Tag Archives: Cosmopolitan

Expectations and Living Up to the Hype

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

Hype…is it really all that? Is hype a product of a great PR team? Are “people in the know” really that knowledgeable? Who decides what is great, “on trend” and a “must have”? I have never claimed to be an expert on ANYTHING. I know a little bit about a lot of stuff and I know what I like and I will share that info with you. I try to keep this a positive space, because we have all been told, “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. But every now and then I just have to dish on stuff that isn’t great.

Was I Disappointed BECAUSE of the Hype?

Recently I went to a few places that were chattered about, recommended to me repeatedly or just had so much hype and press that I had to go and check them out to see if they lived up to the hype. Some did and some were disappointing. I have to wonder if I was disappointed BECAUSE of the hype. If these dishes hadn’t been SO talked about and swooned over, had there not been so much hype over them, would I have felt differently? Or am I right and they just aren’t that great?

Friend, and fellow food lover, Zack and I did some “food crawling” and day drinking while he was here last month and we checked out some places that I hadn’t been to yet and a few tried and true places that I knew he would love. When we got to the Cosmopolitan there was miraculously no line for Egg Slut. Moment of Truth – they have been open here in Vegas for quite a while and because I do not like to wait in line for anything, let alone food, I hadn’t been yet. So we bellied up and ordered the “iconic” Egg Slut. It is whipped potatoes with a coddled egg. You mix it all together and chow down. Yeah…I don’t need to eat that ever again. I found it bland, boring and tasteless. If you want a tastier version, go to Carnevino (Scroll to the bottom of the menu for the dinner side dishes) and get the Mascarpone & Guanciale Mashed Potatoes there. You’ll thank me later. Did I dislike it because I had Carnevino’s version first? Who knows?! All I know is that I am glad I never waited in line to eat it. I might go back and try their version of the egg sandWISH* if there is no line though.

The most underwhelming dish so far of 2017. The “iconic” Egg Slut.

In San Diego last weekend, three people in one night told me I HAD to go to Slater’s 50/50 and try the self-named burger. They all told me it was amazing and that there was nothing else like it. So I went to see if it would live up to the hype. Um…I can skip that in the future. It’s a burger that’s half beef and half ground bacon and topped with all the stuff I love – a runny egg, avocado and pepper jack cheese. It sounded like something I would dream up on my own; almost like they plucked it out of my id. My egg was only partially runny and the burger was really salty. If you know me at ALL, if I say it is salty…it’s fucking salty! What I did love about this place was the amazing draft beer menu that was chock full of fab local beers. I also loved the fried bacon mac & cheese balls. This was the best version of fried mac & cheese I have ever had. I felt guilty for wanting them and even guiltier for eating and loving them.

Studded with bacon and literally oozing with cheese, these were the best version I have ever had.

And Now for the Good Stuff!

With Zack, I went to Momofuku and not having heard anything other than “everything is awesome there” we tried the chilled spicy noodle dish on the lunch menu. YES! The noodles were cold; the sausage was hot, both in temp and spiciness. In fact, it is one of the best dishes I have eaten so far this year! I need to get back there and try more stuff!

Before we mixed it up, you can barely tell there are noodles in this dish. Cold noodles, candied cashews and warmed spicy sausage made this a winner!

While eating our way through the Venetian, Zack and I went to Chica to visit with pal Chef Mike Minor. New resto openings always get a lot of hype and this one was no exception. I’d have gone anyway just to visit with Mike, but now I need to go back. Nearly everything he sent our way was fantastic. Of particular note were the corn dishes. Their street corn was dirty, sexy, and over the top. And their twist on mac & cheese was inventive and toothsome and downright delish! And don’t even get me started on the chicken and avocado arepa. Sloppy and so packed with flavor that I need to eat it again.

Imagine the best chicken salad you have ever had, replace at least 1/2 the mayo with smooth guacamole and you’d be on the right track.

If you have read this far, thank you! Last week marked the 6th anniversary of this blog. If you haven’t subscribed, please do – there’s a convenient button for it at the top right of the page. You’ll hear from me on Tuesday evenings only when I post something. Yes, that’s right, just once a week regardless of how many posts I make in a week and NO, I won’t sell or share your email address.

 

*I always write sandWISH.

81/82 Partner Jason “JRoc” Craig

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

Jason Craig (JRoc to his friends) and partner Ryan Labbe are taking Las Vegas’ nightlife scene by storm. The duo’s company, 81/82 has partnered with Andy Masi and the Clique Hospitality Group. After the recent opening of the Clique Lounge at the Cosmopolitan, they are preparing more new venues with exciting contemporary twists to bring new flavor to Vegas and San Diego nightlife. I sat down with JRoc to learn a little more.

