Top Chef DC - Recent Thoughts

SPOILERS BEWARE - DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN UP THROUGH THE RESTAURANT WARS EPISODE!!!
Whew, its been a while. What has happened since I last checked in? Let's see - Kenny going home for Restaurant Wars: I really don't see where all the shock/hatred is coming from (just read Tom's blog - people are absolutely furious). I mean, he was serving as the executive chef (a risky position, by even his own admission) on the losing team, and put up not one, but two bad dishes (one of the them even described as a "horror show" by the guest judge)! What did people expect? I had a feeling it was gonna be him going home pretty early into the episode, and as the challenge unfolded, it seemed more and more likely - again, not sure why viewers were caught so off guard. I mean, I can see Kenny and the blue team's frustration with his exile/their loss - the other team being an unorganized mess in the kitchen, Angelo freaking out, Alex being a dick to the waitstaff and barely making a personal dish, etc. However, I agree with what Gail said at judges' table - they're not interested in the behind-the-scenes drama of what the kitchen was like or who was rude to who, or whatever. All they base their judgment on is the food that's placed in front of them, and that's how it should be. With that protocol in mind, Kenny was the obvious choice, and even though Alex is undeniably a weaker chef (he has been on the bottom for almost every challenge, with even the one exception being suspect because of the whole pea puree incident), discussion of sending him home instead seemed moot. He was on the winning team, therefore, he's safe. Simple as that. And while it's frustrating to see Kenny leave while so many inferior chefs remain in the competition (Alex and Amanda spring to mind - probably Kelly and Kevin, too), I respect the judges' decision to base their elimination choice on the events of that day alone. Often it seems like they let the clearly superior chef get a pass or two in the interest of seeing the best and most deserving competitors make it to the end, and this was an exception where they proved me wrong. It was clearly Kenny's time to go, and any other decision would have rang false.

And let me go on record when saying that he has a serious shot at fan favorite - have thought so for weeks, so it's not just because of this Restaurant Wars episode. Why? A few reasons - people respond to his talent without the arrogance (which is why Angelo has zero shot), leadership skills (calm demeanor when running a smooth team, as opposed to being a dick), as well as the various struggles he has had to endure over the course of his life (battled cancer, first wife died in a car accident, etc). These combined with his supposed "premature" exit from the show seals it - people feel he got a raw deal, and rewarding him fan favorite (and the $10,000 that goes with it) would serve as a kind of compensation. I'm convinced it's either gonna be him or maybe Tiffany, as she's proven herself as not only talented, but modest, as well (the public definitely responds to a chef not just being great, but constantly unsure of themselves at the same time - think Stephanie from the Chicago season). Her positivity and enthusiasm aren't hurting her chances, either. That being said, it's kind of slim pickings when it comes to that award - none of these chefs' personalities are really leaping off the screen. But again, if I had to say now, it's Kenny or Tiffany. You heard it here first.

Hard to say who the final three will be - I'm gonna say Ed and Angelo are the best chefs right now (would have included Kenny to complete that trio, but obviously can't anymore). Maybe Kevin has a shot?

The judges' remarks about Kelly's front-of-house service were such back-handed compliments. If someone said that I had a "clumsy charisma", I wouldn't thank them in return.

About time that Stephen went home - I don't think he put up one good dish the entire season. You could tell that Tom was completely disgusted by his lack of skill (he couldn't even cook the rice properly...). Also, what was with the chimichurri for his Brazilian dish? Even I knew that it's an Argentinian sauce - just being from South America isn't the same, dude...

Little bummed that the recent seasons' Restaurant Wars episodes haven't had as much to do with the space/setup. To me, that was always part of the fun - not just the food, but also the decor, atmosphere, etc. Using the limited time/budget to actually set up a mock-restaurant, or at least the concept of one - not just execute a menu. How was this really "Restaurant Wars" and not any old regular challenge? It was basically just two teams against each other, each chef preparing a course, and one person acting as front-of-house. Again, not enough "restaurant" specific guidelines/curveballs.

