Following the Chaine to Las Vegas

B.W. COOK

A field trip to the gourmet dining rooms of Las Vegas put 39 members

of the Newport Beach Bailliage of Confrerie de la Chaine des

Rotisseurs on the road to calorie heaven recently.

Among the highlights of the weekend excursion to Las Vegas were

special dinners for the traveling gastronomes at the Stirling Club at

Turnberry Towers, Picasso at Bellagio and Bouchon at the Venetian.

The local chapter of the international dining organization raises

scholarship funds for culinary arts students, while learning and

experiencing the finest in both historical and contemporary culinary

trends.

Newport’s Irene and Bill Mathews led the way with Barbara and Dan

Abbott, Pat and Dick Allen, Marilyn and Dick Hausman, and Lido’s Dee

and Larry Higby. Also on tour were Pat and Jerry Jones, Jeanne and

David Tappan, Debra and David Weinberg, and Joan and Tom Riach.

Chef Julian Serrano of Picasso has been praised by critics as one

of the outstanding chefs of Las Vegas. The heart of the Bellagio

kitchen prepared a very special meal for the Newport guests that

began with a reception and tour of the Picasso paintings on display

in the establishment.

Seven courses were served, beginning with crab gratin, followed by

scallops, sauteed steak de foie gras, roasted pigeon, aged lamb chops

and Citrus Napoleon with spiced red wine sorbet for dessert.

The following day’s dinner at Bouchon, under the supervision of

chef Thomas Keller, was another extraordinary gastronomical

adventure. Bouchon is a glamorous bistro crafted in the elegant

Parisian style, interpreted for the Las Vegas crowd.

Keller also served a very special multi-course indulgence that

began with an hors d’ oeuvres reception, followed by Moulard Duck

fois gras, Maine lobster, red wine braised short ribs, Fourme De

Ambert (candied cashews and port-poached pears) and a cinnamon

parfait glace to end the meal.

Now, if that wasn’t enough, the Stirling Club was surely not to be

outdone. Actually, the Newport field trip began with a Thursday

evening fest in the wine room at Stirling Club. A dinner of roasted

sea scallops, monkfish and thyme-roasted rack of lamb enticed the

crowd.

A major part of the dining experience with the Chaine is wine

education. Every course of every meal is paired with the perfect

vintage, which is discussed and debated by the diners.

The jaunt included a tour of Southern Wine and Spirits’ Las Vegas

headquarters, and a little time to rest (and work out) between meals.

Also on tour were Mary and Jim Weidner, Robin and Dennis Walsh,

Sheryle Ulyate, Pat and Charles Steinmann, Pat and Bill Podlich,

Kimberlee and Mark Krouse, Miriam and David Hungerford, Connie and

Larry Hull, Nadine and Robert Hall, and Cindy and Mark Chandik.

For more information on the work of the Newport Chapter of Chaine

des Rotisseurs, please contact president Irene Mathews at (949)

721-5825.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.