lgott

Here's another vote for Sage, and for CUT. I also like B&B a lot, but I'd recommend taking a look at the menu first; given the number of unusual dishes, a picky eater might not be happy.

The Riserva steaks aren't on the menu. I called ahead, and was told they would note my request, but that there were no guarantees. Luck was with me, and a steak was available. Have fun!

Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I posted the above, I got information on a related item? I had emailed Charlie Trotter's, asking about the quality of the Omi beef at Bar Charlie in Las Vegas. Due to problems with the email address provided on their web site, the message had to go through the Chicago location. The response was also from the Chicago location: A5-12! I thought marbling scores above 10 were virtually nonexistent outside of Japan. It's hard to tell if this email refers to Las Vegas or Chicago, but it's worth checking out if you're in town.

I'm traveling to Las Vegas in a couple of months, and am beginning to obsess about ridiculously unimportant things. Having said that... My current favorite steak house is CUT. I tried their Japanese Wagyu and thought it was excellent. At the time, their supplier was from Kagoshima Prefecture. I saw on another board that CUT now gets its beef from Saga Prefecture. I know, I know: ridiculously unimportant. Nonetheless, has anyone tried both?

I emailed rm seafood about this very issue about a week ago, and received the following response: "Please eliminate all references to upstairs. We are treating Rick Moonen's rm seafood as a singular entity and avoiding the confusion of up vs down...The upstairs is not reopened yet. We currently doing our due diligence to determine whether or not we'll be able to open after Labor Day weekend Saturday September 5th...We will announce the date before the end of June."

Do places like Wynn/Encore really grow many of their flowers? I notice lots of orchids at Wynn, and cut orchids are usually cheaper to import than to grow in the United States. A couple of years ago it was from Thailand, but I haven't kept up on the current cheapest places.

Russell, thanks for the plug! I'm in love with Bar Charlie, probably beyond what is reasonable. If there were such a thing as objective food ratings, I'd have to say it isn't as good as Joel Robuchon, Guy Savoy or Alex. However, it's very good indeed, and I enjoy the food bar atmosphere so much that it's the only one of the the uber-expensive places to which I return. If you go for the 14 course meal, talk to Chef Hiroo about your likes and dislikes. He's more than happy to accomodate (at least, he was for me).When I judge a restaurant, one of the ways it can impress me is by offering foods that I don't think I like, but which are prepared so expertly that I begin to think that perhaps I've simply eaten at the wrong places. Bar Charlie is like that. How could egg drop soup be anything special? Well, prepared with sea urchin and lobster, and with incredible broth, it was. So was the ice cream flavored with ocean trout and miso.

I can chime in with a couple of answers/opinions: Chef Hiroo Nagahara is at the helm of Bar Charlie. I like him a lot. When things aren't too crazy, he'll take the time to describe things in detail, e.g., I once received a ten minute tutorial on Japanese knives, and the particular knives he uses. I've only been there once, but liked it quite a bit. It's a very small, simple place, but the food is both interesting and tasty. Its address is 5030 Spring Mountain Road. That's about two and a quarter miles from the nearest point on The Strip. I never thought about walking to it, but my very fuzzy memory suggests that Spring Mountain Road isn't exactly a pedestrian's paradise. You can probably use Google maps to take a peek at the route.

Are you referring to Valley Cheese & Wine (1770 W Horizon Ridge Parkway)? It used to be near Settebello, but Settebello moved some time back.

Interesting list! I bought my ticket a few days ago. There was a little confusion about the start time. There were different times on different sites, and even different times on the same page at the Flamingo site. However, I emailed both the Flamingo and the Nevada Restaurant Association, and they both say that the doors open at 7 pm (6 pm for VIP tickets).

Thanks! I'm going to give it a try.

I've already signed up for Vegas Uncork'd (see separate thread). However, there's an outside chance I'll also be in town for the Nevada Restaurant Association's Epicurean Affair (http://www.nvrestaurants.com/associations/...ureanAffair.cfm) on April 23. It sounds a lot like Uncork'd's Grand Tasting Lite. Has anyone been to this before? Is it worth $100?

