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Issue 3 & 4 Volume 18
US $3.95
“Take a Sip for Scholarship” at the 44th Annual UNLVino
Looking Into the Future by Romero Britto
March & April 2018
15
CONTENTS AND COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLISHER MIKE FRYER Cover
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WELCOME TO THE LAS VEGAS FOOD & BEVERAGE PROFESSIONAL MARCH/APRIL 2018 SPECIAL ISSUE WE ARE DEDICATING TO THE 44th ANNUAL UNLVINO! Now the longest-running wine tasting fundraiser event in the US, UNLVino is so much more than just a wine tasting…It’s an Epic Culinary & Beverage Experience, and you won’t want to miss it this year. In fact, we are publishing UNLVino-connected VIP comments on UNLVino including an article written by our very own Wine Talk columnist Alice Swift. Check it out inside and plan your visit now by buying tickets early, since they will go fast and will be more expensive closer to the event. Page 10 Dining out with the Harrises has Elaine & Scott Harris giving their thoughts and uptake on UNLVino and what to expect this year and the facts that you need to know to plan your event evening. Page 14 Twinkle Toast reviews “The Other White Grapes,” by Erin Cooper & Christine Vanover, who introduce us to white wines we have likely never had a chance to experience. Additionally, they let us know that these wines will be available for tasting at the upcoming 44th Annual UNLVino along with other hard to get or new to the market wines. You won’t want to miss UNLVino! Page 16-17 shows us the UNLVino event location at the iconic Keep Memory Alive Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health designed by the legendary architect Frank Gehry. Nestled between the Performing Arts Center and the World Market in Symphony Park, this has become a premier center for events. Page 21 Brings us the UNLVino page dedicated to UNLVino itself and the TLC it brings with it: Tasting-Learning-Community! Pages 22-25 takes us to this year’s winners of the DOM PÉRIGNON AWARDS and the winners in each of these unique classifications to be presented at the UNLVino event along with a monumental balloon release honoring Paul Bocuse and a 21-bottle salute champagne uncorking for Robin Leach. PAUL BOCUSE-Dom Pérignon Legends Award ROBIN LEACH-Dom Pérignon Award of Culinary & Media Excellence DON CARANO-Dom Pérignon Lifetime Achievement Award ANN HOFF-Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence
Page 4 Hot off the Grill! Page 5 Wine Talk Recapping 2017 Wine & Research Page 6 What’s Brewing Page 7 Broads of Bourbon Are High Priced Whiskies Worth the Money? Page 8 Brett’s Vegas View Page 9 Product Review
37 www.lvfnbpro.com
Page 10 Dining out with the Harrises Page 12 What’s Cooking
Page 14 Twinkle Toast …The Other White Grapes Page 15 Chef Spotlight Justin Kingsley Hall Page 16 COVER FEATURE UNLVino “Take a Sip for Scholarship” Page 27 Good for Spooning Peng Zu Grand Opening at Suncoast Page 28 Best of the Best Page 29 COOK•EAT: Asia Asian Foods for Health Page 31 The Bottom Line When to Franchise?
Page 32 Human Resources Insights 2018 – A Year for Change and Growth! Page 34 Chef Talk Foods That Help Improve Your Health Page 35 UNLV Epicurean Society Page 36 Nevada Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Announces State Prostart Invitational Winners Page 37 USBG Las Vegas Page 34 Events Ad Index
March & April 2018 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 & April 2018 Mike Fryer
Sr. Editor/Publisher
LVFNBPro Editorial Director Bob Barnes and Beverage Editor Adam Rains met up to cover a recent USBG vodka pairing dinner at Honey Salt. They also collaborated together to report on the outstanding cuisine and cocktails they experienced, which you can read about in this month’s USBG column.
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
Bob Barnes
Editorial Director bob@lvfnb.com
Juanita Fryer
On a recent visit to Zuma contemporary Japanese restaurant at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, our Sr. Editor Mike Fryer was able to check-out and discuss the sushi presentation with the professional sushi chefs and reports he found the products outstanding!
Elaine & Scott Harris
Assistant To Sr. Editor ACF Chefs Liasion/Journalist juanita.fryer@lvfnb.com
Editors at Large harris@lvfnb.com
They say that one picture is worth a thousand words...If so, this shot taken at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco of these hot sauce photo labels are worth four thousand!
Juanita Aiello
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 Wine Talk Alice Swift
Journalist The Bottom Line Ben Brown
Accounting Manager Michelle San Juan
Journalist Brett’s Vegas View Jackie Brett
Journalist Best of the Best Shelley Stepanek
Journalist UNLV Epicurean Society Justin Leung
Journalist Made from Scratch John Rockwell
Journalist Chef Spotlight Leah Schmidt
Journalist Good for Spooning LeAnne Notabartolo
Journalist COOK•EAT: Asia K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D.
Photographer Audrey Dempsey
Journalist Chef Talk Allen Asch
Journalist Al Mancini
Journalist Samuel’s Beer Picks Samuel Merritt
Journalists Broads of Bourbon Mary Powers & Delilah Tennyson
Journalist UNLV Spoon University Vincent Kwan
Journalist Pat Evans
Photographer Joe Urcioli
Journalists Twinkle Toast Erin Cooper & Christine Vanover
Journalist Lisa Matney
Journalist HR Insights Linda Bernstein
4 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March & April 2018
www.lvfnbpro.com
Wine Talk
with Alice Swift
By Alice Swift Alice Swift has been writing Wine Talk since 2011, and has a passion for education and hospitality/ F&B. In 2016, she obtained her Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration from UNLV and moved from the “ninth island” to the island of Oʻahu. She now works for Kamehameha Schools as an instructional designer/project manager, and teaches part-time for UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. See more at www.aliceswift.com.
Recapping 2017 Wine & Research
Listen to Your Bubbles! Champagne Acoustics as an Indicator of Quality Generally, it is accepted knowledge that the bubble size and flow in champagne and other quality sparkling wines are an indicator of quality. Many find that the smaller bubbles which rise in chain formation indicate higher quality. Prior researchers have attempted to measure bubble size to prove the theory using technology like high-speed imaging. Recently, in December of 2017, research investigators Kyle S. Spratt, Kevin M. Lee and Preston S. Wilson from the University of Texas at Austin (UTA), presented their research on measuring champagne bubbles at the 174th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. The researchers decided to think outside of the box and used a hydrophone device, which records sounds underwater, to measure champagne instead! The question was whether bubble size and distribution of sparkling wine could be measured using acoustic forms of measurement rather than visual. They were able to measure the acoustic frequencies of the bubbles at different stages to determine the size and distribution. It was discovered that the smaller the bubble slide, the higher the pitch. While it might seem to be easy to measure the frequency of sparkling wine, Spratt, Lee and Wilson did run into some initial challenges. Not only did they need a small sized hydrophone to fit in the sparkling wine glass, they also learned that the vessel that holds the sparkling wine matters. Those of us in the beverage industry understand this to be the standard. But do you know why? Glass is a very smooth surface with minimal imperfections, which allows the bubbles to flow freely to the surface. A material, like Styrofoam, however, has many “imperfections” so bubbles will adhere to the surface. As a result, the bubbles in a Styrofoam cup end up being larger with a smaller quantity. For more information, and to listen to the audio clips of the bubbles in the wines from the experiment, take a look at this article from NPR: https://n.pr/2E3lV2H Pricier wines equal higher quality, according to consumer impressions The idea of price as an indicator of quality has also been a longstanding research area that has led to many resulting marketing decisions in terms of beverage labels and pricing. The “marketing placebo effect” takes place www.lvfnbpro.com
when products that are identical are perceived as being different in quality due to price differences. Most research studies use brain activity as one of the confirming measures of good quality taste. Recently in 2017, Liane Schmidt, Vasilisa Skvortsova, Claus Kullen, Bernd Weber and Hilke Plassmann from the University of Bonn, conducted a study that continued to study this concept. What’s interesting about studying brain activity is the way participants are observed. Typically, participants are asked to lie down in an MRI scanner and are fed the wine through a tube or some equivalent means of delivery. In this study, the subjects were provided the price of the wine first, then they were given one milliliter of wine from three types of wine and asked to rate the tastes on a nine-point rating scale. There were three price points, and participants were either given the wine samples for free, or asked to pay 10% of the bottle price to help account for any biases. One week later, a blind taste test was administered for the same three wines, and participants rated the wines with no prior information on cost or payment. As one would expect, the participants rated the more expensive wines at a better taste rating than the “supposedly” less expensive wines. These results, in combination with the MRI scans were consistent in showing that participants thought there was a link between price, expectation of higher value/quality and the brain’s reward/motivation system. This was also in a limited range, as once a wine became “too cheap” in price or quality, there wasn’t this linkage. In summary, with all things being equal with duplicate wines, the resulting taste is better when there is a higher quality expectation from the consumer that is due to the price. To learn more about this study, go to: https://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2017/08/170814092949.htm For those of you who enjoy reading about the science and research in the food and beverage field, there are some great resources to learn from. To keep up with current beer and wine research (summarized in layman’s terms) in the science field, bookmark this website https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/beer_and_wine/ Until next month, Cheers~! Alice
March & April 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 5
By Bob Barnes
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.
