Giada De Laurentiis Previews Her New Restaurant at Sundance
Giada De Laurentiis kicked off the Sundance Film Festival last night by cheffing the Artist at the Table dinner. An intimate group of 350 filmmakers, actors, and festivalgoers paid between $1,500 and $25,000 to dine on Giada's menu to benefit the Sundance Institute. As Giada gears up to open her first restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip in April, she served a preview menu, revealing some of the highly anticipated dishes. Take a look at the behind-the-scenes shots, including Giada in a minidress and heels, stirring a giant vat of pasta!
Giada's Sundance Snaps
Giada snapped pics of the scene at Stein Eriksen Lodge Deer Valley, both inside and out, before her dinner began.
The Ambience
Celebrity guests at the star-studded dinner included Aaron Paul, Katie Couric, and Mark Ruffalo.
The Preview Menu
Whether intentional or not, Caesars Palace posted a pic of the preview dinner menu, which included the following dishes: lobster risotto arancini, chicken marsala meatballs, fig and goat cheese crostini, grilled artichokes with lemon basil aioli, San Daniele prosciutto pops, prosciutto di parma melon, rosemary focaccia, lemon flatbread, a duet of salads, and vegetable bolognese with rigatoni.
Duet of Salads
Giada kept morale high as a line of cooks plated her duet of salads consisting of arugula with crispy pancetta, candied lemon, and parmigiano-reggiano and romaine with fried capers, torn croutons, and caesar dressing.
Cooking For a Crowd
Giada had to feed 350 people! In order to accommodate such a large number, large tilt skillets were used.
Vegetable Bolognese With Rigatoni
Giada posted a video of her stirring a giant vat of rigatoni bolognese.
Veal and Stuffed Peppers
Giada inspected the plates of veal loin saltimbocca and quinoa-stuffed bell peppers before service took them away.
Tangerine Sorbet
For dessert, Giada served a scoop of tangerine sorbet with vanilla cream and candied pistachios.
Chocolate Nibbles
Giada celebrated the end of the evening with something sweet and chocolatey.
Creamed Ice
Who would have thought to pour cream over the icy sorbet?