LAS VEGAS ­ Premiere restaurants from throughout Las Vegas will showcase their signature dishes, many of them created by the country¹s top chefs, at the 12th annual Epicurean Affair, the gala dining extravaganza of the Las Vegas International Hotel & Restaurant Show (LVIHRS). Internationally acclaimed wines and spirits also will be available for tasting. The event, which is open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19 at the Caesars Palace pool complex, Garden of the Gods.

Some of the participant¹s in this year¹s event include:

• 808, Nero's, Terrazza & Shadow Bar at Caesars Palace
• Smith & Wollensky
• Sonoma Cellars, Capri & Guadalajara & others at Station Casinos
• Emeril¹s New Orleans Fish House
• Spice Market Buffet, Tremezzo & Elements at the Aladdin
• Hugo¹s Cellar at the Four Queens
• Bellagio Restaurants
• Samba, Kokomos & Renoir at the Mirage
• Top of the World at the Stratosphere
• Trumpets at Sun City Anthem
• Border Grill at Mandalay Bay
• Commander's Palace at Desert Passage
• Delmonico's Steakhouse at the Venetian
• Austin's Steakhouse at Texas Station
• Rio Restaurants  
• Black Mountain Grill
• Ricardo¹s Mexican Restaurant

A silent auction benefiting the Nevada Hospitality Foundation will be held during the Epicurean Affair. Advance tickets are available for $100 per person or $850 for a package of 10. Tickets will be $125 per person at the door. To purchase tickets, call the Nevada Restaurant Association at 702-878-2313 or the Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association at 702-878-9272 or visit www.LVIHRS.com.

The Epicurean Affair takes place on the first night of the LVIHRS that will run Wednesday, June 19 and Thursday, June 20. Highlighting the ³best of the best² in the hotel and restaurant industry, the LVIHRS brings together worldwide hospitality industry leaders for two days of hotel and restaurant related exhibits, seminars and competitions.

This year¹s convention includes several seminars featuring a variety of hospitality leaders from throughout the country discussing the state of the hotel and restaurant industry. The LVIHRS also will feature several high-spirited competitions such as the Las Vegas Culinary Challenge, where the country¹s next generation of chefs compete for American Culinary Federation gold medals. Other competitions will include bed making and menu design.

The 2002 LVIHRS marks the second event produced under a partnership between the Nevada Hotel & Lodging Association (NHLA), Nevada Restaurant Association (NRA), the owners of the 87-year old New York City-based International Hotel/Motel and Restaurant Show (IH/MRS), the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC) and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSHTA). The show is managed by George Little Management, LLC (GLM).