BREWING
photos by Matthew Brady
He welcomes your inquiries. Email: bob@lvfnb.com
Astronomy Aleworks to Be First Southern Nevada Brewery to Open in Two Years It’s been nearly two years since a new brewery has opened in Southern Nevada (Lovelady Brewing and PT’s Brewing opened in 2016), but that is about to change. In February the retro sci-fi themed Astronomy Aleworks received its 10-barrel Premiere Stainless brewing system and hopes to be open and pouring its beer by late March or early April. It will be located at 7350 Eastgate Rd. in Henderson and once open will bring the total of breweries in the unofficially named “Booze District” to three, joining CraftHaus and Bad Beat, along with the Las Vegas Distillery and Grape Expectations winery/wine school. Co-owner Matthew Brady and Brewer Allan Harrison will team up to create the brews, which will include five core beers: Blonde Ale, American Hefeweizen, Red Ale, IPA and Stout. The duo also plan on brewing a Gruit (an ancient beer containing herbs and spices for bittering rather than hops), which they claim will be the first to ever be brewed commercially in Southern Nevada, with honey, chamomile, lemongrass, coriander and jasmine flowers; and an 11% ABV Belgian-style Quadrupel with figs, raisins, blackberries, blood orange, ginger, currants and spices. The celestial theme is derived from Brady’s interest in science fiction, astronomy and astrophysics. Plans are for the tasting room décor to feature
a bright red bar, blue tables and a silver wall to suggest the image of a spacecraft and retro 1960s Star Trek feel; and all of the beer names will be astronomy based, named after stellar objects such as constellations, planets, comets and satellites. Astronomy Aleworks At the Booze District at 7350 Eastgate Rd., Suite 17 Henderson, NV 89011 facebook.com/Astronomyaleworks
Great Vegas Festival of Beer Returns to the Streets of Downtown Las Vegas April 6-7 The 8th annual Motley Brews Great Vegas Festival of Beer will return to the streets of Downtown Las Vegas on April 6 and 7. It is expected to draw 10,000 attendees over the two days and is Nevada’s largest craft beer festival in terms of amount of beers poured, offering tastings of more than 500 craft beers from more than 100 breweries. The Friday night event, the Mad Craft Experience from 7-10 p.m., will feature beer paired with culinary creations from some of the top establishments in the local culinary scene. The next day, The Great Vegas Grand Tasting will be held from 3-7 p.m. with early entry at 2 p.m. For more info and to purchase tickets visit greatvegasbeer.com.
What’s on Tap and Other News PUB 365 at the Tuscany, named for how many beers it pours, has upgraded its Club 365 beer rewards program (where else can you be rewarded for drinking beer!). The free program now has an app that will bring up the current list and ability to filter by region, style, brewery and ABV and lists which beers you’ve had and how many. Prizes begin at only 10 beers (free small bites menu item) and an all-inclusive brewery tour trip to San Diego is earned once you’ve logged in 365 beers. The mobile app is available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Also new is a monthly tapping of a one-off keg made by a local brewery made exclusively for the Pub and a beer-of-the-day special for $3.65. Unlike some places that offer specials on mediocre beers, the ones offered here include quality quaffs, and several locals such as Able Baker Atomic Duck, Banger Morning Joe, CraftHaus Silver State and Joseph James Citra Rye Pale Ale. Further support of local beer is evident by looking at the beer menu, which identifies the more than a dozen local beers offered with a Nevada-shaped emblem. Joseph James Brewing in Henderson will reprise its Passion Fruit & Guava Berliner Weisse, returning for the second year as a seasonal and one of at least three planned varieties of its seasonal Berliner Weisse releases. Also in the works are Who Dis IPA, a small batch experimental IPA using Mosaic and Ekuanot hops and cryogenically-separated Simcoe lupulin powder; and Suave Felon–002 Fetalisk Barnd, an apricot and peach farmhouse beer— JJ’s second series of barrel-aged sour beers, it’s a tart and funky wild ale aged for over two years in a mix of chardonnay and merlot barrels, with apricot and peach purees added at finishing. As always, great beer happens in Vegas! 6 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March & April 2018
www.lvfnbpro.com
Broads of
Every once in a while, someone in the whiskey industry decides to shake things up by charging a ridiculous amount of money for a limitededition bottle release. In certain cases, the whiskey has been legitimately distilled and aged by the company. Though most of the time distilleries source their juice from other facilities, claim it has been masterfully aged by their in-house expert whiskey warlocks with special wooden spoons, and then bottled and labeled to fool the masses. It’s annoying, and in reality, the only companies to have been truly successful at maintaining a higher price point for vintage releases are those that have been around for many years and can pull barrels from storage to prove it. Scotch and Japanese whisky have some of the most expensive releases in the collectors’ realm pushing upwards of $50,000 in some instances, but these people know their worth and any real whisk(e)y connoisseur will be able to explain why they would purchase a $5,000 bottle of Macallan over some newly revamped distillery claiming to have a special vintage release when they have only been distilling for a few years. It’s actually really easy to source a whiskey and sell it as something else. Let us walk you through the steps. 1. Make a few phone calls to procure product. 2. Get a box (a crafted wooden one, preferably with a branded logo and some sort of metal stamp that signifies authenticity). 3. Put your whiskey in that box. 4. Make someone buy your expensive box with subpar whisk(e)y. That is pretty much how you do it! There’s really nothing in place stopping companies from doing www.lvfnbpro.com
photo courtesty Whistlepig
photo courtesty TeelingDistillery
Are High Priced Whiskies Worth the Money?
photo courtesty Buffalo Trace
BOURBON
Mary Powers and Delilah Tennyson are a couple of whiskey enthusiasts from Las Vegas, NV known for their humoristic and unconventional whiskey reviews on YouTube. They are the ladies of Broads of Bourbon. thebroads@broadsofbourbon.com Instagram: @broadsofbourbon Youtube: @broadsofbourbon Facebook: @bourbonbroads
photo by Ashley Flaig
By Mary Powers & Delilah Tennyson
that these days. No one has to release where they sourced from as long as it adheres to production standards. There have only been a few higher priced ones over the years that we’ve really wanted to get our hands on, but the secondary mark up for a whisk(e)y being sold at over 6-10x retail is enough to make consumers seek other alternatives. Also, all of those old frat dudes that hang out at the bar at the Olive Garden boasting about their overpriced Pappy hoard need to just stop. There’s a reason why you have no one to drink it with. With that being said, here are a few whiskies that you should know about in case you’re thinking about hanging out with the Olive Garden bros. Teeling 34-Year-Old Vintage Reserve Single Malt Apparently one of the oldest age statements bottled in the history of the Irish craft. With only 38 bottles available, Teeling has priced each bottle at $5,000 (that doesn’t include a used Honda Civic). The newest Teeling distillery has only been around since 2015, so this whiskey is most likely from an old mish mash Bushmills barrel hoard the family held onto over the years from previous acquisitions. We aren’t saying Teeling whiskey is bad, they’re known for reviving some of the classics such as the Tyrconnell while earning prestigious awards in the process. What we are saying is that even though this is a heavily aged whiskey, at 81.8 proof it’s not going to be something that wows the palate, especially when you can buy approximately 200 bottles of Jameson instead. Old Rip Van Winkle 23 Year We tried the 2017 offering and even though it’s a pleasant sipper, The George T. Stagg Antique
offering from Buffalo Trace put this bottle to shame. The secondary markup pushing north of $2,600 will make you just want to settle on another wheat alternative such as Weller 12 Year (people mix the Wellers together to get what is known as “Poor Man’s Pappy”). Weller makes Old Rip anyway, so you’re just paying for an older Weller age statement. If you absolutely just have to have a bottle though, the Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year is the best tasting of the Van Winkle offerings. Tastes even better if you can get it at retail for $100. WhistlePig Boss Hog IV The Black Prince With a name that sounds capable of committing identity theft, the Black Prince is a straight rye whiskey bottled at barrel strength that comes with a really neat bottle stopper closely resembling the villainous Bebop from Ninja Turtles (now you’re curious). The bottle and tasting notes have a strong appeal to a lot of enthusiasts who jumped on the opportunity to own a bottle that received Best in Show at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2017. We haven’t seen one in the wild under $550, while all of the rest of their whiskies are priced around $100, which is a normal price point. WhistlePig waited to set the price until after the World Spirits Competition, and well, they thought it justified a $500+ price point. While this is a great sipper, there are plenty of other ryes I’d buy and feel comfortable about drinking at a much lower price. Ultimately, we would drink all of these, on someone else’s dollar. These companies all have some great products, but to someone who wants to sip and savor their purchase, don’t waste your money.
March & April 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 7
Brett’s
By 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.
Email: jackiebrett@cox.net
ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS
The Neon Museum unveiled “Brilliant!” audiovisual immersion 30-minute outdoor experience using technology advances to reelectrify 40 monumental examples of the museum’s vintage signs. REVIV IV Wellness Spa, a global wellness provider of signature IV therapies and booster shots, will open at The Cosmopolitan.
“America’s Got Talent” mime alumnus Tape Face starts a multi-year residency March 16 at Harrah’s in a new intimate “House of Tape” showroom. “Absinthe” on May 14 will go to 14 shows per week performing two shows nightly 365 days a year at Caesars Palace.
Las Vegas entertainers Clint Holmes and Earl Turner are headlining together with an eightpiece band in “SOUNDTRACK: Your Songs. Our Stories. The Show” at the Westgate. Alanis Morissette will visit the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Friday, June 22. Paul Simon, 76 and retiring from touring, will bring his “Homeward Bound—The Farewell Tour” to the MGM Grand Garden Arena May 27. ZZ TOP has a limited engagement at The Venetian Theatre April 20, 21, 25, 27 and 28. Pink has set a second date at T-Mobile Arena May 25 and 26. Portugal. The Man will appear at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan Friday, April 13. Cher witnessed the new musical and water show at The Fountains of Bellagio entitled “Believe” honoring the superstar who headlines again at the Monte Carlo’s Park Theater May 2-19. Ryan Whyte Maloney, a four-chair turn contestant on “The Voice,” has joined Tuscany’s weekly lineup at Piazza Lounge on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Pop rock group Haim with their spring headlining tour, “Sister Sister Sister,” will stop at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Friday, April 13. “Legends in Concert” at the Flamingo, celebrating its 35th season, is featuring a cast paying tribute to Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Sting and a young Michael Jackson played by Broadway veteran 16-year-old Nathanial Cullors through May 17.
DINING DELIGHTS
Gordon Ramsay opened his first eatery inspired by the global hit television show Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Palace for lunch and dinner. The 300-seat immersive destination transports guests to the studio set.
