Friday, September 10, 2010
Open Thread Weekly Open Thread Has a Crush on Chefs
Posted by Nicki Wood on Fri, Sep 10, 2010 at 11:12 AM
The bloggers at Food Network Magazine compiled this list of 25 Things Chefs Never Tell You, which is equal parts duh, brilliant and hmmm.
Brilliant is that chefs don't order pasta or chicken when dining out. If you and I can make both just about as well at home for a fraction of the menu price, surely a chef can knock it out of the park.
Hmm is something I've always suspected: the special of the day is often an experiment.
And on another chef-related note, enjoy a stroll through this Pizza Chef Caricature Pool on Flickr, which brings together the plump, the mustachioed, and the toque-wearing in one vaguely ethnic image, such as the one here, repeated on signs and menus all over the country.
If you've got chef news — or other news, complaints or happies, bring them here to the open thread.
Comments (20)
Showing 1-20 of 20
i'm super pumped to try Woodfire Grill in Atlanta for the first time this weekend. if anyone else has been, i'd love to hear about it. i'm willing to bet their bread basket isn't recycled.
like
dislike
Wodfire Grill is fantastic. Last time I was there was when the opening chef/owner was still there, but I hear it remains superb.
Anyone know if Fish & Co. is open as scheduled on September 3?
Although not my favorite, I was surprised to see Baja Fresh in Green Hills has shut down. Not sure about the other locations.
@kay - thanks! i won't lie - the allure of Top Chef celebrity sweetens the pot, but i'd be excited about the menu nonetheless.
i know the fish & co. opening has been pushed back, and sept. 21 sounds about right.
Steve, you gotta lemme know next time you head to HDD. Its like 2 minutes from my work. Mmmm Italian Beef.
ok folks, heading to Jackson, MS for work next week...any suggestions on eating? I will have good amounts of time for lunch, a bit less so for breakfast and dinner.
Amybakes: Sorry for the self-promotion, but might I suggest CHAR? This dovetails nicely with this thread as we recently hired a new chef, Brian Cartenuto, from Cantinetta in Seattle. E-mail me at doug (at) amerigo (dot) net and I'll hook ya up!
Amybakes:Try Shapley's in North Jackson. Great steak, and they serve same tamales that you can get at Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, MS, which are incredible.
Looking forward to hearing about hungryhippo's experience at Woodfire Grill. Everyone I know who've been (and even the server we had at Craft in Atlanta) has raved and raved.
I've attended Shakespeare in the Park a couple of times this go-round and they have four food vendors: ice cream, kettle corn, southern cakes and hot dogs/bbq. I was trying to brainstorm possible boxed-supper vendors for next time, someone to approach and suggest it to. What was the event in the park Cha Chah did boxed suppers for? I can't remember. And who else would be good?
Re: the link...why do chefs hate us? I didn't become a vegetarian to be a dick; I'm trying NOT to be a dick.
I feel the same way about ordering food in a restaurant that I can make (better) at home. I only order pasta if it's noteworthy, housemade, or I'm desperate. But to me, a pasta dish as the only vegetarian item is a lazy copout.
The sign on the front door of Fish Co. says 9/21 for the opening date. I'll keep driving by...
@Barbara Please, last year's Shakespeare in the Park was the event where Cha Chah offered the box dinner. Not only was it exceptional, but it was the same menu that Arnold won an episode of Top Chef with this year. I feel lucky to have shred the same meal with Padma and Tom. I only wish I could've had it again this year.
i know this is not what you mean but jasons deli makes a really nice reasonably priced box meal. it seems it would be easy for them to provide some food for such an event.
wild cow might also be able to provide something ....or silly goose?
i think im figuring it needs to be something fairly easy to eat in that setting.
@barbaraplease, I had the ChaChah box at last year's Shakespeare in the park -- I thought it was great, and just as important, it was good exposure for ChaChah. Maybe one useful approach is to look for eateries that want wider exposure.
@lesley - woodfire was ah.maz.ing. we did the five-course chef's tasting; i had the fish/veggie option and hubs had the good ole protein option. pregnancy has brought about an aversion to many foods i'd normally try and/or enjoy, so i wanted to play it safe. it was a good call - he enjoyed duck, quail, pork belly, etc. and i was oh-so-happy with dishes like sweet corn risotto and long beans with ginger and black garlic. the highlight of the savory courses was a maple syrup creme that they bruleed and served over duck fat fried sweet potatoes. as good as it sounds.
i was hesitant to try out a blind tasting, but i'm glad i did. they obliged my one request - a pregnant lady MUST be able to choose her dessert. when you can't have a cocktail, this is of utmost importance. dessert may have been my favorite part of the meal: bittersweet chocolate cheesecake with preserved cherries and cherry-almond ice cream AND sour cream pound cake with caramel buttercream, salted caramel, pecan bavarian and pecan florentine.
and now this post is getting too long, though i could go on and on about the meal.
