David Ross

I agree with your thoughts on Sara. I thought she showed good skills in the kitchen as the Executive Chef on her team. I like the way she stuck to her guns and dealt with Howie's frustrations. Although he slammed the oven door, he took Sara's direction and she went on with the dinner. She had a bit of a brain fart last week when she presented her 'seafood burger' wrapped in lettuce-Boulud said it wasn't really a burger because it wasn't presented on a bun-but I think it wasn't so much the flavors as she was off the mark with making a 'burger' that fit within the theme of the quickfire challenge. There's always surprises when we get down this deep into the competition and I wish all them well. It would probably be a choice moment in reality television to see the reaction on Hung or Howie's faces if Sara beat them out. That camera shot would probably show up on one of VH-1's '100 Top Moments in Reality TV" part 36 or something.

Here are two dishes that use my creamed corn recipe. While I love creamed corn on it's own, it's also a great recipe as a base for many other dishes. Here is a Rack of Lamb with a Corn Pudding. I used the creamed corn recipe and added an egg and a bit of flour. Then I baked/poached the pudding in the oven for about 30 minutes. Then a Creamed Corn and Oyster Chowder with Sauteed Dungeness Crab. I took the basic creamed corn recipe and added fish stock, clams, diced new potatoes and some Cajun seafood seasoning.

Last night I made a Lobster Salad. I add capers, shallots, haricot vert, new potatoes and black olives, then dress it with homemade mayonnaise. Then a seafood entree, Sauteed Dungeness Crab on a Creamed Corn and Clam Stew. I have my own recipe for creamed corn, (see our thread about creamed corn for the recipe), then I add seafood stock, clams and diced potatoes. It's basically a creamy corn chowder. I was going to make a crab cake, but just sauteed some fresh Dungeness crab meat. The for dessert was an Apricot Tart in Toasted Hazelnut Crust with a layer of Smoked Cheddar Pastry Cream. In the background is a garnish of a Toasted Hazelnut Tuille with Vanilla Ice Cream. There are a few other photos in the "What's for Dessert?" thread.

Hah! How perfect-"I coulda been a conteda." Rocco shall never hear the end of it. If you go to the Top Chef website you can link over to a video of "after the show," with Colicchio and Rocco giving their thoughts on the Tre booting. At one point Rocco is asked how he feels about Bourdain excoriating Rocco in his blog. Rocco was actually pretty cool about it when he answered, "certainly I've given him enough stuff to talk about me." In other words, I think Rocco knows he's made some interesting television appearances and given Bourdain plenty of fodder for his pen. At another point, a e-mail from a female viewer is read, asking Rocco if he's single. What that has to do with Top Chef I don't have a clue. But Rocco's answer was priceless-"I really don't know about that." Huh? Isn't that a yes or no question?

Ted-would you be so kind and share the Scallop and Shrimp recipe? That looks really delicious!

Last night I made one of my favorite recipes-A fruit tart in a pastry crust made with toasted hazelnuts, a layer of pastry cream with smoked cheddar, and instead of the normal apples, I used fresh apricots. The apricots actually turned out better than when I have used apples. I pre-baked the tart shell and then spooned some of the cooled pastry cream into the shell. The tart shell is my basic pastry crust recipe with some toasted hazelnuts added. The pastry cream is a basic recipe with some smoked Tillamook cheddar stirred in at the last minute of cooking. I blanched the apricots in hot water for a few minutes then put them in an ice water bath. Then I peeled off the skin, leaving the apricots whole. Then I poached the apricots in a mixture of water, sugar, some orange liquer, a vanilla bean and a cinnamon stick. The apricots naturally start to split in half after about 10 minutes in the poaching liquid, so it was very easy to cut them in half and take out the pit. I let the apricots cool before adding them on top of the pastry cream. It wasn't totally necessary, but I thought it would be nice to serve the tart with some vanilla ice cream and a toasted hazelnut tuille cookie. The cookie was another taste of toasted hazelnuts.

