Dining Profiles
Cooking With...
André Rochat
Feed your soul with hearty French farmhouse cuisine, served by the bowlful
January 26th, 2012
The most memorable dish I encountered last year wasn’t served in a tony on-Strip restaurant. And it didn’t come on a dish, but rather a nondescript white bowl, an appetizer prepared and served by students at UNLV’s ninth Chef Artist series dinner under the watchful eye of Las Vegas chef André Rochat. Read more »
Dining Profile
Have Cake, Eat It Too
This independent pastry chef’s true calling is to share his sweet passion with others
January 19th, 2012
It’s been nearly three months since Chris Hanmer was declared the winner of Top Chef Just Desserts Season 2, but he seems to still be on a high. He’s bubbly, energetic and excited about his hectic schedule: Presenting a showcase at the Food & Wine Cayman Cookout (part of his Top Chef prize), followed by consulting trips to Florida to discuss Kosher-for-Passover desserts, and in the midst of that, he still teaches classes at the School of Pastry Design, which he owns and operates. He’s the guy true sweets-lovers consult when they want to elevate their own dessert-making skills. Read more »
Cooking with...
Pete Ghione
Former casino executive chef fights cancer with cuisine, one delicious dish at a time
January 12th, 2012
It's not every day that you hear the words "lobster tail" and "truckloads" used in the same sentence. But that's the pairing Pete Ghione chooses when he thinks back to his days as executive chef at the Rio from 2006-08. "The concept in the casino is I fed 16,000 people a day," says Ghione, 32. "Nutrition wasn't much of a conversation by any means." Read more »
Trendspotting
What's Popping
Leave it to Las Vegas: An all-American treat gets a glamorous makeover
January 5th, 2012
Due to the popularity of her two-year-old Summerlin operation, local popcorn pioneer Laurie Sabol recently opened a second location in Green Valley. Her success is no surprise to artisan popcorn aficionados. Savory flavors such as jalapeño-ranch and loaded baked potato—chock-full of cheese and chives—make great game-day snacks, and seasonal specials such as pumpkin pie are a fun and crunchy alternative to the real thing. You can get your grub by the bag, box or tin, but we'd suggest the latter for taking advantage of refill discounts. And you will be back for more. Read more »
Cooking With...
Akira Back
Yellowtail’s executive chef demystifies the delicious, healing elements of Korean cuisine
December 22nd, 2011
Akira Back has a deep respect for the ingredients given by Mother Nature, and he uses them not only to create innovative Japanese cuisine that tastes great, but to improve the way his diners feel. Read more »
Dining Profile
Chef’s Table to Your Table
Bradley Ogden’s new cookbook has the holidays on lock
December 15th, 2011
This holiday season, with help from renowned chef Bradley Ogden, you can give your menu a little more dazzle. His new cookbook, Holiday Dinners With Bradley Ogden (Running Press, $30), shares with home cooks his recipes and techniques for holiday favorites. “I’ve been cooking holiday meals for years, mostly in restaurants,” Ogden says, “and these were special events not only in others’ lives, but in my own life as well.” Read more »
Dining Profile
Family Matters
At her sister’s Bratalian, chef Alessandra Madeira shines entirely in her own right
November 24th, 2011
If Italian dining is supposed to be about the camaraderie of eating with family, then Alessandra Madeira has always been in the right place. As chef de cuisine of Bratalian in Anthem, Madeira gets to see more locals and their families, rather than the ebb and flow of strangers that chefs would usually encounter on the Strip. Cooking for and with family has been the path that has led her to her post today. Read more »
Cooking With ...
Carlos Enriquez
The Block 16 executive pastry chef shares his very Vegas twist on an American classic
November 3rd, 2011
Some might say that Carlos Enriquez has just had his 15 minutes of fame. Last month, after surviving eight weeks of competition on Bravo’s Top Chef: Just Desserts, the Block 16 Hospitality Group executive pastry chef was eliminated from the show and sent back to the real world. Read more »
Dining Profile
How Spicy Tuna Rolls
Chef Eddy Lee keeps customers coming back with his fresh, small-batch sushi
October 27th, 2011
Las Vegas is probably one of the only cities where sushi bars boast dishes called “Tastes Like My Ex-Girlfriend.” Some guests just aren’t interested in traditional Japanese nigiri sushi and sashimi, but instead seek creative combinations of raw fish with other flavors, textures and spices. Which is why Edwin “Eddy” Lee has built himself a following at Spicy Tuna, the intimate restaurant tucked into a strip mall next to Trader Joe’s, at 10345 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson. Read more »
Cooking With ...
Bruce and Eric Bromberg
The Cosmo’s culinary brothers welcome autumn with seasonal side dishes
October 20th, 2011
Bruce and Eric Bromberg acquired their love of food while accompanying their globetrotting businessman father on his travels, and we are the beneficiaries. The concept for Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill sprang from the original Blue Ribbon in Greenwich Village, N.Y., an eclectic restaurant that still offers terrific versions of matzo ball soup and fried chicken. Cosmopolitan CEO John Unwin agressively recruited them, and today, big brother Eric remains mostly in New York City, while younger brother Bruce has relocated to Las Vegas with his wife and children. Read more »
