Viva Las Vegas!
Celebrating the Spaniards on top of the World's 50 Best!
Friends, last week I was in Las Vegas for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants celebration, and while I am just a little bit tired, I am also so inspired. It was a week full of joy, reconnecting with dear friends, making new friends, and of course eating some of the best food you could find all in one place (except for Spain, which we will get to in a minute!).
There were so many amazing moments during the week, it’s hard to describe them all. I always love to visit Vegas…there is so much to do here, and it’s really unlike any other place in the world. The glittering lights of the Strip, the incredible mountains surrounding the whole area, and what we’re here to talk about today—the insane amounts of culinary talent attracted to a city that celebrates hospitality above everything else.
Last Monday, the team from barmini popped up for a guest bar shift at the amazing cocktail bar Herbs and Rye (which is one of North America’s 50 Best and also one of my favorite off-Strip places in Vegas). Herbs and Rye was a great host, the energy in the room was incredible and everyone had a great time. The event was sponsored by Ford’s Gin (are you surprised, people? We love our gin in Spain!), represented by Simon Ford himself, and it was a huge honor to work with him.
On Tuesday we hosted what we like to call a “four-hands dinner”…two chefs = four hands—and I cooked with my dear friend Quique Dacosta, one of Spain’s most amazing chefs. His three-star Michelin Restaurant, Quique Dacosta is in Dénia, Alicante and just won the number 14 spot on the Word’s 50 Best Restaurants. We cooked the dinner at Bazaar Meat at the Sahara and our teams created a menu that was a perfect combination of both of our restaurants. I was surrounded by amazing friends, like Felix Meana from Cúrate in North Carolina (who worked at elBulli and also with me!), and the chef team from Disfrutar—who I will be telling you about a bit more in just a few moments (maybe because they just took home the number one ranking!!!! Congratulations to them!) I also saw my brothers Aitor Zabala (soon to re-open Somni in LA), and Casa Teresa’s Rubén Garcia, and…get ready people, because this is really special… the legendary Emeril Lagasse and his son, EJ Lagasse, and my sister Dominique Crenn! The dinner was, as you can imagine, one for a lifetime, with so many amazing culinary brains in one room, I had to pinch myself to feel that it was even real!
On Wednesday, we recorded a podcast with Emeril at the Barbershop inside The Cosmopolitan. It is a barbershop, a bar, AND a music venue (and yes, I got a haircut before the show…not as if you’ll see it when you’re listening in!)
Because we were in Vegas, we of course talked about his first opening in Las Vegas, almost 30 years ago in 1995. Emeril was a pioneer in that sense—being one of the first chefs to bring his restaurant to a young city that now has so many options for dining at restaurants by amazing chefs from around the world! We also talked a lot about the food of New Orleans, and how a young boy from Fall River, Massachusetts became the face of New Orleans cooking. He also spoke a bit about how his son, EJ, has become the head chef of Emeril’s, and how he’s updated the menu while still keeping the soul of the restaurant alive. Our episode will post on June 25th, so there is a lot to look forward to coming out of this week in Vegas!
Wednesday night was the actual ceremony for the World’s 50 Best, and people, would you believe it???? Spain is not only on the map, Spain is THE map for fine dining around the world, and I am just so proud of my friends who took the top spots. My friends Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, and Mateu Casañas of Disfrutar came in as world number 1, a huge honor for three chefs who have kept the flame of elBulli alive in the decade since the brilliant Ferran Adrià closed that legendary spot. And speaking of flames, Victor Arguinzoniz of Asador Etxebarri came in at number 2—one of the restaurants that chefs around the world would call a deathbed meal, a place where everything is kissed by smoke from the beautiful forests of the Basque Country. Congratulations to everyone for their wins!
We celebrated BIGTIME afterwards, thanks to our friends at The Cosmopolitan, and were joined by all of our friends, and even Alain Ducasse celebrated with us. Overall, it was an incredible week at one of the most inspiring culinary destinations in the world, from joining my team to explore some of our favorite places off the Strip like La Mona Rosa and Lamaii, to sharing some amazing lunches at our treasured restaurants China Poblano and Jaleo. I am so proud of Spain, of my team, and of all the amazing chefs that were represented tonight. And I am so thankful to Las Vegas for hosting us—it was truly the perfect place for us all to be together and celebrate. So friends, raise a virtual toast with me: to Vegas, to the World’s 50 Best, and to SPAIN!!!
Thank you to Las Vegas for sponsoring this post!
Now you make me wish I were in Spain with my daughter! She has just arrived at a village near Bilbao to be an au pair for 8 weeks. Congratulations on the culinary accolades, Spain!