David Ross

I better post last night’s dinner before I post tonight's dinner! Two weeks ago, I was looking through the "What do you recommend at Costco?" topic and I was curious to see if my local store was selling prime grade steaks. Sure enough, they were selling prime grade ribeyes and New York strip steaks. The New York strips were priced at $8.99 a pound. (While I later found the steaks to be good, they certainly weren't as flavorful as other prime grade meat I've eaten so I'm a bit suspect as to the real quality of this prime grade meat, but that's another discussion). I cooked one of the steaks a week ago, (yet never got to posting a photo), and put the other two in the freezer. For dinner last night I served one of the steaks with a parsley sauce that I had made a couple of weeks ago to serve with some fried frogs legs. The sauce is a sort of marriage between a French green sauce and an Argentinian chimmichurri sauce. I use parsley, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic, preserved lemon and olive oil. The sauce is keeping just fine in the refrigerator nearly three weeks after I made it. I always have some Russet Potatoes in a basket on a shelf next to the back door-the cool draft around the window keeps potatoes and onions incredibly fresh for weeks in the winter. Don’t ask me why, I’m not a scientist, but the potatoes stay fine for up to a month back there. I did a stuffed baked potato. (I should have used some of the fancy cheese I have on hand, but I settled for the shredded Kraft stuff in the bag). Ingredients for stuffing the potatoes-bacon bits, butter, cheese and Mexican style sour cream- Mashing the potatoes with a ricer before stirring in the other ingredients- Ready for baking- Prime New York Strip, thawed, then marinated in olive oil and black pepper. (I don’t salt the steak until seconds before it goes into the cast iron pan)- Deliciously tangy “Green Sauce”- Last night’s main dish, all from ingredients already on hand- I try to stay away from sweets during my work week, only indulging on Friday and Saturday nights. But without the ability to take a quick trip to the market for very fresh eggs, cream and fruit, I really, really was challenged last night to come up with something. I think I did pretty well. I had planned on saving the litchee for a compote I do with plums, but no plums last night! I thought someday I would use the cherries in a quick, open-face tart, but I needed them in this dessert-white ice cream and white litchee wouldn’t be very attractive on the plate. Ingredients for dessert last night-Canned litchee from the Asian market, canned cherries, Tillamook Dairy, (Oregon), ice cream and some sliced almonds left over from the holidays- A shot of orange liquer into the pot for some added flavor. (I’ve had this bottle in the liquor cabinet for years, only bringing it out on the rare occasion I make a Mai Tai)- I poached the litchee and cherries in a simple syrup that included a shot of the orange booze and a piece of vanilla bean- I needed something to add texture to the dessert like a crispy cookie. I had some dried fruit and nut biscotti in the freezer that were leftover from a cheese plate I did for a holiday dinner. The biscotti held up very well in the freezer and didn't show a sign of being limp or stale. The finished dessert-“Poached litchee fruit with cherries, vanilla ice cream, toasted almonds and a dried fruit and nut biscotti”- I’ll post one more breakfast and one more lunch, then I go into my workweek. This week I’m working Sunday-Wednesday. I’ll only post dinners for those nights-breakfast and lunch will basically be a piece of fruit, (if my fruit supply survives a few more days), some sort of bread and leftovers from dinners.

Wow. I'm finding all sorts of things in the freezers and now my mind is really wandering with ideas. This is freezer #1, the one on top of the refrigerator unit. In the back corner are some standby's for an emergency-Marie Callendar Chicken Pot Pies. They are actually pretty good, especially the buttery tasting crust. Another standby-Tillamook French Vanilla ice cream. Under the ice trays, some leftover beef short ribs that were braised in beer and coated with a red chile sauce. On the bottom shelf, the ubiquitous bags of frozen petite peas and green beans. There's a small container of sticky toffee pudding batter leftover from the holidays and about five bags of almonds leftover from my holiday batch of almond butter crunch candy. In the side door of the freezer-a tub of veal demi glace, to the left a carton of chicken livers and to the right an unopened package of potsticker wrappers. I wish I could only but three or four chicken livers at a time-I use them in a meat filling for savory canneloni. Alas, I'm stuck with buying a carton of the little livers and no place for them to go. Or is there? Hmm, "Chicken Liver Terrine" studded with almonds and served with a veal demi-glace? On the bottom shelf of the side door-sweet red bean paste that I use in a sauce for pork stir-fry served in lettuce cups, and on the right, a packet of flying fish roe. It's more red colored tiny fish eggs than anything very flavorful, but it made a nice garnish for a seafood appetizer during the holidays. Now I've just got to find some more seafood that can use a garnish of this roe. Freezer #2 is an old-fashioned chest freezer. And as you can see, everything gets lost in this darn thing. But what you do see in the basket on the left is some orange roughy filets, an elk loin a friend gave me and 3 packages of corn tortillas. I have no idea why I think I need three packages of frozen corn tortillas. On the right is a game hen, some ground veal and in the big plastic tub-egg nog ice cream I made during the holidays. That tub is taking up too much space, and I imagine the ice cream is way past its tasteful prime. My homemade ice cream is meant to be eaten within a couple of days of when it's made-not three months later.

My saga, (which started with dinner on Thursday), continues. Lunch yesterday was a French Dip Sandwich-a great sandwich for using leftover bread and roast beef. The ingredients included a good size chunk of leftover Prime Rib that had been sleeping in the freezer since the holidays, mini-baguette that had been in the freezer, onion, garlic, Campbell's Beef Stock, salt, pepper and dried thyme- I always keep Campbell's Beef Stock in the cupboard. I actually prefer it to restaurant-grade stocks I've bought online that cost quite a bit more than the retro Campbell's stuff. The mini-baguette was part of a package of 8 that I bought at Costco a couple of months ago. The bread comes from Nancy Silverton's La Brea bakery in Los Angeles and it's shipped freshly baked to our local Costco- I thawed the Prime Rib just enough so I could slice it, yet still frozen enough so I could cut very thin slices- I combine all the ingredients for the jus in a saucepan and add the beef along with crushed garlic and sliced onion. I'll let it stew for about an hour for the flavors to combine and the just to take on the flavor of the beef and beef fat. I toasted the bread in a little butter and dressed the sandwich with two more staples I always have in the refrigerator-mayonnaise and horseradish. I seasoned the beef stock with pepper, dried thyme and dried parsley, and served a nice dill pickle on the side. (I always have dill pickles on hand. Always). The finished sandwich-

I don't know what you have planned for your week ahead, but if it fits for a dish you are considering, you might want to pickle the red onions. Pickling is a great way to stretch out a red onion because it can then be used in so many ways-in salads, as a garnish for tacos or enchiladas, and a condiment for grilled chicken or pork. The basic pickling brine recipe is a mixture of water, vinegar, pickling spices, salt, sugar and garlic. You slice the red onions very thin, add them to a hot brine, then chill in the refrigerator. They will turn into a beautiful pink color and last for weeks.

Man are you right about that. Look what I just found by going into the deeper strata of the freezer: Those aren't even old. Dave (the Cook) sent them to me in December. But the convection patterns in my freezer were such that they got behind the brisket and the chicken and disappeared. Perhaps we can all start thinking about what the heck I'm going to do with two frozen, smoked trout next week. ← Steven-I think I just might be able to help! I found some smoked fish in the deep recesses of my chest freezer last night and came up with an idea for this morning's breakfast. (I have an old-style chest freezer-the kind of freezer where everything gets lost). I found a package of frozen fish in the depths of the freezer that I had bought at the local Asian market, (next to the flying fish roe-aha-another discovery!)- I let the fish thaw in the package and then transferred it to a ziploc bag with some olive oil to add moisture, then refrigerated the fish overnight- The ingredients for breakfast-smoked fish, eggs, dried dill and Mexican crema, (in the background). I had the jar of crema, (sour cream), leftover as a garnish for some enchiladas I made a couple of weeks ago. The plastic package in front holds some Swedish rye crackers I had bought during the holidays to serve with smoked salmon. I had put them in a bag and stowed it in the cupboard and forgot about it until last night. Amazingly the crackers weren't stale. I flaked the fish into beaten eggs, then stirred in a bit of the sour cream and seasoned the mixture with salt, pepper and dried dill. I have some green onions, (not yet at the slimy stage), that I used as a garnish- Breakfast this morning-

Well, I took the plunge last night and I'm already finding that this is going to be a somewhat challenging week. But if things go the way they have so far, after one dinner, one breakfast and one lunch, I think the "challenge" will be quite satisfying for me. I say "challenging" because I'm finding my culinary creativity challenged on the spot. I'm not planning anything ahead of time. I'm going to open the cupboards and create dinner based on what I see on the shelf. I'm not going to do my typically lavish weekend feasts for one. (I almost felt like I was living my own home verson of a "Top Chef" quickfire challenge last night.) I always have a lot of wonderful ingredients in the freezer, cabinets and refrigerator because I tend to pick off the shelves when I shop-more out of impulse rather than a need for a particular ingredient. As such, I end up with skads of great products that I all but forget are sitting on the shelf waiting for me to put them to good use. An example of just a few of the wonderful proteins in the freezer right now: -Sweetbreads -Ground Veal -Elk Tenderloin steaks -Duck Bones -Cornish Game Hen -Meatloaf mixture ready for the oven (Sadly, I didn't use one of the above all last week). I've quickly learned that I can do it without having to stop by the market every day after work. I don't need to buy those black peppercorns to make a "Steak Au Poivre" tonight. I have a steak, a very good Prime Rib steak from Costco in fact, and I have a chimichurri sauce in the fridge that I served with salmon last week. So I won't spend the time and money to drive 10 miles for black peppercorns. I'll make do with what I have and save the "Au Poivre" preparation for another time. As my work week goes along, I lull myself into a mode of laziness and instead of cooking with all those wonderful products I have on hand, I take the easy route-like stopping at the market for that 8 piece fried chicken meal instead of using up some of the more delicious and nutritious things I already have on hand. While my typical shopping day is Friday, that pattern has been upset the past three weeks due to pesky staff meetings at the "home" office in Portland on my regular days off. My shopping trips have been reduced to quick stops for a few items on my way home from work. Given my penchant for food shopping, you could say that I am always stocked. So what better time to start my challenge than on a Thursday night. Last night dinner was composed of a carrot salad, rotisserie chicken, pasta and a dish of vanilla ice cream with cherries and litchee. I present you with the results, (not the best in my repertoire of cookery), but satisfying nonetheless. And I didn't take that side trip for $10 bucks worth of fried chicken, biscuits and coleslaw. I had a bag of raw shredded carrots that I had used in an Asian noodle dish last week. The carrots were still incredibly fresh. The dressing was made up of preserved lemon oil, (in the jar at the right), salt, pepper, sugar, caraway seeds and apple cider vinegar- Frozen rotisserie chicken, butter, white wine and dried tarragon. I roast my chickens on the quirky "Showtime Rotisserie Grill" by Ron Popeil. I don't know about his other snake-oil products, but I can tell you that Mr. Popeil's rotisserie invention makes delicious chickens. I had the chicken leftover from a previous dinner, and I put it in the pot with a slug of the wine, a chardonnary, and the butter and tarragon to make a pan sauce for some pasta- Dried pasta I had bought at Whole Foods last fall- Turning the pasta into the sauce in the pot- The bird comes back to life- Doesn't everyone have frozen peas in the freezer?- The finished dish-

