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| Photo: Frazer Harrison, Getty Images |
The finale of the show will be filmed in Napa, Bravo officials said Monday.
Be sure to check out Slashfood's latest recap of the series here.
Posts with tag LasVegas
'Top Chef Las Vegas' Finale to Be Filmed in Napa
The finale of the show will be filmed in Napa, Bravo officials said Monday.
Be sure to check out Slashfood's latest recap of the series here.
Top Chef Season Six Contestants Announced
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| Top Chef judges Toby, Padma, Tom and Gail. Photo: Bravo TV. |
The primary thing a bunch of these newbies have in common? Tattoos, big time. Click through the gallery and let us know if we're wrong. That's not to say we don't spy some serious contenders in the mix. Talent ranges from Michael Voltaggio, chef de cuisine of the buzzed-about José Andrés Bazaar in Los Angeles, to the innocuous-looking (but perhaps culinarily ferocious) Jesse Sandlin, one of the tattooed toques, who sports a flower in her hair.
Don't skip the video of our four judges, in which Gail declares, "I'm eating very well," and Padma asserts, "A few of these contestants have even taught Tom a thing or two." Hmm. We'll see.
Are you stoked about Top Chef Vegas -- or are you over it by now?
The Chairman's Dining Room
Frank Sinatra was a man who loved to dine. Indeed, he was many a restaurants' favorite patron, from the neighborhood pizzeria to more upscale spots. Additionally, his picture hangs in hundreds, probably thousands of places he never even set foot in because Sinatra means Italian food. The ultimate in Frank-revering restaurants has opened in the new Encore casino in Las Vegas, where Sinatra (Well, what would you call it?) is the first restaurant fully sanctioned by Ol' Blue Eyes' family. So sanctioned that it's bursting with enough memorabilia to stock a museum; not only photos, but gold records, Grammys and Frank's Best Supporting Actor award for From Here to Eternity grace the dining room, which puts a glossy, post-modern spin on Sinatra's signature Palm Beach style.
Heading up the kitchen is executive chef Theo Schoenegger (formerly of LA's Patina) whose Italian cuisine eschews red sauce and Mama Dolly's pasta for dishes possessed of a more minimalist elegance with a few simple, fresh ingredients applied to maximum effect. Order up a chairman-approved cocktail and toast the good life.
When Is a McDonald's Not a McDonald's?
The point of fast-food franchises is instant familiarity--every outlet serving the same food under the same sign in essentially the same building. But McDonald's has been messing with that paradigm, opening new restaurants that are hard to recognize as the home of Ronald and the Big Mac. Viva McDonald's recently opened on the Las Vegas Strip, tearing down a 25-year-old golden arches to rebuild a slick new restaurant. The arch is still there--at least one, anyway--stretched as a marquee above a row of 20-foot wide video screens. Inside, there's something of the Quonset hut design of a Chipotle, along with even more screens, all broadcasting McDonald's own in-house TV channel. You can even get a latte and use wi-fi!Not enough change for you? How about the McDonald's with no branding at all, not even the name. In Tokyo, the fast-food megalith has opened several small restaurants named, simply, Quarter Pounder. There's not an arch in sight--the black-and-red decor looks more like a bar or nightclub and even the wrappers are redesigned, streamlined and logo-free. However, don't get your hopes up about a chic new shame-based No-I-Am-Not-a-McDonald's: The stores are open as part of a promotion for the quarter pounder, which was not previously available in Japan.
Tiki Heaven - Frankie's Tiki Room
Tiki has long been a beloved sub-genre of American culture, revered by those who love retro, irony, carved wooden heads, eccentric glassware and powerful, fruity drinks. All these things come together at the tiki hourse of worship: The tiki bar. Yet tiki bars are few and far between, with many having been torn down or stripped of their grandeur--only a few beloved relics like San Francisco's Tonga Room, Los Angeles' Tiki Ti and Tuscon's Kon Tiki remain.
But there's a new tiki in a town that rides its own undercurrent of retro and irony. Las Vegas now hosts the planet's only 24-hour tiki bar: Frankie's Tiki Room, which offically opens today, December 4.
Frankie's is a lovingly crafted example of authentic tiki style, with woven palm thatching, carved wooden chairs and blowfish lamps, along with one-of-a-kind art and design by tiki titan Bosko and space-age bachelor pad painter Shag, among others.
But, of course, no tiki bar is a true tiki bar without an extensive selection of fruity, sugary, unexpectedly powerful drinks. The menu at Frankie's Tiki Hut goes all out, offering classic rum-and-pineapple tropical beverages like the Mai Tai and the Zombie made with original Don the Beachcomber recipes. There is also an abundance of specially-created cocktails like the Mojito-esque Bearded Clam, the clover-and-hazelnut spiced Jonas Grumby and the Bombora Blast, which combines 151-proof rum with guava-flavored energy drink. The menu categorizes drinks, with a rating of two to five skulls indicating strength, from pleasant libation to lethal concotion. Given the deceptively sweet nature of tiki drinks, it's a big help.