Since we seem to be living in a time of instant celebrity, I think all the final contestants on Top Chef, er, the top 8 or so, will probably be successful in the food industry in some manner. People will go to Tre's restaurant just for the opportunity to eat food made by a 'celebrity' from Top Chef. I bet Tre could care less about that fact, but he's probably perceptive enough to realize that regardless of what happened this week, it's one more positive bullet point to put on his cooking resume. Being reasonably young, I think he's got a great future ahead of himself, and I see him staying true to himself as a cook-not venturing into the three-ring Rocco/Bertolli frozen Italian entree circus. If you go over to the Guy Savoy thread you'll see a review from BryanZ about his recent dining experience at the eponymous Las Vegas temple of Savoy's art. Bryan mentions that the 'bread boy,' Joshua, was more than happy to engage them in gossip about Hung and his turn on Top Chef. So even at such a sacred chapel of haute French Cuisine as Guy Savoy, the celebrity of Hung's appearance on Top Chef has found it's way into the dining room. I think the finalists have been handed a huge career boost by appearing on Top Chef. Now it's just up to them to take the football and run with it.

Yes, I was talking about my conversation, in English, with Chef Savoy. It wasn't along conversation, but I thought his English was just fine. Franck was all over the restaurant on the night we were there. A very nice young man and has others have mentioned here, he struck me as a Maitre'D right out of a 1960's 'Continental' dining room-flawless service and with a warm welcome for everyone. And since the President of Caesar's Palace was at the private dinner, I am sure all of the staff felt a measure of added pressure. Of course, these folks are under pressure every night and as you would imagine, everything went off without a hitch-other than me spilling expensive champagne on a white tablecloth!

The producers of Top Chef really have a win-win production format. Much of the drama we see on the screen each week happens behind the scenes-and it's those moments caught by the wandering eye of the camera that give the producers a refrigerator of dramatic bites to give to the editing room. Whether it's Howie slamming an oven door, Hung gushing at Boulud or Casey looking like her lunch is coming back up through her throat when she is critiqued, you can't script moments like that. It's a producer and editor's lunch handed to then on a sliver platter. So you have the judges table which seems to be the red meat of the show so to speak. Then you add twenty of the unscripted clips to build drama and drop in another ten clips or so of the contestants making on-camera comments and voila, you have a show. I really think it's a successful production format. But that doesn't mean I agree with the way the show is presented or many of the elements that go into the editing of the show, the judging criteria or the challenges that are given to the chefs.

One of the best parts of the artichoke soup was the accompanient-a small square cube of toasted bricohe slathered with a foie gras mousse. I seem to remember the brioche was flecked with some bits of black truffle. It was crisp yet light, buttery yet not drippping in butterfat, and oh my, the combination of butter, truffle and foie gras, perfection. The toast is what I felt elevated the artichoke soup into the realm of one of the top dishes of the night, if not forever. Chef Savoy actually speaks quite good English. At one point during the welcoming hour, I stepped out onto the small patio with Chef Savoy. Just the two of us standing there while the other guests moved into the dining room to sit down. I asked him how things were going in Las Vegas. He said "beautiful weather, a beautiful restaurant and beautiful ingredients, it is all very good."

