the grand tasting at vegas uncork’d 2015

I had the absolute privilege of being invited to the sparkling 9^th Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit last month. A long weekend in the entertainment capital packed with some of the worlds biggest food personalities, their food and phenomenal drinks. What could be better than that?

My itinerary was filled with amazing events across the resorts of Aria, Bellagio, Caesars Palace and MGM Grand that had me sipping champagne and mingling with culinary masters, top sommeliers and mixologists.

I’ve got quite a few tales to tell about this incredible foodie weekend so I”ll break them up into bites sized chunks.

The Grand Tasting on the Friday night at the Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis at Caesars Palace is the biggest event of the weekend and showcases the food of all the top restaurants in Vegas, including those of the mega stars like Gordon Ramsay, Guy Savoy, Wolfgnag Puck, Jullian Serrano, Emeril Lagasse and many more.

It’s a glamorous affair that kicks off with all the chefs on the red carpet to meet the media and follows with a walk around tasting where guests can sample delicious bites from all the restaurants.

I ate so many wonderful things I wouldn’t be able to mention them all here, but some stand out bites were the Chicarrone – made from pork belly, caramel and black pepper and served on the Julian Serrano stand. Basically pig crack.

An unusual dish of cured salmon on freshly made naan bread straight out a portable tandoor oven with harissa and raita is definitely something I will try and recreate. Delectable tastes from Nobu, a juicy burger from Gordon Ramsay, duck tongue and a deep fried oreo cookie thrown in the mix. It really was a whirlwind of taste sensations and textures. Sadly I couldn’t try it all.

watch this space for more about Vegas Uncork’d and my inspirations.