Brad K.

Notice?? It's a blessing! Completely aside from the fact that GE makes a better product - I wanted to scream everytime Mrs. Rushdie mentioned "Kenmore Top Chef Kitchen" - which she did 12 times per episode. Since they are just calling it the Top Chef Kitchen now, I assume GE realized how ridiculous it sounded previously.

Must have Meat Pie. Need now. Maybe 2 or 3. (Followed by a hot sausage PB, cochon de lait PB, and some crawfish beignet's, washed down by a cool glass of orange iced tea and a frosty brew). I still mourn the loss of BBQ oyster PB from Red Fish Grill - tongue is at half mast.

I spoke to 2 people at other branches (St. Mark's and 24th St.) - about re-opening of the 50th st Grand Sichuan. They both said - NOT RE-OPENING!!!! Horrors.. Both indicated it had something to do with not being able to renegotiate a lease - who knows. What will I do????

Those pics are truly food porn. And the hint of a double vodka on the side - baby I am in the MOOD!!

Advice needed on where to eat. I've been to NO countless number of times pre and post K and have eaten almost everywhere. I'd like comments on how some restaurants are doing currently for an upcoming trip with 8 good friends: 1. Fancy Meal: Restaurant August vs. Commander's. Haven't been to CP post-K - hear they were a little rusty at first, anyone been in the last few weeks? Also heard a few hit/miss comments about August recently (Besh stepping out a bit much?) - any truth?? 2. Down N Dirty meal: Jacques vs. Cochon vs. K-Paul. Been to Jacques dozens of times and I know the drill. Only had lunch once at Cochon, liked it but heard so-so reports about dinner. Any comments? Haven't been to K-Paul in a decade but heard that Chef P was in the kitchen again and it was on the upswing. Any thoughts or comments? 3. Other meal: Herbsaint vs. Vizard's vs ??? (NOLA, Albertas, Petite G, etc.) Love Herbsaint but was there recently. Anyone been to Vizards? I like Kevin's cooking through the years at other spots. What about Albertas or anywhere else?? Thanks!

We ate there last Friday night. Overall the food was terrific. I had the "snacking" assiette - most were very good, some just OK (veggie puffs and mussels were great, betterave was a bit flavorless). What I didn't care for was how the spoons rested on a peice of neon green jello and we were told NOT to eat this - why put a food type item on the plate then?? Per the reco's above I had the pigeon - loved it! Dessert was good too. I would normally highly recommend this restaurant to all (only 200E for 2 including wine, etc. - a good deal for this level of food), BUT it's not all about the food: The restaurant never was more than 2/3 full and we'd had a reservation for 3 weeks. However, they sat us at the "bar". When asked to be moved the only table they claimed to have available was one wedged behind a table set for 10 and about to be seated. We opted for the bar. During the meal a number of two tops seemed free. The bar chairs are possibly the worst I have ever sat in (they are pretty though) and I normally like to sit/eat at bars. First they have no back to them - try that for a 2 hour meal. Second, bar stools normally have a bar on which to rest ones dangling feet. The bar on these stools were fine if you are taller than 5'9" (I'm 6' so no problem), however my wife's feet did not reach thus her legs were dangling for 2 hours - she had to get up and stretch every 10 minutes otherwise her legs fell asleep as the blood was being cut off. Also the restaurant projects images onto the main wall of the front room. Sort of OK at first, about a 10 minute loop of large lips, naked male torso, the words "Sensing", nature scenes, etc. However over the course of 2 hours you see the same loop countless number of times - like a scene out of A Clockwork Orange... Also, the waiter was quite aloof as mentioned by others - and not just in a gruff Parisian waiter sort of way, more in a I'm better than you way - very off putting. If this place cleaned up the front of house/decor issues it could be terrific.

I had no problem with the challenges - think out of the box, be creative. (In fact, I recall a passage in Buford's book Heat in which Andy Nusser decided to become a chef after he saw Mario Batali make a sauce for foie gras out of melted Starburst candies!). I did have a problem with chefs totally disregarding the special dietary needs of KIDS!!! Is there a special level of Hell devoted to this? Do these same chefs add peanuts into a dish for someone deathly allergic to nuts?? I'm also so disapointed with the show - that sucked last night! Umm, let's see, give the judges access to the tapes and see who cheated?

Bwaahaa.......pretty funny, BryanZ ← Hilll..larrious!!! Never heard more complaining in my life! And she's a disciple of Steven from last season - a shock! hahahahaha. Maybe when she grows up she'll actually be a decent chef. What I don'y understand is that so many of these people feel so entitled. They think that since they want to be a "top" chef they must be one already. No sense of having to slowly work up to being one, cooking in a variety of kitchens. In this day and age of celeb chefs people think they can go to culinary school and instantly open their own 4 star restaurant. Wake up.

I hear K-Grease is peddling a line of sauces, rubs and marinades - I'm sure they are all "slammin". He's also trying to land a spot on Iron Chef. Yeesh.