Burger invasion hits Las Vegas
Even before the plummeting economy bred the trend toward downscaling, the idea of the burger joint as a gourment restaurant was popular. However, it's hit Las Vegas in a big way, with two casinos introducing their high-end take on the American classic--BLT and LBS. I guess this initial thing is in fashion now too....
McDonald's buys product placement on Las Vegas morning news
These days, product placement (especially when it comes to food) is a fact of life. We all know that when one of our favorite television characters is holding a Coke or Pepsi product in an episode of their show, the company paid big bucks to get it there. Same goes for any mention of Kraft cheese, Cheerios cereal or Tropicana orange juice. We've come to expect this from scripted and reality TV shows (think about all the products on Big Brother or even Jon and Kate Plus Eight).
You'd like to think that the news is incorruptible, miles away from the allure of food companies offering pay for placement. Apparently, journalistic standards are a little looser in Las Vegas, where at Fox affiliate, KVVU, morning anchors now display plastic cups of McDonald's iced coffee on the podium, where a station-branded coffee mug used to sit. They hardly ever touch these cups, and the printed-on labels are angled for best viewing. The station readily admits that it's a sponsored promotion and defends the practice by saying that they cups don't come out until they start airing the lighter morning news at 7 a.m.
What do you think? Is it appropriate for food companies to get product placement on the news?
[via New York Times]
Vegas: Big money, big lights, big Brand steaks
When talking about steaks, I take the word "big" very seriously. I'm the girl who was raised on huge cuts of prime rib, and would be offended when waiters would challenge my 20+ ounce beef order. Still, the one thing that has always remained out of my reach was the epic, huge, "dare you to eat it all yourself" piece of steak. I so desperately want to take on that dare, so is it wrong of me to think that the 120-oz porterhouse for six that's being offered at the new Brand steakhouse in Las Vegas is perfect for just me?
Yes, steak fans, that is just one of the many steak offerings coming from the new restaurant, nestled on the Monte Carlo's casino floor. The menu, created by chef Brian Massie, boasts even more tasty steak options like an oversized, Bone-In and dry-aged Nebraska steak, Kobe short ribs and burgers, plus fish, sides, and appetizers like the delicious-sounding King Crab Scampi.
I'm bummed that this place wasn't around when I visited Las Vegas last year, but if any of you readers happen to check it out, let me know how it is. And if you're interested in more information, you can check out the press release after the jump.
Continue reading Vegas: Big money, big lights, big Brand steaks
No more canned green beans!
Out in Las Vegas, NV, a group of elementary school students were unhappy with the amount of canned green beans that the school cafeteria was serving them and decided to take action. Led by their teacher, they wrote polite letters to the cafeteria manager, expressing how they liked the food, with the exception of the green beans. Impressed by the letter-writing campaign, the food service department for the school district sent some staff members out to the school to conduct a mini taste-test, to see what the kids liked. Unfortunately, the district can only afford to serve a limited number of veggies, so the exercise is sort of moot. But at least they listened to the kids and showed that they respected their likes and dislikes. Here's to even more kids speaking out about their vegetables!
image by Marisa McClellan
Stuffed chicken wings at NYC's Chanto
The first time I tasted stuffed chicken wings was years ago at Lotus of Siam, the Thai spot in Las Vegas that many say is the best in the States. Needless to say their version was packed with an incendiary stuffing.
I forgot about this culinary wonder that ranks up there with the turducken as one of mankind's greatest achievements until the other week when I was dining with some friends at Chanto, a sleek Japanese restaurant and nightspot in lower Manhattan.
Glancing at the menu, I saw it, "Tebagyo: gyoza stuffed chicken wings with teriyaki sauce." I love a good gyoza and I'm quite fond of teba, or Japanese-style wings. Who needs mad food scientists and their shrimp as pasta, I mused as I pondered the wonder of chicken wing as pork dumpling that awaited.
When the pork-laden wings touched down on our table, they did not disappoint. The skin was lacquered with a delicious sauce. Cutting into them revealed a ring of chicken meat surrounding a savory filling of ground pork combined with scallions and other green bits. I guess pigs can fly after all.
Chanto, 133 Seventh Avenue South, (212) 463-8686
World's largest buffet
I've yet to find a Las Vegas buffet that I thought was truly good and offered sufficient variety. I've given up on
trying. But I'm pretty sure that a recent 510-item extravaganza held at the Hilton to wish Alka Seltzer a 75th birthday would fit the bill. Not that I would
haven be too happy about jostling at the carving station with the more than 850 people who turned out for the
buffet, which Guinness World Records has certified as the largest ever.George Bargisen, the hotel's executive chef, assembled an impresssive array of dishes, including salmon Wellington, fried alligator, Waldorf salad and crème brûlée. The spread was laid out on 500 feet of tables. No word on how much Alka Seltzer was given out.
[photo: AP/CNN]
What Can I Get You Folks? - Server Revenge
Reality-Show Celebrities Serve Up Chef Curtis Stone's 'Hundred-Dollar Burger'
Foods Celebrity Chefs Hate
