Watch Des Jardins, Itani, Phan, Strong on Knife Fight

Cooking competition shows never go out of style, and the latest on the scene is Esquire Network's Knife Fight, in which top-notch chefs go head-to-head in a culinary face-off, making multiple dishes out of mandatory ingredients in an hour or less. (Sadly, no one takes bites out of yellow bell peppers in this one.) Traci des Jardins has already battled Mary Sue Milliken on the show (video, and intel on who won below the jump). Now it's Kyle Itani's turn: in tonight's episode, the Hopscotch chef takes on Jason Paluska of Santa Barbara's The Lark. Their secret ingredients: collard greens, flowering cilantro, and live halibut.

First up, a taste of Des Jardins' culinary skill:

Here's a clip of Itani's episode, to whet your appetite:

But the real battle royale for locals will be next Tuesday's all-SF episode, in which Charles Phan of The Slanted Door will go head-to-head with Locanda's Anthony Strong. Their ingredients: prickly pear, burrata, and flying fish.

Knife Fight airs on the Esquire Network on Tuesdays at 10 pm. And with that, here's your *SPOILER ALERT*: Des Jardins won her battle against Milliken, thanks to a killer dish of poached pheasant breast with crispy truffled yuca.

· Knife Fight [Official website]
· Des Jardins, Itani, Phan, Strong to Appear on Knife Fight [~ ESF ~]
· The Full Knife Fight Season 2 Lineup [~ EN ~]