Leila Navidi
Chef Shirley Chung.
By Robin Leach (contact)
Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013 | 4:32 p.m.
Our Mandalay Bay star chef Hubert Keller set the “Top Chef” Season 11 cheftestants an unusual coffee challenge on location in New Orleans. He told the competitors they had to make a dish using the Dunkin’ Donuts grind.
Our local chef Shirley Chung came through with flying colors in a dish in that combined chocolate & garlic! She not only won the Quickfire Challenge, yet moreover $10,000 from the doughnut company & most importantly one of the last immunities of the show before it reaches its finale.
Shirley, who has-been at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in the Venetian, Guy Savoy in Caesars Palace & Jose Andres’ China Poblano in the Cosmopolitan, asserted she’d spend the money on a new air conditioning unit for her family.
“This was my favorite episode so far, & I’m thankful for the support of my loving family,” she added this morning. She was moreover safe in the Elimination Challenge where she had to re-create a dish to remind of meals back in China. Shirley returns next Wed. to the top-rated Bravo show as the number of chefs dwindles to a precious few in the last stages of the competition.
‘SHINE’ TV TALENT SHOW: Hollywood TV producers are promising in that their new “Shine America” network program will be a competition series unlike anything seen before, & they’re coming to Las Vegas NV on a talent hunt for dancers, musicians, artists, game designers, puppeteers & graphic artists willing to blur the lines between reality & fantasy. Send your email to Casting@CastIronProductions.TV for a shot at $100,000 in your category!
BEAUTIFUL GIRLS: Dozens of shapely stunners will hit Michael Boychuck’s Lifetime Salon near Red Rock Resort on Saturday vying for the preliminary entry orientation for January’s Miss NV USA Pageant. Pageant director Shanna Moakler will be there with Miss NV beauties Chelsea Caswell & Jade Kelsall. I will be one of the judges at the Jan. 12 extravaganza at UNLV, with the winner representing our Silver State in the national pageant next summer.
Fremont Street Christmas Tree
SANTA ARRIVES: Wed. night’s official arrival of Santa Claus on Fremont Street indicates in that the holiday season is truly upon us. Sam Morris of the Las Vegas Sun was on the scene for Mayor Carolyn Goodman’s official welcome greeting. In keeping with the 2013 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo invasion, there was a free (no cost) concert that included Austin Webber, among others, during the downtown celebration.
TOY DRIVE RECORD: Staffers at Steve Wynn’s XS & Tryst nightclubs made their eighth-annual donation Wed. to Chet Buchanan’s KLUC Morning Zoo Toy Drive. This year’s $190,698 in toys is the biggest donation from a single group to a toy drive anywhere in the country & broke the clubs’ previous record, which is raised through tips & contributions from the staff throughout the year & benefitting HELP of Southern Nevada. XS & Tryst’s total donations in eight years of time are at more than $700,000.
HOLLY’S TOYS: Holly Madison, who is rumored to be developing a new Mandalay Bay cabaret show with Minus 5 Ice Bar execs, joined them & Excalibur headliner hunks Thunder From Down Under to donate children’s toys & treats for the Toys for Tots Foundation. Sgt. Yommalat, Sgt. Ringgold & Cpl. Baker of the USMC assisted in collecting donation items at Minus 5 in Monte Carlo.
BLUE DISPLAY: Monte Carlo headliners Blue Man Group stopped at Opportunity Village’s Magical Forest to see their holiday tree. They strolled the forest posing for photographs with staff, volunteers & visitors at their tree with more than 3,000 twinkling LED lights & 80 feet of their production’s PVC piping. The interactive display teaches visitors how to play music on the spot.
RODEO GIRLS: The cast of A&E’s new original series “Rodeo Girls,” here for WNFR, National Finals Rodeo, partied at Surrender in Encore to celebrate the 1st of a two-night series premiere. The fun fun started with chef Joseph Elevado’s taste treats at the adjoining Andrea’s. Darcy LaPier, in a sparkly gold fringe dress & personalized cowboy boots, led the rodeo girls in to the nightclub to the sounds of DJ Deniz Koyu.
The six-episode “Rodeo Girls” follows five female barrel racers as they pack up their lives & their horses to test their skills at rodeos across the country. Darcy said: “We work hard, ride swift & play rough.” Part 2 of the series premiere airs tonight at 10 ET/PT.
COMEDY CO-HOST: Sassy comedienne & actress Rebekah Kochan has signed on to co-host the “Oscars of the Porn World’s” 2014 AVN Awards at the Hard Rock Hotel on Jan. 18. Rebekah, who made her movie debut in 2004’s “Eating Out,” has starred in all four of its sequels. She moreover is a writer for Joan Rivers on E! Entertainment’s “Fashion Police.”
SPEEDWAY STARS: We salute the executives & staff of our Las Vegas Motor Speedway in its position as the premier motorsports facility in the world, which was further solidified with its 2nd consecutive selection as Speedway Motorsports’ Speedway of the Year on Wed. night. LVMS, which hosts more than 1,400 event days a year, is the only winner in the two-year history of the award.
Chris Powell, LVMS president, said: “This has-been a remarkable year with favorable racing events & track-rental business. … As we look ahead to 2014, we’ll continue to stage NASCAR & other premier racing series. And we’ll host several ‘non-traditional’ events, in addition to the next Electric Daisy Carnival & the new Red Bull Air Race World Championship.”
