Vegas Uncorked Bon Appétit Food and Wine Festival Begins Thursday

We haven’t mentioned the Vegas Uncorked F&WF in a while and, well, seems like a blink of the eye and it’s here already! Well, two days away: running May 8 thru 11, and featuring tons of chefs and myriad food tastings and competitions The event, officially the Second Annual Vegas Uncork’d: A Bon Appétit Epicurean Experience is billed as “a delicious and inspiring star-studded weekend is guaranteed to satisfy every craving when it comes to providing access to world-class chefs, sommeliers, great restaurant design, and Bon Appétit editors and contributors” and looking over the attendees and events it’s hard to disagree with that.

Among the celebrity chefs and foodies are event co-chair Wolfgang Puck who has six restaurants in Vegas, Bon Appétit Executive Chef and Iron Chef Cat Cora, Daniel Boulud, actress and vineyard owner Lorraine Bracco, Daniel Burke, Todd English, Hubert Keller, Michael Mina, Joel Robuchon, Guy Savoy, Kerry Simon, Susan Spicer, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and many others.

Among the many event highlights are: Shop Like a Chef workshop in which Wolfgang von Wieser and “Cat Cora share their expertise on how to get the most out of your organic markets.” Editor Lunch Series, one of which is “an intimate lunch with Barbara Fairchild and Sirio Maccioni, the famed restaurateur behind Osterio del Circo and the legendary Le Cirque in New York City, one of the world’s most celebrated destinations for luxurious dining. Meet the man behind the legend.”

One of the four Masters vs Rookies, Pro-Ams features Cat Cora emceeing, Barbara Fairchild, Alan Richman, Andrew Knowlton, and Bruce Seidel judging. Lorraine Bracco as honary sous chef and competing chefs Todd English and John Church. Or how about the Five Chef gala at the Bellagio where in five master chefs will be in one kitchen serving up the evening’s five-course banquet: Julian Serrano from Picasso, Todd English of Olives, Jean-Georges Vongerichten of Prime, star chef Michael Mina, and desserts by Jean-Philippe Maury.

And those are just three of dozens of inventive events during the four days here. Among others which we can’t even go into detail it would take up too much room here: the intimate Bellagio Editors-at-Lunch Series at Picasso, Le Cirque and Sensi, Cocktail Smackdowns, a decadent Grand Tasting at Caesars Palace, editor-hosted Star Chef Luncheon series at Wynn Las Vegas, A Tale of Five Chefs Gala at Bellagio, Midnight Blackjack and Midnight Poker at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Mother’s Day Brunch at Wynn.

Philadelphia’s Chefs, Food, Finally Getting the Attention They Merit

I’ve been working on this article for a week or so now. Funny thing, it started out as talking about two cities, Philadelphia in the US and Vancouver in Canada. Why? Because to me both are excellent food cities and yet both have not gotten the respect they deserve from the culinary world. So while different, they have much in common; additionally, I didn’t think I’d have enough to write on each city by themselves (again, why is that? From being ignored or underplayed in the food press.)

I’m a Philadelphian myself and it’s odd how, writing about this chef, that chef, this city, that city — heck I even did something on Beijing last month — yet I don’t get to write anything about Philly as it gets a bum wrap. So it has been very odd and thrilling to in the last week suddenly see Philly pop up in the press, multiple times and in outstanding ways. There’s Burke being named as one of the Best New Chefs of 2008 last week; and then chef Garces is up for a Beard award. Plus two Vetri eateries are up for Beard’s and then the dramatic development with Philly’s cooking patriarch, Perrier, just yesterday, I’m aflood (is that a word?) with things to write about all of a sudden! Ok, so, Vancouver, you get your own article later this week, for now, it’s Philadelphia’s time to shine.

Old Time meets the New Chefs

Go back just 10 years ago and a list of the top 10 restaurants in the U.S. would often have five in NYC, three in LA and one in Chicago and one in Philly (ususaly it was Georges Perrier’s Le Bec-Fin and probably also Le Circe). If it were a top 20, Philadelphia always had a mininum of three, and in some years 5 restaurants in the list. Now, people dismiss it. It’s like Baltimore’s problem being so close to D.C., except again, New York’s shadow falls deeper upon Philadelphia. And yet, look at the James Beard Awards Semi-Finalists and you’ll see six chefs and several restaurants. Look at the finalists and you see two restaurants and a chef.

