YumSugar

Yummy Links: From Lobster to Burgers

partysugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:50:27 -0700

Lobster: Get it while it's cheap! - The Atlantic
Meet TasteStopping, the website that takes Tastespotting's rejects. - Eat Me Daily
Spice things up with Padma's chili honey butter. - Serious Eats
What’s the right answer to “Can I bring anything?” - Chow
Deep dish blueberry maple French toast. Enough said. - Endless Simmer
The next time you host a baby shower be inspired by the letter B . - Hostess With the Mostess
In September, David Chang and Wylie Dufresne will let a group of French chefs take over their kitchens. - Eater
21 top-rated burger recipes, including beef, turkey, cheese, and veggie varieties. - Epicurious

Top Chef Masters: Episode 2

partysugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:40:03 -0700

Although there's been speculation about the winner of Top Chef Masters, the second episode was full of its own excitement. Competitors from Top Chef season 2 were judges for a vending machine quickfire and the contestants, who included Elizabeth Falkner and Wylie Dufresne, had to create a tropical island themed meal fit for the creators of Lost. Did you watch? Let's discuss when you read more.

Do you think the term "molecular gastronomy" sounds sexy?
How fabulous is Elizabeth Falkner? She's my hometown girl and I can't help but love her!
Wasn't it refreshing to see the season 2 competitors as judges?
Kelly Choi: has she grown on you or does she seem like Padma's cheap imitation? And why does she not eat anything?
Whose food looked the best to you?
How do you feel about the judges? I still miss Tom, Padma, and Gail.
Were the masters meaner when they judged previous seasons of Top Chef?
I don't know how I feel about the star system. Do you think it's fair? It seems like whoever wins the quickfire is a shoo-in to win the whole thing.
Overall, what did you think of the second episode?

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Top Chef Recap 5.12: The Last Supper

partysugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:08:00 -0800

We were down to the wire on last night's episode of Top Chef. With only 5 cheftestants left, they were truly put to the test in the final New York City elimination. Each had to make a special dish for a world-renowned culinary figure. Want to discuss the details? Well please (warning: spoilers ahead) read more.

Why hasn't Fabio won a quickfire challenge?
Was this the longest quickfire challenge? They had an entire hour to make eggs!
What would be your last supper?
Were you glad to see Harold the winner of season 1, during the commercial break? I was!
Is Stefan overly confident?
Whose last supper dish was the weakest? Whose was the strongest?
Was Fabio the unfair winner? After all, his dish - roast chicken, potatoes, and salad - was an easy, home-style dinner.
Was Tom especially hard on the cheftestants during judges' table?
Are you surprised Carla made it this far?
Who are your picks for the final three? I'll start: Stefan, Hosea, and Carla.
Are you excited for the final in New Orleans? I can't wait!

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Bravo Announces Judge Lineup For Top Chef: Masters

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:17:10 -0800

Last month, news broke that Kelly Choi would host the upcoming Top Chef spinoff, Top Chef: Masters. In a statement released this morning, Bravo has confirmed this as fact and also revealed the star lineup of judges for the new show.

Joining Choi on the judging panel will be former New York magazine restaurant critic Gael Greene, British food critic Jay Rayner, and Saveur editor-in-chief James Oseland. The culinary competition will follow the format of the original Top Chef series, but its contestants will be award-winning, widely known chefs, competing head to head for the title of Top Chef Master. As for the cheftestant lineup, The Feedbag has reported rumors of participating chefs.

Many have appeared on Top Chef as judges: Wylie Dufresne of WD-50, Scott Conant of Scarpetta, celebrity chef Todd English, and Michelle Bernstein of Michy's. Other possible competitors include seafood czar Rick Moonen, Hawaiian cuisine titan Roy Yamaguchi, Chris Lee of Aureole, Florida vet Norm Van Aken, Texas chef Tim Love, and possibly even Tom himself.

I'm getting excited about the lineup of both the judges and the rumored cheftestants. Do you feel the same way? Which chefs would you love to see on the show?

