Double Helix Wine Bar; Palazzo, Las Vegas

Helix, Smelix, Double-Belix ... We Didn't Hate Double Helix!!

One of the things we love about Las Vegas is all the unexpected stuff you can find, even wandering around an upscale shopping mall where you still can't afford to buy anything when it's priced at a 50% markdown. I am here to tell you that in the armpit of Mid-America no self-respecting mall would place a wine bar right in the midst of its promenade ... not when that space could be occupied by cell phone salespeople, hand massagers, hair-braiders, and tin jewelery hawkers. Besides, wine bars aren't considered nearly as family friendly as indoor romper rooms crawling with toddler germs.

Well, not so the Shops at Palazzo. Right smack dab in the middle of their luxury shopping emporium sits a 2,100 square foot wine bar which features more than 50 wines from around the world; they are available in 2-ounce tasting portions or 5-ounce pours. Guests can also choose from pre-selected wine flights or create a personalized flight more to their taste. If you're hungry as well as thirsty there are some light snacks available to order from Emeril's Table 10, located right around the corner from the bar and its wine boutique. The boutique carries about 300 different wines, and we didn't think most of them were too badly priced considering the location. They also sell wine accessories, books, and slightly tacky gifts that no self-respecting wine lover would ever buy for a fellow wineaux.

The Bar, shot #1


The Bar, shot #2

Jay and I decided to create our own wine flight and chose two reds and one white; we also ordered a cheese plate because it was a moral imperative - if we didn't have one here we weren't going to have another opportunity for the rest of the day and I needed my fromage fix!!

Our wines were as follows, with notes provided by the wine bar:

Chassagne Montrachet "Vieilles Vignes" Red Burgundy, France 2005; earthy bouquet with lots of red and black fruit that reveals a silky texture on the palate. I liked this one the best because it was a lighter, fruitier red and oh-so-smooth - it went down nice and easy!

MollyDooker Shiraz, South Australia 2008; intense flavors of blueberry, mint chocolate, and subtle pepper. Errrr ... OK, if they say so. Fruity? Yes. Chocolate-minty? No. Still good? Absolutely. This was Jay's top pick of the flight - Shiraz has always been one of his favorite wines.

Paco & Lola Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain 2007; racy and refreshing wine with aromas of fresh peaches, almonds, and basil. To paraphrase Susie Fogelson from the midterm judging session of The Next Food Network Star, "We find you sort of forgettable now."

Wine flight with the flash ...

Wine flight sans flash...

The cheese plate made me happy because it was just what we like to see in cheese paired with wine - mild selections designed to enhance, rather than battle, the characteristics of the wines. There was a light cheddar, a brie, and a young parmesan. There was plenty of crostini to smear with the brie ... too much, really ... I preferred it smeared on those luscious strawberries that accompanied the cheese. Overall it was a simple, generous cheese plate that paired well with all three wines and we really enjoyed it.

Cheese me!!

This was a great place to stop and relax mid-day; it was quiet and calm and completely enjoyable. We had attentive service from one of the wine stewards who was happy to make recommendations based on her preferences as well as ours and we were welcome to stay as long as we liked. Had we not partaken of a large breakfast earlier in the day we might have been tempted to order dessert - they offer a tasting of three wine-infused ice creams for about ten dollars! Next time we may just have to give that a try because it sure sounded pretty good. And if you love wine and the chance to put together your own tasting flight, you could do a lot worse than to stop at Double Helix and check out their offerings - and don't forget the cheese plate!

Wolfgang Puck, CUT, Vegas Uncorked Masters Series Luncheon

Mr. Puck, You Make the Only Grub What Satisfies My Gut Worm - Cletus Spuckler, February 17, 2002

A funny thing happened before we decided to book this event back in January, and it served to reinforce just how clueless your devoted, gluttonous scribbler really can be sometimes. The Vegas Uncorked website listed their events by date, time, chef, and venue. Initially it just showed a luncheon with Wolfgang Puck and then shortly thereafter the same listing had a single word alongside the Puck's name: CUT.