What a great challenge. It comes at a good time for me considering the disaster I wrought on my stomach last night. I didn't use my resources appropriately and I suffered for it. Last night's delicious meal was composed of canned peaches, freezer-burned tamales, (previously canned tamales at that), dill pickle spears and Hershey's kisses left-over from Valentines Day. That certainly is not the type of meal that Steven is proposing we prepare for next Wednesday nights dinner. (And it is not the type of menu that a self-proclaimed 'food sophisticate' would ever share with anyone but my friends here). But don't feel sad for poor destitute Mr. Ross. I have plenty of nice things stowed away that I could have pulled out of the freezer had I not felt pity for my tired old self. Feeling sad for yourself means you end up eating the above disgusting concoction. I didn't have to go out and spend money at the take-out, I had wonderful ingredients on hand, I just didn't use them. The following is a real-life example of what I could have prepared last night had I just done some thawing and pre-planning. (And just maybe the type of dish that we'll see come out of our cupboards and freezers in the coming days). I have some sweetbreads from D'artagnan in the freezer and a nice pot of homemade preserved lemons sitting on the counter. I've got a head of fresh Napa cabbage in the produce drawer, along with a knob of ginger and some green onions. What I could have done with just those few ingredients could have turned into "Crispy Sweetbreads" with a "Napa Cabbage Slaw with Preserved Lemon Dressing." It would have been fairly quick to saute the sweetbreads and slice the cabbage and it wouldn't have cost an extra penney. (Sans having sweetbreads on hand, I could have done the same dish using the chicken breasts I have in the freezer). So I'm onto the challenge and look forward to seeing the whimsical and delicious creations that we'll come up with.

Tonight I did a Roasted Salmon with my version of a Parsley Sauce, served with a Salt Cod Mashed Potato. I seared the salmon in my trusted cast iron skillet with a drizzle of preserved lemon olive oil. I sear the fish for about 3 minutes per side, then put it in a 400 oven and roast it for another 3 minutes per side. Total cooking time was about 12 minutes. I don't serve my salmon medium-rare in the middle, more on the medium side but still tender and juicy throughout. My parsley sauce is kind of a combination of a French parsley sauce and an Argentinian chimmichurri sauce. I use flat leaf parsley, cilantro, garlic, chili flakes, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, olive oil and some finely diced preserved lemon. My only foible tonight was the mashed potato with salt cod. The potato and cod was wonderful, but I messed up on the bread crumb topping. I had some nice, fresh bread on the counter waiting to be made into fresh bread crumbs tossed in butter. At the last minute I decided to go the easy route and I used dried bread crumbs out of a can. Awful. And why I ever bought those nasty bits I don't know. Luscious potatoes and cod-gritty breadcrumbs.

I think your list looks pretty good. One exception might be Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. I find the steaks thin and tough. The fake French accents that come out of the waiters borders on the ridiculous. The fresh oysters are good, but if you start with great oysters and simply open the shells it's hard to screw them up. I think the main attraction of Mon Ami Gabi is the outdoor seating right on the Strip. I'd keep searching a little for another restaurant with a similar menu and comparable prices to Mon Ami Gabi. You may want to take a look at the menus over at Morel's French Steakhouse at The Palazzo. They also have outdoor seating, but the food would be far better than what you might find at Mon Ami Gabi.

Celery Salt is actually a wonderful spice to rub on a beef roast. My Mother used to always keep a bottle of Spice Islands "Beau Monde" seasoning on the rack above the stove to sprinkle on beef. The Spice Islands blend includes celery salt and onion powder. I prefer the blend of spices to straight celery salt, which I find can be a bit overpowering. Apparently there are some imitations of "Beau Monde" out there that don't include the celery salt.

I agree, posting the photos on the website is a great idea. And I really like the menu postings-especially the archives where I can go back and see what was served during a specific time of year. Two minor quibbles, which are very minute in detail-I wish the photos on the website were in a logical order. In other words, instead of showing a dessert at the top of the series of photos, show me each dish in the order it was served, ending with the desserts. Secondly, I'd like to be able to enlarge each photo so I can see the dish more closely. Again, very minor details but ones that I think a detailed Chef like Colicchio would appreciate hearing.

Thanks for reading all of our posts on dining in Las Vegas. They will give you lots of information. You are actually going to Las Vegas at a time where restaurant prices are down about 20% from this time last year. A number of the fine dining rooms are offering multi-course or tasting menus right now for under $100 per person. So if you have $64 and can pad that a bit you will be able to have some choices. Just keep doing your research and look at online menus and prices. There is a free shuttle van that runs regularly from the Rio to other Harrah's properties right on the Strip. That would drop you within a short walk of some great restaurants. If you choose to take a cab, it will cost you about $15 including tip to get from the Rio to the middle of the Strip.

I couldn't have said it better. Jeff's a good example of your point. His urge to be creative and trendy, to do way too much within the confines of the challenge-the limitations of time, the ingredients and the specified theme-proved to be his undoing. In fact, that was a recurring theme on Jeff's part throughout his time on Top Chef-he continually attempted to do dishes that "sounded" good, but with little consideration for the challenge. No-he didn't have the luxury of having the time to craft an idea into a dish-like he would do at his restaurant. No-he didn't have the luxury of taking time, maybe days, to test the dish, taste it, modify it, change the garnishes or the presentation-like he would do at his restaurant. But he knew that going into the challenge. He knew it throughout the competition. Yet he couldn't help himself could he? Push, push, push. He mucked up his plates with overwrought ideas and too many ingredients. He tried to be trendy and chi-chi and in his efforts to do so, he just simply fell short. Here's a comparison that Jeff should think about. "Rockfish Ceviche with Sangria Ice." Sounds good doesn't it? Picture that menu description printed in italic script on sienna-colored parchment paper. Trendy and alluring. It must be delicious. And it set an expectation that Jeff better deliver on his promised dish. Now on the other hand, Carla served the judges a very simple "Crayfish and Andouille Gumbo." A humble, simple dish. The sort of dish that would be written in chalk on a blackboard. Not fussy, not trendy. Not overworked. Maybe the expectation was lower than Jeff's dish, but according to the judges, Carla's gumbo had flavor and worked quite well within the context of the Elimination Challenge. Jeff reminds me of a guy I cooked against once in a cooking competition on PBS, "MasterChef USA." I can't remember the guy's name so we'll call him "Jeff." When it came to the main dish for our competition, I did a Pork Tenderloin (rubbed with a spice blend heavy on Szechuan peppercorns), with a Litchee-Plum Conserve, Baby Bok Choy and a Green Onion Noodle Cake. Simple but unique dishes bursting with flavor. Dishes I knew I could complete within the time limits. My fellow competitor, "Jeff," did a Risotto with "Deveined Grapefruits." Trendy sounding isn't it? Imagine the allure if he'd called it "Risotto with Supremes of Grapefruit." Well the poor little fellow spent nearly all his time trying to separate the segments out of a disagreeable grapefruit. He ran out of time. He ended up chucking pieces of grapefruit, some with peel and seeds, into a cold, gummy risotto. Imagine the looks on the faces of the judges when they tasted what they thought would be the traditional flavor and texture of risotto-only to find it gunked-up with acrid grapefruit. "Jeff" didn't win.

