Las Vegas Wine & Food Festival

Holy Michelada!!I tagged along with the food monster to this event because she LOVEs wine. With our VIP bands, we were allowed to beat the crowd on first dibs on food and drinks.It was a nice night to come out to Tivoli Village to enjoy this event. Plenty of vendors from restaurants showcasing their best, to alcohol distributors and their finest. This review is for event only, but let me just say the samples given were not too shabby.Music was great. The event was not too crowded. The only long line that I saw was for a sushi restaurant, and for the life of me can't remember the name, displayed some fresh cuts for sample. Not a wine fan like myself? There were samples from whiskey, vodka and beer distributors. My favorite was from a distributor not known for alcohol but for her Bloody Mary mix. Made us some amazing Micheladas. This was an overall fun experience. Definitely good for those who'd like to mingle, eat and enjoy a nice glass of wine.

This year the event was held in Tivolli Village. The entry was well organized, and each attendee received a wine glass for the tastings, and as a souvenir. There were plenty of seating areas or at least tables around when you stopped to eat.The weather was a concern Saturday evening, as we could see lightning in the clouds near Summerlin. While ultimately the rain held off, the temperatures dropped to around 70 degrees.There were plenty of adult beverages to try. There were even cans of Red Bull available in their coolers around the grounds.There were restaurants there with various tastings. It felt like fewer restaurants represented this year. While I found most of what I tried tasty and appealing, others had a tough time finding much to eat, that they enjoyed. (This is a tasting event, so if you enjoy food, and are willing to try anything, then you'll find plenty there. However, if you're more a picky eater, you may be limited on things to try). Keep in mind you can get back in line as many times as you want (or until the food runs out).The event started at 8pm Saturday for the VIP ticket holders (9pm for general admission). By 9:30pm some restaurants were already out of food. There were some wine booths that also had run out of red wine by that time. I didn't find as many places with deserts this year. The few I did find were quite good.Overall it's a fun event! For the time and price of admission, you could have dinner at a nice place. For my own taste, the selections were good; for some friends, the selections were limited. It's fun to try things from different places - keep in mind, that you'll be waiting in lines a lot, in crowded areas.

I purchased tickets from Groupon at $98 for 2...what a great deal! The location was beautifully staged and very easy to access the different vendors. You get a souvenir wine glass at entry which was so convenient from valeting to a quick hassle free entry.With admission, you can sample different wines, beers, liquors and great food from places like Lavo (Truffle Gnocchi), Beauty & Essex (Tuna Tacos), and other great tastings from places I can't remember like Frenched Chicken leg with mole sauce, beef ramen, spicy Thai soup, etc. There were also featured Top Chef and Food Network chefs offering their tasty goodies like a refreshing Gazpacho and Shrimp ceviche...thank you Chef Bilotti.The entertainment was also good with rumored Paula Abdul dancers who made us tired just watching them go non-stop.I really enjoyed this event. It's a far cry from the fatty fest where you stand in line and pay $$$ for greasy fried foods that will make you sick afterwards. You spend a lot less to enjoy better quality food, atmosphere and alcohol.

I don't understand the bad reviews for this event, but maybe I wasn't super disappointed because I got a special LivingSocial deal and paid about half price for the VIP admission. Yes, this foodie event was very small and yes, the wine that was being poured was absolute crap (I mostly drank the free ice water at the bar and the sparkling wine) but it was a fun way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday night.We never encountered any huge lines that plague other foodie events in town (and yes, I've been to almost all of them). The atmosphere was great and the entire pool area was open so you could sit in the comfy cabana beds while you stuffed your face. While the Red Rock pool area is intimately small, we never felt packed in and could move freely. There were also plenty of places to sit and relax. None of the food was that memorable except for the sea bass as others have mentioned, but it was fun to get little nibbles at every station. There weren't a lot of vegetarian options but there was enough variety to make both of us happy. We ate beef sliders, seared scallops, Indian curried potatoes, meatballs, brushetta, fresh-shaved salami, gourmet popcorn, butter cake, chicken wings, chicken salad wraps, short ribs, bison meatballs, jello shots with pop rocks as a chaser, crab bites and more -- leaving super duper full. I'm not a liquor drinker but my husband enjoyed trying some of the products offered -- rum, whiskey, vodka and more. Most of the booths had frou-frou cocktails which seemed to be a huge hit with the "I'm gettin' DRUNK tonight" girls in high heels and even shorter skirts. The wines being poured were abysmal. There was nothing even remotely drinkable. This is NOT an event for serious wine drinkers. If you want good wine, splurge on the Wine Spectator Grand Tour that hits town every Spring.

This is my first time attending this event. I was so impressed at how well the event was run. The food and wine/spirits were amazing! The line moved very quickly so you had plenty of time to sample all the food and drinks, big portions and plenty of them. The event was held at Red Rock Casino Resort Spa pool area. They closed it for this event. It was beautiful and plenty of seatings to hang out with friends. Definitely worth your money. I've heard from people who have attended in prior years that it gets better and better each year. So I will be back again next year for sure. So many, I mean MANY, delicious food! I am drooling over the pictures I took just looking at them!