Bummer - the event was axed before it even got rolling. I told Jay that we'd have to keep an eye out for a different lunch because this one had been cut. I then helpfully proceeded to inform my internet friends via facecrack that Puck's lunch was no longer being offered. Imagine just how idiotic I felt when someone kindly pointed out that CUT is the name of Puck's restaurant at the Palazzo.

D'OH!

Turns out CUT is a steakhouse, not a verb.

Turns out the Puck has two restaurants named CUT - one in Vegas and the other in Los Angeles.

Turns out I am a maroon ... an ig-na-ray-moose ... and a nin-cow-poop.

Ahem.

You may (or may not) recall from an earlier, slightly flat review that we had just finished up our not-so-fizzy lifting drinks at the Laguna Champagne Bar; not knowing whether we would have assigned seating or if it would be a drunken free-for-all, the three of us wandered over to CUT about twenty minutes before the luncheon was scheduled to begin to ensure that we could share the same table. We were happily surprised to see a swinging cocktail party well underway in the lounge and plunged right in, nabbing a glass of Moet & Chandon Imperial Rose Champagne as we did so.

Much as I enjoy a good glass of bubbly, this was not the best beverage making the rounds. That honor goes to the Cucumber Dill Martini, which Catherine first spied in the hands of other attendees. This was apparently a very popular libation and it took some time before she could flag down a staff member and request one, but it was definitely worth the wait. Initially I didn't think it sounded very appealing - after all, cucumbers are for pickling and eating, not for drinking; but then I took a sip and it was such a revelation. This drink was light and refreshing with just a hint of floral-herbiness - it wasn't too cukey and it wasn't too dilly ... it was just right!

Cucumber-Dill Martini


A very thirsty Catherine the Great!


The Puck does nothing by halves. In addition to fine champagne and wowza martinis he offered several delicious appetizers to warm up our taste buds before lunch officially started: Tuna Sashimi on Crispy Rice Cakes, Potato & Parmesan Knish with House Mustard, Kobe Pastrami with Thousand Island on Pumpernickel, and assorted Spago Signature Pizzas.

The tuna was fabulous - light and sweet - while the rice cake provided wonderful, crunchy texture. The knish was a delightful little pocket of cheesy-potato goodness and it really sang with the addition of the Puck's house-made spicy mustard! And the pizza, while nothing really surprising, was still very tasty; I have it on good authority that the mushroom pizza was excellent even though the sight of it made my blood run cold. The only item we didn't have a chance to sample was the Kobe pastrami sandwich; it looked great - we saw it wander by on a serving tray more than once, but damn if the platter wasn't always empty by the time it reached us.

Tuna Sashimi ... I'll take the whole plate, thanks!


Mushroom Pizza ... bleh!


Knish me!


Margarita Pizza ... yum!


Snackables and Boozeables make everyone happy!


The Lounge ... filled with people mobbing Andrew Knowlton


The right to indulge in two-fisted drinking has been written into our marriage contract


CUT's lounge is sleek and contemporary - there are a lot of shiny, slippery white floor and wall tiles boldly accented with splashes of bright color. There wasn't much room to sit, so most guests had to figure out how to juggle appetizers and drinks, but that inconvenience was a small price to pay for the digestive joy the afternoon held for all of us. The cocktail party lasted until 12:30 or so and then everyone was invited to choose a seat in the dining room. We were among the first to enter and I spotted a large booth for four with plush leather seats and comfy, soft pillows - it looked perfect and we settled in right away before someone could steal it from us!

The most comfortable dining spot in Vegas!


The tables were laid with wine glasses, silverware, and the afternoon's menu; as the hostess for the event, Barbara Fairchild - Editor in Chief for Bon Appetit- spoke some words of welcome, the waitstaff were busy pouring water and delivering tasty breadsticks and cheesy poufs to all the tables. The breadsticks were incredibly delicious foot-long parmesan straws that we alternately tried to fence with or used to impersonate Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But as good as they were, my favorite was the cheesy poufs ... warm, delightful little clouds of cheese-infused pastry!! I could have eaten all of them and did, in fact, ask Jay and Catherine if they minded my inhaling the fourth one since no one else was seated with us and that last little pouf looked so lost and alone in the basket. They told me to go ahead and inhale so I did, only to feel like a complete and utter pig moments later when a young man wearing a Press Badge stopped at our table and asked if he could sit with us for the remainder of the event.