Oh God. Here we go, another week in the heat of the Top Chef kitchen. There are a lot of different elements and emotions involved in Top Chef-almost too many different facets to the show for me to try and comment on each one. So this week, I thought I would focus solely on commenting about the food and the dishes the chefs created and the overall success of their menus. Of course, this isn’t a qualified review because the number one element in reviewing a restaurant is missing since I wasn’t in the dining rom eating the food. Restaurant April Seared Sea Scallop on Corn and Black Truffle Custard I thought the scallops looked like they were perfectly sauteed-nice brown, caramelized surface yet not overdone. The judges seemed to really like this dish, and while corn is a natural accompaniment to scallops, I thought the corn truffle looked like a gloppy mess on the plate. Presentation does account for something. Beet Cured House Smoked Wild King Salmon, Macadamia Pesto. I hope Tre didn't buy King Salmon from anywhere near Oregon, Alaska or Washington. If he did buy King Salmon out of our Northwest waters and then soaked it in beet juice and served it with sweet macadamia nut sauce of garlic and cheese, the State Police from Oregon, Alaska and Washington have a warrant for his arrest. As the judges remarked-"too many messy flavors" and it was "digusting." Enough said. Chilled Carrot-Coconut Ginger Soup with Shitake Bacon Oh Casey you silly girl! And I thought bacon came from the belly of pigs-not the woodsy fungi we call the Shitake mushroom. The dish sounds good and I'd certainly serve it, hot or cold, as part of a summer dinner menu. But come on, call a Shitake a mushroom and cured pork bacon. OK Casey? Lobster Salad with Arugula and Caramelized Cauliflower, Golden Raisins, Vinaigrette A laudable attempt by CJ. But I agree with the judges comments that there were too many competing flavors. Just the sound of combining succulent and sweet lobster with sticky raisins and what can be the slightly bitter taste of caramelized cauliflower doesn't sound really appetizing. Maybe a simpler lobster salad with a unique vinaigrette would have worked better from a flavor standpoint. Monkfish on Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes, Beuerre blanc Casey, Casey, Casey. Why on earth, or ocean, would you serve a buttery, tender and sweet filet of monkfish on cheesey potatoes? Poor girl, she looks like she's about to barf whenever she is criticized. And a chef that doesn't properly cook fish, off with their head! To add to her anguish Casey admitted "the fish was a bit dry." Translation-overcooked. Beef Tenderloin with a Mushroom Crust with Smoked Potatoes Looked good to me, and I didn't see the judges spit out the smoked potatoes this time so I assume the smoked potatoes were not overcooked and properly smoked. I think it sounds like a good, if somewhat ordinary, dish. Granny Smith Brioche Bread Pudding, Cinnamon and Brandy Anglaise After the Salmon disaster earlier in the meal, Tre couldn't afford to fall in his pastry skills. If he did, along with a lack of strong leadership as the Executive Chef, he was going to be gone. Well, we all know that the bread pudding failed and Tre was shown the door to the parking lot. Ted Allen was spot on with his criticism-you don't have to be a pastry chef to make a decent bread pudding. I think Tre sold bread pudding short when he said he decided on doing bread pudding because it was an easy recipe to do in a short amount of time. Talk to some old-fashioned bakers in the age group of your Great-Grandmother. They'll tell you bread pudding is a 'simple' recipe, but like any recipe, it can't be rushed and you have to add just the right amount of egg and cream to the bread. If you rush things you may not be taking the time to insure you've got enough liquid to make the finished bread pudding creamy and soft. Tre-next time slow down a bit and make sure you're giving your bread pudding the time and effort necessary. Overall grade: B-. Decent dishes that were a bit off the mark in terms of flavor combinations and lagging technique. Only fair marks for a lack of cohesiveness in how the dishes worked together as part of a complete menu. Fair to poor leadership by the Executive Chef and fair to poor teamwork by all four team members. Restaurant Garage (or Restaurant Quarke, Quirk or whatever they renamed it). Tuna Tartare with Egg Vinaigrette, Nicoise Olives Good job Hung. Simple, clean flavors with a hint of saltiness from the Nicoise olives. A nice light start to a menu that will prove to have a consistent, well-thought procession from appetizer to entree to dessert. I have forgiven Hung for his boyish crush and silly giggling at the sight of Mr. Boulud last week. You go Hung. Poussin with Mint Gnocchi, Sweet Pea Puree, Carrots and Hazelnuts I give Howie some kudos for the success of Dale's dish. While Dale was shopping for the interior design elements of the revamped restaurant, Howie took to the market. When he realized the market didn't have enough rabbit for the dish Dale had planned, he bought Poussin instead-a good substitute. When I heard Dale was planning on Rabbit as part of his appetizer dish, I was hoping for a Ballontine of Rabbit stuffed with Black Truffles and then served cold. That was probably a bit pretentious on my part. I think the Poussin dish went over well with the judges. Halibut with Grapes and Braised Leeks, Grape Sauce Sara hit a ball far into the outfield with this dish. Halibut is one of our holy grails in the Northwest so we are quite pleased when chefs don't gussy it up with silly, uncompatible ingredients. Good job Sara for keeping things simple. And Steven, you snooty man with the fat tie, I am sure you paired the perfect wine with the Grape Sauce in Sara's dish. Rack of Lamb with White Beans, Haricot Verts and Fried Shallots I thought Howie designed the perfect meat dish for this menu. The menu started with milder flavors and textures and by this point in the meal, I bet the diners were ready for some red meat. While the camera didn't do it justice, or dis-justice I should say, according to Bourdain's blog, Howie's lamb wasn't just rare, it was RAW! Howie is still the bomb waiting to explode. When he got pissed at Sara's direction in the kitchen he slammed the oven door so hard I thought it would fall off. And his crappy attitude wasn't lost on Colicchio. It's almost as if the producer's are purposely sending Howie through to the end, only to see him fall into a barrel of rotten sardines in the final episode. Good dish in theory but it sounds as though the execution fell off the mark. Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries I've always sensed Hung was a good chef. And since he left his ego at the coat check counter outside the dining room, he's seemed to mellow and it's shown in his cooking. I still think he's a dangerous guy running around the kitchen with a knife. He excoriated those poor little chickens in literally seconds. Thank God he didn't chop off his fingers when he clipped the wings of those chickens earlier in the show. But back to the Panna Cotta-the perfect light, creamy, smooth dessert with fresh berries to finish off the meal, especially after the somewhat heave lamb and white bean entree. Simple and looking delicious. Good job Hung. Now next week get back to your creative side. Remember the Geoduck with Black Chicken Hung? Push the envelope a bit more in the next few weeks and you could surprise some people. Overall grade: A-. Tre said he was a calm Executive Chef. His calm did him under. He needed to stay focused and under control, but when he needed to, he didn't push his team to perform. Sara did. She stayed while showing the skills of a strong leader. She wasn't afraid to knock Howie and Hung down a few notches if she needed to. She kept her team under wraps and in control of their emotions. It showed in the food, the execution of the cooking and the presentations on the plate. The menu had a beginning, middle and end that was cohesive. Nice job. Overall winner: Tre, A. For having class, being humble and admitting to his faults, fostering teamwork and not losing his integrity by treating others badly and using profanity in the kitchen during his weeks on the show, his creativity with ingredients, and for being a damn good cook.