EVOO, btw, is an awful name. We actually abbreviate "extra virgin olive oil" like that on the specials menu at my job, but never in a million years would I think that would work for the actual name of a place. Why is it so hard for the chefs to come up with good ones - remember Revolt from last season?

Also, meant to say this earlier, but Kenny's not completely off the hook when it comes to arrogance (although it's not as bad as Angelo, I admit). A fun Top Chef drinking game could be taking a shot anytime he refers to himself as a "beast", "preppin' weapon", "alpha male" or (insert corny descriptor here). You'd be plastered before seeing the outcome of the episode.

Biting The Big Apple - Part Two

Day Two: The next morning, fresh from sleeping in, James, Anand (his roommate), and I headed for Agua Dulce - a Latin influenced place that immediately sold me on its brunch menu. Meeting up with Daniel and Joyce on the way, we were quickly seated without any kind of wait for a table.

Torn between the Agua Dulce Benedicto (their version of eggs benedict - soft braised pork, lightly poached egg, fresh jalapeno cornbread with a chili lime hollandaise) and the Torreja de Media Noche (their version of french toast - Latin style french toast, thin sliced ham, swiss cheese, topped with a fried egg), I opted for the latter, which looked a little something like this:


Can't really see the ham and swiss in the above photo, but trust me, it was there. Pretty rich stuff, but boy was it good. When I got a forkful of all the components (after taking it for a syrup dunk, of course), I knew I had made the right decision. Almost finished the whole thing, but was ultimately hindered by the trio of guacamoles Anand (who's vegetarian) forced us to order and eat beforehand.


I remember one tasting fairly traditional, one a little tangy, and the other with a spicy kick - all were good, though (liked it more than I thought I would). Washed it all down with some cranberry juice (the perfect drink to cut through all the richness and balance things out) before heading back out into the blazing heat. Here are a couple more pictures from the meal, specifically that spin on eggs benedict I mentioned before, which I believe James and Joyce each ordered:



Later that day, after a lengthy discussion on where to go for dinner, we settled on Niko's Mediterranean Grill and Bistro, a proven winner which we had all dined at before (with the possible exception of Joyce). Although primarily a Greek restaurant, I knew their brick oven pizza would satisfy my craving for Italian. We started things off with gorgonzola garlic bread that's served in a "vat of cheese", as my sister Julia affectionately refers to it (she has eaten there before, too). A standard whenever eating at Niko's, we gobbled it up fairly quickly, barely leaving enough time for me to snap a photo (note the nearly empty bowl on the top-left). We also ordered a grilled octopus appetizer, which was a slam dunk, as well. Don't let the notion of eating octopus throw you too much if you encounter it - trust me, you'll be glad you took the plunge in the end. It was like that for me with calamari - I was unjustly wary for the longest time, and now I'm crazy about it.



For the entrees, we had a lot of variety: I ordered a whole pizza for myself (very thin-sliced, though - doubt I would've been able to handle anything but) with sausage and shrimp on top, among other things. Never had shrimp on pizza before, but the option was there, so I figured I'd make an adventure out of it. Daniel got some pasta dish I can't quite remember, Joyce got a jumbo shrimp kabob, and James got a lobster tail special which sold out shortly after we ordered.




Don't let my glum expression of that last candid fool you - everything was delicious. The shrimp weren't super incorporated into the pizza/sauce (they served as more of a garnish for the top), but I was still happy with the addition. We all gorged ourselves silly over good conversation, including a debate on whether one should eat meat if they're truly unable to stomach the sight of how the animals are treated prior to being shipped to restaurants and served. Anand didn't join us this time around, so there were no vegetarians at the table - it was just an interesting discussion. I probably ate the most at this meal than any other on the trip, so I was pretty proud of myself - even had room to go in on some tiramisu with everyone, much to my surprise.



Shot glasses of wine (dessert wine, I believe) were brought out with the check, which was a very nice touch and the perfect capper to an already-stellar meal. All in all, it was a great day for my taste buds, leaving only one more before my return home.

Next up: The third and final day!