Giada De Laurentiis opened her second Las Vegas-restaurant, Pronto by Giada, at Caesars Palace serving her signature California-Italian fare in abbreviated time and casual format starting at 6 a.m. daily. Manchu WOK with more than 130 stores worldwide opened in the food court at the Plaza downtown. Eureka! restaurant opened on Fremont Street across from the El Cortez with an industrial modern design, spacious interior and patio. Flock & Fowl, known for its “perfect plate of chicken rice,” opened its second valley location at The Ogden downtown in space formerly occupied by Itsy Bitsy Ramen & Whisky. The 12th annual Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit will return May 10–13 with a lineup of world-renowned chefs, master sommeliers and cutting-edge mixologists from Caesars Palace, The Cosmopolitan, The Cromwell, MGM Resorts International, The Venetian and The Palazzo. Todd English P.U.B. is gone next to Aria and the makeover is The Pub. Cabo Mexican Restaurant, which opened at Boulder Station in 2011, was changed back into Guadalajara, which originally opened there in 1994 with authentic Mexican dishes and generous portions.
ABOUT TOWN NEWS
New York developer Steve Witkoff plans to turn the never-completed Fontainebleau into The Drew Las Vegas by late 2020 offering three hotel experiences: JW Marriott, Edition and the Drew. Wynn West hotel is being planned across the Strip from Wynn and Encore. Meanwhile, Wynn Resorts is also building a $1.5 billion, 47-story, 1,500-room hotel, convention center and lake resort, Paradise Park, behind the current properties. The Mob Museum downtown debuted its major first-floor renovation, which includes a new exhibition Organized Crime Today and for extra fees two experiential spaces Use of Force Training Experience and Crime Lab. In two years, Raiders’ football will move to Las Vegas; meanwhile, the Raiders preview center with memorabilia opened in Town Square.
8 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March & April 2018
The 2018 Monster Jam World Finals XIX will take place March 23-24 at Sam Boyd Stadium at 6:30 p.m. with Pit Party fan access during the day. The theme for this year’s three-day EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival) is “Kinetic Love,” May 18-20 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a lineup of more than 250 top dance music artists. Wreck Room is a new 30-minute rage room destruction experience offering “smashing good time” in a controlled environment in Chinatown. At New York-New York, the 21-year-old Big Apple Roller Coaster ride has been modernized with a new 3½-minute Virtual Reality Experience wearing wireless headsets. AREA 15 weaving immersive experiences, restaurants, bars and nightlife together is on the horizon for mid-2019 on vacant land near Palace Station. The eighth annual Great Vegas Festival of Beer produced by Motley Brews will return for two days Downtown April 6 and 7. Downtown Grand created the city’s first “Bed & Brewski” hotel room package with private tours of nearby Tenaya Creek Brewery and beer discounts. Lolli & Pops, a growing mass-premium candy company, opened its first Nevada location at Fashion Show mall. The 17-year-old Palms’ marquee sign is getting replaced by an all-digital message board later this year. The world’s largest free-standing outdoor sign at Westgate standing 28-stories tall has received a major digital upgrade in partnership with New Tradition. Caesars Entertainment properties in Las Vegas are introducing Ivy, a 24-hour virtual concierge service created by Go Moment. www.lvfnbpro.com
Product Review By Bob Barnes
Scottish Tequila? Tequila with a Twist Everyone knows Tequila is made in Mexico, right? How about Scotland? Well, not exactly, but here’s an industry first: The small batch craft tequila company UWA Tequila is made in Mexico but solely ages its super premium triple distilled Reposado and Platinum Blanco tequilas in Speyside Single Malt Scotch whisky casks. The company started its production in large part to its owners’ love for whisky as well as tequila, so decided to marry the two. Both are tequila in its purest form, made from 100% blue weber agave. The result is an expression of honey and vanilla along with earthiness derived from the lowland agave. Whisky and tequila lovers take note: You can now enjoy notes of both in one glass. UWA not only uses Scotch casks, but also wine and sherry casks from all over the world, making it quite a unique Tequila company. The company disparages the stereotypical images of shooting tequila with lime and salt as its products are way too refined not to savor and sip or mix its goodness. www.uwatequila.com
Urban Turban Butter Royale Premium Sauce Indian restaurant Urban Turban’s owner Bhushan Arolkar has made the jump into the retail industry and is now selling his Butter Royale Premium Sauce that can be used in a variety of dishes from curry to pizza and pasta. Since moving to Las Vegas in 2013 to open Urban Turban, this sauce line has been his “American dream” that he has been working to perfect. It’s currently being sold online for $5.99 a jar, but he’s expanding the line and is actively pursuing grocery stores. After tasting it I can verify that it’s delicious by itself, but will lend itself to upgrading just about any dish that could use a bit of help or a touch of the ingredients, which happen to include butter, tomato puree, cream, cashew, ginger, garlic and fenugreek leaves. One suggested use is to add one jar with a cup of water with chicken, vegetables, tofu and legumes (or combination of any or all) and serve over rice, pasta or naan bread. urbanturbanusa.com
Alltech Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. Introduces Pearse Irish Whiskey to the US Market Dublin’s new boutique Irish whiskey maker, Pearse Lyons Distillery at St. James, was founded by Deirdre and Pearse Lyons in 2013, and is a distillery with history in the remaking. Dr. Pearse Lyons hails from five generations of coopers, who supplied barrels to many of Dublin’s distilleries and the Pearse Lyons Distillery has been putting whiskey away at full capacity, and is now ready to share its spirits with the rest of the world. Imported by Alltech’s US operations, the distillery has introduced four expressions of Pearse Irish Whiskey: The Original (blended Irish Whiskey aged 3-5 years in bourbon barrels), Distiller’s Choice (3 to 9-year-old blend of 7 Irish whiskies predominantly aged in bourbon barrels with a small amount of sherry barrel aged whiskey in the mix), Founder’s Choice (12-year-old single malt Irish Whiskey) and Cooper’s Select (malt Irish Whiskey aged in bourbon cask and finished in first-fill sherry barrels). All four varieties register at 84 proof, or 42 percent ABV. www.pearselyonsdistillery.com
Alive & Well Olives We’ve all heard about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, thanks in large part to its reliance on antioxidant foods such as those rich in quality fats such as olive oil. To the forefront comes Alive & Well heirloom olives, produced by small, family farms and village co-ops in key regions in Greece that specialize in their respective varietals, following the same traditional agricultural methods used in the region for thousands of years, and harvested from trees, some of which are over 1,000 years old. Each batch of the raw, heirloom olives are sustainably grown and naturally fermented to preserve superior taste and live, active cultures, which are similar to those found in naturally cultured yogurt, cheese, and sauerkraut, delivering naturally occurring probiotics and essential nutrients. Furthermore, the olives go well as a snack, or in salads, charcuterie plates, cocktails, appetizers or entrées; are naturally gluten-free; and are rich in live, active cultures, with 3.6 million CFUs (colony forming units) and 55 million CFUs per jar. Varieties include Kalamata, Greek Mix (Kalamata, Chalkidiki, Atlanti and Green) and Green Rovies olives. AliveAndWellOlives.com
www.lvfnbpro.com
March & April 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 9
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
Executive Chef Andrew Collins and Bar Manager Asa Eubanks Rev Up Spanish Style Cuisine at Matador Summerlin
photo courtesy Andrew Collins
to best serve the public,” he added. Every aspect of Matador’s tacos and enchilada dishes kick up the heat with caliente-style black beans, rice and special sauces. One of Chef’s top sellers is the grilled stuffed jalapenos. “We sell between 150-300 orders per day of this popular menu item alone,” said Chef Collins. And you will know why, because these spicy little bundles exude addictive flavors of warm bacon, zingy goat cheese and the slight heat from the jalapenos. Another happy hour item that kicks up the heat just a notch while filled with savory flavor is the plump habanero chicken wings but make sure you save room for an entrée. Don’t miss the carne asada, a savory skirt steak cooked medium rare and served with annatto rice, grilled peppers, street corn, and those signature black beans. Rev up the heat with the roasted chiles rellenos: generous poblano peppers filled with annatto rice, cilantro, onions and cheese and covered in a bright assertive Guajillo chile sauce and garlic crema; also, you can’t go wrong with the classic, made-to-order burrito with shredded chicken, carnitas or carne asada. While you’re upping the heat on your plate, let Matador’s drinks cool down your palate. Try one of the many signature margaritas or a specialty cocktail like the refreshing Jalisco Mule with Espolon Blanco, lime and ginger beer served in a classic copper mug. Begin your meal with the tequila, and end it with the Don Julio 1942 with notes of caramel and vanilla or any other of their sensuous sipping tequilas. For lovers of good south-of-the-border cuisine, Matador in Downtown Summerlin is now a destination restaurant just north of the border.
photo by Fernando Arteaga
Casa Del Matador expanded their brand of SpanishMexican fusion restaurants last year in bringing the Matador to Downtown Summerlin. This hip and vibrant eatery has quickly become the go-to place to quaff margaritas and sip on tasty tequila. With so many Mexican eateries to choose from in Las Vegas, Matador’s Spanish vibe and innovative cuisine helps set them apart from the restaurant pack. The artsy décor of Spanish-style ornamental lighting, hand-painted bull skulls and shimmery decorative walls creates a warm and convivial dining atmosphere. Matador is dishing up a whole lot of culinary ole to off-the-Strip diners with Executive Chef Andrew Collins now at the helm of the kitchen and bar manager Asa Eubanks mixing up hearty margaritas and quality cocktails. Asa Eubanks has come through the ranks at sundry occupations throughout his career but has found his true passion behind the bar. “Working in the service industry is the place where I found my passion,” said Asa. “I want to use the best ingredients possible in creating the bar menu.” Offering more than 120 tequilas, the Tuesday happy hour half-price tequila is a great way to try some serious reposados or añejos. Chef Andrew Collins was classically trained at Cordon Bleu and has honed his chef skills at various Strip properties including Station Casinos, MGM Corporation, Encore and Treasure Island. Collins started his culinary journey as a child while helping his chef father in the kitchen. “I didn’t want to be a “specialty” chef but one who can specialize in any cuisine if asked to do so,” said Chef Collins. “I am a teacher who wants to educate my staff on what it takes to produce the best product, and how
UNLVino 2018 Returns for One Night Only In its 44th year guests can “take a sip for scholarship” at UNLVino for one night only April 14th from 7 until 11 p.m. at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center at Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in downtown Las Vegas’ Symphony Park. As the longest running Las Vegas fundraiser, every year UNLVino raises scholarship monies for the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality students. This year is especially memorable as the William F. Harrah College is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and with that in mind, UNLVino will be commemorating this auspicious occasion with a lineup of some of the finest beverages, star chefs and acclaimed restaurants, including Rick Moonen’s RM seafood, Mitsuo Endo’s Raku and Sweets Raku, Brian Howard’s Sparrow and
Wolf and the new Masso by Celebrity Chef Scott Conant. Every year UNLVino honors several people as a tribute to those who are icons in the hospitality industry. This year glasses of Dom Perignon will be raised to industry leader Donald Carano, cofounder of Ferrari-Carano. UNLVino is an incredible night of award-winning chefs, restaurants and beverages all for helping students achieve their dreams in the hospitality industry. Tickets to this memorable event are priced at $150 online and $175 at the door. For more info and to purchase tickets, visit unlvino.com.
