Archive: August, 2010

Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Off to the races E-races

POSTED: Monday, August 16, 2010, 7:50 PM

Filed Under: Food TV | Not So Quickfire | Top Chef

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If youre a food nerd like me, you cant watch Top Chef without screaming obscenities at the contestants while peacefully pondering what youd whip up for Transcendently Beautiful Padma each Quickfire. If a case of backseat cooking is what ails ya, dig this fresh weekly column featuring recipes based on each TCQF. I liked this column a lot better when I was making food on toothpicks. Organizing a four-person Quickfire relay race identical to the one on Top Chef D.C.'s Restaurant Wars episode proved more difficult that youd think, but I forced against their will graciously invited three different kinds of cooks to participate cousin Melissa, she of epic porchetta and opulent pavlova; bro Andrew, whos just learning to cook without recipes; and mom Francine, whos been making mom food like meatloaf and macaroni "for 99 years," as she will happily tell you, and missed the Assumptions blessing of the ocean ceremony to be here today and is not happy about it. I asked each of these unwitting cohorts to describe their cooking style in one word. "Amateur." Andrew "I dont know. You should have told me this earlier. I didnt know there was going to be a pop quiz." Melissa "Old-school. Is that two words? Old-school, but not old-fashioned. How about Italian? Can I say that?" Mom Long sigh. Logistics: Ma Dukes would kick off, followed by Andrew and Melissa, cooking for 10 minutes each, while I chilled in a soundproof booth like a Miss America contestant. Id come in like Lidge, bottom-ninth to (hopefully) close. Any foods in the kitchen and garden would be fair game. Hostess with the Mostess Padma Penelope, what do you think of this plan?

"This bone is ... pungent."

Ready ... set ... let the relay race begin. The three 10-minute shifts flew by, punctuated intermittently by clattering pans, banging cabinets and lots of "Shitshitshit!" When it was my turn, I bounded into the kitchen to find dirty dishes, knives, colanders piled into the sink with moms contributions, sliced frozen carrots and a partially defrosted breaded chicken breast, discarded (smartly) by Andrew. On the stove, one burner had a pot of boiling water filled with fusilli; a saute of broccoli, onions, garlic, bell pepper and button mushrooms sizzled on another. I tested a strand of pasta, al dente, drained it off and set it aside, then dashed out to the yard, where I pinched off a few springs of globe basil and Mexican tarragon. I washed the herbs and set them on a paper towel to dry. "Five minutes!" I tasted the saute, checking for salt so as not to pull an Alex, added sel and black pepper and cranked the heat. From the fridge, I pulled out heavy cream and a jar of roasted peppers, added a little of each to the blender and zipped up a sauce that I added to the veggies. I separated the basils tiny leaves from stems and roughly chopped the tarragon, adding them both to the rust-colored sauce, bubbling and thickening like a magma. Three minutes! On a saucer off to the side, I found a "sandwich" of breaded sliced Jersey tomatoes filled with basil-flecked ricotta Melissas contribution, I guessed. The crumbs were damp, so I added more from the open can of Progresso on the kitchen table. I put the drained pasta pan back on the stove, added olive oil, blasted the heat and threw in the "sandwich" to crisp. One minute! I added the fusilli back to the pan of sauteed vegetables and roasted red pepper cream and tossed them together with tongs as the tomato-ricotta-napoleon started to sizzle. I wielded a spatula and flipped the tomatoes. "Sixteen seconds!" Plate down, pasta in. I pulled the tomato-ricotta sandwich, now golden brown and balanced it atop the curly noodles. To finish: grated Manchego, the nearest hard cheese I could find, dried chilies and the leaves of fresh basil. Considering the recipe came together blindly, it tasted pretty damn good and without any pea puree-related incidents.

Tweets that mention Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Off to the races E-races :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-08-16 16:22:02

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Adam Erace, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Awesome: @adamerace recreates #TopChef Quickfire relay race w/ his mom, brother @andrewerace & cousin: http://bit.ly/a1RBgw #topchefdc #tcdc [...]

