sadness, joy & vegas

After 15 years and too many burns and cuts to count my longtime friend/chef/pal/brother/drinking buddy/browns fan.....Frank Rogers has moved on. I can not even begin to put into words how much he has meant to Liz and I over that time period and I am quite certain that I will never again find a employee with his fierce loyalty and work ethic. In all of that time I don't think he ever called off sick or bitched about the brutal hours. He always was there for me with a smile on his face and ready to go to war... but after getting married and pumping out 3 kids in 5 years he needed a change. About 6 months ago we talked about him getting out of the biz and finding a job that was a little more family friendly. Two weeks ago was his last day and I must admit it is plain weird to walk into Lola in the morning and not see him there. There have been and will be better cooks, managers..etc..but I dont think there will ever be a better employee. Im gonna miss you buddy.

On the lighter side of things I have made it to the final 5 of the James Beard Awards for the Great Lakes Region. This is a huge honor and quite flattering. As usual the competition is very tough and loaded with Chicago chefs. No matter what happens I am happy that Ctown has gotten some much deserved recognition and can only hope that soon even more chefs from here get their due recognition.

Liz, Doug and I got out to Vegas last weekend and had some good meetings with a couple different casinos. Nothing really on the horizon in the immediate future but it is always good to see what is out there. Vegas, never ceases to amaze me. The mass of people is quite mind blowing and the amount of restaurants and chefs there just boggle my mind. We had a couple great meals with the highlights being Mesa and Carnevino.

Mesa was just flat out solid with big flavors and food that was just perfectly balanced. Bobby has a great ability to mix the heat and the sweet in a way that just makes his food pop. It blows my mind that people will sometimes bash him. His food is always consistent and packs so much flavor. Not to mention he was doing Southwest cuisine long before it was considered cool. I know this may sound weird based on his celebrity status but I think as a chef he is very underrated. Next we headed to Marios new place Carnevino. It has been open for about 2 months but you would never know it. The food and service were spot on and the place was packed and running like a fine oiled machine. I love how even if they are not there you always feel the presence of Joe and Mario in their restaurants. We had a bone in rib-eye and Porterhouse for 2 that were aged a 100 days and quite frankly I think they were the best steaks I have ever eaten. The pastas were perfect as were the sides which included some spring peas with walnuts that were off the hook.
We all agreed that it was probably our best steakhouse experience ever.

live to cook, ms

Comments

[Jody Flood]

I am in COMPLETE agreement with you on both counts...that Bobby Flay is completely underrated - my experience at mesa in Manhattan 2 years ago was exceptional and 2ndly - yes, you can feel Mario & Joe in their restaurants even if not there...
Good luck in your search in Vegas...hope to see you there with the other boys.

[Suzy]

Michael, I have wanted to eat at your restaurant ever since reading Soul of a Chef; finally got to Cleveland on business and ate at Lola about a week ago. Everything was superb, the service, all the food, the ambience - worth the wait!! The only thing I thought needed reconsideration was the bread - just doesn't stand up to the rest of the spectacular menu. Keep up the great work and congratulations on the Beard nom!

[jonfoxx]

-Blog- (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with REGULAR entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

C'mon chef Symon... we need more, more, more....

[Anne]

Michael, what happened to you on Iron Chef? You won and now you're not there, it seems. Thanks

[Kym]

Michael,
We will miss Frankie too. He was the BEST!
Kym

[Meg]

This certainly has been a blast from the past for me these past few months watching you on the food network. I always knew you would be successful, even back in the day when lola was just on paper. Frank was extrememly lucky to have you as a friend back then, and thank you for taking care of him. I think of you guys often and when i run into Doug when I am in town he keeps me posted on the goings on. Congradulations on all of your accomplishments and please say hello to the gang. Give Frank my best and I wish him luck, it is not easy to get out of the biz, I have been trying for yrs. Take care, and maybe I will see you in Detroit, after all i am not that far anymore. Matt Harlan....who knew what he would grow up to be!!!!

[Josh]

I am a foodie living in Vegas. Having lived in the Bay Area a few years ago before moving to Vegas, I was quite disappointing when I first came to Vegas about 5 years ago. But over the last few years, more and more restaurants have opened up, offering some very delicious food. My favorite so far remains Emeril's Fish House. I agree with you, like Bobby Flay, Emeril is underrated as a chef. His food never ceases to amaze me whenever I dine there.

Michael, it would be a great honor to have your restaurant here in Las Vegas. You will reach so many more people and international audience here, and make their Las Vegas memory that much better.