 Sake Fever is UNLVino’s love letter to Japanese sake, Western beers, and the delicious foods that pair well with them. Inclement weather forced the event from the pool deck to an indoor ballroom, but it was jam-packed with booths and people.  Naked Fish was on hand, live cutting a 200-plus pound tuna for the crowd.  Loads of sake...  ...and delicious food marked the event,  as a taiko drum group played for us To celebrate Brian Thomas Massie’s Dom Perignon award, there was a traditional sake barrel opening And he was showered with praise and gifts.  He thanked the staff he worked with for allowing him to be the best he could, and encouraged the UNLV students in the room to work hard as a team in whatever restaurant’s kitchen they landed in. The night went on with more food, and delicious sake for all.  For having to be moved from outdoors to indoors on short notice, the event was smoothly run. No major hiccups in service nor space, the booths were well laid out, and there was plenty of walking space as well as standing tables to hang out at. I would love to attend this event again. -Janette G (anarchymarie) Check out the gallery below!  Held out on the Vegas strip, starting just as the sun was setting, this year’s Bubblelicious event was a splendid and elegant affair celebrating champagne and other bubbly drinks.  Here, a few dozen booths served up fizzy wines, champagne cocktails, and the champagnes straight up, while resort hosts Venetian and Palazzo served up tasty bites from their roster of restaurants.  The main event was of course the award ceremony, honoring Robert G. Goldstein, with a 21 bottle champagne salute to kick off the ceremony. A graduating UNLV student introduced him, and he was also given a slew of Beatles memorabilia, and a Beatles cover band played the rest of the night.   While the event was in one of the most gorgeous settings I could have asked for, it was not without its problems, mostly due to the space and the layout of the area.  Hopefully future events will find a way to balance crowd capacity without blocking too much of the Strip off. Overall, it was quite a lovely event on a gorgeous spring night. Photo Gallery  It’s that most wonderful time of year again in Las Vegas: we skip completely over spring weather and go right into pool weather, shorts on a daily basis are acceptable again, and UNLVino time is here! What’s UNLVino? It’s a series of food and drink events with the ultimate goal of raising money for scholarships for UNLV’s hospitality related programs, because nothing makes for a good excuse to imbibe on fine libations than funding higher education. Now in it’s 42nd year, it’s gone from small, cash only wine tastings to a 3-night series, overtaking beautiful locations on the Vegas Strip and beyond, and I have the privilege of getting to cover all 3 nights! Along with wonderful drinks and extravagant food, each night also offers live entertainment, the chance for students to experience the thrill of high-volume service, and honoring local movers and shakers in the food and drink world with the Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence.  The first night is the crowd-favorite Bubble-licious at the Venetian, a night celebrating all things champagne. Held outdoors under the lights of the Vegas Strip, guests will enjoy a variety of champagnes, champagne cocktails, fine foods from the Venetian and the Palazzo’s restaurants, and a performance by HUMAN NATURE. The honoree of the night will be Robert G. Goldstein of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.  The second night is dedicated to all things Japanese with Sake Fever, held at the pool deck of the Red Rock hotel and casino. A variety of sakes and Japanese whiskies will be on hand to sample, high end Japanese and American restaurants will be serving up small plates, and a Japanese Taiko performance will enthrall guests. This night’s honoree is Brian Massie of the Clique Hospitality group.  The final night is the Grand Tasting at the Paris Las Vegas. A live auction rounds out the events, as well as a live performance by Shaun DeGraff, whilst guests enjoy food and drink from a variety of suppliers, restaurants, and the UNLV students themselves. THe final honoree of the year is Jan Jones Blackhurst from Caesar’s Entertainment.  I’m very excited to cover these events. Keep an eye out for full write ups of each night!
UNLVino, April 14-16 Tickets $75-$125, available at http://www.unlvtickets.com/eventInfo/spe/619/unlvino/ More information at http://unlvino.com/ |
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