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•Wholesale distributor of exceptional quality dried spices and specialty foods to the finest hotels and restaurants •Owned and operated by a former chef with over 20 years of experience •Custom packed Herbs and Spices •Custom Spice Bends •Private labeling •Now Certified Kosher
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 name Boteco derives from a Brazilian, local no-frills meeting place for friends and family where great food, drinks and quality conversations are dished out plentifully. In the case of the Boteco eatery on Eastern and Richmar, the no-frills only applies to the relaxed ambience you’ll find, but the food and wine is anything but no-frills. Owners Marcus and Alessandra Fortunato, a lovely couple who have been married for 20 years, know a thing or two about Brazil, as both grew up in the South American country known for its vibrant culture and love of sharing food with friends. But thinking this restaurant is all about Brazilian food would be a mistake, as its varied small plates menu is influenced by the world travels of its owners. As soon as you walk in you will get a feeling for something else that is important here: wine. Two wine bottle chandelier lights, each containing 40 wine bottles, are a focal point, but the wine menu containing high quality wines from around the world at quite reasonable price points all under $50 a bottle (easily 50% below what other restaurants would charge) and all served by the glass (ranging from $615) should keep any serious oenophile happy, or anyone who just wants to enjoy a nice glass of wine without bankrupting their pocketbook. While the wine list is not extensive, all of the choices are superior, such as the 2015 Fattoria di Rodano Chianti Classico from Italy, 2012 Montaña Rioja Crianza Temprannillo from Spain and 2014 Edge Cabernet from Napa I enjoyed. Full disclaimer: I am a beer guy, and although they only offer two beers, they are none other than Czechvar (from the Czech Republic) and Estrella Damm (from Spain), two outstanding lagers which go for the ridiculously low price of $2 and $3 respectively for a 10 oz. pour (the standard serving size in Brazil). On to the food, which as mentioned previously is a blend of worldwide cuisine, with options
photo courtesy Boteco
Boteco: a meeting place for friends, family and great food
from several countries and cuisines served in shareable plates. The menu may change daily, but hopefully you’ll get to enjoy some of the favorites we did: such as Botequito Sliders made with house-ground beef & bacon, caramelized onion, bacon jam and aged mozzarella topped off with quail egg; Moqueca de Camarao— shrimp in Brazilian Dende sauce, coconut milk and vegetables and cashew white rice; Escargot Bordelaise with red wine butter sauce; and Chicken & Mash—braised chicken; and Pampas Steak Churrasco with chimichurri sauce. Final touches include Caramel Budino— caramel toffee-vanilla custard with crunchy fleur de sel and Brigadeiro Beast—slowly cooked condensed milk with Brazilian Nescau chocolate and rice crispy beads. Other options include Sunday Brunch from 10-4 with more than 16 dishes priced from
$11-16 like Hennessy Shrimp & Grits, Duck Sausage & Sweet Potato Hash and Mussels & Clams Marinieres; and a monthly wine tasting featuring a different region each month. The price points are incredible for the quality and it’s not surprising that many customers come in and say, “Feed me,” trusting their server to choose delights for them. Fortunately for us, the owners are not all about making huge profits, but are all about creating a comfortable hangout that you will want to frequent again and again. For as Marcus says, “This is where 100% of my stress goes away and where I have fun.” Boteco is open Tue.-Sat. for lunch and dinner and Sunday from 10-4 and is located at 9500 S. Eastern Ave. #170 at Richmar just south of the 215 Freeway. Another perk is the outdoor dog-friendly patio. 702-790-2323 | botecolv.com
BARDOT Brasserie Now Serving Lunch
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courtesy of MGM Properties
Michael Mina’s BARDOT Brasserie at Aria has been open since early 2015, wowing us with its superb French cuisine. Now we have more reasons to be wowed, as the eatery is serving a weekday lunch service and brunch on weekends. New menu items include steak tartare, king crab, ME lobster, Prime rib French dip, wild mushroom stroganoff, chicken cordon bleu and steak frites (with truffle fries!). Prices are a big drop from what you’d pay for dinner and range from $17-23 for starters, $19-26 for sandwiches and $20-29 for entrees. A nice deal is the Power Lunch, which for $37 gets you choice of escargots, salade verte or onion soup gratinee; and Prime rib French dip, chicken cordon bleu or Mediterranean sea bass. Dessert of chocolate macaron, seasonal fruit or mille fuille are an additional $4. aria.com/en/restaurants/bardot-brasserie.html www.lvfnbpro.com
Americana Serving Sunday Brunch eggs topped with cured salmon and fennel, chicken and waffles with bourbon maple syrup, grilled portobello with chimichurri, forged mushrooms and San Marzano tomato-topped flatbread, ricotta and fig toast with strawberry balsamic and arugula and butternut squash hash with farm egg and pimiento espelette. The unlimited brunch is priced at $42 per person, with the option of adding bottomless mimosas or bloody Mary’s for an additional $17. The price is quite a bargain when you consider not only the quantity, but the quality offered in each dish, which are also presented beautifully and are a veritable work of art, with multihued splashes of color on the plate and a mix of textures.
photos courtesy Americana
The picturesque Americana restaurant located on the bank of Lake Jacqueline in Desert Shores has established itself as not only one of the best restaurants in Southern Nevada, but was recently selected as one of the Gayot 2017 Ten Best New Restaurants in the US. We also extolled the outstanding cuisine and culinary mastery of acclaimed Chef/Owner Stephen Blandino as we featured Americana as the cover feature of our June 2017 issue (lvfnb. com/issue/06/2017). As if we didn’t already have enough good reasons to dine at this stellar dining establishment, now we have another: Americana is now offering an all-you-can-eat butler-style brunch every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A wide selection of chef/owner Stephen Blandino’s signature creations are served, with more than 15 items, and butler-style means you never have to leave your seat as everything you desire to indulge in is brought to you by your server. The brunch includes dishes such as Merlot-poached pear tartare with red flame grapes and oak leaf lettuce, eggs Benedict with short rib, spiced lemongrass mussels, chocolate chip pancakes with toasted meringue and chocolate sauce, shrimp and grits topped with brandy reduction, carne asada fries with flat iron steak and melted cheese, beet-infused deviled
Sheridan Su, who gained notoriety after being featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners Drive-Ins & Dives, just recently was nominated for a 2018 James Beard Semifinalist for the Best Chef West Award (considered to be the Academy Awards of the culinary world). The Culinary Institute of America graduate and former Comme Ca executive chef and his wife Jenny Wong are a power couple who have established themselves as highly successful restaurateurs and were named “Restaurateurs of the Year” by NPR’s Desert Companion magazine in 2017. After operating a successful food truck they opened a restaurant in the Eureka Casino, Fat Choy, and in addition now have two locations of Flock & Fowl, a concept Su originally designed to make wholesome food for their son and also to introduce the Hainanese chicken rice, a southern China dish he fell in love with three years ago while visiting his grandmother in Taipei. The original location is on W. Sahara and the new location brings their popular cuisine to Downtown, as it is situated in The Ogden building at Las Vegas Blvd. and Ogden, in the former location of Itsy Bitsy. The new 2,500-square-foot location is graced with large windows allowing natural light, an industrial ceiling with Edison lights and decor combining modern and old world sensibilities through an Asian tinge, with black-stained reclaimed woods and copper accents. It also features an expanded menu and longer hours. In addition to its staple Hainanese chicken rice— poached chicken with rice cooked in chicken www.lvfnbpro.com
photos courtesy Sheridan Su and Neon PR
Flock and Fowl Comes to Downtown at The Ogden
stock, served with an assortment of housemade condiments, including chili, soy and ginger-scallion sauces with house made chili sauce—dishes include kaya toast with southeast Asian coconut egg jam; chicken wings with angry sauce made with fermented sweet chili; curry laksa coconut noodle soup, an Indonesian dish with prawns and chicken and broccoli; and black cod with Thai corn chowder, confit potatoes and truffle oil. Emphasis is on making everything from scratch and using natural, organic, pure and fresh ingredients and sourcing local purveyors as much as possible, including two different house-made soy sauces. I highly recommend saving room for the freshly baked cast iron chocolate chip cookie, named for the vessel it’s baked and served in, topped with vanilla ice cream and miso caramel sauce. Heading the bar program is our own LVFNB Pro Beverage Editor Adam Rains, who created the cocktails and shares the philosophy of using organic sustainable products as much as possible, including spirits from distilleries that are eco-friendly. The fun named Flocktails include his Le Grand made with Absolut Elyx, Le Grand Courtage sparkling wine, lime, honey and bitters garnished with a basil blossom; and
Pine N Dandy, a variation on a Negroni with the Greek Skinos Liqueur, Tanqueray 10, Amaro Del Capo, Cynar and spruce tips. Adam also knows beer and has compiled a worthy list of notables you won’t see elsewhere which he has selected as brews that will go well with the restaurant’s cuisine, such as Hitachino Nest Yuzu Lager (the only place in Nevada to serve it), the Australian Nomad “Freshie” Salt & Pepper Gose and locally-made Tenaya Creek 702 Pale Ale. One unique aspect is the eatery is cashless, which without cash on hand provides more safety for the staff and also eliminates theft. The menu for the most part is priced in a quite affordable range of $6-$16, and during the daily 3-6 Social Hour, which in addition to being the time it occurs (and also from 10 p.m. to close) is the price range you’ll pay for the half-off appetizers and drinks. Flock and Fowl is open Sun.-Thu. From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Fri.-Sat. till midnight. 150 N Las Vegas Blvd #100 Las Vegas, NV 89101 702-272-2222
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Twinkle Toast
photo by Erin Cooper
…The Other White Grapes
By Erin Cooper & Christine Vanover
Erin Cooper and Christine Vanover have been residents of Las Vegas since 2007. Vanover is also a UNLV Alumnus. Both women are Territory Managers for the Resort Wine Team at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, members of Women Gone Wine and the founders of Twinkle Toast. info@twinkletoast.com • www.twinkletoast.com Facebook: @TwinkleToast Twitter: TwinkleToastLV Instagram: TwinkleToastLV
Flowers are blooming, picnics blankets are unfolding and people are in the mood for fun and refreshing white wines. One could play it safe and choose to drink Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay or one could live adventurously and elect to show some love to one of the lesser known white varietals. We consulted with Jessica Waugh, Assistant Director of Wine Education at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits of Nevada, and came up with a handful of intriguing wines to keep an eye out for this season. With thousands of known grape varietals in existence, why limit yourself to enjoying a select few? 1. Mad, Dry Furmint From: Tokaj, Hungary Description: This wine is like dry Riesling meets Chablis. You get the racing acidity and stone fruit of a dry Riesling with the texture, mouthfeel, and minerality of Chablis. Where to find it: La Cave at Wynn Las Vegas Suggested Pairings: Jumbo Lump Crab Lettuce Cups, Thai Snapper Ceviche, Chicken Thai Basil Flatbread or Moroccan Chicken Skewers 2. Movia, Rebula From: Goriska Brda, Slovenia Description: Rebula, known as Ribolla in Italy, is a unique white wine that is made similarly to a red wine. By using skin contact, the color turns very golden. The flavor is similar to Sancerre but with oak. Where to find it: Carnevino at The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino Suggested Pairing: Arugula Salad with goat cheese, mushrooms, and pickled onions 3. Bruno Giacosa, Roero Arneis From: Piedmont, Italy Description: Arneis is like Pinot Grigio’s beautiful sister. With more acidity and texture, the fruit notes are tropical with hints of florals.