What makes things even odder for Philadelphia is that is a big city (the fourth largest in the country) and casts it’s shadown over Atlantic City just sixty-some-odd miles southwest, and so when you put the combination of Philly and AC together, that should make for some mighty haute-cuisine power. Whethere Zagat or the snooty NY Times or whomever looks or overlooks it, the fact is, Philly’s reputation as a fine dining area is as good as ever and getting better.

Ripert’s Restaurant Opens in May

The biggest news is the arrival of superstar French chef Eric Ripert whose 10 Arts will be opening in May (May 10th to be exact) as part of the The Ritz-Carlton Hotel , just footsteps away from both City Hall and the Kimmel Arts Center. Ripert was named Best Chef by the James Beard Foundation and his New York City restaurant, Le Bernardin, has been recognized by the Zagat Guide as Best Food in the U.S. the past four years.

This year Philadelphia’s Osteria (Marc Vetri’s place) is up for Best New Restaurant in the country and another famous venue by the same owners, Vetri, is up for Outstanding Service Award. Jose Garces at Amada is considered one of the best rising-star chefs in the country — and in the running for a Beard Award — and he also has a Basque wine bar: Tinto. There are “destination restaurants” such as Fountain at the Four Seasons Hotel (a perennial Zagat’s number one favorite), Lacroix, Morimoto (opened by the Iron Chef who left it and went to NY and his protege is getting as high or higher marks without him), along with long-time staples as Stephen Starr’s Buddakan and the venerable Striped Bass. Smaller restaurants with up-and-coming chefs include James with chef James Burke — just named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs 2008 — and Xochitl by Dionicio Jimenez reflect only the tip of the fine-dining ‘berg.

And There’s Nearby Atlantic City

Toss in the star restaurants that have been added to Atlantic City’s Borgota Hotel, Casino and Spa between the last eight months and those coming in the next four and you have Bobby Flay’s Flay Steak, Wolfgang Puck’s American Grille, Michael Mina’s SeaBlue and Michael Schulson’s Japanese-pub reimagined, Izakaya, and there’s plenty of four- and five-star eating in and around the City of Brotherly Love.

One last word about Philly and it comes from no other than Food & Wine Editor in Chief, Dana Cowin who once slighted Philadelphia as not being a great food city. When she both re-examined her criteria and actually visited the city, she changed her mind — talking total 180! Two quotes worth noting from that article: “a series of scouting trips to Philadelphia showed her the true meaning of [food] greatness” and

I went to a BYOB called Marigold Kitchen and was amazed at the connection between chef Michael Solomonov (also ex-Vetri) and his customers. He got kisses of gratitude from old women, old men, young men…everyone, in fact. And then it dawned on me: The fantastic restaurants I’d visited had the pizzazz of a Starr production and the intimacy of a BYOB, with significantly more attention to the sophistication of the food and the professionalism of the staff.

These enormously satisfying, small new restaurants made me reconsider everything I’d thought about what makes a great food city. When I looked back at my seven criteria, I realized that Philly performed poorly in many categories, but it’s still an outstanding place to eat. The neighborhood restaurants, better than many of the top restaurants in smaller cities, allow you to have a good meal any day of the week—and to befriend the chef. Would the food scene be better if there were more fabulous destination restaurants? Perhaps. But birthdays and anniversaries come around only a few times a year. I love a city that inspires palates every day and brings a sense of fun to the adventure of eating out. Now, I’m planning to go back to Philadelphia for ravioli stuffed with mashed potatoes, pecorino and leeks at Melograno and a wood-fired pizza at Osteria. And it occurred to me: There are now more places I want to try in Philadelphia than in New York.

Still More Famous Chefs Slated for Upcoming Pebble Beach Festival

You recall my first mention here of the Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival roughly a dozen days ago. Well, with six more days left before it starts, there’s even more “big names” showing up for what has become (in just it’s first time ever) one of the biggest events ever.