Parmesan straws


Cheesy poufs!


Our new friend in dining, Terry Wong, is a web producer from Food Network, Canada, and he was covering the Vegas Uncorked four-day extravaganza for their website. Damn - now there's a job worth having! He was a fun, engaging addition to our little group and we really enjoyed having a chance to talk food with him. If we frightened him with our silliness he did a great job of hiding it and even conducted a brief interview with us at the end of the event to get our thoughts on the lunch and the food scene in Vegas.

Wanna see our 1.40 minutes of foodie fame? Follow this link ... at your own peril!!

http://community.foodnetwork.ca/forums/t/19532.aspx

First Course: Austrian White Asparagus with Sauce Gribeche, Upland Cress, and Aged Balsamic served with Prager, Gruner Veltliner "Hinter der Burg" Federspiel; Wachau, Austria, 2007.

Austrian White Asparagoose


This was the first time that Jay or I had ever eaten white asparagus and we both really enjoyed it - the flavor seemed milder than that of green asparagus and it was very tender. The serving was quite generous - there was another row of 'goose underneath the top layer - and the sauce grebiche provided a tangy bite to the dish. If deconstructed salad could be this good every time someone served it, I would order it for the rest of my life! Colorful, creative, and really tasty - this was a great start to the meal. As for the wine, I seem to recall that it was a little crisp but had nice balance and paired really well with the food. Such a refreshing change of pace from the previous evening's dinner with those wonky wine pairings!

Before the second course was presented, our various serving teams came around with baskets of fresh bread for us to choose from. The Puck is known for his yummy breads and it was hard not to ask them to just leave the entire basket, but I managed to show some restraint and selected a warm pretzel roll and some rosemary bread; I believe that there was also fresh pumpernickel to choose from but I passed on that one.

Fabulous breads ...


Second Course: Butter Poached Maine Lobster with Corn Fondue, Morel Mushrooms, English Peas, Rhubarb, and Sauce Ala Orange served with Ridge, Chardonnay "Montebello", Santa Cruz Mountains, California 2006.

I have to be honest - when I first saw this menu in advance of the lunch event and realized that we were going to be served lobster I gnashed my teeth and waved my fists at the dining gods who I felt were having a good laugh at my expense. I don't like lobster. If it happens to be mixed in with a bunch of other seafood or has been turned into a creamy, booze-infused bisque then I can tolerate, and even enjoy, the angry red crustacean. But I don't like lobster in and of itself and really felt that it was a cruel irony we were going to be served it as a main dish at the Puck's steakhouse. Where were the big, thick meat straws; the marrow flan; the awful offal; and the Austrian snausages???

Turns out I wasn't the only one disappointed; Catherine isn't a fan of lobster either. My husband was one happy man because he ended up with six good-sized, shelled lobster claws for his digestive delight. Once again the serving size was very generous and the presentation was colorful and fun; and the corn fondue was really delicious and buttery. Jay said that all of these flavors actually worked really well with each other and he thought it was a wonderful and creative dish.

The wine was the big surprise for me with this course, because as I've grown older and even more pickier I've moved further away from Chardonnay. Rather than giving us a big, oakey, harsh chardonnay we found ourselves with a light, fruity, slightly spicy wine that was a joy to drink with or without food. I enjoyed it so much that I would actually consider purchasing a bottle to add to our rack ... once space opens up!

Lobstah ...


Lobstah Redux


Course Three: US Kobe New York with Creamed Spinach and House-Made Steak Sauce served with Chateau Montelena, Cabernet Sauvignon "Estate", Napa Valley, California 2006.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? It was, and that's the beauty of it. Instead of being given a few thin slices of meat with a whole bunch of spinach and fancy sauce drizzles, we were each given a good-sized Kobe steak, cooked to perfection so that each bite practically melted in our mouths. The steak sauce was tangy and just a little spicy - a terrific accompaniment to the meat. And as for the spinach ... well, I was too busy eating meat to worry about creamed, leafy, green vegetables and I completely ignored it. And please let me tell you how amazing the wine was - a gorgeous, ruby-red Cabernet with lots of fruit and spice and a silky finish - there was not a hint of gackiness to this red wine and I loved it! That is a strong endorsement friends, because Bendy and heavier red wines do not always play nicely together.