Last night was very simple-my recipe for Salt and Pepper Fried Prawns and Stir-Fried Noodles with Cabbage. I always keep some dried Chinese noodles in the cupboard. I never buy a specific noodle for a specific dish, I just go to the Asian market and pick-up 3 or 4 different kinds of noodles to keep on hand. Then whatever peaks my interest on the day of cooking is what I use. I boiled these noodles in salted water for about 4 minutes, drained, tossed in sesame oil and chile oil then chilled in the refrigerator all day. I stir fry the noodles with more sesame oil, garlic, ginger and shredded Napa cabbage, then add a good slug of soy sauce and a bit of sliced green onion just before serving. I like to use head-on raw prawns for both flavor and presentation. (The best juices come from sucking on the heads when you pull them off the body of the prawn). I remove the shell off the body of the prawn, leaving the head and tail on. Usually I just marinate the prawns in a mixture of egg white, cornstarch, salt and ground Szechuan peppercorns. This time I ventured out a bit and added soy sauce and sherry to the marinade. I wouldn't add sherry again-it made the meat of the prawns too sweet for my tastes. Just before deep-frying, I dredge the prawns in a mixture of flour, cornstarch, salt and ground Szechuan peppercorns. They only need about 2 minutes in the deep-fry. I garnished the prawns with some simple shredded green onion. I prefer to serve them plain without any dipping sauce, but sometimes I'll serve a little mix of salt and ground Szechuan peppercorns in a dish on the side. Enjoy.

You are definately not alone-as witnessed by all of us who have responded. We all share a commonality in terms of the stresses of our daily lives. -but more importantly, we share your passion for food and cooking. Most people who hear about my work schedule say I'm crazy. I'd have to agree with them. I get up at 4am every day, drive to the airport, take a one hour flight to my office, in another airport, work, fly home, drive home. I usually get back at my house about 630p. Five days a week. My commute just happens to be on an airplane-that's enough stress without adding my 204 employees to the mix. But we also share something that many other people don't-a love of food and cooking. I agree with Chris-cooking and working with food is a stress reliever. I can't tell you how comforting it is to pull into the driveway after a 14 hour day and look forward to the simplest of home-cooked meals, maybe some grilled steak or chicken and a simple green salad. And while that type of dinner may only take a few minutes to cook and plate, yes, it is worth it because it brings me back home and back to something I enjoy after what is often a trying day at work. As others have said, planning is critical. I try to plan my workday menus on Saturday. I may do a braised meat dish on Saturday that I can stretch into a couple of meals-say starting with a braised beef over polenta, then maybe the next day mixing some of the beef with barbecue sauce for a sandwich. I'm at the point where the only cooking I do during my work week where I don't want to do any type of dish that takes more work than putting a pot in the oven or grilling a steak in a pan. I may splurge on my efforts and open a can of olives for the salad. (I try to stay away from any sweets on worknights). I do my "Fancy" cooking on my days off-tommorrow I plan on preparing, writing about and photographing my attempts at the perfect enchiladas. Saturday I'm really getting fussy and doing some sweetbreads and frogs legs, (not in the same dish). So I don't think you're whining. Just seek out the balance that works for you, don't push yourself in the kitchen during the workweek, and always look forward to coming home and sitting down to dinner. Then go all out on your days off.

