Columnist Muriel Stevens: Spiedini a fine answer to an age-old question

Friday, June 22, 2001 | 8:41 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping and travel columns appear Wednesdays. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@lasvegassun.com.

"Where should we eat?" It's a question I'm asked every time friends come to town. It's not as easy to answer as it once was. There are so many choices, so many prices, so many friends with different tastes.

"What do you like?" I ask. "Everything" they say. "Thai?" "No, too spicy." "Seafood?" "Sorry, I'm allergic." "OK, give me a clue."

The problem is finding a restaurant that's trendy, but not too; is affordable, but not cheap; and is "undiscovered." They've gone to most of the celebrity chef eateries during other trips and now want to get to know the places they would seldom find on their own, such as Gustav Mauler's Spiedini at the Regent Las Vegas.

It was the right choice for my friend Paola, who recently visited. Not because she's difficult to please. Paola is a real New York foodie, but is not a food elitist. She likes everything, including Las Vegas and our restaurants. I enjoy her enthusiasm and appetite. And with roots in Italy, she is passionate about Italian food.

Spiedini's menu had changed since the last time I'd dined there. There were four of us at the table, so it took us a long time to decide. But eventually we ordered one of the daily specials, nut-crusted Alaskan halibut -- Bea and I -- and Involtino Pollo con Fungi Portobella e Spinaci (breast of chicken stuffed with portobella mushrooms and spinach) -- Paola and Judy.

Entree prices range from $13.95 (spit-roasted chicken) to $29.95 (cioppino or veal chop) with various prices in between. Pastas and risotti are $13-$18. A few are available in half orders. Antipasti, salads and soups are $5.49-$8.95.

Spiedini makes an excellent spinach salad -- a heap of baby spinach crunchy with sliced fresh pears and candied walnuts, nuggets of Gorgonzola cheese, topped with a crisp chip of proscuitto. A lovely contrast of flavors and textures enhanced with a light balsamic dressing.

Reluctant to leave our cozy table, we lingered over cappuccino and dessert -- pineapple carpaccio, paper-thin slices of fresh pineapple topped with a large portion of raspberry gelato, and mango gelato topped with raspberries.

Spiedini Chef Emilio La Scala had just come from Italy when I met him. At barely 22, he was already an accomplished chef, and fine cooking companion for Chef Gustav, a certified master chef. Now 24, under the tutelage of Chef Gustav, both La Scala's English and his culinary repertoire have grown.

Spiedini is an upbeat restaurant with an always congenial staff. Denise Mauler, Gustav's spouse and one of his partners, believes that food tastes better when the staff presents happy faces. It was certainly true the other night.

Spiedini's patio is gaining favor as a prime party place. The surrounding gardens and fountains offer a beautiful view. A wedding party was having a wonderful time, so we didn't linger. The patio is a fine place before or after dinner for drinks and tidbits.

Spiedini offers dinner nightly, 5-11 p.m. Reservations are requested for weekends. Call 869-8500.

Las Vegas pastry chefs compete nationally: Beaver Creek, Colo., is the setting for the 2001 National Pastry Team Championship, taking place today through Sunday. The invitation-only event includes 12 teams of three pastry chefs. Each team is made up of pastry professionals from world-class hotels, restaurants and culinary institutions from all over the country. Two of the teams include Las Vegas pastry experts.

Jean-Philippe Maury of Bellagio heads Team Maury with team members Jean-Claude Canestrier of Paris Las Vegas and Laurent Branlard of the Ritz-Carlton. Team Hui, headed by John Hui of Caesars Palace, includes Christophe Ithurritze, corporate pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Restaurants and Randy Foster of Praml International in Las Vegas.

Each team has 12 hours, over two days, to create a chocolate showpiece, a sugar showpiece, cakes, plated desserts, frozen desserts, chocolate candies and petits fours following the championship's Hollywood theme. KitchenAid is the official presenting sponsor. A select panel of judges led by legendary New York pastry chef Jacques Torres, who had a long run at New York's Le Cirque, will award the medals to the gold, silver and bronze teams.

The gold-medal team will will receive the largest first prize in the industry, $50,000. It will also represent the United States next year at the first World Pastry Team Championship in Beaver Creek.

In its third year, the Beaver Creek competition is the brainchild of Norman Love, former executive pastry chef of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Michael Schneider, editor-in-chief of Chocolatier and Pastry Art and Design magazines.

"In order to achieve a fair championship," Love said, "we created the event so that no one sponsor would control the competition. All ingredients used in the competition must be held in unmarked containers."

Needless to say, we'll be rooting for our home team. Good luck teams Maury and Hui.

Short orders

French Culinary Institute bread courses: For the first time New York's French Culinary Institute is opening its doors to nonprofessionals. In July, September or December, a lucky dozen participants will be able to attend a one-week introductory bread-making workshop at the noted, SoHo-based FCI. Classes are limited to 12 students. The cost is $1,000 per week per student.

All materials will be provided, except for a small calculator. Hours each day are 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. A 30-minute family meal lunch prepared by FCI students is part of the experience.

Participants can receive a special room rate at the cool Midtown W hotel or the trendy Downtown W Union Square.

For additional information, call (888) FCI-Chef (324-2433).