TV Food Fan

Guest Editorial: Food Offerings Abound on DIRECTV

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:13:00 +0000

Brought to you by tvbydirect.

Food television has been one of the most popular sorts of entertainment over the last number of years. It almost seems strange, actually, how very popular food television has become. Yet, whether people like to cook along to certain shows, or prefer competitive chef television for the sake of entertainment, these shows tend to bring in great ratings. In fact, the shows are often so popular that fans even look into tvbydirect offerings to gain access to more programs, or HD streaming of their favorite shows and channels, such as Food Network. If you, however, have never experienced the fun and interest of such channels, here are a few words on some of Food Network’s most popular shows.

Iron Chef – Perhaps the most popular show on Food Network, Iron Chef is based on a very successful Japanese cooking show of the same name. Essentially, it features a lineup of famous and/or impressive chefs who compete against each other to see who can make the best dish, with each chef using the same key ingredient. In recent years, the chef lineup has featured big names such as Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Marc Forgione, and several others. Generally, this is less of an imitation show and more of an entertainment competition, though it can still provide some very appealing recipe concepts for those inclined to challenge themselves in the kitchen.
The Best Thing I Ever Ate – This is a show that puts a bit of a spin on food television by showing you popular food that is available to you, rather than food that you can make. Essentially, the show features chefs picking out their favorite meals and foods in different categories, giving you specific ideas of where and what to eat if you want to experience what great chefs recommend. These people live for food, and they have ideas and opinions well worth considering!
30 Minute Meals With Rachel Ray – This is a show more geared toward people who want to either get new ideas for recipes or even cook while watching. Rachel Ray demonstrates a number of ways to create high quality, delicious meals at home in half an hour or less, which is a trick that not just anybody can master immediately. This is a great show to watch if you’re looking to expand your home menu and enhance your capabilities in the kitchen; though you may want to cook while you watch, because you’ll likely be hungry following an episode!

ES Takes a Look at the Hopefuls

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:10:00 +0000

Check out the latest post over at Endless Simmer!

We take a look at the applicants for the upcoming season of The Next Food Network Star. Some of it isn't pretty.

Toby Young, Take Two

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:51:00 +0000

Getting geared up for tomorrow's Top Chef? Then you'll want to go over to Endless Simmer to catch the latest Toby Young Insult Tracker.

Adam Gertler Goes "On The DL"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:14:00 +0000

It's been documented on this site that, while I do love me some food, there are a couple of other hobbies/interests that surpass it. The BIG one is sports. While I'm still smarting from the loss of my Eagles in the NFC championshiop yesterday, at least I can console myself with the memory that my Phillies are World F___ing Champions and I got to stand at Broad and South for the first parade in 25 years.

Because it's impossible to be a sports fan without becoming completely obsessed, there are a number of podcasts that I listen to regularly. One of the absolute best -- On the DL with Dan Levy -- has a Philly flair since he's in the area and a Fightin' Phillies fan as well, but his show focuses on sports media and he manages to snag some huge names, including ESPN's Tony Kornheiser, NFL Films' Steve Sabol and even Philly sports enthusiast Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. Dan and his co-host Nick are knowledgeable and the show is informative, fun and funny.

From time to time, the show also brings on some interesting non-sports folks, including a chat with Chuck Norris. So it was a pleasant surprise when I heard he was going to have The Next Food Network Star runner-up Adam Gertler (who also hails from the City of Brotherly Love) on to discuss his new show, Will Work for Food. He talks about the new show, his experience on Star and his experience owning a restaurant in Philly.

You can catch the episode on their site, but if your interested in sports, do yourself a favor and subscribe to the podcast while you're there.

Sandra Lee in D.C.?!?!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:46:00 +0000

Hey, maybe you're not a fan of Sandra Lee. But you've come to grips with your feelings about her because you know that she really has no access to the levers of power. What if you were no longer secure in that thought?

Sure, it' a long shot, but check out my latest entry on Endless Simmer to find out how she could expand her Semi-Homemad empire.

Simmering Away

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:24:00 +0000

Hey, everyone. Sorry for the layoff. Yes, I'm a bad, bad blogger.

Enough of that, I'm going to make it up to you.

A while back...over a year ago, we pointed you to a great site called Endless Simmer which knocked our socks off at the time and which has churned out consistently top-notch food blog conent and which we've referenced in a number of our own posts here on TVFF. BS, gansie and the crew over there are the complete package when it comes to writing...prolific and good.

So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when, in the course of an e-mail conversation, they mentioned the possibility of contributing posts to what I think is one of the best and funniest food blogs around.

We're kicking off the party with a post on the newest judge to join the Top Chef stable. Swing over to ES and check out The Toby Young Insult Tracker, which analyzes and grades the British critic's attempts to put down the show's contestants.

Be sure to go check it out and, of course, bookmark and/or subscribe to Endless Simmer for all the great content, including some more stuff from TVFF.

Anyone Still Out There?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 02:31:00 +0000

Well, maybe you're still subscribing to the feed.

Anyway, we'll have some news for you in the very near future.

You may have thought TVFF was dead, but we're like one of those George Romero zombies, man. If you don't shoot us in the head, we don't stay down. That'll teach you.

Check back soon!

Mike

"Hey, is that...? Yes, it is!"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:51:00 +0000

Hola, everyone. Been busy around here lately, but you know how it is.

Anyway, I haven't been going in to work the past two days. Insteady, I've been taking a computer training class in Philly that doesn't start until 10:00, which means I'm heading into the city about an hour and a half later than usual. It's nice...there are fewer commuters at this point so it's pretty relaxing. Plug in the headphones, fire up the This American Life podcast and zone out.

That's what I was up to when I was standing on the PATCO train going over the Delaware River this morning. I casually glanced around the car, looking at a couple of the riders. One of them caught my eye, though, and I immediately thought to myself, "Hey, is that...?"

Yep

That's right...the fellow sitting there in the sunglasses is Aaron McCargo!

(Don't worry -- his companion did actually have a face. I just didn't want to subject her to my staker-azzi photo, so I blurred her out. )

He was obviously in a conversation, so it didn't feel right to swoop in and ask for a photo, hence the surreptitious iPhone picture. But he did see me and I gave him a bit of a "head nod of recognition" that he returned and flashed a quick smile, which was nice.

My Guess: The Pancetta Cologne Makes Him Irresistible

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:31:00 +0000

Perhaps in celebration of the debut of his Spanish food show, it appears that Mario Batali is singing a little "Besame Mucho" to rock star/humanitarian Bono in this photo over at Best Week Ever.

The show, Spain...on the Road Again (which would probably be even cooler if it featured Willie Nelson) debuts this coming weekend in the Philadelphia market...go here for your locale. The DVR is officially set and ready to go.

TV Food Fan Mentioned in Baltimore Sun's Article on Geof Manthorne

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Regular readers of the site know about our man-crush on Ace of Cakes Renaissance man Geof Manthorne, which goes back to the early days of this site. So it was a pleasant surprise when we got a call from Jill Rosen, a reporter at the Baltimore Sun, for our take on what makes Geof so appealing.

We were more than happy to weigh in on the topic and you can see the results in the article, 'Ace of Cakes' fans have a thing for bakery artist Geof Manthorne, which is up on the Sun's site. Be sure to check out the whole thing...with special attention to the last couple of paragraphs, of course!

Charm City

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:51:00 +0000

Busy travelling today...

I did do a drive by of Baltimore en route to Washington. Sorry, no Duff sighting, but they do have a very colorful bridge. My "iPhone-photo-from-a-moving-train" image doesn't do it justice. I'll just wait for Charm City Cakes to do a pastry version of it. Seriously, though...anyone down there know what the deal is with this thing?

From Blog Images

The Best Feast Yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:52:00 +0000

It just might be.

We really enjoyed the first two shots of Feasting, mostly because of the fact that it really presented a program that looked and felt like nothing else that was on the Network. But, truth be told, Alton and his crew were visiting places that looked somewhat familiar to American audiences. Sure, we may not have deep fried pig brains here in New Jersey, but this wasn't exactly a different world we were talking about. All that is different this year.

I think the real, "hidden" secret to this year is the fact that there seems to be less preperation on the crew's part and that they're also beholden to the winds, so we get the occasional detour.

In past years, the squad went from location to location, visiting real, authentic places that, nonetheless, were probably aware of the Food Network, and possibly even with Alton himself. I don't think that's the case this year, and it feels like more of a discovery...similar to what we see in some of the better food/travel shows.

The real tip-off for this was the fact that, during last night's episode (number 2 on the season), there was a little back-and-forth between Alton and his host about the fact that they knew about Rachael Ray (and Alton play-acted that he'd never heard of her). The fact that they included this episode and that Alton seemed genuinely a little surprised leads me to belive that they didn't hear a lot of, "Hey, you guys are from Food Network!" while making the rounds. Their ability to travel incognito lends the show a level of authenticity we haven't seen before.

Marcel Busted for Suspicion of DUI, Hair Only Slightly Less Fantastic in Mug Shot

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:45:00 +0000

OK. Let's be clear. Drunk driving is not funny. Drunk driving mug shots, however, are hysterical.

You may remember Marcel Vigneron from Top Chef a couple of years ago. He was the one with the cartoon character-like hair and soul-piercing glare. Now you get to see him in a slightly different light, thanks to the mug shot currently up at Grub Street. The folks over at GS have a very good point when they compare the pokey photo favorably to the publicity shot from TC.

Ahhh...celebrity mug shots. Perhaps no greater treat has been brought to us by the Internet than these schadenfreude-laden glimpses of fame gone wrong. And, although Marcel has not made their hall of shame, the alpha and omega of online celeb mug shot sites is, without a doubt, The Smoking Gun.

I'm guessing that many of you know about the site, but those of you who don't (or anyone who is up for a good chuckle) should swing by the mug shot page. It's hours and hours of fun. Unfortunately, I think they missed a golden opportunity to let visitors rate their faves, but you just can't go wrong when you click around on a list like that. In case you're wondering, my all-time fave is Nick Nolte.

A quick scan doesn't seem to reveal any food TV personalities. So, Marcel, congratulations on your potentially groundbreaking achievement!

Really? Because He Doesn't Seem the Kind of Guy to Pander or Sell Out.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:38:00 +0000

Hey, I bet you're wondering what Rocco DiSpirito has been up to since his Bertolli-pitching appearance on Top Chef. Or maybe you were just hoping he had gone away, never to be heard from again. I know I felt a little bit of each. And now I feel like a sucker.

Why? Because Rocco is slated to be a contestant on the next edition of Dancing with the Stars.

Rocco DiSpirito: This 42 year old American chef will have to leave his homebase of New York city to compete in D.W.T.S. Rocco is another product of reality T.V. He stared in the show "The Restaurant" which followed him and his mother during the opening of their restaurant, "Rocco's 22nd Street". He also competed in "the Biggest Loser: Couples" and was a guest judge and sous-chef in "Top Chef". Viewers always like to see people with strong personalities on the show. Rocco may fit right in. His reality T.V. show "Rocco's 22nd Street" ended with disagreements with his financier, Jeffrey Chodorow. Rocco also hosted his own radio show a few years ago, but that too ended due to "creative differences".

Great...now I can add "dancing" to my ongoing list ("cooking," "talking," "anything") of things I don't want to watch Rocco DiSpirito doing on my TV.

Hat Tip to Emily for passing this fun bit of info my way.

Video Games + Iron Chef America = Awesome?!?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:24:00 +0000

I'm not going to lie. It's my secret fantasy to be a video game character at some point. Every year, you'll read an article abou thow jazzed some football rookie is about the fact that he's actually a part of the latest version of Madden. It's funny, because the article usually starts out about how thrilled the player is, and it then quickly moves on to how said player is angry that he did not receive a high enough rating in the game. Such is life.