On Wheels: Melange Tea Truck :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-10-18 14:36:20

[...] then we saw this picture of the Ginsburgss dog, Tank, on their website and melted. Awwww! You asked for more adorable dogs on Meal Ticket, you got [...]

Molly Eichel

Posted 2010-08-16 15:37:48

I second Erica. That's what this blog needs: less food, more adorable dogs.

Erica

Posted 2010-08-16 14:54:41

More photos of Penelope!

Posted by Adam Erace @ 7:50 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Get SNAP-ed at Alfa tonight

POSTED: Monday, August 16, 2010, 7:14 PM

Filed Under: Booze | Dealage | Food Events

Photo | Drew Lazor

If you have yet to try a taste of Art in the Age's just-released SNAP, drop into Alfa (1709 Walnut St.) this evening. As part of their Monday-night "Dog and Pony Show" happy hour, they'll be mixing two $5 cocktails the SNAPPLE (SNAP, Jeremiah Weed sweet tea vodka, fresh-squeezed lemonade) and the Governor's Garden (sister spirit ROOT, Pimm's, English cucumber, lemon, ginger beer and Chick's bartender Phoebe Esmon's "Weeping Phoebe" rhubarb bitters). The "show" runs from 7 p.m. to last call.

Tweets that mention Get SNAP-ed at Alfa tonight :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-08-16 14:52:41

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Steven Grasse, Alfa Restaurant, Alfa Restaurant, wcdish, Meal Ticket and others. Meal Ticket said: Check out @artintheageROOT (and SNAP) for $5 at @alfarestaurant tonight: http://bit.ly/d5lQfv [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 7:14 PM Permalink | Post a comment

(Close to) endless summer for The Diving Horse

POSTED: Monday, August 16, 2010, 5:45 PM

Filed Under: Food News

The Pub & Kitchen crew originally planned to hang up the aprons at their Avalon restaurant The Diving Horse after Labor Day weekend (Sept. 3-6), but the well-received seasonal BYO (2109 Dune Drive, 609-368-5000) will now feed shoregoers through the end of September. Rezzies are a hot commodity but keep one eye on the restaurant's Twitter feed for word on openings.

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, August 16-20 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-23 09:02:13

[...] Down Avalon way, The Diving Horse decides to extend its serving season. [...]

Tweets that mention (Close to) endless summer for The Diving Horse :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-08-16 13:14:34

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rich Pawlak, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: (Almost) endless summer for @TheDivingHorse  they'll stay open through September. http://bit.ly/cnFX3F [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 5:45 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Memphis Taproom chef revamps Local 44 eats

POSTED: Monday, August 16, 2010, 4:42 PM

Filed Under: Food News | Menu Time

Photo | Drew Lazor

Jesse Kimball of Memphis Taproom (2331 E. Cumberland St.) is pulling a little OT within Brendan Hartranft and Leigh Maida's beer-bar triumvirate, revamping the food approach at the couple's West Philly haunt Local 44 (4333 Spruce St.). The menu changes aren't drastic, but Kimball has rolled out a slew of new items, including diner-classic disco fries with onion gravy and sharp cheddar cheese; lamb meatballs with a pomegranate parsley salad and lemon cumin yogurt; and a wholly vegan seitan reuben sandwich slathered in kraut and "secret sauce." Peep the new 44 menu, which rolls out today, after the jump. (UPDATE [17aug10]: Replaced menu with latest version.) In a few weeks, on Sept. 4, Kimball will also unveil a full weekend brunch menu for Local 44. Available Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 3, it's said to feature eats like vegan-friendly red flannel hash, Tex-Mex-style migas and a cheesesteak/egg grinder.