I think your plate is beautiful! The venison looks delicious, perfectly medium-rare. What I noted, and what I think plays into the beauty of your dish, is that you have a bit of sauce on the side of the plate and the plate is resting on that rustic looking wood table. And the heavy steak knife is just another element that plays into what I think makes great food photography-all of the parts must fit together naturally. And what better way to showcase game meat than in a composition like yours. Food should always look inviting and delicious. It can work with the most "architecturally-perfect" plate served at a Michelin star restaurant, but it can also work with what we cook at home. Nice job. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Wonderful questions, thank you for asking. One important fact to note is that Las Vegas doesn’t merely exist for the tourist trade. While gaming and tourism are a primary source of revenue for the city, Las Vegas is the home to thousands of members of the armed forces and is the center of commerce for Southern Nevada. While it may be hard to imagine, many people that call Las Vegas home never set foot in a casino or resort hotel. They do, however, eat at what we call “local” restaurants. So while it is hidden from the viewers of the Travel Channel, there is a “there,” if you will, in Las Vegas. From what some Chef’s have told me, there are a few small farmer’s in the Las Vegas area that supply them with products, but just a few. One Chef I spoke to last May, actually sends one of his cooks over to the Santa Monica farmer’s market twice a week to buy seasonal produce. He supplements that stock with what he buys through the hotel purchasing department-the stuff that is ordered off a spreadsheet. Many cities face the same challenge-the demands of the restaurants far outweigh the ability of the local farmer’s community to provide an adequate supply of provisions. It’s just highlighted to a greater degree in Las Vegas due to the limitations of the agricultural landscape that prevents farmer's from cultivating products in huge quantities. And don’t forget, Las Vegas is a city that has virtually grown-up overnight. (The “Strip” didn’t really exist before 1941). There isn’t a history of decades and decades of traditions with food and cuisine. It will take many more years for Las Vegas to establish its own food traditions. Yet I don’t believe that has to happen before I can declare Las Vegas a great restaurant city. This question brings us back to what the panel discussed-“Does a city have to be a ‘great food city’ in order to be a ‘great restaurant city?” In the case of Las Vegas, I don’t believe it does. Las Vegas is in my notebook of reviews, already a great restaurant city. Does the fact that nearly every ingredient served on every plate is imported mean the Las Vegas dining experience lacks something? Perhaps for some, but not for me. The signature Artichoke (from California), Soup with Black Truffles (from France), served at Guy Savoy in Caesar’s Palace is most delicious-and memorable. You may ask “what can I get there, (in Las Vegas), that I can’t find in other fine dining cities like New York, Paris or Tokyo?” That of course, is a particularly personal question. As I’ve mentioned on other pages, dining in Las Vegas offers a memorable experience to some people who may never have the opportunity to dine at Le Bernadin in New York. Take the group from Northern Idaho in town for three days for a convention. They’ll never have the opportunity to dine on the Left Bank in Paris, never have the financial means to eat at an authentic sushi bar in Tokyo. But they do have this chance to travel to Las Vegas and eat at Restaurant Guy Savoy-arguably one of the finest French dining rooms in America. So you see, the concept of “farm-fresh,” “seasonal,” “locally-grown,” ingredients may not be of great importance to these customers. What is important is that they are given a pleasurable, delicious dining experience amidst the excitement of Las Vegas. They expect the Chef will use top-quality products, but where those products come from may not matter to them. In my opinion, that is part of what makes Las Vegas a great dining city-it caters to those who are seeking a great experience. It’s a thought that is often lost on those of us who are “serious” foodies. (You know who you are-you only eat fresh asparagus from Walla Walla, and only the first week of June). The “customer” in Las Vegas is unique because they are dining in the moment so to speak, and their satisfaction is a point that we should consider when we discuss the Las Vegas dining scene. When Steingarten said that “Las Vegas doesn’t exist from the street up,” I got the sense he was dreaming about some small town in Southern France where the main street is lined with stucco buildings with café’s and patisseries on the street level and laundry hanging out of the upper windows. A quaint little town where shopping for leeks and a chicken for the pot is a part of daily life. Steingarten’s vision will probably never come to life in Las Vegas. That’s partly a fact of geography and the natural layout of the city. The city is too vast and spread too far to ever have quaint little streets full of food shops. But what will grow and rise from the desert will be Las Vegas’s own version of a food community. It may come in the form of strip malls and concrete jungles, but it’s already happening. If you go to the “Fear and Lotus in Las Vegas” topic, you’ll read about and see some of the exciting things that are happening in the Asian dining community in Las Vegas. And while the shops and restaurants may not be on quaint side streets, they offer some delicious bites. That’s the start of what I see as a local “food culture” in Las Vegas. I truly believe that the growth of a food culture, whatever cuisine or form it may take, will benefit not only the residents, but also the tourists, the Chefs and the greater Las Vegas restaurant community.

I agree with what some of you have said so appropriately-that this episode, if not the entire season to date-has been a huge disappointment in terms of the poor decision-making and skills exhibited by some of the Chefs. If the Chefs would follow some basic guidelines, they might find much more success in their finished dishes-follow the parameters of the specific challenge, create a dish that you can actually prepare within the time limits and present a dish that is unique and would stand-up in the dining room of a "Top Chef." When you break it down into parts it really shouldn't be that difficult. There are numerous examples I could cite where the Chefs have failed, but I'll use our most recent example, the much-awaited departure of Ariane. (She can apparently can cook a turkey if that accounts for any points). To say Ariane "butchered" the leg of lamb is being much too kind. She massacred the lamb. Thankfully she wasn't the person responsible for slaying the poor animal or we'd have ended up with wool in our soup! She cut it, scraped it, beat it, pounded it, rolled it up and messed it up. It was awful-as witnessed by the comments of the judges. Awful. She was given a gift of nature and ruined it. I'm not aware of the equipment in the kitchen at Blue Hill, so I can only second-guess what Ariane might have had at her disposal for cooking the leg of lamb. Did she even consider cooking the lamb in a manner that would have resulted in drawing forth the natural flavor of the meat? A simple roast, maybe paired with a vinaigrette made from the herbs in the garden? Wouldn't that have been lovely served with a warm potato salad? Did she consider doing a simple, rustic dish? The same sort of dish that the farmer's would serve at their family table? The farmers who not only raised this delicious lamb but would be eating Ariane's incarnation of their animal? If the equipment was available, one has to wonder if Ariane considered spit-roasting the lamb over an open fire? If there is a wood-fired oven in the kitchen, would she have considered using it? Wouldn't the smoky flavor of a natural fire give the meat the flavor and scent that would perfectly accent lamb raised on the green pastures just steps from the kitchen? Seems simple for me to sit back and criticize her judgement, but she gave us so many opportunities to do so throughout her few weeks on Top Chef.

That's just how I love this soup -- with a roasted chile paste oil slick floating on rich, fragrant coconut milk. ← Bruce-very nice indeed. I'm kicking myself right now because I'm getting over a very bad cold and now-a week later-I realize what would have been the perfect comfort cure for my malaise-a big bowl of this soup. That deliciously spicy chile oil slick on the top of the soup would have cleared up my sinuses in no time!

