11.20.09 · 5:20 PM

The Jet Stream: And then there were four

Wow, what a week of TC. Like I said before, it came down to fine-dining skills to make it into the Top 4. This must have been a tough week to leave for Eli. Coming this far and not making it to Napa. As we start to wind down the season it’s important, I think, to just take a moment and appreciate the level of skill of these cheftestants. With the multitude of chef competition shows out there, no one ... Read more...

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11.20.09 · 11:20 AM

Top Chef Episode 12: Culinary Olympics

Keep it simple, stupid. Often shortened to the acronym KISS, this half-insult, half-sound advice effectively sums up the road to success used in this week’s episode of Top Chef: Las Vegas. It’s a bit ironic, really, because none of this season’s prior challenges tested the chef’testants’ culinary skills (and nerves) quite like the Bocuse d’Or. Explained by chef’testant Jennifer Carroll as the “Olympics of Culinary,” the Bocuse d’Or is the championship of championships for chefs, bringing together the culinary elite ... Read more...

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11.13.09 · 12:04 PM

Top Chef Episode 11: Child’s play

“Child’s play.” That’s what guest judge Nigella Lawson called panna cotta on Wednesday night’s episode of “Top Chef: Las Vegas” right before sending Robin home for flubbing her version of the Italian dessert. I’d reserve “child’s play” for plates like mac and cheese and scrambled eggs, but then again, I’m not a British cookbook author with my own line of curvaceous kitchenware, and Robin, I suppose, is not a “Top Chef”-obsessed journalist who considers following a recipe with favorable results ... Read more...

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11.12.09 · 6:57 PM

The Jet Stream: The three stages of chefdom

With Robin finally eliminated, I think it’s time to reflect on the ones that didn’t make it and size up the remaining competitors. Now, we are into the final five, and it’s a strong group. Each of them has their strengths and weaknesses. Robin represents a lot of folks that have not been formally trained nor have worked enough fine dining or high volume/high exposure kitchens. It’s hard to explain, but there is that magic something that either going to ... Read more...

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11.11.09 · 2:32 PM

Tonight! “Top Chef” watch party with Las Vegas’ top chefs

Eleven weeks into Top Chef: Las Vegas, local fans probably haven’t gotten any closer to Bravo’s hit culinary competition than their living room TV set. As Weekly columnist Steve Friess addressed in a recent column, the show has been largely ignored by Las Vegas restaurants and chefs, even ones that have been featured this season. Unless you were invited to recent events with Rick Moonen of RM Seafood or Paul Bartolotta of Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, most Top Chef fans ... Read more...

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11.10.09 · 3:27 PM

Top Chef Odds Week 11: And then there were six

Top Chef is the kind of show that sneaks up on you. One minute a crowd in white coats and clogs are bumping into each other during frantic Quickfires, the next, the kitchen is nearly empty and every last morsel is being scrutinized. Coming into week 11, six chef’testants remain in the competition: bearded boy-next-door Kevin, almost-loving brothers Michael and Bryan, blonde and all-business Jennifer, Eli the youngster and is-she-really-still-here? Robin. At this point, their exhaustion is almost palpable. The ... Read more...

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Featured Cocktail

Cocktail of the Week Jun 12, 2013
by Sabrina Chapman

The Lion’s Tail cocktail at Embers is a spicy classic reimagined for summer

Refreshing, peppery and adventurous; those are the words that instantly come to mind upon first sip of the Lion’s Tail ($9) at Embers Grille & Spirits. This vintage cocktail, which ...
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