Time to let the cat out of the bag

[Chris Cognac]

Congratulations, Chris!  You'll start out with a following in advance and rightfully so.

I think we all hope you'll be focusing on areas where we live or are familiar with (NorCal here.)  In honor of your other profession, I'm sure donut shops be included, won't they?      Again- conratulations, let's hope this is only the beginning.

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I will have a no donut rule!...If we can ever show it we will....but the first thing anyone see's in the demo we made was me standing infront of a giant donut....it was really funny....I would like to see an ad or something along the lines of "for this cop, its about more than just donuts".....heck "more than just donuts" could be a cool t shirt, or even the new foodie mantra!

By the way, we are having dinner w one of the food net VP's tommorow night in NYC and I am dying to know where we are going...but he wont tell!

[FoodZealot]

Tad...we will be shooting L.A. and you are my man here...maybe a trip to what thai?[...]

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Wat Thai - check!

And "more than just donuts" is pretty close to the FTV slogan, more than cooking.

[Gigi4808]

Congrats!

If you make it Atlanta there is an Indian place that should not be missed and I will be happy to point you in the right direction.

[Chris Cognac]

Congrats!

If you make it Atlanta there is an Indian place that should not be missed and I will be happy to point you in the right direction.

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We are coming to Atlanta and tell me more about the indian place? is it aa "dive", "trendy" or none of the above? are there "clues" that would make a person think its good without even eating the food first?

[stringcheese]

Congratulations! It looks like your culinary dance card is filling up quickly, so....*when* you get renewed...perhaps a trip just nort' of Chicago? I'm thinking Milwaukee--or even the Lake Michigan shoreline in WI--could be fun. Frozen custard, German food, the Friday Fish Fry phenomenon, perhaps? Just a thought!

[scottie]

By the way, we are having dinner w one of the food net VP's tommorow night in NYC and I am dying to know where we are going...but he wont tell!

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Ooh, ooh, please let us know! Where do the FTV guys eat when they can expense it?

And is it good?

And are you going to get a chance to visit the Big Apple BBQ in Madison Square Park this weekend?

Mucho congrats on the show!!!

[moosnsqrl]

Where do the FTV guys eat when they can expense it?

And is it good?

And are you going to get a chance to visit the Big Apple BBQ in Madison Square Park this weekend?

The snarky bad angel on my left shoulder wants to say "Tavern on the Green" but I won't.

[Chris Cognac]

By the way, we are having dinner w one of the food net VP's tommorow night in NYC and I am dying to know where we are going...but he wont tell!

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Ooh, ooh, please let us know! Where do the FTV guys eat when they can expense it?

And is it good?

And are you going to get a chance to visit the Big Apple BBQ in Madison Square Park this weekend?

Mucho congrats on the show!!!

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No time to do ANYTHING cool...fly in at 4 pm...go to hotel, dinner tonight...meeting at food net and william morris tommorow, fly home at 6 pm get home at 1030.....work at 5 am next morning in police car!

I am hoping it will be a cool dinner though...I will dish the dirt when I get back..gotta go hop a plane now...

[marlena spieler]

This is Great!!!! you star, you!

Marlena

[johnnyd]

This is the coolest, Chris! And what a bonus for eGer's to watch the process.

If the show has five places/cuisines to cover, I calculate each gets about three minutes, based on a 22 minute production. This assumes a two minute intro, a two minute outro, a minute here and there for travel mayhem and humor, and at least eight commercial spots round out the 30minute slot - station ID/promo at the top and bottom. Just a hunch is all...

A long shot, but what are the odds we can get a couple minutes of previews or pre-edits? Can you get permission to throw us a few crumbs of the pilot show?

I'd love to come down to Boston when you shoot if I can, but I don't know any dives there. There has to be a portuguese bakery open at 5am somewhere down there.

[Radio7]

Yay Chris!

How 'bout comparing the cuisine of a few different L.A. college campuses? I'd be curious to see how USC stacks up against UCLA, for example.

I can show ya our lovely and talented cafeteria. (SC)

[gwilson]

if you watch the new Alton Brown feasting on ashpalt show you will get a taste of it as there is a day spent with me in a police car eating amazing "dive food"....

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You're going to be on Feasting on Asphalt? Cool! And major congratulations on getting your own show. That is truly an awesome opportunity.

And if you need any help with anything in Atlanta, just let me know.

-Greg

Edited June 11, 2006 by gwilson (log)

[Nishla]

I'd love to come down to Boston when you shoot if I can, but I don't know any dives there.  There has to be a portuguese bakery open at 5am somewhere down there.

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I used to live across the street from a portuguese bakery in cambridge. Since I had no air conditioning in my apartment, I would always have the window open in the summer. Every morning around 4am, I'd wake up to the smell of baking bread...mmmmmm.

There are also some fantastic hole in the wall places in Boston's chinatown, as well as a northern african place I discovered recently in Cambridge. Let me know if you're looking for recommendations!

[prasantrin]

The show will focus on just great places to eat regardless of what they are....we filmed the pilot in Vegas and did everything off the strip from chicken fried lobster at Binions to amazing pasta at Nora's on flamingo....

Any more sneak peaks of where you went in Vegas? I might be there for a few days this summer, and would love some great not-in-a-hotel/casino food!

Congratulations on your gig. How did you get chosen for the show? Did you pitch it to your insider friends, who then rallied for you? Or did you have to audition? Or was it through your Iron Chefs judging?

Like Pam, I'm hoping you make it up to Canada, but not to the big cities. Everyone goes to Toronto and Vancouver. Come to Winnipeg, and Pam and I will show you where to eat!

[Gigi4808]

We are coming to Atlanta and tell me more about the indian place? is it aa "dive", "trendy" or none of the above? are there "clues" that would make a person think its good without even eating the food first?