Click to enlarge

Slight Variations Abound On New Local 44 Menu | Under the Button

Posted 2010-08-18 10:27:40

[...] [via CityPaper] [...]

love local

Posted 2010-08-16 18:11:40

you're absolutely right. i am more than upset that they got rid of the pulled pork. that was my top food group. their pork belly tacos were good, too. but oh god you can't get rid of pulled pork!!! :'(

love local

Posted 2010-08-16 18:12:34

hey local 44! please bring back the beautiful pulled pork sandwich that completed my life and then we'll be perfect!
other than that, rock on.

Tweets that mention Memphis Taproom chef revamps Local 44 eats :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-08-16 12:33:38

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by J T. Ramsay and Jessica Rossi, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Memphis Taproom's chef consults on a new menu for Local 44: http://bit.ly/9YTJQ6 [...]

Greg

Posted 2010-08-16 14:24:21

Such a great place.  I welcome the vegan stuff, thanks!

Jess

Posted 2010-08-16 13:51:40

MIGAS and queso using Ro*tel! I don't even have words to describe how happy I am about this. MIGAS! No one in Philly serves them. Thank you for this wonderful news.

Friendly neighbor

Posted 2010-08-16 13:35:40

I love Local 44.  Really.  I live right down the street and spend far too much of my time eating and drinking there.  I appreciate their attempts to revitalize the menu (which has been lackluster for the most part, especially recently.)  However, they keep removing the foods they do best (spinach croquettes, oyster mushroom po boy, mini corn dogs, calamari, and pulled pork come to mind.)  Hopefully some of these new items will stand up to my old favorites, but, frankly, I'm not terribly hopeful.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 4:42 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, August 9-13

POSTED: Monday, August 16, 2010, 4:02 PM

Filed Under: Meal Ticket | Ticket Stubs

Monday, August 9 Ice cream-stuffed doughnuts from Frangelli's are what you should eat immediately, says Adam Erace. Kingyo Sushi on Sansom closes. The detailed rundown on what Stephen Starr is doing at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The wine boutique PINOT can finally sell wine! Notes from the Weekend covers all the grubbin' bases, from blue crabs and Argentine to lime sugar and hard Arnold Palmers. Tuesday, August 10 Details/photos on the early-morning SEPTA bus accident at Monk's Café. The Tria team's Biba is very close to opening. Sumo Sushi has opened at Broad and Pine. Wednesday, August 11 NoLibs' Arbol Café wants to make you dinner. The latest Tiffin location opens in Bryn Mawr. Leave it to Tommy Up and P.Y.T. to slushify the infamous Four Loko. Pumpkin just started a brand-new monthly tasting series, and it's a great deal. Thursday, August 12 West Philly's Milk & Honey Market will start carrying a special honey made by city-dwelllin' bees. Details on Food For All Market, coming to Mt. Airy next month. Friday, August 13 It was Restaurant Wars on Top Chef D.C., and you know what that means pictures of Gandhi DRAMA! That was fast! Monk's (mostly) reopens for business after Tuesday's accident. What the hell is a scuppernong? Find out, and then eat them immediately. What we heart: Lancaster!

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 4:02 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Lancaster Lovefest

