me now.. that would be the most amazing weekend a Mom can ever even imagine… maybe, just maybe I will be able to go to one event.. I am taking all feedback into consideration!
Donna Wilburn – I agree! My husband and I are considering flying into Vegas just to attend the Grand Tasting. The whole four days of events is much too expensive for our one-salary household (plus we have very small children that cannot be left for four days at a time) but, I would not miss the tasting for the world! That’s my personal recommendation to get the most bang for your buck/time.
John or anyone who’s been to this event before, I’m looking forward to ditching the job and chatting up food and wine with folks, but have to ask…how friendly is the grand tasting for the solo attendee?
late nite chef blackjack, the pure benefit for three square and the david foster afterhours. I’m definitely ditching work…