Cheer Up With Food

One of the new Las Vegas restaurants to eat at is  Echo & Rig , located in Tivoli Village : One unique thing about this steakhouse is that they have butchers!  So if you really enjoyed their meats, you can learn more from a professional and bring some meat home: Echo & Rig specializes in assortment of steaks: We had heard that people raved over their Portobello Fries with Herb Aioli .  These thick slices of portobello fries were absolutely delicious!  This appetizer is worth trying: My friends got the  Bone Marrow Carne Asada : I wanted to try a vegetable appetizer, so I ordered the Pumpkin Squash, Rosemary & Brown Sugar.   It was nicely cooked by it not being soggy, and light in sweetness: Entree time!  These all cost $17.70, not bad for paying for fine quality meats.  I got to sample each of my friends' dishes and I could taste the freshness and juiciness in each of them, especially the lamb: I had the  Mary’s Chicken- 

Winter in Venice 2012 To all my food and wine enthusiasts out there, if you're planning on visiting The Las Vegas Strip in a couple months, there's definitely an event you must check out!  On December 5 to 8, 2013, The Venetian and The Palazzo will feature a four-day event, La Cucina Italiana Food & Wine Festival .  This event will be a part of Winter in Venice , a holiday festival.  La Cucina will feature Chef Mario Batali , Buddy Valastro , Dario Cecchini , Wolfgang Puck , Roberto Caporuscio , and Anthony Giglio . These four days will be packed of culinary events such as dining with Wolfgang Puck, how to make Italian treats, wine pairings with Carmelo Messina and Anthony Giglio, and a truffle hunt: Click to enlarge For more information on this event or suite packages , please visit http://www.venetian.com/winterinvenice  or call 866.641.7469 or 702.414.9000.

Last weekend I attended the  James Beard Foundation's   Taste America: Las Vegas  at  The Mirage Hotel & Casino .  It was a lovely evening at this poolside gala trying out different foods and drinks.  Check out my previous post for more info.  It was great seeing the cooks and executive chefs prepare and make foods from each of their stands: There was also a silent auction on one side and food and drinks  everywhere else! One of the stands from  Ristorante di Mare .  Executive Chef, Paul Barolotta . This ristorante specializes in Mediterranean seafood.  There were many drinks to sample including drinks from   Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada . These oysters were from GOIC  - the Gulf of Mexico.  They were fresh indeed! BLT Burger .  Executive Chef, Laurent Tourondel . From BLT Burger I had the 180 Burger - Peppercorn crusted bacon, smokey sweet BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, and sharp cheddar.  This came with Dirty Potato Chips