Emeril Lagasse in the House for the Culinary Clash

The first round of the Venetian and Palazzo's Culinary Clash kicks off tonight at the Doge Palace in front of the resorts with Emeril Lagasse himself serving as one of the judges.

Each chef from the resort faces off against another, 16 in all, with half eliminated and the other half moving on to round two next week. Each chef will create a dish in 45 minutes from ingredients found in a mystery basket. Food trucks will be on hand, serving as the kitchens for the event.

Tonight, Claudine Grant from Fox 5 serves as the host for the event.

Here's a quick look at the schedule:

6 p.m.: Zine vs. the Venetian/Palazzo's assistant executive banquet chef Stefan Peroutka
7 p.m.: Lagasse's Stadium vs. Carnevino
8 p.m.: Valentino vs. Venetian/Palazzo's chef tournant for in-suite dining Francesco Schintu
9 p.m.: Table 10 vs. B&B Ristorante
10 p.m. SushiSamba vs. Lavo
11 p.m.: Delmonico vs. Enoteca Otto Pizzeria
Midnight: Tao vs. Rattlecan
1 a.m.: First Food & Bar vs. Aquaknox

And to get guests in the mood, the Venetian/Palazzo created a dramatic video. See it here:

· All Coverage of Culinary Clash [~ELV~]