March 2014 Edition

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Issue 3 Volume 14

March 2014

CONTENTS

10

Cover Believe it or not, UNLVino is celebrating its 40th year to “Take a Sip

16 26

20

FEATURES for Scholarship.” Starting as the brain-child of UNLV Department of Hotel Administrations Dean Jerry Vallen and Southern Wine & Spirits Larry Ruvo, all proceeds go to the department’s students scholarships and events have grown and expanded to several different venues hare in Las Vegas. Book your tickets early, as most events sell out prior to the dates. You will thoroughly enjoy yourself and be supporting a very worthy cause! full story on page 20 Just when you thought you knew everything about bacon our own Chef Allen Asch gives you the meat, pork that is, on more bacon. Check it out and you will see what to look for in the bacon you are buying and other interesting facts you should know.

LVFNB’s friend and associate, Jessica Iannotti, deserves recognition as an aspiring student chef, avid volunteer, and mentor to younger student chefs, and is written up in this issue by our Rebecca Rajkowsky, where she does an in depth Q&A to learn more…

MARCH MEANS PROFESSIONAL FOOD & BEVERAGE SHOWS IN LAS VEGAS… And LVFNB will be at all of them covering their various events. Here is the list for your planning and you can see more info and websites on our Event Calendar.

March 23-26 Catersource Show March 24-26 Nightclub & Bar Show March 25-26 Int’l Restaurant Show March 25-27 Pizza Expo March 25 ACF Chefs Dinner-Meeting March 26-28 Amusement Expo March 29 ACF Chefs for Kids Dinner and Auction

Page 4 Hot Off the Grill!

Page 5 For the Love of the Craft Nectaly Mendoza Page 6 What’s Brewing?

27

Page 8 ASK DOCTOR SAKE… Sake was born in Japan, but why not beer?

Page9 Food For Thought: You may not like Chardonnay but you’ll love Chablis Page 10 Wine Talk Grieve Family/Double Eagle Winery

www.lvfnb.com

Page 15 Green Lit - by Ben Vaughn Page 16 Chef Talk Bacon Bits The Nth - The Ultimate Whisky Experience - April 2-5, 2014 Page 18 Nicole Brisson Page 20 COVER FEATURE UNLVino Celebrates 40 Years of Sips for Scholarship Page 23 Epicurean Corner

Page 12 What’s Cooking?

Michael Morton

The Pub at Monte Carlo Features Locally-brewed Joseph James at Its February Beer Dinner

Page 13 Buy this drink… if you have $5,000.

Page 24 Brett’s Vegas View

Page 14 Dining Out With the Harrises

Page 26 Jessica Iannotti – Volunteer Extraordinaire

Page 27 On the Edge With Al Mancini Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Las Vegas Hits Refresh: New Items Bring a Fresh Attitude to Its Coastal Menu Page 28 Chocolate, Wine… and Shopping?

How one man is taking over Las Vegas – one bite at a time Page 34 Product Spotlight: Major Products The NEAT Glass Page 30 Are “Sick Days” a Thing of the Past?

Page 31 St. Paddy’s Day Spirit at These Shamrock Places

Page 32 Industry Nightlife in Vegas Page 33 PHOTOS: Wirtz Beverage Oskar Blues Event PHOTOS: Champagne Soirée Page 36 Oscar’s Favorite Gin, Bombay Sapphire, Awarded Best Brand for National Performance.

PHOTOS: Southern Wine & Spirits’ Splash into the Season Page 37 PHOTOS: PBS’s Splendor in the Glass PHOTOS: CHAYO Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar Page 39 Events Advertiser Index

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 3

The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 1200 S TORREY PINES SUITE 172 Las Vegas, NV 89146 www.lvfnb.com

HOT OFF THE GRILL!

March 2014 Mike Fryer Editor-in-Chief Thank you for joining us in this issue of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional.

For any questions or comments please email mike@lvfnb.com

Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada presented its“Splash into the Season” event to introduce summerfriendly beverages to the ever growing Las Vegas summer market, including resort “Day Club” pools.

Hosted at the Lou Ruvo Brain Center, SWS served up its award-winning beers, wines and specialty cocktails to everyone’s delight! To complement the great drink presentation, local restaurants were brought in to introduce their menus and offer sample “bites” to attendees.

Chayo Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar celebrated its recent opening at The LINQ by treating invited media and guests to a sampling of the authentic Mexican fare by French trained Executive Chef Ernesto Zendejas.

Covering the festivities wereLVFNB’s Editorial Director Bob Barnes, Publisher Juanita Aiello and Beverage Editor Adam Rains.

Juanita Aiello Publisher & Creative Director juanita@lvfnb.com

Bob Barnes Editorial Director bob@lvfnb.com

Crystal Marie Brand Ambassador & Journalist crystal.marie@lvfnb.com

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville recently hosted LVFNB staff and associates to introduce some new and exciting items just added to their menu, including the launching of their new certified gluten-free items. Especially enjoyed by all was their margarita sampler, which included some great flavored margaritas including blueberry, pomegranate and watermelon. A moment was taken to pose for a quick shot with ACF Junior Chef Jessica Iannotti; LVFNB’s Editorin-Chief Mike Fryer and Publisher Juanita Aiello; and photographer Danette Chappell. More photos on page 27.

Adam Rains Beverage Editor adam.rains@lvfnb.com

In the What’s Brewing column in the February issue the reference to Sarah Johnson being the only female Certified Cicerone in the state of Nevada was incorrect: Chelsea Potts at Wirtz Beverage is also a Certified Cicerone in Nevada.

The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional corrects mistakes. Bring errors to our attention by emailing bob@lvfnb.com.

The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional welcomes letters to the editor. We are always striving to improve this publication and would like to know your comments and thoughts. Here’s your chance to be heard. Send your comments to info@lvfnb.com and they may be published in next month’s issue! @lvfnb NOTE: All submissions become the property of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional.

The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Pre-Press Technician Brandon Yan

Journalist & Photographer Joe Fogarty

Journalist Juanita Fryer

Journalist Brett’s Vegas View Jackie Brett

Journalist Shelley Stepanek

Journalist Food for Thought Les Kincaid

Journalists Scott & Elaine Harris

Journalist Mixology-ology Mitchell Wilburn

Journalist Ben Vaughn

Journalist Late Night Dining with Kim Kim Trevino

Journalist Ask Dr. Sake K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D.

Journalist Rebecca Rajkowski

Journalist Chef Talk Allen Asch

Journalist On the Edge With Al Mancini Al Mancini

Journalist Ryan Wieczorek

Journalist HR Insights Linda Bernstein

Journalist Green Restaurant Association Michael Oshman

Journalist Wine Talk Alice Swift

Journalist Epicurean Corner Victoria Pindrik

Journalist Mark Kelnhofer

Photographer Bill Bokelmann

Photographer Joe Urcioli

Photographer Danette Chappell

Photographer Rose Powell-Carver

4 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

www.lvfnb.com

For the Love of the Craft Nectaly Mendoza

By Adam Rains Adam has a passion for food, wine & spirits.

He has completed the BarSmarts program and is a Level 2 Sommelier. A supporter of farmers markets, his mantra with cocktails and food is “fresh is best.” His podcast, “Las Vegas Cocktail Weekly,” can be downloaded for free on iTunes. www.lasvegascocktailweekly.com

Photo by Adam Rains

Herbs & Rye and Nectaly Mendoza are synonymous with Vegas; they have woven themselves into an esteemed place in the tapestry of our Las Vegas pleasure culture.

Along with all the accolades, both city and nationwide, Nectaly has created something special and unique for his guests to experience and his employees to be a part of. In a town that is saturated with bars and restaurants, he has been able to use his passion to make something that is different, and even larger than himself.

Among our brotherhood of bartenders, and civilians alike, Nectaly and Herbs & Rye have reached a legendary status. On this breezy February day, I was very excited to be able to sit down with Nectaly.

How do you balance your passion and the an equal balance among both. But we didn’t bottom line (paying the bills)? want some place that was uppity, we wanted a comfortable place, like Cheers but with great Money comes and goes; if you base your business on making money, you’ve missed the food and phenomenal cocktails. point. You want to first and foremost follow up Who are people you look up to in the with what you want you do. If you can get paid industry? for what you want to do, you never work a day Everybody—my barbacks, my cooks, and my in your life. dishwashers—everyone has something you can As Dushan Zaric and Dev Johnson talked look up to. It’s not just for people who have about in the Employees Only event at Herbs accolades, but there are a lot of people that I & Rye, you’ve been able to create an ethos, respect for what they’ve accomplished. Tony and have garnered a lot of respect in the Abou-Ganim, first and foremost, along with community, and with your own crew. How Dale Degroff. One of the biggest people that have you developed this? Is there a secret moved my life most recently was Dushan Zaric. potion?

I was amazed that just being in the room with him even just for the first 20 minutes, had such There’s no secret potion. It’s just giving them an effect. the respect that they deserve. When you create your crew, you don’t want a bunch of dogs on Your favorite bar other than Herbs & Rye? leashes. You want people to walk beside you Velveteen Rabbit. Them girls get down over hand in hand. It’s not my job to preach to people, but I will teach the ear that wants to listen. At there; they are rock stars. They have my support 100 percent. In this industry there are a lot of the same time, I learn from them; it’s not a one way street. I teach them that we don’t just build egos and big personalities. You walk down there they don’t act like that. Before they sell you a customers, we build bonds, friendships, and drink, they welcome you, ask how are you doing, that we genuinely care. treat you like family, and that means a lot. But What was your inspiration for the concept? in reality, there’re not really bars that I go to At that time (before Herbs opened) if you but rather people I go see. Roger Gross, and the boys from Ramsay’s Pub are always good. I weren’t at the Bellagio, you couldn’t get a good also like to go see Jeremy from the DCR group. cocktail. Everywhere around the world I went, Where ever he’s at, you could be in an alley-way places either had really good kitchens and bad bars, or the complete opposite; we wanted to and still have a good time. You know, drinking is like a conversation, enjoy it for the moment, do something different. Herbs represents the kitchen and Rye represents the bar. We wanted but you have to remember it for a lifetime.

www.lvfnb.com

I know that it is hard to imagine a life without Herbs & Rye, but what would you be doing if you didn’t own Herbs & Rye? In jail. I’ve always said, that I work behind bars to stay out from behind bars.

What can you say about the clubhouse? and the regulators…? Or are you allowed to say??

It was a group of people that started with the struggle of Herbs. There are a selected few in the industry. It’s a bond of brothers who do good and very bad things, and we’ll just leave it at that!

Your bar has become the spot for all mixologists in the city. That must be really gratifying?

We appreciate it and love it. What we like more is that we’re not cocky about it. People come here for a good cocktail but also because we are friends. With us, titles are out the door.

People come here and understand that they are part of something. If they are having a tough time, or want to celebrate, this is a place they can call home. Even if they’re not the owners, they feel like they own it. It’s one of our keys to our success. They are just not here for a great cocktail, it’s an experience. You come to Herbs and Rye, and you wonder what’s going to happen. What am I going to get into? I’m the owner and every night I don’t know what’s going to happen!

It’s a beautiful thing! Cheers and we’ll see you at Herbs!

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 5

By Bob Barnes

what’s Photo by Joe Urcioli

BREWING? GM Jeff Urbanski and Chef Chris Sailer

Shakespeare’s Pub Promoting Local Beer It used to be pubs and restaurants with a quality craft beer list were few and far between in Henderson. And, while it still lags behind the big city it sits in the shadow of, there are a handful of watering holes with upwards of 100 brews or more worthy of stopping in at, including BJ’s Brewhouse, Fireside, High Scores, Khoury’s and my latest find, Shakespeare’s Grille & Pub. The only English pub within several miles, what’s also noteworthy is its devotion to promoting local beer. During my recent visit I found locallybrewed Big Dog’s Double Down Under Double IPA; Joseph James Mother of Quad, Magic Sticke and Citra Rye Pale Ale; and Tenaya Creek Jackalope Barleywine, Hop Ride and Tandem among its 20 taps and more than 100 bottles.

Las Vegas native General Manager Jeff Urbanski honed his beer chops managing the Nellis Aces & Ales before coming over to further expand the already expansive beer list. Jeff said, “We want this to be the local beer place. We just had a beer release party for Joseph James Mother of Quad and will have a local tap takeover on March 13.”

Further beer inspiration comes from the kitchen, where Chef Chris Sailer, who previously cooked

Bob Barnes is a native Las Vegan, editorial director of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional, regional correspondent for Celebrator Beer News and covers the LV restaurant scene for Gayot. com. He welcomes your inquiries.

Email: bob@lvfnb.com

with beer at High Scores, is continuing the same practice at his new digs at Shakespeare’s. Chef says, “I marinate our steaks and wings with beer and our Fish & Chips is battered with locallybrewed Joseph James Citra Rye Pale Ale.” Chef also noted that this dish is their best seller, not surprising as the portion size is enough to feed at least two—three humongous cod each the size of Rhode Island and a plate loaded with cole slaw and potato logs. (I call them logs for good reason, which you’ll agree once you see them.) Chef also uses the Citra Rye in his Cheesecake Sundae, a deep fried flour tortilla loaded with cheesecake, caramel ale sauce and ice cream. Sticking true to English pub cuisine, Chef has created a Scottish egg—egg wrapped in sausage dipped in panko and served with a horseradish mayo.

There’re lots of reasons to show up here, with free live stand up open mic comedy on Monday nights (with $4 Sierra Nevada pints), Pub Quiz on Tues. & Wed., Karaoke on Fri., live music on Sat. and happy hour M-F from 3:30-6:30 offering $5 apps and $1 off craft beer. Another plus is the Pub is non-smoking.