So, does that mean we'll be hearing about Mario Batali complaining that his knife skills aren't up to his standards with the soon-to-be-released Wii version of Iron Chef America?

Alas, the TVFF household does not feature a Wii, and my video game playing is at an all time low these days, so it's unlikely we'll be providing a review. But, we do make a point to swing by the Best Buy and jam on "Guitar Hero" whenever I can (much to Mrs. TVFF's dismay), so I'll be on the lookout in the mall this autumn!

iPhone/Food Network Users - Call for Submissions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:01:00 +0000

Hey...are there any iPhone users out there who have tried out the Food Network iPhone web application?

If so, drop me a note at mike@tvfoodfan.com and let me know what you think of it, how useful you find it and any other general impressions you have. Thanks!

Hey, What'd I Tell Ya?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:39:00 +0000

Philly chef wins on ‘Iron Chef’

Good for you, Jose

Somewhere, Lidia Bastianich is Quietly Weeping

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:00:00 +0000

OK...this may be a bit off-topic, but we'll just interepret the site's stated mission of "food TV" a little more liberally today if that's all right with you.

You know that I like to complain at length about any perceived "dumbing-down" of food content on television programs. Usually, that takes the form of mindless shortcuts (like pre-minced garlic), but I have to think that the ability to boil water and successfully place an ingredient into said boiling water is about as simple a process as exists in the real of cooking. And yet...

The folks at Best Week Ever manage to capture my exact feelings, so just go ahead and read this. (Warning: lightly-edited naughty language)

And...welcome back. Are you as angry as I am? Good. And I managed to find this on a day when I'll be cooking pasta for dinner. I think that makes it all the more revolting.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the Pasta 'N More is, in fact, not the biggest affront to Italian culinary heritage currently on the market. That honor would belong to the Pasta Express, which doesn't even require you to boil the noodles in water. Nope, just fill 'er up with hot water and let it...steep? Be sure to watch the "webmercial," which I swear is actually worse than the one for the Pasta 'N More.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE leave a comment or send us a note (anonymously, if you feel that you must preserve your honor) if you've ever had the good fortune to be served pasta from one of these devices.

"Sea Monster Week" (Yes, You Read That Correctly) on Original Iron Chef

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:00:00 +0000

As much as we enjoy watching Mark Dacascos doing back-blips on Iron Chef America, we miss the good old days of the Japanese original from time to time. When we get particularly nostalgic, we'll swing over to Fine Living, which runs episodes of the classic series.

The folks over at Fine Living are very good to us at TVFF. There was the Shopping with Chefs event in NYC that we got to check out. And, in general, they reach out to us on a regular basis. My point is that they are very focused on selling their portfolio of food programs, and that apparently goes for both their original series as well as Iron Chef, because we got a note from them telling us about their special, themed weeks that start next Monday, August 18 at 8 p.m. with "Sea Monster Week."

What's the catch of the day?

Sea Monster Week will feature lots of crazy underwater creatures, starting with Battle Octopus on Monday 8/18, then Battle King Crab, Battle Giant Eel, and Battle Squid, before the formidable Battle Ashura Oyster on Friday 8/22.

According to the folks at Fine Living, this will actually be the first of five weeks of themed program blocks.

Julia Child a Spy?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:37:00 +0000

So says CNN.

Word is she could kill a man with a whisk.

Bond had Le Chiffre. Julia had Le Chiffonade.

OK...enough with the bad jokes?

Also on the list was Sterling Hayden, who appeared in two of the greatest movies of all time, as Gen. Jack D. Ripper ("Mandrake, have you ever seen a Commie drink a glass of water?") in Dr. Strangelove and Cpt. McCluskey (the cop who Michael Corleone whacks in the Italian restaurant) in The Godfather.

If She Ran the Show, the "Satelite of Love" Would Have Been Beautifully Decorated

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Despite her cold-as-ice reputation, it seems like Martha Stewart isn't afraid to laugh...at herself.

That's the premise of a new show that will air on Fine Living.

