nightscotsman

Rosemary's was at the Rio, but is now closed. $40 for a cab ride? Might as well rent a car - then you could take a nice side trip to Red Rock Canyon (only about 20-30 minutes from the Strip), or Hoover Dam. All the reviews I've read of Aureole say the food is very good to wonderful, but that the service is rude and neglectful. You'd think they'd get the message.

Excellent post and well put, Wendy! I completely agree with both of your points here.

Of your list, I've only eaten at Michael Mina (formerly Aqua) and Fix. Michael Mina was upscale, sophisticated, and very good, but I have to say I wasn't blown away for the price. Fix is much less expensive (and less ambitious), but very good (we make their desserts ). Fix is currently running a pre-show special: 3 courses for $40 with two or three choices for each course, served 5:00-6:00 pm. If you do make it to Lotus of Siam, do NOT leave without ordering the mango with sticky rice for dessert if it's available. It may not sound like much, but it's one of the best desserts I've ever had. Be warned that the food can be very spicy. At most Thai places you can order dishes on a hot and spicy scale of 1-3 stars. Lotus of Siam goes up to 10 with 1 begin hot.

The isolmalt version is a little cloudy partly due to the fact it has lots of tiny bubbles surounding the larger ones - it's almost foamy. That's what also makes it very fragile. The other types are mostly larger bubbles.

Hi cook456 - I assume you've already checked out some of the other threads on Vegas dining such as: Fair-priced decent eating in Las Vegas Nov. in Vegas Some details might help us to help you. What is the size and age range of your party? What kind of food do you like? Do you want to stay on the Strip or venture farther out? What hotel are you staying at?

The bubble sugar at the top left of this piece was done with the acohol method: This stuff was done with isomalt between silpats in the oven: And the red "coral" at the back of this mess of sugar was done with the crinkled parchment method:

My first reaction is, of course, EEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUWWWW! But when you think about it, ketchup is mostly sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) with vinegar and spices anyway. I'd bet that if you tasted several blindfolded, you would have a hard time detecting any tomato at all.

I'm afraid I have to mostly agree with Lesley C. The Gourmet cake may be coffee and chocolate flavored and even taste wonderful (I've got no problem with that), but it ain't an Opera. Just like a Pilsbury Crescent Roll is most definitely not a croissant.

You just made my day! I'm still waiting to see the Virgin Mary in the bottom of a blind baked tart shell...

pate a' glace is chocolate made with vegetable fat instead of cocoa butter. Otherwise known as "dipping chocolate" or "summer coating". Since there's no cocoa butter, you don't need to temper it and it's very liquid when melted, though of course the taste is dull and one-dimensional.

I was not asked to sign any kind of non-disclosure agreement when I started at Bellagio. In fact, they insist that you make your own copies of the recipes we work with so the production book stays clean and organized. I don't think they see the stuff they do as reproducable by any of their direct competitors without a huge investment in staff, equipment and ingredients, so they aren't worried about the recipes getting out there. Although they've said nothing to us about not divulging techniques or recipes, I personally wouldn't feel right about posting them publicly. Will I use the recipes if and when I move on to another job? Well... yes, probably some of them. I guess I think of them as part of the skill set that I've learned through experience and hard work. A similar issue came up many times in my old career as graphic designer. When a designer moves to a new firm, they of course have a portfolio full of pieces they did at their old job. Is it OK for their new bosses to show that work as part of the firm's portfolio since the designer that produced them now works for them? Or is the work a product of the the former firm's group effort that the designer was only a part of. Most firms will show the work if the designer did at least the majority of work on the piece, though I have had some question the ethics of the practice.

It has to be pure alcohol - if it has any water in it the set bubble sugar will be sticky, and liquors like vodka do contain a percentage of water. Rubbing alcohol works fine.

There is also a third method for making bubble sugar other than the two-silpat or alcohol versions above: Cook sugar, isomalt or combination using whatever recipe you use for poured sugar. Take a sheet of parchment and wad it tightly into a ball. The idea is to create a fine network of bumps and creases. De-wad the paper and spred it flat on a sheet pan. Pour some hot sugar along one short edge and lift up that side of the paper to let the sugar flow over the wrinkled parchment. The main down side to this technique is that it's sometime difficult to get the sugar to release from the paper in large pieces without breaking. Each of these methods will give you very different results and they are all useful depending on what look you need.

That actually sounds like a good idea. Not sure if the espresso would be too strong, though. You'll probably have to experiment a couple times to get the flavor you want. You could also try a couple teaspoons of instant espresso powder added to the plain vanilla recipe. To get a good honey flavor, I would replace all the corn syrup with honey. However, since honey is sweeter than corn syrup (and actually sweeter than sugar), the resulting marshmallows may be very sweet. Maybe try replacing some of the sugar as well as some of the corn syrup? If you do try using honey, make sure to use a large pan to boil it it - honey has a lot of inpurities that will cause it to bubble up dramatically.

