Iron Chef America – Battle Sturgeon – Viewing Party at Marche Bacchus

In the spirit of egotism, egoism, solipsism, vanity, pride, hubris, self-promotion and self-aggrandizement for which he is known, ELV hereby publicizes these snaps taken at last week’s ICA Viewing Party at Marche Bacchus. A good time was had by all as Emcee Robin (Lifestyles) Leach led the proceedings and NORM! (The Vegas Eye) Clarke took copious notes of everyone’s behavior (not really). Merci Beaucoup to Rhonda and Jeff Wyatt for hosting the event, and for the sturgeon stylings(?) of Chef Jean-David Groff Daudet.

Those four courses of sturgeon presented by Groff-Daudet were pretty much his swan song at the restaurant, as ELV has been informed he will be departing soon for another gig.

Bonne chance a notre ami Jean-David…and we can’t wait to taste what his successor: Jean-Paul Labadie will be whipping up at our favorite wine bar/wine store/restaurant.

FYI: The episode will be repeated tonight on Food Network.

YELLOWTAIL

SUSHI WE HARDLY KNEW YEE aka Sushi Jumps The Shark– Part Three

In this last of our 3-part series, we examine another nouveau sushi-sashimi enterprise, and find one that hews closer to the spirit of true sushi/sashimi than you might expect from a restaurant associated with a nightclub. Click here and here to read Parts One and Deux.

Yellowtail in the Bellagio is another creation from The Light Group – nightclub impresarios who now run six food and beverage outlets in that hotel alone – along with several others around town. Like the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, it runs a tight ship in all of its outposts, and rarely puts forth food that feels commercialized or by-the-numbers. Make no mistake, like Sushi Samba, this is a corporate food factory, designed and planned to the nines; calculated at every turn to appeal to the zeitgeist of how modern America eats. Also like Sushi Samba, it’s next door to a nightclub, so many of its customers are of that ilk.

Continue reading “YELLOWTAIL”