The Best in the West: Nugget Rib Cook-off in Sparks, Nevada, spans over six days, but I only had one. So I came up with a strategy: seek out the best ribs of the 24 pitmasters based on the pros' recommendations, and eat no more than two from each team. Lots of saucy, fall-off-the-bone tastiness ensued.
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"Pitmasters here represent the entire nation." [Photographs: Joshua Bousel] I had the most perfect Labor Day planned, a lazy afternoon next to the smoker filled with pork, some beers, and close friends. That was until I received an invitation to visit the The Best in the West: Nugget Rib Cook-off in Nevada. After a second pause contemplating whether I wanted to alter my ideal holiday, I thought better of my reservations, and before I knew it, I was on a plane headed for a weekend of pure barbecue bliss. If you're an East Coaster like myself, the Nugget Rib Cook-off may not sound familiar, but for the pitmasters and attendees alike, it's the biggest event of the year. The six-day...
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Rameniac, one of the premier noodle blogs, has revealed its 2009 King of the Bowl ramen ratings, with lists for Las Vegas, Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York City. In Los Angeles, the noodle scene was largely static, "save for the opening of one or two sub-par shops." Seattle was all about tonkotsu (a specific type of ramen). "Had Kurt Cobain slurped down a few Samurai Armor Plates (from Seattle's Samurai Noodle) during his lifetime, grunge might have never happened." Vegas is more famous for "99¢ buffets and Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo," but there are three ramen spots worth noting. And then there's New York. Fresh off the Japanese airlines, the heaviest hitters go straight to this...
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Brand Steakhouse in Las Vegas will give you their 120-ounce (seven and a half pounds) steak for free if you eat the whole thing by yourself. Otherwise, you'll have to pony up $267. Whether the rules include a time limit or puke allowance is unknown. [via EatFeats]...
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According to Russ Parsons of the Los Angeles Times, Michelin has just announced that their little red books will be coming out in Southern California and Las Vegas editions this fall, marking Michelin's third and fourth additions to the North American market (after New York and San Francisco Bay Area) and only the fourth and fifth guides for non-European cities (after the Tokyo Guide announced two weeks ago). "Los Angeles has a full-time team of six inspectors and Las Vegas four, says Christian Delhaye, the Paris-based president of Michelin Maps & Guides. Each local inspector averages more than 300 restaurant meals per year, he says. Their reports are supplemented by visits from inspectors from outside the area — from...
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