While reading up on the scully cap I noticed, like many Wikipedia entries, not only was the included picture of  poor quality, it was just some random dude with a stupid look on his face.  Figuring he probably uploaded it himself, I’m embracing the power of the internet and am making accurate, St. Louis specific updates to food-related Wikipedia entries.

I begin with Barista for three reasons…

1. There wasn’t a current barista photo.
2. I love coffee and was trying to find an entry that was currently without a picture for sticking power.
3. Although the barista in the photo,  Alex Brooks, is no longer a barista in St. Louis, he is a friend of mine and often wears a scully cap–which I now know is more accurately called a flat cap.

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St. Louis Specific Updates to Food-Related Wikipedia Entries #1: Barista

I’m assuming three women* run the blog Blogging Top Chef, and they’ve got some posts about the Top Chef tour that rolled into Whole Foods the other day.  If that’s the kind of thing you’re interested in, you can read about it.

* I’m assuming it’s three women because their profile lists three people: Chef Biatch, Chef Back Burner and Sous Chef Humor.  Plus they have the following About Me on their profile: In our kitchen breasts, buns, and brains aren’t just ingredients! So stop staring at our boobs and go read the blog.

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Some

You know when you’re watching the Final Four and you feel like you’re going to vomit? With fifteen seconds to go your team–the one you’ve been rooting for all season–is up two points but the opponent has control of the ball, and they’re driving slowly down court hoping to hit a three at the precise moment that leaves your team unable to respond.

For five minutes Wednesday night that’s how I felt.

I thought I was going to puke. My stomach was in a knot and those wily bastards at Bravo had edited their silly show in a way that left me concerned for the fate of my television. Ellie and I were on edge. We were ready to throw things.

Lisa was looking good. My boy Richard was down. Could Stephanie hang on for the win?

Of course before all that there were 50 minutes to precede my nausea and they were filled with the highlights and hilarity that keep us foodie-reality TV dorks coming back for more. Like, say, Dan Barber!

I knew it was him the minute I saw the back of his head. And of course that’s the way it should be. He is after all my culinary-man-crush. As strange as he looks (and Ellie confirmed he looks strange), he didn’t look so bad next to Eric Ripert and his wide-legged male-in-a-hot-kitchen-with-an-irritated-crotch-itch stance. Somebody needs to buy that guy some Gold Bond.

It was nice to see Eric Ripert excited about the liquid nitrogen stuff. His humbleness about the ability to continue learning even at his stage in the game should not be overlooked. Plus it is “cool” though Richard is diluded if he thinks less than a dozen people (or whatever he said) do those sorts of things. In fact you can see it locally at Niche because they possess a tank of their own.

And Lisa, sweet Lisa. How did you get so far, and what was all that mumbo jumbo you said about cooking happy making the food taste better? Hopefully you’ll sit down and watch the whole series over to see what you really taste like. Which reminds me, if anyone ever gets the opportunity to meet Lisa, please ask her a question for me. She said the traits of her personality come through in her food and I just have to know what bitchy tastes like.

In the end it was a bittersweet finale. It’s no secret I’d been rooting for Richard all along. It was his to lose and to watch him choke so hard was grueling. Funny how they edited that last little bit making it seem as if he was going to take a stab at someone. They had we worried because he’d seemed super professional throughout the season. And he stayed that way as he pointed out himself that what he put up wasn’t going to cut it. Outside of Harold he seems like the one person that’s been on Top Chef that will capitalize on the exposure most.

I hope, however, that I’m wrong. Stephanie was an awesome cook too. She was consistent all season, even if she did a lot of second guessing. I’d even made some comment to Ellie in the first couple episodes that she needed to settle down. Obviously it worked out for her though, and for those of us in St. Louis, it’s time to cross your fingers that she opens a restaurant. Chicago is close and we can get there in no time.

stlbites.com play of the game: When Stephanie tasted her cake she did so with a Gray Kunz Spoon proving I did not simply pull that out of my ass when I posted about it.

Till next time, it’s Project Runway time!

