….but still swamped with bizy bidness days and gourmet nights until next week.
Sorry about all the spam comments, but both ELV and his staff:
have been out of their respective towns, and too preoccupied to monitor the site .
Will try to get some tasty snaps from our New York trip (and the Beard awards) up today.
Congratulations to Claude Le Tohic for his winning Best Chef Southwest at the Beards — the second winner in a row from Las Vegas (Paul Bartolotta won last year). Nominees Rick Moonen and Saipin Chutima were also in The Big Apple for the ceremony, were beaming with delight the whole time, and couldn’t have been more gracious about the result.
Also present: Kamel Guechida, who lost out for Best Pastry Chef to Nicole Plue of Redd in Yountville in a severe miscarriage of justice. (In case you’re wondering, ELV has eaten at Redd, had Plue’s desserts and considers them not in the same league as Guechida’s creations at Joel Robuchon and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon.) Adam Sobel and Gerald Chin from RM Upstairs were also in da house, as was Eric Klein of Spago, Bill Chutima of Lotus of Siam, Paul Bartolotta, Cosmopolitan President John Unwin, Greg Waldron, Amy Rosetti, Katie Conway and others ELV is probably forgetting due to his hangover.
Geez Louise…we’re starting to sound like Norm!
All in all, Las Vegas was well-represented.
Highlights of the night for yours truly: chatting up Jean-Georges Vongerichten, having our picture taken with Jacques Pepin — the man who taught us to cook, kibbitzing with Daniel Boulud, catching Thomas Keller all alone munching on a taco, chewing the fat with Bruce Seidel of the Food Network, slumming in the Press Room, and watching Daniel get sprayed with champagne at his Bar Boulud after-party.
And splitting some great Jewish food with The Great Dolinsky at 1:00 am at the Carnegie Deli — including a sandwich that was as big as both of our sizable noggins: 
In case you missed it, here are the winners:
- Best New Restaurant: Marea, New York City, NY
- Outstanding Chef: Tom Colicchio, Craft, New York City, NY
- Outstanding Pastry Chef: Nicole Plue, Redd, Yountville, CA
- Outstanding Restaurant: Daniel, New York City, NY
- Outstanding Restaurateur: Keith McNally, New York City, NY
- Outstanding Service: Alinea, Chicago, IL
- Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional: John Shafer and Doug Shafer, Napa, CA
- Outstanding Wine Service: Bernard Sun, Jean Georges, New York City, NY
- Rising Star Chef of the Year: Timothy Hollingsworth, The French Laundry, Yountville, CA
- Best Chef – Great Lakes: Koren Grieveson, Avec, Chicago, IL
- Best Chef – Mid-Atlantic: Jeff Michaud, Osteria, Philadelphia, PA
- Best Chef – Midwest: Alexander Roberts, Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis, MN
- Best Chef – New York City: Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park, New York City, NY
- Best Chef – Northeast: Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier, Arrows, Ogunquit, ME
- Best Chef – Northwest: Jason Wilson, Crush, Seattle, WA
- Best Chef – Pacific: David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
- Best Chef – South: Michael Schwartz, Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink, Miami, FL
- Best Chef – Southeast: Sean Brock, McCrady’s, Charleston, SC
- Best Chef – Southwest: Claude Le Tohic, Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, FL