ICA: Forgione vs McClain
After a summer nearly devoid of new ICA action this is the second fresh episode in a row. This time, Iron Chef Marc Forgione faces off against challenger Shawn McClain, the executive chef at Sage, at Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Martin Yan, Ching-He Huang and Adam Richman are the judges for this battle.
Shawn McClain, executive chef of Sage at ARIA Resort & Casino, has a knack for balancing innovative concepts with refinement and sensibility. His spirited New American menu takes the seasons as its departure point, tapping the freshness of California’s fertile environment to produce elevated flavor combinations interwoven with Mediterranean undercurrents.
A native of San Diego, Calif., and a 1990 graduate of the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College in Evanston, Ill., McClain’s star rose quickly in the culinary world. He broke onto the national scene at Trio restaurant in Evanston, earning four stars from both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. There, his style came into focus, one that juxtaposes Eastern influence with Western foundations. After seven accolade-filled years, he left to open Spring – his homage to seafood. The restaurant opened in 2001 to extraordinary critical and consumer success. That same year, Spring was nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant award, and McClain was named Esquire magazine’s Chef of the Year. In 2002, he appeared in “40 Under 40,” Crain’s Chicago Business’ highly competitive list of who’s who in the city.
Chef McClain’s food had better be Zen perfect when he goes up against Iron Chef Marc Forgione in Battle: Tropical Ingredients.
Check below for the outcome.
[ad] Empty ad slot (#1)!
| Forgione | McClain | |
| Taste | 41 | 46 |
| Plating | 20 | 17 |
| Originality | 17 | 20 |
| Total | 78 | 83 |
Adam Richman’s “Best Sandwich in America”
“Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America” Embarks on the Ultimate National Competition for the Title of Tastiest
New Original Series Premieres with Back-to-Back Episodes
on Wednesday, June 6 at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., ET/PT on Travel Channel
Viewer’s Choice for Wildcard Sandwich Kicks Off Today on Travelchannel.com
CHEVY CHASE, MD (April 11, 2012) – Travel Channel fan-favorite Adam Richman has sampled countless variations of this delectable and ingenious American icon, and now he is crisscrossing the country on a mission to find the most delicious sandwich ever created. “Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America,” premiering Wednesday, June 6 at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., ET/PT, is an 11-episode weekly series (10 half-hour shows with a special one-hour finale), which documents Richman’s nationwide quest to find the best thing since sliced bread ON sliced bread. Using his own BITE SCALE (B=Bread, I=Interior, T=Taste, E=Eating Experience), Richman samples and judges the three most mouthwatering masterpieces a region has to offer. After naming a regional favorite in 10 geographical locales, each winning sandwich moves to the finals, to face off against each other and two secret wildcards – earning a chance to compete in the ultimate national championship – and fight for the title of “Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America.” Travel Channel fans will also have the opportunity to participate in the show. Starting today, viewers can log on to travelchannel.com to vote for a wildcard sandwich to compete in the running for “best sandwich in America.” (Click HERE to cast your vote).
“All of Travel Channel’s shows have an underlying thread of travel through every storyline,” said Andy Singer, General Manager, Travel Channel. “’Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America’ is a travel series that transforms locally known hot spots into iconic travel destinations through the lens of local pride, the city, the people and, of course, their local hero – the sandwich.”
In the first episode of the season premiere at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT, Richman journeys to the Northeast, visiting Pennsylvania and New York. Which sandwich will come out on top in this region? No spoilers given here. Viewers will have to watch to find out.
- Primanti Brothers is the true taste of Pittsburgh! With over 20 mega-sized sandwiches on the menu, one of the best is The Cap & Egg. The sandwich is loaded capicola, coleslaw, a runny egg, tomatoes and a handful of hand-cut fries in between hand sliced Italian bread.
- Inside Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, Tommy DiNic’s roast pork and beef creations are culinary masterpieces. The Roast Pork Sandwich consists of slow roast pork, aged provolone, roasted peppers and greens and is dripping with juice.
- Katz’s has been New York’s most famous deli since 1888, recreating the flavors of the Old World. Katz’s Corned Beef and Pastrami Sandwich is smoked to juicy perfection and the meat is hand carved to your specifications. This New York staple is typically eaten on rye bread with mustard but Richman’s favorite way to eat this sandwich is with Russian dressing and coleslaw.
In the second episode of the season premiere at 9:30 p.m., ET/PT, Richman travels to the Gulf Coast, visiting Louisiana and Florida. The sandwich contenders in this region include:
- Domilise’s Po-Boy and Bar is a no frills, hole-in-the-wall restaurant that is a New Orleans must-eat. All ingredients are fresh and delicious, but a favorite at Domilise’s is the Shrimp Po Boy fully dressed with pickles. Add loads of fresh shrimp straight from the fry basket onto a loaf of locally made bread, and make sure it gets dressed with tomato, lettuce, and creole mustard with some pickles to top it off.