Very similar. I think bakers (similar to pastry cook) at Bellagio maybe make a few cents less, though still about $15 an hour. Sounds like the Bradley Ogden job is covered by the Union as well. When you add in all the benefits that you might have to pay for yourself at other places, the total compensation is actually higher. I went to the French Pastry School on my own and ended up at the Bellagio at the recommendation (and extremely helpful reference) of my teacher Jacquy Pfeiffer. My original plan was to go into restaurant pastry work, but after learning more about the program at Bellagio and visiting the kitchen myself, and also doing a couple stages in restaurants, I realized I would learn far more in a much shorter time in Vegas. I certainly don't plan to make this my permanent home, but it's OK for now and I'm planning to stick it out to learn and get all the experience I can. Actually, Chef Maury has no connection to the French Pastry School other than being friends with Jacquy. Those French pastry chefs really do stick together.

I made cinnamon marshmallows a few months ago using ceylon true cinnamon which has a very subtle, complex flavor with very little bite. I think I used about a teaspoon for a half batch. I really liked the flavor and they were perfect in hot apple cider - didn't even have to spice the cider since the marshmallows already had a lot of flavor.

That was my reaction EXACTLY. Oh, how I wish I got that channel so I could see this for myself! I also completely agree with the two completely different personality types in the kitchen. I don't want to perpetuate the us-vs-them situation, but It's amazing how you can tell after watching a person work for a just short time where they belong.

Ah, welcome to the corporate hiring process. It took over six weeks, from interview to official job offer, for them to work me through their system. When they tell you it's time for the drug test you'll know you're in (assuming you pass, of course) Don't know why there might be a hiring freeze. They just did a big promo with current employees touting all the new opportunities opening up with the new tower. Unless it's because people already working here get first crack at the new jobs. By the way there are two new restaurants opening in the "Spa Tower" along with the JPM Pastry shop: "Sensi" (exec chef Martin Heierling) and "Tuscany Kitchen" (supposedly a demonstration kitchen with classroom seating).

Isn't Cap Fruit puree pasturized? Maybe that would take care of the enzime?

Huh? Granted cake flour doesn't have much nutritive value, but it's certainly not swill. Care to explain your comment?

We use Mascarpone in our cannoli filling along with the ricotta. Personally I'm not a big cannoli fan. However, the mascarpone mousse we make for the tiramisu, I could eat a vary large bowl of. It's just egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla whipped into mascarpone, then egg whites whipped with sugar folded in at the end. Right now we make a couple variations on the traditional coffee flavored tiramisu, but we used to do one with banana bread soaked in citrus syrup and fresh strawberries that was very good.

Of COURSE not ALL the action is in the morning - the afternoon folks work their asses off as well. But the morning crew gets to do most of the pretty finishing work. And you can make the creme brulee mix for us anytime you like, lepatissier.

OK, I just thought I would weigh in with the little bit that I've learned about gelatine: First off, I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but the sub-title of this thread is misleading - leaf or sheet gelatine is not "fresh". both it and powdered gelatine are essentially the same product just in different forms. I have read that sheet gelatine comes in at least a couple different strengths, though I only have experience with a single brand (that seems to gel the same as powdered), so I'm afraid I can't help much there. Most gelatine is derived from pigs, though fish gelatine is available and reportedly kosher. And don't believe anyone who tells you that sheet gelatine is flavorless while powdered isn't. In school we made an old style recipe for marshmallow that used a shockingly large amount of sheet gelatine and the pork flavor came right through the vanilla. Nas-ty. In school we also learned that when rehydrating or blooming gelatine, it is best to either soak briefly in cold water right before you use it, or if you want to pre-bloom it to use later, scale no more than 3 times it's weight in water to soak in a closed container. For example, you would use 30 grams of water to bloom 10 grams of gelatine. The reason is that if you leave the gelatine to soak in a big bowl of water it will contine to absorb more and more the longer it sits, thus adding more moisture to your recipe and affecting its outcome. Of course the ideal recipe includes the soaking liquid in the ingredient list so that there is no question of variability, but how often do we get ideal recipes? At work we purchase several different types of neutral clear glazes for various uses. I believe most of them are pectin and or vegetable gum based rather than gelatine based. At the recent IBIE show here in Vegas, I saw a new clear glaze called "Miracle Glacage" that really impressed me. The demonstrator was using the warmed product to glaze fresh strawberries and the look was a beatutifully thin, crytsal clear shine that set instantly. When I touched the surface it was soft, but not at all sticky - unlike the glaze we spray at work that is very fragile to the touch. On tasting I found the flavor completely neutral and only slightly sweet. The rep also said you could add flavorings or even chocolate for other uses. More info here.

Unfortunately your chances are slim to none. Official policy is we aren't allowed to bring anyone, including family members, back of house. However, the front of house people are trained to never say no to a guest, so if you are staying at Bellagio you might be able to talk the concierge into arranging something for you. And of course, if you drop a few thousand at the gaming tables they will be happy to take you anywhere you want to go. If you do talk them into it and you're interested in the pastry kitchen, the main action is in the early morning - the restaruant crew starts the earliest at 4:00 am with buffet coming in at 6:00 and banquets at 8:00.

Yes, but you have to pay a fee. And make a reservation.