moto's Profile
Around the World in 80 Plates [Split from Top Chef thread]
my preference would be to use a new thread for each episode/location, and to placate those who don't want to see the results, it's simple to put 'spoiler' in the header. it's much easier for elderly, sight-challenged folk like me to review comments in smaller bunches.
what draws me to the show is the different food cultures [Morocco will be the first non-euro city, so we'll see how much they address other cultural issues] and how the cooks attempt to meet the expectations of the locals. the kitchens of our restaurants are of course filled with immigrants striving to meet our expectations, usually under far tougher conditions that what these cook/entertainers face.
Venezuelan Food
we enjoyed the food at Pica Pica in the Oxbow Market in the city of Napa. have no idea how 'authentic' it might be. "home cooking" isn't the first thing that comes to mind with most of the eateries in that market hall ; the food at Pica Pica was a bit more refined, not as heavy as the typical tacquerias in the Mission or Fruitvale.
East Bay (Fremont)
if you like grilled meats Fremont has very good Afghani places -- the area has one of the largest emigres/second generation populations in the U.S. Their seasonings are milder than their neighbors Pakistan/N.India, more similar to their eastside cousins' foods in Iran. for plainer, more mainstream foods you might have better luck in Hayward or San Leandro if you don't care to go farther north.
The Problem with Mary's Chicken
the largest pasture raised chicken readily found in local sources is probably around 5+ lbs (processed and cleaned). Prather Ranch used to sell Soul Food farms which were the usual 3.5-4 lbs. but changed their source, and sometimes has these larger birds. Their price per pound is substantially higher, as it costs the farmer more to raise the birds longer (the activity of the animals demands a higher caloric intake). excellent flavor. legs are a bit chewy but not tough. folks who find the pasture raised birds tough might consider marinades or wet brines that are acidic.
Around the World in 80 Plates [Split from Top Chef thread]
Symon and Samuelsson both enjoyed the cooking challenges of Chopped, and summoned their abilities as intensely or more so with the time constriction as their efforts on Iron Chef or Top Chef masters.
Around the World in 80 Plates [Split from Top Chef thread]
thanks, that was my impression as well after reading more about the preparation. there are quite a few variations of fishcakes or dumplings in different cuisines, but eating fresh pike is outside my experience. if it has a mild flavour like other white-fleshed fresh water fish, all the other ingredients in the quenelles and sauce could easily dominate the dish, making it a showpiece for technique and sauce making.
The Problem with Mary's Chicken
without the written ideograms, Cantonese is nearly impossible for me to figure out. 'wong mo gai' is huang mao or yellow hair chicken ? xie xie.
Around the World in 80 Plates [Split from Top Chef thread]
it appears that the show recruited a group of chefs with limited educations, if only 1.5 of the entire group could speak French. [.5 might be generous for the leather-lunged woman's fluency].
A general fish-cooking question :
the pike that they were using for the quenelles looked like handsome specimens. are they so lacking in character eating-wise that they need to be fluffed and fussed over like that, or is there something special about that style of prep that makes them into something extraordinary ?
Around the World in 80 Plates [Split from Top Chef thread]
the program has been clearly designed to bring out the worst in people and bad behaviour justified by the huge cash payoff. Bravo appears to have intentionally brought in young, clueless aspirants who'd have a minimum of cross-cultural experiences ; it was made pretty clear to them that they'd have to re-create 'native foods', but none insisted on tasting and analyzing the steak and kidney pie. Changing the name of the pub was of course the biggest clueless blunder; the chefs involved with that are apparently so unread or provincial that they were oblivious to the long history of many public houses in London. The judging/evaluation they chose to air was cursory to an extreme -- there were too few detailed critiques of the dishes to explicate the differences between the contestants' attempts and a well-executed version.(they'd only need to show more feedback from the pub proprietors and N.Lawson).
Nick's Pizza: Made in Oakland, Opening on Tuesday (5/8)
concur. our household pizzaddicts prefer East End over Boot and Shoe.
Chopped All-Stars Finale (5/6/2012) [SPOILERS]
the finale deserved a better judge than Burrell ; it seemed rather absurd that she would be evaluating chefs like Symon and Samuelsson. of course, judges ill fit to sup on the fare served them recur on Iron Chef Amerika and Top Chef Masters.
Chopped All-Stars Finale (5/6/2012) [SPOILERS]
Davidi seems so over the top with her self-serving comments and put-downs of others that it could be just a performance schtick, to make her appear unique and confident, but she's so thoroughly unpleasant it's hard to tell whether it's schtick or mundane nastiness.
Fire at China Village (Albany)
the new crop of local broccoli is exceptionally good right now. for wok crisped green veggies, there's a common technique that enhances the texture, flavour, and color -- a pinch of sugar.
Nick's Pizza: Made in Oakland, Opening on Tuesday (5/8)
Arizmendi pizza uses a sourdough crust, and they are pretty popular. when did 'theTown' become vernacular for oaktown, is that new ?
Trip Report (March 31-April 7)--part 1
'pan'= bread, making a literal translation of the word very close to its actual usage (which is rarely a safe assumption to make).
Yuet Foo Seafood in El Cerrito
the old school Cantonese places in this area used that prep with the black beans for a menu standard, 'shrimp with lobster sauce', a concession to having more constant access to shrimp than to lobster of course. 'lobster Cantonese' should be well within the capability of a good cook at any of the places with a live lobster tank, if the diner can negotiate a non-menu item with the staff.