Hah! 'Two' of Giada's most endearing qualities! My Mother and Father, both 83, watch Giada's show on Food Network every day. Not because they like her or her food, but because they LOVE Paula Deen. Paula's show comes on at 4pm each day, followed by Giada at 430p and then the local news. They slog through Giada's show waiting for the news. Now mind you, two retired 83 year olds are not the target audience for Giada's easy Italian food. They have often asked me, other than the low cut tops and the wares that almost fall into the mixing bowl , what is the actual draw to Giada. I never seem to have much of an answer. When I tell them they can get a greater view of Giada on the Today Show they'll be amused. I hope that Food Network works on signing on some new, serious cooks with a show directed at foodies. And someone who will refuse the temptation to go 'big' on a network show.

This could be Giada's opportunity to audition for a permanent spot hosting the fourth hour of The Today Show. A live audition if you will like the string of hosts who auditioned for Rosie's spot on The View. I totally understand all of the demographics and commercial aspects of Giada appearing as a host of The Today Show and I don't begrudge her or The Food Network or NBC in their quest to increase ratings-but I cringe a bit each time another Food Network star becomes a mass media talent. I often wonder if Batali or Emeril would just prefer to get back in the kitchen and cook rather than go to another photo shoot to advertise their latest non-stick cookware. And I'd love to hear Bourdain's thoughts on this topic. I imagine he'd agree with the serious food lover's here at eGullet. I wish Giada well as I do anyone pursuing a career. But I sure wish Food Network would produce a serious show about food and cooking like 'Rick Stein's Food Heroes' on BBC, and hire a talent that's in it for the food, the cooking, and sharing that with others, with no further commercial aspirations. Just a simple show about the food, that's all. I'm a big fan of PBS cooking shows, but the programming is based on your local PBS station and the budget they have to air cooking programs. Our local PBS station used to have a wonderful roster of many cooking shows on Saturday mornings. Now we are down to about only 4 shows. The cooking program you watch on PBS in New York may not be the cooking show I see on PBS in Spokane. And being a public entity, I know it is always a struggle for PBS to be able to afford to produce and air new cooking programs. Maybe the cooks on PBS should have their agents call NBC and get a Today Show gig.

I agree with everything you mention-I personally like Giada and I think that people love her personality and smile. Easy Italian fits a big demographic-cooks who want to make tasty, homemade Italian meals in a short about of time. I doubt that Giada would have been given the Today show offer if she wasn't popular. But I'm wondering what serious cooks think of tv chefs venturing away from the food and cooking arena into other areas of media?

Hmm-can someone explain to me why Giada Delaurentis is a co-host of the Today show this morning? What is the correlation between hosting 'Easy Italian' on the Food Network and introducing 'softball' segments on the Today show? I can understand Giada appearing on Today to do a cooking segment, but doing an intro for a segment on the relatinship between yoga and pregnant women? I don't get it. While it is an obvious move to push Giada more into the 'mainstream' media ala Rachel Ray and her talk show, doesn't it seem to dumb-down the public's perception of Giada as a cook on Food Network to have her sit on the couch on the Today show set? Should a television cook, or a more fair description-the presenter of a television show about cooking, stick to a pure focus on food and cooking and not venture into mainstream television? (Remember the ill-fated sticom that Emeril did at the height of the 'Bam' phenomena? Did it last more than 4 episodes? Did we-aka serious foodies-see Emeril in a different light after that fiasco?) Does the commercial drive to push the latest Food Network talent into the mass media diminish their standing in the food community?

Anyone could sign up for any of the events, including this one, through the ads posted in the magazine and on their website. I was just leafing through one of my Bon Apetit magazines and saw the ad. The next day I went to the website and saw the listing of the events and when I saw the private dinner at Guy Savoy I immediately made the reservation. I think they were limiting this particular dinner to no more than 30 guests so I knew it would go fast. It did sell out but I don't know how long it went before 30 people signed up. There were other private dinners that night at Rao's, Bradley Ogden, Bobby Flay's place and a few others I don't remember right now. I knew Savoy would be the top of the top and that's why I went for it. Wonderful. As far as I know they are planning another Bon Apetit Food and Wine focus in Las Vegas next May but it's too early to tell for sure. If they do, I'll be right back there again.

I've read some comments about the cost of dining at Guy Savoy and whether it is too expensive or if the expense is worth the experience. I paid $375 for the private dinner at Guy Savoy. The cost was not only just the food, I could have had a fine dinner at L'Atelier at the MGM for far less money. But for $375 I was treated to a special menu created for a private party at arguably one of the finest French restaurants in America. The menu itself was printed especially for our party, and given the guest list, the copious amounts of champagne, fine wines, truffles, foie gras and having the opportunity to shake the hand of Guy Savoy, it was quite a value and an evening I will always remember. I would have gladly paid much more.

