Remember the saying, “Children should be seen and not heard”? Well I believe that for the most part. I also believe there is a time and a place for kids, and with rare exceptions, Las Vegas’ famous (or infamous) Strip at night is NOT one of those places. Before anyone jumps all over my ass about this topic, I want you to know, YES, I do have a child. It is also a fact among anyone who knows me that I really don’t like kids. I only like MY PEOPLE’s kids (I can use friends Dani, Lillian and Dena as references). It is also a fact that while attending a conference in Anaheim, I once walked into a restaurant in Downtown Disney and told the seating hostess that I wanted to be seated where there were no children. (Moment of Truth – Friends Laurie and Jen nearly choked when I said it, but I meant it.) When we planned our 25th Anniversary Party, we had it in a BAR and the invites said “18 and over welcome” and we had no kids at our wedding. When kids are well behaved in public, I go out of my way to tell the parents how fantastic their behavior is, just like I did this past Valentine’s afternoon at Settebello. That being said, there are just some places kids don’t belong. Why in the name of all that is good in this world would you bring your kids to The Strip at night? You want them to see drunks fighting and puking in the street? You want them to see all the card “flippers” touting strippers and call girls? You want them to see drunk girls falling off their too high heels that they can’t walk in? Why would you bring your kids to an event that is partially sponsored by alcohol and wine companies? I can see bringing kids to a winery or brewery for a tour. It’s a learning experience and they usually have a restaurant. But a tasting event? Really people?
Well, that’s what happened this past weekend. Friend Lillian and I went to the Las Vegas Chocolate Festival & Pastry Show at the Venetian. What a fiasco! This event was so poorly planned and organized that all I want to do is drop F-bombs to describe it, the first one beginning with the word “cluster” and ending with “f***”. First of all, we had “VIP” tickets, but apparently everyone else did too. Continuing, the place was overcrowded, there were no water stations that I could find and no glass rinsing stations. The sampling lines were long, dirty dishes were piled on every flat surface, the music too loud, no non-alcoholic drinks to be had and a charcuterie purveyor that I never did get to sample because the line literally snaked out the door all night long because they were the only savory offering. (As much as you know I love it, what charcuterie has to do with chocolate, pastries and wine, I will never know).
As if that wasn’t enough to turn me off, at an event scheduled for the hours 8 pm until midnight, there were people who thought it was a good idea to bring BABIES to this event. I counted no less than 3 strollers, 3 babies worn in baby carriers, 6 toddlers and several preteens. WHY?! There were at least 6 alcohol vendors giving samples, people drinking to get drunk (as tourists in Vegas are wont to do), and as stated before it was over crowded. Both Lillian and I thought that because there would be a good deal of alcohol, that it was an over 21 crowd only. Had we known, we probably would not have gone and we won’t go again next year if this continues to be the policy. We thought we were being overly harsh with our criticism, until we ran into friends Elly and Frank. They agreed with us (whew!). The only pluses for this event are the following: we didn’t pay full price for our tickets (thank you Groupon) and the money went to St. Jude’s (and don’t tell me that’s why the kids were there).
So let’s talk about the food…completely uninspired! I was nearly bored to tears. I had expected more creative combinations. Several pot de crème offerings, a few mousses, bon bons and “pops” – the apparent trend of the moment. There were some lovely displays and sculptures and the purveyors were very accommodating and exceedingly nice. While everything I had was tasty, it was all very boring. I was hoping for chile infusions, candied ginger, mole, bacon, anything to titillate and make me wonder about flavor pairings. It was all pedestrian crap for the children toting masses. The best things I ate all night were mini-cupcakes from the Goodie Girls and Annette Starbuck (winner of Cupcake Wars 2011 – she was VERY nice BTW). There was a Spiced Red Velvet with cayenne and cinnamon and a Strawberry with Balsamic glaze that were both moist, interesting and delicious. And while I loved the flavors of the Blood Orange and Sage Pesto offerings from B & B, the chocolate base was so thick and rich it was nearly impossible to choke it down.
The best parts of the evening were my time with Lillian and the visit to Public House afterwards where I had a very tasty casked beer and Lillian was happily surprised to learn they have Sailor Jerry in house.
I didn’t take a single photo all night. The credit for this gorgeous pic goes to Cory Fields of Fields Photography. Click HERE to see more photos of the event.