Where to find it: Masso Osteria at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa Suggested Pairings: Potato Gnocchi, Squid Ink Rigatoni or Cedar Roasted Whole Sea Bass 4. Sigalas, Assyrtiko From: Santorini, Greece Description: Assyrtiko is similar to Sauvignon Blanc but with racy acidity and high amounts of minerality. Where to find it: Michael Mina at Bellagio Las Vegas Resort and Casino Suggested Pairing: Heirloom Tomato with watermelon, brioche and basil If you’re looking to taste a multitude of new and exciting varietals in one evening, we recommend taking a sip for scholarship by attending UNLVino on Saturday, April 14th from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center at Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health (888 W. Bonneville Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89106). Each year UNLVino brings together community spirit and a culinary spectacle in a Grand Tasting event that was created to fund scholarships for future generations of UNLV hospitality students. This year’s event will also honor the legacy of the late industry pioneer, Donald Carano, with the Dom Perignon Award of Excellence. In addition to wines from Ferrari Carano Vineyards & Winery, some of our favorite suppliers will be featured at this magnificent event. This includes but is not limited to, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Chateau d’Esclans (Whispering Angel), Delicato Family Vineyards, Hug L’Originale, Moet Hennessy USA, Pernod Ricard USA, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Constellation Brands. According to UNLVino’s website, this year “we celebrate 50 years of the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality with 50 internationally acclaimed wineries, spirit providers, chefs and restaurants providing 50 unique pairings, and featuring the Grand Tasting, champagne and sake pours, and the silent auction.” For tickets and more information, visit www.unlvino.com.
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By Pat Evans
Pat Evans is a writer based in Las Vegas and Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a regular contributor to Grand Rapids Magazine, October and The Manual often writing about food, beer and spirits. He has written one book, Grand Rapids Beer, and has more on the way.
Chef Spotlight Justin Kingsley Hall
The Kitchen at Atomic
Twitter: @patevans Instagram: @patrickmevans
Justin Kingsley Hall has cooked just about everywhere. Since arriving in Las Vegas in 2011, he’s cooked on the Strip, in popups, in the woods and desert and now helms the Kitchen at Atomic. Less than a year old, Kitchen at Atomic is a standalone restaurant next to the venerable Atomic Liquors and recruited Hall in the fall. He revamped the menu in less than a week and is now trying to reshape how people think about food in the Downtown area. Along with his full-time gig, he also puts on the annual Whiskey in the Wilderness, bringing chefs, bartenders and guests together for an evening of open fire cooking, whiskey and camaraderie. How does your career all come together to influence your cooking style? It’s definitely always evolving. I think if you stop evolving, you definitely lose out on a lot, stop learning, stop being creative. Everything has taught me something different. Teaching taught me how to be a better human being as a manager. Times to coddle and kick them in the ass and how to communicate with people. That was great. Catering and popups, there’s always something weird that pops up that you have to handle. I wanted to be back in restaurants because there were a few things I wanted to prove to myself and some other people. But I do love the ability to plan an event and be outside and cook for people. That’s probably what I love the most; it really allows me to get a group together. At times, you lose that interaction and community in a restaurant. How are popups different than a stationary kitchen? I love the ability to be at a restaurant and know what the building is, the troubles we typically have and know what I’m going to cook. Popups, where are we going to be? Is that location coming through? Is the oven going to work? Is there an oven? It’s a fun stress, but you can be anywhere. If you give me a space, I can create a kitchen, find a heat source and cook. That’s the cool thing about doing the popups and the fact you do get to change it. If something isn’t working, you do something new. www.lvfnbpro.com
It was a quick menu turnaround here at Atomic. How’d you do it? It was part about being smart: Half the menu is from my popup at SLO-Boy. I knew people Downtown enjoyed it. It was stuff I could execute to a good quality and had either recipes for or knew what I could do so anything I added on I could take on and get that set and done quick. It’s a good menu, definitely not the best I could do and at the time, I didn’t have the time to conceptualize the true vision and where we’re going. That was the thing, having the pressure of making a menu so many times, I knew I could put it together and execute. What is the vision here now? One of the biggest things was developing a place that is a dining experience. We have tons of places to eat Downtown, but very few dining experiences that aren’t sitting in a hotel. A neighborhood sense of dining, you’re missing that place you go to sit for a few hours and have three courses. Originally the menu was almost bar food focused, or quick service. You have a bar next door and a restaurant here, with one of the best craft beer lists in the state, easily, work hard on cocktails, alcohol selection is great, it’s a place you should sit around and enjoy all that. That’s the first idea is make a menu that’s about sitting around the table and spending more time. You’ve been a little bit of everything, where is Las Vegas food going? Las Vegas dining is definitely pushing more toward neighborhoods. You have a lot of chefs trying to get away from the Strip, because their hands are tied between two major companies. It’s heading toward a much better neighborhood dining scene, which means more of an actual Vegas culinary scene, rather than importing everyone else’s from New York, Japan, L.A. That’s really the coolest thing that we’re seeing and some chefs coming back and opening stuff. It’s a push, between food and hockey, soccer, football, you’re seeing Vegas being its own place rather than a mix of everyone else’s stuff.
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“TAKE A SIP FOR SCHOLARSHIP!”
Keep Memory Alive Event Center at the
Proceeds to benefit the students of the
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CHARDONNAY SUMMER
“L s
Please enjoy our wines responsibly. ferrari-carano.com
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By LeAnne Notabartolo
Good for Spooning Peng Zu Grand Opening at Suncoast
A culinary event coordinator and live cooking demonstrator, this “Edu-tainer” with more than 1000 demos under her belt lives to cook and eat. She works with chefs at events and learns from them and translates info for home cooks. She is the Chick in Charge of Good for Spooning – read her blog here: www.goodforspooning.com
The name Peng Zu comes from the Chinese legend of a cook who made a soup so wonderful that it was said to heal what ails you and make one live a long life. Peng Zu lived to be 800 and cooked for the emperor. On February 21 Boyd Gaming and the Suncoast welcomed its latest addition, Peng Zu, in true celebratory style with a Chinese New Year traditional Lion’s Dance. The Lion’s Dance, featuring three lions, a dragon and musicians, was performed to bring luck and good fortune. Each attendee was handed a small red envelope containing money to “feed” to the lions to bring luck and fortune to the participants. To feed the lion or dragon you placed your envelope in the mouth of the puppet and they snapped the mouth down on your hand and you removed your hand as quickly as possible. The new dining establishment is located next to breakfast favorite Du Par’s on the casino floor. The charming décor and open space is highlighted by a striking ceiling of paper umbrellas. Mr. Bill Boyd was in attendance and as gracious and welcoming as ever. The menu is approachable with favorites everyone recognizes. A few vegetarian options are offered as well. A sampling of dishes was sent out, in passed hors d’oeuvres fashion, for all to enjoy. Tasting samples included Peng Zu soup (a wonton and noodle soup), crab rangoon, pork egg rolls and pork pot stickers with a tangy ponzu dipping sauce. A carving station offered a delicious pepper steak and honey walnut shrimp. Appetizers start at $4 and everything on the menu is under $25. Soups, noodles, wok-fried favorites, specials and combination plates are also available. Serving dinner only, Peng Zu is open 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday–Thursday, and 4 p.m.–10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A casino-wide daily Social Hour is from 4 p.m.–7 p.m. featuring dishes and drinks from $4-$7. www.lvfnbpro.com
Photo by LeAnne Notabartolo
Photo courtesy Boyd Gaming and Flury Photography with The Suncoast’s permission
leanne@goodforspooning.com.
