How much are two nights at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, one 6 course and one 7 course dinner at Charlie Palmers Aureole restaurant, and three midday food preparation demonstrations, all accompanied by no less than 69 French, California and Washington wines worth?
I have to admit when I first received the email describing this event, I was skeptical. There was no way to know how big this event was going to be, nor were there specific description of the dinners, or wines that would be served, to really make an informed decision about the event.
Still, after considering the package included 2 nights at the Mandalay Bay, and 2 dinners at Aureole restaurant I didn't think we could go too wrong by attending. Plus it just sounded like a good excuse to get out of town for the weekend.
So we decided to go, and headed out early Friday morning, as the first event, a pate preparation demonstration, was scheduled for 2:30 PM.
Well the only thing I can say is the event was definitely worth the price. In fact it was probably worth twice the price. Of course we might not have attended if it cost twice as much, but it still would have been worth it.
There were only 29 attendees at the event, making all the demonstrations and dinners very intimate, allowing everyone an opportunity to ask questions, and actually learn something. It was also great interacting with the chefs, the sommeliers and the entire restaurant staff, who were as friendly as anyone could ever expect.
And then there was the food and the wine, all of which were spectacular.
It would be hard to describe the food as other than near perfect, although Friday's 7 course Lyonnaise inspired dinner was slightly better than Saturday's American inspired dinner, but that would be expected as chef Vincent Pouessel is French. Still both dinners were excellent, and we got to taste everything from crayfish to bison.
And the wines. All I can say is WOW! They were way beyond anything I expected or could have even imagined. Some examples of the wines we tasted were
Just to name a few.
And contrary to what I have come to expect after tasting wines brought to parties by friends, that weren't nearly as old as the wines we had this past weekend, these wines were all good. Some of these wines may have been past their prime, but despite that, they all had enough fruit and all of the character and balance you would expect from a quality, older wine, but just having the opportunity to taste these wines was an experience I will not soon forget.
In my opinion this was a once in a lifetime event, and Charlie Palmer's Aureole restaurant will have a hard time topping it, but I plan on attending the next event, regardless of the price, that is assuming it is within reason.
I have to admit when I first received the email describing this event, I was skeptical. There was no way to know how big this event was going to be, nor were there specific description of the dinners, or wines that would be served, to really make an informed decision about the event.
Still, after considering the package included 2 nights at the Mandalay Bay, and 2 dinners at Aureole restaurant I didn't think we could go too wrong by attending. Plus it just sounded like a good excuse to get out of town for the weekend.
So we decided to go, and headed out early Friday morning, as the first event, a pate preparation demonstration, was scheduled for 2:30 PM.
Well the only thing I can say is the event was definitely worth the price. In fact it was probably worth twice the price. Of course we might not have attended if it cost twice as much, but it still would have been worth it.
There were only 29 attendees at the event, making all the demonstrations and dinners very intimate, allowing everyone an opportunity to ask questions, and actually learn something. It was also great interacting with the chefs, the sommeliers and the entire restaurant staff, who were as friendly as anyone could ever expect.
And then there was the food and the wine, all of which were spectacular.
It would be hard to describe the food as other than near perfect, although Friday's 7 course Lyonnaise inspired dinner was slightly better than Saturday's American inspired dinner, but that would be expected as chef Vincent Pouessel is French. Still both dinners were excellent, and we got to taste everything from crayfish to bison.
And the wines. All I can say is WOW! They were way beyond anything I expected or could have even imagined. Some examples of the wines we tasted were
- 1984 Joseph Phelps 'Eisele' Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1976 Beaulieu Vineyards 'Georges de Latour' Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1970 Mayacamas Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1990 Jaboulet 'La Chapelle' Hermitage (Rhone)
- 1998 Guigal Hermitage
Just to name a few.
And contrary to what I have come to expect after tasting wines brought to parties by friends, that weren't nearly as old as the wines we had this past weekend, these wines were all good. Some of these wines may have been past their prime, but despite that, they all had enough fruit and all of the character and balance you would expect from a quality, older wine, but just having the opportunity to taste these wines was an experience I will not soon forget.
In my opinion this was a once in a lifetime event, and Charlie Palmer's Aureole restaurant will have a hard time topping it, but I plan on attending the next event, regardless of the price, that is assuming it is within reason.
Comments
Good to hear that you and E. are living it up!
Next time though, I may fly.
Sounds like a great time as Becky said no complaints for a change.
Our cruise to Alaska was out of this world the weather stayed in the 70+ range with no rain for 9 days, top that!
G
I gained about 2 pounds, but I ran 3.5 miles Saturday morning (which was pretty hard, considering I could barely walk back to my hotel room after dinner the night before), and then rode Turnbull this morning so it could have been a lot worse.
We drive to upstate NY next week and will be gone for almost three weeks. I am looking forward to an emotional recharge, even though it will probably be physically tiring.
Have a good time in upstate NY. Just don't try and do the drive in one day. NY is a long way from Texas.