Top of the Food Chain (Vegas Video Network)

The French are well represented as Al walks us through what is arguably the five most extravagant fine dining options in Las Vegas. (This would be a good time to have your American Express Black card handy.)

Max Jacobson returns to Top of the Food Chain with a first-hand comparison between Las Vegas restaurants and their European counterparts. Max follows with a blistering retort to John Curtas’ recent criticism of his fellow food critics.

As we learn from Three Square Food Bank‘s Erica Thompson, Restaurant Week combines great food and great prices. . .all for a great cause.

That’s the happy, peppy, bursting with love portion of the show.

Then John Curtas is back to spread a little love among some of his favorite Restaurant Week locations, followed by a two-prong attack against FCC regulations and fellow Las Vegas food critics.

(For those scoring at home and listening to this on the radio. . .John: 4.5 BLEEPS. Al: 1 BLEEP.)

On this episode of Top of the Food Chain Al is talking tapas with Nina Manchev, owner of Bar Forte. Together they discuss the history of tapas (it’s not just small plates), tapas for beginners, and wrap up by discussing Bulgarian cuisine and the lazy man’s sangria, Calimocho.

Al is joined by Chef Jet Tila (Iron Chef America) to discuss the regions, tastes, and history of Thai cuisine on this episode of Top of the Food Chain.

Al is joined by Tony Abou-Ganim (Iron Chef America, Fine Living Network) to talk about the evolution of mixology from the Gothic age to the present on this episode of Top of the Food Chain.

(It’s pretty cool to talk the guy who invented the Cable Car.)

Comme Ca’s executive chef Brian Howard makes a return visit to Top of the Food Chain, together he and Al define offal and give us a look at it’s many different uses.

Al welcomes back Marche Bacchus’ Jeff and Rhonda Wyatt and together we discuss wines in the port family. We explore the types of port, what foods pair well with port wine, and more on this episode of Top of the Food Chain.

Besides bringing up whose grandma makes the best meatballs (don’t ask), Al and his guests Due Forni Pizza’s Alex Taylor (managing partner) and Carlos Buscaglia (partner/executive chef) dole out a slice of pizza wisdom.

For our first episode of 2012 Al welcomes back author and food writer John Curtas. Together, with boxing gloves put aside, they review the foodie trends of 2011. Then the boys look ahead and make some predictions for the food landscape in 2012.