I've eaten elephant biltong in Africa and blood pudding in England, but I'd be a liar if I claimed I tried the deep friend Twinkies advertised in this photo.
While I'm hardly a food snob, I just couldn't sully my tastebuds with a Twinkie after my tasting experience at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. A tapas-like meal of about 12 artfully displayed courses (honestly, I lost count of the courses - more about the exact contents on another day when I find my notes) followed by Cirque du Soleil's Ka at the MGM Grand left me wanting to preserve all my senses in their state of heightened awareness for as long as I could. So, the deep fried Twinkie will have to wait. And so will my descriptions of what I ate for I am tired and Vermont Shortbread Company is in full holiday production mode beginning tomorrow. We've hired a second baker to take on the giant task of pumping out holiday gift boxed shortbread.
I met with some wonderful food service folks in Vegas, saw two shows, played 18 holes of golf, visited the Hoover Dam, and got my hair cut. I'm psyched about the food connections and ideas generated. I'm a bit nervous about my weird hair.
I'm sipping some Zubrowka Bison Grass vodka on the rocks (discovered this at a Polish restaurant in Montreal a few years ago before it became trendy - it's a nice sipping vodka I wouldn't dare mix with anything) and then I'm off to bed.
It's great to be back in Vermont. I'm looking forward to researching and possibly implementing the new shortbread feedback I received from food gurus in Vegas. Now if I could just figure out how to make the day longer...or sleep less...
P.S. Last but not least, I will never forget the Ka performance because that's where I was when my new nephew was born in Brooklyn, NY on 11/10/06. Congratulations to my brother and Michelle!
Yours,
Ann a.k.a. The Traveling Shortbread Chef
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