“What time is it? It’s Martini Time!”

Tina Martini is moving in to the M Resort and things will NEVER be the same. Martini’s effervescent and seemingly caffeinated personality engages you as soon as she runs out yelling her soon to be popular catch phrase and she uses that rapport to make you THINK about the food that goes in your mouth.

Laine Mischief and I are a good combination of testies (hehe you said testies)  in a project like this. In a nutshell, I will eat ANYTHING and she WILL NOT. However despite her unwillingness she actually ate most of the Portabello Napoleon that was pre-prepared for us. In a strange twist she actually didn’t eat the mushroom part of it. She gave that part to me.

I loved it. It was crisp, light but hearty (that’s an oxymoron) and had a nice blend of sweet and acid. I guess 6 seasons of Top Chef have finally paid off. But what really struck me about the dish were ALL the preparations involved with putting a complex dish like this together.

To my untempered palate it tasted like a really good citrusy salad. Emphasis on the Really Good. But when I found out that some components should be prepared DAYS IN ADVANCE, I was like, Really? DAYS IN ADVANCE? That’s a little involved for me. But I can give it a try.

I don’t want to give anything away but let me say it involves a quail egg and portabettolinis or portabellotonis or Portia de Rossi tinis. Anyway, something like that.

A little about the chef

Tina Martini uses her wit and candor to captivate the audience from the moment she runs onstage. She’s entirely engaging and treats her audience like she would a member of her family. Within minutes she had us all mesmerized.

Although I would have imagined she would be a little more nervous (this was the second show/dress rehearsal for the chef and the first day period) her nerves barely showed. She even handled a little mishap with the ease and grace of a seasoned pro.

2 minutes into her delivery as she motioned towards the already prepared example of Portabello Napoleon she realized it wasn’t there. Rina Foster, the Director of PR for the M Resorts, ran it down to gingerly display the dish for everyone to see.

It was a great cover on both parts and almost had me believing it had been planned in advance. Another thing that Tina does so well is interacting with the audience. She personalizes the experience for each member in the audience, from those of us up front, to those in the back. Every one of us was involved and entrenched in the entire presentation.

Tina has honed her crafts in kitchens and boardrooms alike. She partnered with Macy’s and performed hundreds of live cooking shows for them at their Macy’s School of Cooking in San Diego. She’s assisted and educated professionals, athletes and celebrities on how to eat healthier without sacrificing flavors.

And like I said if she can make Laine Mischief a believer (she eats NO VEGETABLES of any kind, ever, really) then she can convert anyone.

What time is it?

The show is performed in the Studio B Studio inside the Studio B Buffet and is mixed live right there on the spot. Monitors ring the room allowing for close-up views of sauces, peanut oils and blood oranges.

The great thing about this show is that it can be everchanging always evolving and mutating to constantly highlight the special dishes that Chef Tina creates. Heck with all of the recipes at her command they could perform an entirely different 1-hour show every day and never repeat a dish. (Of course the logistics of the handouts might be rough but in a year or so this could definitely be do able.) I’d love to attend a different show, maybe with a little barbecue. Hint hint.

The second greatest thing about this show is that included in the ticket price is the fabulous M Buffet. So after watching her cook and smelling and sampling her wonderful food, you can release the inner glutton upon the hapless souls merely “eating” at the buffet.

And that ticket price is comparable to any show you might see on the strip and doesn’t include all-you-can-drink PBR’s! That’s heaven in a glass right there! Tickets are $39.95, $49.95 and $59.95 and showtimes are 10 am, 1pm and 4 pm, Sundays thru Thursdays. The different prices are based on what buffet you get with the show. Sunday’s seafood buffet warrants the $59.95 pricetag, while the Monday – Thursday lunch show carries the $39.95. All of the prices can be explained here.

Check out Martini Time. This would be an excellent first or second date. Think of it, dinner or lunch and a show, oh yeah, and did I mention the all-you-can-drink PBR’s?