Columnist Muriel Stevens: Premiere at Nora’s on Flamingo a crowd-pleaser

Friday, Aug. 15, 2003 | 8:29 a.m.

Nora's restaurant hosted its first wine dinner Sunday and delighted everyone who attended.

Nora's, at 6020 W. Flamingo Road, is an 85-seat eatery owned by the Mauro family. Matriarch Nora still keeps her hand in the operation and was present at the wine dinner; sons Giovanni and Marcello are the operating "hosts"; Marcello is the chef.

It was an evening filled with music and good food and wine. Nicole Ruvo, who represents Domaine Select Wine Estates, conducted the tasting, discussing each wine with style and expertise.

Dinner was a tour de force for Marcello. As Giovanni said, "The diners enthusiastically applauded me and my accompanists -- Chuck Bacino on the accordion and Andrew Domino on mandolin; for my brother, they stood up and cheered!"

What they were cheering was the exceptional Sicilian meal created by Marcello. At the reception, Don Pietro Bianco '01 accompanied the Sicilian hors d'oeuvres -- dry cured Roma tomatoes topped with marinated white anchovies (I love these pickled herringlike anchovies); panelle made from garbanzo bean flour and fried in oil (similar to Indian pakoras); bruschetta topped with caponata; and bite-size rice balls.

Dinner included an antipasto of sea scallops with white wine, olive oil and Sicilian lemon and Chardonnay, a rich Schietto Chardonnay '00. The first course (primo) -- baked anelli (rings) pasta, meat and pea ragout with a sauce besciamella -- was paired with Virzi Rosso '01.

The main course (secondo) included a pork tenderloin with Gulfi red wine reduction and spinach and a lamb tenderloin accompanied by a mushroom-and-eggplant-filled pastry. Two wines were a match for the hearty main course: Gulfi Nerojbleo Nero d'Avola '01 and Gulfi Nerobufaleffj '01. The dinner marked the premiere of the two single vineyard selections. Dessert was a traditional Sicilian cassata (cake). The cookies served with the dessert and fancy Italian coffee were made by Nora.

This first wine-tasting dinner was sold out as soon as it was announced, but there are bound to be more. Until then, dine at Nora's for lunch or dinner.

Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 2:30 Monday through Friday. Dinner hours are 4:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations are recommended. Call 365-6713.

More about Nicole Ruvo: Nicole, a native Las Vegan, is the daughter of Larry Ruvo, senior managing director of Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada, and Gloria Fine (now Mrs. Mark Fine). Her interest in wine was evident at an early age. It must be in the genes.

After completing her education at the University of San Diego, Nicole worked at wineries in California and Italy, learning the business from the ground up. She then moved to New York to pursue a career in the wine business. Determined to increase her knowledge of wine at every level, she continues to study for accreditation as a master sommelier.

She has already passed the first level. There is no easy path to becoming accredited. It takes passion and determination. That she will achieve this goal is a given.

This beautiful woman I knew as a child is a born entrepreneur.

Food safety and kids: What should you put in your child's lunchbox? Is a lunchbox even the best way to store food? With the new school year fast approaching, it's time to rethink kid's lunches. I've included some tips about food safety from experts at Johnson & Wales University's nutrition department along with a host of my own:

Start with scrupulously clean lunchboxes or insulated bags. Paper bags are the worst choice. Wash boxes and bags on a regular basis with hot, soapy water and let them dry with the lids open. If a bag or lunchbox becomes moldy, throw it out!

Stable food items, such as nuts, dried fruit, pasta salad made with vinaigrette or Italian dressing or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, keep well. Don't pack regular dairy products such as milk or pudding. Choose instead the sterile (UHT) milk or juice boxes. They may get warm, but they won't spoil. Freeze the juice boxes and they'll keep food cool until they thaw. Small ice packs are good, but it's the rare child that will remember to bring one home.

When my kids were growing up they got to choose their own sandwiches from the stash in the freezer.

On weekends, using a plastic shoe box as a file, I would make up a variety of sandwiches, put them in sandwich-size plastic bags and freeze them. The tuna was made with a small amount of vinaigrette so the bread wouldn't get soggy (for crunch I added sunflower seeds), the peanut butter and jelly was a cinch, smoked turkey and other sandwich meats were favorites and so were cheeses. What made it fun was going to the freezer, checking out the sandwich file and picking one. It certainly made mornings easier. And the sandwich would thaw in time for lunch.

Don't keep tuna sandwiches longer than three days. Smoked meats and peanut butter and jelly can last until you make up the next batch. Choose hard cheeses so they won't get crumbly. And don't forget the food safety motto -- "When in doubt, throw it out."

Nathan Adelson Hospice wine-tasting benefit: Wine tastings are more popular than ever. A wine-tasting event Sept. 18 at Gaudin Jaguar, Porsche, Aston Martin of Las Vegas at 7200 W. Sahara Ave. will benefit the Nathan Adelson Hospice Silk Butterfly program.

The Silk Butterfly program is one of the services offered at the hospice-affiliated Walter L. Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care, which provides education and counseling for terminally ill children and their families. A bereavement program is also offered.

The wine tasting includes wines provided by Johnson Brothers Beverage and food samplings provided by Malibu Chan's, Harley-Davidson Cafe, Sammy's Woodfired Pizza, Jelly Belly Bakery, Toto's Mexican Restaurant and Poker Palace Casino. Tickets are $35 and may be purchased by calling the Nathan Adelson Hospice Foundation office, 796-3133.

Oktoberfest at Gordon Biersch: Gordon Biersch will unveil a new look at its annual Oktoberfest celebration scheduled for Sept. 26 to Sept. 27. The brewery is aiming for an outdoor look with less tent and more view. The arts and crafts area will be larger and there will be a new Oktoberfest beer garden with its own mini stage. A variety of kids' foods, balloonists, magicians and more will be available. Also new this year is a children's root beer garden. Many new foods are available along with the ever-popular brats, turkey legs, garlic fries and Festbier. More than 16,000 attended last year. With additional space, more entertainment and more everything, this year's Oktoberfest should be a blast.