Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional - March 2016

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Issue 3 Volume 16

US $3.95

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March 2016

CONTENTS AND COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLISHER MIKE FRYER

6

WELCOME to the March 2016 issue of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional, where we constantly aim to please YOU, our readers, and keep you updated and informed.

Along these lines we would be amiss if we didn’t give you a final “heads-up” to these international events for the Food & Beverage Industry happening in March.

First up is The Nightclub & Bar Show (NCB) taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and drawing in 100s of new and unique bar-related products and services.

Also known unofficially as “Drink Fest,” the booze doesn’t stop flowing with shots and mixes of some of the best known products on the market. Running at about the same time, also at the LVCC, is the International Pizza Expo where you can see, touch and taste new and existing pizza-related products and services. The following week LVCC is host to the Catersource Show where you can find virtually any catering related product or service from around the world.

Also, in March is the Natural Products Expo at the Anaheim Convention Center which hosts 100s of natural products ranging from medications to food & beverage and more.

We find it fascinating with new F&B products which could, and many times do, end up in the restaurant or bar industry.

For the dates and links to all of these events see our calendar listings on page 30.

We are looking forward to seeing you at these great shows, expos, and events and in case you can’t make it to them, look for our follow up in the next issue of LVF&B PRO.

18

CHEERS! MIKE FRYER

Page 4

Page 13

Page 24

Hot Off the Grill!

Wine Talk

UNLV Epicurean Society

Morels Wine Flight Page 5

Program Launch

Art of Flavors

Human Resources Insights

Page 6

Dining Out

How Positive and Structured

What’s Brewing

with the Harrises

“On-boarding” Processes Pay Off

Page 7

Page 16

Chef Talk

COVER FEATURE

Herbs

St. Patrick’s Day and Jameson Irish Whiskey

West Eats East

Page 18

Sushi

Bocuse d’Or Celebrates After Party with SWS

Page 9 Food for Thought

Page 19

What Seems Important

Catersource Event Solutions

www.lvfnbpro.com

Page 28 Megan Mack’s Latenight Excursions

Nevada Restaurant Association

What’s Cooking

Nevada ProStart Invitational

Page 22 Product Spotlight

Page 30 Events

Paul Bocuse Celebrates His 90th Birthday!

Loss Leaders Can Boost

Page 20 Brett’s Vegas View Page 12

The Bottom Line

Page 29

with Spring Coming Soon Page 10

Page 27

Earnings Like No Other

Page 8

20

Page 26

Page 14

Bob’s Beer Bits and Sips

Ad Index

March 2016 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 3

The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 7442 Grizzly Giant Street Las Vegas, NV 89139 www.lvfnbpro.com

HOT OFF THE GRILL!

March 2016 Mike Fryer

Sr. Editor/Publisher

Lagasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo was recently named No. 1 Sports Bar in the USA by USA Today 10 Best, “Best Sports Bar” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and one of the “Top Sports Bars in Las Vegas” by Yahoo! Sports. LVFnBPro Editorial Director Bob Barnes and Editors at Large Elaine and Scott Harris were there to congratulate Executive Chef Scott Pajak while enjoying his latest beer pairing dinner. Congrats to Lagasse’s Stadium and Chef Scott!

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

Juanita Fryer

Assistant To Sr. Editor ACF Chefs Liasion/Journalist juanita.fryer@lvfnb.com

Juanita Aiello

Bob Barnes

Editorial Director bob@lvfnb.com

The Long Beach Travel Show was recently held at the Long Beach Convention Center and had exhibitors from throughout the US as well as international and a number from Southern and Northern California. For the 3rd year in a row, a special pavilion and demo theater was set up to give special attention into what is referred to as “Travel Tastes.” This is more of a train of thought in that you travel to locations with the idea to try specific foods and beverages rather than arrive at the location and decide what to try. Additionally, the idea is to learn how to prepare these items in order to duplicate them once home. Pictured are Tudor Tours of Old England offering Old World tours with culinary treats of the era.

Elaine & Scott Harris Editors at Large harris@lvfnb.com

Alan Karl is a very unique individual who travels and writes on his culinary experiences and has just published a book featuring three years and five continents on one motorcycle, which you see him with here as well as his support van. His book is titled FORKS and the byline reads ‘A quest for culture, cuisine and connection,’ which it does in many ways.

Look for the book review in our next issue of LVF&BPro.

Adam Rains

Creative Director juanita@lvfnb.com

Beverage Editor adam.rains@lvfnb.com

Advertising sales@lvfnb.com

Article Submissions/Suggestions articles@lvfnb.com

Calendar Submissions calendar@lvfnb.com

Website webmaster@lvfnb.com

Press Relase Submissions news@lvfnb.com

General Information info@lvfnb.com

@lvfnb

The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Journalist Aimee McAffee

Journalist & Photographer Joe Fogarty

Accounting Manager Michelle San Juan

Journalist Brett’s Vegas View Jackie Brett

Journalist Shelley Stepanek

Journalist Food for Thought Les Kincaid

SoCal Journalist UNLV Epicurean Society Matthew Cairo

Journalist Mitchell Wilburn

Pre-Press Technician Brandon Yan

Journalist Good for Spooning LeAnne Notabartolo

Journalist East Eats West K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D.

Photographer Audrey Dempsey

Journalist Chef Talk Allen Asch

Journalist Al Mancini

Journalist Heidi Rains

Journalist HR Insights Linda Bernstein

Journalist Green Restaurant Association Michael Oshman

Journalist Wine Talk Alice Swift

Journalist Latenight Megan Nicolson

Journalist The Bottom Line Ben Brown

Photographer Bill Bokelmann

Photographer Joe Urcioli

SoCal Journalist Margie Mancino

Photographer Rose Powell-Carver

4 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

www.lvfnbpro.com

of Flavors

Adam has a true passion for food, wine, beer & spirits. He is a barman at CarneVino, a brand ambassador for Brooklyn Brewery and a long-time cocktailian. Adam strives to learn every day and during his career he’s studied at SDSU, USBG, BarSmarts, International Sommeliers Guild and the Certified Cicerone Program. His mantra with both food & cocktails is, “fresh is best.”

There is now another reason to visit the area between the Stratosphere and the Velveteen Rabbit. What is officially called the Gateway District, has long been home to one of Vegas’s most iconic of dive bars, Dino’s, as well as the delightfully infamous Olympic Garden. In the past few years, the area has been further bolstered by other local gems such as Goodwich and I Love Arepas. The latest to brighten up an almost forgotten part of the city is the newly opened gelato mavin, Art of Flavors.

brown butter pecan brittle gelato. While he plans to work with goat and buffalo milk, his newest cow’s milk creation is the extremely flavorful Irish whiskey corn cake gelato. It has everything that you could want in a gelato (or a dish for that matter), all of the flavor elements and ingredients culminating in unison. The creaminess meets the fruitiness of the whiskey, without being too boozy, and all the while you receive the satisfyingly spongy texture of the corn cake. Delish!

The Art of Flavors has transformed the previous shop from a sweet afterthought to a culinary experiment into what flavor can be. Chef Douglas Taylor, formerly head of pastry for all of Batali’s Vegas restaurants, is drawing on his longtime experience in pastry and his farm-totable expertise to honor the great tradition of gelato making.

Far from the mass produced profit-focused flavors that make up the majority of commercial ice-cream production, Chef Doug is building every component of his gelato from the ground up. “It’s not just one style category where I would always use the same base and I just add different flavors to it. I have twenty-four different bases that I make for each item that I make. Since I’m trying to change the menu once a month, I’m basically changing twenty of the twenty-four every month; there’s twenty new recipes I have to come up with and try to perfect it as close as I can. We’re also really focusing on the product in season that we use.”

While gelato in its modern form is quintessentially Italian, Chef Doug expounded, “I think a lot of people think that gelato is only one style and that’s what it has to be. Gelato or ice cream, actually comes from Asia, originally.

The first ones were made with snow that was flavored with different fruits and juices.” As we discussed it further, he explained that the idea of frozen dessert had worked its way to Italy during the time of the Roman Empire where they would use fresh snow pack from Mt. Etna & Vesuvius as a base. Its popularity spread throughout Italy and came to a head during the Renaissance where it was elevated to an art form. Cream became part of the scenario and it soon spread to the rest of Europe and beyond (America). Doug continued, “In that process of travel, there’s so many different kinds that developed.”

Gelato can be described with some of the same descriptors as wine. When talking about color, texture, mouthfeel, vibrancy of flavor, all come in to play. When I asked Doug about what makes a good gelato, he exclaimed, “The quality of the product is number one along with being able to keep the consistency. But of course one of the most important elements is overall flavor. When you eat a strawberry sorbeto, it should taste like you’re eating a ripe strawberry. If you’re eating chocolate, it tastes like the richest, most decadent chocolate there is; or if it’s something that’s a little crazier like my salted sweet potato, you should still understand the sweet potato component. I’d really like to expand on what you wouldn’t normally have for dessert.”

Exploring flavors and genres is on his mind.