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I think "Hidden Treasure" might be the best superlative for it. It is off of the beaten path in an ATL 'burb called Woodstock. The first time I went to be honest I was doing my husband a favor because prior to Ken (the cook/owner) I was not a fan of Indian AT ALL but the husband is so I went in figuring if nothing else there was always Naan to fall back on. Ken made me a Fish Tikka Marsala and I have been hooked ever since. To look at it for the outside it is unique to this area if for no other reason then we do not have alot of Indian places (the Valley this is not). Once you are inside Ken himself is the best sign that you are in for something special. He makes a point to talk to each guest both before and after the meal and he goes out of his way to make sure everyone is comfortable.

The first thing that you notice when you walk in is the fact that you are not knocked out by the stench of over used, old cooking oil and cumen that seems to hang in the air of most Indian places. You do smell meat roasting in the Tandor or a gentle spice but it is comforting rather then over powering.

The menu it's self features just about any standard Indian dish you can think of, if you are unsure of what to order Ken will come out and discuss your likes and dislikes with you and make suggestions from there. For those who prefer they're spicing a certain way he will adjust the heat up or down for you. Everything is made fresh to order and there is no use of frozen or premade products. At this point I do not even use the menu to order I just tell Ken to have at it and bring me whatever he likes and he has not steered me wrong once. I can not say enough good things about that mans food. I don't want to thread highjack (because I could keep going on) but please feel free to PM any questions you have.

Edited June 12, 2006 by Gigi4808 (log)

[dvs]

congrats!! if you need any thoughts / help with san francisco, give me a shout... i used to help w/ food reviews for a weekly in the city.

[JFLinLA]

Hey Chris -- Let me also add my congrats! I know you've got LA covered but, if you ever want to relive our pastrami lunch at Langer's, I'm so there. Okay, so maybe I can't be there when you do the show but I'm there in spirit.

Jody

[tejon]

Huge congratulations to you, Chris! Always thought you'd be perfect for your own show . Any chance you'll get out to Portland? There's some amazing food out this way.

[Chris Cognac]

OK...and the cities are!.....oh by the way we ate the the "Spice Market" with the VP for the dinner for those of you that wanted to know...pretty good too...

1. NYC (Manhattan)

2. Chicago

3. Philly

4. Boston

5. D.C.

6.Charleston

7.Dallas or Houston

8.Miami

9.Atlanta

10. L.A.

and we already filmed Vegas

...My producers Sean Omalley and Jason Levine will be joining in the threads for research....

Away we go!

[Grub]

Grats, man. I realize I'm late out of the chute, and that this here cowtown might not have too many other culinary boons to speak of, but I nevertheless feel obliged to boast and promote Nationwide Meats here in Sacramento.

As Jason Perlow put it, "... This is a "Double French" with cheese. The "French" part is because its French sandwich roll, whatever that means -- its an exceptionally good, large, soft hamburger roll, perhaps slightly on the sweet side. The burger comes already dressed, with a traditional burger sauce like a Russian dressing or a Big Mac. The double is two 1/3lb patties, with lettuce, tomato, and red onion (and cheese, if you order it with cheese). It is truly an outstanding burger, which would hold up to the finest Burger establishments in New York or New Jersey, in fact I would say it is one of the best burgers I have ever had. Really.

Screw LA, dude -- hit Nationwide.

[C_Ruark]

O.K. I guess its time to let the cat out of the bag. I have been a member of eG for a number of years and have had the pleasure of meeting many of you in person. I am a big fan of food, foodies, bloggers and the like and think that an entire new era of food journalism has arrived.

Now I will cut the the chase, for those of you who do not know, I am a Police Officer in Los Angeles and also write a food and wine column in the Daily Breeze newspaper. I have a "few friends" at the food network and have been a judge on Iron Chef America and a few other projects...anyway....Its been in the works for a few months and I was dying to tell people about it (although not eager to get my every move disected by some people here) so here goes...

I have been given a 10 episode prime time show from the Food Network that will focus on "off the beaten path" places and things to eat in the cities of America...

I am putting myself out there and trusting the eG community to be honest and helpfull. I can take  constructive critisism but am not lookin to be "bashed".

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Just saw the news. Congrats Chris

~ C

[ronnie_suburban]

Congrats, Chris, on the new gig. Food Network will definitely benefit via your experience and the genuine care you put into finding great, off-the-beaten-path cuisine.

If you'd like any direction or assistance for when you come to Chicago, please let me know. I'll be glad to help you out in any way that I can.

=R=

[Chris Cognac]

That burger is insane! I wont get to Sacramento this season as its pretty much set in stone where we are going (list on earlier post)...but if you locals can start looking at places in those cities that are "worthy" then let myself or my producers Sean Omalley and Jason Levine know...we could be there soon!

[Holly Moore]

Burger that greasy good, and me in a patrol car, I'd light the lights, turn on the siren and pursue an imaginary perp in a high speed chase all the way to Sacremento.

[phaelon56]

Off the beaten path?  No city in America has more or better Ethiopian Restaurants than DC; we even have a "little Ethiopia" now.  And, to the uninitiated, it's a fairly exotic cusine -- eating without utensils and all.  Call for details.  Drop by for a guided tour.

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Ooh ooh ooh.... I hear an Ethiopian coffee ceremony calling your name. The best one I've ever done was in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood of DC. It's something that few people outside the Ethiopian community are familiar with.

Unlike some beverage related rituals such as the Japanese tea ceremony, this is not a highly stylized and symbolic performance only for special occasions (although it is stylized and contains great symbolism). Rather, it's a real living breathing daily cultural practice that is performed in many homes on a daily basis (sometimes more than once each day).

Did I mention that the coffee is really good?