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Top Chef Finale

Tofu Steak Marinated in Beef Fat with Green Curry

I didn’t get a chance to comment on last week’s episode and I wanted to because I’m sorry but that tofu thing actually sounded really good.

Of everything I’ve ever seen made on Top Chef that was the one dish that for me was the most intriguing. Whether or not you get off on the whole weird food world or not, Richard, visually, is putting up some interesting food, and where some people make wacky dishes that come off forced or senseless, his seem to be derived from some Wonka-world he’s built a house in and thrived in a way that somehow does make sense.

As Dan once said though, he’s totally a ringer and was even on starchefs.com three years ago.

Here also is a blog with a tasting menu from his time at the now shuttered Element in Atlanta proving he’s a little more advanced than some of the other cheftestants.

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A Bit on Blais

Not being an Oprah supporter I didn’t know who Art Smith was prior to tonight, but I have to say he was a great judge and the high point of the episode. He actually gave a lot of constructive criticism instead of grunting or oooing over the things he liked and disliked.

But then the cheftestants got nailed with a couple more ridiculous challenges. Fifteen minutes is a joke. Not to mention they really seem to be doing a lot of pandering this season not just with the product placement–which is just unbearable–but with the low-brow non-upscale semi-homemade Sandra Lee crowd I didn’t think was watching.  Clearly I was wrong, but are there really people that are going to try to make this crap at home?

As for the elimination challenge: $10 at Whole Foods. I buy crackers for $10 at Whole Foods. But then I don’t get to cheat by breaking off fennel tops (Though my one unruly non karma-loving tip is that portabella stems weigh a lot and you can’t do much with them. Figure that out for yourself.)

Nikkie’s theory: Kids don’t like Brussels sprouts.

My theory: Kids don’t like Brussels sprouts because kids haven’t tasted Brussels sprouts. And I think they proved that because it looks like the kids ate them.

Just like they ate the beets because beets are sugary sweet and delicious…why else would people refine sugar out of beets…walla!

“That’s just the tell tale sign of a restaurant chef that doesn’t cook at home very much,” said Gail.

Pretty sure it’s called Top Chef not Top Personal Chef or Top Home Cook or Top Parent Gail

Nikki totally thought Andrew was opening the door for her. He totally wasn’t.

Quote of the night courtesy of Andrew: I have a culinary boner right now.”

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Top Chef

I don’t like Good Eats. It annoys me. I don’t like when people take classic recipes and re-engineer them no matter how similar the end results and Alton Brown’s on screen personality–which grates on me in a way few can-leaves me feeling almost physically uncomfortable.

Still, I’d heard he could be sort of crude off-air and that the humor of Good Eats I find so obnoxious has a tendency for swiftly turning colorful in person. And so, against what I was hoping would not turn out to be my better judgment, Ellie and I went to see Alton Brown speak at The Ethical Society Sunday.

Out of the gate he lambasted the audience about it being our fault for making it possible for food celebrities to have obnoxious catch phrases like “bamm” and “yummo.” And the Rachel Ray digs didn’t stop there as he told us, with such a snide tone that it would be surprising to find out he was joking, that every box of Triscuits we buy supports Ray. He wanted to make sure we knew.

Mostly though, apart from some brief words about his new book, he gave the people what they wanted and fielded questions from the audience.

There were of course the usual stupid ones like: What’s your favorite restaurant; how much do the Iron Chef’s know; and what’s your favorite thing to cook?

But there were also stupid questions with better than average answers:

What is your death row meal?

“That’s an easy one…duck confit because it takes three days!”

What is your favorite dessert?

Wedding cake-but it’s expensive. He’s had two.

Apparently he also tried to make cheese with his wife’s breast milk but only succeeded in making butter.

The most interesting answers of the night, however, were the ones that garnered more serious responses.

Asked how he feels about organic food his answer was possibly the best I’ve ever heard to similarly phrased inquiries.

As he laid into organic stating his belief that “it doesn’t mean anything” he overcame the audience’s initial shock with incredible fervor as he went on to explain that the only two words he knows mean something are local and sustainable. He didn’t so much say it though as he shouted it forcefully with conviction. It was obviously something he had considered before and he further spoke of a map on his refrigerator with a 100 mile radius drawn around his home.