Bryan-you are a great writer and I have really enjoyed reading about your Las Vegas dining experiences. In fact, it made me realize I forgot to post my own review of my memorable night at Guy Savoy in May. I had added the review to my weekly foodblog and then promised I would also post it here but totally forgot. So thank you, because your great review of Savoy reminded me I needed to do the same. And I wanted to make sure my fellow Las Vegas dining devotees saw the review in case they didn't see it posted on my blog. The review relates to a private dinner I had at Guy Savoy on Thursday, May 17, as part of the Bon Apetit Food and Wine Focus. And while Chef Gordon Ramsay wasn't in the dining room in May when I was at Guy Savoy, there were plenty of other famous people at our private party. Hope you all enjoy the story of another wonderful meal at Guy Savoy Las Vegas. On Thursday night in Las Vegas I had a reservation for an event I had been waiting for since February-a private dinner at Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesar's Palace. While I had high expectations of the meal, I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined how memorable the dinner would turn out to be. I haven't worn a suit and a tie to work in over 10 years. The suits I have hanging in my closet haven't fit me for 10 years. So with the encouragement from my co-workers, I bought a dark blue suit, blue shirt and tie especially for this event. I worried I would be overdressed, but it turned out that the gentlemen who didn't wear a tie were underdressed. God, I was actually nervous walking up the staircase to Guy Savoy! To get to the restaurant you walk to the left of the main lobby at Caesar's and enter down a hall to one of the new hotel towers. There are few signs that you are heading toward one of the top French restaurants in the world. I walked up this huge winding staircase to the second floor. To the right are the Caesar's wedding chapels and to the left you see a pair of gigantic, dark wood doors. As I was sitting for the staff to open the restaurant to our private event, Alan Richman walked out of the doors. Now I haven't weighed in on the Alan Richman thread at eGullet and the criticisms of the piece he did on the San Franciso Ferry Building. But in that short moment I found Mr. Richman to be very friendly. He walked up and introduced himself and shook my hand. He said that "Guy Savoy is really one of the best French restaurants in America." Coming from a guy who I knew to be at the top of the food writing world I took that as a great compliment that I had chosen this private event. Alan was off to host another private dinner sponsored by Bon Apetit at 'Rao's' in Caesar's Palace. At 6pm, we walked through the church doors into a temple of fine French dining. We were greeted by Frank Savoy, Guy Savoy's son and the Manager and host of the Las vegas restaurant. Frank is a very young man of no more than 35 and he has the style and grace that I remember from Maitre d's from fine 'continental' dining rooms in the 60's. Just past Frank, standing in waiting to greet the guests, was the master himself. I actually had goose bumps. Chef Savoy warmly offered his hand. (He reminded me of Chef Andre Soltner. Both are very friendly, warm and totally unpretentious.) I counted no more than 40 people total that would enjoy dinner. The event was hosted by Barbara Fairchild, Executive Editor of Bon Apetit. Chef Savoy had ordered a staff of nearly 30 into the kitchen that night-almost one cook per customer. I learned later that we happened to be dining on the one-year anniversary of the opening of the restaurant that welcomed Guy Savoy to Las Vegas. The President of Caesar's was there to congratulate Chef Savoy and his crew. You can't go to Las Vegas without seeing a 'celebrity' and I met one. The minute I heard his voice I knew it was 'Robin Leach' of "Caviar Dreams and Champagne Wishes." Yes, the man who shot to fame on 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.' The dining room is very small. Not a lot of lavish decoration. The focus is on the food, not the decor. There were no more than 20 tables. There is a small semi-private dining room on one end of the room. We were served Rose'Champagne out on the small patio that overlooks the front of Caesar's Palace. They served us two little bites during the champagne reception. One was a tiny little burger of Kobe beef and foie gras served on silver spikes. The second little snack were small squares of buttered brioche with foie gras. I've heard that Guy Savoy only buys his truffles and foie gras from a vendor in France. I believe it. Now you will get a laugh at my expense for what I did as I was sitting down at my table. I spilled my champagne! That's right, the guy from Spokane who was at the dining event of his life knocked a crystal flute of champagne all over the table at one of the top French restaurants today! The staff couldn't have been more gracious. You know what they did? They didn't just pull off the service and replace the table cloth. They