Vegas Uncork’d: Dinner Gala

While the guests were registering their presence, getting their assigned table and mingling about, drinks and hors-d’oeuvres were being served.

Local food critic (and lawyer) John Curtas emceed the event.

I was assigned a number to one of the dining tables at the gala.

Before each course was served, the chef gave a cooking demonstration of the dish, which kept the interest level high.

hot & cold blue fin toro, yuzu “au poivre”, asian greens

2007 pazo san mauro albarino, rias baixas, spain

michael mina

alaskan king crab, morel velouté, sweet peas spuma, spring pea tendrils

2005 selbach oster riesling kabinett, mosel, germany

todd english

roasted côtelette of quail, ragoût of green lentils du puy, lavender mustard, aged balsamic vinegar

2004 finca monasterio rioja, spain

julian serrano

beef tenderloin, grilled foie gras dumplings, miso-mustard butter

2005 gramercy cellars syrah, walla walla valley, washington

jean-georges vongerichten

sweet taste of bellagio

2002 château de fargues, sauternes, france

jean philippe maury

An adjacent room opened up and all sorts of desserts were waiting to be eaten. Talk about kids in a candy shop!

Although the Bon Appetit conference ended on Saturday night for me with that dinner gala, my vacation continued on into Sunday and Monday. At this point, a time to pause and ponder over what transpired those past three days in the merry month of May 2008 at Caesar’s, Bellagio, Wynn, et al.

Vegas Uncork’d: Sensi

And now for the entertainment portion of the conference: lunch at Sensi.


Host Alan Richman and chef Martin Heierling were doing an almost convincing “schtick as introduction” exchange of
each other’s biography, followed by a description of the luncheon menu. When the Wagyu course was described, I raised my hand to ask a question. Chef Martin referred to me as a Japanese man. I quickly corrected him and identified myself as Chinese. Laughter ensued. The chef replied, saying something like, “That wasn’t in the script!”

Lunch was going to be fun!

Crispy tempura Maine lobster
Malayasian mango slaw, umeboshi plum, sesame citrus soy dressing
Taittinger, cuvee prestige brut, Reims, France

Chinese sausage in the mango slaw? That’s incredible! A European-trained chef who knows the intricacies of Asian cuisine. His experiences over in New Zealand and Asia are noticeable.

Miso-glazed sea bass
Water spinach, lily bubs, lotus seeds & ginger foam
Lergenmüller Riesling “Schäwer”, Pfalz 2005

There was a sweetness when I tasted the sea bass. I definitely noticed the ginger. Chef Martin admitted later that he loves ginger.

Duo of Wagyu Kobe beef
Sugar-cured striploin, spring pea puree, baby porcini mushrooms, tamarind-braised shortrib,
pickled green mango & onion seed grits
Stella Artois

Yes, the beef was paired with a beer. I got to converse with representatives from Stella Artois. The talks were very informative to me. On this occasion, the beer was an acquired taste to me with the beef.

The Lemon drop
Soft meringue, citrus semifreddo, pineapple confit, mandarin jelly & raspberries

That lunch was really good. Martin Heierling is a very talented chef. I would go back and eat there again.

NB I went back and had lunch at Sensi in August 2008. The food was excellent!

Sensi
Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 693-7223

Vegas Uncork’d: Sweet Decadence workshop

Sweet Decadence, a Friday morning workshop with Jean-Philippe Maury of Bellagio, drew a very happy audience. Bon Appetit’s editor, Barbara Fairchild, hosted this delectable session. Chef Maury and his assistants demonstrated various pastry techniques to make one plated dessert.




The following components were created for this very delicious dessert:

Yuzu ice cream; Sweet dough; Streusel; Pastry cream; Almond cream; Lemon curd; Cream cheese chiboust; Blueberry sauce; Raspberry consomme.

The result was a warm blueberry cheesecake tart and yuzu raspberry dish on a customized plate.

The blueberry sauce surrounds the cheesecake tart, comprised of sweet cream, almond cream, lemon curd, and frozen chiboust.

The yuzu raspberry dish contains streusel, fresh raspberries and yuzu ice cream. This particular dish has an added feature: a decorative white chocolate dome over the ice cream. When the warm raspberry consomme is poured, the contrasting textures of melted and hard white chocolate, the ice cream, and the streusel are quite noticeable.