WINE FOOD LIQUOR!!I was impressed!! The venue it self was gorgeous! Well lit w/ lots of white spheres that we're lit up bright like a star! The moment you walk in you can see everything so it was quite a view especially w/ all the people buzzing around & drinking wine & eating yummy food. They were passing out TOSSWARE plastic wine glasses that you could just throw away or take home w/ you & you could also click multiple together. The staff that checked us in were a little grouchy but I would have to say that was the only down side about this thing... I get that it gets annoying to tell people they need to wait.. but when you see something that gorgeous.. & you paid $100 for an event... the staff at the beginning could definitely be a little more pleasant rather than barking at us yelling we can't go in yet.So many delicious food vendors were on site that night! My favorite would have been CAPITAL GRILL... MONTA RAMEN.... CRAVE... props to you guys on putting out some hot & awesome food!! UNFORTUNATELY I can't remember all the names of the food I ate so forgive me... as a couple of sips of wine at the beginning on an empty stomach in the heat did not help aahahahahaPROSCIUTTO WRAPPED CHEESE - OMG this was AMAZING!! & it was hot as they were making it on the spot! Also came we/ some cherry tomato halves & I think a balsamic reduction. I wanted it over & over again but the hubby said don't be greedy so I only got to have it once........THE CAPITAL GRILLE.I shall visit your mother ship! BAHN MI - cute little tiny bahnmi sandwiches we're so cute & stuffed into my mouth in 2 bites. They we're also serving a dessert which I cannot remember the name of for the life of me but it was DERICIOUS!! NOODLE BAR located inside red rock casino will definitely stop by especially since they were giving out free app cards too!!WHITE CHOCOLATE POPCORN - there we're multiple different flavors but this one was my choice & did I choose right?.. indeed I did!! Not too sweet it was just awesome POPCORN GIRLS!! KIMCHI BURGER - mini little sliders... I was definitely a little disappointed tastes way better in full size... maybe they we're getting a little burnt out at the end... BACHI BURGER grilling on the spot.PASSION FRUIT DESSERT - FRENCH MACAROONS I definitely wanted the macaroon ice creams... but at this point I didn't wanna waitnin line... just wanted to sit down & sober up.BLOODY MARIA - they were serving some BOMB tasting bloody Marys from HABLA DIABLO which I also got a free shirt for liking their FB page! STUFFED CHICKEN - dunno where this came from since the bois brought it to me... but it was heavy goodness!! I just shoved the whole thing in my mouth! Wish I knew where it came from so I could visit the resteraunt! =[PORK TACOS - these were the most tender & juicy freaken tacos packed w/ tons of flavor!! Go CRAVE!!! FOIE GRAS ROLL - also from CRAVE from the sushi side... I think it was foie gras sushi.. ahahah regardless flavorful!MARINARA PASTA - the texture of the pasta was chewy goodness & the marinara sauce was dericious. Kinda had a texture of gnochi & pasta put together which I will definitely have to ask the next time I go to LAVO!WHISKEY MEATBALLS - these meatballs were a burst of flavor!! Served w/ thai noodles I believe & you definitely need to eat it w/ the noodles otherwise it is too salty by itself. SAUCED was the vender & boi were those balls sauces!! PORK RAMEN - OMG I'm not a fan of going out & buying ramen from a resteraunt... but MONTA RAMEN you may have just changed my perspective w/ your pork belly ramen! Broth scorching hot when served it sobered me up so good!! Noodles had the perfect texture complimented w/ a piece of juicy soft pork belly! O_O DERICIOUS DELICIOUS!!STEAK TARTARE - from SMITH & WOLLENSKY served on a crispy baguette it had a kick of Dijon mustard & was pretty good even though I don't like mustard.UNFORTUNATELY I did not get around to EVERYTHING! Which was definitely my goal... but bumping into a lot of different people that I wasn't expecting to see made it a little difficult to get around to everything especially when there is alcohol involved!! DIRTY TEQUILA was another vendor there that made AMAZING margaritas that comes w/ a spicy salt rim & they we're just so friendly we pretty much spent the last 40 minutes of the 2 hour event there!! RESQ water was another awesome thing about this event! An anti- hangover water that is packed w/ electrolytes we're being handed out as they advised everyone to drink some after a couple of drinks to prevent hangovers which it definitely worked! I deifnately tried it again when I was sober... it was not a pleasant taste... but it tasted fine w/ alcohol ahahaha Will DEFINITELY be back for this event again & maybe just purchase the VIP pass so that I could get a head start before it gets super packed.