Kobe Steak and Gerber baby food


Course Four: Baby Banana Brulee with Banana Cream Pie and Banana Ice Cream served with Kracher "Beerenauslese Cuvee", Burgenland, Austria 2007.

And then there was the final course. I wasn't very happy when I saw this on the menu, either, because I'm not a big fan of banana desserts unless they've been doused with rum and set on fiyah! Once again the Puck proved why he is the master: aside from the layer of banana just below the whipped cream, this dessert was a cool, creamy, subtle delight with a slight hint of banana that was nowhere near as overpowering as I had feared. Our final wine of the event was another sparkler, this time from Austria, and it was sweet with a lot of vanilla and peach overtones; I enjoyed it tremendously and thought it really paired well with the dessert.

Banana is as banana does


I can't say enough good things about this luncheon. Wolfgang Puck made a point of stopping at each table to thank everyone for attending and he posed for pictures and signed menus and was generally one of the most gracious, accessible celebrity-type people we've ever met (not that we come across many to begin with!). Once the event was over, he stayed at the restaurant to personalize the cookbooks that all the guests received - that spoke volumes to me about the generosity of his nature because he certainly didn't have to do that and it was a thoughtful gesture on his part that I'm sure every guest truly appreciated.

Mr. Puck, it was an honor to pay you to cook for us!


Anyone here remember how I ragged on the Bradley Ogden event for not providing, among other things, friandise at the meal's conclusion? Well, lookie lookie it's a plate of candy and cookies! Freshly made lemon bars, fudge bars, caramel cashew, some chocolate-nut surprise, and wee sugar cookies!

That's what I'm talking about! That is how a signature event is supposed to end ... with a sweet little plate of love from the kitchen to take home as a reminder of a wonderful event shared with wonderful people. The staff at CUT was just as gracious as the host - they boxed this all up along with a separate container of parmesan cheese straws for Catherine because she'd mentioned how much she liked them and one of our awesome serving staff found some extras for her. It was gestures like these that took the event from the realm of really good into just plain amazing.

It's so beautiful and tasty...


You can't take that until everyone has snapped a picture!


Terry Wong & Catherine


Terry was gracious enough to have his picture taken with Jay and me as well, but yours truly looks like a beached whale in that shot so I've decided to spare you the horror of that particular vision. Instead, let me tell you just how kind and gracious Andrew Knowlton was at this event. Jay and I very much wanted to meet him - he's one of our favorite Iron Chef judges and we have a fond place in our foodie hearts for him and Mark Ruhlman, who snarked at each other through the entire first season of The Next Iron Chef. Every time we spotted him at this lunch he was surrounded by hordes of women who probably wanted to play with his hair. Jay actually flagged him down as we were straggling out of the restauant and he was nice enough to chat with us for a few minutes and posed for a picture. He was really easy to talk to, was interested in our comments about the lunch, and had nothing but high praise for the meal and the wine selections.

Seriously, a really nice guy!


What else is there to say? This event not only met our expectations, but exceeded them in every way possible. At this point in our brief foodie adventures, Jay and I are so enamored of the Puck's culinary skill and generosity that we would book a signature dinner at Mount Trashmore here in Stinktown if he were hosting. We would book this event again in a heartbeat and would tell everyone we know to do the same; in the interim all we can do is visit a couple of his establishments in Orlando this fall, but we are certain that the food will be just as amazing there as it was in Vegas.

Mr. Puck, you make the only grub what satisfies my gut worm - Bendy, May 7, 2010

The Lobby Bar and Cafe; Encore, Las Vegas

Tapestry: It's a Wall Hanging ... It's an Album ... It's an Appetizer???