literally picked up the entire soiled table and took it away. Then they brought a freshly set table out from the back! My God that is service! I was seated at a table of four. And while we began as strangers, we quicly bonded through our mutual love of food. One man was from Chicago and was a serious home cook with an interest in fine restaurants. Another man was a Las Vegas resident who owned a company that sets up AV equipment at trade shows. His wife wasn't able to come to dinner because she was "at her belly dancing lesson." Our fourth guest was a lady who is the Director of Food and Beverage at the MGM. She was at Guy Savoy partly for personal pleasure but also professionally so she could check out the competition. This is a lady who counts Joel Robuchon and L'Atelier at the MGM as part of her stable of restaurants. The 'Amuse Bouche' was a sampling of three tiny bites served on a tiny, Asian style spoon set on a glass plate. This is a 'Tuna Tartare.' Mind you, I was new to the digital camera world, I had plenty of champagne, and I was still nervous that I was dining at such a prestigious event. I had gotten over soiling the table, but I still didn't get good, clear photos. Hey the photos weren't as important as enjoying the event. A second champagne was served with this course. Sorry, didn't get the name or vintage. This is a crispy little escargot. My favorite of the three was this tiny little 'Lobster Roll' with a spoonful of lobster foam on top. This is "Colors of Caviar" served with "Moet, Millesime Blanc, Champagne, 1999." Our third different champagne by the way! The green layer was a puree of green beans. You don't really notice the layer of Iranian Sevruga Caviar under the top cream layer. Delicious. "Peas All Around and Poached Egg" served with "Lucien Albrecht, Cuvee Romanus, Pinot Gris, 2005." You have never tasted such intense, Spring pea flavor. The clear pea essence in the bottom of the bowl was a 'pea jelly.' This was my favorite dish, "Crispy Sea Bass with Delicate Spice" served with "Joseph Drouhin, Meursault, 2004." I asked the wine steward if he was familiar with the Joseph Drouhin winery in Oregon and he said that "Yes, Mr. Ross, it is the same family but this is one of their wines from France." The little rows of spices on the edge of the plate were intended for dipping with the fish. There were a few tiny fresh shitakes and the white vegetable you see are braised stalks of chard. This doesn't look as good as it tasted. It is "Artichoke and Black Truffle Soup, Toasted Mushroom Brioche and Black Truffle Butter." Dear God! Kill me with more brioche, butter and truffles! The slices of truffle in the soup were huge. They poured a "Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet, Monthelie Les Duresses 2002." And we aren't even at the 'main' entree yet! Before they carved the main entree, the waiters paraded through the dining room with huge wooden cutting boards. Each board held a Rack of roasted Veal. There were a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary adorning the veal. The waiter came to our table and bent down so we could view the veal. Imagine that. They wanted to have our approval of the rack of veal before they carved it. The veal was served with Spring vegetables and Black Truffle Mashed Potato Puree. Shoot me now. I have probably eaten $500 dollars worth of French black truffles already. Two waiters came to the table a few moments after the entrees were served. One waiter held a small copper stockpot of the potato puree. "Would you like more potatoes Mr. Ross?" The other waiter offered me "more sliced veal and veal jus for you Mr. Ross?" "Roasted Veal Chop, Black Truffle Potato Puree, Young Vegetables," served with "Jean-Luc Colombo, Cornas, Les Mejean, 2001." Throughout dinner, a waiter strolled through the dining room offering the guests selections from 'The bread cart.' Yes, Guy Savoy has a bread cart. There were too many choices to try them all, but the most unusual bread was made with fresh seaweed. It was quite good with the Sea Bass course. We didn't have the pleasure of enjoying the Savoy cheese cart, but we did have three dessert courses. Two were listed on the menu. The third dessert was very special and wasn't on the menu. The first dessert was "Chocolate" served with "M. Chapoutier, Banyuls, 20003." There were three different variations of chocolate on the plate but I honestly can't remember what they were. I will mention that throughout dinner the waiters were more than generous with the wine pourings. When you order the wines that accompany a tasting menu you often find the waiter limits each wine to about three fingers in the bottom of the glass. Not Savoy-they graciously refilled your wine glass when it was empty and we are talking about very expensive wines. The second dessert was "Raspberries and Litchi Like a Vacherin." Ahh, a chef who knows the fragrance of a fresh Litchi. The dessert was served with "Domaine de Coyeus Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, 2003." This was a dinner to remember for a lifetime.

