Food and Loathing | Covering the Las Vegas Food Scene

Politics, Tomatoes and more highlight the second half of Al's dinner and conversation with the legendary Jose Andres. Also: Al and Rich check a few news items and review a light week of going out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the episode that Al's been waiting to drop for two weeks: the first half of his very long interview and dinner with Chef Jose Andres, the man behind Jaleo, China Poblano, E, MiniBar, Bazaar Meats and other restaurant concepts. And he's the man who's fed hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are the victims of disasters - both natural and human-made. Also: Al and co-host Rick Moonen dive into a blogger post that's gone viral: a serious take-down of a Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant in Italy. And Al has news that every chef wants to hear: a chance to be given your own restaurant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two years after the season was shot, Hell's Kitchen Young Guns finally aired this past summer. And delaying the release also meant delaying the prize for winner Trenton Garvey. But now he has his money, and his new job as Executive Chef at Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris. From his new home in Henderson, Trenton sits down with Al to explain it all. Rick Moonen is back as co-host. He recounts a very busy Thanksgiving time. Al talks about his recent restaurant visits, and Rich goes in depth on his meal at Harlo in Downtown Summerlin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a combination of celebration, remembrance and education this week – all wrapped up in a tasty package. We celebrate Hanukah with a primer on what it means to keep kosher, and a discussion of all things kosher in Las Vegas. And we found two men who know their stuff: Ken Heck, owner of Chinglish and Chinglish Kosher, and Rabbi Tzvi Bronchtain, who certifies that a restaurant or shop is, indeed, Kosher. We also remember Chris Herrin, the pioneering Strip veteran who brought great bread and pastry to the neighborhoods of Las Vegas. Chris, who struggled with diabetes for decades, died suddenly just before Thanksgiving in St. George, Utah. He and business partner Chris Connors started Farmstead Bakery in downtown St. George less than a year ago. Connors joins us, along with Chris Decker of Metro Pizza and Chris Palmeri of Naked City Pizza, to share stories about their friend. We also have foodie news and tales, and a cannabis edibles review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're celebrating the holiday by asking some of our best friends in the Las Vegas restaurant community to share their best Thanksgiving moments. From family fun to challenging times in the kitchen to heartbreaking moments, we hope you'll find something that speaks to you. Among our friends sharing their stories: Justin Kingsley Hall, Elizabeth Blau, Rick Moonen, Cory Harwell, Bruce Kalman, Ken Heck and Stacy Dugan. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The meat in the sandwich that is this episode is all about sandwiches: what makes a good one and why are there so many awful sandwich sellers? We talk with two of the best at their craft: Dave Simmons of Goodwich in Downtown Las Vegas, and Ismaele Romano, who just opened Via Focaccia at Elis Island Casino. Sandwiching that conversation, Rich critiques cheap steak, Al and co-host Rick Moonen play Monday morning quarterback on Desert Companion's restaurant awards and Marcus Samuellson unveils his Impossible "chicken" nuggets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chef Rick Moonen is back to talk about his travels. He and Al also compare notes about Harlo, the new Downtown Summerlin steakhouse from Chef Gina Marinelli that's still in "preview" mode. And Rich bitches about not yet getting an invitation. But the bulk of the episode is all about Spanish food and the great Las Vegas joints that celebrate it. From the private dining room at Jaleo in The Cosmopolitan, we're joined by Jaelo's head chef Eric Suniga and one of the brains behind Valencian Gold, Jeffrey Weiss. Also: news about the latest tenants of Vegas Test Kitchen, the new executive chef at SW Steakhouse, and the big Las Vegas - Kansas City barbecue competition set for this weekend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most restaurant kitchens may be 'boys' clubs.' But that's changing in many places - especially in Las Vegas. Our guests include Dr. Lisa Cain, who teaches a course at UNLV called "From the Classroom to the Boardroom: Leadership for Women in Hospitality. " Also joining us, Elizabeth Blau, one of the most successful restaurant operators in Las Vegas, male or female. And we recorded that conversation at the Las Vegas Test Kitchen. Owner Jolene Mannina shares here stories of successes and failures in her culinary career. Also on this episode: guest co-host Lindsay Stewart. She's attracted more than 300,000 followers of her Instagram site The Las Vegas Foodie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We take a deep, delicious dive into the Las Vegas sushi scene with two of the best sushi chefs at one of the best sushi venues. Chef John Um treats us to a fantastic array of raw fish in the newly refurbished and expanded bar at SushiSamba at the Palazzo. John is SushiSamba's corporate chef. Also joining us at the table is Josh Bagwin, formerly of RM Seafood - which is a nice coincidence, since the 'RM' of that fantastic, much-missed joint is our semi-regular co-host Rick Moonen. Along with news of the week, Rich reviews three local hot dogs, while Al and Rick wax poetic about this week's cannabis edible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the second time in history (well, our history) Food and Loathing is releasing a bonus episode! Well, it's more like a leftover episode. There was just too much good stuff at and great guests at "Vegas Unstripped" for just one episode. So we've constructed this extra helping of Unstripped. It features Chef J.P. Labadie, as well as Vegas' most famous (and most recognizable) mixologist Adam Raines from The Golden Tiki. But we've been willingly hijacked by Chef James Trees of Esther's Kitchen. He brought along Chef Jackson Stamper, who's presiding over the latest iteration of Ada's Wine Bar. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've recovered from an epic night of gluttony on Main St. in the Arts District, and we're sharing what we saw, heard and tasted. Before then, co-host Rick Moonen shares his tale of 'glamping' in Utah, Al and Rick recount their 'secret' dinner in Tivoli Village, and Rich 'reviews' the new fast foot joint that serves nothing but plant-based food. That includes 'cheese' - heavy on the quote marks. Also, be sure to download our bonus episode, Unstripped Leftovers, with even more from Vegas Unstripped. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jenny Wong, co-owner of Every Grain, is our co-host this week. She shares her story about bringing the Taiwanese staple Lu Rou Fan to the valley. The centerpiece of the show is barbecue. And two of the best in town are here for us: Bruce Kalman of Soul Belly BBQ and Rollin' Smoke's Mike Moore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We hang with Top Chef Portland's fan favorite, and Las Vegas' own, Jamie Tran! Also along for the ride is this week's co-host Mercy Baron. She's host of the "All Forked Up" podcast, a certified master barbecue judge, author of the Baron's Barbecue Beat website, and administrator of the Las Vegas and San Diego Food Fanatics pages on Facebook. Jamie tells all about Top Chef, including her reluctance to appear, her comeback from elimination and why she tried to accept elimination instead of seeing a fellow competitor leave the show. One hint: those rushing-to-beat-the-clock moments are real! She also shares the inspiration for the Vietnamese-inspired American comfort food she serves up at her restaurant Black Sheep. Could there be more in the future? You'll have to listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rick Moonen is back to co-host an episode that looks at the state of Mexican cuisine in Las Vegas. Chefs Francisco Alvarez, Mariana Lavarado, and Sarah Thompson join us to talk about the history, nutrition and variety of Mexican cuisine, and some of the unfair expectations many Americans bring to the table. Al also opens up a bottle of Singhani 63, the new spirit championed by acclaimed film director Steve Soderburgh. It's a white distilled spirit made from the ancient Muscat of Alexandria, and is produced by the largest and oldest singani maker in Bolivia, Casa Real. Also: Rich shares his compare-and-contrast journey through a trio of sub sandwich chains - his quest for the best basic turkey sandwich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We take a closer look at the current state of celebrity sightings in Las Vegas: where to go and who you might find there. And we get top-shelf help from two people who do it for a living: Melinda Sheckells of "Off the Strip" and John Katsilometes, the Man About Town for the Las Vegas Review Journal. And this week's co-host is Diana Brier, owner of Valley Wine & Cheese in Henderson. Wonder about her cheese bone fides? How about this? Diana is one of only 45 people in the country to hold a Certified Cheese Sensory Evaluator Certificate from the American Cheese Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time for Life is Beautiful, downtown Las Vegas' celebration of music and food. We talk with a couple of chef-owners at their new Fremont St. spot, and get the lowdown of what it's like to cook for rock royalty on the road - as well as the uber-rich in their exclusive enclaves! Our co-hosts this week are Justin Kingsley Hall, Kim Owens and Jolene Mannina, who created Peyote at Ferguson's on Fremont St. Jolene is also the genius behind Vegas Test Kitchen. Meanwhile, Dan Krohmer from Other Mama and (from one of those uber-rich enclaves) Geno Bernardo talk about cooking for the very rich and extremely famous. And, as always, Al has found another edible cannabis product to review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In all modesty, this is a big deal episode - because we have two very big deal chefs joining us. This week's co-host is Rick Moonen, former owner of RM Seafood and Rx Boiler Room. Rick shares what he's doing these days, and why he continues to call Las Vegas home. Also: It's a huge job feeding an NFL team and all of its staffers. And for the Raiders, it's a high priority - an amenity the team uses to attract free agents. To deliver on that promise, the Raiders turned to veteran Vegas Chef Gary LaMorte. He shares some, but not all, of the secrets of how diet can optimize a player's performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We love getting into the minutiae of this valley. But this time we're getting the view of Vegas from far away. Andy Wang has been traveling and writing for LA Magazine, Food & Wine, The Robb Report, The New York Times and many other publications. Over the past 20 years, Matt Vilano has written more than 100 stories about Las Vegas and has edited at least a dozen travel guide books. In Time Magazine, he recently declared Las Vegas one of the world's greatest places. Before we talk to Andy and Matt, we hung out with DW Bistro co-owner Bryce Krausman. He shared his recent Vegas fun. And he (like us) is especially excited about Vegas Unstripped, which is back after a one year hiatus. We dive into all the details and talk to several of the chefs who will be taking part on the night of October 16th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's all things beer with one of the valley's best brewers and best beer writers: Crafhaus co-owner Dave Forrest and Bob Barnes, who's been covering the Nevada beer scene since 1998. Al, Jason and Rich talk to Dave and Bob in the tasting room at Crafthaus, which is in a light industrial park that's become known as the Henderson Booze District. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pizza Episode isn't enough to hold all the fun, so here's a bonus episode. Al, Jason and Rich talk to some pizza makers and pizza fans at "Slice Out Hunger," the charity fundraiser that kicked off the International Pizza Expo. Nicole Bean and Laura Myer educate the guys about the Women in Pizza movement. Vincent Rotolo, Scott Wiener and Gio Mauro also drop by. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's all things pizza, starting with the kickoff event for the International Pizza Expo at Good Pie in the Arts District. Al, Jason and Rich get the overview on the Vegas pizza scene and talk to two of the valley's best: John Arena of Metro Pizza and James Trees of Esther's Kitchen. Then it's a review of highlights from the convention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A growing part of the Las Vegas food scene are restaurants and bars owned by, aimed at or just friendly towards LGBTQ Community. Al, Jason and Rich talk with two pioneers on the scene: D-W Bistro co-owner Bryce Krausman and longtime LGBTQ promoter Eduardo Cordova, owner of The Garden, the only gay bar in the Arts District - and the soon-to-open Strip-adjacent piano lounge, Star Lounge. Also: the coming resurrection of a popular Spanish restaurant, the special brew that Crafthaus has created for the Psycho Las Vegas Festival, and some especially unkind words about Subway. Finally, Rich can't stand it anymore, and hands over his short-lived gummy stash to Al - with all the appropriate Pomp & Circumstance. . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Al, Jason and Rich dive into the world of professional Instagrammers - and try very hard to avoid the hideous word "influencer." - with Philipo Tzeng (@lasvegasfill) and Emily Romero (@eatmelasvegas). Also: news of a well-known chef at The Bellagio moving on, the end of a pop-up ice creamery in the Arts District, and Michael Mina's new concept for his original place in San Francisco. Also: Jason shares his new knowledge of the Reno food scene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Al, Jason and Rich are hoping all over the valley, starting and finishing at DW Bistro in Southwest. But the anchor of the episode is time spent at Le Thai in downtown Las Vegas. Le Thai co-owner Dan Coughlin talks about opening his cutting edge joint when there was no place else outside a casino to have a meal on East Fremont St. Also on board to sample fried rice and Dan's wacky whisky mash-up is Scott Roeben, author of the blog Vital Vegas. He and Al have a frank discussion about their very different reporting philosophies. Back at DW Bistro, the guys dive into the week's big food stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Al, Jason and Rich head out on the highway, with an emphasis on 'HIGH,' as they visit The Source dispensary in west Las Vegas. Along for the ride: Chef Stacey Dougan and Beth Schwartz of Elevate Nevada magazine. Chef Stacey talks about developing THC edible recipes, and Beth gives us an overview of the crazy patchwork of marijuana laws around the country. Also on board: comedian Tom Papa, who's playing the Encore Theater on Friday, July 30th. Make sure you listen for your chance to win a pair of tickets to Tom's show! And Al and Jason review a few notable news items from the week in the Vegas food scene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a big job, and Al, Jason and Rich were ready to do it: cover the wide world of Las Vegas buffets. Closed during the pandemic, buffets are back on The Strip and in the neighborhoods. The guys are on scene at Mint Indian Bistro, and talk to owner Kris Parikh. Then it's a comprehensive education in buffetology with two masters: Chef Jennifer Murphy of Bacchanal at Caesars Palace and Chef Jason Duarte of The Buffet at Wynn. Then it's back to Mint for talk of what's opening, what's closing and where the guys have been this past week. And stick around for the end, when Jason accepts Kris Parikh's Inferno Curry Challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Italian food in Las Vegas, from traditional to cutting edge. Two chefs representing both worlds join Al, Jason and Rich: Gina Marinelli from Le Strega in Summerlin and Piero's Chris Conlon, 'live' from the historic, infamous main bar at Piero's. Also: Rich shares a new meat discovery, Jason talks charcuterie and Al shares his first 'wow' thoughts on Delilah, the new clubby supper joint at Wynn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a packed Episode Two, as Al, Jason and Rich record from a cabana at Kassi Beach Club at Virgin Hotel & Casino. They talk to the property's executive chef, David Werly, about his many years in Las Vegas - and why's he's traded the kitchen for the office. The guys also sample of Kassi's excellent appetizers. They also take a deep dive into the Vegas vegan scene with two serious experts: Diana Edelman, publisher of the website Vegans, Baby, and Chef Pete Ghione of Truth & Tonic. That's the 100% plant-based restaurant inside the Canyon Ranch Spa, which is inside the Venetian/Palazzo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to our first full episode! Al, Jason and Rich share the fun of the Opening Night party at Resorts World, the mega-casino/hotel that's now open. It's the first brand new property on The Strip in a decade. It features an enormous gaming floor, 3,500 hotel rooms and eventually 40 different restaurants - some of which are run by local Las Vegas chefs. But do local chefs get a fair shake on The Strip? The guys take a deep dive into that question. Guests: Nicole Brisson, James Trees, John Arena Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices