Columnist Muriel Stevens: Epicurean Club continues to build Vegas foundation

Friday, July 26, 2002 | 9:16 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Reach her at (702) 259-4080 or muriel@lasvegassun.com.

The first anniversary of the Epicurean Club was a grand affair, celebrated in style at the Stirling Club Las Vegas. Food and beverage directors from our town's leading hotels and restaurants and other food-involved executives make up the membership.

Dedicated to community involvement, the Epicurean Club's mission includes, "A collaborative forum for the purpose of sharing ideas, knowledge and experience."

For more than a year (the anniversary date was May 7) Epicurean Club has been planning a strategy to achieve its goal: "Aligning the hospitality industry's affiliation with the community through support of the local education system, related organizations, charities and associations."

That said, be assured that the anniversary celebration at the Stirling Club was a laugh-a-minute romp, with a sumptuous meal, excellent wines from Robert Mondavi and a program that was as good a show as any improv company could conceive.

Leading the merriment was Epicurean Club President Rino Armeni (Southern Wine & Spirits), one of the most endearing characters I know.

The dining room was furnished with lavish floral displays, elegant table appointments and beautiful linens. Stirling Club's culinary team, chefs Stephan Kauth, Peter Sherlock and Mark Reed, dazzled diners with an appetizer that was a tasting of three fine-cured Scottish salmons presented with chive creme fraiche, osetra caviar and toast points. Wine: La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi Pinot Grigio.

Open-faced ravioli were filled with a rich duck confit and porcini mushrooms. Wine: Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Merlot.

Succulent Angus beef filet mignon with a black truffle demi-glace, and in the parlance of the chefs, "varnished vegetable jumble and cyclic adornments" (a beautiful array of seasonal vegetables), was a sumptuous main course. Wine: Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Between courses Rino presented mock awards to some members, and brought down the house with his humorous satirical patter. Assisting Rino as presenter was his Southern Wine aide and associate, Sabrina Martinez.

Dessert was a delicate creme fraiche gelato accented with golden mango puree, a perfect pairing with the dessert wine: La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi Moscato Blanco. Simply delish.

Among the Epicurean Club members and guests were: Bart and Bonnie Mahoney (Mirage), Bill and Lydia Hiers (Tropicana), Bob and Maria Zitto (Paris), Brian and Christine Lerner (Aladdin), Bryan and Aileen O'Shields (Bellagio), Frank and Debbie Rigley (Flamingo Las Vegas), Greg Waldron (Caesars Palace), Jay Bluhm (Golden Nugget), Christine Siefert, Jeff and Christine Devito (Station Casinos), John and Grace Thacker (Luxor), Kelley Jones (China Grill), Leo and Theresa Kessler and Lloyd and Marcy Wentzell (Riviera), Marc and Arline Smith (Pernod Ricard), M.J. Maynard (Hard Rock Hotel), Paul Gordon (Ark Las Vegas Restaurant Corp.), Richard and Maureen Femenella (Aureole), Marie Claire Armeni, Stephan and Lisa Roughley (JW Marriott), Tamir and Randi Shanel (Four Seasons), Tim and Christine Herman (Venetian), Joe and Laura Essa (Spago), Jeffrey and Colleen Fredrick (Rio) and Tom and Michelle Recine (New York-New York).

Stirling Club General Manager Ryan Kingston hosted the lavish party. Kingston has a wealth of hospitality experience, all in evidence at the private Stirling Club.

"The combination of a truly great location, premier unparalelled personal service and lavish surroundings help distinguish the Stirling Club," Kingston stated. "It will be my pleasure to help educate the industry on this amazing facility."

The party mood continued when guests retrieved their cars from valet. Inside each car was a gift bag with Royal Salute Scotch, a commemorative bottle of Johnny Walker Gold, a Stirling Club signature box of chocolates and more. Happy first year, Epicurean Club.

If you don't like garlic ... : "If you don't like garlic, go home," proclaimed the sign prominently displayed on the wall of Bombara's Italian restaurant on Main Street many years ago.

Bombara's is long gone, but notice of the passing of Anna Bombara at age 95 triggered wonderful memories. That first small restaurant made believers of all of the locals who dined there.

No one knew that the cook was Mr. Bombara's wife. She always addressed him as Mr. Bombara. She cooked, he served the food and entertained with a voice so big it could shatter glass.

There were so many stories rumored about the discreet couple. None of us knew, until much later when we had become friends, that the Bombaras were married. We only knew that married or not, they adored each other. I've never tasted a better linguine with clams than the one featured at Bombara's.

The vibrant sauce was creamy and masked the pasta and clams so that each bite captured all the flavors. Try as I might, I could never wheedle the recipe for that exceptional sauce from the Bombaras.

The amount of garlic included in every dish assured that vampires would never bother any Bombara diner. The aura of garlic that came with every meal was a fragrant reminder for at least a day after, that dinner at Bombara's was more than a meal.

It was a pungent reminder that their love was as durable as the lingering aroma of the garlic that permeated every dish. Now they're together again.

Short orders

Simon's under construction: Mortoni's at the Hard Rock Hotel is now closed. Under construction and due to open in late September is Simon at the Hard Rock, a joint venture between Chef Kerry Simon, Elizabeth Blau and the Hard Rock.

Bradley Ogden to open at Caesars: It's been a long time since Bradley Ogden, who owns the award-winning Lark Creek Inn in Marin County (just north of San Francisco), started looking for a location in Las Vegas.

Ogden's days at San Francisco's renowned Campton Place Hotel brought him national recognition. More acclaim came with the opening of Lark Creek Inn.

The chef is currently working on the menu for Bradley Ogden at Caesars. He assured me that the same indigenous American foods that brought him such notice in his other restaurants will be featured.

His food philosophy is to bring food from the farm to the table, but with a little pizzazz. He's already discovered some of Las Vegas' unexpected food source treasures and is searching for more. Bradley Ogden at Caesars will offer inviting surroundings with fine food and the best ingredients.

"I want to create a feeling of being at home," Ogden said.

In addition to Lark Creek Inn, Ogden and partner Michael Deller opened One Market restaurant in San Francisco, Lark Creek in San Mateo and Walnut Creek, and Yankee Pier, a crab shack-type eatery in Larkspur, yet he intends to be a presence at Bradley Ogden at Caesars. The restaurant is scheduled to open in March -- the same time that Celine Dion will debut at the new 4,000-seat Colosseum. The restaurant will be located just steps away from the Colosseum entrance.

Wine dinners galore: Roy's on East Flamingo will hold its first wine dinner at 7 p.m. Monday. Featured will be the wines of St. Supery in Napa Valley. Dinner (five courses) with wine is $85 per person. Call 691-2053. Roy's Summerlin will present a Hawaiian Fusion Sake dinner ($55) at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5. Call 838-3620.

Rodney Strong Winery and Gustav Mauler's Spiedini at JW Marriott Resort will offer a five-course dinner ($65 per person) on the handsome patio (weather permitting) at 6:30 p.m. Monday. Call 869-8500.

Reservations are required for all wine dinners.