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Stuffed: The Second Annual John DeBella Comfort Food Fest
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Stuffed: The Second Annual John DeBella Comfort Food Fest
Yesterday was dreary and drizzly, the perfect sort of day to curl up on the couch with a hearty dish. For those lucky classic rock fans who scored invites to the Second Annual Comfort Food Fest, put on by WMGK personality John DeBella, it was at least as satisfying to show up at Northern Liberties' Cescaphe Ballroom, where nine area chefs served up slightly more chi-chi variations on indulgent grub.
The food veered from exotic to home-style humble, with the simplest offerings being mac 'n' cheese with Italian sausage from chef Terrance Clarke of Lucky Strike Lanes and grilled meatloaf sandwiches presented by Kildare's chef Brian Duffy. I would be plenty satisfied to scarf down either of these at home, but there wasn't anything extremely noteworthy about them. Same deal with the vegan meatloaf from Belgian Café's Evan Seplow, although I heartily approved of the texture of his tempeh-shiitake-walnut creation, which was appropriately rich and smooth.
The seafood eggplant rollatine, prepared by Michele Mazza of Atlantic City's Il Mulino, was the most innately comforting dish. Consisting of shrimp and scallops rolled in a grilled eggplant slice and drowned in melted cheese, it was dense in a way that vaguely recalled school cafeteria food, though the seafood was far too delectable to be mistaken for that mushy homogeneity. The most satisfying part of the dish for me was the pile of dark leafy greens that came on the side. Cescaphe's own Julio Rivera tried for a regional twist with his "crispy cheesesteak tortilla." A promising concept, though with all the fixins, it ended up more or less indistinguishable from a standard beef taco — albeit an extremely tasty one.
A couple of chefs showed considerable creativity with their doctoring of junk-food staples. In particular, Mark McKinney of Cantina
Dos Segundos impressed with his perverted tacos al pastor, filled
with canned pineapple and succulent cubes of Spam. Todd Fuller of Tangerine made a
meatless Mediterranean/Asian noodle salad using Thai Kitchen-brand Pad
Thai, adding arugula, mint, cilantro and a zippy lime yogurt to the
packaged noodles and seasonings.
My favorite plate, which had me going back for seconds despite the generous portion size, was the "mountain lasagna" created by Modo Mio's Peter McAndrews, a pasta dish containing sausage, potatoes, savoy cabbage and taleggio. "It's what they'd give you when you get off the slopes after a long day of skiing," said McAndrews, who presented his dish with raisins, nutmeg, shaved pecorino and a fried egg. It was an entirely sumptuous affair, rich and indulgent in a gratifying (but not overwhelming) way.
The night's official judges, however, seemed to value inventiveness over warmth and familiarity, rewarding sensory excess with their unanimous selection of Cuba Libre's Robert Legget as this year's winner of the Golden Spoon. Legget's creation was certainly attention-getting and more than a little delicious: tiny squid-ink cones filled with a hickory-smoked tuna ceviche (in jalapeño and coconut vinaigrette) and a scoop of semi-sweet avocado ice cream, topped with wasabi-colored tobiko (flying fish roe), a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a dribble of sweet soy sauce. It's exactly the kind of playful experimentation that gets me excited, but though the flavors danced across the palate, there was way too much to think about for me to really luxuriate.
But what about DeBella himself, the big-moustached, bigger-mouthed morning man who serves as the event's namesake? He certainly seemed to be having a good time, chatting with everybody in the room, but he declared himself far too partial to serve as a judge himself. We discussed the difficulty of conserving stomach space with all the good stuff on offer. He'd been trying, but admitted, "once I got to the meatloaf, I was pretty much in pain."
I thought I was doing a pretty good job of pacing myself, but by the time I got home, I was definitely feeling it. Not pain, exactly, but ... what's the word? Ah yes: discomfort.
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