790 Coronado Center Dr, Henderson, NV 89052 (702) 837-7900 www.shakespeares-pub.com

There’s More Than One Female Certified Civerone in Nevada

In the February issue I incorrectly stated that Sarah Johnson is the only certified cicerone in Nevada. I have since learned that Chelsea Potts is also a Certified Cicerone, having earned her certification in November, 2013. Chelsea is Sales Consultant for the On Premise Beer Division with Wirtz Beverage Nevada.

Chelsea Potts - Certified Cicerone since Nov 2013

Beer Tip of the Month This month’s beer tip comes from Matt Marino, Director of Brewing Operations for Joseph James Brewing Co. in Henderson, NV. Matt graduated from Basic High School in Henderson and has been brewing professionally for 14 years at Uinta Brewing in Salt Lake City; and in Southern Nevada at 777 Brewpub at Main Street Station, Big Dog’s Brewing and now at Joseph James.

Drink Local!

Beer drinkers have more choices than at any time in history. And while it is amazing to be able to drink beer from Belgium, Vermont or Michigan, I would challenge you to first seek out all the beers brewed in your own backyard. In Las Vegas you can find outstanding medal-winning Belgian Style Ales at Chicago Brewing Co., legendary Imperial IPAs at Big Dog’s, a perfect Pilsner at Tenaya Creek and experimental styles at Triple Seven. Joseph James’s Citra Rye Pale Ale recently won two medals in its first 6 months of production. And don’t forget Banger Brewing, downtown Las Vegas’s newest brewery!

6 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

What’s Hoppening in March BJ’s beer dinner featuring American IPAs…7 p.m… @Centennial location March 3; @Henderson & Summerlin March 10… www.bjsrestaurants.com/ beerdinners Brew’s Best Hand-Crafted Beer Festival @Lake Las Vegas… March 8…2-6 p.m…

90-100 beers…http://brewsbestlv.com.

Local Beer Tap Takeover @ Shakespeare’s Pub… March 13…5 p.m… www.shakespeares-pub.com Beer dinner at Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro @Palazzo featuring Stone Brewing…7 p.m…morelslv.com The Pub @Monte Carlo monthly beer dinner featuring Green Flash Brewing…

March 19…6:30 p.m… www.montecarlo. com/BeerSeries Beer dinner at Naked City Pizza exclusively featuring local craft beers…

March 19…8 p.m…4608 Paradise Rd… 702-722-2241.

2nd Annual Boulder City Beerfest at Wilbur Square Park… March 29…1-7 p.m…20+ beer tents and 5 food trucks… bouldercitybeerfestival.com

Brewery Spotlight Big Dog’s Brewing Company Brewmaster Dave Otto can always be counted on to bless us with a bevy of beer styles. Dave says he has several cool beers coming out that will be Brewmaster Dave Otto available throughout March, including his War Dog Imperial IPA; Lake Mead Monster Double Red; Peace, Love, and Hoppiness Pale Ale; Sled Dog Imperial Stout; Bourbon Barrel Sled Dog; and El Perro Diablo Belgian-style Strong Golden Ale. Stop in at the brewery at the Draft House at Rancho and Craig Rd. to see Dave in action or to view a list of more than 150 restaurants, pubs and retail locations in Southern Nevada where you can find Big Dog’s brews, go to www.bigdogsbrews. com/find.

As always, great beer happens in Vegas! www.lvfnb.com

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By K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D.

ASK DOCTOR SAKE‌

Sake was born in Japan, but why not beer?

Each civilization created its own alcohol beverage based on an available raw material as well as climate. Wine started from grapes in the northern Middle East west-bounding to Greek and Roman territories where western civilization was nurtured. Beer started from barley also in the Middle East spreading to Egypt to build gigantic pyramids and to northern Europe. Barley and grapes grow in relatively dry regions. Sake and similar alcohol beverages started from rice in wet areas like Southeast Asia. Japan is one of the areas, located in a semitropical monsoon region at the eastern edge of Asia where plenty of rain falls in rice growing season. FYI, distillates or spirits like whiskey, rum or vodka came much later when people learned about the concentration of alcohol through distillation.

The major difference among these beverages is that grapes contain sugars, while barley or rice has starch to be converted into sugars as mentioned repeatedly here. In a generalized technical sense, wine is an easier beverage

Mike Masuyama is a bi-cultural science-technology-business consultant.

He earned a Ph.D. in Food Science at Cornell University, is involved in teaching, research and business in major-beer, micro-beer, soft drinks, sake and food areas both in Japan and the US., and has published several books and dozens of articles.

to make because grapes contain sugar to be fermented and yeast comes from a grapegrowing environment. It is a matter of squeezing juice from grapes to leave for a while, though wine people claim much sophistication in a modern processing. Not like grapes or fruits, barley or rice does not contain sugars readily available to fermentation by yeast. Starch is a conjugated or chained form of sugars, which should be de-chained by the function of enzymes, called amylases, to sugars. Once dechained, yeast can ferment sugars from barley or rice to make beer or sake, respectively. In this nature, sake is closer to beer than wine. Early people noticed long chewing of grains in the mouth brought a sweet taste. The current science reveals it is due to the amylase function in saliva.

The chewed grains were spit into a pot leaving for fermentation with natural yeast flora to make an alcohol beverage. Such a primitive alcoholic beverage was found even in some indigenous tribes not so long ago. People in the beer origin region found the enzyme function in germinated

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barley, malt. People in the sake origin region, on the other hand, learned it in fungi growing all over in such damp, muggy weather. Such a fungal microorganism is called Koji, a kind of black mold, being used for soy sauce, miso or many fermented foods in Asia. Thus sake has become a product of the rice farming country with a humid environment.

Barley is also cultivated in Japan as a winter crop. Barley is seeded in drained rice fields after rice harvest, and cultivated and harvested before the next rice farming cycle. However, it is a minor crop for substituting or supplementing rice. People in Japan knew about germinated rice or barley for sweetening grains to make candies, but it was never used to make beer.

There is an alcohol beverage called Barley Shochu which uses Koji, yeast fermentation and distillation, but no malt.

The Portuguese came to Japan as the first westerner in 1541 with wine but not beer. The Dutch became an exclusive trading partner after the Portuguese were expelled for religious reasons in the late 17th century. They brought beer, which was the first encounter with beer.

At that time beer received no interest because of its bitter taste. Once Japan opened the closed door to the west in the late 19th century, however, beer gained popularity and after about 150 years has become the number one alcohol beverage today. Sake gradually lost the long, long holding of first place. Such a turn must be due to the nature or taste of these beverages.

The effervescent nature of beer appears more appealing to quench the thirst of people in modern, active living circumstances. The bitter taste of beer also promotes refreshment.

Furthermore, beer has lower alcohol content enabling one to drink a lot and longer. Sake, on the other hand, has been in the losing battle in the changing lifestyles in Japan. Sake was born from rice and beer was not from barley in Japan, but beer from barley surpasses sake from rice today. To regain the national top spot, sake may need diversification to meet the taste and drinking style particularly of young people.

Hints may lie in sake drinking in the US. Mixing sake with beer, sake bomber, might not be a joke for the next product development, but it would be more than hated by the traditional sake brewers.

Kanpai or Cheers with sake or beer.

8 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

www.lvfnb.com

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

By Les Kincaid

You may not like Chardonnay but you’ll love Chablis

Les Kincaid is a food, wine, and golf expert and cookbook author. He hosts a nationally syndicated wine radio show each Thursday from 7 to 8 pm. You can enjoy his website or his broadcast at www.leskincaid.com les@leskincaid.com www.facebook.com/leskincaid www.twitter.com/leskincaid

As soon as a wine professional hears this from a customer: “I don’t like chardonnay, too buttery, too much oak,” it’s the perfect opportunity to introduce Chablis. This classic Burgundian white offers a fresh, steely profile that manages to change minds, even with the delightful irony that Chablis is made with the chardonnay grape. The customer probably doesn’t have a quarrel with the grape, but with how New World winemaker’s barrel-ferment in new oak or overuse oak chips.

Sommeliers and retailers agree that Chablis and seafood of every stripe is a match made in heaven.

Chablis is the truest expression of Chardonnay; it’s a wine with a sense of the best chardonnay in the region that grows on sun-catching, southwestfacing slopes with Kimmeridgean soil underlying the best vineyards.

In some, fossilized oyster shells are in the limestone and clay, deposited millions of years ago when the land was an ancient sea bed. Could this be a reason why these pours are so delicious with shellfish?

Chances are good that Chablis paired with seafood will be on the docket. And if a $42 Chablis premier cru is out of your finance range, try a $15 La Chablisienne “Pas Si Petit” Petit Chablis 2011 (a category grown in less prestigious vineyards, but quite nice from this producer).

Results show in a suggested glass of Domain Christian Moreau Chablis 2011, an elegantly structured wine with refreshing acidity, pear and citrus notes, and tasting unmistakably of the region’s mineral aroma and tang. Restaurant general managers typically explain that these

crisp whites show off the oysters’ “merroir” (a play on the word “terroir”).

For a splurge come summer, I certainly recommend a Chablis grand cru with lobster dipped in unsalted butter. This top-level of Chablis is matured in oak -- but artfully so, lending dimension and richness.

So you’ll love Chablis, and you may also learn that you love Chardonnay lightly aged in oak -- just done the right way. Back in the late 80s American winemakers thought that the more oak the better and at the time the French laughed at us for over oaking our Chardonnay. The French never oak Chardonnay, or at least very very little.

Today is not uncommon for American winemakers to use little or no oak on Chardonnay and sommeliers and retailers love it that way too.

Les Kincaid

Les Kincaid hosts his weekly Wines Du Jour Radio/Television show on Thursday evenings. To be an invited guest to a local upscale restaurant to discover wines and food paired together on this national syndicated show email les@leskincaid.com and ask to be added to the opt-in list. Each week invitations are sent with complete information for the following Thursday’s broadcast. The first to RSVP will have a seat, which are limited to the size of the venue. You are expected to arrive at the designated upscale restaurant at about 6:30 p.m. and the program is broadcast “LIVE” from 7 to 8 p.m.

There is a minimal cost of just $25.00 per person to help cover communication expenses. Each week a winery (from anywhere around the world) is featured and three of its varietals. The restaurant pairs some of its cuisine to taste with the wines, and the pairing and other information is discussed.

There is an invited guest from the winery (such as the owner, winemaker, sommelier or representative) to offer to the audience what they are all about.

The restaurant owner, chef or representative also discusses the restaurant and its cuisine, ambiance, etc. A FUN time is had by all. The program has been broadcast each Thursday for well over twelve years and the audience from around the world keeps getting bigger.

Braised Chicken with Tomatoes & Olives 1 pound tomatoes (3 to 4 medium), cut into wedges 1 large onion, cut into wedges, leaving root ends intact 1/2 cup drained brine-cured black olives, pitted if desired 4 large garlic cloves, sliced, plus 1 teaspoon minced ½ teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 teaspoons Herb’s de Provence, divided 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds) Garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat convection oven to 400 degrees F or regular oven to 425 degrees F. Place rack in middle of oven. Toss together tomatoes, onion, olives, sliced garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon Herb’s de Provence, fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 13- by 9-inch or other 3-quart shallow baking dish. Push vegetables to sides of dish to make room for chicken.

Stir together minced garlic, salt, black pepper, remaining teaspoon Herb’s de Provence, and remaining tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.

Remove excess fat from chicken and pat dry, then rub inside and out with seasoning mixture. Tie legs together with kitchen string, then put chicken in baking dish.

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 165-170 degrees F., about 1 hour in convection oven: 1 to 1 1/4 hours in regular oven. Will continue to cook for about 5 minutes longer.

Allow chicken to rest about 10 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables and pan juices. Serve with Chablis lightly chilled. www.lvfnb.com

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 9

Wine Talk with Alice Swift

By Alice Swift Alice Swift has been a resident of Las Vegas since July, 2011, and is currently an instructor as well as a Ph.D. student at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration. She also works as Senior Learning Design Consultant for MGM Resorts University. Check out her website at www.aliceswift.com for the dish on wine, technology, or even both! She is happy to take suggestions for article topics or inquiries.

Email: alice@lvfnb.com

Grieve Family/Double Eagle Winery Interview with Vance Rose “I am a winemaker and cork vendor by day and a chef by night.”

– Vance Rose, Partner and Winemaker, Grieve Family Winery/Double Photos by Alice Swift

Eagle Winery

Vance Rose - Grieve Sauvignon Blanc

On January 15th I went to Piero’s Italian Restaurant, most well-known for being in the movie Casino, as well as having well-known guests, such as Jerry Tarkanian, whom I was able to photograph with Mr. Freddie Glusman, the owner. I was there to interview Mr. Vance Rose, partner and winemaker for Grieve Family Winery and Double Eagle Winery, and you get to read all about it!

There are many things that make Grieve Family Winery and Double Eagle Winery unique. For one, the location of Lovall [“Love-ull”] Valley is technically in Napa, but you can only get to it from Sonoma. According to Rose, “It is an elevated, secluded little bowl, and cold air sinks, so it has no way to run out of that bowl.

It’s the coldest area in all of Napa to grow grapes, and the only place equal to it in Sonoma is the extreme Sonoma Coast.”

There are two varietals grown in Lovall Valley: Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. The estate wines are made by Grieve Family Winery, while the blended wines are made under Double Eagle Winery.

The Grieve Sauvignon Blanc is quite complex and labor intensive, and Rose definitely gives it great “tender loving care.” The vineyards rows face east-west, therefore sun exposure is not even.

Rose is not the biggest fan of pyrazine flavors (green bell peppers, jalapenos, herbaceous), and tries to eliminate them. To do so, they doublefarm the vineyard, and it is always very low yielding, never more than two and a half tons to an acre.

