This Just In: Greenspun Media Group Lays Off Veteran Food Writer

“The critic, if he is to justify his existence, should endeavor to discipline his personal prejudices and cranks…and compose his differences with as many of his fellows as possible, in the common pursuit of true judgment.” – T.S. Eliot

“A good critic is one who tells of his own soul’s adventures among the masterpieces.” – Anatole France

“The duty of a critic is to educate, not pander to the lowest common denominator.” – ELV

We at ELV haven’t had a whole lot of respect for GMG ever since they canned us over eight years ago (as the first restaurant critic for both Las Vegas Weekly and Las Vegas Life magazines) for being “too critical.” (Translation: we value advertising more than integrity, and our publisher doesn’t want to take any heat for whatever some pesky critic has to say.)

Now we’ve just heard that a new round of layoffs has claimed uber-food writer Max Jacobson, leaving Las Vegas with a serious hole in the knowledgeable foodie department.

Continue reading “This Just In: Greenspun Media Group Lays Off Veteran Food Writer”

BLEU GOURMET To Close April 19th

Dear Readers: Sonny Ahuja of Bleu Gourmet just posted this message on Facebook:

Sonny Ahuja sent a message to the members of Bleu Gourmet.

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Subject: Bleu Gourmet Closing April 19th (Catering operations will continue)

 

After 4 1/2 years of business I am announcing the closing of Bleu Gourmet.

 

This decision does not come easy but has become necessary.

 

I have had countless good times in Bleu and have had the privilege of sharing a glass of wine with many of the people on this list.

 

I have been blessed with with many new friendships; watched children grow, new relationships forged and countless birthdays and family gatherings.

 

So I hope that you will come in sometime between now and April 18th and celebrate our final days.

 

And if you require catering; the catering portion of the business will continue as usual.

 

I hope to see You (for the final days) at Bleu!

 

 

Sonny Ahuja, Gourmand

Bleu Gourmet

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This Just In….RM Seafood Closes Fine Dining Restaurant

This just in: RM Seafood has shuttered it’s fine dining operation for the forseeable future. ELV learned this during a panel discussion of chefs at the BITAC convention luncheon of hotel operators this afternoon at Encore. The downstairs Cafe continues to operate and is going great guns from our recent drive-bys of the place.

Rick “Sustainable Fish Man” Moonen” assures us that the upstairs, more formal operation is only on temporary hiatus until things loosen up, and he and Sobel will be pouring their hearts into the bar menu (upstairs) and keeping the Cafe humming along. (ELV regrets the wording of his original post that may have misled readers into thinking the entire operation had shut down.)

The good news is uber-chef Adam Sobel is now on board there assisting uber-uber-chef Rick Moonen in both revising the downstairs RM Cafe menu, and eventually looking to put RM (upstairs) on the Michelin map where it belongs.

The bad news is that those looking for a dose of Moonen’s finely tuned, sustainable seafood may have to wait for a while.

More later.