Can Martha Stewart take a pie in the face — even one she baked herself? Fine Living Network is about to find out.

On Sept. 16, Fine Living will unveil a new original comedy series built around a provocative premise: mocking Ms. Stewart. For a half hour, two hosts will critique — in “candid and often acerbic” language, according to the channel — old clips from her 1990s cooking and craft show. Fine Living, part of the E. W. Scripps Company, calls the series “Whatever, Martha!”

That's nice. It's always reassuring when a celebrity can be down to earth. But, really, being popular enough to base a whole program on your persona didn't really make me feel warm and tingly.

And then I read this:

Martha Stewart is not widely known for her sense of humor. But she is in on this particular joke. In fact, she created it, dreaming up the premise after watching reruns of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” during a sleepless night. That series, produced from 1988 to 1999, delivered sarcastic commentary about old horror movies, and had blossomed into a cable cult hit.

Wait a minute -- Martha is a MSTie!?!? Oh, man...my respect for her just went through the roof.

Food Network to Get "Butter"-ed Up

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Despite the fact that nearly all of the amateur contestants on The Next Food Network Star have managed to snag some sort of job at Food Network, it's not just home chefs that have been joining the FN ranks. First, we had Anne Burrell start up a new show (which we at TVFF like, although we could do with a little less over-the-top grunting/sound effects from time to time). Now it's the chef from New York City's Butter, Alexandra Guarnaschelli, who has a show coming up. Must be a good time to be a female chef from NYC!

The show is called The Cooking Loft. That' not to be confused with Anne Taylor Loft, which is where I sit and wait uncomfortably while Mrs. TVFF tries on outfits.

Details? Here's the press release:

Welcome to The Cooking Loft, home of Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli’s innovative and inventive cooking class. This successful restaurant chef invites four students into her cooking loft to learn her secrets and ask the kinds of questions at-home viewers would want to know the answers to. Beginning Saturday, August 30th at 9:30AM ET/PT Alex invites everyone to roll up their sleeves and learn first-hand how a pro puts her own unique spin on basic cooking techniques to elevate America's favorite dishes. Each week, Alex breaks down food topics like pasta, seasonal fruit, tomatoes, pizza, turkey, breakfast, holiday cookies, and apples to reveal easy and accessible techniques. The Cooking Loft is loaded with timesaving tips and tricks viewers won't want to miss!

Episodes include:
Premiering August 30th at 9:30am ET/PT – You Say Tomato
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s idea of retail therapy includes visiting the greenmarket to find the best seasonal produce. She entices her students with a bounty of tomatoes and teaches them how to use the fruit throughout an entire meal. With dishes like Seared Steak that’s drenched in a fresh Tomato Sauce, Tomato and Watermelon Salad with strawberries, and Stuffed Tomatoes with Caramel and Ice Cream for dessert, no matter how you say tomato, your taste buds will be tantalized!

Premiering September 6th 9:30am ET/PT – This Bird’s Got Range
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli feels there are endless ways to prepare chicken. She’s sharing her all-time favorites to teach the students, including Crunchy Fried Chicken with a sour cream and mustard marinade, and surprisingly juicy Flattened Chicken Breast with a sweet and tangy Marmalade and a side of sautéed Wilted Romaine. After this lesson at The Cooking Loft, you’ll be a certified poultry pro.

Premiering September 13th at 9:30am ET/PT – Sweet and Fruity
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli teaches her students how to turn the best fruits of the season into amazing desserts. She shares a few simple tricks to working with fruit and demonstrates elegant and irresistible recipes like Stovetop Peaches with Streusel and Zesty Sour Cream and Almond Cream and Strawberry Parfait.

Premiering September 20th at 9:30am ET/PT – Perfect Pasta
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli throws a pasta party at the loft to teach her students unique takes on traditional pasta dinners. Bubbling Macaroni and Cheese with breadcrumbs and Cavatappi Pasta with Spicy Yellow Tomato Sauce are sure to be recipes that will make many repeat appearances.