In what aspects do you consider Heather a pretty poor line cook? ← I know a few people who worked with Heater at her last job before winning. In fact the exec schef at her restaurant was formerly a chef at the Bellagio. All reports are that she is indeed a good line cook, a nice girl and ready to make the jump to sous chef at a respectable restaurant. However, I hear snickers and see eyes roll when it's mentioned that she'll be an "executive chef" at a "major" restaurant. Remember, it is a steak house she is going to though - not exactly haute cuisine. I can guarantee that Ramsay will install a few of his trusted cooks to really oversee the place. As a side note, the restaurant where Keith Greene aka "K-Grease" (his actual nickname is K-Greene, but changed it because the producers didn't want his last name known) is touting on it's menu and in local ads that their "executive chef" is a reality TV star - puke.

If you are near Wainscott at lunchtime go to Breadzilla (just in back on the Seafood Shop and bagel stroe) - awesome sandwiches - you will thank me. Long waits though - best bet is to view their ever changing daily menu on line (www.breadzilla.com) and call in your order. And if you happen to be in Sag Harbor, go to the cheese shop, Cavinola's, on 114, next to the beverage shop. Best cheese selection outside of NYC (Citarella's selection is very mediocre) - very helpful staff will let you try everything. On the topic of cheese - Art Ludlow makes great cheese in Bridgehampton. His Mecox brand is sold around locally and you can buy it at his farmstand on Mecox Road - they also have great produce- all grown right there (as opposed to the highway stands which sell mangoes and other mostly non-local items)

Your hotel meal will probably be the best thing you eat for dinner then. Nothing new or exciting out here this year - more of the same old mediocre fare at ridiculous prices. Almond is one of the few places my wife and I frequent mainly for the reasons you mentioned (decent food, great staff and not over the top prices). For your next years trip: Nick/Tony's is trying to get town approval for a BBQ restaurant in the space where Allison used to be in Sagaponack on the highway. There are some issues with the town, but hopefully that will be ironed out soon.

She had been cooking for about the last year at Almondito restaurant (and Almond, their sister restaurant) in Wainscott/East Hampton, NY - Mexican fare. Not too long after taping of the show ended (but after a HK film crew did some taping at the restaurant) she quit to take the summer off...

I assume that before Virginia gets the axe (or shoud I say the "big knife") next week, Fox will show us at least one more montage of her romping around in a bikini and or low cut dress.

Remind me never to be friendly to female coworkers, for fear of everyone assuming I'm gay. I failed to see how that friendly exchange between the two could be taken as sexual. I'm bored with this show now. And I hate Gordon Ramsey now too. I'm sure there were plenty of qualified applicants who have the experience to do the job and who would have given anything just for the opportunity to win (pardon me, I meant to say EARN) their own restaurant. And I can already tell who the "winner" will be: Heather. Here's why..... she was deliberately moved to the men's team early so that she still has all of the opportunities to prove herself. The girl's team keeps winning every challenge so they get to go on yacht rides and to fancy dinners instead of hauling ass in the kitchen before a full shift. They can't prove they can lug supplies and clean the kitchen spotless and do all of the prep before putting in their full shift and if they can't prove that, they can't win. And out of the blue team I think Heather is still an idiot but Gordo made her the Captain of the Idiots early on by telling her she's in charge, so I'm pretty sure this is already decided. ← Potential spoiler alert. I too believe that Heather will "win" this competition. Here is her deal: she got a spot on the show because the chef in the place she worked at the time of taping (Almonditio) is good buddies with Ralph, the runner-up of last season (in fact he was on Ralph's team during his Iron Chef episode). She is a sous chef, working under this chef, who works under an exec chef (who is usually at the restaurant). People who work with her say she's really nice and a good cook - but still quite green. Can't imagine she's ready to be a chef, no less one at a "multi million dollar Las Vegas Restaurant". But she is probably the best of the bunch and this is Fox TV la la land. That said, soon after taping ended a crew arrived and footage was taken at the her restaurant and soon after that she quit work and I do not believe that she is currently working. Draw your own conclusions... FYI - the place where Keith, aka "K-Grease" (yak!) works is a mediocre French bistro not too far away from the place Heather works/worked.

The author needs a good caning (which I am sure is available in whatever genteel nation he hails from). Sure, Italians make superior coffee - but ever try coffee in most other countries? (there was a long thread on the French boards a while back on why French coffee is so terrible - and believe me it is - very inferior beans and no idea how to make it). As for the tea - most places leave the bag in it so you can brew to your desired shade. Bad wine in America - gee what about the Austrians using antifreeze in their's a while back, or the French who often import takers of cheap swill from N. Africa and label it as their own? Mega-malls - ever see a hypermart anywhere in Europe?? Slow drivers - look at the fatality rate in Europe for drivers- it is staggering. And on and on... Get a grip.

I hope the show is a huge hit. Because then, just possibly she'll leave Food Network and they'll replace her with someone who doesn't make me want to gag.