My camera finally found its way home last week, so I now have the pleasure of adding to Steven's delicious photos-starting with some snapshots of the dim sum at Ping Pang Pong- Are we ready to begin the eating marathon? Steven perusing the carts- A closer look at the dumplings- The best part of the dim sum at Ping Pang Pong, the flaky pastry- Buttery, light and delicious pastry holding sweet bean paste-

Saturday, October 25, 2008-“From Hot Buffets to Haute Cuisine: Defining an American Food City and the Culinary Transformation of Las Vegas,” Panel Discussion at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas- The cool, crisp air of Saturday morning helped me shake off the disagreeable after-effects of the Barolo at Valentino the previous evening. I was off to the University of Nevada Las Vegas for some schooling about the state of the Las Vegas restaurant community. A week earlier, as I was packing for my trip to Las Vegas, a thought came to mind-I’m going to attend some special events in honor of Mr. Beard, so why not take my most cherished Beard cookbook along for the journey? I tucked “The Fireside Cookbook” into my carry-on for the journey South. Grandmother Ross had purchased “The Fireside Cookbook” as a first edition when it was published some 60 years ago. I think she bought the book more out of pride for the State of Oregon, (we share our native Oregonian heritage with Mr. Beard’s family), than anything else. Grandma was a simple farm-cook, (which if you think about it, is the epitome of the “American” cuisine Beard promoted-fresh, seasonal, wholesome, nutritious food in ample quantity). The lack of tattered pages with water spots and pencil notes in the margins tells me Grandmother rarely cooked any of the recipes in The Fireside Cookbook. She certainly wasn’t going to use the cookbook to prepare Beard’s recipe for “Sweetbreads en Brochette.” I didn’t really care if the cookbook was ever used for practical purposes. Fate had blessed me, and all of these years later I had a valuable piece of Beard’s legacy. I was waiting in the lobby of the building where the hospitality classes are taught at UNLV when a woman walked in and asked if I was waiting for the Panel Discussion associated with the Beard Taste America Events. She then introduced herself as Susan Ungaro, the President of the James Beard Foundation. After exchanging pleasantries, our visit turned into one of those chance meetings that you can’t script in advance-one of those spur of the moment encounters that leave you with lasting impressions. We struck up a conversation about the Taste America events and the private dinner I had enjoyed at Valentino. I told Susan that I had a cookbook that I had brought with me to Las Vegas and she might be interested in seeing it. I reached into my bag and pulled out Grandmother’s first edition of The Fireside Cookbook. Imagine the look on Susan’s face-President of the Beard Foundation-when she saw my first edition of one of Beard’s early cookbooks. The Foundation doesn’t have a large collection of original works by Mr. Beard, so it was my pleasure to share a part of my family with Ms. Ungaro. I went on to explain my family history and how my Grandmother came to own the cookbook, and how, like Mr. Beard, I was a native Oregonian. After the success of the white truffle dinner at Valentino on Friday night, I never would have imagined that this moment with the cookbook at another event dedicated to Mr. Beard’s would be so memorable. The work of James Beard was beginning to come full circle. Beard had written about the white truffle in 1949 in the Fireside Cookbook-and I held a first edition of that book in my hands. I had just been introduced to the President of the Beard Foundation and had taken the opportunity to share this important piece of Beard’s legacy with her. A surprise encounter indeed. The composition of the panel reminded me of an “East vs. West” college all-star football game. Three formidable figures from New York City represented the “East,” or national perspective-Mitchell Davis, Vice President of the James Beard Foundation, Alan Richman, arguable the Dean of America’s top Food Writers, and Jeffrey Steingarten, recognized today as the top judge on “Iron Chef America” on Food Network. On the panel representing the local views from the “West” (Las Vegas), were Dr. Pat Moreo, Professor in the Food and Beverage Department at UNLV, Chef Paul Bartolotta of “Bartolotta Ristorante Di Mare” at the Wynn, and John Curtas, Food Writer, KLAS, KNPR and Master of ELV.com. John was instrumental in bringing the Beard Foundation and “Taste America,” to Las Vegas. (And for assembling this studied panel). I took a seat amongst the 40 students in attendance. (They really had no idea as to the impressive backgrounds of the panelists, but they soon realized they were in the company of some heavy-hitters in the food world). From left to right-Alan Richman, Dr. Pat Moreo, Mitchell Davis acting as the Moderator of the Discussion, Jeffrey Steingarten, Chef Bartolotta and John Curtas- The selection of Richman and Steingarten to the panel lent a huge amount of credibility to the argument that Las Vegas has become an emerging presence on the American dining scene. And opposed to what some of the today’s bloggers may have written, I didn’t find either Richman or Steingarten to be a “curmudgeon.” In fact, both are humorous, informative, intellectual, and quite pleasant gentlemen. Steingarten’s comments came in the same form of biting witticism that we’ve witnessed in his capacity as a judge on Iron Chef America. His criticism’s were quite amusing and he often stuck the tip of the Chef’s knife in the back of the other members of the panel. He often started his response with a question to another panel member, knowing they would be at a loss for words-“if you had eaten the street food in Hong Kong you would have tasted the noodles, wouldn’t you?” But first appearances aren’t always what in the end is the truth. Witty remarks aside, over the course of the discussion Steingarten made some of the most prophetic statements of any of the members on the panel. “Las Vegas doesn’t exist from the street up” Steingarten said. (In other words, Las Vegas is a “Strip” of gleaming glass and concrete hotel towers that are a fabrication of something somewhere else. There are no small shops, cozy café’s or Mom and Pop produce stands lining the streets). Inevitably, whenever one discusses the merits of Las Vegas being a top dining destination, the conversation turns to the subject of where the food products come from. Some argue that Las Vegas is not worthy of being named a top American dining city because all of the products are brought in from somewhere else. The highlight of this particular discussion came when Steingarten decreed that “the Alice Water’s religion is loosening where ‘everything’ must be local.” I wholeheartedly agree. Steingarten used the example of the seafood that is served in Las Vegas. All of that seafood is shipped from somewhere else-Spot Prawns from Alaska, Spiny Lobsters from St. Maarten, Spanner Crabs from Australia-it all comes from literally hundreds, thousands of miles, away from the parched dessert sands of Las Vegas. If the seafood served in Las Vegas is imported from somewhere else, does that mean it isn’t any good? Does that mean Las Vegas isn’t a city where you can eat deliciously fresh seafood? Of course not. If we limit Chefs to only using locally-sourced products does that “dumb-down” their cuisine? Of course not. The success of a dish isn’t merely based on whether the walleye was fished out of Lake Mead or Lake Michigan. The success of a dish is based more on the quality and freshness of the product, combined with the creativity and technical skills of the Chef. Certainly if you live in the Pacific Northwest like I do, using locally grown peaches picked off a 60-year old tree in your backyard the second week of September is going to give your cobbler an incredibly deep, rich peach flavor. Yet the peaches from Frog Hollow Farm in California that are used by Chef Rick Moonen at RM Seafood in Las Vegas are just as good as the ones in my backyard in Spokane. Bursting with sweet, peachy juices, the Frog Hollow Farms peaches are a living example of how a Chef in Las Vegas can create a delicious, signature cuisine. The discussion then turned to Chef Paul Bartolotta and how he brought his concept of Mediterreannean seafood cuisine to Las Vegas. (And I would add that both Steingarten and Richman declared that Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at the Wynn is the top Italian seafood restaurant in America). Chef Bartolotta pointed to some interesting facts that make his restaurant unique to Las Vegas-and bolster the argument that Las Vegas is in fact, one of America’s top dining destinations. Chef Bartolotta was not immediately smitten with idea of pulling up his roots in the Midwest and venturing to Las Vegas. It