That’s a pretty standard Slow Food/locavore thing these days and he strives to purchase a certain percentage of his family’s food from within this radius.

In response to a Junior High teacher asking what skills her students should learn before moving onto high school he felt strongly that we’re not doing enough to teach children how to cook at an even younger age and in effect, by failing to prepare them to feed themselves, have consequently contributed to the obesity epidemic.

Speaking of his own daughter he told us a story about inviting her into the kitchen when she was five, giving her a knife, and turning to his wife saying “there will be blood.”

While the latter portion probably isn’t true, his stance on our need to feed ourselves is accurate, and he spoke of the previous generations of Americans when poor people could continue to eat fairly well because they raised and grew their own food to supplement the things they could afford. By ceasing to do this he believes we have lost the ability to feed ourselves as a people and he himself plans to dig up a portion of his backyard, put in a large garden, and get some chickens no matter what the local authorities have to say about it.

What someone like he can do to encourage people to purchase locally and sustainably is unmatched by even the likes of a Michael Pollan because, apart from what I suspect is an incredibly swell bank account, Brown has a captivated audience that sees him as one of us. His some-is-better-than-none approach to sustainability rather than the all-or-nothing one that Pollan and his peers sometimes seem to be preaching is the surest way to make the largest possible impact and I can only assume that the large Good Eats viewer demographic is far more diverse than that of The Omnivore’s Dilemma readership.

So while I won’t be purchasing any of his books or becoming a loyal viewer of his show, in a way I guess you could say Alton Brown won me over Sunday. I now understand that he is just a guy that loves food and wants to teach people to feed themselves rather than depending on others, and that’s something I can definitely get behind.

[flickr photo set]

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Alton Brown

Although I braced myself for a biased portrayal of the pork industry as it shifted from the lard type breeds of old to the lean “white” meat of the 80’s and 90’s; and they were a bit generous with their praise regarding the genetic engineering of hogs and made it sound almost like a good thing that you need to take showers before going into a CAFO operation; they did swing it around at the end showing an organic farm that raises Berkshire hogs and even fattens some of them on acorns in their final days.

Still, it was after showing some medcal uses for pig genetics like insulin and tissue repair that the episode steered into a direction I didn’t see coming: Chris Cosentino was on cooking offal at Incanto.

He cracked open a pigs head, poached the brain, and then sautéed it with mushrooms and capers.

The listing on The History Channel’s website also shows that Missouri’s Burger’s Smokehouse was also in the episode, but I missed the first ten minutes and it must have been in that segment as I didn’t see it.

It will air again May 7, and here’s the rundown on upcoming episodes of food-related interest:

• Whiskey – April 26
• Corn – May 5
• Farming Technology – May 6
• The Pig – May 7

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More Modern Marvels

Lest you forget, everyone’s favorite spastic Food Network celebrity will be at Left Bank Books this Saturday. More importantly, Bobby Flay will be in town next week as well.

If only he’d bring his wife.

Alton Brown w/ Left Bank Books

Promoting: Feasting on Asphalt
When: Sunday, April 27, 2008 4:00 P.M.
Where: The Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton, St. Louis, MO 63117

Bobby Flay @ Sur La Table

Promoting: Grill It!
When: Thursday, May 8, 2008 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M.
Where: Plaza Frontenac, 295 Plaza Frontenac, St. Louis, MO

Bobby Flay @ Left Bank Books

Promoting: Grill It!
When: Thursday, May 8, 2008 7:00 P.M.
Where: 399 N. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108

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Food Network Book Tours in the Lou

And speaking of challenges we’ve had two now that were aimed at lower brow food the chefs would most likely never serve in their restaurants. I didn’t get the impression that the Sandra Lee crowd was the mainstay of Top Chef viewership but perhaps I’m wrong.

Really though this show should be called Top Cook and not Top Chef because they’re judging cooking more than any of these people’s ability to lead. How could they have time to lead with all the constant posturing? It’s like stags fighting it out for a mate.