Chopped All Stars 4/29 with spoilers
perhaps from a reluctance to have the 'iron chefs' look ordinary, the basket/mandatory ingredients they were dealt seemed the most conventional and straightforward of any of the four prelim rounds. when the ingredients aren't as challenging and the skill level for all the competitors is high, a very narrow winning/losing margin would be the expected outcome. the chopped judges had more difficult ingredients than the iron chefs and appeared to come up with a closer competition as well.
Chopped All Stars 4/29 with spoilers
Guarneschelli was probably the third strongest chef in the prelims, after Symon and Samuelsson. The minds of both the M.S. finalists work on a different level than the rest ; Samuelsson got on a very hot streak in Top Chef Masters which carried him to the win, but he can also get too cerebral. The absurdly condensed time limits present tests that few other cooking competitions can match and the showdown will probably be spectacular.
And I Always Thought At Chopped Contestants Were "Struggling" Chefs Who Could Really Use The Money...
there have been more than a few contestants (in the regular, not all-star shows) who are successful proprietors of (usually small to medium sized) restaurants, highly placed instructors at culinary schools, private chefs for major league sports teams or fairly prominent people, or have good positions coming from decades in the profession.
north bay food recs: marin sonom and napa counties
cheap and good house made sausages at Yanni's in Penngrove. very good pizza and Cali-italian fare with local ingredients, casual setting, Diavolo in Geyserville. (they have the best Tuscan style tripe we've found since Firenze, where it's a street food specialty).
Best Clam chowder and Best Cioppino
Sotto Mare on Green St., North Beach, has very good versions of both. bear in mind, the crab will be coming from fairly far north (Ore/Was/B.C.?) at this time of year ; have only had it in winter, and their seafood's quality is consistently high. the chowder is balanced, not overly thickened, no excess of cream or potato. "best" is for each individual to determine, no ? there's probably plenty of folks who like their chowder creamy, for example, but dairy can obscure the flavour of shellfish.
Solo Diner - Seeking SF Recos for Tuesday 4/24
we eat at the cook's counter at SPQR when we go there and always enjoy it. they have an above average selection of wines by the glass (same owner as A16 with diverse regional Italian wines). Excellent house made pastas, fresh seasonal ingredients. On Fillmore in Pacific Heights.
Chopped All Stars 4/22/12 spoilers
Appleman beat Sanchez in the final round last season. Sanchez made wonderful food to eliminate other Chopped judges (dessert round vs. Zakarian, and both made souffles), and in the first two courses of the finale, but slightly overbaked his chocolate cake at the end.
Best ranch to buy 1/2 grass feed cow from in Northern California?
the Marin Sun retail meat shop has a nice variety of cuts usually available, so you can see and taste for yourself before making a decision. everything we've had from there has been excellent, with a nice depth of flavour.
Highly rated Ethnic Asian dining establishments in SF
maybe not the highest rated, whatever that is, but these places have very good food and service -- for Shanghai food, Shanghai Bund in Chinatown. Burmese, Mandalay in the Richmond. Northern Chinese, Beijing Restaurant, two locations (in the Sunset or Excelsior).
'Chopped' trio vs. team Garces on Iron Chef America [spoilers]
the lead chef was Madison Cowan, winner of a Chopped champions cook off, with a judge A.Freitag as one sous chef, and one of the more memorable Chopped winners, Lance, who bought his competitor a plane ticket for France so she could see her gran. featured ingredient was kale, and Cowan came up with creative remakes of some traditional, homey dishes like bubble and squeak for one course, and fried chicken and waffle for another.
One of Cowan's current shows is "No Kitchen Required", where he's described as 'competition chef'.
Boniere Bakery - hot cross buns and malasadas from heaven [Oakland]
in that version of the origin story, they came from Madeira, rather than the Azores.
Boniere Bakery - hot cross buns and malasadas from heaven [Oakland]
yes, acc. to one origin version they come from Sao Miguel, spelled with two s's, yet, on the other eight islands of the Azores they call them filhos. Leonard's on Oahu is the first place known to produce them commercially (founded 1952), though of course earlier commercial attempts might have simply failed to survive for long. Leonard's also uses the single 's' spelling, and might be the main reason for that usage. If there's an impartial Azorean historical source that can pinpoint when and where they began, it might tell us whether they were first known as 'malassadas' or 'filhos'. The Azores, or Madeira, or peninsular Portugal as a maritime culture, had plenty of contact with outside cultures and foods, so they could also be an adaptation from another country altogether.
not at all conversant with your beautiful Portuguese language -- what does 'coriscos mal amanhados' translate to ? obrigado.
Boniere Bakery - hot cross buns and malasadas from heaven [Oakland]
they're Portuguese, where they're called filhos. if you run across a church festival with Portuguese parishioners sometimes you can find them going by that name. the term malasadas is used in the 'new world', after they became popular in Hawai'i . [as you might recall, plenty of people eat the Chinese custard tarts and don't know they're also Portuguese in origin].
Chopped All Stars 4/8/12 with spoilers
Symon showed one or two levels of conception and/or execution beyond the other chefs -- his mind just seems quicker, and his technique is apparently more efficient as well. He also understood how the judges want the basket ingredients both transformed and readily apparent in the courses. Getting thirty minutes for those big octopi in the entree was an iron chef worthy hurdle.
