Pop your cork in Vegas

Tantalise your taste buds, satisfy senses and pop your cork at the second Bon Appétit and Las Vegas Uncork’d extravaganza - Vegas Uncork’d: A Bon Appétit Epicurean Experience, taking place 8-11 May 2008. With more than 25 events planned at Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Lake Las Vegas, and Wynn Las Vegas, this delicious, star-studded weekend is sure to be a mouth watering experience.

Las Vegas is one of the nation’s top culinary destinations, home to a spectacular collection of celebrity chefs, many winning their first Michelin stars. There are also more Master Sommeliers than any other city in America. During the Uncork’d weekend, bon appétit Magazine, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and an elite group of Las Vegas resorts will join forces with some of the destination’s finest chefs for an extraordinary, intimate culinary entertainment event like no other.

Confirmed highlights of Vegas Uncork’d 2008 include: a Tale of Five Chefs Gala at Bellagio; a delicious weekend wrap-up brunch at Wynn Las Vegas; a decadent Grand Tasting featuring restaurants from across Las Vegas at Caesars Palace; after-hours poker at Hard Rock; a Masters vs. Rookies Pro-Am cooking competition at Caesars Palace; and an extraordinary evening of music at Lake Las Vegas Resort that will kick off the Summer Concert Series.

Host restaurants for just a selection of the weekend’s festivities include Picasso, Le Cirque and Sensi at Bellagio; Restaurant Guy Savoy, Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro, Mesa Grill, Bradley Ogden and Rao’s, all at Caesars Palace; Alex, Daniel Boulud, Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, Tableau, SW Steakhouse and Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas. For information on all the events during Vegas Uncork’d, visit www.bavegasuncorked.com.

Tickets for individual events range from US$75 to US$350, with comprehensive weekend packages available.

“Las Vegas and bon appétit first partnered in 2007 to create a highly successful event, attracting more than 4,000 visitors eager to experience all that the Las Vegas culinary world has to offer,” says Terry Jicinsky, senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

“With new, even more exciting and intimate events planned in 2008, Vegas proves once again that it can entertain like no other destination in the world. Where else can you dine with a celebrated chef, talk one-on-one with a bon appétit editor, and then relax in a world-class spa or shop at a designer boutique, all in one weekend?”

“Bon appétit is delighted to join the LVCVA, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Lake Las Vegas, and Wynn Las Vegas in a spectacular gathering of who’s who in the food world,” said Paul Jowdy, bon appétit vice president and publisher. “What’s not to love about mixing it up with world-class chefs and the finest sommeliers from all over the country in one of the hottest culinary destinations today?”

In the autumn of 2007, Las Vegas became only the fourth U.S. city to be profiled by the authors of the Michelin Guide, the prestigious restaurant and lodging guidebook. Earlier in 2007, AAA awarded four restaurants their prestigious Five Diamond Award: Alex at Wynn Las Vegas, Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand, Le Cirque and Picasso at Bellagio.

Both Alex at Wynn Las Vegas and Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand have recently been honoured with five-star ratings by Mobil Travel Guide. In 2004, Bradley Ogden received the James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant in the nation, the first Las Vegas restaurant to win the title. Vegas Uncork’d marks another momentous milestone along Las Vegas’ journey toward becoming one of the world’s most esteemed culinary capitals.
For more information on Las Vegas, visit VisitLasVegas.co.uk.