That’s not all! After double-farming, each of the picks is made in five different ways, resulting in ten different cuvees. Rose explains, “We ferment some in stainless steel tanks, we ferment some in new barrels, we ferment some in once used barrels, and then we take some of the stainless steel fermented wines down to new oak and once used oaks.”

This combination of very low yielding vineyard, double-farming, double-picking, and ten different cuvees may be labor intensive and an expensive way to go about making Sauvignon Blanc, but the resulting wine is fantastic, wellbalanced, and quite complex. To top it all off, the Sauvignon Blanc grown in the Lovall Valley region is from the rare Clone 3 species, rather than the majority-grown Clone 2, so much so that it has been dubbed “The Lost Clone.” Rose states that “It’s a more exotic flavored Sauvignon Blanc.

It’s a little bit towards Sauvignon Musquet, but not all the way. It doesn’t have that typical grassy character that a lot of the Clone 2’s have.” The wine itself is very complex, without one aroma/ flavor dominating. Lemongrass, grapefruit peel, kumquat, kiwi, honeydew melon, jasmine, even a bay laurel character are just some of the aromas and flavors that I confirmed during our interview, with a balance of sharp acidity.

How did you end up partnering with David Grieve?

Owner-Freddie Glusman and Jerry Tarkanian

10 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

I’ve been in the wine business for 33 years; I’ve been a retailer, a wholesaler, done most every winery job: sales, marketing, management, winemaking, and ownership.

We have a mutual friend who introduced us some years back, and David would tell me when I would see him, “I have the best Sauvignon Blanc in America.” I would say, without knowing, mind you, “No you don’t, you’re just a commercial real estate guy, what do you know.” One day, he took me to the vineyard, and we tasted every wine made from the vineyard, and I said, “I think you have the best Sauvignon Blanc in America, let’s make it!” That was the summer of 2008, when we started making the Sauvignon Blanc. www.lvfnb.com

Wine Talk with Alice Swift – Grieve Family/Double Eagle Winery So that’s where the name Grieve comes from.

I’d add my name, but everybody thinks it should have an accent on the ‘e,’ [making it Rosé], so that’s why the bottle has his name instead.

Is Grieve Winery open to the public?

We do tour and tasting by appointment.

People call me all the time, and I take them up to the vineyard, we go through the vineyard, and we taste wine, and, you know, we’re so small, and we’re a little out of the way, with one road to and from the winery, with no one around us. There are other vineyards, but no other wineries. We always get up there and taste older vintages and everything. We have a good time when people come to visit us!

Where did the name Double Eagle come from?

We originally thought the Sauvignon Blanc was all we’re gonna do. But we had Merlot grapes in the vineyard that we were selling off at the time, and David asked me, “Why don’t you make a little bit of red for you and me to drink?” So I made 98 cases of it, with no label or capsule. He liked it, so he started giving it away to his buddies. His buddies said, “Wow this is good! Can we buy it?” So we got together and thought, “Well okay, we can put a label on it, put a capsule on it.”

[But,] since it wasn’t all estate (CabernetMerlot blend), we didn’t want to call it Grieve, so David decided on the name Double Eagle. David is a very good golfer, and I’m a golfer—there’s a distinction! [Then] I said, “David, I put a paper label on every wine I’ve ever made; let’s do something different.”

So he came up with the idea of leather; now we have the leather etched and handapplied, usually by my wife, my kids, and his kids, and we also hand dip the capsules [in wax]. So that’s how Double Eagle was born.

What makes your Sauvignon Blanc so unique?

We do a bit of a Yin and Yang thing. With the early pick, we can pick for that really bright acidity, lifting of the aromatics. We then go into the vineyard; we pull the leaves on the south side, allowing the sun to get through to the north side, and it gets rid of all the pyrazines, and ripens it up more, and usually about three weeks later, we pick the north side. In this second pick, we can pick for bigger body, a little more fruit character in it. When we blend it together, we can decide how much Yin and how much Yang we want.

[The ratio] does differ every year; there’s no formula to this madness.

wine every chance to be that, and we would love to endeavor to make one of the greatest Sauvignon Blancs in the United States.

Do you have professions other than wine making?

Yes! I do three things in my professional life.

One is a partner in Grieve Family Winery and winemaker; I also run the sales and marketing end of a cork company (Amorim), selling cork to wineries throughout North America. I’m also a chef, and I do underground and pop up dining, ninecourse, seven wines, $125-$150 dinners, generally in the Napa/Sonoma area. I do some out of the area, [like] in Texas, Iowa, places around the country, [but] I’ve never done one in Las Vegas. I should! The website is: www.dujourdining.com to sign up for the email list.

Any fun fact about yourself that no one else knows?

One fun fact about me is that I have made one wine for each of my two grandchildren.

My grandson (9 years old) has worked in the vineyard with me, and helped me make wine.

So I asked him, “Blake, what do you want to name the wine?” He had this favorite dive, and would dive into the pool, doing a big “X,” so he got nicknamed “The Flying Squirrel.”

Some friends of ours started calling him “The Flying Squirrel,” so he decided to name the wine “The Flying Squirrel.” So, I made a small lot of Pinot Noir called Blake’s Flying Squirrel. I also have a granddaughter named Tatum, and I made a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir called Tatum’s Folly for her. She is 5, and she was 3 when I made that wine.

Thank you, and stay tuned next month for a special article dedicated to one of my favorite dessert wines and regions, Tokaji from Hungary, and an exclusive interview with Mr. Ben Howkins, one of the original founders of Royal Tokaji.

Until next month, Cheers~!

Alice

We don’t wanna be anybody else; we’re small enough so we don’t have to bottle a trend, where we don’t have to try to be in the mainstream. We can kinda do our own thing.

We like to make wines that we like, and that way, if nobody else buys it or drinks it, then we can drink it! So that works out pretty well for us.

I believe, and my partner David Grieve firmly believes, that we have the best Sauvignon Blanc in America, and we want to give that www.lvfnb.com

Grieve and Double Eagle Winery

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 11

By Bob Barnes Bob Barnes is a native Las Vegan, editorial

WHAT’S COOKING? Michael Morton

director of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional, regional correspondent for Celebrator Beer News and covers the LV restaurant scene for Gayot.com. He welcomes your inquiries.Email: bob@lvfnb.com

The Morton name brings to mind a legacy of iconic names that includes Morton’s Steakhouse (founded by Arnie Morton) and Hard Rock Café and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (founded by Peter Morton). Las Vegas resident Michael Morton has placed his own mark on the landscape of Las Vegas through his founding of the N9NE Group and recently La Cave at Wynn Las Vegas, La Comida at 6th and Fremont and Crush at the MGM Grand. I had Photo by Bryan Hainer

the pleasure to enjoy lunch with Michael at La Comida, during which he spoke about his latest Vegas restaurant concepts, and how growing up in the family businesses shaped his ethics and entrepreneurship.

Would you say that being an entrepreneur What insights did you gain from your father’s and restaurateur is in your family’s blood? experience and what influence have they had My dad and brother have been a tremendous in shaping your ideas? success, and all of us have maintained a Dad definitely shaped me. He was a straight career. My sister Amy has Found Kitchen, forward honorable man. I most admired his which is the hottest restaurant in Chicago crazy common sense. He said business is right now; and my younger brother David, 90% common sense and 10% having a good after a stint as a trader, has successfully eye. He passed away in 2005 and I really launched several restaurants, including miss him. I learned all the basics working for DMK in Chicago.

Morton’s and the company’s values.

What was it like growing up in a family You currently own and operate La Cave Food entrenched in building restaurant empires? & Wine Hideaway at the Wynn, La Comida We lived it. I worked every position, including at 6th and Fremont and Crush at the MGM washing floors and bussing tables. My dad Grand. Tell us a little about these three opened the majority of the Playboy hotels concepts. and clubs from 1959-1974 and knew Hugh They’re three very totally different places Hefner, so being around that was a lot of in design. We’re so proud of La Cave; it’s a fun. Dad also founded the Chicago Fest (now jewel, one of the best things we’ve ever done. renamed Taste of Chicago), which I worked in It’s very accessible, love the space and there’s my late teens and early 20s. I had a love/hate nothing like being at the Wynn. relationship with it—two weeks of intense At La Comida, sitting in the restaurant with hard work, but very rewarding at the end of the window open to the street, watching the day, seeing how many were served. cars go by, it feels like being in the city.

What brought you to Las Vegas and how do It’s a happy place. There’s no more positive you like living here? experience than enjoying Mexican food. We I had a nightclub called Drink and Eat have a long commitment to downtown, and in Chicago. When my brother Peter was Tony Hsieh is our biggest partner, part owner building the Hard Rock Hotel he encouraged and biggest supporter. Being with Tony is like me to open a second location of Drink in Las being with Steve Wynn. Tony’s at the top rung Vegas. We found there wasn’t a real nightclub of the business world downtown. in town, so in May of 1995 we opened Drink Crush is our newest baby born in December. at Harmon and Koval. It was very successful.

It feels good, the space is playing out very We’d have limos dropping people off from the Strip every night. I’ve now lived in Las Vegas well and it’s a phenomenal location. We’re full time for 11 years and love living here... excited about the future there and there’s a love the desert, blue skies and great weather. lot going on at the MGM right now.

12 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

You have a true star in your Executive Chef Billy DeMarco. How did your relationship with Chef DeMarco come about?

When we were opening La Cave, Billy was running The Buffet at the Wynn for Corporate Executive Chef David Snyder. We met him through the folks at the Wynn and wanted someone familiar with the property. The Wynn allowed us to take him and he’s now my main man, and a good man. He’s terrific and we work well together. We’re knee deep in it together and he’s good at understanding what I want to do.

Tell us about working with your wife Jenna.

We call Jenna “The Professor” because she’s very smart. She does the tough stuff, all the writing proofs, the crucial work and is involved in all areas of the business. We make a good team, Jenna, me and Billy.

What’s on the horizon for you and Jenna?

We opened La Cave in December of 2010, La Comida in May of 2013 and Crush in December, 2013, so we opened them all pretty quickly. We don’t want to be the biggest, but just want to focus on the three restaurants and let the dust settle. This will make our kids happy because they’ll get to see more of us.

What are your interests, things you like to do when not working?

I like to exercise and I work out every day.

I rotate running, biking, tennis, going to the gym, doing weights and cardio. I golf once in a while, but it takes so much time. I mostly enjoy spending time with my kids, who are 12, 11 and 8 years old. www.lvfnb.com

By Rob Kachelriess

Buy this drink…

Rob Kachelriess has been roaming around Las Vegas since early 2012… and has decided that officially makes him a local. He is a News Producer for KVVU Fox5 and the Las Vegas writer for Thrillist. To say hello or offer him money for random freelance assignments, send an email to robertkachelriess@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter @rkachelriess

if you have $5,000.

The nightclub known as XS can’t help but live up to its name with a wild party atmosphere, big name DJs and Photo: Danny Mahoney/XS Las Vegas

decorations showcasing more gold than Fort Knox. Now it’s time to dig deep in your pockets because Wynn Encore’s top spot has a new cocktail and it costs (ready for this?) five… thousand… dollars.

Here’s what you get with The Five Star…

A blend of exceptionally expensive liquors which include Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6, Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23-year, Martini Gran Lusso 150th Anniversary Vermouth, D.O.M. Benedictine “Black Monk” 500th Anniversary Edition along with Peychaud’s Bitters, Angostura Bitters and garnished with flamed orange oils. (Whew!) The drink is made tableside by a bartender (although you may want to toss in the “mixologist” title for this one) and served on a gold tray.

It probably tastes awesome… and the whole production looks cool as all hell… but is it really worth five grand?

Here’s a few other ways you can spend the same amount of cash in Las Vegas.

33 tickets to see the “Britney Spears: Piece of Me” show at Planet Hollywood. That’s for the Wikimedia Commons

250 lap dances at Crazy Horse 3 or one of the other finer gentlemen’s establishments in Las Vegas. Pay attention to when a new song begins.

Otherwise, that $5,000 will be gone before you know it.

4,950 margaritas from the Station Casinos house bars.

Erik Kabik

www.lvfnb.com

156 Flat Iron Steaks at the Gordon Ramsay Pub and Grill inside Caesars Palace. Eat them all at the same time to get a month’s worth of protein in one dinner.

50 treatments from REVIV at the MGM Grand that

will deliver vitamins and antioxidants to your body via IV drip. If you’re not afraid of needles, it may be just the right thing to cure your hangover after a long night of partying (or buying expensive drinks at XS).

Eric Ita

on the Strip at 15 inches long and 6 inches wide. We’ll take their word that it adds up to 71 square inches per slice. So in other words… $5,000 will get you 74,692 inches of pizza.

Rob Kachelriess

They’re 99 cents each and guess what? They won’t charge you extra for the salt.

1,052 slices from Pin-Up Pizza at Planet Hollywood. They’re the biggest

can try to spot your parking space from 12-hundred feet above Las Vegas.

Caesars Entertainment

designed for quick turns and a twisting track so intense, you’ll be too distracted to even think about blowing chunks.

MGM Resorts International

500 rides on the new El Loco roller coaster inside the Adventuredome at Circus Circus. It features small cars

Crazy Horse 3

Denise Truscello

first level up from general admission at $149 a pop.

You don’t want to be too close… or you might catch Britney lip syncing (allegedly).

277 passes to the observation deck of the Stratosphere tower… where you

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 13

By Elaine & Scott Harris

Dining Out With the Harrises Chef Johnny Church at MTO Café Serves Up Fresh, Healthy Cuisine in Downtown Las Vegas

Elaine Harris, sommelier, owner of Vino Las Vegas LLC and Editor-In-Chief of The Cuisineist.