Some of his other newer flavor combinations include, pine nut gelato, China Ranch date (sugar free) gelato, raspberry sorbeto and a www.lvfnbpro.com

Doug Taylor has long been a champion for farmers markets and will be sourcing locally as much as possible. He continued, “Right now, I’m getting a lot of my produce in local farms and I’m trying to focus on that. I’m talking to a local egg person up in northern Nevada so I can get eggs sourced locally. I’m even looking for locally produced milk.”

To see what artisan gelato is, please go soon to the Art of Flavors. Chef Doug is not only making the gelato from scratch, he is utilizing his pastry skills in making all types of cones, cookies and baked goods. There will be a taste for all palates. Doug concluded, “I’m really trying to build layers in an artistic way, whether you can taste them, or many different people can understand and appreciate it at different levels.

Whether it’s me, who eats gelato all day long every day, or if you’re five years old and you just want strawberry, I want everyone to be happy and have a good time. All enjoying it while I have fun and geek out as hard as I want.”

Photos by Adam Rains

Art

By Adam Rains

Art of Flavors 1616 S Las Vegas Blvd #130 Las Vegas, NV 89104 702-457-5522 www.facebook.com/Art-of-Flavors-471084119630341 March 2016 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 5

By Bob Barnes

BREWING Southern Nevada Beer Events Atomic Liquors will celebrate the launch of The Bruery and Bruery Terreux into the Las Vegas market with a tapping on March 3, beginning at 7 p.m. Pouring from the taps will be Jardinier, Mischief and Or Xata from The Bruery, and Oude Tart, Rueuze and Saison Rue from Bruery Terreux. At around 8 p.m., The Bruery Senior Director of Operations Jonas Nemura will host a free educational seminar on the patio entitled Crafting Beers Beyond Brewing: an insight into barrel aged beers. The Bruery, founded by Master Cicerone Patrick Rue in Orange County, CA in 2008, focuses on barrel-aged and experimental beers, while Bruery Terreux, launched in 2015, concentrates on ales fermented with wild yeasts and souring bacteria. Commenting on adding The Bruery to their portfolio, Craft Brand Specialist at Wirtz Beverage Nevada Michael Shetler said, “Wirtz Beverage is honored to now represent The Bruery and Bruery Terreux brands in Nevada. They strive for perfection in every beer they produce and they exemplify the ingenuity and creativity of American craft brewers everywhere. The Bruery has helped redefine how people think about beer and we are very excited to help spread that message across Nevada.”

A few days later, on Monday, March 7th, Atomic will host a Cicerone Certification Program Las Vegas Meet and Greet beginning at 6 p.m.

This certification program is the beer equivalent

ON TAP AND IN BOTTLES THROUHOUT SOUTHERN NEVADA LAS VEGAS’ ORIGINAL BREWING COMPANY ww.bigdogsbrews.com

to a Sommelier and the gathering will be a chance for beer people in the Las Vegas area who are either certified, or possibly interested in getting certified, to meet people from the Chicago-based beer organization. If that’s not enticement enough to attend, that same night Atomic will host a Lagunitas/Highwest boiler maker event. Lagunitas created Highwestified, a stout aged in High West whiskey barrels.

(High West is a craft distillery in Park City, UT.) GM Rose Signor and her staff took the concept further and made an entire menu pairing several Lagunitas beers with some of High West’s unique offerings. Come on down and meet people from both Lagunitas and High West!

Atomic Liquors is located at 917 Fremont St in Downtown Las Vegas.

On March 26 from 3-7 p.m. (1 p.m. entry for VIP) is the 4th Annual Boulder City Beerfest, held at Wilbur Square Park in the heart of the historic city. The park is located just two blocks from Boulder Dam Brewing, which is where you can buy tickets in advance for $45 for VIP or $30 for general admission ($45 at the door).

The only beerfest currently held in Boulder City, it will have 30 brewery tents pouring close to 100 beers, live music, food for purchase from eight food trucks, “beer centric” specialty vendors and homebrewing demonstrations. For more info, a list of breweries or to purchase tickets, visit bouldercitybeerfest.com.

Time to mark your calendar for the Motley Brews 6th Annual Great Vegas Festival of Beer, set for April 9 from 3 to 7 p.m. The fest will again be held in Downtown Las Vegas in the heart of the Fremont East Entertainment District, with availability of scores of hotels within steps. Expect a wide range of beer styles with more than 400 beer choices from 100 breweries, including several from Nevada. This fest has the largest craft beer selection of any beerfest held in Nevada. Motley Brews fests typically sell out, and purchasing in advance gets you a reduced rate, as well as availability of VIP and early admission tickets, so consider purchasing your tickets at greatvegasbeer.com, where you’ll also find the line-up of breweries that will be pouring.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Sprocket Bar & Restaurant located within the Whole Foods Market at The District will offer specials from March 13-20, with beer flights of four 4-oz tasters (with several of its 24 taps including local beer) going for $11 and food specials including Corn Beef Cabbage Roll with Steam Potato, Bangers & Mash with Mash Potato Fritters and Guinness Mac & Cheese ranging from $8-$15.

6 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

He welcomes your inquiries.

Email: bob@lvfnb.com

PT’s Brewing Now Open

I’m happy to report that PT’s Brewing is now open in the old digs of Tenaya Creek at 3101 N. Tenaya Way near Cheyenne and the 95 Freeway and a stone’s throw away from Aces & Ales.

Brewmaster Dave Otto has six house brews as well as a seasonal: Horizon Ale, a crisp cream ale brewed with light malts and a touch of American hops; Sahara Pale Ale, a classic American-style pale ale with notes of pine, citrus and stone fruit; Sunset Wit, a new take on a Belgian-style white ale brewed with coriander and grapefruit zest; Sean Patrick’s Irish Red, an Irish-style red ale with hints of toasted malts and caramel; Boulder Stout, a nitro poured Irish-style stout with notes of coffee and cocoa; Hualapai IPA, an assertively hopped West Coast-style IPA; and winter/spring seasonal saison, featuring lemon grass and thyme, dry-hopped with Citra hops and fermented with a classic saison yeast.

At press time I am scheduled to visit to check out the new food menu, so more good stuff to follow in the next issue.

Photos courtesy Golden Entertainment

what’s

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.

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

By Chef Allen Asch

Chef Talk Herbs

Feel free to contact Chef Allen with ideas for comments or future articles at allena@unlv.nevada.edu 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 teaching at UNLV. He earned his Certified Culinary Educator Endorsement from the American Culinary Federation in 2003.

Herbs are the leaves of aromatic plants while spices are any other edible part of the aromatic plant. Some plants, such as dill, produce an herb and a spice, dill seed. Herbs can be classified for uses such as food, flavoring, medicine, perfume and for spiritual uses. Herbs also fall into categories such as perennials, biennials and annuals. Perennials, such as thyme, live for longer than 2 years. Biennials such as parsley last for only two years and annuals such as basil will complete their life cycle in 1 year.

Nevada has become an area that is booming in producing locally or regionally grown produce.

The Nevada Department of Agriculture states that agriculture is a major industry in Nevada that contributes to the state economy as well as many rural economies within the state. Livestock, especially cattle, is a major component of the state’s industry, but sheep, lamb and hogs are a contributor to this industry as well. Alfalfa hay is the largest cash crop, used to feed dairy cattle in neighboring states.

Nevada also produces enough alfalfa that it is exported overseas every year. The state also produces quantities of potatoes barley, wheat, corn, oats, onion and honey. Mint is another large crop produced in Nevada.

The Chinese have been using herbs for thousands of years to help alleviate pain as well as cures for many illnesses including cancer. RSYRT (Ren Shen Yang Rong Tang), therapy has been used to treat such maladies as postpartum illness, tuberculosis, depression, chronic fatigue, infertility, Alzheimer’s, inflammation, autoimmune disease and skin tumors.

Fresh herbs are readily available in most supermarkets, but with the many farmers markets available the variety, volume and prices for fresh herbs has made them become more commonplace in restaurant cooking, as well as in people’s households. Dried herbs have been readily available forever, but whenever possible fresh herbs will be a better choice due to the flavor and freshness they add to a dish.

If a recipe calls for fresh herbs but you do not have the availability to get it, dried herbs can be substituted, but you would use 1/3 the amount of the dried herbs due to the concentration of flavors. Another adjustment that needs to be made is when to add the herbs. Dried herbs are added at the beginning of the cooking process www.lvfnbpro.com

graphic courtesy nevadagrowers.com

Besides adding flavor to foods, herbs can help with digestion. To soothe an upset stomach and restore an unbalanced digestive system you can drink chamomile tea, or chew on some dill or fennel. These herbs soothe an irritation in the digestive tract which will lessen the inflammation. Basil has been shown to help with kidney problems and tarragon is used to neutralize snake bites.

to give the herbs the chance to rehydrate and infuse their flavor throughout the whole dish.

Fresh herbs are usually added at the end of the cooking process since this fresh flavor will dissipate easily in a short cooking time. Some herbs that I have had luck using a dried version include more woody herbs such as thyme, oregano and rosemary. I try to only use fresh herbs when a recipe asks for more tender herbs such as basil and chives.