JRoc moved to Vegas as a teen and went to UNLV. He spent his youth in athletics, specifically boxing, which is where his nickname came from and he continues to box and is a self-proclaimed “gym rat”. After UNLV, JRoc did a tour with the Marine Corps in Iraq. No mean feat there. The military experience provided him with a unique view and mindset about business. He is driven to be the best version of himself. He’s reliable, on time, gets the job done and says, “[After that] I feel I can do anything I put my mind to. I can figure it out on my own or [find the right people to help me].” Immediately upon his return to civilian life, he entered the nightlife industry where he met his now business partner Ryan Labbe.

JRoc on the right and business partner Ryan Labbe of 81/82. Photo courtesy of Fingerprint Communications

JRoc on the right and business partner Ryan Labbe of 81/82. The brains behind Clique Lounge
Photo courtesy of Fingerprint Communications

Partners Ryan Labbe and JRoc both are veterans of the Vegas night life scene and have worked at top spots throughout the city including The Palms and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. They have done everything in the industry including event management, talent management and event planning. They make a great team because they have different life experiences and skill sets that complement one another. Ryan is strong on the operations side and JRoc is strong on the marketing side and both have excellent client relations skills to make 81/82 a hot player in the nightlife market. The team has their finger on the pulse of what is on trend and what is going to play to any given market. In addition to their partnership with Clique Hospitality group, JRoc and Ryan also work with 50 Bleu Vodka and ResQwater in marketing and public relations capacities for their launches and cross market promotions. JRoc, independent of 81/82, works with Stitched menswear in marketing. You can find their store at the Cosmopolitan.

Having come of age in Vegas, JRoc has seen a lot of changes in the way business is done here for the nightlife industry.

He worked as a bartender, manager and marketing professional before starting 81/82 with Ryan in 2012. As a nightlife entertainment professional, JRoc has seen the advent of specialty cocktails, hand crafting of house specific ingredients and watched the microbrewery industry explode. We talked about trends, and he cited gin as a big trend in the cocktail world. Clever uses that even someone who doesn’t like gin’s strong flavor can get behind. When asked about food trends he feels, like I do, that “old school” is getting ready to make its voice heard. Going back to basics, getting away from the complicated and keeping it simple, elegant and almost homey in flavors if not in presentation. He cited Carbone as a recent star on the scene that is doing exceptional personalized service with old school flavors that he sees as coming to the forefront.

Expansion is the goal of 81/82, working with the Clique hospitality group and independently in the future. They are taking it one step and one venue at a time so all of the details are perfect, unique to the venue and exciting for regulars and tourists alike. They know in markets with tourism as a major part of the business, that locals can’t be left out; expect to see seasonal drinks and menu items appear to keep the spaces fresh and inviting for everyone.  Near future plans include a nightclub here in Vegas with an additional venue in the heart of the Gaslamp District of San Diego. The San Diego location will have a small bites menu like Clique Lounge and plans are to open within 2016. The nightclub will of course be more focused on cocktail and music cultures and current plans are to see an opening next year. With Clique as a barometer of things to come, anything 81/82 does is sure to be a success and a fun venue in which to spend time.

When you go to Clique Lounge, be sure to experience the table side cocktail service.

It is unique, fun and you get a cocktail, a show, and you will learn something new. Currently they are featuring a smoked cocktail which is right on trend. Also offered are table side infusions and fired cocktails.

Try this cocktail from the table side service cart. Yes, that is a banana in the smoke.

Try this cocktail at Clique from the table side service cart. Yes, that is a banana in the smoke. 

 

Compare and Contrast – a View of Two Beer Festivals

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

I hope you are quite aware at this stage, we in this household are what I would call “serious beer drinkers”. We know what we are drinking, choose to enjoy craft beer and make tasteful choices on what to drink. You will not find any BMC (Bud, Miller, Coors) in our fridge. We believe in the motto “No Crap on Tap”. When on vacation we venture to “beer bars”, local breweries and fun tap houses. Of course John has his faves (porters and sours) and I have mine (IPAs and APAs). And while John may resemble The Most Interesting Man in the World because he is such a magnificent bastard, we rarely drink Dos Equis (but I love their commercials).

All of that being said, in the past two weeks John and I have been to two distinctly different beer festivals here in Las Vegas. Because we can’t attend Oktoberfest in Munich, we make do with what is available to us. So let us compare the two. Know this, they were both held on a Saturday evening. Both included entertainment, food and beer and we purchased VIP tickets to both. VIP Tickets to each event were roughly the same price.

The Motley Brews Downtown Beer Festival was September 20th at the Las Vegas Government Center. There were three levels of tix available – GA, Early Entry and VIP. All ticket holders had access to water stations, fantastic food booths and an amazing selection of beer, many USA made by craft brewers and all of our local breweries were represented. Early Entry got you in the gate one hour earlier and VIP gave you that extra hour, a real restroom (as opposed to the dreaded Port-a-potty), free snacks (of which I got none) and exclusive pours only available in the VIP pavilion.  All in all a great event. Because the VIP food situation was a cluster fuck, Motley Brews has arranged for all VIP ticket holders to have gift certificates to the restos that provided (or didn’t…) the food so we can check them out on our own. Beer on tap, beer in casks and beer in bottles all were available to try. The music was great and a good time was had by all. An interesting thing about this event is the people who attend it. Almost without exception, the attendees are REAL BEER DRINKERS, not a bunch of posers just hanging out wondering where the Stella is. Beer centric T-shirts and jeans are the uniform of the day (and some of the shirts are amazing) and the beer wear available for purchase is part of the fun.