Scott Harris, sommelier, President of Vino Las Vegas LLC and a staff journalist for The Cuisineist.

Cuisineist@gmail.com • www.cuisineist.com

After a long night, stop in to MTO and dive into the Hangover Burger, a burger of pure enjoyment with bacon, fried egg, Tillamook cheddar, special sauce and fries, which will get you back on track to enjoy the rest of your day.

B&B Burger & Beer Featuring Local Ingredients and Beer from Nevada and Southern California Fits Right in at The Venetian

Terra Verde Restaurant in Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa Adds Enomatic Wine Tasting to Its New Happy Hour Menu Happy hours all over the city are getting better and more imaginative. Long gone are the days when the happiest part of the day featured chicken wings, maybe a salad and watered down cocktails. Executive Chef Luigi Iannauario and Corporate Wine Director Peter Donkonics have combined their experience for what may be one of the best happy hours on or off the Strip.

Photos by Scott Harris

The menu includes Ham & Cheese Focaccia with Gary Farrell Noir; Peppers and Sausage with a classic Marchesi Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva; Zucchini Fritti with Calabrese Aioli; and a Fried Mozzarella Sandwich in Carrozza.

Their Enomatic wine tasting is an oenophile’s playground where one can enjoy wines you may have never had.

It’s a Saturday morning and what shall we do? Take a hike? Take a drive to nearby Mt. Charleston and frolic in half melted snow and slush along with hundreds of our new best friends? We headed downtown to spend the day in many of its cool, chic venues infused by The Downtown Project.

MTO Café accented by bright orange hues is open, airy and a flurry of energy in a laid back, California kind of way. MTO is the creation of owners Ben Sabouri and Matt Moore of Shift Solutions, LLC and is a result of their love for the restaurant and hospitality industry.

The culinary vision comes from Chef/Partner Johnny Church of RM Seafood and Rx Boiler Room fame. Chef takes a fresh new take on comfort food making “fast food” healthy and fresh.

Bloody Marys were in order and MTO’s version with sake started us off in the right way.

A very tasty bowl of Brussels Sprouts in tart cranberry balsamic reduction is a very healthy way to start. The Hen House Wrap is a perfectly prepared organic chicken with lettuce, roasted tomatoes and avocado and is a delightfully palate pleasing deal at $11.00.

A rich Grilled Cheese on brie with local honey, toasted walnuts, brioche and a side salad makes a simple lunch that reminds us of our childhood with a healthy spin for $11.00. The MTO breakfast features three eggs any style along with chicken sausage, turkey bacon, spam, bacon, choice of wheat, Wonder Bread, rye or sourdough and mash browns all for $14.00.

Eighth Annual Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appetit Tickets Now on Sale

When you combine three icons like The Venetian, Iron Chef Mario Batali and restaurateur Joe Bastianich you really can’t go wrong, and this trio has yet another hit on their hands. This time it’s all about burgers, and B&B Burger & Beer has something for everyone.

This very bright and colorful 120-seat restaurant also has a 2,000-square-foot patio that seats 100 overlooking the middle of the famed Vegas Strip and The Venetian’s romantic gondolas.

In true Batali style, burgers are ground fresh daily from USDA Prime Black Angus. Enjoy the Morning After Burger with rich sautéed mushrooms, fontina, over-easy egg and truffle aioli. For the beer lovers, have your choice of 18 on draft and 31 by the bottle. Indulge in a Saison Dupont or the Big Dog’s Line Cook Ale, which is made just for B&B. You mustn’t leave without a shake and these have a Batali kick. The Triple Chocolate Float features chocolate ice cream, black chocolate stout and chocolate sauce; or the Nutella, which is a decadent combination of Vanilla ice cream, Nutella, candied hazelnuts and cherry bourbon.

14 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

For the last eight years we have waited with anticipation for Bon Appetit Vegas Uncork’d.

The wait is now over. The country’s starstudded culinary festival always features an extraordinary lineup of celebrity chefs, sommeliers and mixologists from renowned resorts that include ARIA, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand and The Venetian. This year, mark your calendar for May 8-11 and plan to attend this four-day culinary dream celebration.

The 2014 Vegas Uncork’d will feature celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Buddy Valastro, Daniel Boulud, Giada De Laurentiis, Joël Robuchon, Julian Serrano, Guy Savoy, Mario Batali, Pierre Gagnaire, Masayoshi Takayama, Michael Mina, Nobu Matsuhisa, Royden Ellamar, Shawn McClain, Thomas Keller and more.

This event is so popular some of the events sold out within hours! Book your seat at the table today at VegasUncorked.com. www.lvfnb.com

By Ben Vaughn Ben Vaughn, Papa of four, husband of one, faithful follower, World Food Championships host, Food Network host, Writer, Producer, Southern Boy, Restaurateur and dreamer-upper. In love with all things food and ready to take root in Las Vegas.

Green Lit In the entertainment industry, a project has been “green lit” when it has been approved by the powers that be and will move forward to move past an idea to a reality, whether it be a feature film, a TV show, a music album, or a literary work. In our current day and age, “green” has come to have a very different meaning, referring to humanity’s attempt to diminish or limit its carbon footprint(s). I am aware that families are now attempting to become “green lit” in their own way… moving forward to find sustainable ways to provide for their needs while limiting the impact of those needs on the environment.

Despite my hippie-istic presentation of this ideal, it is not necessary to forego any produce not grown by Farmer John on Oak Street, or even resort to wearing all handmade hemp garments. The culinary industry has had a big push over the past decade in “farm-to-table” restaurants, with chefs espousing the local ingredients they are displaying on their menus to help customers feel that they are investing in their local community while providing delicious fare. I am merely suggesting that families take this message to heart and home.

It is not realistic to take on an endeavor so environmentally pious that everyone has their own 1-acre lot of self-maintained produce and a small pen out back with the prospective meats for Sunday dinner. Despite other people’s opinions, I do not believe that an idea like that would end world hunger or save Mother Earth. As people are becoming more eco and health-conscious, however, I do think it is

www.lvfnb.com

extremely important to find sustainable ways to incorporate those ideals into our everyday home environment.

Let me take a moment here to clarify the term “sustainable” as I am using it. I am not only talking about something that is eco-friendly and uses only that which it can replenish. I am also speaking about tools and ideas that an average American can carry out over a long period of time without breaking the bank or having to quit the workforce to “manage the farm.” How can we take small, achievable steps to reach an overall goal of eating healthier, less processed ingredients while keeping up with our real-life responsibilities and schedules?

I have found a few examples of how to bring “green” thinking home without having to have a huge amount of space, or take out a second mortgage, or skip a night’s sleep to fit in the maintenance of these projects. The internet boasts hundreds of sites that can show you how to create an urban garden with very limited space, even including apartments. The sites streamline your process even more, providing you with links to everything from seed suppliers to containers to create your own urban garden.

These links help to guide you to the produce that will be most successful in your region as well as planting schedules.

A great example of a site like this that I found was www.urbanorganicgardener.com. The site also gives several articles that walk a newbie to the green thumb experience through stepby-step projects. With seed costs extremely low and the internet providing a plethora of free information, starting a small, home garden is well within anyone’s reach. It will take some time to plant and maintain the garden, but I doubt it’s any more time than it would take you

to make your produce list for the local grocery store and make the trip there and back each week. And there will be no more questions about where that head of lettuce came from or was it in the batch of last week’s salmonella outbreak?

Another inexpensive way to help with the backyard garden while providing for your family in a health-conscious way is to procure a few chickens and buy a mobile backyard coop. A chicken coop for 2-3 chickens runs a little over a hundred dollars with the materials needed to make it mobile another forty bucks or so. By having chickens in your backyard, you are now providing your family with fresh, truly organic protein from their eggs, while providing your urban garden with a readily available source for fertilization. Moving the coop every 2-3 days helps to prevent the grass from being killed while fertilizing the soil for the perfect preparation for your next crop.

We don’t all have to go out and buy overalls and live on a farm to provide our family with fresh produce that isn’t covered in harmful pesticides and eggs that haven’t seen a drop of bleach or hormones. Will these solutions cut out your trips to the grocery store completely or solve all your health and environmental worries? No… but they are just examples of some sustainable choices that you could make to help make the transition from talking about “being green” to living it, without having to re-work your schedule or budget to accommodate. And if, like me, you have young children, who knows what lasting lessons they may take from these small steps? I say, for me and mine, it’s a green light project from all angles.

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 15

By Chef Allen Asch Chef Allen Asch M. Ed., CCE is a culinary arts instructor that has earned degrees from Culinary Institute of America, Johnson and Wales University and Northern Arizona University. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at UNLV. He earned his Certified Culinary Educator Endorsement from the American Culinary Federation in 2003.

Chef Talk Bacon Bits I wrote an article reviewing the Ultimate Bacon Experience a few months ago and ever since then I feel like I am being bombarded with ads for bacon and bacon products. Jack in the Box is heavily advertising their Bacon Insider Burger which has bacon mixed in with the ground beef. They are promoting this product in many of their ads including one during the Super Bowl. I cannot watch television without seeing an ad for The Perfect Bacon Bowl, order today and receive a second one absolutely free; just pay separate shipping and handling.

Another place I am reminded about bacon is the Review Journal newspaper with an ad for the United Church of Bacon. They also have two billboards here in town, one by the 215 at Jones.

The church mission is among other things: First and foremost, Praise Bacon!, and openly fight religious discrimination against non-religious people, and provide wedding services to the secular people of the world. Look up their website; it is quite interesting.

Unlike beef, where butchers separate the loin and the rib, pork producers leave the two middle muscles together to create one long pork loin and one long pork belly. Over the years pig farmers have raised pigs to produce larger loins, as that part of the pig generates a premium in quality and sales value. The other major parts are the ham which is the back leg and the picnic and Boston butt which is the front shoulder. There are some other smaller cuts from the pig as well. In the United States bacon is made from the belly of the pig. First, pork bellies are placed into a large machine that rotates, called a tumbler. This softens the bellies, which makes it easier to remove the

rinds. The belly in its whole form is then cured in salt or salty brine. It can then be sold as fresh or green bacon, but in most cases it is further processed. This process usually includes a drying period and a smoking process. A lot of the bacon processed is soaked in a liquid smoke and then it can be actually smoked or sold as is.

Canadian bacon, not called that in Canada, is pork belly with the pork loin attached. It is called Back Bacon and it is shaped and cured and smoked. This is a much leaner product since it also includes the less fatty cut of the pork loin. In Italy bacon as we know it does not exist. There it is called pancetta and it is usually salt cured and cubed. Side Bacon is very fatty with long layers of fat running parallel to the rind and this is the most common form of bacon in the United States. Slab bacon is bacon that has not been sliced, which is not the same thing as fatback.

I recently talked with a supplier who mentioned they have over 640 SKU’s (stock keeping units) of bacon products in stock and many companies order many varieties of bacon depending on what the uses are. Some of the variables in buying bacon include how many slices per pound. This would be included in the type of cut, the standard for which is 1/16th of an inch, and is usually marketed at 16/18 or 18/20, meaning the number of slices per pound. 12/14 would indicate thick cut bacon. Another variable is wet cured, dry cured or not cured. To me one of the biggest decisions when buying bacon is where the cut comes from. Center cut bacon comes from the area close to the bone which yields a much leaner cut of meat with usually about 30% less fat. This is the most expensive cut, but it creates

a much higher yielding product. Other variables include the addition of honey to the brine and the different woods used for the smoking process.

There are also a lot of people that avoid bacon for health reasons. A three ounce portion of bacon is 130% of the recommended daily allowance for fat at 85 grams, and at 27 grams is 135% of the RDA for saturated fat. This has opened up new products such as Turkey Bacon. In comparison a similar size portion of turkey bacon only had 23 grams of fat, 35% of the RDA and 7 grams of saturated fat again 35% of the RDA. As we all know there are many cultures in the world that do not endorse eating pig products, mostly people of the Jewish and Islamic faiths.

China has become a leading producer of pork with half of all pig production happening in China. A Chinese company recently purchased Smithfield Farms, the largest American producer of pork. Even with many people not eating bacon for a religious or health decision the average American consumes just less than 18 pounds of bacon per person.

The Nth - The Ultimate Whisky Experience - April 2-5, 2014 Photo courtesy The Nth Universal Whisky Experience

www.universalwhiskyexperience.com

16 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

The Ultimate Whisky Experience will be rolling into Las Vegas once again this year on April 2 thru 5 and hosted at the Encore Resort and Casino.

This year’s UWE will include some new Masters Classes and other exciting events for both the whisky aficionados and whisky enthusiasts alike.

For complete information, schedules and tickets, go to universalwhiskyexperience.com www.lvfnb.com

March 25-26, 2014 • Las Vegas Convention Center

80-12-26-0 80-12-26-0 100-100-30-21

The Tradeshow 7-0-95-0with hundreds of resources for your business!

Find out what’s new in the food & beverage industry at the expansive 2014 Catersource and Event Solutions Conference & Tradeshow and the Las Vegas Restaurant Show. Hundreds of exhibitors display the latest foods, products, equipment and services. Take home valuable resources and shop for show specials as you meet with new vendors face-to-face and take in all the food & beverage industry has to offer.

100-100-30-21 7-0-95-0 36-13-99-0

You’ll also find informative demos, contests and activities on the show floor:

Tradeshow Only Package Registration

Show Intel Stage

The Tradeshow Only Package gives you access to all the Catersource and Event Solutions Tradeshow and the Las Vegas Restaurant Show have to offer! You’ll meet hundreds of vendors with exciting products to help you do your job better, faster and more efficiently. This package also includes access to all Wednesday Conference education sessions at the Paris Hotel all for one low price!

