Since mankind took its first drink and, shortly thereafter, made its first bet, these two activities have been linked together.
The Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut decided to formalize the marriage, creating the Sun WineFest, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary over the Jan. 25-27 weekend, and, for good measure, threw in a gaggle of celebrity chefs to feed hungry festival-goers.
Thousands came through the hotel for the weekend’s events. Iron Chef Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain above the casino floor was mobbed on Saturday night. (Hip-hop mogul Irv Gotti tried to get a reservation and when he was denied, resorted to calling Flay himself and pleading for a table. Flay hooked him up.)
The festival started on Friday, when a largely male audience sample bourbon-infused cocktails, like “Strawberry Fields” (Basil Hayden’s, strawberries, fresh basil, lemon juice and grapefruit bitters) and “Simplicity” (Jim Beam Black, blood orange zest and dark chocolate flakes.)
But the dozens of people who showed up for the bourbon tasting were small fry compared to the thousands who would jam into Mohegan Sun’s convention center for the grand tasting on Saturday and Sunday, where winemakers, buyers, restaurateurs and “Sideways” fans packed the house.
Those fueled by events where alcohol flowed freely found their way into the poker rooms and in front of the slot machines during downtime. (The booze inspired a lot of, uh, bold bets.)
“We’ve been coming for years now,” said one Connecticut woman, accompanied by two friends at the grand tasting. “After a while it all blends together. At 5 o’clock, I’m like, ‘What did I drink?’”
She might have tasted the Chardonnay from Wente in California’s Livermore Valley, the pinot noir from the Oregon-based winery, Montebruno, or the mead (yes, mead!) from the Moonlight Meadery in New Hampshire.
Wine Enthusiast magazine hosted a more exclusive Elite Cru Tasting for $200 on Saturday and featured vintages from Moet Hennessy, Chateau St. Jean and Charles Krug.
But the weekend was as much about food as it was about booze.
Flay served bourbon-marinated barbecue ribs and jalapeno biscuits at the Celebrity Chef Dine Around on Saturday. In addition to Bar Americain, Flay also has a Bobby’s Burger Palace at the casino — even though he doesn’t yet have one in New York.
“That’s the number one question my wife keeps asking me,” Flay says and laughs when asked if he plans a NYC outpost. “She says she’s tired of going to Paramus for a burger.”
But right now, Flay is trying to revive his closed-since-2008 Bolo restaurant (he is in talks for a lease in downtown Manhattan). “I’m not sure of the name yet, but the menu will be exactly the same.” He has also been trying to get a morning show with Giada de Laurentiis off the ground. CBS, which had originally been developing the show, passed on it, but “a bunch of other networks are interested. I’d say there’s a 50/50 chance of it happening.” (The Post reported last week that NBC was in talks to acquire the show.)
When Flay donned his chef whites at the Celebrity Chef Dine Around, the crowds around him were adoring; as were those around Todd English, who was serving a 150-pound halibut. Elizabeth Falkner, fresh off rave reviews for her new Brooklyn pizza place, Krescendo, prepared fregola pasta (similar to Israeli couscous) with anchovy and sardines. Donatella Arpaia, who did a cooking demonstration at the Grand Tasting (when she finished she exclaimed triumphantly, “Now I can go drink!”) served meatballs. Pat LaFrieda grilled mini steak sandwiches to order. Dorie Greenspan gave out world peace cookies from Beurre & Sel.
The eating and drinking continued into the next day — and along with the big tastings, there were small seminars, like beer and cheese pairings for 20 or so guests, hosted by Smuttynose’s chief brewer, David Yarrington, who presented an IPA called Paradox, brewed for the event.
Our only advice for next year would be: Take a nap before you hit the tables.