Friday, Aug. 16, 2002 | 8:52 a.m.
Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Reach her at (702) 259-4080 or [email protected].
Let's get real about the problem of overweight children. We're being bombarded with information from all quarters about the dangerous eating habits of today's younger generation. But are the kids really to blame if poor eating habits are all they know?
A kid's food habits are forged at home, not at fast-food restaurants. If parents have bad eating habits, so will their children. Youngsters are not born with Big Macs in their mouths. And it's not easy to change a child's eating pattern once it has been set.
Every one of the fast-food chains now taking the rap for the dismal eating habits of our nation have at one time or another offered salad bars, meatless burgers, lean burgers and turkey burgers. Most of these items have been abandoned because very few of us bought the healthier products.
We are responsible for what we choose to eat. Kids, too, have to be taught to be responsible. A steady diet of fat-laden foods, sugary drinks and no exercise (whatever happened to required phys-ed classes?) is not the path to good health.
Small children do not go to fast-food eateries without their parents, so who is making the food choices?
And what about the role that warehouse stores play in our food-shopping habits? I think they are almost as bad as fast foods. Costco, Sam's Club and Smart & Final all offer restaurant-size foodstuffs. To compete, most supermarkets have a section devoted to Gulliver-sized snacks and foods.
All of these stores have a good selection of fresh and frozen vegetables and fruits, but I've watched what goes into many family baskets and it's pretty scary. Snack foods in bags as big as bed pillows; cookies and cakes sized to feed a crowd. How are kids going to learn moderation if they judge portion sizes by the size of such packages?
When was the last time you saw a toddler in a shopping cart chewing on a carrot stick? We all want a fast food fix occasionally. Snack foods and all foods can fit into a healthy, varied diet. Kids need to know this.
New chef, new menu at Charlie Palmer Steak: Torsten Schulz has been named executive chef at Charlie Palmer Steak at Four Seasons. The 27-year-old Schulz grew up in Germany, near Dresden, in the town of Zittau. He discovered his passion for cooking when, at age 16, he visited his sister who lived in the Black Forest. By age 17 he was apprenticed to a restaurant in Stuttgart and just three years later joined a two-star restaurant in Hamburg.
One year later he vacationed in New York City and fell in love with America. He was determined to return, and he did. Eager and talented, but with little English skills, he was limited to working at German eateries. Then his life changed. While looking for a German-speaking chef who could counsel him, he met acclaimed chef Gray Kunz, who was then at Lespinasse.
Kunz appreciated the eager young chef and soon Schulz was working at Lespinasse in Washington. After 18 months in D.C., he ventured to China and Japan to study Asian cooking. Soon he was off to Italy, where he opened Nobu/Armani in Milan. Somewhere along his travels he met Charlie Palmer who hired him first as a chef at Charlie Palmer Steak, and in record time named him executive chef. It's been quite a ride.
Chef Schulz has wisely kept such signature dishes as the truffled, twice-baked potato and heirloom tomato salad. CPS prides itself on their steaks, all dry-aged for 28 days. If you dine at the steakhouse, you'll surely meet the chef. He enjoys visiting the dining room to chat with diners.
For reservations call 632-5120.
Beach Club at Baywatch at the Flamingo: Sam Marvin, formerly head chef at Piero's Trattoria, has opened Beach Club at the Baywatch Restaurant in the Flamingo. Michael Berk, who created the wildly popular TV series "Baywatch," and well-known Las Vegas businessman Jimmy Comita are co-owners; Marvin is executive chef and partner.
Locals who care about easy access will be pleased to learn that Beach Club has its own valet entrance and a gorgeous covered walkway to the restaurant. Take Flamingo to Audrie, continue on Audrie (behind the Flamingo) to a two-way street. Make a left onto the circular drive with valet parking. The restaurant is above the pool area, giving it a marvelous view.
Marvin, a CIA (Culinary Institute of America) grad, said, "The Beach Club is all about bringing beach food to the city. The menu has something for everyone, from cheese fondue to fresh fish and seafood flown in every day, including Sunday."
He said, "We feature aged-certified Angus beef, free-range chickens and a large selection of fish, except the endangered Chilean seabass. We want the restaurant to be a place for locals first. And it's all about the food. Food first, is our motto."
Lunch and dinner ore offered each day. Among the lunch specialties are a Beach Club roll with shrimp, avocado, crab and cucumber; surfboard pizzas; salads, including a chopped salad, barbecued chicken salad and a traditional Caesar salad.
Sandwiches include a lobster club, Baywatch burger, New York steak sandwich and a crab-cake burger. Or you can lunch on a bucket of steamers, little neck clams fragrant with white wine, shallots, garlic and fresh tomatoes.
The much larger dinner menu includes "First Takes," a selection of raw oysters, including kumomoto and Fanny Bay, fire-roasted spare ribs, cheese fondue, the steamers, blue crab lump crab cakes; soups; pizza; salads; noodles and pasta; at least a dozen fish selections; steaks, chops, chicken, veal and ribs.
Prices are moderate to expensive. Entree range is $13 to $33 for a combination lobster tail and petit filet.
Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., while dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. For reservations call 733-3111.
Short orders
Cevasco to oversee Neiman Marcus eateries: Claude Cevasaco, a longtime Las Vegas food and beverage personality, has been named general manager for the two Neiman Marcus restaurants opening in November. The bistro name is still being decided; Mariposa is the name of the fine-dining room.
Christmas in April chefs: The list of chefs participating in the annual Christmas in April Soiree fund-raiser continues to grow. Among the chefs who will cook at the Four Seasons on Oct. 12 are Wolfgang von Weiser (Four Seasons), Stefan Kauth (Stirling Club), Wes Kendrick (Wild Sage), Michael and Wendy Jordan (Rosemary's Restaurant), Bernard Ibarra (Mirage), Kim Kanteenwalla (MGM Grand), David Kellaway (Mandalay Bay), Mary Bergin (Bergin Baking Company & Cafe), Torsten Schulz (Charlie Palmer Steak) and Jean-Luc Daul (Four Seasons). Granello Bakery will supply the dinner breads.
Bon Appetit includes Las Vegas chefs: Bon Appetit's September restaurant issue celebrates neighborhood restaurants. I was happy to recommend my top 10 local favorites and have two make the cut. Mayflower Cuisinier at Sahara and Decatur was chosen as one of 10 favorite family-run restaurants; Malibu Chan's on West Sahara is included among the Great Neighborhood Restaurants.
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