36-13-99-0 0-49-87-0

Sessions that focus on thought-provoking topics important to your success. Learn and be inspired by speakers who have keen insight into how to be successful and profitable.

0-76-33-0 Informational sessions 0-49-87-0 and demos for the restaurant business Restaurant Showcase Stage

operator, presented by the Nevada Restaurant Association.

Taste of Technology0-76-33-0 3-88-8-0

Get your geek on, charge your devices and get connected with vendors who can recharge your business.

Spectacular Sweets Pastry Showcase

3-88-8-0 35-78-0-0

Sweet surprises, molded chocolate ideas, sugar techniques and so much more.

Hands-on Demo Arena

35-78-0-0

Learn how to set up plating lines, back-of-the-house areas for parties and a dining room quickly. You’ll also learn design tricks for making templates for menu signs and place cards.

Contests

Chefs and designers compete for awards and recognition as they show off their best work in the Tablescape Contest, “Diced” Competition and the ACF Las Vegas Culinary Challenge.

Tuesday 3/25 and Wednesday 3/26

Advanced by 2/25/14

per person

After 2/25/14

$39

$49

*No discounts apply

All registration packages include FREE access to the International Pizza Expo and discounted access to Nightclub & Bar taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center during the show.

The Tradeshow is part of the 2014 Catersource and Event Solutions Conference & Tradeshow at the Paris Hotel, March 23-26, which features hundreds of culinary-focused sessions to help you discover more ways to enhance your offerings and sharpen your skills in 2014.

Learn more at www.catersource.com 800.932.3632 | registration@catersource.com

By Mitchell Wilburn

Nicole Brisson

Mitchell Wilburn is a food and drink writer living in Las Vegas.

You can view his restaurant, beer, spirits, and event articles at mitchellwilburn.com, or follow him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ mitchellwilburnofficial.

Nicole Brisson runs the most intense meat program in Vegas, and quite possibly the country. From humble roots in upstate New York to the jewel of the Batali crown, Nicole sits down with us to talk about her globetrotting training, the Carnevino aging program

Photo courtesy Kelly Cambell

and being diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

With running a huge kitchen and having a aging process, and they found after about 45 He became a father to me, more than my large aging program, where does your day days, the aging process kind of plateaus. At biological one. I was set up with a number typically start?

90 days, we are taking a sacrifice of up to 30% of positions, Fabio Picchi in Florence, Dario moisture loss, but the flavor is significantly Cecchini in Chianti, Castella Di Ama winery.

Mondays are our “meat throwing” day. We Fabio is a very passionate chef, one of the get a delivery between four and ten thousand different, with earthy, gorgonzola, truffle stereotypical screaming dramatic chefs, and pounds of beef and pork, and a whole team of flavors coming out. It’s very similar to the Maliard Reaction, making all those savory Dario became my home away from home. I Front of House, Back of House, other Batali staff, friends of the restaurant, and we start flavors we crave. We are able to do that loved my time in Italy, but when I was twentythree I wanted to come back to America. I moving meat around the temperature and because we are a restaurant designed after the aging operation, where with many steakhouses worked at B&B when it opened, then moved humidity controlled aging facility. That’s it’s more of an afterthought. up to Otto Enoteca and became their Exec usually around noon to one, but things really when there was an opening. Had to learn start as soon as I wake up, getting emails You got your primary culinary training in management pretty much on the fly! When from suppliers and East Coast corporate. Italy, how did that happen?

Carnevino opened, I moved in as soon as I Then I go through prep, service, paperwork It’s an interesting story, many people came could because I loved the meat program, and and billing/payroll, and finally leave around into play and helped me along this path, and in 2010 I took over as Executive Chef. midnight or one. only after looking back it became apparent Your aging program is really a huge how it happened. I started cooking in my You were recently diagnosed with Celiac achievement. Tell me more about this, hometown of Saratoga, New York. My parents Disease, and a pretty significant case as well. where does the beef start? were dysfunctional, but my mother loved How has that affected you as a chef? cooking. Our family is Czechoslovakian, We get all our beef from Neiman Ranch, To be honest, because I worked so much with Ukrainian, Polish, and French, so there was selected by Adam Perry Lang and John pasta and bread, and I loved beer, I became a big tradition of home meals. My sister and I pretty depressed. It made things so different Tarpoff. We order stuff from them on Friday, moved out when we were fourteen and fifteen, for me, but I’m lucky to have sous chefs I trust it goes to slaughter on Sunday, and after a so I started working in a local restaurant, and with helping me develop bread and pasta week-long bleed it’s shipped here from Utah and Nebraska. It’s all grass fed, with a diet went to do formal schooling at Johnson Wales dishes. If I even have a little bit of pasta I will after high school with my sister. of corn for the last week or so. We keep ours get very ill, so they’ll do most of the tasting at about 30F, 85% humidity, and our minimal A restaurateur in upstate New York, Bill during menu building. But for other people aging is 90-120 days depending on cut.

Benson, became my mentor. He taught who are gluten intolerant, they are very happy Mario Batali and his team experimented with me so much about dining, baking, we even that we have plenty of dishes that are glutenaging by eating a steak every 10 days into the made a farmers market in our town together. free. And hey, steak doesn’t have gluten!

18 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

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UNLVino Celebrates 40 Years of Sips for Scholarship Nevada’s original wine event returns April 9-12 with four days of fantastic functions benefitting UNLV’s Hotel College

By Ziyan Xu

Photos Courtesy Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada Bubble-Licious at The Venetian’s Doge’s Palace 2013

This year marks the milestone 40th anniversary of UNLVino, one of Las Vegas’ favorite food and wine festivals, showcasing an array of international beverages and continuing Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada’s four-decadelong mission to raise millions of scholarship dollars for students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration.

The 40th UNLVino will feature four evenings of world-class events. The fun starts on Wednesday, April 9 with Sip & Savor at Spago; followed by BAR-b-q at Caesars Palace Garden of the Gods Pool on Thursday, April 10; BubbleLicious at The Venetian’s Doge’s Palace Plaza on Friday, April 11; and wrapping up with the Founders’ Grand Tasting at the Keep Memory Alive Events Center at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health on Saturday, April 12.

For more information and to purchase tickets for this year’s fabulous events, visit UNLVino.com.

I’m Ziyan Xu, a student at the Hotel College and a proud recipient of the UNLVino Scholarship in 2013.

Wanting to give back the kindness I received, I decided to join UNLVino’s Student Management class to help make the 40th anniversary the most special event to date.

UNLVino is differentiated from other food and wine events in the city by the unparalleled, hands-on experiences it provides Student Managers and other Hotel College students at all levels of event planning, execution and promotion, as well as the impactful funds raised each year – all testaments to the celebratory weekend’s broader purpose – scholarship and academia.

My role as a Student Manager focuses on public relations and marketing. From observing and assisting with this event coming to fruition first hand, I can confidently say that beverage enthusiasts and food lovers will be blown away by the array of fine wines, cocktails, craft beers and cuisines prepared by the city’s most beloved chefs and mixologists, as well as my talented culinary colleagues.

The first UNLVino was cofounded in 1974 by Dr. Jerry Vallen (who was also the founding dean of UNLV’s Hotel College) and Larry Ruvo, Senior Managing Director for Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada. Dean Vallen reflected with us on the early days of the event and its evolution over the past 40 years.

20 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

“We simply wanted to teach Las Vegas about wine and raise some money for the Hotel College,” said Dean Vallen. “The first event took place in one of Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada’s warehouses, which is not nearly as spacious as the massive warehouses they have today.”

“Larry had to clear out all of the wines and spirits they had stored to make room for the guests,” he jokes.

“My wife and Mrs. Reynolds, who was the secretary of the college at the time, collected cash at the door while Larry managed the floor. It was small but successful, and word soon spread about our little event.”

As the years went by and UNLVino’s attendance amplified,

Dean Vallen and Ruvo ran into new challenges in executing the event.

“We began to outgrow the facilities at the warehouse, so we moved it to the Thomas & Mack Center for a few years,” Dean Vallen explained.

“As the city of Las Vegas grew, each year we had a larger audience to cater to. Eventually, we moved the event to a hotel convention center.”

Now, UNLVino takes place over four nights of specialized tasting events held in some of the city’s most exciting venues, both on the Strip and downtown. “It’s amazing to see how UNLVino has grown, with each event having its own specialty,” said Dean Vallen. “The whole idea has really caught on over the years.” www.lvfnb.com

UNLVino • April 9-12, 2014 For the 40th anniversary, a special edition of UNLVino’s main event – the Founders’ Grand Tasting – will honor Dean Vallen and Ruvo with the Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence, which goes to those who have distinguished themselves through inspirational leadership, character and work ethic in the hospitality industry.“The award means a lot to Larry and me, but more importantly, I’m humbled by the impact UNLVino has had on the students of the Hotel College.”

Sip & Savor at Spago Wednesday, April 9 6 p.m. for VIP 7 p.m. for GA The second annual celebrated fundraiser – Sip & Savor – joins the roster of the 40th annual UNLVino as world-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck hosts an evening filled with premium label wines and incredible food. This mix-andmingle, dine-around-style meal will indulge guests in signature cuisine from Puck’s six distinct Las Vegas restaurants. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the award-winning chef, as well as executive chefs from his distinct Las Vegas establishments, and a bevy of talented sommeliers and beverage professionals. Chef Puck will be honored with the Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence for his culinary accolades and contributions to the city of Las Vegas. Tickets are $225 for general admission and $275 for VIP.

Thursday, April 10 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.

UNLVino’s popular BAR-b-q returns at Caesars Palace Garden of the Gods Pool as a collection of Las Vegas’ mixology masterminds collaborate for a gourmet, highend barbeque. At this cocktailfocused soiree, guests can imbibe on signature libations created

by Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada’s Executive Director of Mixology, Francesco Lafranconi and his talented team, while enjoying mouthwatering twists on barbeque favorites. Tickets are $100 in advance and $125 at the door.

Bubble-Licious at The Venetian’s Doge’s Palace Plaza Friday, April 11 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.

One of UNLVino’s most beloved events, Bubble-Licious will delight patrons with an evening of champagne, sparkling wines, and cocktails, along with amazing small plates from The Venetian and Palazzo’s collection of restaurants.

During the event, pop artist Romero Britto will be recognized with the Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence. A longtime supporter of UNLVino, Britto will be onhand to present an original poster he created for the 40th anniversary, his 14th work painted exclusively for UNLVino. Tickets are $125 in advance and $150 at the door.

Founders’ Grand Tasting at the Keep Memory Alive Events Center at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Saturday, April 12 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.

UNLVino will conclude with the Founders’ Grand Tasting, which will celebrate the event’s

Photo coutesy FilmMagic

“What this event has become, after starting in a small warehouse, is beyond anybody’s expectations,” said Dean Vallen. It is, indeed. This year’s events will elevate guests’ experiences, including:

BAR-b-q at Caesars Palace Garden of the Gods Pool

Dean Vallen and Ruvo Prep for 1st UNLVino in SWS of NV Warehouse - 1974

creators. Taking place amongst the captivating architecture of the Frank Gehry designed building, guests can partake in the world’s finest wines, champagnes, spirits, beers and sakes, as well as bites from the city’s best restaurants and UNLV’s culinary students. Tickets are $125 in advance and $150 at the door.

Since the purpose of UNLVino is deeply rooted in education, the Hotel College offers a special topics course dedicated to it. Students in the class are regarded as managers and divided up into five different teams overseeing all aspects of the event: • Event Managers recruit and train hundreds of volunteers to properly pour wine, champagne, sake, beer and spirits to ensure a professional level of service for guests.

• Culinary Managers design special menus under the direction of Chef Mark Sandoval, then solicit food donations while refining their recipes, which are served at the Grand Tasting and BAR-b-q.

• Marketing Managers work as interns with UNLVino’s public relations firm to communicate with the media, coordinate promotions and spearhead the social media effort.

• Sales Managers push ticket sales through various special initiatives, promotions and by connecting with local businesses.

• Auction Managers solicit donations for both the live and silent auctions at the events, raising additional funds for the Hotel College.

Nicole Cook is on the Culinary Team and Student General Manager for the Founders’ Grand Tasting.

The Culinary Team has developed a diverse menu and will host an inclass tasting this month to test all of the recipes and make sure they are up to professional standards in presentation and flavor. “This will also allow for us to get feedback from our peers, which will help in finalizing the menu,” explains Cook.

Myles Gueco, a member of the Sales Team, has been successful in engaging local businesses and promoting the event to increase ticket sales from previous years.

Confident in the efforts of his fellow Student Managers, Gueco proclaimed, “the 40th anniversary of UNLVino is going to be the best to date and everyone involved is excited to see the fruits of their labor.”

For more information and to purchase tickets for this year’s fabulous events, visit UNLVino.com 2014 UNLVino Student Management Class

www.lvfnb.com

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 21

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By Victoria Pindrik Victoria Pindrik has a passion for the hospitality industry and is

Epicurean Corner

currently a senior at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, pursuing a degree in Hotel Administration. She holds the position of Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator for UNLV Epicurean Society.

It was one sweet month for our Epicurean Society Club, as once again we celebrated St. Valentine’s Day by dipping the most luscious and plumb long stem strawberries in a rich chocolate sauce and offering them for sale on campus. The selling was easy as many an embarrassed male who had forgotten their sweethearts on lover’s day quickly grabbed one of our neatly packaged offerings and proudly set off in search of their honeys. Strawberries were sold as individuals, threesomes (3) and as a group date (6). Most popular was the threesome, go figure. It was a fun event to plan and execute and the perfect beginning for our spring semester. A big thank you is in order for everyone, including Chef Daniel Swift,

who volunteered, and to those who dipped strawberries in our Beam Hall kitchen and to our gals who sat at the booth braving the elements on the day of the sale. After all the goodies were sold the club realized a net profit of $125 and posted another fun event. PS, the strawberries tasted soooo good.