Adam Gets a Job (And Has Strange Cosmic Connection to My Previous Post)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Thought you were done with The Next Food Network Star's Adam? Think again! According to a Food Network press release:

Adam Gertler shared his humorous take on food throughout the most recent season of The Next Food Network Star. Now, he pairs his comedic timing with an adventurous spirit in the new Food Network series, Will Work for Food. Currently in production, the series will premiere on Tuesday, September 30th at 9:30pm ET/PT. The half-hour primetime series exposes Adam to the world of little-known food jobs, as he puts his life – and mouth – on the line to try them all!

“On The Next Food Network Star Adam exhibited a unique combination of quick wit, passion for food and an engaging personality,” said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. “He earned millions of fans across the country who have let us know that we have a second star in our midst. We feel this series is a perfect fit for his talents, letting him showcase his brand of humor while he works for food.”

Will Work for Food follows Adam on a fearless journey to learn about a wide variety of unique food jobs. Throughout the series, Adam will introduce viewers to the people who do this work the best, as he learns the tricks of the trade and tries everything firsthand. Whether he’s protecting his fingers while feeding sharks, closely examining potato chips for flaws or trying his hand as a dog food taste tester, Adam will stop at nothing to learn how each job is done.

Adam's background as an actor meant that he was pretty good on camera, so it's nice to know he's got a spot doing something for the Network. And, hey...Guy Fieri is better known now for his non-cooking program DD&D, so Adam could be the winner in the long run.

Speaking of which, Aaron's new show debuted this week. Although I thought it was fairly well put-together, the chicken finger salad recipe was a weak effort for the first episode. Doritos!?!? Ugh. He was pretty good on camera, though, and the kid was cute.

So, we know that Adam's back in it. The funny thing is that, if you check out the recap of the Philadelphia Inquirer story about this over at Foobooz (one of my favorite sites for all things Philly food and, well, booze), you'll see that they mention where Adam has been waiting tables since his place closed down. That restaurant would be...........Amada.

Philly Chef Jose Garces to Take on Iron Chef Bobby Flay

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:08:00 +0000

It's a good time for folks from The City of Brotherly Love on Food Network.

First, we had Adam and Aaron as two of the three finalists for The Next Food Network Star. Now we get word that Philly culinary star Chef Jose Garces will be taking on Bobby Flay in an upcoming installment of Iron Chef America.

Regular readers of TVFF may recognize the name of Chef Garces, as I've mentioned him a couple of times in the past. His Spanish tapas restaurant, Amada, is an absolute delight. His second, Tinto, is also very good and only a few blocks from TVFF's Philadelphia Branch Office. This guy is the real deal, and it's going to be a lot of fun to see him in action.

Here's the press release:

On Sunday, August 17, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Philadelphia’s Chef Jose Garces will become the city’s first chef-ambassador to Food Network’s “Kitchen Stadium” – as a challenger on the massively popular series “Iron Chef America.”

“It is an honor and a thrill to be chosen to compete against Bobby Flay, who is considered one of the world’s finest culinary talents,” says Chef Garces. “I admire each of the Iron Chefs, and I’m so proud to have shared their kitchen and brought my food up against the best of the best.”

The chefs are given one hour to complete five dishes, which must each include the “secret” ingredient that is revealed to them at the beginning of the challenge. At the conclusion of the hour, the chefs present their dishes to a trio of judges who score each competitor on taste, presentation and originality.

“The energy in Kitchen Stadium inspired me,” says Chef Garces, “and I feel that I put my very best food forward. I can’t wait for viewers to watch the show and feel the excitement that I felt while competing.”
For one week after the episode airs, Chef Garces will share the dishes he prepared on the show with diners at his restaurants; each will offer a special Iron Chef Menu comprised of the five dishes that he created for the competition.

At age 36, Chef Jose Garces has fast become one of the country’s most distinguished chefs, a reputation that he solidified with the tremendous success of his first restaurant Amada, an authentic Andalusian tapas bar, which opened to rave reviews in Fall 2005. He further reinforced this standing with his second venture Tinto, a wine bar inspired by Basque country, the coastal and mountainous region shared by Spain and France, which was one of the city’s most highly anticipated restaurants when it opened in March 2007.

In March 2008, Garces launched Mercat a la Planxa, a Barcelona-style tapas restaurant in Chicago, his hometown. Most recently, Garces oversaw the opening of a third Philadelphia restaurant, Distrito, a spirited celebration of the culture and cuisine of Mexico City. His first cookbook, Latin Evolution (Lake Isle Press), will be released in September 2008.

Called the “Latin Emeril” for his wide smile and educational approach to food, Garces is a two-time nominee for the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic” award, and has long been an ambassador of contemporary Latin cuisine. He has appeared in The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and Wall Street Journal.

For more information on Chef Jose Garces and his four acclaimed restaurants, or to make a reservation at any of them, please visit www.garcesgroup.com. “Iron Chef America” will air on Sunday, August 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network.

Both photos courtesy of Food Network

Reader Report: Top Chef Live

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:00:00 +0000

We always like it when we get a little feedback from our readers, so we were excited when we got an e-mail from Zach out in Arizona about a trip that he made to the local installment of the Top Chef Live tour. He said that he read the write-up we posted here on TVFF and wanted to share his experience (and the image below).

Now, Zach is a serious foodie. ("I watch “Food TV” like a crack addict. I want to name my first daughter "Giada". My friends have given me "Lunchbox" as my nickname.") He and his wife, Lynn, were able to score tickets to the 8:30 a.m. (now that's dedication) show in Phoenix. Take it away, Lunchbox!

We were only able to find one person to go with us for such an early demo, so our friend Heather agreed to get up early and head downtown to the show. That just meant that one more person from the waiting list would get into the trailer. Former contestants Casey Thompson and Betty Fraser were scheduled to appear. We were excited at the prospect of meeting Casey. However a quick check of the website a day before gave us the real lineup of Richard Blais and Betty. I was excited to see Richard cook with smoke and aromatics and get super crazy in the kitchen. I would be disappointed in the end, but more on that in a min.

It was cool to see them in person and not stressed out from competition. I’ve attached a picture of me Lynn and Heather inside the trailer. We’re in the second row and I’m the guy making the goofy face with the thumbs up. The picture came from the girl sitting in front of Lynn's chair... I of course made that face and when she checked the picture she gave me a few chuckles and promised to email me. I told her my email address, never thinking I would actually see the picture. So mad props to Holly for actually sending it to me...

So Blais and Betty come in and they're 2 feet away from us and very enthusiastic for being so early in the morning. Betty started the demo by starting a Coconut shrimp with cabbage slaw... Three things that are not part of my pallet, coconut, shrimp, and cabbage... I’m just not a super big seafood guy, and I really don’t like the coconut texture. So I was a little disappointed about the demo as far as picking up a new recipe. When all was said and done I ate the dish and it wasn't too bad. I was excited about the prospect of Blais cooking something crazy but it didn't happen. Betty cooked, and Richard helped her with whatever she needed.

The coolest part was getting to ask questions while they were cooking and getting to hear the skinny on what really goes on behind the scenes of Bravo's "Top Chef". Like the fact that every episode is one day of taping. So they eliminate one person everyday when they're filming. This to me tells me how good those chefs are that get picked for the show. The question that I asked was what they did after the elimination when the chefs would just be hanging out at the house as far as cooking for each other... Richard said that the chefs would show off for each other and try to show their cooking skills and "intimidate" each other so to speak. They are totally sequestered as far as internet, TV, newspapers, etc... so as to not get any recipe ideas. What they bring to the show is what they bring, no outside influence whatsoever. I was impressed with how personable both chefs were. Richard even made a few jokes along the way, which I didn't expect. It was a lot of fun and I'm really glad we got to go.

Zach also told us that the folks at the demo from the network confirmed that they're currently taping the next season of Top Chef in New York, which jibes with reports of sightings of the cheftestants in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Zach...great job and thanks for sharing!