POSTED: Friday, August 13, 2010, 9:41 PM

Filed Under: Field Trip

This weekend, consider a different day-trip. Hop on 76 West, roll down the windows and laugh maniacally at the bumper-to-bumper beach-goers as you head to the country. Destination: Lancaster, the most bountiful non-irrigated vegetable-producing county in the United States, according to organic farmer Tom Culton, profiled in a Lancaster travelogue in the August issue of Bon Appetit. If [Lancaster] wasnt such a humble county, youd hear about it all the time. If it was California, people would talk about it all day, every day. Culton and girlfriend Clara Osborne have been working land thats been in Cultons family since 1740; their heirloom fruits and vegetables weird Iraqi melons, stunning scarlet carrots and the best black raspberries Ive ever tasted among them have made their stand a favorite at Headhouse, and generated clientele that includes Tom Colicchio, Marc Vetri and Jose Garces. [Bon Appetit] just called me up on the phone and said [they] wanted a representation of the young Lancaster County farmer. I was willing to oblige because it was Bon Appetit, but they had a genuine interest in the real things going on in the County. That Amish farm tour kinda shit, they wanted to get past all that and see whats going on here. And so should you. After the jump, find out why. For a long time, the Lancaster I knew was the Lancaster of outlet shopping and praise-the-lawd Sight & Sound Theater, where Noahs Ark and the birth of Jesus play out like Broadway spectaculars. My girlfriend went to school in Millersville and lots of her college friends settled in the county after graduation. Last summer, we went up to visit one recently engaged pair, my first visit to Lancaster in ages. Nobody was more surprised than me at the ball we had. Sure, the Lanc always had my respect as the center of our local farm economy, but Id never have described it as remotely hip or cool. That trip changed my perception, and when we revisited for that couples wedding last month, my stomach was stoked. Follow my lead to Lancaster, and eat here:

Fractured Prune | Lancaster City residents line up for their daily dozen at this Queen Street doughnut shop. The bready loops are fried and dipped to order and come in a variety of unusual flavors, like French Toast, glazed in maple syrup and dusted with cinnamon-sugar. Black Angus Restaurant & Pub | Thin as a cracker and possibly as crunchy, the schnitzel is the shitzel at Stoudts Brewerys on-site eatery, and their cheese plate is city-slick. Lunch at the long, old bar, as much a mecca for beer geeks as it is a haunt for bemused locals, then carry out a souvenir mix-a-six. Rics Bread | The english muffins you love at Headhouse Square are served warm and slathered with butter and jelly at Michele and Mike Stauffers sunny cafe and bakery. Eastern Market | Smaller, but cooler, than Lancasters sprawling Central Market, indoor/outdoor Eastern brings live musics, student scavenger hunts, Ethiopian curries and Puerto Rican popsicles to the milk-and-eggs farmers market experience. John J. Jeffries | We think we have it good in Philly? This New American spot in the sexy Lancaster Arts Hotel makes good use of ingredients grown six, not 60, miles away. Peep the recipe for their brined chicken with heirloom tomatoes in Bon Appetit.

Felicia D'Ambrosio

Posted 2010-08-13 20:42:17

Lancasta, Holla!  I spent many teenage summers slaving away at my aunt's B&B, preparing breakfast for dozens and wedding reception apps for thousands. 

Other Lancaster must-hits: 

Onions Cafe - the first place I ever sampled the delights of banchan and kimchi!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/onions-cafe-lancaster

Strasburg Country Store and Creamery - ridiculously good homemade ice cream, plus fatty sandwiches and waffle fries
http://www.yelp.com/biz/strasburg-country-store-and-creamery-the-strasburg

Ticket Stubs: Meal Ticket Weekly Recap, August 9-13 :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-16 11:03:06

[...] ICECUBE: Hip-hop edition, featuring T.I., the Black Eyed Peas, Damon Feldman and more Meal Ticket• Lancaster Lovefest• EAT THESE IMMEDIATELY: Scuppernongs• Monk's will reopen tomorrow, Aug. 14, at 5 [...]

Marlon

Posted 2010-08-19 12:09:34

Sooooo many top-notch restaurants, lounges and pubs in Lancaster City. I rarely venture beyond the city limits. Nothing too cutting edge out there. It's one of the few things this city does right. (I'm a proud west-ender)

Keystone to Lancaster? - Page 2 - Philadelphia Speaks Forum - Neighborhoods, Sports, Restaurants and more

Posted 2010-08-14 10:46:42

[...] wedding last month, my stomach was stoked. Follow my lead to Lancaster, and eat here:    Lancaster Lovefest :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper     __________________ "It has shown me that everything is illuminated in the light of the [...]