Nevada Beverage Company. That combination of participants guarantees that the beer and food selection will be a winning combination.

Exact date and menu items were not available as we went to press but notices will be sent to all our members via email. And if you are not on our email list, then send your email to me at In March we are partnering with the Nevada victoria.pindrik@gmail.com and I will add it to Beverage Company and our student Beverage our invitation list.

Club to sponsor another craft beer pairing dinner. It is returning due to popular demand One activity that occurs each semester is the by most of the 80+ participants from our first dinner series. Its purpose is to introduce our dinner that was offered last fall. Teaming up members to different types of ethnic foods. At once again will be Dr. Jean Hertzman, advisor the end of February our board voted to try a to the Beverage Club and our advisor, Al Izzolo local Indian Restaurant: Origin of India. Stay along with an all-star list of players from the tuned next issue to find out how it went!

The Pub at Monte Carlo Features Locally-brewed Joseph James at Its February Beer Dinner

Photo by Joe Urcioli

By Bob Barnes

With a selection of more than 300 beers, The Pub at Monte Carlo has the largest craft beer selection on the Strip, including more than a dozen locally-brewed beers. The Pub has entered season two of its “Gus’ Beer and Bites,” a series of monthly beer pairing dinners held in The Pub’s upstairs dining room, and the February dinner featured Joseph James Brewing, the first local brewery to be highlighted in the series. Manager Lisa King hosted the festivities, introducing Chef Damis Irizarry and Joseph James Head Brew/Director of Operations Matt Marino, who talked us through the pairings. Chef Irizarry related that a month before each dinner he and his staff taste all of the beers and determine what will be created to pair with each beer. All of the dishes are ones not on the regular menu and Chef also cooks with the beers being served.

Our enjoyment began with the Citra Rye Pale Ale (2013 GABF bronze medal winner) served alongside appetizers of Mini Fish Tacos, Curry Chicken Cucumber Cups and Loaded Baked Potatoes. Matt reported that www.lvfnb.com

this citrusy beer with a dry spiciness goes well with everything and has become so popular that it is no longer a seasonal, and is being produced year round. Grilled Romaine Lettuce Hearts with shaved Parmesan and Applewood-smoked bacon vinaigrette was paired with Weize Guy Hefeweizen. Matt explained this traditional Bavarian unfiltered hefe is made with 50% wheat and has banana and clove flavors delivered by the yeast, a great demonstration of how important yeast can be to the flavor of a beer. Honey-Spiced Chicken Skewers with Magic Sticke Brown Ale was an example of Chef cooking with beer, as his brown ale drizzle made with the aforementioned beer added sweetness to the dish. Matt said, “This beer is a cross between an American Brown Ale and a German Alt and goes well with anything grilled, as it’s toasty and roasty, but dry with some sweetness.” A most interesting brew was featured in the next pairing: Mesquite-spiced St. Louis Ribs with Mac & Cheese Fritter with Smokin’ Poles Gratzer, which Matt said is the only official Polish beer style. Made with 100% oak-smoked wheat, a 5-step mash infusion is used and Matt went on to say it’s an odd beer that only goes well with the right food because of its smokiness. I noticed while most rauchbiers are amber to brown in hue, this one was very light, and while smoky, it did not overpower while accentuating the smoke character in the BBQ ribs.

Dessert of Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Mousse was paired with Fox Says Wee!, which Matt said is a mix of the bourbon barrel-aged Wee Heavy and Imperial Stout. Described as a happy accident, this 12.5% delight was supposed to be comprised solely of the Wee Heavy, but when the keg blew Matt decided to improvise by mixing in some Imperial Stout and got even more creative by also adding some cacao nibs and vanilla beans. The evening concluded with Matt graciously thanking The Pub for steadily supporting Joseph James and other local breweries over the years and invited us to head over to the bar to be treated to a bonus beer, the NV IPA, which he informed us is now being produced yearround. The NV stands for Nevada Variable, as each version will feature different hops. Parting gifts were a logo-ed Joseph James pint glass and beer can koozie. Stay tuned to my What’s Brewing column for heads up on future beer dinners. Lisa said that 80% of the beer dinner guests are locals, many repeat customers. They are reasonably priced at $50 (plus tax and gratuity).

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 23

Brett’s BY

ENTERTAINMENT LANDSCAPE

Olivia Newton-John is the Strip’s next resident star when she opens “Summer Nights” April 8 at the Flamingo.

Maggie Rose with her newest album “Cut To Impress” will start the American Country Music Awards weekend with her second appearance at the Silverton April 4.

David Alan Grier and Tommy Davidson will bring the “In Living Color” comedy reunion tour to Aliante for two shows Friday, March 21.

The Joint at Hard Rock has transitioned the venue’s ticketing services to AXS Ticketing and will do the same with Vinyl and Soundwaves.

Comedian Adam Carolla, who launched the Mangria ready-made cocktail line, will deliver a keynote address and air an episode of “The Adam Carolla Show” at the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show Tuesday, March 25.

DINING ADVENTURES

F.A.M.E. – Food.Art.Music.Entertainment. will open in March at The Linq introducing a new concept blending an Asian market on the main floor and a contemporary Japanese restaurant on the upper level with a DJ booth in the dining room and two patios.

Sambalatte, an award-winning coffeesanctuary, opened its second location off Jones and 215. A third Sambalatte will open within the new MGM Resorts International entertainment project.

The custom patisserie Gimme Some Sugar Bake Shoppe has opened in Henderson and garnered national accolades for their designs.

Pin-Up Pizza is open at Planet Hollywood with hand-tossed pizza pie and Pin-Up Pizza girls.

Downtown’s newest breakfast, lunch and brunch destination is MTO Café.

N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms has reopened following a chic makeover as part of the resort’s $50 million renovation.

Leading culinary Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit will feature an extraordinary lineup of star-studded chefs, sommeliers and mixologists from ARIA, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand and The Venetian, May 8-11.

NOTES AND TIDBITS

The SLS hotel formerly the Sahara will open Labor Day weekend.

Aria Sky Suites, Encore Tower Suites, Mandarin Oriental, Skylofts at MGM Grand and Wynn Tower Suites received the 2014 Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award.

Las Vegas Harley-Davidson is building a fullline Harley-Davidson dealership on the Strip just steps from the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign. It will be the brand’s third location locally.

The building at Fremont and Las Vegas Blvd. was completely gutted and the $5.5 million build out includes the 150-seat Inspire Theater, a third level complete with rooftop bar and patio, a coffee shop and newsstand, four bars, plus nooks and crannies.

The MGM Grand has opened TAP, a new 220seat restaurant and sports bar surrounded by sports history.

LGBTQ pool party called “Xposed!” will debut at the New Tropicana this spring and be the only beach club on the Strip with a Saturday gay pool party.

WET Republic Ultra Pool at the MGM Grand opens March 14 unveiling its newly added features including six new VIP Bungalows.

“Painting Women: Works from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston” is the new exhibit at Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art through Oct. 26 showcasing 34 paintings spanning the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, revealing the story of women artists.

At Bally’s, the renovated 756 Jubilee Tower rooms and suites have opened with modern designs meeting stylish and contemporary furniture and fixtures.

The New Tropicana has unveiled the 20th floor Sky Villa Suites luxury suites with floor-to-ceiling windows, which are a key part of the resort’s approximate $200 million transformation.

The second 15-city block Life is Beautiful urban festival experience celebrating music, food and art will return Oct. 24-26.

Construction has begun again on the 23-acre Cowabunga Bay Water Park in Henderson, which is slated to open May 24.

The Cromwell, the boutique hotel under construction on the Strip, will have Giada De Laurentiis’ two-story restaurant masterpiece and Victor Drai’s three daylife/nightlife venues.

Forbes Travel Guide rated Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand, Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace and Twist by Pierre Gagnaire at Mandarin Oriental Five Star.

Las Vegas is gaining a professional tennis team called the Las Vegas Neon.

The VooDoo Zip Line attraction connecting two towers at the Rio opens in March with hours going until midnight.

24 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

The 13th Annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational hosted by ARIA at Shadow Creek returns for the fourth consecutive year April 3-6.

Sports stars Wayne Gretzky, Ken Griffey Jr., Dara Torres and Brian Urlacher, and actors Anthony Anderson, Brian Baumgartner and Jesse Metcalfe will participate. www.lvfnb.com

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Jessica Iannotti –

By Rebecca Rajkowski

Volunteer Extraordinaire

Photo by Danette Chappell

Las Vegas is known as a non-stop city of lights and entertainment, and many travel here to partake of some of the best food America has to offer. Gorgeous venues beckon patrons to follow their senses, discover something new, and enjoy (if just for one night) the finer things in life.

Amongst the many things to do is the constant flow of special culinary events in Las Vegas. These events are made possible by organizers, planners and chefs, but also by a large number of volunteers. One of these volunteers stands out amongst the crowd: up-and-coming student chef, Jessica Iannotti. She took time out of her busy schedule working pantry in the garde manger department at the South Point Hotel and Casino and as the newly elected Secretary of the Junior Board of ACF Chefs Las Vegas, to speak with me about the life of a chef and what drove her to volunteer over 600 hours during 2013.

So tell me a little about yourself. What school are you currently attending?

I attend The International Culinary Institute at The Art Institute of Las Vegas. I have been attending the school for three years and am working towards graduating this summer.

You spend a lot of time volunteering and some may say you are even obsessed...when was the first time you volunteered?

I volunteered for the first time when I was eight, and it was for a Catholic food bank; since then I haven’t been able to stop.

Can you name some of the organizations and charities with whom you have volunteered?

The 2012 Cirque Du Soleil Christmas Party, ACF Nationals, an event for the Catholic Church at UNLV (which was held at the Mike Tyson mansion), the World Food Championships and Chefs for Kids.

How have you been involved with Chefs for Kids?

I mainly help prepare and serve food at our events around town. Chefs for Kids is a program that goes around to different schools and makes nutritional breakfasts for 12 elementary schools during the school year.

The program also pays for nutrition specialists to work with first and second grade students in high-needs schools. We make close to 9,000 breakfasts, distribute Thanksgiving meals and holiday food gift cards to around 150 families, and work with the Shade Tree Shelter to provide a Christmas Eve breakfast and a Mother’s Day lunch every year. Currently, we

are working on the Chefs for Kids fundraiser gala dinner on March 29th at the Paris Hotel.

Tell me a little about your experience volunteering with WFC. Well first of all, WFC is a really fun event to work. I was able to be a part of the World Food Championships (WFC) when it began in 2012 and I was able to help out again in November 2013. WFC is just one of those events that has it all. Talented culinary professionals, amazing amateur competitors, the sweet and savory smells from all the different dishes and desserts, and the wonderful staff of Tribe Targeting made it one of the most memorable experiences of my career. I met some amazing people there and worked with some very talented professionals and volunteers whom I still keep in touch with to this day.

What drives you to volunteer?

I’ve always loved it, and I love meeting people.

For charities, I love seeing that smile you gave someone for doing something so small. A smile goes a long way. For volunteering events, it’s the thrill of the experience and the excitement of new ideas and techniques to help enhance my culinary knowledge. No matter who you are or how long you’ve been in the industry, you’ll never stop learning.

What are your career plans for the future?

That’s a tough question. I guess, exactly what I am already doing. I have a passion for cooking for people, seeing the expression on their face, and getting to use my creativity. I love managing and leading people.

26 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

Jessie has put her heart and soul into her career, her volunteering, and the people she meets.

Her ambition and love for what she does is evident in that she was willing to work so many volunteer hours. Jessie has consistently proven her commitment and attention to detail, arriving first to events and leaving with the last to support her team and help events run more smoothly. These unsung heroes of the culinary world deserve recognition not only for offering delectable courses, but also for their willingness and passion to help others.

www.lvfnb.com

By Al Mancini

On the Edge With Al Mancini

Among the most unconventional food experts in America, Al Mancini is co-author of Eating Las Vegas: The 50 Essential Restaurants and host of the upcoming Travel Channel show All Forked Up. His passion is making dining, on every level, accessible to everyone.

Follow Al on Twitter @almancinivegas

Thirty minutes before I sat down to write this article, I was on the phone with Sammy Hagar.

Given my career in the music business, that’s not a big deal. But today we were speaking about our mutual love and respect for Kerry Simon. Hagar was preparing to fly to Las Vegas from the Bay Area to perform at the Simon Says Fight MSA concert/dinner. It’s expected to draw rock royalty like Hagar, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Todd Rundgren, Slash, Matt Sorum, Rickey Medlocke, JD Fortune and John Dolmayan as well as superstar chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, Charlie Palmer, Rick Moonen, Michael Mina, Kim Canteenwalla, Wylie DuFresne, Grant MacPherson, Mark Tarbell, Justin Nilson and Megan Romano. They’ll be here to rock out for a cause. And it’s just one more thing that’s helping 2014 to emerge as a positive year, in the wake of the shitstorm that closed out 2013.

If you work in this business, you already know that last year ended in a very depressing way.

Kerry announced his life-threatening illness.

Chef Ryen Indica of Hachi had a stroke. Max Jacobson got hit by a car. Life sucked! But we live in Las Vegas. We’re a family and, despite our differences, we’re always here for each other.

