Here’s another “Blast” from the past! This was the interview I did in 2008 with John Curtas, our own intrepid restaurant critic who has gone on to bigger and better things, including Iron Chef America judge, author, and separated-at-birth celebrity!  Since he is now in the rarefied realm of the autograph giver, I thought I’d rerun it.  The photo is from the day we talked, and while we’re both a little more road weary, you wouldn’t mistake us for anybody else.  Well, me, anyway.

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Technically, this interview should appear on MirePoix Vegas, but I just had to present it here because John is a Wineaux as well as a Foodie. So here we go!

If you’ve ever seen John Curtas on Channel 8 or listened to him on KNPR radio, you already know that he’s a high-energy, dynamic, and animated person. I can tell you from my brief, in-person experience that this is not an act. What you see on TV is exactly what you get in person. He and his long-suffering lovely girlfriend, Alexandra, met me at Starbucks, and the hour or so that we spent there flew by in camaraderie, laughter, and fun.

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Let’s just say that November was a very bad month for me. It contained a lot of consoling, loving, grieving, hugging, and being a friend.  Being a friend was the most important of all of these.  I wish the circumstances had been different, but sometimes the best (or only) way to show friendship is during difficult times.

In between, however, was real life, and this time real life consisted of HenderZIN!  The fifth annual HenderZIN was held, as usual, at the parking lot at Khoury’s at 9915 S. Eastern in Henderson, NV. OF COURSE I had to be there!  Of course I had to take pictures! Of course!

Without going into a lot of detail – however hard it may be – let me do a quick overview of the day.

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I’ve had several visits to our newest wine neighbor, and I have to reluctantly admit that I was pleased and begrudgingly impressed with what they have to offer.

The newest entry in the Total Wine & More portfolio of stores is located in Boca Park in Summerlin, and it is ensconced in what used to be the Linens ‘N Things store. The space that used to house bedsheets now has adult beverages as far as the eye can see.  One of about 62 stores in 11 states, it is the first in Nevada, and takes up a sprawling 27,000 square feet.  Started in 1991 by brothers David and Robert Trone in Delaware, Total Wine & More states that it is the largest retailer of fine wine in the United States – which may be disputed by Costco.  I don’t particularly care.

I spent some time recently speaking briefly with Store Manager, Jerry Felinczak,  and Wine Manager, Anett Minderman, and received some interesting insights into the chain and about the philosophy of Total Wine.

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Testing all of the categories.  I think we’ve finally beat the disastrous server meltdown we had last week, and quite a journey.

Vegas Wineaux is being launched as a brand new site, and the old posts will return as we filter through old databases one at a time.  And it will definitely be one at a time because of the complexity of grabbing the old stuff.  The great thing is that at least it’s there, even if it has to go through several steps to be usable again.

Stay tuned!