It is my personal belief that catered events can be the true test of any restaurant kitchen.  I cannot tell you how many times I have dined at a particular place and loved the food.  So, I would decide to host a large dinner there and was sorely disappointed.  Perhaps because it is difficult to prepare large quantities of the same dish perfectly and at the same time, or the front of the house did not assign enough servers, so diners wait too long in-between courses or sat with empty glasses for the majority of the evening. 

Therefore, when a restaurant gets everything right at a banquet, I am that much more impressed.  Tuesday night, I attended the Architectural Digest party at Daniel Boulud's Brasserie at The Wynn hotel.  Now, I should preface this story by telling you that I have dined at Daniel Boulud's LACE w:st="on">Las VegasLACE> property before in the past and thoroughly enjoyed the experience so my expectations were high.

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My colleague SungIn and I arrived in time to enjoy a cocktail and sample each passed  hors d'oeuvres that made their way around the room, including, wild mushroom risotto balls, tiny tuna tar tare served in a cucumber cup; curried chicken salad on a delicate toast and mini crab cakes.  SungIn liked the curried chicken; I preferred the wild mushroom risotto and the tuna tar tare.

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There is something daunting about attending an event when you do not know anyone there.  SungIn and I are public relations professionals and this was a advertisers' party. However, from the moment we stepped in, we felt welcome.  We had a gracious host that spent quite some time with us and shared a table with charming and fun dinner companions. 

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Just as I experienced as an individual diner, the restaurant provided us with seamless service; our water glasses magically appeared full; we never wanted for wine; and our courses moved along at just the right pace.

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 We began with a perfect Cesar's salad with heart of Romaine, Avocado and Parmesan cheese that they paired with a 2005 Domaine Girard Sancerre, La Garenne.

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Then we moved into Daniel's signature Braised beef Short Rib with Pomme Mousseline and Vegetable Jardinire.  The reduction sauce extenuated the flavor of the beef, which melted in my mouth and fell apart on the fork. SungIn said that the mashed potatoes were "the best she's ever had."  We drank a 2003 Stolpman, Poetry in Red Cuvee with our beef.

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For dessert, we enjoyed a plate of Milk Chocolate Parfait, Toasted Hazelnut Cake and Milk Chocolate Ice Cream.

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Last night, I attended the Gourmet Magazine party at my favorite LACE w:st="on">Las VegasLACE> restaurant, Bartolotta Ristorante Di Mare.  We began with samples of Sicilian calamari and these tiny deep fried little fish with a glass of Prosecco di Conegliano Zardetto.

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Then we moved into a four-course family style dinner that consisted of:

First Course: Paired with Prosecco

• Scampi sicilani al pane profumato

(Oven-baked Sicilian langoustines with aromatic bread crumbs)

• Insalatina di carciofi, porcini, ruchetta e pecorino dardo>>

(Artichoke salad with porcini mushrooms, arugula, and pecorino cheese)

• Saute di vongole al pomodoro>>

(Sauteed clams with tomato)>>

• Insalata di piovra Ligure>>

(Ligurian octopus salad, olive oil, lemon)

• Triglia alla ponentina>>

(Red mullet, taggiasche olives, capers, roasted bell peppers)

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Second Course: Paired with Soave Classico, Pieropan 2005

• Risotto ai frutti di mare

(Risotto with clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, langoustines)

• Ravioli di ricotta con caciotta Toscana>>

(Sheep's milk ricotta ravioli with Tuscan pecorino cheese and LACE w:st="on">MarsalaLACE> wine

glaze)

• Penne all'aragosta Sarda

(penne pasta wit Sardinian spiny lobster, white wine and tomato)

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Third Course: Furat, 2004 (Sicilian red)

• Pagaro d'amo alla Palermitana

(whole roasted Mediterranean snapper "LACE w:st="on">PalermoLACE> style" taggiasche olives, capers, white wine tomato)

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Fourth Course: Brachetto d'Aqui, Marenco 2005

• A cacophony of desserts, including a chocolate nougatine mousse, a plethora of gelato,  intense chocolate cake, pineapple carpaccio, and so much more.

Chef Paul Bartolotta came out to speak with us prior to our first course.  He is a humble, warm wonderful host.  He brought out a 50 year old spiny lobster from Sardinia (alive and crawling) that he would later cook for our dinner.  We collectively concurred that after 50 years, this lobster died a good death.  His death would not be in vain as we savored every bite.

At the end of the meal, Chef Paul Bartolotta came back out again and we thanked him for his graciousness and hospitality.