So far, I've purchased tickets for: Theater in the Kitchen (L'Atelier). The Grand Tasting. The recently added Chocolates, Bubbles and Ice. I'm agonizing over the Gala Dinner, but at $275 that's almost a dinner at Bar Charlie, which has become my must-go-to restaurant each trip to Las Vegas. The Interactive Luncheon also sounds good, but you mean I'd actually have to do something, other than just feed my face??? I don't know...

1. Bouchon for breakfast. It's not cheap, but it's so good it's still a good value. 2. To me, Bradley Ogden isn't worth it - unless they still offer the $29 three course meal at the bar. For that amount, I got the best hamburger around, a very good Caesar salad, and a reasonable dessert. 3. Daniel Boulud's $48 prix fixe dinner. There are restrictions on choices and on when it's available. 4. A pastry from Payard Patisserie or John-Philippe Patisserie - expensive for a pastry, but cheap for a meal.

I've spent the last couple of days looking over the event schedule for this year's festival (http://www.sobefest.com/2009/index1.php). I've gone a couple of times in the past, but only to the Grand Tasting. Sticker shock is beginning to set in - $200 for a Burger Bash? Does anyone have any comments on some of the main events other than the Grand Tasting, e.g., Burger Bash, BubbleQ, Best of the Best?

jsmeeker, I saw a similar report about Burgers and Half-Bottles on John Curtas' web site.

On September 27 there's some sort of event which combines wine tasting with music. Dubbed the Wine Amplified Festival, it's to be held at Mandalay Bay's beach. I gather this is one of a series of events that have been held. Does anyone know about it? Worth going to? For details see this page.

Top fine dining: 1. Joel Robuchon 2. Guy Savoy 3. Alex 4. Bar Charlie (part of Restaurant Charlie) 5. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon 6. Picasso 7. Bartolotta 8. Okada 9. Michael Mina 10. Daniel Boulud

donk79, that's great! Hmmm...a Jurassic dog (at about 1:20 in the video)? And for those with limited attention spans like me, it's worth seeing it at least past the mid way point, just for the music alone.

Oh, no! I now have a few more places I want/need to go. Singapore's a bit too far to go just for the festival, but it helps give me an excuse to take a vacation in that direction.

I've probably just missed this topic elsewhere, but couldn't seem to find anything on point. I'm talking about food festivals/conventions/whatever that offer a chance to try really good food, and hopefully offer a good time as well. Searches have turned up a number of events specific to a certain food. There's a chocolate festival, a garlic festival, an asparagus festival and, yes, a peanut butter festival. However, I'm looking for something a little more general than that - something which at least attempts to offer some of the best food around, and would be worth a trip even if you're not in the area. For example, Bon Appetit's Vegas Uncork'd event offered several days of special meals cooked by some of the best chefs around, plus one evening devoted to a grand tasting of food and wine by some of these same top chefs, as well as others. Miami Beach's Wine & Food Festival doesn't quite reach that level, but still is pretty good, and quite a spectacle. I've googled for others, but it's hard to get a feel for the level of quality. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I'd rank them in the order you listed. However, Alex will break the bank if you go for the tasting menu at $195/person ($325/person with wine pairings). Alex's regular prix fixe menu is $145/person, so you can squeak by if you're careful with drinks/wine. I like Bartolotta a lot - especially if one orders whole fish. However, I always feel compelled to offer a caveat: the whole fish is prepared very simply. I think it's excellent, but some people have been underwhelmed. If you're willing to roll the dice, another possibility is DJT, at Trump International. It's very new, but has gotten some rave reviews.

Thanks for the info, folks! DJT is now on my list for next trip. Dinner of course, but I see that it also serves breakfast.

OK, I was browsing John Curtas Eating Las Vegas site and came across a few paragraphs about DJT at Trump. Curtas called it: At the time I'm writing this, his link to a larger article doesn't work, and Trump's web page is not responding. Does anyone know anything about this restaurant?

The Fremont Street Experience event calendar lists "Chefs of Las Vegas / Taste of Downtown" on May 6 from 8pm - 10pm. Does anyone know anything about this? I've sent an email, but haven't heard back. The date is suspiciously close to Vegas Uncork'd, but I have no idea if that means anything.