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Flavor is the Focus For Top Chef's Eli Kirshtein at Atlanta's ENO
Spiky-haired, bespectacled Top Chef contestant Eli Kirshtein garnered the ire of Tom Colicchio after serving up what the judge deemed "raw lamb." That's no mark of a master chef, but as we know, even talented artisans are prone to missteps, perhaps owing to the pressure of a major prize and a national audience in the millions.
Off the show, Kirshtein serves as the Executive Chef of Atlanta's ENO Restaurant and Wine Bar. No relation to Brian Eno as far as we can tell, although that would make it infinitely cooler. Like many of his competitors, he's a locavore, sourcing ingredients for ENO's menu from farms and specialty stores around the great state of Georgia.
Tags: Celeb Chef Travel / Food Network / Food Travel / → All Tags
Bad-Boy Chef Guy Fieri Embarks on Rock 'n' Roll Culinary Tour
If you're a fan of the platinum-blond, spiky-haired Guy Fieri, host of Food Network shows Guy's Big Bite, Guy Off the Hook and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives—or were wondering what all the fuss was on Saturday Night Live's sketch parodying the bad-boy chef—you can see him and his 'do live. It's on like Donkey Kong for the chef, who set out on his first nationwide Guy Fieri Road Show tour this week.
The Guy Fieri Road Show is being billed as a rock 'n' roll culinary tour. The season-two winner of The Next Food Network Star is "playing" big theaters, traveling to each city on tour buses and enlisting L.A.-based DJ Cobra to spin and keep the beat pumping throughout the show.
Tags: Restaurant Week / Restaurant Travel / New York City / Food Travel / New York Restaurants / → All Tags
NYC's Winter Restaurant Week Returns In 2010; Better Get Booking
The bass restaurant week entree at NYC's Asiate restaurant
Foodies, unite! Book your trips to New York City now for the end of January or beginning of February, since the dates for Winter Restaurant Week were just announced. Some of the best and most famous restaurants in the Big Apple will be offering up prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus from January 25 to February 7.
And although restaurant week has been around in NYC since 1992, the prices haven't changed for the menus since 2006, meaning that 3-course lunches are a set $24.07 and 3 or 4-course dinners are $35.
Of course they're breaking out the prix fixe menus during the low period before Valentine's Day, but that's just means more foodie fun to brighten up dreary winter days. We're already plotting our reservations, and although you won't be able to book tables until probably sometime around New Year's, it's the right time to plan an indulgent trip to the city. Put our the airfare alerts now!
Related Stories:
· NY Restaurant Week Is Up For A Second Helping Through Labor Day [Jaunted]
· Restaurant Weeks coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Jaunted]
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Robin Leventhal of 'Top Chef' Pushes Truffled Popcorn In Seattle
Even when the grand prize eludes them, Top Chef alums often find a way to get the maximum mileage out of their fifteen minutes. Take, for example, Robin Leventhal, who didn't earn many popularity points with her fellow cast mates, but did manage to land an Executive Chef gig at Seattle's See Sound Lounge in early October. A simple panna cotta proved to be Leventhal's Achilles' heel on the show, so it's a good thing that there aren't many desserts on See Sound's menu, aside from a couple ice cream sandwiches and the silly inclusion of candied orange peel.
See Sound talks up their new chef's pseudo-celebrity stature on their website, declaring with pride, "The show is extremely popular. Take heed, watching it makes you hungry!" However, it's going to take more than a paltry self-endorsement to convince us of the restaurant's culinary cred. In our experience, the focus of restaurant/lounges tend to be promoting a cool, sexy atmosphere, not quality dishes. Pre-judging? Maybe, but let's take a closer look at what's on the menu for more.
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The Top Five Aussie Foods To Try Down Under
Being a country mostly made up of immigrants, Australia is not renowned for having its own incredible foods the way, say, somewhere like Italy is. But that doesn't mean that there aren't some very important Aussie foods to try on your trip Down Under. Okay okay, so everyone's knows (and possibly sticks their nose up at) Vegemite, but you can't deny it when in the country; you've got to try it.
And without further ado, we present the list of The Top Five Aussie Foods To Try Down Under:
Tags: Food Festivals / Food Travel / San Diego Travel / California Travel / → All Tags
Get The Fork To San Diego For SoCal's Largest Foodie Event
Foodies will want to pack their tank tops and head west to the sixth annual San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival from November 18 to 22. Southern California's largest wine and food fest will feature culinary stars like James Beard Foundation Award winner for Best American Chef, Southwest, Alex Stratta of the two-star Michelin-rated ALEX at the Wynn Las Vegas; Cooking Light Magazine’s Executive Chef Billy Strynkowski; Peter Mondavi Jr. of Charles Krug winery; James Beard Foundation Award winner for Best Chef, Paul Bartolotta of Bartolotta at the Wynn Las Vegas, celebrity TV star Sam Zien of Sam the Cooking Guy.
The five-day festival will host more than 170 wineries, 70 fine-dining restaurants, gourmet food companies, wine-tasting seminars, celebrity artists, cooking classes by award-winning chefs and more. It's expected to draw 8,000 wine and food enthusiasts.