Just returned from a 5 hour marathon on the floor. Ho-hum is really the best I can say though. I've been the last few years and this was the least interesting. Lots of new bottled water, energy drinks and teas (isn't that all so 5 years ago??). I did not really see any new trends emerging or have anything new that blew me out of the water. Sure, it was still a great time and I managed to eat about 10,000 calories and have probably ingested more nitrates than I care to admit. The best place is the giant cheese booth around the 3000 isle (across from Italy). If you can manage to get the guy dispensing Italian cheese off his cell phone they have some fabulous cheese- very aged parmasean (24-36 months), a few kinds of robiola - excellent. I might have to go back tomorrow to do it again though...

Looks like a different guy. ← Here is the guy that won last year and what he is up to.......Hells Kitchen 1 ← Yep. Here's what someone wrote at Wikipedia: So, Michael DID go work under GR - I hadn't heard that. ← Actually Ralph from last season owns a deli, not a restaurant (hence the name Fat Ralph's Deli) - and he opened it well before HK was on the air.

L'Astrance 2 Mich. stars (deserves 3)- no set menu, just a fixed price tasting. When I ate there last with my wife, who is a vegetarian too (although she eats some fish) they were very happy to accomodate us. The maitre d'/co owner spent much time talking to us and his wife also happens to be a veg. One of the best meals either of us have had. One funny thing, he was asking her if there were any particular vegetables she liked/disliked and then casually and seriously asked "what about foie gras?". Ahh, the French.

1. When in Paris, on a Sunday around lunchtime (before 2PM), go to Rue Cler. At the boucherie across from the store Davoli (aka maison du jambon) they serve hot food outside. Have them make you a hot-off-the-grill boudin noir sandwich on crusty french bread with mustard and have it topped with the onions that have been sauteeing with the merguez sausage. Truly profound. (I also like the old Latin Quarter late night standby of merguez sausage and frites sandwich) 2. On LI just off of the Wantagh Pkwy, exit 2, directly next to Century 21 is a store called Mama Teresa's. They make an excellent potato and egg "panini", on garlic bread with fresh mozz. Had one yesterday - quite good. 3. In Wainscott, NY in back of the bagel store and seafood shop sits Breadzilla. Not even sure what to suggest - it's all so good (mmm, going there right now in fact...). 4. Recipe: take a couple slices from a really crust just baked loaf (Sullivan Street, etc.), slather with a liberal amount of homade mayo (spiked with garlic), add a few slices of really good ham (porchetta, etc.), a few very thinly sliced pieces of gruyere, add lettuce (green leaf, romaine, etc.) and tomato (only if in season), salt and pepper. Enjoy

I know, that always amused me as well, just in case the huge heaps of home fries, and mac salad left you craving carbs - have some bread!! Oddly, the bread is actually kinda good... ← Kinda good? That bread was awesome. You needed it to clean up any remnants and puddles of grease at the bottom of your plate when finished. One concern though, they never had those logoed plates when I was there - too flashy in my opinion. Also, mac salad? Cold baked beans used to be de rigeur. Guess it all comes with the new gentrified neighborhood. That picture brings back good memories though...

Has no one mentioned Country Sweet Chicken and Ribs?? There are a few locations. Rochester has some fine cuisine, but come on Country Sweet is truly unique to the area. Battered deep fried chicken (whole or wings) then tossed in tomato/mustard based sauce which is sweet and very spicy. Served with white bread underneath to soak up all the sauce and mac salad on the side to balance the spiciness. The ultimate guilty pleasure. 20 years ago I lived on the stuff in college and to this day keep a bottle of the sauce (sold at the store and at Wegman's) on hand in NYC to liven up roasted chicken at home.

As has been said before this show is for entertainment purposes. Sort of an anti-reality show. As opposed to something like Top Chef, most of the contestants were clearly picked for their personality/looks, not their cooking resume. This time on the guys side central casting selected the "old sweaty guy", the "yo yo yo bada bing" dude, the ex-prisoner (like no ex-con has ever seen a kitchen before!) and the young, innocent messy haired pizza tosser. And for the women, while there actually might be some talent in there FOX has repeatedly emphasized how good they all look in bikinis (shocking!). Hey, I think it's good entertainment, but am not expecting the next Thomas Keller to emerge from this show.

The Laundry moved to East Hampton/Amag. where the farmhouse used to be on Montauk Hghy. Assume the menu hasn't changed - decent food, standard menu - roast chicken, salmon, steak, blah blah... For a decent bloody with breakfast try Bobby Van's in Bridgehampton "Breadzilla, at the traffic light in Wainscott, is THE BEST bakery/light lunch place in the Hamptons. An owner with a social conscience who stays true to his culinary ethics and does not 'bow down' to the weekenders. (it's behind the bagel place)" Breadzilla is owned by a she, not a he (Nancy). The he you are probably referring to is her ex-husband Brad who also works there and is sort of in charge of the lunch/sandwiches (I had a chicken Florentine sandwich for lunch yesterday-very good, and the baked eggplant parm. for dinner)