VIVA LAS VEGAN!!!

Let me start by saying this: I LOVE THE WYNN.

Since Steve Wynn went vegan a little while ago, he made the decision that every restaurant at his beautiful hotel on the Las Vegas Strip must offer vegan options. With this decision came the fact that some of the top chefs in the world are now constantly experimenting with vegan food, many of whom have worked with Tal Ronnen to learn the vegan ropes.

The ultimate showcase of these efforts came a few weeks ago, when the Wynn hosted Viva Las Vegan in collaboration with Bon Appetite magazine as part of the Uncork'd series of events on the Strip. In a large ballroom at Encore, many of the executive chefs from Wynn and Encore were on hand to sample their newest vegan creations and answer any questions. The entire event was hosted by Tal Ronnen and although tickets were $125 each, Gardein was most gracious in getting me entry pro bono.

I drove into Vegas that morning, so I arrived at the event about a half hour late. The room was packed to the gills, Alex Stratta was doing a pasta-making demo, and Mr. Ronnen was interviewing him as he was putting on the demo.

Cooking demos were broadcast on two huge screens so you could see close detail even from the back of the room. Here, Alex Stratta demonstrates how he prepares his Roasted Corn Agnolotti, made with freshly prepared pasta that contained tofu in the noodles, of all things.

The first table I stopped at, which turned out to be my favorite (besides maybe the dessert table), was David Walzog's Lakeside. The vegan "clam" chowder was perfectly creamy, and the oyster mushrooms were a nice stand-in for clams and far less slimy, from what I remember about real clam chowder.

My favorite single dish of the even was Lakeside's "Old Bay Cakes", which were made out of shredded Gardein chick'n, scallions, Old Bay seasoning and deep-fried to golden crusty perfection. I had never even heard of Old Bay seasoning prior to this, probably because it's made for seafood, but it was amazing in this dish. A bed of pasta underneath the cake provided a good contrast in textures and made the dish more filling and well-rounded. Before dessert, I went back to Lakeside's table for seconds... SO GOOD.

The Botero table was serving pasta with "clams", which was also excellent. This event really opened my eyes to what could be done when you pair experienced chefs with quality mushrooms to create meatless dishes. The creamy broth was light and flavorful, and the broccoli rabe was the perfect green addition to this dish.

The couscous side by Botero was filled with fresh herbs and lots of spices, refreshingly flavorful for what is often a very bland dish. It's obvious Wynn has a high standard for the freshness of their vegetables in every dish they prepare at the resort.

Society Cafe stood on the lighter end of the dining spectrum, with a market chop salad featuring a plethora of veggies with a delicate balsamic and tarragon dressing. The dressing was the star in this dish, and as usual the veggies tasted like they could've been picked that morning.

The tomato tasting By Society Cafe was another exhibit of outstanding freshness, with perfectly seasoned roasted tomato bisque and a caprese-esque heirloom tomato and cashew cheese salad. Truth be told, I was a bigger fan of the caprese at the Hyatt Century Plaza's Breeze tasting, but this one was still delicious.

The Society Cafe vegan menu items in the actual restaurant

The fresh pasta Alex Stratta was making in the demonstration was being used to create his namesake restaurant's roasted corn agnolotti. The tubular pasta was filled with a smooth cashew cream that exploded with flavor when you bit into it. Topped off with oyster mushrooms and a very good broth, this was most likely my second favorite dish at the event.

Stratta also had a crusted Gardein cutlet that I arrived too late to taste, but I got a picture of the display version. The non-vegans in the room were raving about this tasting "exactly like chicken".

Wazuzu had an unbelievable selection of vegan sushi, dumplings and other Asian specialties. I'm not sure which dish was which, but I can say they were all mindblowing. Where can I get some food like this in California?

The peaches and cream dessert was really unique. It was almost like a cannoli that used a thin, crisp fruit leather for the shell instead of pastry dough. Chef Jennifer Fournier did a demonstration of this dish and had a lot of cool things to say about creating vegan desserts with different ingredients than you would usually think of. This dish proved she knew what she was talking about.

This carrot cake was to die for. Super rich, incomparably moist, with the most delectable cream cheese frosting every created. Two thumbs up... to both my first and second servings.

Tal is quite the ladies man. Here he answers a female reporter's questions about going vegan while she sips on a Ciroc berrytini.

Ciroc Berrytini... how did I not notice the open bar until the last 20 minutes of the event?

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I love the Wynn. While none of this food could compete in price with McDonald's or Subway, I assure you it is worth whatever the cost may be. After all, it's Vegas. Splurge a little for some of the best food you will ever put into your mouth.

Another thanks is due to Gardein for giving me the in to this incredible event, I will be back next year for sure!

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