The Lobby Bar is located, as you may have surmised, right around the corner from the Encore's guest registration area. It's open to the casino and lobby on all four sides and is decorated with plush red and gold sofas, lacquered tables for two, black floors inlaid with colorful mosaic tiles, and a huge golden statue of Daphne sprouting light bulbs and red lamp shades along with the requisite tree branches. Jay and I have since decided that the decor is a whimsical mix of baroque and late nineteenth century frontier bordello.

In the mornings this is the easiest place at the Encore to grab some fresh coffee and a quick breakfast snack; once the clock turns noon they open up the cafe and serve light appetizers, caviar, and a full range of specialty cocktails. To be honest, we would never have stopped here for anything other than coffee if it hadn't been for the strategically placed, oh-so-clever signs that caught my wandering eye one afternoon:

Tapas Tree - Three Appetizer Selections for $21.

A pun?

And an appetizer sampler?

What's not to like?

To tree or not to tree ... that is the question.


For our appetizers we chose Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan Cheese and Capers; Ham and Swiss Cheese Paninis; and Chicken and Amarillo Pepper Empanadas. There were about a dozen different items to choose from with the tapas tree, and there were also salads and sandwiches available for guests who wanted something a bit more substantial. Jay and I assumed that we were paying primarily for the presentation, which was pretty freaking cool - a miniature Daphne-tree was delivered to the table with three small, glass plates of food nestled in the branches. It was one of the most charming and whimsical things we tried during our trip and once we realized that the food was actually quite good we were very pleased with our decision to stop here for a snack.

Tapas Tree


Tapas Tree - again


The carpaccio was very good - several thinly sliced pieces of beef with lots of shaved parmesan cheese; I ended up eating most of this selection, although I did share a bit with the hubba! Our other two choices were also very tasty - yummy little grilled ham and cheese finger sandwiches and plump empanadas bursting with chicken and spicy cheese. It was the perfect mid-afternoon snack for the two of us to share!

Beef Carpaccio & Accessories


Empanada and Panini

To accompany our finger food Jay and I each ordered the Lobby Bar's specialty cocktail: The Earl Grey Martini. The drink was a blend of Earl Grey infused Plymouth Gin, Limoncello, Sweet and Sour, and Agave Nectar and it was, in a word, amazing!! It tasted of lemon-infused herbal tea and was so well mixed and so subtle that there wasn't a hint of alcohol ... until we stood up to leave!

Earl Grey Martini

We enjoyed the atmosphere, food, and drinks at the Lobby Bar so much that we came back late one night with Catherine and tried to order another tree and some drinks only to be told that the kitchen closed at 10PM - that just didn't make good sense to us since the establishment stays open until 4AM and is located right off the casino floor; to be candid this was the biggest, and only, flaw we could really find with the place. Jay and I would definitely spend more time here on our next trip and suggest you do the same if a Vegas visit is looming on your horizon!

Laguna Champagne Bar; The Palazzo, Las Vegas

Tiny Bubbles in the Wine ... Make Us Happy ... Make Us Feel Fine!

Thank goodness former Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens was wrong when he declared, "The internet is not something that you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes!"

We all know the internet is, in fact, a vast sea of dumped information, churning with flotsam and jetsam ... kind of like this blog ... but also full of highly useful tidbits of knowledge that can lead an intrepid foodie vacation planner to amazing taste treats and delicious drinks, especially in Las Vegas. In my quest for new and interesting stuff to try I stumbled across an article late in March about a new full-service champagne and cocktail bar that the Palazzo had opened right on the casino floor. And what really caught my eye was something their staff had created called Champagne Boom Boom Shooters - bubbly shooters served up ready for guests to tap two times "boom boom"; the champagne then foams the drink giving the palate a tingling sensation.

Fizzy lifting drinks ... available 24-7??? Sign me up, baybee!

Jay and I found the Laguna Champagne Bar about thirty minutes before our Wolfgang Puck luncheon was scheduled to begin. Luckily the bar was quite close to the Puck's restaurant so we had enough time to text Catherine to meet us and we settled down to order some shooters and celebrate not being at work. Our server was quick to bring us water (and diet coke which I believe is Catherine's non-alcoholic drink of choice) as well as some snackables that Jay and Catherine were happy to share: wasabi peanuts and fat, glistening olives.