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By Shelley Stepanek
photos by Shelley Stepanek
Best of the Best
Shelley Stepanek is President of DSA, the oldest non-profit tourist association in the state, along with being on the board of ticket brokers. Shelley has previously owned three restaurants.
CliQue Bar & Lounge
CliQue Bar & Lounge at The Cosmopolitan unveiled its new appetizer and drink menu last week. The beautiful lounge is always packed. The new menu features four mini lobster tacos with grilled mango, avocado and cilantro with a freshly made guacamole sauce. The veggie sliders on honey wheat buns, with vegan cheese and sauce, accompanied by sweet potato fries has three on board. Organic veggie summer rolls have a small side dish of spicy peanut sauce, which everyone loved. Again, three on the plate. There are also spicy pizza pockets with sauce. The new signature drinks are Ruby Rose, which contains Grey Goose vodka, Grapefruit Rose Cordial and lemon with hibiscus sugar; and So Fresa, So Clean with Tequila, Aperol, watermelon and strawberry accompaniment. If you are a gin drinker, we have one for you: Two Birds One Stone, featuring Tanqueray 10, Silver Cachaça, sherry, Dry Curacao and yuzu citrus with a slice of basil on the side. Wrapping it up for a dessert, there are deep fried Oreos served with marshmallow or Nutella, and crispy fried apple pie wontons with caramel or Bavarian cream. The bar has plenty of seats, and the lounge is large overlooking the hundreds of guests roaming the casino. A great place to relax after a show. Giada De Laurentiis, of the fabulous Giada in The Cromwell has opened a grab-and-go spot inside Caesars Palace. Named Pronto, it’s a very large space for a quick bite, but there is a gift shop of course. Included is a Counter Culture coffee, hot or by the bag, hand selected wines and the most fabulous muffuletta sandwiches in the world. Fresh, appealing, with lots of seats, Giada has really done this upscale. Salads, other style sandwiches and desserts are of course on the menu. @GiadaVegas. Ferraro’s, the staple of Las Vegas restaurants, with its Paradise location across from the Hard Rock Casino, served up a special media dinner to introduce their new menu. At this location for 8 years and in town for more than 30, Ferraro’s cannot be beat for fabulous Italian cooking. Everything is made in-house, with two pasta rooms for a start. They have an 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. tasting menu for $25. Some of the new items include fried quail lollipop, and soft apulia cheese with roasted carrots and almonds-sorrel pesto. Their fettuccine, with fresh Pomodoro sauce, or their spaghetti, with olive oil garlic, Calabrese pepper and Parmigiano Reggiano are perfecto! Fresh Atlantic salmon, with caper-lemon sauce and spinach, or chicken breast with mushroom, small potatoes and veal sauce is certainly mouthwatering. Don’t forget dessert, with favorites tiramisu-cannoli plates combined. On the regular menu, gnocchi Pomodoro, or pappardelle Mimmo pasta with scallops, lobster, asparagus, butter sage and truffle are a must try. They serve plenty of pizza if you just need a light snack. If you are looking for a full meal, their osso bucco is some of the best in town. Music during the weekend, a long bar and a huge outside deck. Don’t miss Ferraro’s, owned of course by Gino Ferraro, with his Executive Chef Francesco Di Caudo, both masters of food and drink.
Pronto
Ferraro’s
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By K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D. 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.
COOK•EAT: Asia Asian Foods for Health
“West Eats East” was his last series in this journal.
Despite great efforts by the emperors in China, no single magic food was discovered for healthy longevity except at an imaginary ShangriLa. Neither was anything found in the west. In reality, our desire for healthy longevity could be apparently achieved not by what to eat but how to eat. The Asians’ healthy longevity has likely been derived from their omnivorous eating, as many agree. That is, eating of a variety of foods from plant and animal origins in a well-balanced manner. The food supply in Asia also contributes to its eating habit. Most Asian regions are located in monsoon tropical-subtropical climate zones where lots of the vegetation of grains and vegetables are grown. Besides, plenty of rain creates fresh water lakes and rivers, which also provide aquatic creatures of plant or animal origins in addition to those from surrounding seas or beaches. Asian omnivorous eating is a result of food supplies from natural environments. In addition, most Asian territories have been under the influence of Buddhism, which discourages killing animals to eat. This idea is based on reincarnation of living creatures; in other words, you may be reborn as a cow or sheep in the next world. However, many eat anything with four legs except for tables or chairs. Among the four legs, some food taboos are enforced like no pork or no beef in the Middle East or Asian sub-continent, respectively. Fish and aquatic creatures are exempted from this ideology. In the place of protein from animal origins, beans and aquatic creatures are consumed. In addition, protein in grains supplies this essential nutrient. Accordingly, Asians diets consist of a little bit of animal foods and lots of grains and vegetables, for being omnivorous. A Japanese national dietary guideline recommends eating at least 30 kinds of foods a day to be healthy. When an economy rises, people demand more animal foods. When consuming more animal foods in an omnivorous diet, people would become more active, which would possibly apply toward economic activities. In today’s China, as a good example, people eat more chicken or pork or many-dish banquet meals, which appear to make more economic progresses. With thick purses, they visit tourist destinations of the world today, so as Japanese did some 50 or so years ago. As a consequence, people face new health issues which could arise from the increased animal food intake. An epidemiological survey shows more western style diseases like stroke or high blood pressure symptoms among Japanese descendants in Hawaii in comparison with Japanese in Japan. The reason for it is claimed due to the increased intake of animal foods by such Hawaiians. In Japan animal food, or rather American style eating, is often blamed for these geriatric diseases, which discourages eating burgers and French fries. I think it might be partially fair or partially unjust to say this. Though, it might not be easy to practice the best way to be healthy. We are not Zen monks who are pure vegetarians, we are not strongly willed www.lvfnbpro.com
to practice so-called ideal eating only, and it is not easy for us to avoid all food additives or a drop of alcohol. If we try to practice something good for health out of the Asian eating, eat more veggies, not only leafy greens but also root veggies, and eat not excessive animal food like meat or cheese. Rather, eat more sea veggies, all parts of animals like people in Okinawa who have the longest healthy life in the world. Be omnivorous by eating more than 30 kinds of food in a balanced manner. Can you do that? Try at least once in a while! The healthy longevity is a combined practice of good eating/nutrition, moderate exercise and adequate rest. Eating is likely the hardest among the three. Personally, I try best not to take excess amounts of foods on a plate at a buffet. No going back for more food. It sounds easy but hard to practice.
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March & April 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 29
CABERNET
COLOR UP YOUR LIFE! RIEDEL.COM
By Ben Brown Benjamin Brown, MBA is Restaurant Editor of The
The Bottom Line
SoCal Food & Beverage Professional. A seasoned
writer and consultant, Ben works with Fortune 500
companies and mom & pop shops alike in Marketing, Analytics, Consumer Insights, PR and Business
When to Franchise?
Development. Contact Ben at Ben@lvfnb.com or follow him @Foodie_Biz.
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To franchise or not to franchise? That is the question that often signifies a very successful restaurant, so you deserve sincere congratulations for making it to the point of pondering this style of expansion. Franchising is a big step that can lead to great financial success and national—perhaps global—recognition, but it is also a big risk. Franchising will completely transform your business, your operations and your brand. If your restaurant is sound in its financial position and operational procedures, has established its brand and maximized its potential within its property boundaries, then you’re in prime condition to consider expansion. If the above criteria haven’t been met, then the best thing is to perfect your first establishment before thinking about the next. Best to learn to walk before you run. When franchising, your label is on the storefront your product is being served inside, but someone else is effectively running the show. Consider these items in this undertaking: You’ve explored other expansion options. Franchising is a great expansion opportunity, but not the only expansion opportunity. Wholly owning a second location is often the logical next step for a successful restaurateur. As the owner, you will now be splitting time between locations, relying more heavily on your general managers to handle day-to-day operations. Consider the benefits of full ownership vs. franchising. Of course, if you already own multiple locations and are looking to grow even further, franchising’s benefits are further magnified. The benefits to owning multiple locations vs. franchising • You’re in complete control. • Your brand will remain more ‘local, family-owned and operated.’ • Your profit share will be higher from each successful expansion. • Most importantly, it’s easier to manage one new location and get a hold on your expansion first, before exploding with multiple new locations. The benefits to franchising over owning • Franchising is much easier to scale, since you have franchisees doing most of the legwork. • You can earn more overall, with quantity of royalties across many locations surpassing the higher profit/location you’d get by owning a few locations. • You’ll have more buying power with suppliers. • Financial risk is shared with your franchisees. You’re in complete control of your brand. Franchising is essentially entrusting your brand and your livelihood to others, asking them to become extensions of you and the business you built. In order to successfully pass the torch onto someone else, you need a sound concept of your brand and the pillars your franchise needs to communicate.
Franchising will almost immediately spark concern among your loyalists and pose potential damage to your brand. Be prepared with a clear communication strategy for how franchising will strengthen your business and your guest experience without hindering the authenticity found in your original location(s). You can ensure consistency of your product. With a successful franchise, guests will get the same experience no matter which location they visit. The food will taste the same, the atmosphere will feel the same, and the service will be the same. Sure, even McDonald’s features different menu items according to market needs across the world, but consistency is key for the core product. Regulating menus, suppliers and sourcing, décor and hiring standards among other practices is vital to ensuring that your product is consistent across locations. You can establish clear communication channels with your franchisees. Before you even start conversation with a potential franchisee, you should have a defined communication plan that covers how often you plan to check in. Consistent updates, scheduled and surprise store visits and thorough reports should be planned out before the new location even exists. Hiring practices for franchisees should be established as well, to make sure you have the right people running your business. Restaurant experience, net worth and other factors are vital to make sure you don’t just have someone who can shoulder the financial risk and operate a successful restaurant, but also someone who shares your core values and passion for the brand. You have a solid business model in place. Revenue growth sits at the heart of franchising, so structuring the right deal is vital in ensuring financial success. If you’re going to extend yourself in the form of a franchisee, it should be worth your while. Establishing royalty rates, profit-sharing and other monetary standards will allow you to clearly evaluate your ROI and compare the financial success of multiple franchise locations.
