The Park to host a Brawl
The Back of the House Brawl cooking competition returns this weekend, kicking off its first season on the Strip with a new format. This year’s contests at The Park will feature teams of two chefs, one from a Strip restaurant, one from off-strip. This Saturday night will pit Bardot Brasserie’s Josh Smith and former Kitchen at Atomic chef Justin Kingsley Hall against Emily Brubaker of Michael’s Gourmet Pantry and Hell’s Kitchen’s Jennifer Murphy. Celebrity chef Michael Symon will be among the judges. The party starts at 9 p.m., with a mixology competition at midnight and the brawl at 1 a.m.
Bartender battle
Some of the cocktail world’s biggest names will be in Las Vegas next week for the Nightclub & Bar Show, so you can expect to see a few of them pouring drinks at local watering holes. The fifth edition of Bar Mania, an all-star party and cocktail competition at Herbs and Rye at 3713 W. Sahara Ave., will raise money to fight cancer. It gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
Openings
Brass Fork, a 24/7 cafe serving such dishes as peach cobbler pancakes and funnel cake French toast, opened Tuesday at Palace Station.
Scenic Brewing Company opened Friday at 8410 W. Desert Inn
Road, across from Desert Breeze Park, with a broad variety of beers on tap and a menu of such dishes as bratwurst with house-made sauerkraut and roasted
Fuji apples, and herbroasted porchetta with ale mustard jus.