- Aguila Sandwich Shop in Tampa is a family run sandwich shop known for their authentic Cuban cuisine. Owner, Mario Aguila, makes sure his sandwiches areassembled true to form, back to the way they were originally made. The MediaNoche is similar to the well-known Cubano, but with a sweeter variety of bread. It’s stacked with cooked ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, mayo, mustard and pickles.
- Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa has a menu filled with Floridian favorites and fresh catches. A favorite here is the Grouper Reuben. The sandwich has a filet of grouper topped with melted Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing, and warm sauerkraut placed between two slices of marble rye bread.
VOTE FOR THE WILDCARD CONTENDER: Kicking off today, viewers can go to travelchannel.com to vote (click HERE) for one of the top five sandwich contenders submitted by fans to compete as a wildcard in the national competition for “Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America.” Voting will close on Thursday, April 19, 2012. The sandwich with the top votes will be revealed as one of the wildcard contenders in the season finale airing on Wednesday, August 15, 2012
“Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America” is based on an idea by Adam Richman and produced by Sharp Entertainment for Travel Channel.
ICA: Garces vs. Raij
Iron Chef Jose Garces, paired with mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, faces off against Chef Alexandra Raij, paired with mixologist Charlotte Voisey. Chef Raij owns two New York City tapas restaurants, Txikito and El Quinto Pino. Judges are Michael Ruhlman, Dina Manzo and Adam Richman.
Tony Abou-Ganim was featured on the Iron Chef America competition with Mario Batali, “Battle Mango.” He parlayed that into demonstrating the art of cocktail preparation on the Fine Living Network (now the Cooking Channel) program “Raising the Bar: America’s Best Bar Chefs,” grew up in the bar business, learning the craft from his cousin Helen David at the Brass Rail Bar in Port Huron, Michigan.
Alexandra Raij along with Eder Montero are the chefs and owners of Txikito, the acclaimed Basque restaurant in Chelsea. Txikito is a love letter to a region whose cuisine is distinguished by simplicity and excellence in both ingredients and techniques. It is an unencumbered cuisine, one where humble ingredients like beans and peppers share the same value at the table as aged farmhouse cheeses, pristine fish and seafood, and unique breeds of lamb and cattle. Check out this interview with Chef Raij from GlutonForLife.com.
Charlotte Voisey has run bars in Barcelona, Buenos Aires and London. In 2002, with the Gorgeous Group, Charlotte opened classic cocktail bar Apartment 195 in London and soon after was named UK Bartender of the Year. In 2005 Charlotte was invited to guest bartend at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic and consequently fell in love with the US cocktail community, one year later Charlotte officially made the move stateside to represent her favorite spirit, Hendrick’s Gin.
The battle was Tequila and Tortillas. Check below for the outcome.
[ad] Empty ad slot (#1)!
Garces Raij
Taste: 44 Taste: 39
Plating: 20 Plating: 13
Originality: 19 Originality: 14
Total: 83 Total: 66
Is the Brick Pit the Best Que in the South?
In a state that is a veritable melting pot of BBQ styles there is a joint that just may out shine the best in the nation. While the north end of the state has a style similar to Memphis the east trends towards the high vinegar sauces of the Carolinas. Of course there is also that unique “Alabama White” sauce made famous by Big Bob Gibson’s.Now in South Alabama most folks are drawn to the Kansas City style of barbecue imploring well smoked meats with a sweet/smokey tomato based sauce and there is one place that does it better than the rest, The Brick Pit.
The “Pit” is just blocks from the campus of the University of South Alabama and it 
looks like a BBQ joint should. In a word, shabby. Uneven floor, wobbly tables and the walls, corner posts and even the ceiling is covered with graffiti. It is a custom to sign the walls whenever you visit. The walls are also adorned with awards, national write-ups and pictures of all the of football players and coaches that frequent the week of the Senior Bowl.
The Brick Pit is on virtually every “Top 100″ lists out there and they have been profiled on national TV numerous times. The menu is simple: pulled pork, brisket, chicken and Mobile’s favorite ribs. They are tender from smoking not from boiling, steaming or roasting. Low and slow just like they’re supposed to be. The sides are the usual suspects – slaw, potato salad and baked beans. Que is available dry or with a helping of their classic KC style sauce. The Brick Pit may not be the best BBQ joint in the country but it is definitely on the short list.
Check out this clip from the Travel Channel’s Man vs Food Nation hosted by Adam Richman.
