The M's Limp Top Chef Catch-Up Try

Now that it's universally agreed that the M Resort has blown its moment in the spotlight by not doing anything Top Chef-ish and places like Mandalay Bay and the Wynn are heavily promoting their involvements, someone over there decided to do this:


That's pretty much it, though. From the home page of the M Resort's site, there's now a link to a page where there's essentially the most minimal information:

"Behind every great show there is a great backdrop. Affirming our commitment and passion for great dining, your very own M Resort Spa Casino served as the production location for BRAVO'S "Top Chef: Las Vegas" Season 6."

And tha-tha-tha-tha-that's all folks! The page has no music, no video, no indication of why you ought to visit the resort if you're a foodie or a Top Chef fan other than this bland blather:

"Come and see why people rave about our food. No matter what your taste, you're sure to find something to satisfy your cravings. M Resort Spa Casino offers a variety of dining options with some of the world's leading chefs at the helm. From our state-of-the-art Studio B Buffet, with live action cooking studio and over 200 daily dishes where beer and wine are included with lunch and dinner, to Terzetto for the finest steaks and seafood."

Wow. We've got a buffet and a steakhouse. You know, like every Vegas hotel since time immemorial. That breaks the mold.

Now that they've done this...


...it doesn't seem as though they ever were yoked by their Bravo deal in the first place. That's what I'd heard, that they didn't do any blogging or Tweeting or viewing party events or Web mentions of their unique tie to the hottest cooking show on TV because they weren't allowed to do so. Well, the season's still not over yet -- there's about four more shows left -- and there they are going up with this half-hearted effort at capitalizing.

That never made any sense, anyway. There's nothing about the M saying they're the host property that was (a) a secret by the time the show aired or (b) would give away anything about the outcome of the show or even any information about the challenges. If the M was as hamstrung by its deal as they claim, they made a terrible deal. And meanwhile, the Wynn folks have happily told the press that Paul Bartolotta and Alex Stratta are guest judges well in advance of their episodes and I've known for weeks what food the Stratta episode -- airing this Wednesday -- involves. (I don't like to spoil plots, so if you want to know, email me.)

So rather than the M folks being ticked at me for drawing attention to this failure as they did when they called me up after my Las Vegas Weekly column a month ago, they should quit with the excuses and host some events, invite some of the cheftestants to do special nights, offer up menus inspired by the show.

In that vacuum, of course, is the Top Chef Las Vegas Viewing Party that VegasHappensHere.Com and the Las Vegas Weekly are co-hosting on Wednesday from 9-11:30 pm at the Freakin Frog on Maryland Parkway. Admission is free, we'll have prizes and several chefs including Rick Moonen, Alex Stratta, Paul Bartolotta and Jet Tila will be there to watch along.