If you do not have a living plant that allows you to snip and use the amount you need you may have to buy it in larger quantities than you immediately need. If this is the case you will need to store the fresh herbs correctly to help maintain their flavor and freshness. Fresh herbs will stand tall when you buy them, no sagging or droopiness. To store them you should wrap small amounts in a damp paper towel and seal

them in a zippered bag. For larger quantities you put the stem end in a glass of water and wrap the leaves in a damp towel. Another option is to dry them; this is done best in the microwave for smaller quantities and in an oven for larger quantities. You should separate the leaves from the stems and lay it out in a single layer.

If you plan on growing your own herbs, most require a lot of sunlight, up to eight hours a day.

A very few such as parsley will grow well in a more shaded area. This sunlight issue is why many growers use containers to grow herbs so that they can be moved around to follow the sunlight. Having access to a variety of fresh herbs makes menu planning a much more challenging and rewarding task. I love to create herb themed multi-course meals, including fresh herbs as a component of a dessert course.

March 2016 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 7

By K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D.

West Eats East Sushi

Mike Masuyama is a bi-cultural science-technologybusiness 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, sea salt, rice, white soy sauce and other areas both in Japan and the US., and has published several books and dozens of articles.

“Ask Doctor Sake” was his last series in this journal.

Who imagined sushi would become almost a staple of J-eating here in our land? My dear professor at school, a world renowned cheese authority, commented it was a barbarian delicacy of a smelly fish with cooked rice marinated with vinegar, requiring not much culinary skills to make. It was early 1970s, still not in a distant memory. He referred to our diet as meat and cheese along with just a little bit of warm vegetable and a lot of potatoes. No rice, no soy sauce, not much fish-seafood, and no fresh vegetables for most of our people then. Once or twice in my school years he came to a J-restaurant where I worked at night and asked me what to order. Sukiyaki was my choice because it was a kind of meat dish. I urged a chef to add more beef in the place of tofu and veggies. He did not leave a good tip afterward. It was also the time that I started dancing when I spotted soy sauce in a supermarket of a small college town in western NY state. Sushi was beyond anyone’s imagination then.

I still wonder why Americans have started eating such an unconventional, too foreign stuff as sushi. I guess it must be a matter of timing to match our desire for health and longevity as well as ventures for fish-seafood or diverse from meat. People appeared to anticipate some of the desire to be fulfilled by sushi. Besides, sushi was exotic, fancy and not so bad in taste, even though at first bite required some sort of courage, not exactly like swallowing with eyes closed. Rice is good for filling the stomach with less calorie than meat or dairy products. Fish brings good protein and fatty acids. There are three probable concerns. First, bare hands in sushi making, which is occasionally pointed out by local health offices.

In my food safety inspection experience at sushi restaurants as a food microbiologist, sushi business people are very concerned with it by taking every preventive measure like washing hands thoroughly, using sanitized cloths for cleaning chopping board, cutting knife, kitchen chopsticks, etc. Sushi would be safe as far as these basic, sanitary measures are seriously practiced. Sushi making is nothing different from other culinary preparations. And, I understand the use of disposable kitchen gloves may be reasonable in some cases because of handling of uncooked, raw fish-

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seafood. Second, occasional reports of mercury or heavy metal contents of fish or seafood. A carnivore, tuna for an example, positions high as a predator in the marine food chain, which means, tuna possibly accumulates residual chemicals or heavy metals from lower food chain creatures. It is nothing to do with tuna per se but an environmental matter in the ocean.

Currently mercury levels are not critically over the threshold values to cause a threat, particularly to pregnant women or children. I hope it goes this way forever. Food safety is a matter of quantity. If you eat tuna three times a day for years, it would be your problem as a predator. Third, resources of fish-seafood. In addition to international treaties of fishing to regulate catches, aqua farming may be a solution of the supply, I hope.

Sushi has evolved from preservation of fish in our early eating. Leftover fresh water fish or shellfish at the beach (easier to catch than fish in the ocean in old days) was stored with salt for later eating. In such preservation, fermentation progressed mostly by lactic acid bacteria, preventing spoilage at lowered acidic conditions. No rice was used in the beginning but later added for stimulating fermentation. Preserved fish, called sushi at that time, was for eating precious fish protein. Such a sushi smelled awful like Limburger cheese or sufu (fermented tofu) but was prized as a delicacy or treat. Then a revolution took place in the early 19th century by adding vinegar (acetic acid) to rice instead of waiting for acid forming in fermentation. This change from lactic to acetic acid made sushi more easy to make, more palatable to taste and more popular to enjoy.

Then many kinds came out with ingredients available, fresh fish-seafood and vegetables, for seasonal or special occasions. Sushi was and still is for special occasions but not daily meals. Traditional Nigiri, rolled (small, creative here and large Futomaki there), Chirasi (a bowl of sushi rice covered with fish-seafood), Gomoku (mainly cooked vegetables, eggs) and pressed trout Oshi sushi are champions of the J-food which everybody loves. Here it came by J-immigrants. We transformed it into our taste and forms for our fancy, special occasion, one of the most beloved Oriental foods. Evolution, revolution and diversion, sushi has gone through.

Further diversion will proceed by using meat, smoked salmon-trout, egg, dairy products and cooked veggies, sea-veggies, fruits from local supplies, with hints from the originals in Japan. Kobe beef sushi, Spam sushi, and eggplant sushi with miso vinegar sauce, are already in sushi markets. A large rolled, art sushi is creatively fantastic in the same appearance of the inside figures of flowers, cherry blossom, Mt. Fuji, snowman, Giant Panda, or Halloween pumpkin at every cut. Try to make it. The originals or creative ones, that is your choice. Sushi can be a good vehicle to drive omnivorous eating further both in taste and business. www.lvfnbpro.com

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

By Les Kincaid Les Kincaid is a food, wine, and golf expert and cookbook author. He hosts the nationally syndicated wine radio show Wines Du Jour 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

What Seems Important with Spring Coming Soon

It seems residents in Nevada are increasingly concerned about the food they eat and how it is produced and processed. One of the fastest growing segments of the food industry is organic food. There is disagreement as to whether certified organic food is any healthier than conventionally produced food or those organic practices, in general, result in healthier food products. Organic food gives consumers the opportunity to purchase food on the basis of their own values and beliefs. Organic food products usually sell for a premium price because they come with assurances that they have been produced in a certain manner.

According to our USDA, “Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meats, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; petroleum-based fertilizers or sewage sludge-based fertilizers; bio-engineering; or ionizing radiation.

Before a product can be labeled organic, a government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too. Now you know more than most about what’s available in our stores.

With all the harmonious pairings of foodstuffs, artichokes and lamb certainly rank in the upper echelon. Here, with lentils for body and olives, capers, and red onion for zest, we have the makings of an involved heavenly dish. While the earthiness of this recipe may satisfy on a very basic level, the flavors are actually quite delicate. It takes a bit of time but, after all it’s almost spring and we can spend an extra few minutes for a heavenly dish.

Lamb Loin with Artichokes & Red Wine Sauce For the meat stock reduction 2 cups chopped yellow onions 1 cup chopped carrots 1 cup chopped celery 2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil 1 cup dry red wine 2 quarts (8 cups) beef stock 4 sprigs fresh thyme For the artichokes 2 raw artichoke bottoms, with stems attached

2 cups extra-virgin olive oil 3 sprigs fresh thyme 2 cloves garlic, smashed 2 whole bay leaves 1 lemon, juiced Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste For the lamb and sauce 2 pounds lamb loin, with extra fat slab attached 2 tablespoons puréed Kalamata olives Salt and freshly ground

Make the meat stock reduction

black pepper 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil 1 cup dry red wine 1 cup julienned red onion 1/2 cup julienned red bell pepper 1/2 cup sliced Kalamata olives 1/2 cup meat stock reduction 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

For the garnish 1 cup freshly cooked French green lentils, hot Freshly ground black pepper 4 teaspoons micro parsley or chervil leaves (or chopped fresh parsley or chervil) 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Make the artichokes

Make the lamb and sauce Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rub the lamb loin with the olive purée and roll up in the attached fat slab, covering the whole loin. Secure with butcher’s twine. Season the outside of the loin with salt and pepper.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a roasting pan over high heat. Add the loin and sear on all sides until golden brown and crispy. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked to medium-rare. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let rest. Drain off any excess fat from the pan.

Deglaze the pan on the stove top with the wine, then add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onion is tender. Add the bell pepper, sliced olives, stock reduction, capers, vinegar and chives; cook for 3 minutes longer to bring the flavors together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the cooking twine from the lamb and cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick medallions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice the artichokes into 1/3-inch-thick wedges. Place the artichokes in a small saucepan with the olive oil, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, and lemon juice; cook over low heat for 15 minutes, or until the artichokes are cooked al dente. Remove the artichokes from the pan to prevent overcooking. The artichokes can be prepared several hours ahead of time. Reheat them in the oil just prior to serving. Drain the artichokes and season to taste with salt and pepper at the last minute.

Assemble the dish Spoon some of the lentils and artichokes in the center of each plate.

Place a slice of the lamb atop the lentils and spoon the sauce around the plate. Top with pepper and sprinkle with the micro parsley. Drizzle the olive oil around the plate.

Yield: 4 servings Note: Recommend Spanish Rioja wine

Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in the grapeseed oil in a medium saucepan over high heat for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and caramelized. Deglaze the pan with the wine and cook until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the stock and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.

