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On April 6th at her Acme Chophouse, Traci Des Jardins will host Share Our Strength's 17th annual Taste of the Nation, and the industry's heavy-hitters—and some television personalities—will be out in force. General admission tickets cost $250, but 100% of the proceeds go directly to Share Our Strength. Dinner will be prepared by Des Jardins and her merry band of Next Iron Chef contestants: Michael Symon (Cleveland's Lola/Lolita), Chris Cosentino (Incanto), and Gavin Kaysen (NYC's Café Boulud), with Elizabeth Falkner handling dessert. Also, a veritable cornucopia of chefs and sommeliers from local big names (Absinthe, Coi, A16, Spruce et al.) will put on the hors d'oeuvres reception and wine program, respectively. On the other side of the house, Tyler Florence will reclaim his mantle as Master of Ceremonies. Here's the complete run-down on the event:
All stories about "Iron Chefs"
Now that Robert Irvine's career is pretty much doneski, Cleveland's newspaper reports that its native son and the newest Iron Chef, Michael Symon, will take over host duties on Irvine's old show, Dinner: Impossible. The first episode will premiere in July and the rest of the season will then arrive in September. For the most part, the format of the show will stay the same, though it will change from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. And seriously, who knew that Dinner: Impossible was Food Network's third-highest rated show? [Plain Dealer]
· Early Orson Reports: All Food Good, Desserts Stand Out [CH]
· Cafe M Opens on Berkeley's Fourth Street [CH]
· The Merits of Town Hall Versus Salt House [Mouthfuls]
· You May Be Surprised That Yelp Has High Maintenance Diners [Yelp]
· "Fat Rapper Dude" Judge: the Beginning of Iron Chef America's End? [eG]
Ed Levine, who just so happens to have judged Iron Chef, is taking issue with Sietsema's 'unveiling' of the show: "I have always been told that the competing chefs know that the secret ingredient ... it doesn't take anything away from how insanely difficult it is to produce five dishes in an hour in that kind of pressured environment. I have judged Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Cat Cora in action, and ... they still sweat bullets and work their asses off because it is, in fact, a real competition and they don't want to be embarrassed in front of their peers, the judges, the audience in Kitchen Stadium, and the viewers at home." So there. [Serious Eats via Eater]
The Village Voice's Robert Sietsema goes to a taping of Iron Chef and discovers that the entire show is even more staged than you've ever thought. The entire piece is rife with disillusionment, Batali impersonators (!), dishes recreated for judging and just plenty of epic smoke and mirrors: "It became obvious that, knowing the main ingredient all along, the chefs had developed a series of recipes the way chefs normally do—through ideation and experimentation, trying and discarding recipes before settling on the collection ... This was no contest—it was a culinary fait accompli." [Village Voice]
In a quick video segment, best buds Michael Symon and Chris Cosentino do battle in the Incanto kitchen, all while wearing cute matching outfits, discussing geoduck clams (giggles included) and hamming it up for the news cameras. And let's just say that the host—and his painful commentary—really, really makes you appreciate Alton Brown. [ABC]
While visiting our little hamlet—in addition to indulging in some cod sperm crostini at Incanto with fellow competitor Chris Cosentino—newly-crowned Iron Chef Michael Symon sat down with BellyFull for a quick interview in which he gossips about his new gig, Mario Batali, the Bay Area dining scene and more. Among the highlights:
1) On his first season of battles: "Let's just say I'm not disappointed with the results."
2) On Mario Batali's rumored departure: "The only reason Mario wasn't on much last year was because he was so busy opening up his restaurants in Las Vegas. And he wasn't a judge on the finale of "The Next Iron Chef" because he and I have been good friends for over 10 years. He told the producers he didn't think it was fair for him to judge me when he's known me so long against a chef he didn't know at all"
3) On opening a restaurant in SF: "(Laughs) I'd love to just live and eat here. It's such a great food city. And geezus, I am so full!"
· The Newest Iron Chef Visits the Bay Area [BellyFull]
· Food fabulous food [Symon Says]
Michael Symon's oh-cleverly-named blog recaps the newest Iron Chef's trip to the Bay Area, including a special dinner by the iron chef of our hearts and yours: "Chris [Cosentino] just killed us at Incanto with tuna meatballs, cod sperm crostini, linguini with grated cured tuna heart, seared duck liver with braised duck tongues, a pork liver and kidney pie, roasted pig head wrapped in bacon, roasted lamb neck with salsa verde, and fried tuna "ribs" with chile and mint." [Symon Says]
In the face of rumors to the contrary, Mario Batali wants everyone to know he's still on television: "I am still on Iron Chef and as a matter of fact, I am the number one Iron Chef!" Got that? OK, as you were. [Cutlets]
· Knowlton: "Besh Was the Clear Winner in Last Night's Test" [BA blog]
· Donatella Was Pissed at Ruhlman's Alleged Favoritism [Ruhlman]
· The Rise of Besh and Symon's Careers Should Inspire [AG on FN]
· Symon's New Nickname: "Secret Squirrel" [Plain Dealer]
· John Besh's Exit Interview [Food Network]
· Above All, Symon Makes For Better TV [CH]
Sidenote: so two of the three judges—Knowlton and Donatella—cast their votes for Besh, but the trio of Iron Chefs (there for the first time) and Symon's Cleveland buddy Ruhlman chose Symon. This doesn't seem entirely logical, does it?
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