Columnist Muriel Stevens: There were hundreds of winners in this tasty Olympics

Friday, Jan. 15, 1999 | 12:18 p.m.

More than 2,500 enthusiastic foodies attended the first Nevada Gourmet Olympics that took place Saturday afternoon at Caesars Palace.

NGO, a fund-raiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, was created by Rino Armeni, executive marketing director for Southern Wine and Spirits, with assistance from Michael Severino, manager of special events for SWS.

Participating in this first Olympics were chefs from Caesars; Bally's and their soon-to-open sister property, Paris; the Mirage Resorts properties -- Bellagio, Mirage and Treasure Island; the Rio; the Station properties -- Sunset Station, Texas Station, Boulder Station and Palace Station; Circus Circus; Fiesta; Desert Inn; Main Street Station; MGM Grand; Riviera; Sam's Town and the Tropicana.

There was delicious food and drink aplenty. Among the restaurants not in hotels were Lawry's The Prime Rib, Emeril's, Chinois and Spago, Portobella, Smith & Wollensky, Gordon Biersch, and UNLV's Hotel College.

Libations from Beringer, Chalone, Far Niente, Ferrari-Carano, Franciscan, "J," Lolonis, Mildara, Palm Bay Importers, Paterno, Remy Amerique, Robert Mondavi, Rodney Strong, Schiefflin & Somerset, St. Supery, Stimson Lane, Trefethen Vineyards and Skyy Vodka complemented the delicious foods.

This list of participants is far from complete.

Before the food area opened to the public, the judging of the entries in the Olympics had taken place (not everyone competed). The three categories were entrees, desserts and booth display.

Judging the competition were Wolfgang Puck, David Burke, executive chef of Smith & Wollensky, and Wolfgang von Weiser, executive chef of the soon-to-open Four Seasons Las Vegas.

The winning dishes were displayed outside the food hall. Each dish was flanked by the medal the winner would receive. The gorgeous gold and silver medals were designed by the world renowned Bulgari jewelers. Their Las Vegas shop in the Forum Shops at Caesars is graciously managed by Umberto Binetti.

The entree competition was won by Treasure Island's Christophe Petit (gold), Desert Inn Executive Chef Arnauld Briand (silver) and Rio Chef Michael Demers (bronze).

Bellagio's Jean-Philipe Maury took the gold in the pastry competition, MGM Grand's Brenda Villatoro took the silver, and Sunset Station's Jose Pasalaqua was the winner of the bronze.

Booth display winners were: Station Casinos (gold), Caesars Palace (silver) and the the upcoming Paris Hotel (bronze).

The medals were bestowed at the terrific awards dinner that took place later in the evening.

I arrived early at the Olympics expecting to beat the crowd. Instead, I found the food arena packed with fressers (Yiddish for eaters) who were blissfully downing everything offered.

The displays of food were glorious. The portions offered were like meals. It was a remarkable food event.

At the Rio, guests received glasses of the exceptional Sauternes, Chateau Y'Quem, and slices of foie gras on toast. Word spread quickly about the pricey wine and the foie gras. Within minutes, the booth was surrounded.

The Desert Inn offered Briand's prize-winning mashed potatoes topped with succulent braised oxtail.

At Paris, Chef Eric Scuiller and his chefs were trying to keep up with the demand for their marvelous French (from Limousin) beef tenderloin with chanterelle mushrooms. With it came truffle-crusted Camembert and crosnes, tiny vegetables that were a favorite of Louis X1V at Versailles.

The 400-year-old wee tuber is now available through a speciality food company, Speciality Game (800-998-GAME). Crosnes taste like a cross between a mild turnip and a water chestnut -- crunchy and tasty.

The chefs at Lawry's two prime rib carts were almost obscured by those waiting to be served.

I must confess that this was the first time I've ever gone to a food event when I couldn't get close enough to the booths to see the displays or to chat with the chefs or to taste all the foods.

Special thanks must go to the host hotel, Caesars Palace, and to VP of Food and Beverage Ian Reid, Executive Chef Greg Waldron and Catering Manager Kimberly Gora. They contributed so much to the success of the Olympics and tasting, and the awards dinner at night.

Both events inspired raves from those who attended.

The second annual Nevada Gourmet Olympics is scheduled for February 2000 at Caesars Palace. Don't miss it.

Heart of Gold tasting

It was my pleasure to attend a recent tasting at Conrad's in the Flamingo Hilton for the American Heart Association's 1999 Heart of Gold Ball, an annual fund-raiser.

Our host was the hotel's marketing director, Jerry Mautner.

It has become a tradition for organizations to taste the dishes after choosing them. Most hotels are not only agreeable to the idea, but welcome input from the tasters.

There were few questions about the delicious meal prepared by Executive Chef Rune Vormestrand and his staff. The only unanimous complaint by the tasters was that it was too good!

We all ate more than we intended to, even though we reminded each other that this was a tasting.

Slices of smoked Norwegian salmon were arranged, petal-like, over delicate greens that covered a potato pancake. Shreds of crispy duck meat and roasted pine nuts were studded through a salad topped with crisp rice noodles.

Each of these courses were generously portioned. So was the entree, a stunning plate with slices of expertly cooked tenderloin sauced with a Cabernet Sauvignon demi glace. A fragrant ragout of winter mushrooms, fondant potato and vegetables were fine accompaniments.

Each component of the plate was flavorful and satisfying. Presentation of all the courses was designed with respect for the food. There were no mysteries here; everything was identifiable and eye appealing ... and delicious.

Dessert, a free-standing blueberry parfait, was our undoing. A parfait is normally a simple dessert, but the creative touches added by the pastry chef turned this parfait into an irresistible treat.

Those attending the Heart of Gold Ball on Feb. 6 in the Flamingo Hilton Sunset Ballroom will enjoy the same dinner.

Tickets to the black tie dinner are $175 per person or $2,000 for a "HeartPower" table of 10. A portion of each ticket price is tax deductible ($100).

Call 367-1366 for additional information or reservations.