Strain and return the liquid to the saucepan. Add the thyme and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the thyme and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Store in the refrigerator up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months.

www.lvfnbpro.com

March 2016 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 9

Brett’s

Jackie Brett Jackie is a freelance public relations specialist and writer specializing in the Las Vegas entertainment and travel scene. Her writings have appeared in magazines and newspapers nationwide and on numerous websites. She is also an instructor covering Special Events at CSN- College of Southern Nevada.

Email: jackiebrett@cox.net

MGM Resorts International will debut a new park, dining and entertainment district on the Strip April 4. Beerhaus, an American beer hall remix with bar games and an outdoor patio, will also open. Other dining partners include: Shake Shack, California Pizza Kitchen, Sake Rok and fast-casual, gourmet waffle restaurant Bruxie.

Classically modern steakhouse Alder & Birch is the first of five new dining concepts debuting at The Orleans in 2016 as part of Boyd Gaming’s ongoing $30 million resort enhancement. Ondori Asian Kitchen is next.

Family-owned Nora’s Italian Cuisine celebrating 25 years is building a new two-story restaurant near its existing west-side location with completion this August.

Loco Cantina opened at Town Square serving lunch and dinner daily with a happy hour and live entertainment nightly.

The build-your-own pizza concept, Southern California-based PizzaRev launched its first Nevada location in Henderson.

Front and Center News

Beer Park at Paris is the Strip’s first rooftop bar and grill open daily from lunch through late night.

MGM Resorts is launching a major $90 million parking strategy that includes charging, expanding and enhancing parking infrastructure, and using new parking technologies. The company will build a $54-million, 3,000-space parking structure with completion in 2017.

The Mandalay Bay’s Convention Center $70 million expansion is complete now with the opening of the 70,000-square-foot Oceanside Ballroom. The final phase of Mandalay Bay’s resort-wide, multi-year transformation is the $100 million redesign of more than 3,000 guest rooms and suites.

Beginning April 1, “Moe-Bot,” a BeamPro telepresence robot, will enable The Mob Museum’s guests to “visit” via their computer screen or mobile device.

10 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

The Race & Sports SuperBook at Westgate is newly renovated and features the world’s largest HD LED video wall and an innovative new mobile app.

The Spa and Salon at the Golden Nugget was recently enhanced by an $800,000 renovation.

In May a new expanded poker room with 28 tables having USB ports for charging will open on the Encore side of the Wynn resort.

Photo by Isaac Brekken for Getty

Jennifer Lopez has added 19 additional 2016 performances of her Jennifer Lopez: All I Have show at The Axis at Planet Hollywood.

Mike Tyson is returning to the MGM Grand with his one-man Undisputed Truth show March 3-June 26 in Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club.

Guns N’ Roses reunite on stage for the first time in 23 years over the opening weekend, April 8 and 9, of the new T-Mobile Arena.

Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will co-host the 51st Academy Of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 3.

The Righteous Brothers now featuring Bill Medley with Bucky Heard will bring the original legendary duo’s sound to Harrah’s Showroom Wednesday through Saturday starting March 23.

GRAMMY nominated Cameo debut their new residency in the Westgate Cabaret March 2 performing Wednesday through Sunday.

The Scintas opened their music-comedy show in the Plaza’s showroom for a limited engagement with four monthly dates through May. Flamingo headliner Jeff Civillico started hosting a weekly entertainment/news TV show Las Vegas Good News that tapes in front of a live audience at The LINQ Promenade fountain stage every Thursday from 5-8 p.m.

The 20th anniversary Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) will happen at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway June 17-19. For the buildup, Insomniac has launched the weekly “EDC 20Year Playlist Series,” highlighting memorable dance music.

Island Heat at Kahunaville in The Mirage closed.

Dining Messages

Photo by Kevin Garden

Entertainment Captivates

Donny and Marie Osmond were Madame Tussauds first 2016 wax figures wearing wardrobe the stars donated.

KISS By Monster Mini Golf closed at Harmon and Paradise Road after four years and will reopen this spring in an expanded space in the Masquerade Village at the Rio. Drybar, stylist Alli Webb’s nationwide blowout phenomenon, will open a flagship shop at the Miracle Mile Shops in July.

HEXX Chocolate at Paris with new milk chocolate bars is the first bean-to-bar chocolate maker on the Strip and offers daily kitchen tours.

The Animal Foundation’s 13th annual Best in Show will return to the Orleans Arena Sunday, April 10.

The Tropicana will open its brand new weekend pool club, Sky Beach Club, on April 8.

Aliante will open The Deck on March 21 and start hosting its monthly concert series, Jazz Under The Stars, on Thursday, April 28.

World Famous Stoney’s Rockin’ Country in Town Square started a special “Twosdays” promotion: $2 cover along with $2 well, wine and draft on Tuesday nights.

Four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler will attend Las Vegas City Athletic Club’s 2016 Jay Cutler Desert Classic NPC national qualifier competition at the Palms on Saturday, March 26.

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum unveiled its updated African Savanna Exhibit featuring donated rare pieces from the Gary and Matthew Primm Family Wildlife Collection. www.lvfnbpro.com

Bocuse d’Or Winners Join Paul Bocuse to Celebrate His 90th Birthday!

A gift

A tribute, a testimonial On February 11th, 2016, the Bocuse d’Or Winners chefs were in Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or, at the restaurant on the banks of the Saône where Paul Bocuse was born 90 years ago. They had come in large numbers to show their admiration and affection for this exceptional human being, talented chef and creator of the contest that bears his name. The Bocuse d’Or was launched in 1987, and will celebrate its 30th anniversary next January. Since then, all the chefs who have climbed the podium have had the honor and delight of seeing their names engraved at the entrance to the restaurant, a strong symbol of Paul Bocuse’s attachment to an event now viewed as the toughest and most prestigious culinary contest in the world.

To mark the anniversary, the Bocuse d’Or Winners chefs presented their mentor with a gift: a statue inaugurated on this occasion in the restaurant’s courtyard. The statue is a duplicate of a sculpture commissioned by the City of Lyon from artist Thierry Portier, which now presides at the Tourist Office, in Place Bellecour, Lyon.

Donation of the work of art was personally financed by the chefs (without using association funds), emphasizing their desire to express their gratitude and admiration to Paul Bocuse.

In his short speech, the President of the Bocuse d’Or Winners, Ferdy Debecker, stated that the contest changes the lives of the chefs who take part in it, and that there is always a BEFORE… and an AFTER Bocuse d’Or! The event also saw Jérôme Bocuse appointed Vice-President of Honor of the Bocuse d’Or Winners alongside his father.

The inauguration was followed by a family-style meal, without cameras or journalists, respecting Paul Bocuse’s desire to experience the day in a calm and intimate atmosphere. Alongside the chefs: the Mayor of Lyon, Gérard Collomb, and Olivier Ginon, both very much attached to the Bocuse d’Or, a contest that flies the city’s flag high.

The Bocuse d’Or Winners are supported by a founding partner, and by its other partners: À la Carte Formation, Bragard, Bridor, Calvisius, Champagne Mandois, Nestlé Professional, Elle & Vire, Enodis, Georges Duboeuf, GL-events Exhibitions, KitchenAid Europa, Kleuster, Novius, Rak Porcelain International, Salma, Valrhona, Vergers Boiron.

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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 Learning Design & Development Business Partner 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.

Morels

Wine Flight Program Launch A couple months ago, I wrote the cover feature for Morels French Steakhouse and Bistro, introducing the inaugural wine flight program in partnership with Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada. On February 9th, 2016, I attended the launch party celebrating the inauguration of the program. Wine Director and Sommelier, Alexandre Brard selected the wines for the flight. Since the restaurant’s main focus is French cuisine and quality selection of steaks, the majority of wines poured are red wines. In fact, the Wine Flight Program offers 24 different red wines from around the world, poured from an Enomatic system.

The great thing about this program is the ability for guests to try wines which they may not wish to purchase an entire bottle or glass of. Some of the high end or prestigious wines include: Stag’s Leap Artemis, Tignanello, Penfolds Bin 407 and much more.

Here are some photos of the event, which was a huge success! Not only was there great food and great service, but a wonderful and welcoming atmosphere. Quite a few wines were poured from the wine flight program list, several of which I had the opportunity to try.

Owner and Co-Founder of Market City Caffe Hospitality Group (which owns Morels and other F&B venues) Chipper Castron flew in for the evening, and took the time to chat with the many attendees of the launch.

Take advantage of this great opportunity to take a flight around the world through glasses of wine… Hope to see you there!

Cheers~ Alice www.lvfnbpro.com

Photos by Alice Swift

The evening’s event was definitely a success, and I am confident that the one-of-a-kind Morels Wine Flight Program will be quite the hit! To recap the program, each guest is eligible to obtain a Wine Flight “passport” with 24 wines listed. For every glass purchased, you receive a stamp in your passport booklet.

Once a guest purchases ten stamps, he/she will receive a complimentary glass of wine. As an added bonus, if the passport is stamped with all 24 stamps by the deadline of May 31st, guests are entered into a drawing to win a large format bottle of Bruno Paillard Champagne.