On January 19, Rick Moonen and a few dozen of his closest celebrity chef friends pulled together to raise about $275,000 for Max’s medical bills in a single evening. Bobby Flay, Hubert Keller, Thomas Keller, Grant MacPherson, Mary Sue Milliken, Rick Moonen, Bradley Ogden, Luciano Pellegrini, Vincent Pilon, Pino Posteraro, Vincent Pouessel, Joey Romano, Megan Romano, Angelo Sosa, David Walzog, Megan Bringas, Kim Canteenwalla, Shirley Chung, Johnny Church, Saipin Chutima, Barry Dakake and Susan Feniger shared a single kitchen, putting their egos aside to help a fallen friend. Dozens of local chefs have sent food to the hospital for Max’s family

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Las Vegas Hits Refresh: ®

and friends. And more fundraisers are about to be announced, including a benefit dinner at Tacos and Tequila.

On February 23, Jolene Mannina organized a fundraising event for Indica. Eight food trucks donated their wheels, and the chefs included Stephen Hopcraft, Jaret Blinn, Eric Lhuillier, John Courtney, Chris Bulen, Joseph Krudrack, Vincent Pilon, Dewayne Rose and Gerald Chin.

In one evening, Mannina raised over $16,000.

This type of outpouring of love and support doesn’t happen in other communities – not this much, in such a short period of time. The first two months of 2014 have shown me why I love being part of this town, and being part of the food community. Life can kick us in the balls, but we always get back up. And if one of us stumbles, there are plenty of friends to lend a hand. It’s something I’ve always known, but I’m only now starting to appreciate and celebrate. We’re all very lucky to be part of the Las Vegas food scene.

®

New Items Bring a Fresh Attitude to Its Coastal Menu Photography by Danette Chappell Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Las Vegas announces the launch of its refreshed menu featuring more than 15 new and enhanced dishes and drinks. The refreshed menu invites guests to take a bite out of paradise and indulge as much or as little as they please. The new recipes rely heavily upon the inherent flavor of fresh and

house-made ingredients to enhance and define the personality of each dish, making it possible to ensure optimal flavor.

The new Margaritas and Boat Drinks menu offers too many new cocktails, tequilas, margaritas and boat drinks to list. A few highlights include: the Blueberry Pomegranate Margarita, Planter’s Punch, The Watermelon Agave Fresca, and an abundant collection of Tequilas served as shots with sangrita, the tomato based chaser made in house.

Jimmy Buffett’s® Margaritaville® Las Vegas In the Flamingo Hotel and Casino 3555 South Las Vegas Boulevard Sun - Thurs 11 a.m. - 1 a.m.

Fri - Sat 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. www.margaritavillelasvegsas.com 702.733.3302 www.lvfnb.com

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 27

Chocolate, Wine… and Shopping?

How one man is taking over Las Vegas – one bite at a time

By Rob Kachelriess Rob Kachelriess has been roaming around Las Vegas since early 2012… and has decided that officially makes him a local. He is a News Producer for KVVU Fox5 and the Las Vegas writer for Thrillist. To say hello or offer him money for random freelance assignments, send an email to robertkachelriess@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter @rkachelriess

“We’re from the outside but now our staff is in Las Vegas. We have paid employees here. Our corporation is now based in Las Vegas. We pretty much operate 50 percent of our business in this city.”

Photo coutesy Barcelona Enterprises Photo coutesy Barcelona Enterprises

Photo coutesy Barcelona Enterprises

It’s been a long road for Barcelona. Semsar formed the company when he dropped out of medical school after just one semester. Slicing up organs and mending broken bones didn’t quite have the same appeal as rounding up world-class chefs, the best champagne and fine food all in one place… especially if it helps a good cause.

“I did one of these personal development courses and in that course, I saw that I was creative,” says Semsar about moving ahead. “So the first project I did is now eight years old and it was the Wine & Food Festival [in Malibu, California] and the biggest part is you’re always giving something. You’re always creating something to give back to someone.”

“All these people come into town, they stay in the hotels and casinos, they gamble at the tables and they go to the restaurants,” Semsar continues. “They’ve got to eat breakfast, lunch Semsar says Barcelona helped raise more than and dinner. So they’re coming into town for multiple days to enjoy the events. The casinos Homer Simpson once dreamed of a land of $200,000 for local causes last year. chocolate (“mmmm…. chocolate”) where he “People always ask ‘What’s driving you?’ Well, are happy while the restaurants and other outlets took a bite out of a barking confectionery dog what drives me is when you write the check are super happy.” before it scampered off. and you give it to a charity. That’s so inspiring.

Next on the agenda for Barcelona is a return That fantasy world may not exist but the That’s what keeps me going.” upcoming Las Vegas Chocolate Festival & This time around, he’s teaming up with The to the Ellis Island Brewery & Casino for the Pastry Show comes awfully close. The event is Shops at Crystals for the Las Vegas Chocolate Brew-B-Q beer and barbeque bash in May. the brainchild of Alan Semsar – the powerhouse Festival & Pastry Show. Semsar promises it will Later in the year, Semsar is hoping to stage an behind Barcelona Enterprises. The company be a different kind of event. even bigger beer festival at a major property has been gradually increasing its presence in Southern Nevada with events like the Taste “It’s an honor to be able to do it at a property with a weekend’s worth of events, including America poolside reception at The Mirage and like [The Shops at] Crystals because they’ve competitions and prizes. He is also looking at the Las Vegas Wine & Food Festival at the Red never had so many chefs in their building doing expanding the annual Wine & Food Festival at Rock resort. a tasting like this. So you get to experience the Red Rock to two days this fall.

“Las Vegas has really opened its arms to us and best food and the best wines in the world right taken us in,” says Semsar about Barcelona’s next to the best fashion. I don’t think you can ask For now, he’s hoping that those who attend the Chocolate Festival & Pastry Show get more success in expanding beyond Southern for anything better than that.”

California.

A portion of the proceeds will go towards the than just a taste of what Barcelona is all about.

Nevada Ballet Theatre.

“If you’re a chocolate lover, this is your Semsar sees Barcelona taking on an even bigger destination. We also get a lot of people who role in the Las Vegas community throughout 2014. He says his events draw not only locals, come just to see the pastry chefs, to see them but also guests from out of town. In a service- up close and how they operate. It’s going to be oriented market, there’s plenty of wealth to share. spectacular.”

8 p.m. Saturday, April 5 The Shops at Crystals Benefit for the Nevada Ballet Theatre Tickets are $45 and are all-inclusive (with a $99 VIP option) For information and to buy tickets: sincitychocolatefestival.com

28 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

www.lvfnb.com

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HUMAN RESOURCES INSIGHTS

By Linda Westcott-Bernstein

Linda Bernstein has provided sound human resources advice and guidance to Fortune 500 companies and others for over 25 years. She has helped these organizations review procedures and implement solutions that are designed to reduce liabilities and increase their profits. She also assists with the development of human capital through focused employee retention and training programs designed for all levels of employees.

Linda has written a self-help book entitled “It All Comes Down to WE!” which offers guidelines for building a solid and enduring personal work ethic. You can find her book on the website (below) or on Amazon or Google books.

Phone:

702-326-4040

Email: LindaBernstein@cox.net Booksite: ItAllComesDowntoWE.com

Are “Sick Days” a Thing of the Past?

Does your company offer sick days to employees? If so, you are among the fortunate minority.

As more companies face necessary budgetary cuts, one fringe benefit to be evaluated for necessity and elimination is sick pay. However, a frequent outcome of this elimination is more employees coming to work and spreading viruses and illness.

Federal law doesn’t require businesses to provide paid sick leave to employees. However, failure to offer any paid time off for illness could hurt employee morale and make it difficult to retain top talent. A well-developed sick-leave policy can ensure your business is competitive with other employers while helping to prevent excessive absenteeism. Here are a few points to ponder on this subject.

Number of Days

FMLA

Paid Time Off

Sick-leave policies typically specify a certain number of paid days off for illness; for example, a policy might specify that employees may take up to five paid days annually. The policy also specifies whether any unused days can be carried over to the next year. To determine how many days to offer, think about how many absences you can afford and still meet production goals. Then evaluate the sick leave policies of employers who compete with you for employees. The optimum number of days is a balance between both these scenarios.

Although the Family Medical Leave Act requires unpaid time for personal or family illness, it typically does not provide benefits for the common cold, flu or occasional seasonal disorder or ailment. FMLA applies nationally to businesses with more than 50 employees and requires that employees be allowed to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave annually for their own illness or to care for an ill family member.

One option is to group together all paid leave -- vacation, personal and sick time. These paid time-off programs have the advantage of allowing an employee to determine how and when to use this leave.

Because all the leave time belongs to the employee, abuse may be less. The downside is that an employee may feel that his earned vacation has been compromised or reduced through the “packaging” of this benefit.

Excessive Absenteeism

To be more effective in the process of keeping your workforce healthy, maintaining budgetary requirements and achieving ongoing productivity you need a “sick days” provision.

Consider adding 2-3 “sick” days to your paid time off policy. I truly believe that the money spent is minimal compared to the productivity lost. On the upside, doing the right thing for your employees will become evident through increased morale, a healthier team, and the resulting good will of doing the right thing for the health of your workforce.

To lessen the potential for abuse, a policy might specify that employees need a doctor’s note to return to work after missing a certain number of consecutive days, such as three, or after FMLA leave. Another way to reduce absenteeism is to discern when employees are under high stress, such as when facing financial or personal difficulties. Offering a benefit such as an Employee Assistance Program might help employees deal with stressful situations without becoming ill.

HR

ON TAP AND IN BOTTLES THROUHOUT SOUTHERN NEVADA LAS VEGAS’ ORIGINAL BREWING COMPANY ww.bigdogsbrews.com 30 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

Next month’s topic: Harassment in the Workplace Does you company have a policy of zerotolerance on harassment? Is the message Question of reinforced in your workplace through positive, the Month productive behaviors? Share your comments on this topic or a situation.

Send to LindaBernstein@cox.net. Responses for next month’s column earn a copy of my book (see above, left).

Be sure to include your mailing address when sending useful responses.

www.lvfnb.com

St. Paddy’s Day Spirit at These Shamrock Places

By Shelley Stepanek

Photos courtesy A Touch of Mystery

Square food bank fight hunger in Southern Nevada. There will be a list of dining establishments at www.helpoutdineoutlv.org starting in late February. Participants and menu details will be on this friendly site to allow you to search by type of cuisine, restaurant location or donation amount. Diners can visit the restaurants and enjoy a multicourse, prix fixed menu with price points from $20 to $50 with a fixed portion going to benefit hunger.

for construction for The Linq project reopened the end of December.

The Irish-themed casino, owned

by Caesars Entertainment Corp., is now connected to The Quad and opens onto The Linq. With three bars, two inside and one on the Strip, it’s specialty shot menu at $8.50, cocktails at $10 and plenty of beers to pick from, O’Sheas is off to a boisterous start. Famous O’Sheas is back in business. The for their shenanigans and their beer cute little Irish casino on the Strip, pong nightly, stop by for a “lil bit which closed last year to make way of Irish.”

The cast of A Touch of Mystery

Lawry’s will feature a “Whodunit” dinner theater event on Friday March 14th at 7 p.m. It will be the 3rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Gallespi Winery Tasting. This Whodunit produced by Jay Joseph from his A Touch of Mystery series, will feature Lawry’s original spinning bowl salad, an 8 oz. cut of roasted prime rib or Atlantic salmon, chocolate lava cake and coffee. Billed at $99 per person, call 497-7936 or visit www.ATouchofMystery.com for reservations.

at 40 Via Bel Canto in Henderson, 702-567-8002.

Heading across town to Boca Park in Summerlin is the Three Angry Wives Pub. With 1000s of people expected, they will have their Fukuburger and Sausagefest Food Trucks outside. There will be a beer garden with plenty of stout ale for one to pick from. With a menu of Shepherd’s Pie ($15), Fish and Chips ($15) and Corned Beef and Cabbage ($16), along with plenty of salads, sandwiches and dinner wraps, plan to spend a lot of time The Auld Dubliner Irish Pub socializing with local friends. 8820 will serve you up some fine food, W. Charleston. 702-944-4411. from Beef Stew, Rack of Lamb, www.threeangrywivespub.com Shepard’s Pie, to the famous Corned Beef and Cabbage fare. If you really Locals and tourists can enjoy dining want a burger or a wrap they are on out, celebrating St. Paddy’s Day the menu. Featuring Irish favorites and helping a wonderful charity. such as Bushmills, Bushmills Black The whole week of March 7-14, Bush, and numerous other Irish Las Vegas Restaurant Week is a Whiskeys, you’ll have a festive few days before the actual date, but time any time of the year. Located why not come on out and help Three

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March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 31

By Crystal Marie

Industry Nightlife in Vegas

Crystal Marie is the brand ambassador and journalist for The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional. She is a leader in networking, excels in persuasive writing and has an extensive background in sales and marketing. New to the Las Vegas area, she is ready and willing to try anything when it comes to food, as food is the way to her heart.

KEEPIN’ IT LOCAL (OFF THE STRIP AND WHAT SOME MIGHT CALL A ‘DIVE BAR’)

Door is they are usually repeat customers and the great atmosphere of the Stage Door keeps them coming back every time they visit Las Stage Door Casino (Bar), right off the Strip! Vegas; I think that speaks volumes about the bar and what it offers.

Come one, come all.

Anyone and everyone who enjoys cheap drinks Drinks, gaming, music, bar-food, and TVs and interesting people can appreciate this Open 24 hours place. Yeah, it is slightly grungy and somewhat obnoxious, but Stage Door is rich with that No dress code unique dive-bar personality and simple but Oh man, if the tourists only knew about this humbling entertainment. hidden gem! The Stage Door Casino is located one block off the Strip on Flamingo and Linq WHAT EVERYONE IN THE INDUSTRY IS Ln., across from Bally’s hotel. The bar-food is TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW: cheap, the drinks are cheaper, and the characters Pool season is right around the corner!!! are welcome.

