This December, The Venetian and The Palazzo Las Vegas will be hosting the third annual Ultimo: A Weekend of Excellence. Award-winning chefs from around the world will be in Sin City serving up exceptional gourmet dishes to celebrate the beauty and flavor of Italy. Each meal will pay homage to one of the four elements—earth, air, fire and water—to honor their life-giving force to the world of cuisine. The four day event, held from December 17 to 20, will include the Bocuse d'Or Competition, three one-of-a-kind dinners, a luncheon and a farewell brunch.
The affair will kick off with the Bocuse d’Or Team USA Competition where Chef Daniel Boulud from db Brasserie and Chef Thomas Keller from Bouchon will select a young culinary talent to represent the US at the 2017 Bocuse d’Or biennial competition in Lyon, France. Later that evening, in the Venezia Colonnade, Chefs Jérôme Bocuse, Traci Des Jardins and Josiah Citrin will serve a meal dedicated to the theme of earth. Wild game and Urbani truffles will be presented in traditional fare. A portion of the proceeds from this evening will benefit the Young Chef Competitions and Grant Program.
On Friday evening, after a Krug Champagne, Urbani truffle and caviar reception, guests will make their way into the Grand Colonnade at The Venetian to enjoy the return of the Grand Banquet, a single glass table that spans the hall of the Grand Colonnade. The glass table, surrounded by acrylic chairs, is meant to symbolize a meal enjoyed among the clouds. The grandeur of the table alone has led Mario Batali to declare the Grand Banquet “The grandest meal ever served in Las Vegas.” Chefs Thomas Keller, Philip Tessier, Shaun Hergatt and Ming Tsai will serve a dinner inspired by air.
A Saturday luncheon will be held in the Venetian’s Grand Canal to honor the healing powers of water. Guests will be ferried to the table and will sit on an acrylic platform, slightly submerged in the canal’s surrounding waters. Diners will enjoy a light lunch of seafood and wine while gondoliers serve Prosecco and cuisine from their boats.
Later that same evening, at the Doge’s Palace entrance to The Venetian and Paiza Club, is Ultimo’s tribute to fire. Guests can sip on Krug Champagne during the outdoor reception and watch Chefs Olivier Dubreuil and Dario Cecchini cook large steak cuts, whole fish and a full-size roast pig on an open flame. Dinner will then be moved inside to the Paiza Club where they can enjoy their freshly roasted cuisine and wine pairings.
Tickets are on sale now and are priced from $150-$1,000 per person.