March 2016 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 13

By Elaine & Scott Harris

Dining Out with the Harrises

Sommeliers and Editor-In-Chief of Nationally Recognized Cuisineist.com and Vino Las Vegas LLC. They are the Las Vegas City Editors for TheDailyMeal in New York City.

Cuisinist@Gmail.com • www.Cuisineist.com www.VinoLasVegas.Blogspot.com www.LasVegasDiningTours.com Facebook:ElaineScottHarris Twitter:TheCuisineist.com Twitter: VinoLasVegas • Instagram : Cuisineist

This is the time of year in Las Vegas as winter turns to spring, that tasty food and beverage events sprout like flowers up and down the Las Vegas Boulevard. party at the luxurious and brand new venue, Skyfall. As we sipped on the city’s best cocktails prepared by the finest bar professionals and mixologists, we savored passed appetizers prepared by Chef Alain Ducasse’s restaurant, Rivera. This impressive roster of mixologists from all over the country had us exploring different flavor profiles highlighting everything from sweet, smoky, and sour as their creativity kicked into action.

“Meeting with the Masters” with Chef Rick Moonen and Fred Dame MS at RX Boiler Room.

Only in Las Vegas can one expect to spend three days with some of the most talented mixologists in the country in an event that engaged guests to the best in the trade as part of the proceeds went to help a noteworthy charity, The Helen David Relief Fund. We joined mixologists Tony Abou-Ganim, Salvatore Calabrese and Francesco Lafranconi as they showed off their creative skills to the delight of the VIP guests at the Bound Mixology Bar in the Cromwell Hotel. After mixing and sipping for hours we ascended up the escalator to Giada’s flagship restaurant for a taste of her delightful dishes and iconic wines from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates & Antinori, hosted by Joseph Phillips MS. The second night brought us to downtown Las Vegas for a bar crawl and a visit to the area’s most eclectic and well-known venues of libation. In addition to the crawl, guests were treated to a food truck and cocktail pairing well into the evening.

Our final night was highlighted by a wine reception at the Franklin in the Delano lobby.

After enjoying renowned wines from Justin, we soared 64 floors for a premier Vegas cocktail

RX Boiler Room hosted the first ever “Meeting of the Masters.” The main feature of the event showcased Duke Kentucky Straight Bourbon, crafted after John Wayne’s own bourbon collection and tasting notes dates back to the 1960s. In this case, spirits and wine came together in a competition. We knew it was going to be a very special day as we joined Master Sommelier Fred Dame, Top Chef Master Rick Moonen, internationally renowned and celebrated mixologist Francesco Lafranconi and Ethan Wayne (John Wayne’s son) for the competition. This first time event spanned over the course of two days with the masters and six of the top mixologists and chefs from around the country as they participated in a variety of challenges showcasing their skill set in pairing dishes with not only wine but spirits as well.

The first challenge was at Southern Wine & Spirits and was hosted by Francesco Lafranconi.

Contestants were tasked to create three cocktails inspired by John Wayne’s movies and life. The contestants moved on to Yardbird restaurant where owner John Kunkel served up two dishes to the contestants. The contestants then paired one wine with each dish, which was judged

by Fred Dame MS. The third challenge had

14 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

the contestants experiencing the John Wayne lifestyle on a shooting range where they received a training session and the opportunity to “hit the bullseye.” The final challenge was hosted by Chef Rick Moonen, at his RX Boiler Room. He prepared a seafood and meat dish for the contestants to create both a specialty drink using Duke Bourbon and wine pairing with each dish. When things stopped shaking, Greg Richie, Executive Chef of Soco Restaurant, emerged the winner.

DB Brasserie and Chef Vincent Pouessel Debut a Duck and Truffle Tasting You Don’t Want to Miss

You don’t have to twist our arm to enjoy truffles and duck. We joined a VIP group of journalists at Chef Daniel Boulud’s DB Brasserie at The Venetian Resort to experience a lunch that will be a welcome addition to the famous fare of Chef Boulud. Chef Vincent Pouessel has prepared a tasting menu that is sure to be a hit. Sommelier Devin Zendel joined us on the auspicious occasion with some classic French wines to pair with our dishes and the tasting began. Things started off nicely with a Marble of Foie Gras Au Torchon & Perigold Truffles. The next dish was a classic Double Duck Consomme that brought back memories of lunching on the ChampsÉlysées. Moulard Duck à L’Orange was our next course and had our palates saying ooh, la la! The most interesting course was Pithivier of Duck Confit and seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras that was a gastronomic culinary highlight.

The Gateau Basque with Armagnac Cherries Crème Glacee, encompassed the fini with a memory that one will not soon forget. This new bi-monthly tasting series at DB Brasserie is $99 per person, and is for a limited engagement.

photos by Scott Harris

For The Love Of Cocktails

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St. Patrick’s Day Is the Perfect Time to Enjoy Jameson Irish Whiskey

No St. Patrick’s Day would be complete without Jameson Irish Whiskey making an appearance. This year Las Vegas will be booming with tourists and locals alike for St. Patrick’s Day as it falls into a wild weekend of March Madness.

photo by Therese Sam for JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort and Spa

In addition to the familiar base Jameson, the portfolio also includes some innovations such as Jameson Caskmates. Emerging from a conversation between the head distiller and the head brewer of Cork’s Franciscan Well Brewery, Jameson Caskmates has been finished in stoutseasoned whiskey casks. While the tripledistilled smoothness is very much intact, notes of cocoa, coffee and butterscotch confirm the stout influence. Caskmates is a head-turning, modern Irish whiskey.

Jameson Black Barrel, another fan favorite, is a triple-distilled blend of rich pot still and grain whiskey that is matured in a mixture of sherry casks and bourbon barrels.

For those that want to break out of their Jameson comfort zone, patrons can sample some of the other Irish whiskeys that fall under the Pernod Ricard portfolio. The company’s current Irish whiskey portfolio includes products from Jameson, Powers, Redbreast, Midleton, Green Spot and Paddy. Legally defined, Irish whiskey is a spirit distilled from cereal grains and aged three years in wooden casks, all on Irish soil.

Visit some of these Jameson-friendly locations in Las Vegas:

JC Irish Sports Pub

Contributing Writers: Sara Bauer Bob Barnes Feature and cover photos by Shelley Stepanek Audrey Dempsey/Infinity Photo 16 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

JC Irish Sports Pub at the Rampart Casino will be offering the following specials: • $5 Jameson Shots • $6 Jameson Caskmates • $7 Jameson Black Barrel • $10 Jameson Mules with Black Barrel JC Irish Sports Pub at the Rampart Casino 221 N Rampart Blvd.

702-869-7725 www.rampartcasino.com/dining www.lvfnbpro.com

Leprechauns and Irish Bars

photo courtesy McMullan’s

Downtown Las Vegas

McMullan’s Irish Pub Famous for their Irish Coffee, made with Jameson, McMullan’s Irish Pub carries the full Jameson portfolio including Caskmates, Black Barrel, Redbreast, Midleton and Paddy.

McMullan’s is proud to be one the biggest supporting accounts of Jameson for Las Vegas locals.

McMullan’s Irish Pub 4650 W Tropicana Ave. 702-247-7000 www.mcmullansirishpub.com

If your travels take you toward Fremont Street be sure to enjoy the Downtown Jameson experience at The D, Gold Spike and Hennessey’s, which will include Jameson promo models, drink specials and live entertainment; and Hogs N Heifers will feature $6 Jameson and Jameson Caskmates.

By Shelley Stepanek Let’s visit some of the lesser known and local places for St. Paddy’s Day this year.

McFadden’s

The Cornish Pasty Company

McFadden’s at Town Square will be featuring Jameson and beer specials with Jameson and Jameson Caskmates being featured for $5 and $6 respectively. Both specials will run from Thursday through the weekend.

McFadden’s 6593 S Las Vegas Blvd #222 702-834-4400 www.mcfaddensvegas.com

The Cornish Pasty Company serves meat pies, poroshkies, pot pies and all the typical Irish food. Try a steak, green pepper, mushroom and onion filled with Swiss cheese meat pie.

Or change it out for beef, or chicken. Cornish Pasty Company also has take out. It is casual, easy to park, and normally they feature great rock music.

953 E. Sahara 702-862-4535 www.cornishpastyco.com

Miller’s Ale House While you are at Town Square visit Miller’s Ale House for 2 for 1 Jameson Mule specials.

Miller’s Ale House 6683 S. Las Vegas Boulevard (702) 616-3414 www.millersalehouse.com

Jack’s Pub Jack’s Pub at Palace Station has 1/2 Irish food, and 1/2 bar food. They are known for their fish and chips; and, as every Irish pub, their corned beef and cabbage. They have u-shaped booths, and high stool seating, a small stage and plenty of nightly entertainment. Dark green walls brings the Irish atmosphere home.

Plenty of TVs.

Sean Patrick’s At Sean Patrick’s on St. Patrick’s Day, each of its four locations will give out 2016 St Patrick’s Day t-shirts to the first 100 people who come in after 10 a.m. and there will be $20 match play for gamers from 10 a.m. to midnight. The entire menu will be available, including Jameson Whiskey Wings—chicken wings with Jameson Irish whiskey sauce and coo coo fries—and featured food will be Corned Beef and Cabbage, Fish & Chips and Shepherd’s Pie and featured drinks will be Guinness, Smithwick’s, Jameson and Bass.

