THE PELLEGRINO FAMILY WINS THE FOOD NETWORK’S THROWDOWN
RAOs Guests Will Taste the Victory; Rao’s at Caesars Palace Las Vegas Celebrates
by Offering New “Throwdown” Menu on Christmas Eve and Day
You Can’t beat the Italians when it comes to the fishes. On The Food Network’s “Throwdown with Bobby Flay,” the Pellegrino family of the world-renowned Rao’s defeated Bobby Flay. The challenge: who could prepare the best Feast of Seven Fishes, the Italian holiday tradition where families gather and share a delicious multi-course meal of fish.
'Tis the season for the tables to be turned when the Pellegrino family of Rao's Restaurant at Caesars Palace challenged chef Bobby Flay of Mesa Grill fame to a holiday Throwdown! But despite the victory, this was a lovefest or perhaps love-“feast” all around.
“Really, we both won,” says Frankie Pellegrino. “It was an honor to work with as well as compete against such an esteemed colleague as Bobby Flay. This was an incredible experience. Family is why we do what we do and it was great to bring home a win for Team Pellegrino. We wish everyone a very happy holiday season.”
Flay turned up the heat and fired up his team in order to compete against a notorious family of more than 100 years of Italian tradition on its side. Three mouth-watering fish dishes were the menu du jour. As an excited audience gathered, they cheered and basked in the festive charm as our chefs got down to business.
“Family was everything in this competition, even down to the recipes. One of the winning dishes was a fresh spice Rosso Bruno tomatoes and lobster medallions. This is a dish I have been cooking since 1986. The fresh ingredients make all the difference in making the dish light and full of flavor,” says Carla Pellegrino.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, guests at RAOs can experience the “Throwdown Menu” inspired by “Throwdown with Bobby Flay.” The menu begins with the antipasti: Cacciuco Toscano, a seafood soup with lobster, shrimp, calamari, sea bass, PEI mussels, cockles clams and scallops in white wine and tomatoes broth over a Italian garlic bread. Next: Pellegrino’s perennial recipe, the Linguini All’aragosta. The third is the classic Brazino Sotto Sale, a Mediterranean sea bass baked under salt crust.
