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?
Continue reading “Vegas Uncork’d 2009 Kickoff – Chefs In The Sky”
Vintner Grill oenophile update: beginning this week (2.20.09), VG now features 50 wines for under $50 on its list. Bravo…and some of our criticism below should be (re)considered accordingly.
We like everything about the Vintner Grill except the wine list. To our oenophilic sensibilities, it’s unfocused and strangely priced, and there’s too much going on and not enough at the same time.
There’s lots of wine from lots of countries, but look on any single page you’ll find a few bargains, precious few bottles in the $50-80 range, and then a number of big hitters that’ll set you back a least a Benjamin.
It may seem like a kindergarten pageant….you know, like the kind where everyone gets an award….but a lot of work, thought and teeth gnashing goes into culling the herd of meritorious contenders into the following semifinalists for recognition by the Oscars of the food world.
We at ELV are proud of the increased recognition of Las Vegas’s culinary talent pool represented by these nominations, and have highlighted the deserving nominees below.
Congratulations to: Saipin Chutima (Lotus of Siam), Claude Le Tohic (Joel Robuchon), Kamel Guechida (Joel Robuchon), Paul Bartolotta (Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare), Robert Smith (Picasso), Mitsuo Endo (Raku), Vannessa Garcia (Restaurant Charlie), Sarah Kosikowski (Michael Mina), and the entire crews at Le Cirque and NobHill Tavern, for their worthy nominations
And in the spirit of boosterism and enthusiasm for which he is known, ELV hereby confidently proclaims that no other nominees can hold a candle to our own. (A complete list of all nominees is available after the jump.)
FYI: Finalists will be announced in Chicago at Rick Bayless’s Frontera Grill on March 23rd (the first time this has ever happened outside of New York) and the main event is May 4th in the Big Apple. Stay tuned.
Continue reading “James Beard Awards – Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists 2009”