Posted on Dec 14, 2008 under Archives, Food and Travel News, Los Angeles |
Last Thursday evening the Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa held a press event to introduce their new California-bistro style menu for the Terrace restaurant. Chef de Cuisine Loren Lawe, along with the guidance of Executive Chef Denis Depoitre and Executive Sous Chef Christophe Pellier, created the menu with the intention of bringing new flavors to the hotel and the community. Pastry Chef John Quinn created the dessert menu.
Chefs Loren Lawe and Denis Depoitre
The new menu is comprised of an assortment of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pastas, entrees and “plateaus,” which are meals designed to share among two to eight people. Here are some pics of the new items on the menu:
Osso bucco with creamy polenta and fried parsnips
Western bone-in rib eye with roasted veggies and bearnaise sauce
Roasted duck confit with sweet yams, sauteed cabbage and duck rillette
ham black truffle macaroni and cheese
Slow braised short rib with pastroville artichoke and micro cilantro salad
Whole roasted chicken tagine and couscous
Pastry chef John Quinn showed us how to make sculpted marzipan desserts, here is our favorite – the teddy bear.
marzipan Teddy
Chef Quinn also created dozens of delicious and beautiful desserts, below is the stunning dessert table.
Dessert table at Langham
My friend Dalbert (seen above getting tea to the left of the table) and I selected these tasty treats to sample.
yummy desserts
You can listen to a short interview with chefs Lawe and Quinn on the interview link.
Posted on Dec 05, 2008 under Archives |
The Abbey Road Bar
Bringing the lyrics and spirit of the Fab Four to life, the Revolution Lounge offers guests a groovy boutique bar and nightclub. The lounge opened six months after the launch of LOVE, Cirque du Soleil’s fifth show on the Strip.
Sixty international artists and acrobats in LOVE bring life to the Beatle’s timeless music. The production takes guests through the psychedelic ‘60s and the history of the group, told through 26 of the Beatles’ songs with snippets from behind-the-scenes recordings from early album sessions at Abbey Road Studios.
Before his death, George Harrison met Cirque founder Guy Laliberte about producing a show centered around the soul of the Beatles. After his death in 2004, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison assisted in bringing Harrison’s vision to life on the Mirage stage.
Revolution Lounge (interior)
Revolution Lounge offers an extended Beatles experience before and after the LOVE show. Seven interactive VIP tables transmit guests’ drawings around the venue. DJ’s spin Beatles music as well as house, new wave, rock and pop as patrons on cushy loveseats and pink beanbags drink espresso martinis and Strawberry Fields cocktails.
A subtle Beatles motif permeates the venue, from the Yellow Submarine inspired portholes behind the bar to the 30,000 crystals adorning the ceiling. Before stopping in the Lounge, guests can grab a few drinks out front at the Abbey Road Bar or people watch through the 10-foot tall letters REVOLUTION (the L and E are reversed to show the word LOVE backwards) that comprise the bar and lounge’s front wall. The entrance features a wall of Beatles’ lyrics and quotes.
Revolution Lounge (exterior)
The new Tapis Rouge package lets Beatles fans further immerse themselves in LOVE. French for red carpet, Tapis Rouge includes VIP show tickets, a customized gift bag and an exclusive reception at Revolution Lounge with hors d’oeuvres and an open bar. The reception also includes access to trained staff who can share little known facts about the Beatles and the creation of LOVE as well as behind the scenes footage of the LOVE theater and more.
After lounging at Revolution, guests can cross the casino for a late night dinner at Stack. Curved wooden walls, shaped and stacked to resemble the Grand Canyon, surround diners at this contemporary steak and seafood eatery. The menu offers classic items with a creative twist, such as cheese filled adult tater tots, pigs in a blanket and shake and bake chicken wings as well as tiered shellfish stacks of lobster, prawns and crab, lamb shank and the cowboy steak. Here are a few pics from my latest visit to Stack (with my mom).
Crabcakes at Stack
Halibut at Stack
Creme brulee at Stack
Mom and me at Stack
Revolution Lounge
Mirage
3400 Las Vegas Boulevard South
702/692-8383
Open Monday to Saturday, 10 pm to 4 am
Cirque du Soleil’s LOVE
Tickets $93.50 to $150
Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
7 pm and 10 pm
702/792-7777
Tapis Rouge Tickets
$295
Posted on Dec 03, 2008 under Archives, Food and Travel News, Los Angeles |
Sharpen your culinary skills just in time for the busy holiday entertaining season with Celebrated Chef Charlie Palmer’s lively demonstration, showcasing his signature Progressive American Cooking.
When: Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Where: Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza; Lower Level Home Store, Demo Kitchen
Price: Free and open to the public. Seating will be reserved for guests participating in the dinner immediately following. For additional details, please call 714.824.4548
An intimate four-course dinner and wine pairing, hosted by Chef Palmer including a sparkling wine and canapé reception will immediately follow the demonstration at 7pm. Seating is limited to the first 20 guests to reserve a seat. $150 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. To make a reservation, please call 714.352.2525. Guests participating in the dinner will also have preferred seating during the demonstration.
Posted on Dec 02, 2008 under Archives, Uncategorized |
In The Real Deal!, the Venetian’s new poker-themed stage show, audience members get a chance to play against some of the world’s best poker professionals. The show features elements of a live game show along with comedy and celebrity participation, all centered around a game of Texas hold’em.
The Real Deal poker pros
Six lucky audience members are chosen at the beginning of each 90-minute show who sit at the poker table on stage with two poker pros. Revolving poker celebrities include Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth Jr., Antonio Esfandiari, Gavin Smith, Eli Elezra, Jennifer Harman, Phil Laak, Scotty Nguyen and Todd Brunson. Each theater seat is equipped with a wireless handheld touch screen device allowing every audience member to play along.
The audience members become the virtual ninth player, as every person in the theater is electronically dealt a hand on the device to go along with the cards dealt onstage. Big screen monitors keep track of the action.
Each audience member starts off with 100,000 points. At the end of the show, the surviving professional player and the final amateur from the original six are joined by the audience member who accumulated the most points in a showdown.
“You don’t have to be a poker player to enjoy The Real Deal,” said Merv Adelson, co-creator of the show. He explained that audience members can add to their total by making simple bets, such as the suit of the next card, via the handheld devices.
“I think it is a great concept,” said Doyle Brunson. “We are committed to the fact that we are trying to establish contact with the audience and are also having a good time.”
Poker legends Doyle Brunson and Scotty Nguyen during our interview
Fellow poker pro Scotty Nguyen agrees. “I love being able to play against my friends in a more relaxed environment. I can really relax and get a chance to meet some of my fans.”
Adding fuel to the poker fire is the show’s comedic talent, hosts Paul Rodriguez and Vinny Favorito. “I love to play poker. The combination of mixing comedy with poker, plus the opportunity to work with a live audience was an opportunity I could not turn down,” said Favorito, who also performs a nightly comedy show at the Flamingo.
Audience members will be awarded prizes, from logo merchandise to jewelry to plasma screen televisions, at random and for play performance. At the end of the show, a $1 million grand prize jackpot will be up for grabs when select audience members are dealt a royal flush.
The Real Deal! Plays six days a week at the Venetian Showroom in Las Vegas, with shows at 5 pm and primetime performances at 8 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Tickets start at $75 and VIP packages, including an opportunity to meet the stars after the show