Posted by Adam Erace @ 9:41 PM Permalink | Post a comment

EAT THESE IMMEDIATELY: Scuppernongs

POSTED: Friday, August 13, 2010, 8:00 PM

Filed Under: Eat This Immediately | Weird Regional Foods

Photo | Drew Lazor

Say it with us: scuppernong! It's a weird and oddly pretty muscadine native to North Carolina (it's actually the Tarheel state's fruit), and we're bearing down on the grape's very short season as we speak. Named f0r NC's Scuppernong River, these little tomatillo-lookin' things are much plumper and juicier than your typical supermarket white grape; their meaty flesh is almost plum-like, and biting into them creates a fun burst-tastic sensation you don't get from many fruits of this ilk (just watch out for seeds). Though it seems counterintuitive, it's best to gravitate toward the slightly more brown or bronzed scuppernongs, as they're the most ripe; the greener they are, the tarter and tougher the fruit will taste. They're selling for $2.50 a pound right now at Sue's Produce (114 S. 18th St.), but if you've seen them anywhere else, holler in the comments. Eat these immediately (seriously, hurry up, the season ain't long)!

Posted 2010-08-13 21:32:27

They are also at the Asian supermarket at 3rd and Oregon.  They even have a *tasting* basket so you can try them first.

Tweets that mention EAT THESE IMMEDIATELY: Scuppernongs :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-08-13 17:28:29

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by karl z, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: What's a scuppernong? Find out, and EAT IT IMMEDIATELY http://tinyurl.com/2evcmtc [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 8:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Monk's will reopen tomorrow, Aug. 14, at 5 p.m.

POSTED: Friday, August 13, 2010, 6:53 PM

Filed Under: Food News

Monk's Cafe (16th and Spruce), site of a bizarre SEPTA accident Tuesday morning, will reopen tomorrow at 5 p.m., according to owner Tom Peters. Since the damage was to the front of the building on 16th Street, Peters says only the back bar and middle dining room will be open for business for now. Guests will be able to access them from the alley behind Monks; Peters jokes that hell use a password system, and the password is "SEPTA."

Tweets that mention Monks will reopen tomorrow, August 14th, at 5 p.m. :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-08-13 16:51:18

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by RachelGoldberg, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: Rejoice! Monk's will reopen tomorrow, 5 p.m. http://tinyurl.com/2bj5fy5 [...]

SEPTA bus crashes into Monk’s Cafe :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-16 12:29:14

[...] Weekly Recap, August 9-13• Lancaster Lovefest• EAT THESE IMMEDIATELY: Scuppernongs• Monk's will reopen tomorrow, Aug. 14, at 5 p.m.• NOW OPEN: Karmichael's Kafe• Top Chef D.C. Episode 9: War pigs• 21st Annual [...]

Tom Peters

Posted 2010-08-16 01:34:39

We're back in business, but not fully. Philadelphia License & Inspections allowed us to reopen the back bar and middle dining room on Saturday. Monk's is back to our regular hours of full menu from 11:30AM - 1AM & bar 'til 2AM daily. Guests have to enter through our service alley to reach the back bar door. We're calling it Monk's "Hole In The Wall" Speakeasy. You need to use the password "SEPTA". It was one of their busses that slammed into the entrance of Monk's. Thankfully, no one was injured. We really do have a hole in the wall right now. We expect all repairs to be completed by Monday, August 23rd & we'll have our front door back. Thanks for everyone's emails, texts & messages.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:53 PM Permalink | Post a comment

NOW OPEN: Karmichael's Kafe

POSTED: Friday, August 13, 2010, 6:15 PM

Filed Under: Openings

Photo | Drew Lazor

The teeny mostly-takeout space at 743 S. Eighth that was Righi's is now known at Karmichael's Kafe. Open for about a month, they do breakfast, plus a selection of salads, hoagies, wraps and hot sandwiches. They deliver in the area; hours of operation are Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 6:15 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Top Chef D.C. Episode 9: War pigs

POSTED: Friday, August 13, 2010, 4:28 PM

Filed Under: Food TV | Top Chef

Quickfire: It's time once more for the always-fun relay-race challenge, where the cheftestants must crank out dishes in teams of four, each chef responsible for a 10-minute "leg" of preparation his/her teammates cannot see, kind of like the fine-dining telephone game. Last season, I thought this blindfolded shitshow evoked a certain Lynchian doom. This season, though? Straight vintage-ass Madonna, y'all!

