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Monday, July
22, 7:00 P.M.
Members $85, guests $110
It wasn't too
long ago that dining in Las Vegas was a gamble. Then, as the story
goes, name-brand chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, and Jean-Georges
Vongerichten turned the town into a foodie wonderland by opening
sumptuous desert outposts of their famous restaurants. But we think
the real culinary pioneer was André Rochat. As Heidi Knapp
Rinella wrote in the Las Vegas Review Journal, "Celebrity
chefs have come, and celebrity chefs have gone, and still André
prevails."
Rochat grew
up in the Savoie, in the French Alps, and learned about good food
at his mother's elbow and in the family charcuterie. At 14, he left
home to apprentice at Michelin two-star Léon de Lyon. He
followed that with a job at the Hôtel du Mont-Blanc in Megève,
and an enviable military assignment as chef to a naval commander.
In 1965, Rochat moved to America, arriving in Boston with just $5.00
in his pocket, a bagful of knives, and a head full of dreams. For
several years, he worked at the Club Henry IV and at a number of
prestigious East Coast hotels.
By the early
1970s he was living in Vegas, and in 1973, Rochat opened the Savoy
French Bakery. André's French Restaurant came seven years
later. Naysayers predicted that the tiny establishment, serving
fine French food in unfashionable downtown Vegas, was doomed. But
gradually, the word spread about the classic, exquisitely prepared
French cuisine. The "drippingly romantic" (Zagat 2000)
restaurant grew bigger to accommodate the crowds; today, it seats
180 and routinely makes more "Best of" lists than there
are lights on the Strip. LvCitylife.com included it under "Vegas
Treasures," writing, "André's is what people think
of when someone says 'take me to the nicest place in town.' Expect
to spend a good part of your evening savoring some of the best food
and wine in Vegas."
In 1997, Rochat
joined the celebrities on the Strip, opening the upscale, château-style
André's at the Monte Carlo in the $344 million casino/resort;
the food is better than ever. And last year, he opened Alizé
French Restaurant high up in the Palms Casino Resort; the buzz says
it's fabulous. Turns out, the big boys from out of town with their
TV shows and multi-venue restaurants had nothing on Rochat. But
we knew that.
This event will
take place at the Beard House, 167 West 12th Street. For reservations,
call (212) 627-2308.
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