Earlier this year, I had the chance to attend the largest catering conference in North America in Las Vegas. There were over 5,000 people in attendance, over 800 booths at the trade show and about 8 different sessions happening simultaneously throughout the day for three days straight.
One of the highlights of the trip was that I ran into Wolfgang Puck! He was incredibly friendly and approachable. I had the luxury of dining at one of his restaurants, Spago, located inside Caesar’s palace. What I love about Wolfgang Puck’s restaurants, is that everything is fresh and you can tell. I had fresh parpadelle pasta with a delicious short rib tomato sauce. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce had been simmering for hours to create a beautifully comforting dish.
I think what I noticed the most at these various locations, is that everything old is new again. Perhaps because of the failing economy, everyone has turned to comfort foods, but with a twist. At Fix, a restaurant inside the Bellagio, we just had to order the buffalo chicken wings. This restaurant makes high end food, and they were offering buffalo chicken wings?!? We had to know what they were like. When they arrived at our table, we were wowed by the presentation. They had taken Cornish hen legs and used those as the ‘wings’. They had been slow cooked in a delicious homemade buffalo sauce and were served alongside the classic dip and veggies in a mason jar. It was a very ‘cute’ presentation.
Other things I found on the menus at these restaurants were old fashioned carvery, scallops Benedict, and popcorn shrimp… all served with an updated twist. I think I am so blessed to be catering in a time where I can ‘play’ with my food. I came back inspired to create classic menus with updated flares, like our deluxe sliders package for weddings that we presently offer. I mean, there is a reason that all of these things always come back into style, they are delicious!
Living on the West Coast, we have the luxury of being exposed to a lot of different ingredients and foods. So what I’ve done with the sliders menu, is offer some things you might not see every day, such as bison burgers or artisanal hamburger buns, and paired it with some deluxe toppings, such as avocado salsa and caramelized onions. It’s a way to have a classic barbecue wedding but with a few updates added to it. I’m working on getting new menus posted on the website with some of my new inspired creations. Look out for these in the near future.