"Kelly, I want you to put your hands all over my body ... but wash them first, you just deveined a shitload of prawns ... "

What the hell, lemme get a little Johnny Mo from Kill Bill 1 in this bitch as well:

Michael Madsen's gonna come out smoking an American Spirit any second now, I can feel it!

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi comes bounding out in a smart pantsuit with the transcendently beautiful Padma and tells the chefs that she's been "a foodie for a long time." IMPEACH (can you impeach the speaker?). Deadpan Ed's team (Tiffany, Angelo and the reluctantly selected Alex) decides to prepare a roasted red snapper/wilted greens/maitake 'shroom dish, and see a great opportunity to take a dump on klutzy Alex a little more when he salts the fish too early ("I hope they find the umami delicious!" he says. DOUBLE IMPEACH), resulting in Angelo double-seasoning it and Pelosi rocking a politically savvy but still dissatisfied saline face. Jersey Kev's team, meanwhile (Kenny Blalicchio, Kelly and Amanda) crank out a sauteed shrimp dealie over angel hair pasta that Nance loves, adorably complimenting them for achieving a perfect al dente. OK you're allowed back in office now girl. Elimination: RESTAURANT WARS! This is always the best. Remember back in the day when they'd make the cheftestants decorate the restaurant in addition to conceive its menu, and Tom C. would bitch about things like the strength of scented candles? Some of the worst shit in show history. I'm glad they're just sticking them in pre-existing eateries now. Same teams as before ("It's the best against the beast," proclaims Blalicchio of his head-to-headwith Angelo). Former NYT food critic Frank Bruni, who seems about ready to launch a Bravo show of his own sometime soon (PITCH! Bruni and Jeff Lewis from Flipping Out fight each other in the American Gladiators "Joust" game for a full hour), is guest judge. Angelo's team calls itself Evoo after extra-virgin olive oil, pronounced "E-voo" and not an acronym like E-V-O-O, because if that happened all hell would break loose and some mafuckas would be out of work due to impending litigation and then this would happen foreal (OK maybe that'd be a good thing):

Evoo's theme is Mediterranean. Predictably, they stick the hapless-in-their-eyes Alex out in the front of the house to keep him away from the fire and knives, but he still managed to screw up butchering meat and filleting fish during the prep period. Regardless, Evoo's grub is particularly well-received, even by the notoriously tough Bruni (PITCH! Bruni and Kathy Griffin form a private investigation firm with a lovable 11-year-old autistic child named Manny. It's an unorthodox team, and Manny sure is a handful. But THEY GET RESULTS.) Ed's turbot dish is a standout for the judges. Anyone else notice that the pan-seared lamb chop Alex purportedly conceived contained ENGLISH PEA PUREE?

"This Bald Homies Association of America meeting will now come to order. Billy Zane will recount the minutes from last month."

Blalicchio's restaurant concept, serving "progressive American cuisine," is dubbed 2121 after the address of the Top Chef house. Kelly's out front, so she preps a cold soup and a dessert. Jersey Kev puts out a halibut dish that everyone loves, especially Bruni (PITCH! Bruni trades barbs with the Real Housewives of New Jersey while completing competitive aquatic challenges such as spear-fishing. Guy Fieri hosts). Team leader Blalicchio, unfortunately, puts out two dishes that earns negative reactions: a piled-way-too-high salad and a goat cheese dessert dish that's called "soapy and salty." At judges' table, Angelo's team earns the win, with Ed taking individual honors (and one big-ass bottle of Terlato wine that he's eager to crack open. open it with your shoe!) for his turbot. At the bottom is Blalicchio's squad, all of whom are angry as shit that one of them has to get slashed while Alex is able to coast through thanks to the work of his teammates. (Jersey Kev gets heated! Do it, Kev!) In a surely unpopular but ultimately necessary elimination, Blalicchio is given the boot for putting out two poor dishes. This sucks. Good thing his Bald Homies Association of America brethren are here to comfort him:

