Las Vegas Uncork'd

The Guardian reviews restaurants in Las Vegas.

Article: Dining in Vegas's gilded cage

And if the restaurants are pulling out the stops to get your custom (they've just this month announced "date nites" with $40 menu deals at Charlie Trotter's, Wolfgang Puck's and Mario Batali's), that doesn't touch what the troubled hotels will pull to bring you in - there were "pay the temperature" deals recently. So, if it's ever appealed, this is the time to go. And if it hasn't, and you're fond of food, perhaps it should, as I discovered on a whirlwind tour of some of the top spots participating in [the annual food festival] Vegas Uncork'd.

Blog Post: Vegas bites back

In preparation, I had asked the two greediest men I know where to seek out something a bit less Michelin and was advised by belly number one, Jay Rayner to visit a crumbling strip joint to try Lotus of Siam, which does sound bloody good (I think you can probably read more about that in some book he's punting), while mouth number two, Simon Majumdar, recommended Rosemary's. I didn't make either and it's been haunting me ever since, as they both look well worth the effort.

...

So go on, make me weep at this hungry hour of the day; what else did I miss out on from being such a flipping lightweight culinary woose?

Website: Vegas Uncork'd

Entertainment has always been the toast of the town in Las Vegas—that is, at least, until today’s hottest chefs stormed the city just a few years ago. Now, the Vegas fine dining scene rivals that of any other major metropolitan city in the world and provides just as much reason to visit the desert oasis as taking in a great headliner or the scintillating nightlife.

Melbourne Larder: a blog.

Blog: Melbourne larder

This blog belongs to a newcomer who sat in on the meeting last night.

Food and wine are an essential part of life for me. I live in Melbourne, Australia, with my husband, son and daughter and I love visiting Melbourne's numerous and ever-proliferating cafes, restaurants and bars, as well as our fabulous markets and culinary shops.

Great Writers on Great Food

Article: Great Writers on Great Food.

The smell of garlic, the horror of raw egg, the joy of a perfect Bolognese, the memory of a madeleine... four leading American writers on unforgettable dishes

They're not that great, but they're not awful either.

Film food

Article: Foods to eat with your favorite movie

No recipes here, just a list of suggestions.

"Crash" (2005)

Watch: Collisions, carjackings, shootings and other trademark Los Angeles happenings connect more than a dozen characters over a 36-hour period.

Eat: A "double-double" burger — double meat, double cheese, a signature car consumable from In-N-Out Burger, the city's iconic fast-food joint. If you can't make it to Los Angeles, let McDonald's stand in or make your own. Wash it down with a chocolate milkshake.

Top 10 Food Blogs & a Restaurant Review

Article: Top 10 Food Blogs from around the World.

As chosen by Simon Majumdar at The Times.



Restaurant Review: Ah, the mortadella, the formaggi, the meatballs ...

The Independent reviews Giuseppe, Arnaldo & Sons.

Even Gordon Ramsay is heading Down Under, opening a branch of Maze in Melbourne's Crown Casino complex in 2010.

Ramsay knows that while spectacular rainforests and outback deserts are all well and good, the best food hugs the urban coastal fringes of this sunburnt country. By modelling itself on Las Vegas, Crown Casino has already snared the cream of Australian cheffery, including Rockpool's Neil Perry, Paul Bocuse-trained Philippe Mouchel, and the Sydney Opera House's Guillaume Brahimi, as well as being home to Nobu's first Antipodean outpost. I'm currently on walkabout here myself, camping out at its most intriguing new opening, Giuseppe Arnaldo & Sons.

Crème Fraîche. Risoni. Crown's Cooks.

Recipe: Italian-style risoni soup.

There's nothing like a chicken soup to warm you up on a cold winter's day.

Article/Recipe: Cream of the crop: Sky Gyngell reveals her love for crème fraîche.

Blah blah crème fraîche blah blah.


Article: Banking on a full house.

Superstar chefs are betting that Melbourne's casino precinct will be the next big thing in dining ... Crown's move to turn its Yarra-side promenade into a "world-class dining precinct" has attracted an impressive group of names to Melbourne. The combined pulling power of Neil Perry, Nobu Matsuhisa, Maurice Terzini and Guillaume Brahimi will serve Crown well in two ways: by satisfying the current dining criterion that a casino needs to be noticed internationally; and, after 10 years of relative indifference towards the casino's restaurants by Melbourne diners and critics, making Crown virtually impossible to ignore. A whole new crowd might start to look casino-ward.

Fish. Chopping herbs. Pesto. Honeyed lamb. Parsnips. Cafes.

Article: How to check for doneness.
... when you're cooking fish.

Let your left hand go limp. Now use your right forefinger to press into the flesh between your left thumb and forefinger; you should find the flesh soft and easy to dent. This is what rare fish feels like.

Article: How to chop fresh herbs.

Make sure your cutting board is clean before you chop anything. Herbs can absorb "off" flavors from remnants on the board, and hard ingredients, like chunks of peppercorns or seed spices, can damage the fine edge on knives.

Article/Recipe: How to make pesto like an Italian Grandmother.

Recipe: Honeyed lamb with rhubarb salsa.

Article: Backyard Baristas.

In spite of the perky, patronising tone ("just look for the cool kids sitting on padded milk crates ..." etc), this is an interesting article about people who set up "shoestring cafes" in Melbourne's old milk bars and homes.

Article/Recipe: Burke's Backyard archives: Parsnips.

Baked parsnips ... Parsnip soufflé ... Parsnip Soup ... Parsnip Chips ... Andrew's Roast Parsnips.

Andrew Cox wrote to Burke's Backyard saying that as a child he was forced to eat parsnips, and he hated them. However, three years ago he discovered that if you roast parsnips under a leg of lamb they taste entirely different. Andrew invited Don over for dinner with his family. He served a lamb roast, complete with parsnips. Don had to admit that the parsnips tasted pretty good, but Katie, the youngest member of the family, said that she did not like parsnips and didn't think kids should have to eat them.

Tofu ranchero. Steak at Rockpool

Recipe: Mexican Twist on Tofu.

This recipe for tofu ranchero calls for slicing, crumbling and pan-frying extra-firm tofu.

The result is golden-brown chunks with plenty of appealing crispy edges. Vegetables, black beans and jarred picante sauce deliver vibrant flavour.

Blog Post: The Most Expensive Steak in Australia?

A blogger's review of the wagyu steak at Rockpool, near Crown.

My main course was the 200g Blackmore Wagyu ribeye steak which at $110 surely must be a contender for the most expensive steak in Australia. Wagyu is an intricate beast, a breed celebrated for its high density of intramuscular fat which in Australia is graded from 1 to 10 with 10 the highest. On offer at Rockpool is Wagyu described as having a marbling score of 9+, obviously VERY high.