Everything We Ate and Drank at Vegas Uncork’d 2019
If you ever wondered how Bon Appétit staffers let loose in Vegas, look no further than Vegas Uncork’d, our epic four-day food festival in which we bring together some of the world’s most iconic chefs to eat, drink, and party with us all weekend long. We’re talking three dinners a night. Cooking demos from some of the biggest names in food. A game (or five) at the blackjack table. And yes, some well-deserved frozen drinks and sunlit naps by the pool.
Last weekend marked our 13th year of Vegas Uncork’d, and as you may have come to expect, we pulled out all the stops. We tapped into Vegas’s culinary scene to host a full weekend of events, dinners, and parties at our favorite hotels and resorts on the strip. Gordon Ramsay was there. Giada was there. Heck, Lisa Vanderpump threw a rosé party at Caesars. Missed out on the action this year? Fear not—we photographed the whole thing. Here’s how we ate and drank our way through it all.
Photo by Laura Murray1/10It wouldn’t be Vegas Uncork’d without the customary Champagne saber-off! We kicked off the festival with a roster of legendary chefs, including Guy Savoy and Masaharu Morimoto, and plenty of bubbly at the Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Photo by Laura Murray2/10We were ready for a gorgeous afternoon of sun, drinks, and eats at Picnic at The Park at Park MGM, where an all-star roster of chefs cooked up snacks for the crowd. We were especially partial to Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s wagyu lettuce wraps and Masaharu Morimoto’s sweet soy-glazed corn. For more DIY-inclined guests, Agave in the Raw had a custom bike-station bar where you could ride a stationary bike that powered a blender of frozen margaritas.
Photo by Emma Fishman3/10The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fans turned out to enjoy rosé and snacks with Lisa Vanderpump in the lush indoor garden at the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesars Palace. The highlight of the night: the four-tier bedazzled pink-and-white birthday cake—topped with an actual bottle of Vanderpump Rosé—that was rolled out at the end of the night to celebrate daughter Pandora Vanderpump Sabo’s birthday. (There was even a surprise appearance by Puffy, one of Vanderpump's many adorable pups.)
Photo by Emma Fishman4/10The next best thing to a trip to the Italian countryside? An intimate, multicourse dinner that transports you there, hosted by Giada De Laurentiis at her restaurant in The Cromwell. Guests enjoyed dishes such as creamy lobster pasta, veal saltimbocca milanese, and loaded cured meat and cheese plates before taking a signed copy of Giada’s Italy home with them.
Photo by Laura Murray5/10Guests went into the kitchen at the fine-dining Chinese restaurant Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas for a morning filled with hands-on demos. Guests folded their own potstickers, learned how to make perfect Young Chow fried rice, and were schooled on the secrets of the restaurant’s signature crispy-skinned Peking duck—with recipes to take home, of course.
Photo by Emma Fishman6/10Soup dumplings. Pork buns. Crispy spring rolls. Peking duck. Shumai filled with tiny quail eggs. We wouldn’t expect anything else from the dim sum masters who brought us this epic Mott 32 brunch at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
Photo by Emma Fishman7/10As flutes of Moët & Chandon bubbles and rocks glasses of Hennessy V.S were passed around the Hublot space inside of The Forum Shops at Caesars, we tried to take our eyes off the stunning Swiss timepieces long enough to have an actual conversation. Spoiler alert: We were not successful.
Photo by Emma Fishman8/10Christina Tosi brought some of her signature Milk Bar sweets to Rose. Rabbit. Lie. at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas with a hands-on demo in which guests learned how to make their own cake truffles to take home.
Photo by Laura Murray9/10We rolled out the red carpet for the signature event of the weekend: Friday night’s Grand Tasting at the dramatic Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis at Caesars Palace. More than 2,000 guests came out to sample delicious signature bites from some of the world’s most celebrated chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Nobu Matsuhisa, and Giada De Laurentiis. Justin and Landmark Wines kept the bottles coming, while Casa Noble served up ultra-smooth tequila and cocktails.
Photo by Laura Murray10/10This year, we invited our friends from GQ, who hosted a bash at hotspot CATCH at ARIA. We came for the Instagram-worthy flower tunnel, but stayed for the beats, drinks, and snacks.
