Brenton Ho/Kabik Photo Group
Guy Fieri and crew get rowdy at Vegas Uncork’d.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018 | 2 a.m.
I’ll be spending most of this week with my running shoes on, burning off the calories accumulated at the 12th annual Vegas Uncork’d weekend, where me and all my foodie friends ate everything we could find and chatted up as many famous chefs as we could see. On the red carpet for Friday night’s Grand Tasting, Guy Fieri borrowed a photographer’s camera and turned the tables, only to get clowned by fellow restaurant guy-turned-TV star Graham Elliot. “This is like the Super Bowl,” the “Cake Boss” himself, Buddy Valastro, told me. “Look at all these chefs! They’re the best in the world and to be part of this group is special. It makes you feel like you’re in the club, even though I’m a baker.” Buddy is a baker who might be opening more concepts at Venetian and Palazzo, so stay tuned.
I caught up with Elliot on Saturday at Picnic in Park, an Uncork’d event showcasing MGM Resorts chefs. The Chicago chef and restaurateur and judge on “MasterChef” and “MasterChef Junior” operates Coast at MGM Cotai in Macau and would love to expand his relationship with a Vegas eatery. “It’s always exciting to be around your contemporaries like this but also humbling because there is such culinary greatness,” he said. “To be tied in with MGM is really cool but to come out and have a restaurant here and really be a part of the Las Vegas scene is something I’d love to be able to do.”
Time is running out for you to catch Elton John's show at the Colosseum.
While we were celebrating the Strip’s fantastic cuisine, Lady Gaga was celebrating Elton John at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace Saturday night. She Instagrammed shots from her private plane with the caption “Tiny Dancer flies her way to the Rocket Man.” She sang and danced and adored “The Million Dollar Piano” as much as the rest of us, but we’ve never had Elton dedicate “Your Song” to us the way he did for Gaga. May 15, 16 and 17 are his final shows at the Colosseum; Gaga will take her place as a Vegas headliner at Park Theater in December.
Christina Aguilera just announced her first big tour in 10 years and the 22-city trek includes a stop at the Colosseum on Oct. 27. Tickets are on sale at livenation.com starting May 18. Aguilera’s been building buzz behind new single “Accelerate” featuring hip-hop stars Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz — both resident performers at Drai’s — and if the tour is a winner, let’s throw her name into the mix of next-generation headliner options.
Christina Aguilera at Hakkasan on Friday, April 17, 2015, in MGM Grand.
Spotted at the Venetian’s hip cocktail lounge The Dorsey sipping on Spicy Flamingos: comedian and actor Craig Robinson, who you know from TV shows like “The Office” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and movies like “The End” and “Hot Tub Time Machine.” I prefer the Montañista myself, but those Flamingos are nice. And spicy.
Bodybuilding icon and four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler made the rounds, catching T.I. at Drai’s Friday night and stopping off at the Palms over the weekend for a sneak peek at the Scotch 80 steakhouse, one of three new venues soft-opening at the off-Strip resort this week.
More evidence that “Opium” is off to a great start at the Cosmopolitan: The Spiegelworld show’s brand campaign won a Rose Gold Award in the advertising and integrated marketing categories at the recent Muse Creative Awards, an international competition celebrating excellence in the art of communications. Now we’ll wait and see if it wins an award in the category of “Most Theatrical Use of Bananas” in the upcoming LV Sun Weekend Rewind Awards. I’m still looking for the right venue to hold that ceremony.
