ICA: Flay vs Torres
Another rerun. I guess we won’t get any new ICA’s until after NFNS and Next Iron Chef 3 are done. Too bad as it is still the best food contest on TV by a mile. Why? Because it is the only one that is just about food. Here’s what reality-tv-online.com had to say about Flay vs. Torres:
Tonight was an “Iron Chef America” challenge between Chef Sue Torres and Iron Chef Bobby Flay. The secret ingredient was bananas. The judges were author Mark Bittman (a first time judge on ICA), Isabel Gonzalez (from InStyle magazine), and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi. Where are Ted Allen and Jeffrey Steingarten? I miss them!
Iron Chef Flay presented five dishes: plantain crusted snapper (which Isaac said was complex and delicious), banana curry (which Isabel felt was too sweet but Mark disagreed), plantain tamale, banana dessert duo (which Isaac felt was too salty), and banana sundae.
Chef Torres also presented five dishes: plantain tacos with tuna (Isabel though the plantain was the perfect receptacle), tacos al pastor (Isaac felt the flavors were delicious but questioned whether the pork was undercooked), plantain gordita, plantain crusted halibut (which Isaac raved was the best dish of the night), and caramelized bananas.
CAUTION: Beyond here there be spoilers.
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Flay Torres
Taste: 26 Taste: 23
Plating: 12 Plating: 12
Originality: 14 Originality: 13
Total: 52 Total: 48
ICA: Cora vs. Grieveson
There was no new Iron Chef this past Sunday so we’re stuck with a rerun this week. It is Battle: Butter between Iron Chef Cat Cora and challenger Koren Grieveson.
The judges for the episode were Isaac Mizrahi, Clint Arthur and Elizabeth Blau a group that was labeled by one poster at ChowHound as the “Worst Panel of Judges Ever.” It appears many ICA fans had issues with this episode suggesting it was fixed, declaring a secret ingredient like “butter” lame and calling it Battle Lesbian because both competitors are gay. I find this distasteful. The sexual orientation of the competitors is not at all important.
However, at least one site, Velvet Park (subtitled Dyke Culture in Bloom) celebrated the episode solely because of the contestants’ sexual orientation. Tell me, how is that any different than those who discriminate against people for the same reason? I can tell you; it isn’t any different. In fact it’s worse; it’s hypocritical. Bigotry is bigotry. Between a bigot and a hypocrite give me the bigot, at least you can count on them to tell the truth.
Any way Koren Grieveson is the chef de cuisine at avec in Chicago and according to the restaurant’s web site she, “developed her singular style and meticulous palate during a five-year partnership with Executive Chef Paul Kahan at Blackbird restaurant, where she served as Sous Chef from 1998 until 2003. Working with the collaborative chef, Grieveson was part of the team that launched Blackbird onto the world stage, earning the restaurant accolades for its extraordinary cuisine.”
And the winner is . . .
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a tie.
