Vegas is everything you imagined: hedonistic pursuits and glittering casinos, bikinis and ball gowns, neon signs and pulsing laser lights.
So, not surprisingly, Vegas Uncork’d — demurely billed as a food and wine event — turns out to be a high-octane culinary roller coaster featuring rock star chefs, designer menus and even professional mermaids, who splash about happily in the swimming pools while the party unfolds.
This is a general view of the Grand Tasting at the 12th annual Vegas UncorkÕd by Bon Apptit Friday, May 11, 2018, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. CREDIT: Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
This is ‘The Grand Tasting’ at the 12th edition of the annual event by Bon Appetit, held at Caesars Palace’s Garden of the Gods, a decadent oasis of seven pools spanning almost five acres. The venue is filled with compact food counters, cooking stations and pop up bars. Guests are given a tray each, with a convenient slot to attach a wine glass. Despite the hurly burly Nevada wind — which periodically sends wine cascading down passing evening gowns, upsets trays of canapés and inverts icy cocktail glasses — chefs and servers tenaciously set out meticulously designed food.
Where the titans don’t clash
Bite into the unctuous zuke tuna wasabi salsa, served with sesame miso and crispy yuba from Chef Nobu’s eponymous restaurant, and it quickly becomes clear that every plate here is powered by a seductive blend of technique and star power. While it’s far too friendly to be a face-off between some of the world’s best chefs — there’s lots of hugging and clinking of glasses — Vegas Uncork’d is obviously an arena where everyone necessarily brings their A game, since comparisons are inevitable.
A giant ribeye serves as a centerpiece during the Grand Tasting at the 12th annual Vegas UncorkÕd by Bon Apptit Friday, May 11, 2018, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. CREDIT: Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
It helps that most of the chefs are at the venue, chatting about food, obliging selfie hunters and performing for the Instagrammers. The line-up includes plenty of familiar names and faces. Gordon Ramsay is here, along with charming Michelle Tribble, who won season 17 of Hell’s Kitchen and is now head chef at the newly-opened, perennially-packed Hell’s Kitchen restaurant in Caesars Palace. Legendary chef Nobu Matsuhisa is around. Petite Giada De Laurentiis poses for the cameras, while Susan Feniger energetically pedals her funky margarita-making bicycle and Guy Fieri strikes a dramatic pose with a lobster.
The event features more than 50 award-winning chefs, renowned sommeliers and inventive mixologists, as well as over 100 premium wines and spirits from around the world curated by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Nevada. Not surprisingly, the food is imaginative, ranging from the clean minimalism of Nobu’s umami quail to Black Tap’s exuberant, candy-studded bam bam shake, topped with fruity pebbles, pop tarts and laffy taffy rope.
For the soul
While there is a lot of innovative, modernist cooking that blends global techniques and cultures, like Japaneiro’s delicate seared Hokkaido scallop with foie gras and a plum wine truffled foie reduction, what stands out is the predominance of comfort food.
Guy Fieri’s station features old-school steak sandwiches. Gordon Ramsay has classic fish and chips as well as fried, sticky toffee pudding pops. Giada De Laurentiis’ servers distribute cheeky pink cake pops. And, of course, there are trays groaning with cupcakes topped with multicoloured sprinkles, dark chocolate and fluffy coconut.
during the Grand Tasting at the 12th annual Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit Friday, May 11, 2018, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. CREDIT: Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
The grand tasting is the high point of four days packed with food-related activities. Over the course of the festival, guests could buy tickets (priced at $555) to a seated dinner with Chef Nobu, featuring his signature Japanese-Peruvian menu, caviar, fresh-shucked oysters and Dom Pérignon Champagne. In Hell’s Kitchen, Chef Ramsay served up his celebrated beef Wellington. Meanwhile, the chefs of Thomas Keller hosted a four-course dinner paired with Californian wine, and chirpy Susan Feniger got all her guests dancing the salsa, powered by tacos and lubricated by tequila.
The day of the Grand Tasting, also featured ‘the ultimate steak and eggs breakfast’ by Wolfgang Puck and a demo by Buddy “cake boss” Valastro and his wife Lisa. Finally, there was a brunch at Giada’s, a multi-course meal by Guy Savoy and a ‘picnic at the park’, with chefs Masaharu Morimoto, the Voltaggio Brothers, Michael Mina, Julian Serrano etc.
No beat-up hampers, soggy sandwiches and flasks of tea here. Instead, designer food, live music and plenty of sunshine: Vegas style.