Bryan-very good report. I like your photos and the insightful comments on your dining experiences in Las Vegas. For those of us who love the Las Vegas dining scene it is always interesting to read about the experiences of others who have supped in some of the finer dining rooms in Las Vegas. I agree with you that Jean Phillipe is a 'good pastry shop,' but that it wasn't as good as you expected. I found the same in my trip there in May. The servers at the shop don't seem to have an understanding or knowledge for the high-quality pastries they are selling. Most of their time is taken up with filling ice cream orders. I found the pastry cases nearly empty and I got blank stares when I requested a couple of pastry choices from the meager offerings that were left. Don't try to ask what the ingredients are or how a particular pastry is made-the help may not have a clue. And like you, the pastry that I was interested in buying was not available-even though the sign describing that particular pastry was still in the case. NOTE TO BAKERIES: If you're open for business in Las Vegas at 830pm on a Thursday night, you better have your cases properly stocked. If you are out of an item, take out the menu card. The quality of the baking is very good at Jean-Phillipe, but not good enough to encourage me to go back for another $12.00 bag of 4 macaroons. Here are a couple of photos from my May trip to the patisserie: The famous 'world's tallest' chocolate fountain: If you are going to be wed at Bellagio, Jean-Phillipe is happy to create your wedding cake:

David, Please, please, please... I just love fired oysters and can't find them often enough around here. How did you make them? Thanking you in advance and tasting them already. ← I'm happy to oblige. We get very fresh pre-shucked oysters that come in small containers. They are just fine for fried oysters-you don't need to go to the trouble of shucking live oysters. I but the 'petite' or 'extra small' size oysters. I think they give the best texture for fried oysters-little nuggets of oyster flavor that are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The oysters that are pre-shucked come from the Pacific Oyster company in Oregon. They aren't labeled by the variety of oyster like 'Kumamoto' or 'Hood Canal' but I don't think that matters as much as they are very fresh. The cooking method is simple, but also very precise so follow the instructions closely and you'll have great results. I drain the oysters in a colander and rinse them with cold water. This helps to wash off some of the slime from the packing jar. Not necessary and some might say it washes away some oyster juice but I like to rinse them. Then I dredge the oysters in a pre-seasoned fry mix. I buy either 'Krusteaz' brand which is made in Seattle or 'Pride of the West' made in Portland. You could make up your own seasoned flour, but I find the commerical products work better. I don't add any seasoning to the fry mix. I season the oysters AFTER frying. I don't like the seasoning to burn as the oysters fry. Once the oysters are dredged in the fry mix, I then put them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and put the oysters in the fridge for about an hour. This is a chef's trick and it helps the coating stick to the oysters. The oysters soak up some of the fry mix. Then dredge the oysters in the fry mix a second time just before frying. That's the key to getting a good crispy coating. On the above photo you may be happy, or disgusted, to know I fried the oysters in LARD! Yes, pork fat. I didn't have any canola oil, my usual frying oil, on hand. I like the bland of canola oil for frying. Peanut oil is the preferred frying oil of some, but I don't like the strong taste, especially with oysters. I want the oyster to star in the taste of the dish. I use a non-stick frying pan and fill it with about 1/2-3/4" of oil. I use a thermometer to make sure the oil gets up to 350 degrees. Take the oysters out of the fridge, dredge them a second time, shake off the excess coating mix then into the hot oil. I fry the oysters about 2 minutes per side. I poke the little buggars to make sure the outside is crispy and golden brown before I take them out of the hot oil. I don't recommend others put their fingers in hot lard. I then drain the oysters on a cookie rack-NOT paper towels. You don't want any part of the oyster to sit on a paper towel-the bottom will get soggy. Drain the oysters on a rack first, season them, then you can serve them on a plate lined with a paper towel if you want. I season the oysters immediately after I take them out of the hot oil. I use Paul Prudhomme's Cajun Magic seasoning for seafood. Then a quick squirt of fresh lemon juice and they are ready to eat. I served the oysters with homemade tartar sauce. I make homemade mayonnaise and add capers and some Nalley's brand dill pickle relish. Using dill pickle relish is much easier than chopping up pickles by hand. Here's the recipe for the mayonnaise: 2 whole eggs 1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice 1 tsp. salt Fresh ground black pepper 1-1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil Place the eggs, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste in a blender. Process just until ingredients are combined, about 20 seconds. With blender running at low speed, slowly drizzle in the oil in a slow steady stream. Continue to add enough oil until the mayonnaise thickens. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Refrigerate the mayonnaise at least one hour before using to allow it to cool and the oil to set.

I'm wondering if Joshua was our 'bread boy' when I was at Guy Savoy in May at the private dinner for the Bon Appetit Food and Wine Focus. Fashionisto is a good term to describe bread boy if it's the same guy we had-his hair was preened into a spike in the middle of his head and he was wearing these white gloves that were too big for his hands. He tromped through the dining room holding these tongs in the little hands covered with the too-big white gloves. Comical for sure. I didn't care for the seaweed bread he offered with our caviar course, but I did like the salty pretzel bread. I had a couple of helpings of that choice.

Tonight-Fried Oysters with Homemade Tartar Sauce. I buy extra small or petite size pre-shucked oysters that are packed fresh from the Pacific Oyster Company on the Oregon Coast and then shipped throughout the Northwest. They are tiny and incredibly sweet and tender.

Good Lord, that is simply beautiful. Nice job.

By the way, I like to use my creamed corn recipe as a sauce with fresh seafood. I like to spoon some of the creamed corn in a shallow bowl and top it with a dungeness crab cake or a grilled salmon filet. I'll add that to the shopping list this week and make it next weekend so I can post a photo. Creamed corn is sounding better every minute.

I'm not sure if my recipe is close to the canned stuff, but I think it tastes much better. I'd probably say that canned cream corn was on my 'top three list of most hated foods' when I was a kid. The other two were canned peas and my Mother's stuffed green peppers. I still don't like canned creamed corn, but homemade creamed corn is wonderful. You can either smoke the corn on the cob like I do or just cut it straight off the cob without smoking it. Right now our corn is very sweet in the Northwest so I think I'll make some creamed corn myself next weekend. Hope you try this recipe: Smoked Creamed Corn 2 large ears sweet yellow corn 3 slices smoked bacon 1 cup heavy cream ¾ cup grated white cheddar cheese 1 tbsp. chopped fresh lemon thyme 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste Prepare the fire in the outdoor grill. When the coals are white hot, place the rack over the fire. Place the whole ears of corn on the rack. Note-Do not remove the husks from the corn prior to grilling. Place the lid on top of the grill and let the corn roast and smoke for about 20 minutes. The husks will turn black and look charred. This is normal. Some of the kernels of corn will also get charred. Remove the corn from the grill and let it cool to room temperature. Remove the husks and silk from the ears of corn. Using a serrated knife, cut the kernels of corn off the ear. Cut the slices of bacon into small dice. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon pieces until golden brown and crispy. Remove the bacon pieces from the pan and drain on paper towels. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the corn, bacon, cream, cheese, lemon thyme, sage, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. When the creamed corn begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low and keep the it warm until service. If the corn becomes too thick, add additional cream or water.