Laguna offers full champagne service and champagne cocktails as well as the shooters that I was so keen to try. The shooters were $8 each and we had four options to choose from:

Imperial: Grey Goose Orange, TY KU Citrus Liqueur, and Moet & Chandon Imperial

La Poire: Hangar One, Pear Coulis, and Moet & Chandon Imperial

Sparkling Cafe: Navan Patron, XO Cafe', and Moet & Chandon "Nectar" Imperial

Orangina: Belvedere Citrus, Grand Marnier, Orange Juice, and Moet & Chandon Imperial

See the sign? You're in the right place!


This bar looks like grandma's living room


Wasabi Peanuts and Writhing Olives


Now, here's where the trouble starts. For one thing, neither Jay nor I can remember exactly which shooter we ordered, although he's pretty sure I ordered the Imperial and he ordered the Sparkling Cafe. We definitely agree that Catherine ordered The Pear, so if we're wrong I fully expect her to correct us here in cyber-space. While the drinks tasted pretty good, no amount of glass pounding on the table would make our shooters "foam up" as the menu claimed. I've found myself wondering since our trip if the bartender used flat champagne or if he just didn't know what he was doing or if this whole idea of champagne shooters was just another Vegas gimmick to get out-of-town pigeons like me to drop money on a whole lotta nothing special.

Jay's shooter ... I recognize his hand!


This must be my non-foaming shooter!


The Pear!!


Our final decision is a no-decision. Laguna was intriguing enough to deserve another chance, but Jay and I think that we would be best served next time by nabbing a chair at the bar and ordering our specialty champagne drinks one-on-one from the creator of liquid joy. We also suspect that this is a place that comes alive later in the day and throughout the evening and would like to plan our next stop there accordingly. If you get to Laguna before Jason and I return to Vegas, please stop here and let us know what you think about your experience!

Bradley Ogden; Vegas Uncorked Masters Series Dinner

Welcome to Ogdenville, Home of the Spoon Push!! Population: Confused.

Let's get right to it. We booked this dinner because it was the least expensive of the four Master's Series Dinners being offered through Vegas Uncorked and the menu promised to be the least likely to set off an intestinal temper tantrum in yours truly. Jay and I didn't know squat about Bradley Ogden aside from the fact that friends of ours said he offered a tasty cheese plate at a reasonable price and his Maytag Blue Cheese Souffle was da' bomb. Well, that was good enough for us to move forward and book an expensive event dinner with a chef we knew nothing about at a restaurant we'd never dined in!

Happiness and Hungriness


Jay and I took the path of least resistance to get from the Encore to Caesar's Palace, where Bradley Ogden is located, and waited in the taxi line like good little do-bees; when we clean up purty the last thing we want is to sweat through the nice and flowery before we even get to where we're going. Unfortunately our driver was really annoyed with the heavy traffic, which made me wonder why he was driving a cab on the Vegas strip in the first place. Although we had asked him to drop us at the casino entrance he forgot and dropped us at the Forum Shops. And to be quite honest, Jay and I were too fuzzy brained from the long travel day to realize what had happened until we were standing outside the hotel in the absolutely wrong place.

Perhaps in some Vegas hotels this wouldn't have been such a pickle, but Caesar's is a huge resort - 85 acres to be exact - and it can be a very confusing place to navigate even when you aren't starving for your dinner and haven't been awake for 18 hours straight. There are restaurants and shops hidden all over the Caesar's Palace complex and we have thrown up our hands in frustrated exasperation in the past trying to locate some of them. Thankfully we were familiar enough with Caesar's to know that the restaurant was in the casino near Mesa Grill so we trudged past valet and through the parking lot, getting sweaty and windblown while dodging taxis and limos dropping their fortunate passengers at the casino entrance. So much for looking and smelling presentable!

Couldn't come up with a better name?


The Vegas Uncorked crew had a table outside the restaurant where they were collecting tickets and crossing attendees names off the master list; once we checked in we were instructed to head to the back of the restaurant. It looked like we might have missed a cocktail party but it was really hard to tell. There were people milling about with drinks in hand and there were long tables set up that looked as though they may have supported some snackables, but that was our only evidence. We were able to snag a specialty drink about five minutes before everyone was seated - it was called the Repo Man and tasted like a cross between a margarita and sangria. It was a very good, refreshing drink that packed quite a wallop!