was only after intense negotiations with Steve Wynn that he made the commitment. That commitment involved creative control of the menu and an attention to detail in terms of the quality of the seafood that is nearly unmatched at any other restaurant in America. You can read about and view some photos of this attention to detail at this link to a story I wrote about the kitchens at the Wynn: Without such a commitment, both in terms of quality and the financial resources to back it up, Bartolotta wouldn’t have signed on with Wynn. Well over half of the guests that dine at Bartolotta are repeat customers-a telling statistic given the fact that most of the customer base in Las Vegas is transitory. Most patrons dine once at a restaurant and never return. (Chef Bartolotta spoke about a wealthy Italian family that books rooms at the Wynn for ten nights every summer and dines at his restaurant nearly every single night. I should be so lucky as to have that line of credit). Chef was quick to point out that unlike some of the other high-end dining establishments on the Strip, Bartolotta pursues both a quality dining experience with basic, sound, profitable restaurant economics. Many of the restaurants in the Bartolotta price category, (extremely expensive), exist solely to sate the pleasures of the high-rollers whose rooms and restaurant bills are “paid” by the hotel. As such, many of these restaurants are what we call “lost-leaders”-palaces of decadence that exist not as profitable businesses but to serve as a part of the overall fantasy we’ve come to know as Las Vegas. Steingarten put it in simple, understandable terms, “the artistic freedom of a Chef is born out of economic freedom.” In other words, give a talented Chef the economic freedom to explore his creativity and profits will come. Simply signing on a “celebrity Chef” and putting the registered trademark over the door isn’t enough. The example set by Bartolotta at Wynn is a lesson in quality and business acumen that other restaurants in Las Vegas would be wise to study. The discussion took a turn to a subject that is not always welcome by those who are advocates of the Las Vegas dining community. Mitchell Davis posed the ominous question-“is Las Vegas a great ‘food city’?” “Can Las Vegas be called a great ‘restaurant city’ if it lacks the soul of a great food cit’?” Alan Richman’s example of a great food city was Hong Kong in the 1960’s. (Richman thinks Las Vegas is a “terrible” food city with some great restaurants.”). Chef Bartolotta said the “ethnic, simple food of New York” defined it as a gread food city. John Curtas named “Bologna, Italy and Vancouver, B.C. as both great food cities and great restaurant cities.” Professor Moreo pointed out that when he came to Las Vegas in 1967, “most of the residents were transplants from New York and Chicago-many of them second-generation Italian-Americans who brought their food traditions with them.” According to the Professor, back then there was wonderful, traditional pizza in Las Vegas-a traditional slice of America that would sadly melt away in the coming years as the demographic make-up of Las Vegas changed. The wise Professor noted that today Las Vegas is considered the home of the “New Southwest” rather than the home of generations of immigrants. Waves of people flooded Clark County during the economic boom of the past 15 years-the motivation being the thousands of jobs that were available at the time. (Sadly, depending on who you speak to, dining revenue in Las Vegas was down by nearly 20% in 2008). Unfortunately, food traditions, ethnic cuisines and markets, storefront café’s and restaurants with ‘soul,’ didn’t follow the scores of people who made up the “new” Las Vegas. Richman mentioned that the loss of the traditional hotel “coffee shop” meant that locals who worked in the casinos no longer had a gathering place where they could congregate after work over a cup of coffee or a cold beer. The environs of the hotel coffee shop fostered a spirit of commraderie among the hotel staff that is merely a memory today. The “employee cafeteria” housed in today’s mega-resorts has replaced the coffee shop. Employees trudge through a buffet-style line, they hand a plastic card to an unemotional cashier and wander off to eat in silence. Mitchell Davis brought up the fact that today’s work schedules and lifestyles of the workforce don’t allow for families sitting down to a traditional Sunday Supper-a gathering of Aunts, Uncles, Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, Brothers and Cousins-all sharing in the bounty of a family meal. In Las Vegas, Mom may go to work at 10 p.m. while Dad and the kids are getting ready for bed. The best example of how far Las Vegas has to go before one can declare it a “great food city,” was provided by the one panel member most informed on the issue-John Curtas-one of the three members of the “West-Las Vegas” faction of the panel. As you may know, John is what could be called the bon vivant of Las Vegas dining. He reports daily on the Las Vegas dining scene at his website, ELV.com, gives weekly dining reports on KLAS-CBS, produces the “Food for Thought” weekly segment on KNPR-Radio, is one of the new judges on “Iron Chef America,” and is the Las Vegas representative of the James Beard Foundation. Aside from the jovial side of John’s gregarious personality is a depth of knowledge about food, cooking, service and dining that is quite literally unmatched by any other man or woman reporting on Las Vegas dining today. John proclaimed Vancouver, B.C., to be one of North America’s “greatest food cities.” (A city I’ve visited many times, and a great restaurant city to boot. Vancouver has it all so to speak, when it comes to food and dining). Graced with the natural beauty and attributes of its location, Vancouver defines a great food city. Located on the Northern coast of the Pacific Northwest, Vancouver is the home to a bounty of locally grown foods. Everything from Dungeness Crab, Pacific Oysters, Salmon of all species, wild game, hazelnuts, walnuts, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries and acres of vineyards grow within steps of the city center of Vancouver. Adding to the natural harvest of Vancouver is a population that is truly a melting pot of cultures-Canadian, British, European and Asian. The population of Vancouver is made-up of nearly 70% immigrants. The immigrants have brought their culture, cuisine and food traditions to Vancouver which adds to the city’s richness as a mecca for food lovers and professional Chefs. Stroll through one of the streets of Chinatown in Vancouver and you’ll discover stalls selling all manner of live seafood, shellfish and unrecognizable creatures that you just know will end up in the evening’s hotpot. Vancouver’s Chinatown is just one small pocket of inspiration and a marketplace of deep flavors for the home cook and the restaurant chef alike-the perfect melting pot that defines a great food city and a great restaurant city. The comparison of Vancouver to Las Vegas-cities similar only in terms of population-are staggering. One a city born from the natural beauty and bounty of the Pacific Northwest, the other an oasis that arose literally overnight from a sun-scorched desert. One a city of immigrants who for generations have brought with them a cornucopia of cultures, traditions and cuisines-all of which have come together, in homes and in restaurants, to celebrate food and dining. The sort of love of food between a city and its residents that endures over time. The other, also a city of immigrants, yet a city still in its infancy. A city still searching for that sense of self, of tradition, and a rich history with food. Las Vegas seems to always be trying to re-invent itself, ever searching for the next trendy restaurant theme, the latest incarnation of lobster, foie gras and caviar. Sometimes it works, but often it never lasts. The experience, while satisfying at the moment, may not be memorable years later. (a metaphor that could be used to describe many of the “in-the-moment” pleasures of Las Vegas). It wasn’t until I returned home from Taste America that I realized how much of an impact the panel discussion would have on my own work as a Food Writer. And in another twist of fate, I realized that The Fireside Cookbook was much more than a cherished family heirloom that had taken the trip with me to Las Vegas. The Fireside Cookbook was the work that launched Beard into the national spotlight. Soon after it was published in 1949, Beard began a lengthy career writing about food and dining in magazines and newspapers across the country, including Gourmet, Harper’s Bazaar, Argosy, Apartment Life, House and Garden and The New York Times to name just a few. It was becoming clear to me that Beard’s impact reached much farther than his cookbooks and impressive personality-he was also one of the first Food Writers to have an impact on the tastes of America.