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and With dive-bar attributes and a smoky ambiance, the weather is heating up quick as every hotel Stage Door has become the place I start and pool employee scrambles to get ready for an sometimes even finish my nights out on the Strip. You just can’t beat getting a beer and extremely busy 2014 pool season! a shot of whiskey for less than $3.00, or an Alaskan Amber and a tasty bratwurst for less than $4.00. I don’t eat bratwursts too often but when I do, it is usually at Stage Door.

Not only will the hottest people from around the world come to Las Vegas to show off their looks, moves, and money this upcoming pool season, but some of the hottest DJ’s in the world will be I’ve spent many nights in the Stage Door spinning in the best day-clubs Las Vegas has to enjoying NFL/NBA games, pre-funking before offer! With the great new addition to our citya show or a club, and just people watching The High Roller Observation Wheel (largest in after a long day in my office. The staff is fast, the world of course), Drai’s Beach Club opening friendly, but tough when needed; they must be Memorial Day weekend, and so much more to take on this bar crowd which is always fun but going on, it feels as if this summer will be one for the books! sometimes rowdy.

Aside from my typical $3.00 shot of Crown Royal, one of the great bartenders, Mamasan, always whips me up the absolute best Vegas Bomb shot I have had yet, and I am not the only one who knows about her famous shot. Don’t be afraid to ask around. Not only is Mamasan fabulous behind the bar but she is always great conversation and keeps me laughing even on a bad day.

As all my friends and I hit the gym, shop for summer clothes, and get our tan on, I can’t help but wonder which DJ’s will be at which day clubs; well, here are a few: Encore Beach Club with David Guetta, ZEDD, Avicii, Major Lazer, and more!

Wet Republic (MGM) with Tiesto, Calvin Harris, Steve Aoki, Nervo, Afrojack, and more!

I have met a lot of great local people in this bar Day Light Beach Club (Mandalay Bay) with as well as a few tourists here and there. What’s Nicky Romero, Otto Knows, Alesso, Sultan, unique about the tourists I have met at Stage and more!

INDUSTRY INSIDER INFO: Sunday – Thursday; Locals free in every open nightclub!!* *Subject to change when nightclub hosts a special event or DJ. Locals enter in the general admission line and must have valid NV ID. Contact me in advance for any nightclub bottle service or V.I.P. treatment.

Crystal Marie - 720-212-8048 Crystal.marie@lvfnb.com

CHECK OUT Superstar Vegas VIP Enterprises Find Superstar Vegas VIP Enterprises on Facebook! From nightlife excursions to bachelor/bachelorette parties, beach club bashes, VIP transportation, personal security, discount hotels, discounted show tickets, and more; Superstar Vegas VIP Enterprises will take great care of you and/or your friends and family!

Contact Griffin Roberts: 702-237-9944 www.facebook.com/ssvegasvip vegas4Locals.com www.showtickets4locals.com for complimentary show tickets and discounts. This is a very cool site for Las Vegas locals and you must have NV I.D. to sign up. www.vegas4Locals.com for great information on getting involved in the community and the ‘when and where’ of free shows and events taking place around Las Vegas. This site also offers travel and hotel deals as well as tons of free coupons for shows, meals, services, products, shopping, and much more! You do not have to be a local to utilize this site (although certain discounts do require NV ID)

INDUSTRY NIGHTS SUNDAYS XS (Wynn) Lily (Bellagio) Body English (Hard Rock) Hakkasan (MGM)

MONDAYS XS (Wynn) Marquee (Cosmo) Gallery (Paris)

TUESDAYS 1OAK (Mirage) HYDE (Bellagio) PURE(Caesars Palace) Moon (Palms)

32 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

WEDNESDAYS Chateau (Paris) Surrender (Encore) LAX (Luxor)

THURSDAYS Hakkasan (MGM) TAO (Venetian) HAZE (Aria) Tryst (Wynn) www.lvfnb.com

Wirtz Beverage Oskar Blues Event

Presented by Wirtz Beverage at Gold Spike - February 24th

Photos by Juanita Aiello

oskarblues.com

Champagne SoirĂŠe

Cocktail City Vegas @ HYDE at Bellagio February 13, 2014 www.cocktailcityvegas.com

Why Join JCCNV? Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Nevada works in conjunction with local citizens, businesses,

educational and governmental partners to support a vibrant international business environment, and to improve and nurture business relations between Nevada and Japan.

You are welcome to attend our many exciting events, and you are encouraged to bring lots of business cards!! We also welcome you to join a committee, check our website, and support your fellow JCCNV members. Please contact us via e-mail, info@jccnevada.com if you have any questions or comments.

Photos by Joe Fogarty

Annual Membership Fee Individual Membership Fee - $20 Corporate Membership Fee - $200 (includes 5 membership cards)

www.lvfnb.com

www.jccnevada.com info@jccnevada.com (702) 428-0555

(We speak in English and in Japanese!)

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 33

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Major Products - Give Your Wrap the WOW Factor The range of Mari-Base marinades from Major Products are so simple to use. They offer real authentic tastes from around the world by tenderizing and penetrating meat, fish or vegetables to deliver succulent flavors.

Not only are they suitable for vegetarians and gluten free, they are also water based and can be used for much more than just marinating.

Try adding them to your salads, burgers, stir frys, sandwiches, pizzas, soups, sauces, and dressings and you’ll be astounded at the results. Simply sensational every single time!

To create our simple Chicken Fajita Wrap, simply marinate the chicken for two hours or longer, griddle and serve. It really couldn’t be simpler! Also try mixing into the mayonnaise for an extra burst of flavor.

Flavors in the Mari Base range include: Tandoori, Piri Piri, Moroccan, Barbecue, Fajita, Caribbean Jerk, Thai, Bombay and Fra Diavolo. Try our Fajita Mari Base mixed into mayo and brushed onto a wrap to really offer the ‘wow’ factor.

For more information on any of the Major product lines, call 800-222-1296 today!

The Experience of Spirits Enjoyment “The Experience” is the truly apropos name chosen for the artisan-crafted, hand-blown, imported lead-free crystal version of the NEAT glass. “The Experience”

transforms spirits drinking from simple appreciation into deeper understanding, and turns spirits-paired dining from a harsh nose burning “shoulda-never-happened” mistake into a wellorchestrated symphony of flavors and aromas.

Packaged in a beautifully elegant gift-ready box, “The Experience” comes complete with a manual that explains exactly how to get the most from your personal drinking experience.

“The Experience” enhances all spirits, including whiskey, rum, tequila, cognac, gin, vodka, port, and after dinner liqueurs, displaying all characteristics and enabling the drinker to make wiser purchasing decisions. “The Experience” is the preferred choice of cigar and pipe smokers, and is used by many distilleries as a QC and diagnostic tool to help achieve and maintain high product standards.

The glassware choice for many of the largest spirits judging events in the country, NEAT re-engineered the enjoyment of fine spirits with simple science and a “form-follows-function” approach. For decades, we have been “nosing” wine to discover its subtle nuances. We can also “nose” spirits if we disperse the strong anesthetic alcohol vapors so they don’t concentrate in the nose. NEAT directs the alcohol vapors over the edge of the glass away from the nose, exposing and magnifying the many aromas which were overpowered by the alcohol.

Developed in co-operation with the UNLV Department of Chemistry, Las Vegas-based NEAT lives up to its motto, “Changing the way the world drinks.” NEAT is available on Amazon; at Total Wine; through Wine Enthusiast and Unica Home; and at Khoury’s Fine Wine and Spirits, Valley Wine and Cheese, and Marche Bacchus in Las Vegas. “The Experience” is now working its way into these outlets. Just look for the burgundy and platinum presentation package. More info at www.theneatglass.com, the NEAT glass Facebook page, and Twitter @theneatglass.

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Trip Advisor’s #1 ranked food activity in Las Vegas As seen on Good Morning America and CBS. tour routes expanding this year! drop us a note at info@noshlasvegas.com for more info on how we can add your property to our tour routes!

34 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

www.lvfnb.com

Photos by Juanita Aiello

Oscar’s Favorite Gin, Bombay Sapphire, Awarded Best Brand for National Performance.

Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada General Marketing Events Director Michael Severino, former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Senior Vice President General Manager - Spirits Ian Staller

Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada was presented with the “Best Brand National Performance” award for Bombay Sapphire at the Bacardi Founders Awards in February 2014. The local Bacardi team and Southern’s Nevada team were instrumental in driving activation and distribution across the Las Vegas and Reno markets, which in turn brought great success to the Bombay Sapphire brand.

Southern Wine & Spirits’ Splash into the Season Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Events Center - February 10th

Photos by Casey Levine

www.southernwine.com

36 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2014

www.lvfnb.com

PBS’s Splendor in the Glass

Presented by Southern Wine & Spirits at LVH - February 12, 2014 www.vegaspbs.org/specials/wine-and-beer-tasting

Photos by Bill Bokelmann

CHAYO Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar

Grand Opening Party @ The LINQ - February 6, 2014 chayolv.com

Photos by Bryan Kuhl

www.lvfnb.com

March 2014 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 37

CUSTOM BLENDED HERBS and SPICES MADE LOCALLY IN LAS VEGAS Al Dentes’ Provisions is a wholesale distributor of exceptional quality dried spices and specialty foods to the finest hotels and restaurants in Las Vegas and surrounding areas. Al Dentes’ Provisions is owned and operated by a former chef with over 20 years of experience. Wherever he worked around the country he was never satisfied with the dried spices available to him so he started his own company where we control all aspects of purchasing, packing and distribution. We pack our spices to be sold and distributed not warehoused for years. We believe this enables us to provide the finest and freshest product available to the foodservice industry. We take great pride in our company, our commitment to customer service and in the products we sell:

• Custom packed Herbs and Spices • Custom Spice Blends • Private labeling • Now Certified Kosher

Check us out online!

Website: www.aldentes.com Online Retail Store: www.cookinginlasvegas.com

now open!

S, N V

GA

PURVEYO RO F

“G

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Al Dentes’ Provisions 6960 W Warm Springs Road, Suite 130 • Las Vegas, Nevada 89113 38 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March702-642-1100 2014 • 702-617-5686 fax • sales@aldentes.com

S’ PRO NTE UFF” VISIO DEREAT ST

NS

retail store

AL

THE SPICE OUTLET LA

S

www.lvfnb.com

EVENTS

AD INDEX

MARCH

March 24-26 NCB-Nightclub & Bar Show-LVCC www.ncbshow.com

March 2-5 ACF Western Regional Convention Oakland, CA www.acfchefs.org March 6-9 Natural Products-West Anaheim, CA www.expowest.com/ew13/public/enter.aspx March 8 Annual Taste of ExcellenceWorld Market Center www.cdfnv.org/fundraiser.html

March 24-27 Pizza Expo-LVCC www.pizzaexpo.com March 25-26 International Restaurant Show-LVCC www.nvrestaurants.com March 25 ACF Chefs Dinner/Meeting-Gold Coast www.acfchefslasvegas.org

March 7-14 Las Vegas Restaurant Week by Three Square-Various Venues www.threesquare.org

March 26 Diced @ Catersource 9:30am to 12 Noon March 26-30 Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association Indian Wells, CA www.feda.com/convention

March 16-20 Exhibitors Expo Mandalay Bay CC www.exhibitoronline.com/ exhibitorshow/2014/index.asp

March 29 Chefs for Kids-Dinner & Auction Paris Hotel www.chefsforkids.org/

March 23-26 Catersource Show Paris Las Vegas www.catersource.com

To see more events, visit www.lvfnb.com/ calendar.htm

March 23-26 Event Solutions Show Paris Las Vegas event-solutions.com

Don’t See Your Event Listed Here?

Email Your F&B Events to Info@lvfnb.com.

Al Dentes’ Provisions sales@aldentes.com 702-642-1100

page 38

Big Dog’s Brewing Company www.bigdogsbrews.com 702-368-3715

page 30

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse page 39 www.bjsrestaurants.com 702-851-8050 Catersource Conference & Tradeshow www.catersource.com 800-932-3632

page 17

Designated Drivers, Inc. Las Vegas www.designateddriversinc.com 702-456-7433(RIDE)

page 31

Diced @ Catersource page 39 catersource.com/conference-tradeshow/2014/tradeshow/diced-competition Glacier Design Systems. Inc page 40 Triton Tabletop Drink Dispenser 877-617-2337 www.glacier-design.com Jay’s Sharpening www.jayssharpening.com 702-645-0049

page 9

JCCNV www.jccnevada.com 702-428-0555

page 33

Keep Memory Alive page 22 Event Center keepmemoryalive.org/eventcenter 702-263-9797 Major Products www.majorproducts.com 702-838-4698

page 35

Neat Glass www.theneatglass.com 702-332-7163

page 2

Nightclub & Bar Convention & Trade Show www.ncbshow.com

page 7

Nosh Las Vegas info@noshlasvegas.com

page 34

TurboChef www.turbochef.com 1-800-90TURBO

page 19

Visstun Visually Stunning Cups www.visstuncups.com 800-401-2910

page 25

White Soy Sauce www.whitesoysaucefood.com Wirtz Beverage Nevada Beer Education Program www.wirtzcraftbeer.com

page 8 page 29

Let’s Get Together at BJ’s!

Weekday Lunch Specials • Snacks and Small Bites • Fresh Salads • ENLIGHTENED ENTREES® Signature Deep Dish Pizzas • Culinary Creations • Pizookie® Desserts • Award-Winning Handcrafted Beers CALL AHEAD WAITING LIST | ONLINE ORDERING | CURBSIDE TAKE OUT

CENTENNIAL | 702-851-8050

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SUMMERLIN | 702-853-2300

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HENDERSON | 702-473-2980

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