Before I dive into the dinner, which overall was pretty good, I do want to mention that one of our biggest issues with Vegas Uncorked as an event was the lack of communication with guests. If you visit their website, information for all of their signature dinners and lunches indicate a specific start time with no mention of cocktails or receptions. Yet something was obviously taking place at Ogden that we knew nothing about and the following day we stumbled into a reception at Wolfgang Puck's that we once again knew nothing about. Uncorked had phone numbers as well as physical and email addresses for all attendees - if the cocktail parties for these events were added at the last minute they still had means to contact everyone but all I know is that we never received any communication from them at all. For the amount that they charged for these experiences there was no excuse to have guests in the dark about the event extras that were included with the price of admission.

I will take it one step further and make the comment that aside from Andrew Knowlton, who co-hosted the lunch at Wolfgang Puck's the following day, the Vegas Uncorked VIPs at the other events we attended did not appear to be very friendly. They didn't mingle with the hungry masses and didn't seem very interested in event feedback - aside from introducing the chef for each event, the "hosts" were non-existent which struck us as very ungracious.

This event had assigned seating and Jay and I found ourselves sharing a table in the middle of the dining room with two other couples - one from Arkansas and the other from San Diego. They were all very nice and sharing dinner with them made for an enjoyable evening - we spent a lot of time talking about different Vegas restaurants we'd all dined at and the San Diego couple gave us some great insight about past Uncorked events they'd attended. The evening was even more fun when we discovered we all have a food porn habit!!

Chef Ogden made an appearance before the dinner to talk with everyone about his approach to cooking and the menu he'd prepared and then it was time to eat ... finally!

Bradley Ogden preaches to the foodie faithful


The Repo Man!


Dinner started with the Amuse Bouche: Osetra Caviar, Potato Cake, and Citrus Creme Fraiche served with Iron Horse Bradley Ogden, Cuvee, Sonoma 2004. This was really a lovely beginning to the meal - a fluffy, crispy little potato pillow sprinkled with caviar resting on a dollop of refreshingly tart creme fraiche. We thought it was a fun interpretation of a more traditional caviar presentation which usually includes blini (potato pancakes), hard boiled eggs, chive, and plain creme fraiche. Everyone at our table seemed to enjoy the amuse; the only thing I heard was that people wished there was a second serving because it was so tasty!

Oh, happy mouth!


First Course: Charred Yellow Tail with Scallion Puree, Caramelized Hearts of Palm, and Rice Cracker served with Illumination, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley 2008. From a chef who promotes simple foods prepared simply this presentation threw me because it was really busy. The tuna was wonderful and fresh, although not a bit charred from where I sat. The rest of the stuff on my plate was pushed to the side - I really felt that there were too many flavors warring for attention rather than serving to compliment the fish as they should.

Tuna minus char?


Second Course: Butter Lettuce Salad with Walnut Crusted Goat Cheese, Shaved Fennel, and Herb Vinaigrette served with Flowers, Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast 2007. Welcome to what we like to call the throw-away offering! We don't bear any ill will towards salad in general, but it did seem like something that didn't require much effort on the part of the kitchen staff. The goat cheese that was included with the salad was fabulous, though, and the staff were very kind to me: at the start of the meal they'd inquired about allergies and food restrictions and when I mentioned my issue with nuts they brought me a little plate of nut-free goat balls (hee hee hee) along with my salad.

You don't win friends with salad!


Here is where the evening became a little discombobulated and it's all due to the wine pairings and the lack of variety we were provided. Beginning with the salad and continuing through the next two courses we were served chardonnay as our wine pairing. I don't care how good it is supposed to be, and we all agreed that these three wines were not to our tastes and didn't seem to pair well with the food, three chardonnays in a row is boring. And it was downright lazy on the part of the sommelier who must have forgotten that there is a wonderful world of white wine out there that would have worked really well with the food we were served.

