Cooked to perfection.

Caesar Salad. Deconstructed.

Some fun food at The Bazaar.

With 6,500 Wood Fired Oscar Shaped Flat Bread, 3,500 Miso Cones, 1,300 Farmed Oysters, 5 kilos of American Farm Raised Caviar, 1,450 pounts of Maine Lobster, 25 pounds of Edible Gold Dust and 5,000 Mini Chocolate Oscars the Academy Awards have arrived.  Here’s a sneak peak at this weekend’s Governors Ball menu by Wolfgang Puck!

Photo Credit: Amanda Marsalis

84th Annual Academy Awards® Governors Ball
Menu Created by Wolfgang Puck
with Chef Partner Matt Bencivenga and Executive Pastry Chef Sherry Yard

Tray-Passed
Smoked Salmon on Oscar® Flatbread with Caviar and Crème Fraiche
Spicy Tuna Tartare in Sesame Miso Cones with Masago
Mini Kobe Cheeseburger with Remoulade and Aged Cheddar
Pork Belly Dumplings with Soy and Ginger
Crab Cakes with Remoulade
Arancini with Tomato, Basil and Parmesan
Tempura Shrimp with Wasabi Glaze
Vegetable Spring Roll with Sweet Chili Sauce
Assorted Pizzas
�
Cold Appetizer Platter
Lobster Taco with Tomato and Pickled Shallots
Caprese Skewer with Bufala Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil
Potato Latke with Smoked Sturgeon and Horseradish
House Made Pretzel Bread with Beer Cheddar Fondue and Mustard Aioli
Prosciutto Grissini

Small Plates
Chicken Pot Pie with Shaved Black Truffles and Roasted Vegetables
Fuji Apple Salad with Crumbled Blue Cheese, Arugula, Shaved Red Onion and Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Beet Tortelloni with Goat Cheese and Toasted Hazelnuts
Gold Wrapped Baked Potato with Caviar and Crème Fraîche
Slow Braised Short Rib with Polenta and Romesco
Crab and Lobster Louie with Horseradish Panna Cotta and Marinated Tomatoes
Macaroni & Cheese with Aged Cheddar
Shanghai Lobster with Coconut Curry, Jasmine Rice and Pickled Ginger
Chinois Lamb with Cilantro Mint Vinaigrette
Beet Salad with Pistachio Butter, Burrata and Citrus Balsamic

Seafood and Sushi Buffets
Sushi with Wasabi, Soy and Ginger: Rolls, Nigiri and Sashimi
Shellfish with Mustard and Cocktail Sauce: Prawns, Lobster, Stone Crab and Oysters

Passed Dessert
Almond, Orange-Brown Butter Cake with Blood Orange
Date Cake with Sticky Toffee Pudding and Toffee Orange Sauce
Chocolate in 3D
Golden Candy Apple
Banana Cream Pie with Candied Popcorn
Tarte Tatin with Pretzel Pastry and Caramel Gelato
Chocolate Mousse in Golden Egg Cups
 

Dessert Buffet
Raspberry Rose Éclairs
Strawberry Shortcake Push-Up Pops
Red Hot Macarons
Star Shortbread with Silver Sugar
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pops
Brown Sugar Lemon Meringue Cones
Chocolate Pudding Push-up Pops
Long Stem Strawberries
 

Chocolate Buffet
Chocolate Fountains with Farmers Market Long Stem Strawberries
Chocolate Panini
Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
Warm Coulant Souffle Cakes
Chocolate Dobos Torte
Earl Grey Tea Truffles
White Chocolate Coconut Rum Truffles
Milk Chocolate Caramel Truffles
Chocolate Dipped Pop Rock Cakes
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Triple Chocolate Toffee Crunch Cookies
Chocolate Coffee Cups
Chocolate Toffee Cups
24 Karat Chocolate Oscars

Menu features sustainable seafood and organic produce.

WHAT:
Embrace the aromatic smells and exotic flavors of Rio de Janeiro at Samba Brazilian Steakhouse’s Brazilian Brunch. In honor of Carnival, an annual four-day festival that encourages indulging in life’s pleasures, Samba at  The Mirage debuts a brunch that incorporates customary Brazilian fare into the American practice of enjoying both breakfast and lunch at the same time.

Breakfast favorites get a tropical twist with selections like Guava French Toast and Miniature Waffles with Chile Scented Maple Syrup, which will delight both lovers of the sweet and spicy. An unlimited array of beef, pork and poultry are grilled to perfection Rodizio-style and sliced onto guests’ plates right off the skewer. Customary sides, including Sweet Fried Plantains and Mango Lime Shrimp Ceviche Shooters, round out the offerings creating a complete Brazilian feast. 