Sean Patrick’s Las Vegas locations include 11930 Southern Highlands Parkway, 3290 W. Ann Road, 6788 N. 5th Street and 8255 W. Flamingo Road.

Tilted Kilt Tilted Kilt at The Linq will be featuring Jameson, Jameson Caskmates and Red Breast 12 year old.

Tilted Kilt at The Linq 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. L-26 702-826-2100 www.tiltedkilt.com/las-vegas www.lvfnbpro.com

Club Fortune Casino

2416 W.Sahara 702-364-2416 palacestation.sclv.com/Entertainment/Jacks

Jameson Black Barrel Mules will be featured at Club Fortune in Henderson.

Club Fortune Casino 725 S Racetrack Rd (702) 566-5555 www.clubfortunecasino.com

McCormick & Schmick’s McCormick & Schmick’s is an absolute staple in Las Vegas. Located conveniently at Paradise and Flamingo, they have a sign over the bar that changes every day of the year, counting down to the next St. Paddy’s Day. Here is where you’ll find some of the best corned beef and cabbage in town. This year they will be featuring corn beef and cabbage with sour dough bread, Guinness mussels, Guinness stew and Guinness fish and chips, along with green beer and of course Guinness.

Don’t forget to add the House of Blues and Ri Ra at Mandalay Bay and Nine Fine Irishmen at New York, New York on your St. Patrick’s Day tour; and SLS Hotel and Casino will extend their St. Patrick’s Day celebration into the weekend for March Madness with beer and Jameson cocktails, promo models, giveaways and more!

photo courtesy MGM Resorts International photo courtesy Rí Rá Las Vegas

photo courtesy Golden Entertainment

No matter what side of town you live on you can stop in any of The Bar locations for Jameson specials and visit with the Jameson girls.

335 Hughes Center Drive 702-836-9000 www.mccormickandschmicks.com

The Pint Ever tried The Pint? A real locals place, with a large sports bar, full selection of liquors, happy hour, and a couple of pool tables. Need wi-fi while you are indulging? They have that too. While not serving real Irish food, but burgers, wings, spicy chicken, quesadillas, flautas, and main courses such as pork chops and salmon, the amount of beers and atmosphere still fit into the Irish spirit. Try any one of their featured 25 beers on tap. With plenty of parking, The Pint is open 24 hours.

9941 W. Charleston 702-341-7468 www.thepintlv.com

March 2016 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 17

photos courtesy Southern Wine & Spirits Nevada

Bocuse d’Or Celebrates After the Competition at Southern Wine & Spirits

18 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

www.lvfnbpro.com

LEARN MORE & REGISTER TODAY!

Enhance your food & beverage offerings at CSES2016 Learn more about the education, special events, exhibitors, and more at catersource.com.

Only a few weeks left to register and join us at this inspiring industry event!

Conference:

Mirage Hotel • March 13–16

Tradeshow:

Las Vegas Convention Center • March 15–16

Catersource.com | Questions? Contact 800.932.3632 or registration@catersource.com www.lvfnbpro.com

By Bob Barnes

What’s Cooking

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

The new 10,000-square-foot Beer Park at Paris Las Vegas opened in late January and has the distinction of being the first rooftop bar on the Strip.

And the view is one of the best on the Boulevard, with the best seats in the house affording excellent sights of the Bellagio Fountains, and opportunity to people watch the street performers and passersby below.

Other entertainment includes pool tables, TVs throughout tuned to sports programming, and games such as oversized connect four and jenga, bean bag toss and darts set on artificial turf. A retractable awning provides cover for inclement weather and opens up for views of the stars at night; and Big Ass fans, misters, heaters and umbrellas will help keep the temps comfortable year round. Dining takes place on communal picnic tables and high tops and the overall feel is that of spending an afternoon at the ballpark or at a neighbor’s backyard party.

Overseeing the kitchen is our friend Ricardo Romo, who many will remember from his time at Whist Stove & Spirits, Due and Proper and Itsy Bitsy. Now he has the monumental task of getting out a jillion covers a day with a never-ending stream of tourists stopping in. His menu is meant to hearken back to stadium food or a backyard barbeque, but I found the cuisine to be far better than any I’d ever experienced in such venues. Chile Verde Nachos are an appetizer that can serve as a meal, as it is a large stack of tortilla chips, chile verde pork, cotija and beer cheese sauce. I also highly recommend the Beef Brisket Sandwich, tender black pepper crusted beef topped with BBQ sauce; Shock Top Brat smothered with caramelized onion, sauerkraut and Goose Island mustard; and the simple but very tasty Chili Cheese Dog with chili and beer cheese sauce. The stadium feel continues with a rolling cart stocked with ice cream treats like Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake and ice cream sandwiches.

While not owned by Budweiser, there are plenty of logos and signage celebrating the King of Beers. As for the beer list, about 80% are AB products, and included are more than 100 choices covering several beer styles, with the likes of Goose Island Sofie, Golden Road Berliner Weisse, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Squatters Hop Rising, Victory Golden Monkey Tripel, Dogfish Head Sixty-Minute IPA and Belgian gems like Delirium Tremens and Duvel.

As for the prices, they are more akin to what you would find in a neighborhood bar or restaurant, with food menu items ranging from $4.95 to $12.95 and beers beginning at $4.50 with most pints going for around $7. These are definitely not Strip prices and the aforementioned awesome view is free.

photos by Gabe Ginsburg

Beer Park at Paris Offering a Stadium Feel and One of the Best Views of the Vegas Strip

Beer Park is open daily from lunch through late night.

3655 Las Vegas Blvd S. 702-444-4500 www.beerpark.com

The first PizzaRev location to arrive in Southern Nevada has opened at Sunset and Stephanie in Henderson. The build-your-own pizza concept allows you to choose your own sauce (including organic tomato, white, BBQ or olive oil), cheese (all-natural Italian, reduced fat, feta, bleu, ricotta or vegan), proteins and veggie toppings (with more than 30 choices), with unlimited toppings priced at $7.99 for an 11-inch pie. If you’re not feeling that creative, you can choose from 8 pre-designed Our Way Pizzas such as Mediterranean with white sauce, Italian cheese, feta, spinach, artichoke hearts and black olives. There are also vegan cheese and sausage and gluten-free dough options. After staff assembles the pizza in an assembly line-like process, the pizza is cooked in a 900 degree oven in 3 minutes.

Also offered are craft-your-own salads, cookies, dessert pizza and craft beer and wine.

1381 W. Sunset Rd. #100 in Henderson 702-776-7171 www.pizzarev.com 20 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

photo courtesy PizzaRev

PizzaRev Opens 1st Southern Nevada Location

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Bob’s Beer Bits and Sips

By Bob Barnes

Two Out-of-the-Box Barley Wines

Barley Wine has long been one of my favorite beer styles. I think what appeals to me is the bombastic blast of sweet malt and alcohol warmth in every sip. This explosion of flavor is typically balanced with a healthy dose of hops, especially in American-style Barley Wines. The following are two new releases that stand out for their uniqueness, use of ingredients or aging technique not usually found in the style, or a new experimental hop.

Stone Old Guardian Dry-hopped with Pekko Hops One of the few aspects of winter I like is the arrival of Stone Brewing’s annual release of Old Guardian, which always tops my list of preferred representations of the style.

Originally created by Stone President and Co-founder Steve Wagner 18 years ago, the recipe changes only slightly from year to year, and this year’s twist was dry-hopping it with Pekko hops, a new varietal from Washington’s Yakima Valley that adds notes of stone fruit, orange, lemon and mint. The aforementioned hops are joined by Warrior, Delta, Cascade and Chinook hops added during the brewing, so not surprisingly, this beer has a healthy 75 IBU count. This 11% ABV Barley Wine pours a deep, rich amber with aroma of intense fruit.

It brings forth flavor notes of tropical fruits such as pineapple and finishes with a strong hop presence. While I’m not much of a hop head, this brew has an abundance of malty goodness to balance well with the bitterness.

Full Sail Bourbon Barrel Aged Wheatwine Ale Full Sail’s Brewmaster Reserve series allows its brewmasters to put their creativity, innovation and passion into small, limited-release beers. The brewers’ gift to us this year is their Bourbon Barrel Aged Wheatwine Ale. The name pretty much explains what makes this beer stand out from the rest. Originally released in 2014 to celebrate Full Sail’s 27th anniversary, it contains no barley malt and is cellared for one year in Wild Turkey bourbon barrels. This 12% ABV, 42 IBU malt monster pours a rich honey hue with aromas of oak, vanilla and caramel.

The flavor is mainly sweet along with some mild spiciness thanks to the wheat and it’s balanced with a blend of English and Northwest hops, which after aging mellows to impart flavors of vanilla, marmalade and dates.

Don’t delay in picking up either of these gems, as both are limited releases which won’t be around for long.

Look for them on draft and in 22 oz bottles.

22 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

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UNLV Epicurean Society

By Matthew Cairo Matthew Cairo, a Hospitality Management student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, represents the Epicurean Society, a collective of food and restaurant enthusiastic students, where he is on the leadership staff. Originally from San Diego, he moved to Las Vegas to feed his desire to learn all that he can about restaurants, food, and the tourist industry.