Third Course: Roasted Zucchini Soup, Zucchini Pearl Salad, Zucchini Bread, and Sundried Tomato served with Flowers, Chardonnay, Andreen Gale 2006. Now this is what we wanted - simple and subtle and downright scrumptious! There were chunks of zucchini hiding at the bottom of the bowl and the soup itself had a creamy, almost rustic flavor that was really enhanced by the slice of fresh zucchini bread topped with sundried tomatoes.

Zoup!


Bread and 'maters


Fourth Course: Seared Atlantic Diver Scallops with Basil Puree, Pepper Relish, and Lemon Foam served with Flowers, Chardonnay, Camp Meeting Ridge 2006. The scallop was melt-in-yer-mouth wonderful with a lovely light sear; it was so tender I didn't even need a knife to cut it. Once again, however, I felt that there were too many sauces and flavors vying for my attention. I'm also not personally a fan of flavored foam that looks like someone hawked a mouthful of lung butter onto my plate - it does not do wonders for my appetite.

Scallop with the dreaded spoon push


Fifth Course: South Dakota Bison Tenderloin with Fava Bean Agnolotti, Spring Onions, and Ramp Vinaigrette served with Quintessa, Meritage, Napa Valley 2006. We were all surprised by the size of this serving, which was quite generous, and while we liked it everyone agreed that it needed some fat to lend it some flavor. Buffalo is so lean that it needs something to really make it sing ... I don't know exactly what that something is, but I definitely notice when it's missing! And while meritage might have been a great wine to pair with buffalo, making the jump from three chardonnays to a meritage was downright unpleasant. What happened to progression?

Bison or Buffalo?


Sixth Course: Hot and Cold Strawberry Shortcake with Mascarpone Cheese, Vanilla Ice Cream, and Field Rhubarb Sauce served with Flowers, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2007. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but when this dessert was placed before me I knew real disappointment. We each received a piece of strawberry waffle covered with gloopy strawberry halves and some vanilla bean ice cream on a strawberry meringue ... along with a double spoon push!

We were all wondering where the cheese portion of the dessert was, so I actually asked our server where the mascarpone cheese had disappeared to; she was nice enough to check with the kitchen staff and they supposedly baked the cheese into the waffle. What a tragic waste of mascarpone cheese. And as a side note: following a heavy wine like a meritage with a lighter, fruity wine like pinot noir, especially with dessert ... BLECH! It was a horrible pairing and the person who suggested it should be drummed out of their wine club for life and pummeled with stinky old corks.

I'm confused...


Once the tables were cleared, Jay and I waited about 15-20 minutes for Chef Ogden to make a final appearance and thank everyone for attending - we fully expected him to circle the dining room to greet guests and take pictures or autograph menus but he never re-emerged from the kitchen. And although we didn't need more food, we were also waiting for a plate of friandise to be presented to each table as an extra "thank you" for attending. We've been on the receiving end of small plates of yummies at other Vegas restaurants, as well as at restaurants in other cities, just for having a "normal" dinner so it didn't seem unreasonable to think something might be forthcoming at a more formal event.

But there was nothing: zilch; nada; bupkis.

No official "thanks for joining us this evening;" no wee, sweet plate o'love from the kitchen; no pictures or autographed menus; no turkey sandwiches; no turkey salad; no turkey gravy; turkey hash; turkey ala king; or gallons of turkey soup!!! It made for a very jarring and uncomfortable end to the meal and did not leave us with a favorable impression, especially when we would receive all of these courtesies and more the following day at a slightly less expensive luncheon event ... without turkey.

I've no doubt given the impression that we didn't enjoy the evening but nothing could be further from that. Jay and I had a very good time and the food was tasty, although it did seem like the kitchen was trying too hard to impress with certain courses; the service was also very good and our team in particular was quite attentive. But there is no denying that certain aspects of the evening were, for lack of a better word, off. The wine pairings in particular were not enjoyable and there just wasn't an excuse for the lack of formal conclusion / thanks at the meal's end. Jay and I ranked the Bradley Ogden dinner solidly in the middle of the three Uncorked events that we attended during the weekend - not great and not awful; it was decent, but not impressive enough for us to consider booking a second Master's Dinner at this restaurant.