The two pastry chefs in Las Vegas that are currently getting the attention of the food writers are Vanessa Garcia at Restaurant Charlie at The Palazzo and Sarah Kosikowski at Michael Mina at Bellagio. I'd describe their desserts as creative twists on classics. The presentations are gorgeous, but not pretentious. Of course, you do have to build up to dessert at both restaurants with multiple courses of delicious cuisine focused on seafood.

Can you explain what you mean by this? Wynn, the owner of many hotels and resorts, used to own specifically the Picasso restaurant in the Bellagio? Who own's the Bellagio? I assume it's the same person that owns all the restaurants inside the resort. And the restaurant itself, is worth BILLIONS? ← Steve Wynn originally was responsible for building Bellagio. Mr. Wynn then sold Bellagio (that's worth billions) to MGM/Mirage. Since then, he has opened Wynn Resort and about two to three weeks ago, Encore Resort, where I'll be staying in a couple of weeks and trying to dine at all five Encore restaurants. I hope this helps. ← Thank you rj, you are of course right on with your response. The relationships in Las Vegas between the owners of the hotels-to the restaurants-to the restaurant staff-to the chef-can be quite complicated and difficult to follow. As rj mentioned, Steve Wynn developed and basically was the "owner" if you will of the Bellagio when it opened. He was responsible for bringing Chef Serrano to Picasso restaurant at Bellagio. When Mr. Wynn sold his stake in Bellagio to the MGM/Mirage corporation, Chef Serrano stayed on at Picasso. I get the sense that while they parted ways formally in terms of their business relationship at Bellagio-Mr. Wynn and Chef Serrano are still great friends. (As witnessed by my above photo post of Mr. Wynn, Chef Serrano and Jean-Luc Naret). I also have the sense that Mr. Wynn is quite proud of the fact that many of the Chefs that he has employed, both past and present, are the winners of Michelin stars.

Each individually is something. Together, I can only imagine. ← Yes, the conversations were quite lively-and as you can imagine, inquiring palates dissect every single detail- "Is that Thai basil?" "No, I don't think so." "It tastes sort of 'soapy' doesn't it?" "The pickled pork tongue has an interesting texture doesn't it?" "It reminds me of the taste and texture of beef heart." "See those tiny dried shrimp inside the dumplings?" "I pick up just a hint of five-spice." "Now tell me Chef, how do you make the spice mixture that you used to dust the tuna?" "And Chef, what kind of apple did you use in the salad under the soft-shell crab?" "Ahh, we use THREE kinds of apples-Granny Smith, Gala and....." (the third apple variety escapes me). Shaw, Curtas and Ross. It was wonderful.

Well--it was an event for the ages and one that we will definately have to repeat. As you can see from the photo above, I have the waistline that allows me the room for such gargantuan feasts. I was in such a state of gustatory pleasure I forgot my camera and journal of notes so I won't be posting much today. The camera and journal will be flying North soon and once they arrive back home, I'll add to some of Steven's delicious photos. I had no idea there were so many wonderful Asian restaurants scattered not far off the Strip. So just when you are thinking about blowing your cash on one of the over-priced Strip hotel dining rooms, call a cab to take you to one of the above restaurants we dined at. No doubt when you see menus with three turtle dishes, four eel dishes and pickled parts of pig, lamb, chicken and other creatures you know you are in for a dining adventure. (And the company of Curtas and Shaw was a rare treat).