I was introduced to the UNLV Epicurean Society in September of 2015 and boy was I in for a surprise! I found peers of mine who did not just consume their food as usual, but they actually enjoyed the whole experience as much as I do! I quickly learned that when dining with club members they paused, disassembled, questioned and savored each meal presented.

At one of the first UNLV Epicurean Society meetings I attended, I had the pleasure of experiencing a short demonstration in the field of Deconstructed Cuisine. It involved a deconstructed One-Bite Curry, broken into four segments, each building on top of the last. As a transportation device, a sliced scalloped potato acted as the base. This was topped with a caramelized onion pureed into a curry sauce acting as an adhesive for the next portion. The third round involved the honeycumin roasted carrots, cooked just to the point of perfection, a bit of bite with little more than the weight of a closing jaw. Placed adjacent to the carrot slice was a bitter pickled apple slow cooked sous-vide style, the flesh mimicked the texture of the carrot while the apple skin left a textural contrast. “That bite was delicious,” said one club member. Jonathan, another club member, particularly enjoyed the curry sauce, stating, “I love this Curry sauce! I am going to put it on everything!” Come to think of it, the sauce bottle mysteriously disappeared as soon as the demo was finished. Something makes me think he had all intentions of putting it on everything. I look forward to this year’s culinary education sessions with great anticipation. So far planned for this upcoming semester is a homemade pasta demo and molecular gastronomy demonstration.

Later in the 2015 year, club members took an outing to a wonderful restaurant by the name of “Jayde Fuzion” whose head chef, Chef Mark Sandoval, is also a food and beverage instructor on our campus. Chef Mark Sandoval created a 14-course meal of Asian Fusion entrées ranging from Thai Lettuce Wrap to an Ice Cream Mochi Trio. We had nearly 30 individuals attend the restaurant outing and every single one of us enjoyed a culturally diverse menu. At first I was somewhat

Epiktoberfest group photo skeptical of the possible quality of the seafood, as Nevada is miles from the coast. Growing up in San Diego, it is easy to find fresh seafood on every corner. To my surprise the seafood was phenomenal! The sushi seemed to disappear from the table before the last dish was taken away. Plate after plate went by in a myriad of beautiful colors.

By the end of the outing we found the consumption of desserts both an impossible and daunting task. But of course, we had to take a small sampling. The Lemon Cake with a passion fruit frosting and raspberries was the perfect balance of bitter and sweet to finish off such a wonderful meal.

The month of October was a very busy month for our group. The Epicurean Society partnered with the Beverage Club to throw our second annual “Epiktoberfest.” We commandeered both a dining room and kitchen on the campus of UNLV, and cooked up a storm to serve more than 30 people. We prepared Bratwurst, Kielbasa and Potato Pancakes. The Beverage Club supplied an accompaniment of German brews to top off the event. It went off without a hitch and the UNLV Epicurean Society looks forward to doing a similar event this year!

Late in October the Epicurean Society hosted a bake sale for Halloween. We cooked up Pumpkin Spice Muffins, Popcorn Gelatin Balls, Apple Cider, Chocolate Pumpkins and Rice Krispies Treats. We worked the sale dressed in appropriate Halloween garb. The perplexed looks as a taco walked around dishing out muffins was a great conversation starter about our club.

In the upcoming year we have many things already planned. We have planned numerous restaurant outings, a few cooking events and some volunteering events. Our major event upcoming is a huge event where students will take part in setting up and preparing “UNLVino,” a 3-day tasting of fine wine, spirits and gourmet food. Proceeds go to help fund UNLV scholarships. A number of UNLV Epicurean Society members will be managing and preparing the food for these events, myself included. So consider attending the event in March and be sure to say hello!

24 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

Some of the cooks for Epiktoberfest

More cooks from Epiktoberfest

Halloween bake sale

Outing to Gilcrease Orchard

Photos By Megan Punzi

UNLV Epicurean Society club meeting

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Human Resources Insights

Linda Westcott-Bernstein has provided sound human resources advice and guidance to Fortune 500 companies and others for over 25 years. Linda has recently re-published her self-help book entitled It All Comes Down to WE! This book offers guidelines for building a solid and enduring personal work ethic. You can find her book on Amazon or Google Books.

Phone: 702-326-4040 Email: Vegaslinda89129@yahoo.com

How Positive and Structured “On-boarding” Processes Pay Off

What steps actually make a difference in new hire success? The reality is, any effort at all made to introduce, train, communicate and instruct on what your expectations are goes a long way towards changing your recruitment efforts from constant to infrequent (thereby reducing turnover), if you implement just a few of the following steps…

• Welcome each new employee and show them around.

• Introduce them to their team and show them the work area.

• Spend time with them in their new job and assign a “partner” to show them the ropes.

• Have a manager or supervisor take them to lunch during their first week.

• Map out a schedule of training, shadowing and hands-on learning for the first 2-4 weeks.

The biggest reasons that employees fail in a new job within the first 90 to 180 days is lack of instruction, communication and training. These all roll up into one workable solution: positive on-boarding for new hires. I have seen so many individuals that have great potential struggle under a poor boss. They ultimately fail and leave because a supervisor or manager who has little understanding for the importance and value of taking time to effectively initiate or “on-board” their new hire.

If we want our new employees to be successful, training and communication are essential. For people to succeed they need to have a clear understanding of what to do, how to do it, and what you expect them to accomplish and by when. They also need to be included in all communication, be provided clear expectations, shown that their efforts are appreciated, and then given feedback on how they are doing or what to improve.

As an HR professional, I have watched time and again as overworked and harried managers just “throw a new employee to the wolves”

with the philosophy of “sink or swim,” only to wonder and/or complain about the fact that the person didn’t work out and now they have to find another victim and start all over again. The process or steps I’ve explained above can be developed into a template to use over and over again. List each step by the type of activity and assign either a number of hours, days or weeks for the various activities. If you have staff to assist you, you can even assign a different manager, for each task, and for each new hire so that everyone is engaged in the new person’s training, introduction and success.

• Explain those aspects of the job which are most important: guest service ability, reliability/attendance, & being a team player, for example.

• Keep lines of communication open and check back with the new person regularly and frequently, at least at first.

You will find that this process is as good for you, the manager, as it is for the new hire. A positive and structured on-boarding process can and will result in a well-adjusted and more productive new hire and more quickly. I encourage you to develop your “on-boarding” plan and see if the results (if you stick to the plan) don’t speak for themselves. The reality is, don’t you have better things to do with your time than to keep repeating your mistakes? I’d say that the answer to that question would be a collective…“Yes!”

HR Question of the month: Please send your HR questions and concerns, or share your thoughts on your human resources challenges via email to the following address. Send input to vegaslinda89129@yahoo.com. Your comments, questions or concerns will help determine the direction for my next month’s column and earn you a copy of my book. Include your mailing address when sending your responses.

26 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

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The Bottom Line Loss Leaders can boost earnings like no other

By Ben Brown Ben is an MBA candidate at USC’s Marshall School of Business, specializing in hospitality marketing and analytics. He has served as a food & beverage strategist with MGM Resorts, as well as reviewed more than 200 Las Vegas restaurants with CBS Local and Examiner. com. Contact him at Ben@lvfnb.com.

The term ‘loss leader’ can be a bit misleading at the onset, steering restaurant professionals away due to its negative connotation. Look further into the art behind loss leaders, however, and realize that they open up a whole new world for pricing strategy, menu engineering and wordof-mouth marketing.

Loss leaders can take many different forms, from standard menu items to happy hour specials, discounted drinks and everything in between.

They all share one common trait, however—in one way or another, all loss leaders meant to boost sales of other items.

Let’s go over a few loss leader examples and how they can drive profitable volume at your establishment.

Low-price items

High-price items

Marketing tactics

Perhaps the most common type of loss leader, lower-priced items are meant to draw customers in through the door. Often enough, these are standard menu items that don’t have any promotions or discounts tied into them.

However, once a customer sits down and takes another look at the menu, they’re enticed to order some appealing, higher-priced items.

Burgers are a classic example: many new-age gastropub-style spots will incorporate a ‘hip’ burger onto the menu that’s about half the price of the rest of the entrees. “Oh, I can get away spending $16 for an entrée” circulates through prospective customers’ heads. But the desired effect soon sets in: “Okay, the steak frites look so good, and they’re just $5 more. And those cocktails look excellent. And they have truffle fries?!?”

Happy hours are a tried-and-true method of attracting customers during otherwise lowvolume times, but even already-discounted menus are prime real estate for loss leaders.

It’s very easy to mark down a few high-margin items by as much as 75% and promote the heck out of those prices, while featuring other items at a much smaller discount, or no discount at all. The same gastropub can woo people in with $2 pretzel bread/cheese dip and $3 draft beer, but sell $8 flatbreads and $10 cocktails at the same time.

Upsell is the key to converting profitable sales.

Once the customer walks in through the door and sits down, the low-priced items have done their job and don’t even have to be mentioned.

If the customer wants to stay on the cheap route, fine, but the opportunity is there for you to promote your restaurant’s full experience.

