While Charlie Palmer’s Four Diamond culinary gem at Mandalay Bay is almost 10 years old, Aureole has not lost its luster. In fact, the restaurant is a treat for anyone interested in a great food and wine experience. This is the restuarant that boasts “wine angels” aka beautiful young girls dressed in black who find the wine you ordered by flying up and down the glass enclosed wine vault on circus wires. The stark looking wine vault is very modern and perfectly positioned for all to see. Quiet a show on a busy night - but for me that is just eye candy. The real star of the wine show is the cool electronic wine list. I arrived early for my dinner meeting and asked to see the wine list in advance. I was thrilled when the server handed me an  electronic tablet featuring more than 2500 wines. Here’s how it works: First you select by the bottle or by the glass lists. Then, you have a choice of searching that list by wine type (red, white, sparkling etc) or by country, region an even vintage. Once you have narrowed down the list, you highlight possible options that interest you and send them to the “my list” page of the book. This space simply holds the names of the wines that are up for consideration while your peruse the rest of the list. For a wine geek - it was heaven. Plus, I was thrilled to find wines that were under $100 a bottle. In fact, there were several selections in the $40-$80 price range - a joy to find in an upscale restaurant in Vegas. The menu had two options; a 7-course degustation menu for $95 per person or a 3-course prix-fixe menu for $75. We all opted for the prix-fixe. I had a wonderful tomato carpaccio with house-made mozzarella and an intensely flavored basil sorbet. Main course options included 10-12 interesting preparations of fish, fowl and meat. I ordered the duo of filet mignon and flank steak. In a word -awesome. For red, we ordered a bottle of 2000 Zanna Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Reserve. Intense secondary aromas of cherry tobacco, sundried tomato and terra cotta pot filled the nose with just enough dark fruit to make it pair nicely with most dishes on the table. The dessert menu was fantastic and included something for everyone. The second page of the list featured a wide variety of dessert wines and brandies. I ordered a PX but the house was out causing the server to quickly apologise and offer a glass of Maderia on the house. And that (combined with a great food and an interactive wine list) is why I would gladly return to Aureole on my next visit. I’ll say it again, Aureole is a culinary gem in the desert.

Next up, Picasso in the Bellagio Hotel in the heart of the Las Vegas strip. Located just across the street from the Paris themed hotel, the Bellagio is the one with the cool fountain that was featured in the Oceans movie - so let’s start there. The fountain is cool when the music is cool i.e. Elvis singing Viva Las Vegas and not so cool when lame music like Proud to be an American is playing. That said, we were told that the cost of running the fountain is more than 1 million dollars per month. Only in Vegas. I was amazed at the power behind the moving water - at times it shot up in the air higher than the host hotel. At any rate, this is the view from the celebrated Picasso restaurant. Now in its 10th year, this five -diamond establishment is classic in decor and service with real Picasso art on the walls and very well trained servers on the floor. Chef Julian Serrano (formerly of Masa fame in SF) is in his kitchen every night - something you rarely see at Vegas outposts. I like and admire that…years ago, I worked with Julian on an event for American Express - he is a dedicated chef with focus - a rare quality in the days of celebrity chefs. This focus shows on the plate. The menu has two offerings; A five-course degustation menu ($123) and a four-course prix fixe ($113). We opted for the degustation menu featuring a lobster/corn course, a scallop preparation in a veal reduction, sauteed foie gras it all its glory and halibut as the main course. Dessert was offered from a short list that included something fruity, something chocolate, something berry etc. Wine pairings could be added for $63 per person but we decided to select our own bottle. Which brings me to the point of this blog. The wine list. In short, it was fantastic and the wine prices were not out of line - a refreshing treat in a city where a bad drink can cost up to $15. The list was constructed by Picasso’s resident Master Sommelier, Robert Smith. When he approached out table, I just knew that chatting with him would be the best part of the meal - and it was. We ordered a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for the first two courses and the a bottle of Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris from Alsace. The wine packed a big flavor punch and was rich in texture - it paired PERFECTLY with the fois gras. I cannot stress it enough - the wine was perfect witht he fat of the duck liver. I could have and should have stopped there. If I had to be critical, my only thought is that the halibut was too light of a dish to follow the lobster/corn, scallop/veal reduction and the foie gras. Should have followed suit and gone with something fuller in body such as lamb or fowl. Not only did it rock your palate, it made wine pairing very difficult. It did not spot me - but probably should have…instead it was on to dessert! All in all - well worth the high price tag and another Vegas dining must. Cheers.

I am currently in Las Vegas to speak about Schott Zwiesel wine glasses during a Sur La Table conference and am taking the opportunity to sample the culinary scene and check out the wine lists around town. INow, I have not been in Las Vegas in almost 10 years - and (in the event you have not heard) one thing I can tell you is that the dining scene on the strip has changed. Gone are the all-you-can-eat steakhouses and breakfast buffet lines. In their place, diners will find higher-than -high-end eateries with hundreds of over-priced wines. Yes, all of the big name chefs are here - Ducase, Palmer, Robuchon, Emeril, Mina, Wolfgang and more - boasting big price tags for both food and wine. Last night, I dined at Mix. Located on the 64th roof-top level of THEhotel Mandalay Bay, Mix is a fantastic restaurant created by the French culinary icon, Alain Ducasse. The room is awesome. Beige on beige interiors are simple with clean lines. Thousands of glass “bubbles” cascade down from the cieling making it seem like you just walked into a Champagne glass (Schott Zwiesel to be exact). The only color in the room  - ruby red water glasses and show plates on the tables. Plus, they have a great outdoor patio with stellar night time views of the strip. We ate on the patio. While it was difficult to find a bottle under $100, the wine list was well organized and had most major wine regions represented. I selected a 2003 Pichler Gruner Veltliner from Austria ($85). The ripeness of the warm 2003 vintage was evident and filled the nose with intense lime, white pepper, citrus blossom aromas. It paired famously with the macadamia-crusted halibut and asparagus foam on my plate ($44). For dessert, the sommelier poured a glass of Champagne and brought fresh baked Madeleines that we plucked right out of the hot bakin molds and dipped into melted chocolate. Loved it. While the restuartant was not cheap -it did live up to the hipe and I would put it on the list of must-try restaurants in Las Vegas. Tonight, I am giving the famed Picasso a try in the Bellagio.

This Fourth of July weekend I found myself happily sipping wine in my hometown of Fairborn, Ohio with a few of my high school friends. While many wine offerings were up for grabs, the hit of the night was a blended wine from California called Crossfire from JanKris winery. A red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot, my former classmates found the wine to be smooth on the palate and easy to enjoy. What a great decription for a holiday wine!

Meanwhile, my husband and I were sipping a classic Bordeaux apperitif called Lillet. This sweet-styled “vermouth” is THE pre-dinner drink for members of the Bordeaux-savvy sippers in southwest France. For us, we like it on the rocks with a slice of orange and perhaps a dash of soda. Perfectly refreshing - as I have said before!

For those interested in non-vinous beverages, an assortment of beer was the perfect choice for picnic fare. In fact later that night while sitting around a firepit, I enjoyed an “alternative fermentation” myself. Afterall, sometimes on a hot summer night, under the stars, around a firepit, with old friends, all you need is a good Miller-lite.  Ah the joys of summer. Cheers.