Vegas Uncork’d 2010 Masters Series Dinners – Caesars Palace

  Chef Guy Savoy in the Kitchen

Imagine you and fellow like-minded culinary enthusiasts are seated in the elegant dining room of your favorite Internationally renowned restaurant, listening intently as the restaurant’s celebrity chef walks you through the night’s specially created menu. This was the idea behind the Master’s Series Dinner Events that kicked off day one of Bon Appetit's Vegas Uncork'd 2010.  This year’s Masters’ Series events took place at Caesar’s Palace and highlighted the hotel’s famed chefs’ Bobby Flay, Guy Savoy, Bradley Ogden and Carla Pellegrino.

photo credit Isabelle Pleno

Before sitting down to a scrumptious meal at the restaurant of award winning chef and advocate of the Farm-Fresh and Organic movement, Bradley Ogden, we were treated to a whirlwind tour that gave us an exclusive sneak peek of the other events taking place that night. First stop on this special tour was the restaurant of Guy Savoy. We were fortunate enough to personally catch Chef Savoy in action, plating delectable dishes including Roasted John Dory accompanied with Asparagus and Citrus Sabayon and Poached Guinea Hen place on a bed of Basmati Rice and drizzled with Albufera Jus. The kitchen walk through experience left you wondering whether you were in an art gallery due to the beautifully presented dishes, or in fact behind the scenes of a top-notch and widely celebrated 2 Star Michelin French restaurant.

Frank & Carla Pellegrino

After the sensory stimulating kitchen tour, we relaxed by the classy narrow fireplace spanning the side-wall of Guy Savoy’s bar area long enough to take in the elegant yet contemporary environment. We were then promptly whisked off to the Masters’ Series Dinner over at the renowned Italian restaurant Rao’s, known for their home-cooked Italian meals bursting with flavor. We made it just in time to take a few photos of the Pellegrino and Straci families as well as catch Bon Appetit Restaurant Editor, Andrew Knowlton, give a welcome speech to kick-off the dinner and first night of the fabulous four-day food filled event. Guests lucky enough to attend this dinner were able to take home signed copies of Rao’s latest cookbook, “the Recipes from the Neighborhood” so they could try their hand at recreating the fabulous dishes at home.

Bradley Ogden & Todd Williams

Though it would have been lovely to stay and sample the beautifully plated Roasted Veal stuffed with Pancetta and Burgundy Truffles, it was time for our next and final stop, the sleek and modern restaurant of Bradley Ogden. At this point in the night after being tempted with the promise of a satisfying meal ahead of us, our stomach’s were ready to indulge, but not before one last kitchen tour and a chance to view the magic behind our anticipated meal for the night. In the kitchen, we caught glimpses of what mouthwatering dishes the night had in store for us.

At dinner, the Twice Baked Maytag Blue Cheese Soufflé served with sliced grapes, blue cheese, candied pecans and drizzled with Ver Jus Vinaigrette proved to satisfy our appetites just in time for the main courses to arrive. In all honestly, choosing between the Pan Roasted Alaskan Halibut, Duroc Pork Loin, and Roasted Petaluma Free Range Chicken as a main course proved to be very difficult- thankfully our new found friends at the dinner table (Average Betty and Food Wishes)were kind enough to let us sample each of their main courses.

Chef Ogden’s use of farm-fresh ingredients were the key elements contributing to the heightened taste and crisp flavors shining through each and every dish. Once our appetites were satisfied, the meal was still not complete without a selection of decadent desserts. To our delight, the night's indulgent desserts were able to appease a wide range of sweet tooth cravings- think Peanut Butter Trifle with Chocolate Chiffon CakePeanut Butter Cookies, a Banana Fosters Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream and Chocolate Clusters and layers of Vanilla Chantilly served with two petite and a creative assortment of five house made ice creams that worked to compliment the other two desserts.

The  Masters' Series Dinner tour as well as the meal at Bradley Ogden's was the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of a very exciting food-filled and star-studded weekend. The culinary scents, artfully decorated dishes, and good company served as evidence that this year's Bon Appetit Vegas Uncork'd was definitely the do-not-miss food event of the year.

Post by Isabelle Pleno for Food Fashionista

FTC Blogger Disclaimer: Food Fashionista was invited to cover this event by LVCVA

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