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At the Table With Anthony Bourdain

partysugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:00:56 -0700

Tonight a special featuring everyone's favorite bad-boy celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain, airs on the Travel Channel (at 10 p.m. ET). The show's called At the Table with Anthony Bourdain and is a no-holds-barred dinner with four interesting guests. The No Reservations host will be dining with writer Bill Buford, bar owner Amy Sacco, Ted Allen, and magazine editor Chris Wilson. The dinner was cooked by Wylie Dufresne, in his New York City restaurant's kitchen wd-50.

I'm excited to check out what happens when these five impressionarios sit down to dine and wonder what Dufresne will cook up! How about you? Will you watch?

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YumSugar's Top 10 Things Found in Aspen

YumSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:15:15 -0700

During the three days PartySugar and I spent at this year's Food and Wine Classic, we came across a lot of amazing and tasty things. From pork to peas, we were treated to some of the best food from some of the most amazing chefs on the planet. It was a difficult task, but I've rounded up my top 10 favorite things. Read them below and then be sure to click through for all the pictures.

David Chang's Pork Party (specifically the pork buns)
We were lucky enough to attend the David Chang and friends after-party on Saturday night. The highlight was chowing down on his pork buns and wraps, and then learning that there was also crab and whole roasted piglets.
Ming Tsai with tofu on his face
During his cooking demonstration, Ming got a piece of tofu on his face. When he looked at the mirror (which was facing the crowd) he said, "I can't see it, all I see is white people."
Jose Andres cooking with his 9-year-old daughter Carlota
He has such a great personality and is so much fun to watch. Having his daughter help on stage made it even more fun.
Jeremy Fox's Best New Chef dish
I was a bit dubious about the Best New Chef's pea, mint, white chocolate, and macadamia nut concoction, but it was so delicious! I couldn't stop eating them, PartySugar practically had to pull me away from the the table.

To discover what else made my list, plus a gallery of images, just read more.

The gorgeous weather and scenery
I had never been to Aspen before, and what you hear is true. It is absolutely gorgeous there.
The Puerto Rican pig party during the tasting
On the last day of the event, the Puerto Rico booth celebrated by bringing in an entire pig on a spit. They also brought their own traditional band, creating a dance party right in the center of the tent.
Laura Werlin's Raw Cheese class
I had the opportunity to take a class with cheese guru Laura Werlin. At 11 a.m. I already had eight amazing cheeses and three glasses of wine.
Talking to Wylie Dufresne about pork
At the David Chang party, Chef Dufresne was serving up roasted pork. I wanted to shake his hand, but it was dripping with pork fat.
The banter between Tom and Padma
Tom and Padma held a cooking demonstration where they each cooked dishes, and bickered like old pals. At one point Padma even referred to Tom as her TV husband.
Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto walking around with a humongous fish slung over his shoulder.
The picture pretty much says it all.

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Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.2 - Animal Instincts

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:01:41 -0700

Last night the Top Chef cheftestants spent the night at the zoo. You've taken the quiz and now it's time to discuss. Was this episode as good as last week's? I've got a list of questions to dish out after the jump - warning there are spoilers! - so read through them and tell us what you think. To join the discussion, just read more.

Do you like that the quickfire winner gets immunity?
Would you have bought the frozen meat at the market?
Were you surprised that neither of the challenges played on the fact that guest judge Wylie Dufresne is a molecular gastronomist?
Were you shocked to hear that Team Bear didn't taste their mushrooms before serving? Would you have let the judges taste those mushrooms?
Don't mean to be catty, but does anyone else think Erik needs a little presentation help?
Were you surprised that Andrew won?
Do you think the right person went home?
And finally, who are you rooting for now?

Photos courtesy of Bravo

Bravo Posts Top Chef Masters Videos

YumSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:00:20 -0700

To promote Top Chef Masters, which makes its series debut June 10, Bravo has posted videos introducing the show's chefs, an impressive list of industry names that includes Michael Chiarello, Roy Yamaguchi, Art Smith, and Rick Bayless.

The videos provide an amusing glimpse into the worlds of many of these acclaimed chefs. It's reassuring to know that Michael Chiarello has never met a Butterfinger bar he didn't like; that Wylie Dufresne had high hopes to be a professional athlete; and that Roy Yamaguchi got into cooking when he signed up for high school home ec so he could meet girls.

Check out the Michael Chiarello clip below, as well as the rest of the video introductions. Do these clips leave you with high hopes for Top Chef Masters?

