Epicurean Affair 2011

Epicurean Affair 2011

Written & Photos by Nikki Artale

For the second consecutive year, on May 26, 2011, the Nevada Restaurant Association held the Epicurean Affair at the Palazzo Resort Hotel in Las Vegas. The culinary event keeps getting better each year and as always the food is so delicious. Some of my favorites this year was the lobster balls, grilled octopus and the fresh oysters.

http://www.nvrestaurants.com/

Doors opened for the VIP guests at 6:00 pm and that allowed us to wander around the pool side without a large crowd, which came later at 7:00pm Which included the general admission.
It gave us a chance to talk to the chefs and sample their best dishes.

I was very impressed with Chef Luciano Pellegrini from Valentino’s Restaurant as he made one of my favorite dishes Gnocchi. He gave lots of tips on making the perfect Gnocchi and it was absolutely delicious. Chef Luciano came to America in 1985 from
Bergamo, Italy. He became Chef/Partner at Valentino Las Vegas in 1999.

In 2001 and 2003 Chef Luciano won the Epicurean Award from Las Vegas Live Magazine and has appeared on the Food Network and the Discovery Channel.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxElGP21m3M
The wine and cocktails flowed freely all night served by beautiful girls and young ladies who had their bodies painted by fabulous artists made the pool experience magical.

We were entertained by two young men in rubber suits who swam most of the night in the pool and a stilt walker who mingled with the crowd.

Some of the participating restaurants were Top of the World, Valentino, Hash House A Go Go, Il Mulino, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Nobu, Carnevino Italian Steakhouse and Max Brenner. There were over 75 restaurants showcasing their best dishes.

Max Brenner had the best chocolate cookies I ever ate and they also had faux syringes filled with melted chocolate, which I assume was to get an immediate chocolate fix by squirting the chocolate into your mouth. Oh my.

I will always be looking forward to the next event and I hope to see all of you there next year at the Epicurean love affair of food.