Cheer Up With Food

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, ...

When I heard that my friends wanted to meet up at the new local lounge,  Elixir  to watch a football game, I assumed this place would be like some neighborhood bars - a lot of drinks, but with subpar food... I was completely wrong!  Elixir had modern decor: Interesting drinks: The Elixir - This house specialty combines Absolut Citron Vodka, PAMA Liqeur, fresh lemon and Marasca Cherry Juice w/ candy garnish.  And foods that are made in-house including the breads, and their meats are never frozen: Buffalo Chicken Sliders w/ Fries - mildly spicy and a nice light meal to watch during the game. If you're looking for a different bar to watch a sports game, I recommend going to Elixir!  This lounge has a nice, chill atmosphere.  Also, their Happy Hour Specials have a lot to offer (there are new items that aren't in their site yet).

I finally had some time out of my busy schedule to read  Bless This Food by Adrian Butash .  This book shows various types of prayers/graces said about food from around the world.  I feel one should have an open mind when reading this.  Although cultures and religions differ from each other, one commonality that they all share is giving appreciation for the food that they eat.  Food nourishes our bodies, souls, and brings people together.  For that, we should be thankful!  What I like about this book is how the author wrote short backgrounds about most of these graces.  They all may be short in description, but very interesting... Especially if you're a history buff like me!  So if you have as much appreciation for food as I do, I highly recommend reading Bless This Food .

A breakfast/lunch joint that's worth giving a try is  Eat.  in Downtown.  This place caters to those who prefer traditional meals and to those who are adventurous.  Either way, these meals are wholesome!  Also, Chef Natalie adds a French culinary twist to her foods, using the freshest, sustainable, and locally-sourced, organic ingredients, whenever possible: Fresh-Brewed Passion Fruit Iced Tea- the flavors were wonderfully blended together. Beignets w/ Homemade Jam and Vanilla-Scented Mascarpone- our waitress suggested us to try these popular delights.  They were fluffy, not greasy, and the jam and butter complemented these beignets .  These are a must-haves! Downtown Benedict - poached eggs , turkey bacon, spinach, tomato and herbed hollandaise on a whole wheat muffin.  This is a healthier twist to a traditional dish! Huevos Montuleños - two eggs over easy with red and green chili, black beans, peas, feta, and sauteed b...

For Las Vegas Restaurant Week '13, my husband and I decided to go eat at  Michael Mina  in the Bellagio . Eating here was a wonderful experience!  Other than the food, the service was exceptional. For example, I liked how our waiter and servers told us the ingredients in each of our dishes.  I also preferred this menu instead of the a la carte menu.  Luckily, our waiter informed us that is menu always available as the  Sunset Menu .  This is a fine dining restaurant that's worth eating at on The Strip! Clockwise: Market Greens- This salad came with goat cheese , hazelnut butter, and pear.  The goat cheese stood out in a good way, it was delish! Heirloom Tomato  Soup- This soup was rich and tasted great with the toasted brioche , which I think had white cheddar cheese and prosciutto  on top of it. Phyllo  Crusted  Sole - This simple-looking dish came with  crab brandade , pea shoots, sauce dijon, and...

If you're interested in exploring other parts of Nevada or just want to get away from Las Vegas,  Pioneer Saloon  in Goodsprings is the place to visit!  This saloon was built back in 1913 and is full of history : Gate to the outdoor dining area Just walk on over to the general store next to the saloon and order your food. I got the Alaskan Salmon Burger.   The patty was grilled just right!  It came with addicting kettle chips and I got to choose my toppings.  The owner recommended me to try the ghost chili sauce with my burger.  I was hesitant to get it because I can't handle very spicy foods, but he assured me it wasn't that spicy... He was right, the sauce went great with my burger! Outlaw Chicken Nachos If you want to cook your own food instead you can rent a grill and they'll supply the food! Fire pit Loaded Gun Baked Potato-  I was still hungry and got this HUGE baked potato, I think the owner was...