Who needs Top Chef when you're boys with Kojak and Ben Kingsley Gandhi, anyway?

Chris

Posted 2010-08-21 17:04:20

I will never watch this show again, after this episode!  Alex and his team violated the rules of the "wars" and still won.  Why have rules?!  Done!

j leo

Posted 2010-08-21 13:48:04

Still shocked to see Kenny go, after they hyped his rivalry with Angelo so much and had all the other chefs talking him up as a favorite. Maybe after last season, where the top 5 was mostly who people expected, they wanted a few surprises? 

Arnold and Kenny, gone before their time. Amanda, still hanging on despite all common sense. It's interesting but I wish she and Alex were gone a long time ago. 

I love the Bruni-Jeff Lewis idea, who would actually be a great guest judge on this show with snarky criticism. I'm surprised Bravo has resisted the cross-promotion so far.

danya

Posted 2010-08-15 18:48:11

1) there are only 2 urban dictionary definitions for "mafuckas." Which means it's a pretty badass word. 

2) pretty impressive handling of punctuation-parentheses issues.

3) Oscar the Grouch's girlfriend. Is that original? Because that takes the cake.

danya

Posted 2010-08-15 18:50:17

4) Damn you, because I am now craving an American Spirit cigarette.

Drew Lazor

Posted 2010-08-21 23:01:29

How was it, Rory?

Mandy Bee.

Posted 2010-08-13 12:37:16

I was sooo angry when Kenny got cut. We're talking actual banshee-like screaming and thrown shoes angry.

This season has been pretty great so far, but now I'm really not even sure who to root for. Maybe sassy Tiff. But if Angelo ends up taking this thing, things are gon git real ugly up in here.

Tweets that mention Top Chef D.C. Episode 9: War pigs :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper -- Topsy.com

Posted 2010-08-13 12:06:02

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Adam Erace, Meal Ticket. Meal Ticket said: TOP CHEF DC Episode 9 recap: read, comment! http://bit.ly/9O9dhN #topchef #topchefdc #tcdc [...]

rory

Posted 2010-08-13 12:04:08

Dear chefs I'm rooting for on top chef,

STOP BEING EXECUTIVE CHEF DURING RESTAURANT WARS, YOU NON-STRATEGIC THINKING IDIOTS.

signed,
rory.

although, kenny's inability to serve a single dish ("a duo of lamb" a "trio of something else") was getting almost as played out as Jamie's scallops a couple seasons ago. 

random sidenote: going to Kevin Gillespie's spot on saturday in ATL. anyone been? anything I *have* to get?

Top Chef Not So Quickfire: Off to the races E-races :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper

Posted 2010-08-16 14:53:22

[...] Monk's will reopen tomorrow, Aug. 14, at 5 p.m.• NOW OPEN: Karmichael's Kafe• Top Chef D.C. Episode 9: War pigs• 21st Annual Pennsylvania Dutch Festival at Reading Terminal Market Video Blog• Behind [...]

Posted by Drew Lazor @ 4:28 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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Founded in October 2008, Meal Ticket is a City Paper blog about food, drink and assorted other things that make you go mmm. We do recipes, interviews, restaurant news, commentary and much more. We don't do restaurant reviews here — those are handled in print, mostly by our critic (and Meal Ticket contributor) Adam Erace. Got a tip, question, thought or concern? Just want to say hello? Please shoot a note to caroline@citypaper.net.

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