Dining Profiles
Dining Profile
Table for 176?
‘Spoonbender’ Gina Gavan shares her recipe for social change
May 3rd, 2012
Gina Gavan’s e-mail signature reveals her as Project Dinner Table’s founder and “spoonbender.” I always assumed this had something to do with the way that she seems to cast a spell over chefs and local businesses, rallying them behind her annual series of six communal, farm-to-table pop-up dinners held April through November, usually outdoors and always benefiting local charities, so far to the tune of more than $44,000. Read more »
Cooking With
Julie Anne Hession
This is how the Las Vegas granola queen rolls
April 19th, 2012
If you’re someone who thinks granola is just for heath nuts and livestock, you’re not alone. You’re also in luck. All you vocal locavores, it just so happens that the most delicious granola I’ve ever eaten (and you’re hearing it directly from a huge fan) is made right here in Las Vegas from Utah oats, and it’s bound to change your opinion of the stuff. Read more »
Dining Profile
What’s Really in a Twinkie?
Local cookbook author Todd Wilbur cracks the culinary code on your favorite restaurant dishes
April 12th, 2012
When words such as “pink slime” and “carbon monoxide” start making headlines for being common food additives, it’s time for a hero like Las Vegas resident Todd Wilbur to swoop in and save us from the hidden evils of processed food. Read more »
Dining Profile
Burritos Are Just the Beginning
Chef Dave Samuels puts the new in New Mexican and the green chili into everything
March 29th, 2012
What’s new about Mexican food? It’s a question that Dave Samuels patiently answers often. That’s New Mexican with a capital N, he’ll say before explaining how this American cuisine is different from that coming from south of the border. Read more »
Dining Profile
It Pays to Be a Little Bad
Garfield’s banks on a wild-child chef to turn the lakeside Summerlin sleeper into a hit
March 15th, 2012
Jean Paul Labadie gives off a classic bad-boy vibe. He’s got that long hair, some well-toned and tatted muscles, and a touch of a Puerto Rican accent. So it’s surprising that Labadie stays so close to a management script when he starts talking about Garfield’s Restaurant. As general manager and executive chef, Labadie’s all business about upcoming promotions, how beautiful the verandah seating is and the changes he’s made in the past 10 months to broaden his clientele. Read more »
Dining Profile
The Intuitive Forager
Kerry Clasby’s sixth sense tells her downtown will be the next food-lover’s destination
March 1st, 2012
It’s 9 a.m. at the Bet on the Farm! farmers market, and Kerry Clasby is trying to procure a sample of burrata cheese, nipping at a crate of tender salad greens and singing the pleasures of fresh pea tendrils all in the same breath. “Taste the difference between these two strawberry varieties,” she insists, pointing to a table full of the crimson fruit. “I also want you to try a jar of my heirloom tomatoes. Have you ever had a strawberry guava? What about a caviar lime?” Read more »
Cooking With...
Julian Serrano
Proper Paella: From sofrito to socarrat, Aria’s resident Iberian dishes on how to make this iconic Spanish rice dish
February 23rd, 2012
When Julian Serrano was opening his eponymous tapas restaurant in Aria at CityCenter, he knew the paella was going to be very important to the menu. But as with many cuisines that have to appeal to the variety of palates that visit Las Vegas, Serrano had to tweak his paella to accommodate his guests. “In the beginning, we were doing paella like how they make it in Spain.” He wags his finger. “We are not in Spain.” Read more »
Dining Profile
Circo’s Next Act
The Bellagio restaurant’s new chef has a deft hand with beloved Maccioni family favorites
February 16th, 2012
Steve Wynn had to convince famed New York restaurateur Sirio Maccioni to open Osteria del Circo at Bellagio in 1998, but the restaurant has been a pillar of Italian cooking on the Strip ever since. Sirio’s oldest son, Mario, an elegant man who always looks good in a Brioni suit, has been at the helm from the start, despite changes in the kitchen. Today, the chef is the capable Michael Vitangeli, who worked his way up French-style, from cutting vegetables, and took over in the kitchen late last year. Read more »
Dining Profile
The Brothers Starkus
Together again, J.R. and Chris Starkus make RM Seafood a family affair
February 9th, 2012
Two years ago, J.R. Starkus thought his career had reached the proverbial next level. He’d landed a coveted bartending job at Aria. It came with corporate benefits. With the prestige of a hip new location. And weekends off. So what if tips didn’t turn out as generous as he expected? No problem, he’d round out his income with a second job at Todd English P.U.B. He liked the people there, both customers and co-workers. But something was off, and his younger brother Chris knew it. J.R.’s infectious energy was missing when they’d chat on the phone. Then Chris dropped in and watched J.R. behind the bar at the pub: “He was just opening bottles. I knew he was better than that.” Read more »
Dining Profile
The Truck Stops Here
Jolene Mannina trades in Sloppi Jo’s and popups for a lease and future downtown
February 2nd, 2012
One year ago, Jolene Mannina was finishing up her more than nine-year stint as a server at N9NE Steakhouse. Just before leaving, she opened Sloppi Jo’s, her food truck where she was sole owner, chef and marketer. Mannina recently sold the truck and told Vegas Seven that she is going permanent. Read more »