Higher-price items drive volume in a completely different way: they make everything else on the menu seem cheaper. You’re not exactly going to draw in new customers by advertising these dishes, but you will likely see success in upsell, cross-sell and repeat visits by fencing your core menu items in the middle of lower and higherpriced selections.

Discounts are the go-to for getting people in through the door, but only drive profitability if they lead to upsell, repeat visits or both. Tie your discounts into an overarching strategy: whether discounting/giving away appetizers with entrée purchases to encourage multicourse meals, selling 2-for-1 drinks to promote your new cocktail menu, etc.

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From a consumer psychology standpoint, ordering ‘from the middle’ is almost mandatory.

In a group setting, people don’t want to come across as being cheap by getting the lowest item on the menu. At the same time, they’ll often steer away from the most expensive item, especially when they know the group is splitting the check or that someone else is taking care of the bill. Additionally, high-price items are a critical complement to low-price items because if you’re only upselling to the middle, customers have less of a chance of feeling gouged.

Two key components to high-priced items exist: 1) Do not expect to sell many of them. Their loss leader status comes from volume, not price.

Some tactics, however, only loosely tie to price but spark tons of conversation about the restaurant. Todd English P.U.B. at Crystals, Las Vegas is a prime example with its ‘hourglass challenge.’ Customers choose a beer off the menu, and if they finish it in seven seconds or less, it’s free. Whether they complete the challenge or not, it creates a story that they share with their peers for years to come.

Each of these methodologies can be applied to virtually any restaurant or bar. Just be sure to monitor their impact to ensure that they’re boosting your bottom line.

2) Do not make these your ‘signature’ items.

Some restaurants’ ‘must-order’ dishes are literally twice the price of everything else on the menu…this is a great way to upset your customers and ensure that no matter how good those items are, they ‘won’t be worth it’ and you will have a hard time getting people in for a second visit.

March 2016 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 27

By Megan Nicolson

Megan Mack’s Latenight Excursions One thing Vegas doesn’t lack, and the list is small, is bars and lounges. So whenever a new local joint opens up, the industry gets excited. A new place to socialize, make memories and have some quality cocktails. With the oversaturation of nightclubs, my attention has turned to the pre-party rather than the after-party. If my night is going to consist of being jam packed at a table with options only of peach Ciroc or Don Julio with the usual accouterments, then I’d like to make the transition easier with a preclub cocktail of a higher caliber. So I welcome Clique Bar and Lounge to my local watering hole repertoire. As a local, I always have all of my favorite recommendations in my back pocket for whenever someone asks what they should check out while they are visiting and I will be pleased to now recommend this venue.

January 18th was Clique’s grand opening located inside The Cosmopolitan Hotel on the main level, replacing Book and Stage. Brought to you by Clique Hospitality, which already includes such establishments as Hearthstone Kitchen and Cellar, Salute, and Libre Mexican Cantina, this group is no stranger to success.

Teamed up with industry entrepreneurs Jason Craig and Ryan Labbe and head mixologists

Michael Monrreal and Justin DeAngelo, this dynamic lineup is unstoppable, clearly evident by the menu and atmosphere Clique has to offer.

Not only do they serve up artisanal libations and small plates, but they also showcase tableside mixology to bring the action to the party. This adds such a unique element to any group get together. I started my night with the Benny Blanco, consisting of Casamigos Blanco Tequila, Pineapple Chili Shrub, Velvet Falernum, lemon and seltzer. It’s bright, tart, yet surprisingly refreshing. Next, I had to try the Don Sandia shooters. I have heard about these from every person imaginable prior to my visit.

It’s Avion Silver Tequila, watermelon, and lime served inside a hollowed out cucumber rimmed with Tajin. Absolutely smooth, delicious and dangerous. For food, I chose the Yellowtail Sashimi and Spicy Tuna, both satisfying and simple. Unfortunately I did not get to try the Miso Sea Bass lettuce wraps of which I’ve heard great things. Guess I’ll just have to go back? Poor me. And for dessert, not only do they have deep friend Oreos, but they are deep fried birthday cake Oreos. I ate all of them but one. It’s fine, I’ll do cardio tomorrow. The staff is inviting and very knowledgeable about all the cocktails. Gretchen, my waitress, went through

28 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

photo by Megan Nicolson

Megan Nicolson was raised in Las Vegas, where she has resided for the past 21 years, and has been involved in the nightlife industry for 10 years. She attended UNR and graduated with a BS of Animal Science and Pre Vet Med.

the entire menu, explaining every aspect they had to offer. And the manager touched our table frequently to ensure our experience was a great one. It’s comfortable with an essence of exclusivity, but not pretentious. Price points are reasonable and they don’t require a cover.

Everyone is welcome. I too, want to be a part of the clique.

Clique Bar and Lounge The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/ lounges-bars/clique

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Nevada ProStart Invitational

High school students from across the state were recognized for their outstanding performance in culinary and management at the Nevada ProStart Invitational that was held Feb. 5 at Circus Circus, Reno.

The competition, hosted by the Nevada Restaurant Association, allowed students to showcase food safety, basic food techniques, cake decorating, knife cuts, menu design, restaurant management, basic accounting, food costing and other related skills that they’ve learned while in a two year ProStart culinary training program.

The winning teams from the culinary and restaurant management categories will go on to represent Nevada in the national ProStart Invitational held April 29-May 1, 2016 in Grapevine, Texas, where they will compete for scholarships and prizes.

Along with the NvRA Educational Foundation, the Nevada Restaurant Association is the leading business association in promoting and educating more than 5,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets in the Nevada restaurant industry.

A judging panel consisting of 15 prominent figures from the Nevada restaurant community selected winners for four different categories including culinary, management, buttercream cake decorating and edible arrangements.

Placing first in the culinary portion of the competition were Sal Huerta, John Matthew Esquerra, Sonia Valencia, Kendall Young-Dennis and Ashley Castillo representing Silverado High School.

The team’s winning menu consisted of shrimp ceviche, guacamole, red quinoa, red pepper rouille, and hand-made tortilla chips, followed by pan-seared lamb rack accompanied by collard greens, tomatillo sauce, potato and plantain cakes, and pimenton and a coconut rum flan with churro crust, hibiscus sauce, whipped cream, cardamom and mint.

Winner in the cake decorating-buttercream category went to Mark Joseff Ferreras from McQueen High School, while Amber Clark from North Valleys took home the award for Edible Centerpiece.

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Also recognized at the invitational was 2016 Nevada Teacher of the Year, Barbara Orrell from North Valleys High School, 2016 Mentor of the year Clint Jolly and 2016 student of the year Leslie Villanueva from Carson High School. www.lvfnbpro.com

March 2016 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 29

EVENTS

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March 7-9 the Nightclub & Bar Show comes to the Las Vegas Convention Center for the largest beverage and bar show in the world, with unlimited tastes and treats! Don’t miss it. www.ncbshow.com March 8-10 the Pizza Expo returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center with the world’s largest pizza, ingredients, products, and service expo, including demos and contests plus samplings all day long! www.pizzaexpo.com March 9-13 the Natural Products Expo West, held at the Anaheim Hilton and Anaheim Convention Center, will include the newest trends in natural food & beverage products. www.expowest.com March 13-16 the Catersource Event Solutions show at The Mirage and Las Vegas Convention Center will feature all the needs of today’s caterers and catering companies around the world. www.catersource.com March 31-April 3 the 9th Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine returns to the iconic strip of the California coastline and Pebble Beach Resorts, continuing its reign as one of the premier food and wine events in the world, with cooking demos from renowned chefs, wine seminars, and wine, beer and spirit tastings. www.pbfw.com

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Audrey Dempsey Infinity Photo page 28 www.infinity-photo.com 702-837-1128 Belvedere Peach Nectar www.belvederevodka.com

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

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Catersource Event Solutions Convention & Tradeshow www.catersource.com 800-932-3632

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Davidoff of Geneva www.davidofflv.com 702-733-5999

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Designated Drivers www.designateddriversinc.com 877-456-7433

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Jameson Irish Whiskey www.jamesonwhiskey.com

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Jay’s Sharpening Service www.jayssharpening.com 702-645-0049

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JCCNV www.jccnevada.com 702-428-0555

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Major Foods www.majorproducts.com 702-838-4698

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Niigata Sake Festival http://sakenojin.jp/english 025-229-1218

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Pizza Expo www.pizzaexpo.com

page 15

SKYY Infusions Vodkas www.skyy.com

page 2

The Spice Outlet www.thespiceoutlet.com 702-534-7883

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Todd English P.U.B. www.toddenglishpub.com 702-489-8080

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White Soy Sauce www.whitesoysaucefood.com

page 8

April 18-21 the 73rd Annual WSWA (Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America) Convention and Exposition will convene at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. This is a gathering of beverage professionals with a showcase of products that anyone in the business will not want to miss. www.wswa.org/meetings June 13-17 the World Tea Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center will bring everything from the world of tea, with previews of new products and newly launched innovations. www.worldteaexpo.com

30 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March 2016

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Please drink responsibly. Belvedere Vodka 40% ALC./VOL. (80 PROOF) 100% neutral spirits distilled from rye grain. ©2016 Imported by Moët Hennessy USA, Inc., New York, NY.