To quench guests’ thirsts, specialty cocktails inspired by the flavors of Brazil can be purchased by the glass for $12 or by the pitcher for $45. The Pineapple Mojito, which combines muddled mint leaves, fresh lime juice, syrupy Agave nectar, pineapple juice, sparkling club soda and Absolut Citron Vodka, is just one of the fruity and refreshing beverages on the list. Others include the bubbly Acai Mimosa and the Brazilian Mary, a zesty take on the Bloody Mary made with Leblon Cachaca and a delicious concoction of Brazilian spices.

Guests desiring to test the culinary vivaciousness of Carnival can satisfy their curiosities at Samba’s authentic Brazilian Brunch. Samba’s variety of savory dishes, plus live entertainment all four weekends, gives guests a true taste of Brazil, right in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. For questions or to make reservations, visit www.mirage.com or call Samba directly at 702.791.7337.

WHEN:        Â
Sundays, Feb. 19 - March 11
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

ADMISSION:
$34.99 plus tax, gratuity and beverage
$29.74 for locals

WHERE:     Â
Samba Brazilian Steakhouse
The Mirage
3400 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV

Dine and be delighted with the latest black truffle menu now available at Restaurant Guy Savoy inside CaesarsPalace. This annual menu follows the huge success of Savoy’s white truffle menu, making the Michelin star restaurant stand apart by offering both black and white truffle menus when in season. The lavish eight-course menu is priced at $398 per person and will be available through February 2012.

                                                                    

The Black Truffle Prestige menu includes phenomenal dishes starting with the mâche winter salad, followed by roasted turbot on the bone with black truffle and foie-gras with a black truffle bouillon. The fourth course consists of Savoy’s famous and delicious artichoke and black truffle soup served aside a toasted mushroom brioche and black truffle butter. For the meat course, young chicken cooked inside an iron cast is served along with basmati rice and a foie-gras and black truffle sauce. A lentil and foie-gras plate precedes the brie and black truffle cheese course. The luxe menu concludes with a jasmine and chocolate dessert.

Jeni Britton Bauer, owner of Columbus Ohio based Jeni’s Spendid Ice Creams, believes that ice cream is the ultimate aphrodisiac.  You can learn a lot about a person by the flavors they choose (classic? bold?) and how they eat their ice cream (do they lick or bite?). Its taste, scent and body engages all the senses.

People have said yes to marriage proposals written on flavor cards inside Jeni’s freezer cases, and have served their own custom Jeni’s flavor in place of traditional wedding cake. In fact, Jeni’s hosted its first wedding this past December. The bride and groom shared a cone of the signature Pistachio & Honey and Wildberry Lavender during an intimate ceremony in one of Jeni’s brightly-colored Columbus scoop shops. Jeni’s signature and limited edition pints are also a refreshing departure from standard chocolates. 

Available March through April, “Super Pop Cakes!” debuts Mar. 2. It features five brand-new flavors inspired by the bright, fun and easy-to-love cakes and pop culture from around the world. The Super Pop Cakes! collection includes southern-inspired Hummingbird Cake loaded with bananas, pecans, pineapple and cinnamon, and a custardy, coconut-laden Tres Leches with Here-n-There Cherries. There’s Icelandic Happy Marriage Cake, a riff on the country’s popular combination of skyr cheese, sweet oat biscuits and rhubarb compote and Mango Kiwi Special Cake strewn with pillowy angel food cake. Pink, floral Magnolia Mochi borrows from the classic flavors of Japan with chewy, buttery mochi in every bite. 

Jeni’s signature seasonal pints: Gooey Butter Cake, Roxbury Road and Lime Cardamom Frozen Yogurt, will also be available, as will special ice cream sandwiches made with classic Jeni’s flavors and housemade cookies and macarons. Sandwiches include Oatmeal cream, Cashew Banana Curry, Orchid Vanilla, Pistachio and Salty Caramel with Smoked Almonds. 

The “Super Pop Cakes!” collection is $70 and individual flavors are $12 each. Collections range from $70-$175 and individual flavors are $12 each all available for home delivery within the United States at jenisicecreams.com.

Due to the success of Craft’s recent blind wine dinner, wine director Greg Majors is hosting another blind wine tasting dinner today/Jan 27 at 7:30pm.

Greg will lead guests through a blind tasting of eight wines paired with a four-course dinner (menu below). He will also highlight a variety of tasting techniques, and the highest scorer takes home a prize. Follow Greg on Twitter at @GregDMajors for clues leading up to the dinner.

The blind tasting will take place in the private dining room and costs $110/person (not including tax & gratuity). For reservations or more information, email Kate Gardiner, kgardiner@craftrestaurant.com.

Craft private dining room, 47 East 19th Street, 212.780.0880

Craft’s Blind Wine Tasting Menu

Fluke
Satsuma and Pickled Hon Shimeji Mushrooms

White Bean Agnolotti
Rosemary and Espelette

Braised Short Ribs
Roasted Root Vegetables

Warm Chocolate Cake

Dinner will feature dishes inspired by Chef Jet Tila and hand-crafted cocktails

by Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim

Foodie alert!  Chef Jet Tila and The Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim are joining food & beverage forces on an incredible pop-up dinner at Origin India Restaurant and Bar on February 8, 2012.  The five-course menu (includes dessert) will feature a variety of authentic, regionally inspired Thai dishes, allowing Chef Jet to showcase his Thai upbringing around the family dining room table.  Each course will be expertly paired with a hand-crafted cocktail by Tony Abou-Ganim, inspired by drinks featured in his book “The Modern Mixologist: Contemporary Classic Cocktails.”  This special dinner will start promptly at 7pm and be served family style - just as they used to do it at Jet’s house. 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012; one seating at 7pm; $65 (plus tax and gratuity).

Origin India Restaurant and Bar
4480 Paradise Road (across from the Hard Rock Hotel) Las Vegas, NV

Dinner reservations can be made via email OriginIndia@langdonflynn.com (please reference Pop-Up Dinner in subject line).

Palace Guards, a Snowflake Princess, 30-foot Christmas tree, Giant Gingerbread House, Themed Brunch and More Make Midtown Luxury Hotel This Season’s Holiday Destination

The New York Palace is launching its first Holiday Fantasy, transporting visitors’ imaginations into the world of toy soldiers, gingerbread houses and snowflakes. Each year, the midtown luxury property draws crowds into its renowned Palace Courtyard which boasts a 30-foot twinkling Christmas tree. This year, from November 25 until December 24, The Palace will give visitors the royal treatment. Palace Guards will greet people from the tree-adorned Courtyard; a Snowflake Princess will make special appearances at the weekend Holiday Fantasy Brunch; a daily Happy Holiday Hour will delight adults with seasonal cocktails; and the lobby will house a giant Gingerbread House complete with a chocolate train. The New York Palace is also offering a special Holiday Fantasy hotel package for those wishing to fully immerse themselves into this wintery wonderland.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, two statuesque Palace Guards will greet visitors at The Palace Courtyard, welcoming them to behold the oversized Christmas tree, posing for photos and answering questions about the hotel’s holiday offerings. A Snowflake Princess will make surprise appearances at windows overlooking the Courtyard and will delight children with special snowflake cookies at the weekend Holiday Fantasy Brunch.

To create the costumes for the Palace Guards and Snowflake Princess, The New York Palace tapped the talents of Claudine DeSola, Creator of Caravan and Stylist Studio. Designer Danny Roberts of Igor and Andre designed the costumes for the Palace Guards and Lisa Puccio designed the costume for the Snowflake Princess. Claudine DeSola then took these designs and brought the holiday costumes to life. Ms. DeSola has extensive experience with design projects and has curated shows for STYLE 360 with ELLE and Elle.com. She has designed dresses for celebrities and has styled over 250 actors and musicians. 

Beyond dazzling the eyes, The Palace’s Holiday Fantasy is sure to please visitors’ taste buds. The Holiday Fantasy Brunch will delight kids of all ages, with an à la carte menu offered at restaurant Istana on Saturdays and Sundays, 12noon-2:30pm. From Princess Premiers to Fairytale Endings, dishes will include Mrs. Claus’ Macaroni & Cheese; the Palace Guard Burger; Prancer’s Pumpkin Cheesecake; the Working Elves Cupcake Shop and more. A Happy Holiday Hour for adults will be offered daily in The Palace’s Lobby Lounge and two Michelin-starred restaurant GILT. Special seasonal cocktails like the Stocking Cap, the White Christmas Cocktail and the Cranberry Margarita on the Rocks will help keep the season bright.

An elegant three-foot Gingerbread House, masterfully created by The Palace’s Pastry Chef Bill Leonard, will be on display in the hotel’s Grand Lobby. The Gingerbread house will be designed in the style of an elegant country estate outfitted with holiday scenery, including Christmas trees and a Chocolate Train with candy-filled cars. Classic candy will decorate the house, including Candy Canes, Gum drops and shredded cereal to resemble a thatched roof.

 

The Palace’s Holiday Fantasy Package will include luxury guest room accommodations; a $100 nightly Food & Beverage credit which can be used towards the Holiday Fantasy Brunch in Istana, in-room Dining, cocktails in GILT, or the Lobby Lounge; a commemorative New York Palace Holiday Ornament; and an in-room children’s welcome amenity. Upgrade options are also available. This package starts at $499/night and is based on availability.

To book this package or learn more about The New York Palace Holiday Fantasy, please visit www.newyorkpalace.com.