Tasty Travels | Giada in Las Vegas
- savanzino
- Feb 25, 2016
- 3 min read
Today I'm going to tell you about a meal that turned out to be one of the greatest foodie experiences of my life. Growing up in Las Vegas has had its perks, but I never imagined when I went back after moving away that this treat would be waiting for me.
Back in June I went back home to Las Vegas for my best friend's wedding. My brother made plans for us to go to Giada De Laurentiis' new restaurant on the Strip before I had to leave for the rehearsal dinner. One of his best friends works at Giada's restaurant so we were excited to get to try the food and also get to catch up with him.
--If you haven't picked up on it yet - I love food. Which means I also love the Food Network. I have been a outspoken fan of all things Food Network since I was a teenager. Ask anyone I know, they will confirm this.--
Ok, back to my story. We weren't sure what to order so we thought about ordering a pizza and sliders. Instead we were treated to some of the most delicious appetizers I have ever consumed. It was a full array of their cheeses, meets and vegetable antipasti. It was such a treat.
Every flavor was exquisite. I still dream of the cippolini onions. All of it was just amazing, but that was just the beginning! For our main meal we split the Angus Beef Sliders and the Salumi Piccante Pizza.
Both were simple yet unique. The sliders had these thinly sliced zucchini fries that were delicious. The pizza was simply sophisticated that clearly used high quality ingredients so that even though it was simple it was delightful. At this point I was pretty stuffed, but we were not done with the meal by any means. I am already running late to meet up with my bride-to-be best friend and I was getting anxious...I pride myself on being on time. I keep mentioning to my brother that we needed to hurry up even though I knew dessert was coming. In my head I'm thinking they must be cooking a soufflé because it is taking forever! Then my brother asks, "what is the one thing you said would make this meal even better?" and I responded, "well it would be awesome if Giada showed up, but she is rarely ever in town." A few minutes later guess who comes around the corner with a plate full of zeppole (fried italian donuts)? None other than Giada De Laurentiis herself! I. Am. In. Shock.
Come to find out my brother and his friend had this elaborate plan for quite some time. They had it worked out that Giada would be at the restaurant for about an hour for a quick tasting before she left town. So that is why we had to do an early lunch that day. They had coordinated it so that she would come meet me while she was at the restaurant for this short period of time. So she came out and brought us dessert, we talked for a bit and I of course got a picture with her before she was whisked away.
She was so kind and so down to earth. She told my brother's friend that he needed to bring us more dessert, that the zeppole were not enough. She clearly knows the way to my heart: dessert. It was such a surreal experience and I was so flattered that my brother would go out of his way to coordinate such an elaborate scheme for me. This will always be one of my absolute favorite foodie stories.
So the next time you are in Las Vegas you should most certainly add her restaurant to your list of places to eat! The view is incredible, the atmosphere is relaxing and the food is everything you could hope for in a meal. Sadly, Giada is not there very often but you might get lucky and see her - you never know!
-Samantha
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