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'Top Chef Master' Rick Bayless Cooks Up Mexican Street Food At Chicago's New 'Xoco'
After winning Bravo's first Top Chef Masters, Rick Bayless didn't sit around resting on his 27-ingredient mole. Instead, he went to work and recently opened Xoco (pronounced "Shoh-koh"), Mexican slang for "little sister." It's a fitting name, since the Mexican street food restaurant sits next to its upscale big sisters, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, in Chicago's River North 'hood.
The line to get in the no-reservations restaurant is out the door for lunch and dinner, so we decided to avoid the crowds and get some breakfast chow. It was a good decision, since there weren't too many people there and we didn't have a problem snagging our own table in the 40-seat cafe, which has mostly bar-like seating.
We experience the flavor, after the jump.
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Zachary's Pizza In Oakland Tastes Like Life Has Just Begun
Last month we mentioned that Oakland was one of Five Cities With a Bad Rap that really deserved another chance. Aside from visiting the land that shaped MC Hammer, we urged you to check out some of the city's noteworthy neighborhoods and restaurants including the Pican restaurant with its gourmet take on Southern comfort food.
But another reason to hit up Oakland is for Zachary's Deep Dish Pizza on pedestrian-friendly College Avenue.
Now we know deep dish pizza is best left to the Chicago folk and we're not trying to tread on their territory here but Zachary's is Chicago-style deep dish (they call it "stuffed") and its founders Zach Zachowski and Barbara Gabel came from Wisconsin and Chicago, where they learned the art of the deep dish.
And indeed Zachary's is deep. And thick. With perfectly roasted tomatoes and plenty of cheese and whatever topping your gluttonous heart desires. Above, witness the perfection that is a large stuffed pizza with pepperoni and garlic.
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Laurine Wickett Of 'Top Chef' Gives Left Coast Some Market-Fresh Options
This week's cheftestant profile involves travel to you, rather than a self-initiated jaunt to a cast member's restaurant. Laurine Wickett, whose tenure on Top Chef effectively ended after what is arguably the show's most difficult challenge, "Restaurant Wars," has since returned to San Francisco where she runs Left Coast Catering.
New York born, but Northern California bred—at least in the culinary sense—Laurine incorporates the Bay Area's various cultural influences into market-fresh menus for her clients. Whether left coast parents planning a Bat Mitzvah or bride-to-be hosting a dessert reception, Laurine will provide you with options galore. We perused some of her sample menus online, which reflect a flavorful Californian approach to cooking while turning to other regions of the world for inspiration. She does everything from sushi stations to steak and french fries, on the same menu if you'd like guests to have multiple options. Her ill-fated Pork Rillette (or, as Dana Cowin punishingly put it, "cat food") made no appearance on any of the menus we saw.
Tags: Food Travel / Restaurant Week / Restaurant Travel / Philadelphia Travel / Philadelphia Restaurants / Hotels / → All Tags
Some News From Philly That's Not World Series-Related
How do you enjoy Restaurant Week menus and prices without it actually being Restaurant Week? Well, if you're in Philadelphia, all you've got to do is book your hotel stay on withlove.gophila.com, and you'll receive all the details on the hotels where you can dine on discount prix-fixe menus through December 30.
Restaurants featured run the gamut, from super swish 4-course meals at Lacroix at The Rittenhouse to fresh Italian at Positano Coast. And since we promised Restaurant Week prices, you'll be happy to hear the the 3-to-4-course meals are all either $20, $30 or $35 per person. We're guessing that Lacroix is up at the $35 end, but menu choices aren't piddly; think "prime rib, crab imperial, handmade orecchiette and olive oil-poached Scottish salmon."
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Neighborhoods You Need To Know And Go: Chicago's Chinatown
Head to the near South Side to see one of Chicago's best and most hopping ethnic neighborhoods, Chinatown. Along Cermak and Wentworth Avenues, you'll find a slew of yummy-smelling restaurants, gift shops and teahouses.
Find out what there's to see, do and—most importantly—eat, while you're exploring Chinatown after the jump.
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Ash Fulk Cooks Up Friendly Swiss Fare at Trestle on Tenth, But Maybe Not For Padma
Northern California native Ash Fulk didn't have it easy during his run on Top Chef. He didn't win one challenge on the show, and was eventually asked to pack his knives and head back to New York City, where he serves as a Sous Chef at Trestle on Tenth. The Swiss-French-American restaurant is a neighborhood-y locale open for breakfast, brunch (on weekends), lunch and dinner, making it a go-to spot for Chelsea diners looking for elevated comfort food. And schnitzel.
Trestle's menus aren't intimidating in the way that many contemporary, haute cuisine restaurants tend to be. Here you'll find familiar dishes with a Swiss-French influence that makes them just different enough to be memorable, without being too perplexing or stomach-turning. We're still wondering why fellow TC contestant Hector would dare include Tofu Ceviche on his menu. No, Trestle is where you'll find a Signature House Burger, Cobb Salad, Roasted Chicken with Seasonal Vegetables in Consommè, and Coriander Hanger Steak.