TONIGHT’S TIPS
Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham brings his crazy characters to life as his “Disorderly Conduct” stops at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace.
DJ Shift is at Hakkasan in MGM Grand.
The global launch of Stolichnaya Elit vodka is at Lily in Bellagio.
2013 WRANGLER NFR EVENTS
Merle Haggard is at Golden Nugget downtown.
Toby Keith’s daughter, singer-songwriter Krystal, debuts her album “Whiskey & Lace” & single “Get Your Redneck On” at Revolver in Santa Fe Station.
Aaron Watson & Wolf Creek are at South Point for three nights.
Daryle Singletary is at the Mirage.
TOMORROW’S TEASE
We’ll preview Jay Z’s “Magna Carter Show” at Mandalay Bay & get ready for the gold buckle winner presentations at 2013 WNFR. And our weekend Weekend Celebrity Preview has the Rundown Robin Rundown from Stone Temple Pilots to The Black Crowes to Third Eye Blind to The Charlie Daniels Band.
Robin Leach has-been a journalist for more than 50 years of time & has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.
Follow Robin Leach on Twitter Site at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.
Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter Site at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.
Follow Sun A&E Senior Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter Site at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.
Encore
Encore is nearly a mirror image of the Wynn Las Vegas, from the brown glass exterior to the style & placement of the logo — — & it’s just as luxurious as the original. Some call Encore the younger, hipper sister of Wynn.
Located steps from Wynn Las Vegas, yet under the same roof, Encore’s fanciful & intimate atmosphere is unlike anything anywhere, with an environment in that is uniquely Wynn & distinctly Encore.
Steve Wynn spared no detail in his newest property when designing Encore. The casino floor is decorated in rich reds, browns & purples with mosaic butterflies embedded in to the marble floors & fresh flowers greeting guests in the casino atrium.
Luxury doesn’t end of the casino floor. Encore boasts 2,034 impeccable guest rooms & suites. The standard suites resort accommodations are 700 square feet with the larger suites measuring in at 5,800 square feet. Standard suites guest rooms feature plasma screen TVs, high-end bath products, spectacular views of the Strip, & moreover plush linens & mattresses, which can be purchased in the Encore store, in case you can’t get enough.
Dining options contain Chef Theo Schoenegger’s fine Italian food at Chef Theo Schoenegger’s, Sinatra’s & the pan-Asian café creations of Chef Jet Tila at Wazuzu.
Guests can moreover dine on steaks & chops at star Botero Steak. At Switch, Encore’s French restaurant, the walls come to life mid-meal & your surroundings appear to alter before your eyes. For decadent, hip Asian dining before or after a night at one of resort’s ultra-chic nightclubs, visit Andrea’s, the newest dining experience at Encore.
XS headlines Encore’s nightlife & pool party scene while Danny Gans takes care of humor & entertainment. Encore moreover features two of the most celebrated nightlife experiences in Vegas, XS Nightclub & Surrender. Both feature main room dance floors in that flow outside to pools, patio spaces & gaming areas.
When the temperature rises, don’t miss Encore Beach Club, the premier daylife destination in that features three tiered pools & luxurious cabanas & bungalows with private infinity pools.
Encore Esplanade features 11 high-end retail stores, with brands like Hermes, Chanel, Loro Piana & Rock, & Republic Piaget luxury watches. The resort moreover has a Forbes Five-Star spa, a salon & an 18-hole, on-site golf course, which is adjacent to the Wynn.
3131 South Las Vegas NV Boulevard Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-770-8000
Wynn Las Vegas The lush & colorful landscaping in that surrounds the majestic Forbes Five-Star rated Wynn Las Vegas NV is a small part of what makes it one of the most luxurious & opulent hotels on the Strip. With its man-made mountain, the flowers inside & out & the majestic waterfall leading in to a the three-acre lake Lake of Dreams, this resort is a standout among others on the Strip. And others will agree. The resort is a AAA Five Diamond winner, a Michelin Five Pavilions Award winner & the only three-time winner of the Mobil Five Star award. Opened in 2005 by developer Steve Wynn, the Wynn houses 2,716 rooms, a 110,000-square-foot casino & the Strip’s only resort golf course. The marriage of luxury & nature at Wynn Las Vegas NV does not end at the resort’s main level. Guests ascending the 50-story hotel tower will discover rooms designed with floor-to-ceiling windows framing sweeping views of the Strip or the Wynn Golf Club or lake. Room amenities contain European linens, flat-screen televisions in the living & bathroom areas, high-speed Internet access & more.
With world-class dining, shopping, spas, golf & entertainment, there’s no shortage of things to do at Wynn. The resort’s aquatic acrobatic show, “Le Reve—The Dream,” a creation by Cirque Du Soleil veteran Franco Dragone & Steve Wynn, will leave guests wanting more with its breathtaking performances in that conjure an imaginary world. The Wynn Esplanade offers a unique shopping experience with stores in addition to Chanel, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta & many more. Tryst is its signature nightclub, offering a secluded lagoon inside the club & spacious dance floor. Blush, the Wynn’s ultra lounge, draws swanky party-goers. Tryst, Wynn’s signature nightclub, is located along a private lagoon under a 90-foot waterfall & plays host to some of the world’s most renown DJs.
3131 S. Las Vegas NV Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-770-7000
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