Church celebrates annual Greek Food Festival

     St. John Greek Orthodox Church will hold its 27th annual Greek Food Festival Sept. 24-26 at the church, 5300 South El Camino Road.
      Items to be served include lamb, chicken, rice pilaf, dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), pastitso (Greek lasagna), Greek salad, gyros, loukomathes, lokaniko (Greek sausage), calamari, mousaka, spanekopita, triopita and bread.
      Entertainment will include games and rides for children and Greek music and dancing.
      Hours will be 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Sept. 24, noon-11 p.m. Sept. 25 and noon-10 p.m. Sept. 26.
      Admission will be $2. Children under 12 will be admitted free.
     
      Gatsby's food and wines from the Far Niente winery will highlight the Art of the Meal culinary event Monday at Gatsby's at the MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. South.
      Canapes and a 1997 Far Niente chardonnay will be served at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 of grilled marinated Hawaiian prawns with Israeli couscous cake with a 50-year-old truffle balsamic vinegar and accompanied by a 1995 Far Niente chardonnay. A sautˇed artichoke and fennel salad with gruyere cheese and pistachio nut coulis will be accompanied by the 1995 Far Niente chardonnay.
      The entree, created by Gatsby's chef Terence Fong, includes pan-seared peppered beef tenderloin and sweetbreads enhanced with seared foie gras and soy mirin sauce along with chef's au gratin potatoes and seasonal vegetable bundle paired with a 1991 or 1996 Far Niente cabernet. Gatsby's chocolate trilogy accompanied by a 1989 Far Niente Dolce completes the meal.
      Cost is $65 per person. Call 891-7300 for reservations.
     
      Tony Chi & Associates, designers of the Shanghai Lilly restaurant at Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, has been selected as one of three finalists for the Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design.
      The company's work on Shanghai Lilly has been nominated in the category of restaurants seating more than 110 patrons.
      Grand prize winners will be announced at an awards breakfast Nov. 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.