Along with the previously mentioned names of Jacques Pepin, Mark Miller, Thomas Keller, Gary Danko, Charlie Trotter, Tom Colicchio, Ted Allen, Michel Richard, Susan Spicer, Josiah Citrin, Walter Manzke, Todd English, Hubert Keller, and Michael Mina coming to the event …

… Now also add: Cat Cora, Mark Miller, Ming Tsai, Masaharu Morimoto, Alain Passard, Claudine Pepin, and still several dozen more top chefs. Show starts this Thursday, March 27th through Sunday, March 30th. More details at the site.

Future Food Festival II: May’s Vegas Uncork’d

Vegas Uncork’d (May 8-11) brings together Bon Appetit Magazine, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and an exclusive group of Las Vegas resorts, including Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Lake Las Vegas, and Wynn Las Vegas, for four days of more than 25 events.

Wolfgang Puck will co-chair and oversee the weekend’s festivities, alongside Bon Appetit Editor-in-Chief, Barbara Fairchild. Wolfgang Puck was the first celebrity chef to make Las Vegas home, opening Spago at the Forum Shops in 1992. He now has six restaurants in the destination, including Chinois (Forum Shops), Postrio (The Venetian), Trattoria del Lupo (Mandalay Bay), Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill (MGM Grand), and CUT (The Palazzo).

Confirmed highlights of Vegas Uncork’d 2008 include: a Tale of Five Chefs Gala at Bellagio; a delicious weekend wrap-up brunch and a cocktail smack down at Wynn Las Vegas; and, the Grand Tasting and a Masters vs. Rookies Pro-Am cooking competition, both at Caesars Palace. The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will host an after-hours poker tournament, while an extraordinary evening of music at Lake Las Vegas Resort will kick off the resort’s Summer Concert Series. Bon Appetit Executive Chef and Iron Chef Cat Cora will also be participating.

Tickets for individual events range from $75 to $350, with comprehensive weekend packages available.

Darrin Bush/Las Vegas News Bureau

Pictured: Bottom row from left: Martin Heierling (Sensi), Tom Colicchio (Craftsteak), Kerry Simon (CatHouse), Bradley Ogden (Bradley Ogden), Susan Feniger (Border Grill), Carla Pellegrino (Rao’s), Richard Chen (Wing Lei), Julian Serrano (Picasso), Damien Dulas (Restaurant Guy Savoy). Middle row from left: Wolfgang Von Wieser (Bellagio), Paul Bartolotta (Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare), David Werly (Le Cirque), Agostino Sciandri (Ago), Alex Stratta (Alex), Mike Minor (Border Grill), Mary Sue Milliken (Border Grill), Michael Mina, David Walzog (SW Steakhouse), Anthony Amoroso (Michael Mina Bellagio). Back row from left: Wes Holton (Daniel Boulud Brasserie), Tom Moloney (Aquanox), Joseph Keller (Como Steakhouse), Robert Moore (Prime Steakhouse), Gregory Gorreau (Payard Patisserie & Bistro), Mark LoRusso (Tableau).

Future Food Festival I: Pebble Beach Food & Wine This Month

The first ever annual Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival boasts over 50 award-winning chefs, over 200 major wineries and many other gradiose claims, thing is, grandiose but apparently true. In short, this has become one super-sized event.

According to LA Eater:

The weekend is chock-full of wine tasting sessions, cooking demos (Jacques Pepin, Mark Miller, Thomas Keller, Gary Danko, Charlie Trotter, Tom Colicchio, Ted Allen, Michel Richard), lunches with the chefs (Susan Spicer, Josiah Citrin, Walter Manzke, Todd English, Hubert Keller, Michael Mina and many more), a walk-around tasting event each afternoon, plus some serious dinners and rare wine auctions. At least one must-do is the opening night reception on Thursday, March 27; if we golfed, we’d try to get there for the Celebrity Chef Golf Tourny that morning because we want to see Colicchio putt. And one thing has changed: Some proceeds will go to charity.

The whole shebang runs March 27-30, most events are priced individually ($100-$500; $165 for the walk-around event), some are only available with packages, and some are already sold out.