Never-the-less, spoilers…

If you didn’t catch it Jennifer is doing it for Zoi.

The quick fire judge was Koren Grieveson who is the chef at Avec and one of the other 2008 Food & Wine Best New Chef winners along with Gerard.

Paul Kahan is the chef/owner of Blackbird and Avec. He is Koren’s boss. He is cool as shit. He was a 1999 Food & Wine Best New Chef along with a few other folks you might have heard of like Rocco DiSpirito, John Besh and Suzanne Goin. He signed a menu for me once that says “cook what you love” and that concisely sums up dining in his restaurants of which I am a big fan. He and his chefs cook what they love and if you find yourself in Chicago you should go.

Was Tom serious with that scarf?

Wolfman: First the attitude, then the hats, and now the smug comment about not drinking beer because “it all tastes the same”; I hate you so much I’ve all but forgotten about The Tweaker.

And speaking of hats, why is it seemingly a Top Chef requirement to wear inappropriate things in the kitchen? Is it really that big a deal to dress like Stephanie and just put on a chef coat, some chef pants, some clogs, and go into the kitchen and cook? Do you really need $200 jeans, or goofy shoes, or ridiculous hats? It bugs me. Real chefs are like Fred Flinstone. When you look into their closests it’s all the same.

Also amongst my annoyances, why do all these people have to refer to everything they do as we? It is annoying. We didn’t do it. You did it, and by you that’s I or me.

As for this weeks winning and knife-packing…

Mark is an idiot “testicular fortitude” or not, and man did he look hung-over. I thought he was just going to drop during the grilling.

How do you run out of food before the judges have gotten some and not get cut; seriously? Not that I liked Ryan (nor did Rick Bayless) but at least he fed everyone his dishes no matter how out of place his “California Flare” might have been.

Since Manuel was cut unexpectedly Nikki is starting to get my new nod for the chef who will undeservingly hold out longer than expected. There’s just something about her and how she comes off a bit like a homemaker-gone-chef that annoys me. Her restaurant, 24 Prince, seems a bit odd as well with the pictures showing a seemingly swank restaurant space for a place that basically serves up what amounts to home-style comfort food.

And back to Ryan, was it just me or did they really hype the schmooze factor of his personality in this episode more than the others? Not that I was a fan but I hadn’t noticed how smug he was before and what a chatterbox of BS he apparently is.

Perhaps Josh Galliano will weigh in as I think he mentioned he was at Daniel at the same time as Ryan and they felt basically the way Rick Bayless did about him.

Last but not least: Dale. He understood the challenge and won. ’nuff said. Don’t miss the first paragraphs of Ted Allen’s blog this week regarding him, it’s hilarious.

And my favorites (not that you should care what I think)…

Richard is chatty, confident and likable. Stephanie is not chatty, confident and likable. Both are putting up consistently good food and it’s pretty clear these two are the ones to beat. They had better not step up and be the opposing chefs in Restaurant Wars though because we all know how that goes down don’t we Tre?

I’m pulling for Stephanie. She’s a solid cook, humble to a fault, and appears–visually anyway–to be putting up skillful food.

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Top Chef Spoilers

And don’t forget you can stream other food related interviews from the Charlie Rose back catalog as well like

• Mario Batali (Clog Man)
• Daniel Boulud (Frenchmen)
• Bill Buford (author of Heat who “gets it”)
• Julia Child (“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”)
• Alain Ducasse (3 Stars, 3 Countries)
• Wylie Dufresne (WD-50 Chef and lamb chop sideburn judge on Top Chef)
• Gray Kunz (Sexual Harassing former chef of Lespinasse)
• Sirio Maccioni (living legend)
• Marion Nestle (author of Food Politics)
• Robert Parker (Wine Advocate)
• Gordon Ramsey (Big Boy)
• Ruth Reichl (Gourmet)
• Eric Ripert (Le Bernardin bitches)
• Joel Robuchon (Chef of the Century)
• Jean-Georges Vongerichten (17 and Counting)
• Alice Waters (co-owner)
• and way way more……..

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Thomas Keller on Charlie Rose