Steak & Table Knife Re-Serration / Sharpening
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March & April 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 31
By Linda Westcott-Bernstein
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
2018 – A Year for Change and Growth!
I see 2018 as a time of change and growth for many individuals and companies. Let me preface the following article by saying that it is not intended to be an assessment of the current economy, any political opinion (pro or con) or reflect any special interests. It is my personal perspective based upon my ongoing observations, experiences and exposure. In my job, I have the unique benefit of being able to watch and evaluate business trends and employment cycles from the job seeker perspective, as well as have exposure to individual economic impacts via my career and work. What do I mean by that last statement? It means that in the human resources (HR) field I have the ability to observe others, listen to comments and discussions and evaluate trends and outcomes in hiring efforts on a very regular basis. Whether it is an interaction during a new hires’ orientation, talking with a benefits-eligible candidate or conducting an investigation of a workplace dispute— all of these situations offer unique insights into the personal lives of today’s workforce. In HR you interact on a daily basis with individuals at all levels and positions within the organization, and this can be very helpful and useful if you embrace it. But most importantly for me, it helps me to stay in tune with and grounded in what is important in life—being there for the employees and trying to help them.
I also believe that anyone who truly embraces this important role in HR—being a servant to your constituents—that we should refrain from using the word “I” but instead embrace the importance of “we.” The use of words like “we” helps keep in the forefront of your mind the purpose for which you exist. When or if you ever become too self-important, you may begin to lose your insight, your compassion and maybe even your ability to serve those that you are meant to serve. Well, now, back to the topic at hand—outlook for 2018. Here are some areas where I see improvements in the coming year: • Improvements in the business and labor market. • Increased awareness in the area of harassment; focusing on respect and treatment of others. • Interactions with others; listening to and addressing the challenges and issues faced on a daily basis. • Improvements in the area of pay equity and equal opportunity without regard for sex. I am feeling and noticing a change in the prospects for business and for job seekers. Wages are trending higher, jobs seem to be more prevalent and candidates seem to be more optimistic! The events of the last few months
regarding harassment and disrespect have, in my opinion, increased awareness as to the importance of respect and fair treatment in the workplace. There also seems to be some progress in an evaluation of the way in which wages are paid to both sexes. However, far and above more important and telling to me, is the way that individuals are more open and honest (maybe even exposing their vulnerability and fears), by engaging in revealing and sincere discussions about the challenges and hardships that they have experienced in the last few months or years. It is eye-opening and tugs at my heartstrings. It reinforces for me that you can never judge another until you have walked in their shoes. So, in short, here is my prediction for 2018— it will be a year of change, renewed vigor and growth for each and every individual (if you allow it to be). It will be a year of motivation, personal insight and evaluation, and for change. Change can be scary but it can also be rewarding. Look at change as an opportunity to look at life differently, change old habits and for embracing all of the talents and resources that you have to offer.
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.
32 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March & April 2018
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OFFERS YOURÂ
EXCUSES!
DON'T BULLSH*T YOURSELF!
By Chef Allen Asch Feel free to contact Chef Allen with ideas for comments or future articles at allena@unlv.nevada.edu
Chef Talk
Foods That Help Improve Your Health
This is part two of the series, following up on last month’s article, Spices You Should Incorporate for Your Health. Besides spices, food works in many ways to help the body through natural or unnatural maladies. Certainly a well-balanced meal will be good for your body, and eating certain foods will help specific issues. The old adage about warm milk helping you sleep has some truth behind it. Dairy that is high in calcium is a sleep aid, but the fallacy of this “cure” is that it needs to be warm. Calcium-rich dairy along with mild exercise will speed up your time to doze off. Other sleep aids include eating foods with a high glycemic index. These foods are not necessarily good for your blood sugar levels unless you want to lower it. Eating them about four hours before bedtime will help you fall asleep. An example of this is jasmine rice. Tryptophan, commonly associated with turkey is also readily available in pumpkin seeds. This amino acid synthesizes melatonin, which regulates sleep. If you have inflammation there are many foods you can eat that will help with this ailment. One item is tart cherry juice. Another benefit of tart cherry juice is that it also helps with sleep. A cure for inflammation, especially food related inflammation, is avocado. Spinach which is high in vitamin K helps, as do berries which are packed with phenolic compounds. Chia seeds, which are very fiber rich help lower markers associated with inflammation. “Brain food” is a very popular piece of a diet for those that are aware of the benefits of such a diet. Most of these foods are very common in the mainstream diet. Foods such as salmon which is high in omega-3 fats are known to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia and cognitive decline. Kale, like all dark leafy greens, protects brain cells from oxidation. Extra virgin olive oil with high anti-oxidant compounds can help with memory and learning. Turmeric, although a spice and mentioned last month, also helps with memory and protects against a buildup of amyloid plaques which have been connected to Alzheimer’s disease. If digestion is an ailment you can relate to you should eat more sauerkraut. All foods that are high in lactic acid will help you with digestion. If you are buying sauerkraut to up your lactic acid make sure you buy the fresh
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.
refrigerated version. Shelf-stable sauerkraut has been heated to make it stable; the heating kills the bacteria that create the lactic acid. Another food high in lactic acid is kefir. Kefir is a cultured dairy product: fermented milk from cows, sheep or goats. Besides digestion, kefir is known to treat irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis. The other digestion aid is food high in prebiotics. Prebiotics feed the more than 1,000 healthy bacteria, probiotics, in your stomach. Foods include broccoli, garlic and onions. If you get sick often you may want to eat foods that boost your immune system. Some of these foods include beef, garlic, mushroom, green tea, ginger, broccoli, yogurt, spinach and sweet potatoes. A 3½ ounce serving of beef supplies 50% of the zinc your body needs on a daily basis. Zinc helps white blood cells thrive. White blood cells fight bad things in your body. Garlic does not contain zinc, but the sulfur it contains helps the body to absorb zinc from other sources. Luckily I am a fan of stir fried garlic beef with broccoli. To prevent harmful bacteria from operating, you should have vitamin D. Mushrooms are a great source of vitamin D being one of only a few foods that when exposed to sunlight produce it. Green tea helps produce T-cells which are a type of white blood cells. Ginger, which probably should have been in last month’s column, is one of the healthiest foods on earth. Ginger root, which originated in China, contains gingerol, a substance with powerful medicinal properties. Because of this substance it has been used to help digestion, reduce nausea and help fight the flu and common cold. It is very affective in lessoning morning sickness. Ginger has also been shown to ease muscle pain and lower blood sugar levels and has been used to lower cholesterol and help with indigestion, as well as fight infection, help brain function and prevent certain cancers. Fresh parsley helps with inflammation, anemia, bladder infection, digestion, kidney stones and bad breath. It also has properties that help with arthritis, bloating, edema (the abnormal accumulation of fluid in certain tissues within the body), constipation, poor immunity, acid reflux and some skin problems. Next month in the last of the series I will talk about tamarind, the African seed that has so many medical uses.
34 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March & April 2018
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By Justin Leung
UNLV
Justin Leung, a Hospitality Management student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, represents the Epicurean Society, a collective of food and restaurant enthusiastic students. As the journalist on their leadership team, Justin desires to share the club’s experiences with the public. He is from Georgia and decided to pursue his passion for hospitality in Las Vegas.
photos by Justin Leung, Deanna Wong, Hanna Min and Leah Love
Epicurean Society
The time for community contribution and student leadership ensued with an upward spike. Tabling. Flyers. Posters. Club Representatives...Involvement Fair, which took place on January 24th, is every UNLV organization’s opportunity to market and develop their member base. Students are able to connect with the three-hundred and fifty registered student organizations, university departments and non-profit organizations. As one of the most widely attended events at UNLV, Involvement Fair symbolizes the beginning of a new semester as the schools’ organizations have developed new calendars, agendas and activities. Epicurean Society’s new leadership team skyrocketed the organization’s member recruitment beyond expectation: fifteen new members joined Epicurean Society since our participation in the fair. The boost of member count resulted from our new business cards and sharing our self-created dishes with the school community. We promoted our message of food appreciation by speaking to students passing by our table while offering samples of our mandarin orange pound cake, candied walnut parfait, beet chips seasoned with rosemary and lemon zest and a mouthwatering focaccia bread with basil, Thai pesto spread with pistachios on top. Furthermore, another enticing aspect of Epicurean Society is that this semester our general member meetings take place within the Executive Kitchen on the fourth floor of the new Hospitality Hall. Taking advantage of a never before seen environment and brand-new equipment, our first meeting consisted of a brief kitchen tour and club introductions. The meeting on February 7th was a fascinating opportunity for our organization to visit Rebel Grounds, which is a student run, café business on the first floor of the new hospitality building. We were greeted by Kevin Ng, former Epicurean Society president and current café manager. He introduced us to the Cookie Monster; their three specialty drinks: PB and Java, the Coco Caramel Latte; and Rebel Rush, and an off-menu item which was made with his own strategy. Kevin first set down loaves of bread onto a hotel pan and spread a crème brûlée butter on each. He proceeded to show us there are two approaches to melt the butter on the bread: using a normal cooking blow torch or toasting it in the oven. The final step would be to add sugar on top. Rebel Grounds was only the first step into our fresh, new start to the semester. Our next organization activity was visiting Fresh52 Farmer’s Market on Sunday morning, February 11th. Introducing ourselves to www.lvfnbpro.com
vendors who create and specialize in their own crafts was a new focus of our organization from last semester. She Bakes, our first stop through the farmer’s market, is a bakery that specializes in gluten-free, preservative-free and vegan, protein bars, cookies and other naturally baked foods. Their goal is to maintain low costs while creating high quality goods in order to promote healthier life eating habits. Making our way down the outside market, a member decided to sample some goods from Besty Bites Handcrafted Cheese Roll; this is a business that has segmented itself away from the United States’ standard bakery business. Instead of making cakes, cookies or other pastries, Besty Bites specializes in the cheese roll, which comes from a traditional Brazilian recipe started by slaves in the early-eighteenth century; they would make bread rolls from the cassava or yucca root. The modern-day method of making cheese rolls is adding milk and cheese to the tapioca roll. However, outsourcing and innovation has led to an expansive menu for the business. Members of Epicurean Society were able to sample their Feta Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Garlic and Herbs and Chipotle flavors. Not only were the options at the farmer’s market healthy and locally grown, products came in package deals and the prices were affordable, especially to those looking to change their diet. The school days prior to our Valentine’s Day sale on the 14th were engulfed with event preparation such as purchasing ingredients, preparing our products as well as pricing them to meet the demand. Epicurean Society was selling dark, milk and white chocolate strawberries for $2.50, variety bags tied by a thin strip of ribbon and filled with chocolate covered pretzels; popcorn for $4.00; and bacon roses with brown sugar sprinkled on top for $2.00. During our sale, we were stationed outside the Hospitality Hall and inside the Student Union. The two locations were suitable for our cause in promoting love for food and those around us. Couples, friends, classmates and even faculty members purchased from us to share with each other, demonstrating the holiday spirit. Spring semester has barely started and the direction of the organization, expressed in the last two months, has been incredible. Epicurean Society resumes its invitation to all local members of the community as we continue through the semester with our upcoming club-run Boba milk tea bar, and a Hawaiian-themed party.