This event was average, just ok. Nothing special, although I did expect special considering it was $100 per ticket. It was semi-small, without the variety of amazing food and drinks that I expected. Yes of course there were a few that stood out more than others. But with Vendors such as N9NE, Mastro's Ocean Club, Capital Grille, and Roy's, that sets the bar pretty high. There better be SOMETHING GOOD. I will break it down, Pros & Cons. Pros:A gift bag with Paul Mitchell products for VIP guests. Mastro's sea bass. The best thing I tasted all night. I went back for seconds, and maybe even thirds. The weather. (luck)The frequent hand washing stations. Although they were not used much, at least we had the option. The alcohol variety. (not to be confused with quality) I enjoyed that there was way more than wine. I actually expected more wine! I was not impressed with the selection of semi-cheap wine, mostly all reds. I was, however impressed with the rumchata, the bloody marys, the cucumber mint drink, and the martinis. Patron even had a booth. Some would say the $100 was worth the open bar samples alone. Cons:Sliders from four booths and chicken wings from two. Yes, those are easily hand held foods, I get it. But to the people in charge- we don't really want that many duplicates! Maybe screen the menus prior to the event. For the record the best sliders were from N9NE! Advertised people who were not there. I think it should be the same vendors on each night. If Kerry Simon has a booth on day one, day two also expects that. Where was Herbs & Rye? One of the reasons I bought a ticket. Fail. Wine selection. WEAK SAUCE!! Pinot Nior and Cabernet from every booth? Switch it up a bit! I barley seen any white wine, and none of my personal favorites. UHH, LET DOWN!! The layout. Sure, it was beautiful around the pool, but when you have 10-30 people trying to walk by a booth as well as grab a sample, it was one big CLUSTERF*%$!!Certain booths were easy to get to, others were not. I would also love some pop up tables and chairs! (not only 25 when there are 200 guests) Hooters. Come on now. Hooters at the Las Vegas Wine & Food event? Is there even a Hooters still in Vegas? I just don't see how they match up to some of the fine dining places that were there. So there you have it. I would go again, but I would not pay the amount. A bigger venue, with more food options. Or sell less tickets. No one wants to be elbowed by an impatient drunk who wants a mini burg. Foodie Fest read their reviews and changed some things around, I hope they do the same for this event.

I really loved this event! This was my first food festival I've attended in Vegas and having been to others elsewhere I was impressed. The line to get in moved quickly and helpers were friendly. We had a Groupon, the cost of a regular ticket was a bit off-putting, not sure if I'd pony up that much but happy with the Groupon price.The setting was really beautiful and lighting was perfect. The seating was a bit limited but I like to walk and talk so no problem for me. It was divided into 2 sections, one near the pool, markedly more pretty, and a parking lot section where a band could play. I really wanted to take pics and be a good yelper but I just started eating. Food was good and I loved trying some of our local restaurants offerings. Standouts were the pork chops from a featured chef not local, T- Bones braised short rib, Aureole had a yummy perfect bite of meat with a spinach cream and I can't wait to go to the actual restaurant and try more from their chef. Final surprise Magianno's was there and offered up their lasagne, I've never ordered that from there and it was great meat and mushroom goodness. Liquor was plentiful! More liquor than food...but this had wine in the name and I couldn't find much as there were only a few options. Look, I'm not a wine snob by any means I've been known to knock back some 2 buck chuck, but there was nothing drinkable here. I will be keeping an eye out for Groupon tixs for next year as I will surely return.

This was my first time here. Groupon had a half off deal and Red Rock is right by me house so I thought "why not"? The food at this event was superb. I also enjoyed both the wine and liquors available for tasting. Hell, I even found a new favorite gin. I shall be going again in '18.

Let me start off by saying that this was the first Las Vegas Wine & Food Festival that I have attended so I don't have any of the past events to compare it to. I went mostly for the food. I'm not a big wine drinker. Nothing really stood out for me. I liked the N9NE slider, Monta tonkatsu ramen, BLT Burger nutella cocoa puffs milkshake, Orleans chicken wing, Lao Sze Chuan lo mein noodles & spicy, dry chili chicken, District One hamachi taco, & Popcorn Girl gourmet popcorn. The rest of the food were OK or just meh.For the drinks, I tried RumChata. That was really good. It reminds me of a creamy horchata with cinnamon, Duvel Beer from Gordon Bierch, & some Bloody Mary mix which I didn't catch the name of. There were Hoegaarden and Leffe Belgian beers which I have tried before but got some anyway. I wish there were more water bottles. I was parched at the end.For the venue, I always liked Red Rock Casino. It was semi-crowded after you entered and for some of the popular spots but it wasn't bad where I felt uncomfortable. For the most part, I thought it was spacious. Plenty of beds and areas to sit, chill atmosphere in a beautiful pool setting. Excellent service from the Red Rock staff. One of the employees saw us waiting in line when we first entered and took our ticket and helped us right away. The line wasn't long, only 4-5 parties ahead of us so that was a good start. Vendors were professional and most were happy to explain what they were offering.Right before we left, I got a VIP bag with one of the Vegas magazines and four Paul Mitchell samples. Also, grabbed an anti-hangover drink called Resqwater. You're supposed to drink it before you start drinking though. I saw it too late. Oops.Overall, I liked everything except I wish the food selection was better, more restaurants participated, more water bottles available, and more desserts. I only saw a few desserts. I didn't see some of the restaurants that were supposed to be there that night. I think if all the restaurants participated on both nights, it would be a greater success.