The Desert Hops Beer Festival was September 27th at the Cosmopolitan Pool. There were two levels of tix available – GA and VIP. The VIP tix should really have been called “early entry”. There were so many things wrong with this event I don’t even know where to begin. There was NOTHING VIP about that experience. No special amenities for VIP ticket holders at all. The only thing you got for the extra cash was entry an hour early. In addition there were no cask beers, no tap beers, everything was in bottles. Oddly it was called Desert HOPS and there were hardly any IPAs or APAs. Even more curious was the fact that none of our local breweries were represented at all (if they were, I didn’t see them among the only 1 dozen USA beers from 3 breweries). Imports abounded at this event, and if you like Belgian beer this was a great event for you as there were about 2o different ones, but the USA made craft beers were sadly lacking. The crowd was a mixture of tourists and locals, with the emphasis on the tourists. The food was a joke, the music a bizarre mix of live musicians playing with a recording behind them, no vendors other than the crappy food and the crowd was mostly a bunch of posers more intent on looking good than enjoying a beer festival. The best thing about this event was the location – I love the Cosmopolitan and the view from the pool is fantastic. Second best thing? Leaving.

So here are my words to the wise – for a great Beer Festival experience, go to any Motley Brews event (next one is in the Spring of 2015). You will be surrounded by locals who know their craft beer. Let the tourists have Desert Hops.

Aunt LeAnne Goes to a Steakhouse

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

Skipping the “Moment of Truth” I insert into each blog post, here are a couple of little secrets about me:

  • I think I may be the only person on the planet who doesn’t like “Seinfeld”. I like Jerry Seinfeld, I just never thought the show was funny.  It was “Much Ado About Nothing” for me (just like the Shakespeare play that I despise). The only part of that show I liked was Kramer. I would much rather watch “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” which is Mr. Seinfeld to a much more relate-able and hilarious degree for me.
  • I am not much of a “red” meat eater.  Typically when I walk into a steakhouse either I have been invited to an event, or someone else is paying.  And when I am faced with the choices on a steakhouse menu I seek out the lone pork, fish or chicken dish because I KNOW there is one. A good rib-eye or porterhouse is lost on me.  I am just as happy with a perfectly cooked mid-rare burger or flank steak as I am with the more expensive cuts that beef aficionados proclaim to the world are the pinnacle of dining. Aside from tartare and carpaccio, I could easily give up beef as long as I have access to pork, lamb and goat.
  • I MAY have been converted this past week by Chef Stephen Hopcraft and STK at the Cosmopolitan here in Vegas.

Back in January we went to the Chefs to the Max dinner/fundraiser at RX Boiler Room and in the silent auction we won a “Meat Tasting Dinner for 6”. While I love Stephen as a human being, I am more of an appetizer gal when I go there to eat, and that is really not that frequent. John eats there more than I do, BUT this dinner was MAGIC and so much fun and the company, as much as the food, was what made it so special (thanks to our friends Heather Burdette, Jozef Bobula, John Morris and Lynn Moonen for joining us).  Chef even allowed me to “play” with our food when it came to the tartare.

I asked Chef if I "got to play" as well. He let me mix up the tartare and form and plate it.

I asked Chef if I “got to play” as well. He let me mix up the tartare and form and plate it.

Enjoy the pics, and the captions and KNOW that the food was spectacular and I MAY in fact have to try to enjoy beef just a little more often.

Tartare with gaufrettes - fancy french potatoes. Sorry the taters seem to be the star of this pic, but the tartare was awesome!

Tartare with gaufrettes – fancy french potatoes. Sorry the taters seem to be the star of this pic, but the tartare was awesome!

Carpaccio with a superb pesto pasta. I even got a few tips out of Chef for making the pesto at home. This was all done LIVE in front of us!

Carpaccio with a superb pesto pasta. I even got a few tips out of Chef for making the pesto at home. This was all done LIVE in front of us!

The best slider I have ever had!

The best slider I have ever had!

Beet Salad (l) and Caesar Salad (r)

Beet Salad (l) and Caesar Salad (r)

Oh, and did I mention there was wine involved? Exceptional pairings with each course.

Oh, and did I mention there was wine involved? Exceptional pairings with each course.

Filet tasting - L - R: Traditional Prime, All Natural, and Bone In. Of course there were sides!

Filet tasting – L – R: Traditional Prime, All Natural, and Bone In. Of course there were sides!

And then there was dessert. The closest to you is a chocolate mousse with my all tie favorite, a French macaron as a garnish. By this time I was so full...I only ate the garnish.

And then there was dessert. The closest to you is a chocolate mousse with my all time favorite, a French macaron as a garnish. By this time I was so full…I only ate the garnish.