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Nevada Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Announces State Prostart Invitational Winners The Nevada Restaurant Association’s Educational Foundation hosted the Nevada ProStart Invitational on February 2 at The Art Institute of Las Vegas. More than 70 students from 8 high schools across the state competed, while 20 prominent figures from the Las Vegas restaurant community served as judges for the event, which provides scholarships for outstanding culinary and management students. Throughout the competition students utilized the skills they learned while in the ProStart culinary training course. The two-year program teaches food safety, basic food techniques, baking, cake decorating, knife cuts, menu design, restaurant management, basic accounting, food costing and more. Top honors for the culinary portion of the competition went to Coronado High School and the student team of Bettina Bautista, Ethan Cooper, Haley Montalbano, Lily Russell and Jonathan DesJardins. The menu featured Gourmet Mushroom Tortellini; followed by Pan Seared Duck Breast accompanied by brown sugar glazed sweet potato, rainbow carrots, blackberry sauce and fresh basil oil; and a Dark Chocolate Mousse Bombe complemented by a raspberry gelee, walnut crumble, chocolate tuile and served with whipped cream and mint. The Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology’s team, whose members include Griffin C. Gustafson, Ruth Gomez, Esperanza Lopez and Leslie Gudino, placed first in the restaurant management category. The team’s restaurant concept, “Cherry Bomb Café and Bakery,” focused on providing the community with affordable and delicious food in a simple and casual welcoming atmosphere. Winners in the individual competition categories included: Esperanza Lopez from The Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology for edible centerpiece; Claudia Gomez from West Prep Academy for cake decorating–buttercream; and Lauryn Sabers from Robert McQueen High School for cake decorating–tiered. Jay Rathmann from BJ’s Nevada Barbeque was named Mentor of the Year. He reflected on the students’ culinary prowess and how hard they worked leading up to the competition. photos courtesy Nevada Restaurant Association
Bettina Bautista of Coronado High School received the coveted Student of The Year award, as well as a $1,000 scholarship to the school of her choice donated from past Nevada Restaurant Association Chairman, John Hinchliffe. The winners from the culinary and management categories will be moving on to represent Nevada in the national ProStart Invitational to be held Friday, April 27-Sunday, April 29, 2018 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island, where more than one million dollars in scholarship money will be distributed amongst the winners. 36 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March & April 2018
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USBG Las Vegas
By Adam Rains Co-authored by Bob Barnes Adam has a true passion for food, wine, beer & spirits. He is a barman at CarneVino, a brand ambassador for Brooklyn Brewery, long-time cocktailian, and the Social Media Chair for the United States Bartenders’ Guild in Las Vegas. 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.”
USBG VODKA PAIRING DINNER AT HONEY SALT The Las Vegas Chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild hosted a vodka pairing dinner and vodka tasting on January 31 at Honey Salt. Sponsored by Absolut Vodka, it was much more than a pairing dinner, as the 30 USBG members in attendance were educated by USBG Las Vegas Chapter President Raul Faria and the legend himself, the Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim. USBG member and Honey Salt bartender Terry Clark helped organize the event and artfully crafted a series of cocktails just right for the occasion. Before the dinner began Raul spoke about the history of vodka and provided us with a descriptor list to help decipher the mouth feel, finish and overall character of the vodkas we were about to taste. Tony walked us through the blind tasting of eight different Old World and New World vodkas made from different raw materials, as attendees volunteered what nuances they detected, such as corn, barley, rye, potato and grape.
For the main course USBG members had the choice of heirloom potato gnocchi with farm egg and wild mushrooms, pan roasted snapper with lemongrass broth, Mary’s free range brick oven chicken breast with mac n’ cheese or 12-hour braised short rib with polenta; all were stellar and full of flavor. With the entrees we enjoyed the “Burning Man-darin” which was a triangulation of mandarin in its finest form. This cocktail utilized Absolut Mandarin, charred honey-ginger mandarins along with the subtle citrus of Amaro Ramazotti. The flavor was as vibrant and rich as its appearance. It was served over ice with caramelized mandarin segments and a beautiful
handmade edible flower bouquet clipped to the glass. Perfection without compare. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, then came a delightfully rich brioche bread pudding with pumpkin caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream which met the playfully named cocktail, “Cello. Is it me you’re looking for?” It did not disappoint! Being in citrus season always has its benefits, and in this case we could see Absolut Citron being paired with a Sous Vide Limoncello Crema. All of this combined with great effect and with candied lemon. We never wanted to go home! We eventually did depart and all in attendance were graced with the gift of Tony’s book, which he graciously signed: Vodka Distilled The Modern Mixologist on Vodka and Vodka Cocktails—a book loaded with valuable information on everything you always wanted to know about vodka, including the history of vodka, the ins and outs of how it is made and notes on 58 vodkas.
photos by Jose Salinas
The dinner paired three vodka cocktails with three courses of choice food. The appetizers were autumn harvest toast with delicata squash, margherita flatbread and lemon chicken salad and were paired with a gem. Terry’s “Let’s Get Ready To Bramble” refreshed, cleansed and accented the array of goodness that was before us. The “new, new” from Absolut is their Absolut Lime, which was the base for this tasty libation. Terry crafted his own Creme de Mure (using Absolut Lime) and added a hibiscus-infused carbonated Lillet Rouge, which played back and forth across the aisle with a floral yet slight tannic-sweet nature of the hibiscus and Lillet Rouge.
About the USBG The United States Bartenders’ Guild is comprised of spirit professionals dedicated to the art of the craft of Bartending. What was founded in 1948 has now spread all over the US with Las Vegas being the largest chapter in the country. Through events, charity, and education they support and enhance the great American living-art that is Bartending. For information on how to join, please go to www.usbg.org. www.lvfnbpro.com
March & April 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 37
EVENTS
AD INDEX
March 19-22 the International 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
Al Dentes’ Provisions sales@aldentes.com 702-642-1100
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March 26-28 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
Big Dog’s Brewing Company www.bigdogsbrews.com 702-368-3715
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April 4-7 the 8th Annual Universal Whisky Experience will take place at Encore Las Vegas. Founded by our friend, whisky enthusiast Mahesh Patel, it will feature exclusive tastings of the world’s finest whiskies, classes and other whisky experiences. This event is one not to be missed by any serious whisky aficionado! www.universalwhiskyexperience.com
Designated Drivers www.designateddriversinc.com 877-456-7433
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Don’t Bullsh*t Yourself! Book by Jon Taffer
page 33
Ferrari-Carano Vinyards & Winery ferrari-carano.com
page 26
Jay’s Sharpening Service www.jayssharpening.com 702-645-0049
page 31
April 14 the 44th Annual UNLVino, Las Vegas’ longest running fundraiser, will be held at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center at Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and will feature world-class wine, champagne, sake and craft beers along with awardwinning chefs and bites from 50 restaurants. unlvino.com April 15-16 the Vegas Food Expo will be held at the Westgate Las Vegas. This two day food tradeshow is designed for small innovative companies and emerging food producers that need to reach retailers, distributors and restaurants. vegasfoodexpo.com April 28 the Power of Love Gala at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas’ premiere fundraiser event, is an annual celebration of life that was created to raise money for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health’s programs and services and is an evening you will want to remember as you Keep Memory Alive. www.keepmemoryalive.org May 1-3 the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America 75th Annual Convention and Exposition returns to Caesars Palace. The largest gathering of America’s wine and spirits distributors, as well as suppliers from around the world, this event offers opportunities to seek out new beverage products, meet with existing portfolio partners, look for services to enhance internal operations and attend educational sessions on industry hot topics. www.wswaconvention.org
Keep Memory Alive Event Center kmaeventcenterlasvegas.com 702-263-9797
page 2
Riedel riedel.com
page 30
UNLVino UNLVino.com
page 40
White Soy Sauce www.whitesoysaucefood.com
page 29
Power of Love Gala 2018 keepmemoryalive.org 702-263-9797
page 39
38 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I March & April 2018
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LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE by Romero Britto
ONEMEMORABLENIGHT KEEP MEMORY ALIVE EVENT CENTER AT SYMPHONY PARK
44
th
For more information, visit:
UNLVINO.COM | #UNLVINO Proceeds benefit
“ TAKE A SIP FOR SCHOLARSHIP! ”
SATURDAY, APRIL 14th, 2018 | 7-11PM
You must be 21 to attend. No refunds.