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All-Star Lineup Announced For Top Chef: Masters

YumSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:08:48 -0700

If you're already missing your weekly dose of Top Chef, don't fret: Bravo has announced the cheftestant roster for Top Chef Masters, a new series premiering June 10.

In addition to its impressive cheftestant list and exciting new lineup of judges, the new show will also feature special appearances from a number of personalities, ranging from the predictable (previous winners, Tom, Padma, and Gail) to the surprising (Neil Patrick Harris, Zooey Deschanel, writers and producers of Lost). The show has 24 of the country's most prominent chefs vying for a $100,000 charity prize. Like its original counterpart, each episode on the spinoff show will include a quickfire and an elimination challenge - except the first six episodes of Masters will consist of four chefs competing to name a winner. The six winners will then convene in the final four weeks and one person will be eliminated each episode until the finale, when the last one standing earns the title of Top Chef Master.

A surprising number of celebrity chefs were rumored to be on the show, and while some of the information turned out to be untrue, some of it was right on point. To find out which celebrity cheftestants will compete, read more.

Rick Bayless – Frontera Grill, Chicago, IL
Wilo Benet – Pikayo, San Juan, Puerto Rico
John Besh – Restaurant August, New Orleans, LA
Graham Elliot Bowles – Graham Elliot Restaurant, Chicago, IL
Michael Chiarello – Bottega Restaurant, Yountville, CA
Michael Cimarusti – Providence, Los Angeles, CA
Wylie Dufresne – wd~50, New York, NY
Elizabeth Falkner – Orson, San Francisco, CA
Hubert Keller – Fleur de Lys, San Francisco, CA
Christopher Lee – Aureole, New York, NY
Ludo Lefebvre – Ludo Bites, Los Angeles, CA
Anita Lo – Annisa, New York, NY
Tim Love – The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Fort Worth, TX
Rick Moonen – Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV
Nils Noren – French Culinary Institute, New York, NY
Lachlan McKinnon Patterson – Frasca Food & Wine, Boulder, CO
Cindy Pawlcyn – Mustards Grill, Napa Valley, CA
Mark Peel – Campanile, Los Angeles, CA
Douglas Rodriguez – Alma de Cuba, Philadelphia, PA
Michael Schlow – Radius Restaurant, Boston, MA
Art Smith – Table Fifty-Two, Chicago, IL
Suzanne Tracht – Jar, Los Angeles, CA
Jonathan Waxman – Barbuto, New York, NY
Roy Yamaguchi – Roy's Restaurants, San Diego, CA

Do you have any pre-show predictions? Who will you be rooting for?

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Announcing the 2008 James Beard Award Winners

partysugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:15:37 -0700

Yesterday, the VIPs of the culinary community took off their chef's coats and headed down the red carpet to their very own awards show. Considered the Oscars of eating, the James Beard Awards are the food world's most prestigious honors. With categories covering the entire spectrum of the industry - cookbooks, journalism, chefs, restaurants, and media - the event brought out the best of the best.

The big winner of the night was Chicago's Grant Achatz, who was voted the nation's top chef by the foundation. Other winners include Mario Batali and partner Joe Bastianich for outstanding restaurateurs and San Francisco's Craig Stoll of Delfina for best chef in the Pacific.

To take a look at a list of winners and a gallery of the celebs on the red carpet, including Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, Katie Lee Joel, Wylie Dufresne, Kim Cattrall, Jacques Pepin, and Todd English, read more.

Outstanding Restaurateur Award
Joe Bastianich/Mario Batali, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca; New York, NY
Outstanding Chef Award
Grant Achatz, Alinea; Chicago, IL
Outstanding Restaurant Award
Gramercy Tavern, New York, NY; Owner: Danny Meyer
Best New Restaurant
Central Michel Richard, Washington, DC; Chef/Owner: Michel Richard
Rising Star Chef of the Year Award
Gavin Kaysen, Café Boulud, New York, NY
Outstanding Pastry Chef Award
Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson, Tartine Bakery; San Francisco, CA
Outstanding Wine Service Award
Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY; Wine Director: John Ragan
Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Award
Terry Theise, Terry Theise Estate Selections; Silver Spring, MD
Outstanding Service Award
Terra, St. Helena, CA; Owners: Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani

For more details, check out the official list of categories, nominees, and award winners.

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