Oh, Vegas. The bright lights, big city, sounds of ding-ding-dingity-ding in every direction. I don’t make it there often, but when I do, it always amazes me how there seems to exist a full-fledged metropolis within an metropolis, an excess of eating, imbibing, and miscellaneous debauchery all along one long strip. It’s warmly reminiscent of a time gone by full of Frank Sinatra and dollar buffets, replaced instead with flashy hotels of every theme and size packed to the gills with guests and business people alike – and one of …

Stephanie Izard took to the kitchen at an early age and hasn’t looked back.
An accomplished chef before she ever graced the screen as a “Top Chef”, Izard stepped more into the spotlight after winning Bravo’s culinary competition in season four. Already a restaurateur pre-television, she began hosting pop-up dinners around her home city of Chicago shortly thereafter, tagging it ”the wandering goat dinner series” and offering diners a preview of what was to come of her next restaurant. The dinners, held in secret locations throughout the city, turned out to …

Early Friday morning, I joined fellow Beaver Creek Master Chef Classic guests in a breathtaking hike (both literally and figuratively) for the day’s Snowshoe Excursion and Luncheon. Along the same path as its summertime equivalent, the Walk & Wine, our adventurous snowshoe group worked up a hearty appetite descending down the mountain to the beautiful Grouse Mountain Grill for the afternoon’s featured luncheon.
Accompanied by Grouse Mountain’s executive chef, David Gutowski, guest chef Stephanie Izard, owner of Chicago’s Girl & the Goat, offered up a menu of goat-filled dishes. Izard, a …

After my first visit to the Vail/Beaver Creek area last August to cover the Beaver Creek Wine & Spirits Festival, I was thrilled to be invited by the fantastic folks at Vail Resorts and the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch to cover the 2011 Beaver Creek Master Chef Classic, presented by Bon Appetit Magazine. Often choosing sun over snow, it was certainly a marvelous new experience to venture to one of the highest-rated winter destinations in the U.S. to enjoy the some of the finest food and wine the area has to …

Even with hiking shoes on, I was pleased to see that the four-mile hike was a downward slope. High in the mountains of Beaver Creek, Vail’s sparkly snow-driven sister, I was happy to find that the town’s tagline – Not exactly roughing it – equated into a Walk & Wine that was just my speed. Along with my “hiking” buddies, I leisurely made my way down to the Grouse Mountain Grill for my first event of the weekend’s Beaver Creek Wine & Spirits Festival sponsored by Bon Appetit. After being …

Over the weekend, it was Vegas Uncork’d time – one of the biggest and best gourmet food festivals in one of the best food towns in the country! Now in its fourth year, the weekend-long event continues to grow round, showcasing local favorites as well as many of the big names in the industry.

While a few cooking demonstrations took place on Thursday, the main event was Friday evening – the Grand Tasting at the lush Caesars Palace. Just imagine the food court at your local county fair, but with all …

And the lists just keep coming!
Food mag Bon Appetit has assembled a short list of their ‘Best Foods of The Year’ to round out 2009. A few of their faves: top dish – meatballs (if you’re ever in Seattle, make sure you stop in at Spring Hill for their heavenly Monday night meatballs), cuisine of the year – Austrian, ingredient of the year – Sriracha hot sauce. And food allergy activists take note! They’ve curiously picked gluten-free pasta as the ‘health food of the year’.
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Australian restaurant reviewer Pat Nourse has …

I was a bit surprised when Las Vegas sommelier William Sherer mentioned how difficult it is to get Australian and New Zealand wines on his wine list. In the dining room of a bonafide white tablecloth restaurant serving decadent foie gras and champagne, you’d think most wine and spirits distributors would be clamoring to have their beverages poured. Not so, says the wine director of Charlie Palmer’s Aurole.
“For some reason, they don’t want their wines in Vegas,” Sherer explained.
My fellow guests and I wondered if perhaps the vision of the …

In an article published over the weekend, writer Michael Moss of the New York Times put a face to the ongoing failures of the U.S.D.A. inspection system. The article features the story of Stephanie Smith, a 22-year-old children’s dance instructor who survived a vicious E. coli experience that put her in a coma for nine weeks and left her paralyzed. Moss traces the route of the tainted meat before it finally reached Smith and her family in 2007 – and it’s not pretty. The disturbing facts highlight the lack of …

Beer drinkers unite! We’ve entered the holiest of holy holidays for beer drinkers around the world – Oktoberfest! While the main festivities take place in Munich, Germany, there are plenty of other spots around the countryside to get your drink on!
Can’t make it across the pond? Why not trek to any of these five locations to enjoy your yearly beer-a-palooza?
1) Leavenworth Oktoberfest (WA) – I’ve heard great things about this local Oktoberfest. Starting next weekend, they’ll have events for three weekends in a row. Food, drink, music – and a …

I was all set to write a long post about how I just haven’t figured out why so many people are ga-ga about food carts and trucks these days – from having their own to eating at the recommended spots. For some reason, I haven’t been able to wrap my head around anything other than images of old-school New York hot dog carts with questionable food handling practices.
However, I ventured out this week for my first food truck experience, and I can safely say that I was impressed by the …

Oy! Whatever will we do without Bruni? In case you missed it, the big food news of the week is regarding New York Times and Diner’s Journal writer Frank Bruni. According to the Times announcement, after five years at his regular post, Bruni is leaving to focus on personal writing projects, like his upcoming memoir, and settling into more of a writer-at-large role for the Times’s Sunday magazine. Needless to say, food blogs across the interweb are all a-twitter, not only with the announcement but as to who will be …

What a weekend indeed! So many wonderful people, so much wonderful food, so many wonderful cocktails! It’ll be hard to top in 2010, but I’m willing to check it out.
My last few pictures and notes from the 2009 Vegas Uncork’d event:
1) I had a great time at Friday’s Culinary Workshop: A Passion for Pasta with Executive Chef Carlos Buscaglia of FiAMMA in the MGM Grand. Chef Buscaglia demonstrated a whole host of fabulous pastas, including gnocchi with a black truffle crema, short rib raviolini, and a yummy panna cotta.  The …

Posted by Jennifer Heigl
As an organic advocate, I was very interested in attending the recent ‘Farm to Table’ panel at the Vegas Uncork’d festival. Top chefs, including Bellagio Executive Chef Edmund Wong and sustainability advocate Rick Moonen, discussed the importance of supporting local and sustainable farms by designing menus that feature those food items. However, during the panel discussion, Bon Appetit’s Restaurant Editor, Andrew Knowlton, posed a great question:  If you had the choice to purchase organic asparagus from another country or locally grown asparagus, which would you choose? Hands …

Posted by Jennifer Heigl
One of the things that I’ve loved most about the Vegas Uncork’d event is the personal interactivity. From blackjack to cocktails to the Ultimate All-Star Interactive Luncheon, it’s really been a great opportunity to rub elbows with culinary stars while learning a few tricks of trade.
Saturday’s Ultimate All-Star Interactive Luncheon was the ultimate in audience participation. Hosted by super business woman Elaine Wynn and Bon Appetit’s Barbara Fairchild, the event included five courses, each demonstrated and hosted by top chefs, with cooking stations and assisting chefs at …