Sorry Throwdown fans, this week’s episode is another repeat. Bobby Flay went against Chef Delilah Winder and her 7-cheese mac ‘n cheese, which was voted the best mac ‘n cheese on the Oprah Winfrey show.
Well, remarkably, Bobby Flay beat the “Queen of Mac ‘n Cheese” with his 5-cheese mac ‘n cheese carbonara. Another rare victory for Bobby!
Recipes
1. Bobby Flay’s mac ‘n cheese carbonara (winner)
2. Delilah Winder’s 7 cheese mac ‘n cheese
Full version
Short still version
Written review to follow!
Still in a food coma. This was less than half of our tasting. Stay tuned for the full review of L20.
This week’s challenge involved the chefs visiting an Asian restaurant and studying one of its signature dishes. Afterwards, each chef was asked to prepare a dish with some of the same Asian influence but then transforming it into an American dish.
Chef Brad Farmerie got the boot this week. Our pick Chef Dominique Crenn was again in the bottom 2, but managed to survive (thank heavens)! Chef Seamus Mullen won the challenge. We were a little bit surprised that Chef Jehangir Mehta–who prepared an outlandish shake with “take out” containers–was not in the bottom 3. The dishes did not look like dishes, but a collection of containers. Then again, we don’t get to taste the samples on TV. So maybe it tasted better than it looked.
Chef Daniel Boulud is the owner of Daniel restaurant, which just earned 3 MIchelin stars. We sat in on his interview at the recent New York City Food & Wine Show. Here Chef Daniel explains the worst thing he’s ever eaten and the best thing he had this week.
Executive chef: David Chang
Location: 171 1st Ave, (between 10th St & 11th St), New York, NY 10003 (East Village) (Map)
Phone: 212.777.7773 Menu: click
Website: www.momofuku.com Yelp reviews: click
Resident Foodies say: The lines may be long, but this restaurant is definitely worth the wait! Chef David Chang is probably the hottest chef on the planet. In 6 short years, he has ascended from relative obscurity to the most talked about chef in NYC. “Momofuku” means lucky peach in Japanese, but Chang reportedly liked the name given its similarity in sound to “mother f–er” and its tie to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen noodles. This month, his Momofuku Cookbook hits the book shelves and is likely to bring even more fame to Chang. Momofuku Noodle Bar was Chang’s first restaurant, which opened in 2003. Now he has 4 “Momofuku” restaurants, going on 5. Momofuku Noodle Bar remains the most affordable in price.
Chang’s philosophy is cooking first. True to his word, Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar is all about the food. To some, the service and decor may fall a distant second and third. The ambience exudes busy noodle bar–which is, after all, what it is. The food, though, is an innovative mix of Asian influenced dishes, many with an unabashed use of pork. Chang pushes the boundaries of Japanese, Korean, and French cooking–with results that are distinctively American or Chang’s own. The most famous noodle dish–Momofuku ramen–has pork belly and pork shoulder, topped with a poached egg! And, of course, the steamed pork buns are just as famous–and delicious. The dishes were very comforting and so amazingly tasty, but perhaps might be too much pork in one night for some people. We made ourselves feel less guilty by ordering the delightful (and light) pear salad to start. Although a few vegetarian options have crept onto the menu, they’re not the reason to go to Momofuku.
