Las Vegas Weekly

January 12, 2010 · 3:24 PM

Strip Scribbles: Bobby, Mario and Emeril on Iron Chef America

By Robin Leach

Bobby Flay.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

Three Las Vegas celebrity chefs were chosen for the ultimate Food Network Iron Chef America showdown at The White House, and even first lady Michelle Obama took part by switching the secret ingredient to challenge the chefs to use the 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. garden produce to create the meal. Michelle told The Venetian star chefs Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse and Caesars Palace chef Bobby Flay to create a meal to inspire America. White House executive chef Cristata Comerford also was featured on the show.

Bobby and Cristata competed against Emeril and Mario. The ultimate war was a five-course challenge, and among the judges was six-time Olympic swimming medal winner Natalie Coughlin, who competed in last season’s Dancing With the Stars won by our Flamingo headliner Donny Osmond and pro partner Kym Johnson.

The Food Network Program VP Bob Tuschman said: “This is the most intense culinary competition we’ve ever shown. It’s awe inspiring to see what four master chefs can create from The White House kitchen garden. We are honored to showcase it on Iron Chef America.

Bobby and Cristata won the battle -- how else could it have been on such prestigious turf?! -- which aired Jan. 3 and can be seen in reruns. Meantime, foodies are boiling over today over a story about the episode using vegetable “ringers.” Lettuce not judge!

*Hot off the grill! Chef Wolfgang Puck is now less than a month away from opening his two food concepts at Crystals in CityCenter. Brasserie Puck will be his first French restaurant in nearly 30 years. Wolf, whose career began at Maxim’s and L’Oustau de Baumaniere in France, was executive chef and partner at the star-studded Ma Maison in West Hollywood before launching his first Spago. My pal Matt Dickerson moves from Postrio in The Venetian to be the GM, with Dustin Lewandowski in charge of the modern brasserie menu with Wolf’s interpretations of traditional French classics. Additionally, Wolfgang also is opening The Pods, a full-service light American cafe and bar.

*Another tasty tidbit! This week is the fifth anniversary of side-by-side Sushi Roku and Boa Steakhouse in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. To celebrate through Saturday, all dinner checks are slashed in half!

*Now that Elaine Wynn’s second divorce from hotel mogul Steve Wynn is final, she’s told my colleague Oskar Garcia of The Associated Press that she’ll focus on her charity work. She said the $700 million-plus in her share of the stock in Wynn Resorts didn’t jumpstart her new focus. Elaine is chairwoman of the national nonprofit Communities in Schools, and with Steve donated $1 million to our food bank Three Square. He’ll always be her partner in some way despite their two divorces, she said.

*The fourth annual Evening of Dreams at this year’s Miss America Pageant will be a Red, White and Beautiful theme that I’ll host at Planet Hollywood on Jan. 29, with entertainment by Miss America 2009 Katie Stam and Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2010 Jeanette Morelan. There will be performances and appearances by Miss America 1977 Dorothy K. Benham, Miss America 1979 Kylene Barker McNeill, Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle, Miss America 2000 Heather French Henry and Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap, who recently competed on The Amazing Race with her husband. There also will be a military tribute presented by Miss America 1985 Sharlene Wells Hawkes and Miss America Organization Chairman Sam Haskell III. Ticket reservations are being accepted by emailing EOD@missamerica.org.

More than 20,000 people have voted on which 2010 Miss America Pageant contestant best embodies “Green Is Gorgeous” in the interactive eco-contest hosted by GreenTwithTamara.TV. Host Tamara Henry has interviewed all 53 eco-chic contestants about what being green means to them, and voters can check out their answers and vote until Jan. 30. The 2010 Miss America Pageant hosted again by Mario Lopez airs on TLC on Jan. 30.

*The History Channel’s British production arm is headed here to, ahem, shoot a special with the fastest gunman in the world. Las Vegas fitness guru David Sandler is set to measure the speed of Bob Munden’s arm, hand and draw with firing a gun at various targets. Bob, from Butte, Mont., holds the Guinness World title with 18 records as the fastest draw and appears weekly on The Outdoor Channel’s Shooting USA Impossible Shots. He can split a playing card thrown in the air in two with his draw and fire. Amazingly, his left arm was torn apart by a machine gun in World War II.

*Congratulations to Bob and Rick Stinson, aka The Stinson Broz., who have landed at the Las Vegas Hilton on Mondays starting Feb. 8 with their Nothin’ But a Good Time with comedy, music, showgirls and impressions of Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffet, Jim Morrison and more. The brothers have relocated here from Nashville.

Star surveillance

The Paris really has an actual girl next door in Holly Madison, who dropped by from her neighboring Planet Hollywood headquarters with six friends for brunch at Mon Ami Gabi. Holly used her Twitter account to report her Glam Squad was enjoying a coffee love fest. … San Diego Chargers’ lineman Shawne Merriman was at B.B. King’s Blues Club in The Mirage for dinner, drinks and music twice over three days. … Oakland Raiders’ Javon Walker was in the main dining room at N9NE Steakhouse in the Palms last night with two friends.

Tonight’s tips

Season Three of TV Land’s High School Reunion features our Las Vegas Chaparral High School Class of 1989. Now 20 years after graduating, 16 classmates relive their high school glory days on a tropical reunion in Kauai. To mark tomorrow night’s premiere, all 16 classmates are celebrating at Lavo in the Palazzo. … Comedian Kivi Rogers headlines at Harrah’s Improv with Tom Segura and Daniel Leary through Sunday. … Las Vegas Rocks Cafe features Grammy-winning saxophonist Gary Anderson and his friends with a weekly jazz tribute show. … Sharam gets wild with a set at Blush in the Wynn. … Singer Jeremih perform his hits “Birthday Sex” and “Imma Star” at Pure in Caesars Palace. … At Moon in the Palms, there’s a $3,000 giveaway of True Religion leg wear for ladies, while DJ Produkt and Jeremy Espinosa man the wheels of steel.

Tomorrow’s teases

Caesars Palace headliner Cher, who is preparing for this weekend’s presenter duties at the Golden Globes in Hollywood, finds herself in a messy tangle with two Brits ousted from the children’s orphanage school they started in Africa that she funded. We’ve also got an interview with America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh and photos of the Las Vegas girl at the heart of the Tiger Woods scandal, plus all the latest revelations about another celebrity and nightclub group.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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