TV Food Fan

Guest Editorial: Food Offerings Abound on DIRECTV

2011-10-28T15:13:00.000-04:00

Brought to you by tvbydirect.

Food television has been one of the most popular sorts of entertainment over the last number of years. It almost seems strange, actually, how very popular food television has become. Yet, whether people like to cook along to certain shows, or prefer competitive chef television for the sake of entertainment, these shows tend to bring in great ratings. In fact, the shows are often so popular that fans even look into tvbydirect offerings to gain access to more programs, or HD streaming of their favorite shows and channels, such as Food Network. If you, however, have never experienced the fun and interest of such channels, here are a few words on some of Food Network’s most popular shows.

Iron Chef – Perhaps the most popular show on Food Network, Iron Chef is based on a very successful Japanese cooking show of the same name. Essentially, it features a lineup of famous and/or impressive chefs who compete against each other to see who can make the best dish, with each chef using the same key ingredient. In recent years, the chef lineup has featured big names such as Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Marc Forgione, and several others. Generally, this is less of an imitation show and more of an entertainment competition, though it can still provide some very appealing recipe concepts for those inclined to challenge themselves in the kitchen.
The Best Thing I Ever Ate – This is a show that puts a bit of a spin on food television by showing you popular food that is available to you, rather than food that you can make. Essentially, the show features chefs picking out their favorite meals and foods in different categories, giving you specific ideas of where and what to eat if you want to experience what great chefs recommend. These people live for food, and they have ideas and opinions well worth considering!
30 Minute Meals With Rachel Ray – This is a show more geared toward people who want to either get new ideas for recipes or even cook while watching. Rachel Ray demonstrates a number of ways to create high quality, delicious meals at home in half an hour or less, which is a trick that not just anybody can master immediately. This is a great show to watch if you’re looking to expand your home menu and enhance your capabilities in the kitchen; though you may want to cook while you watch, because you’ll likely be hungry following an episode!

ES Takes a Look at the Hopefuls

2009-02-05T23:10:00.009-05:00

Check out the latest post over at Endless Simmer!

We take a look at the applicants for the upcoming season of The Next Food Network Star. Some of it isn't pretty.

Toby Young, Take Two

2009-01-20T20:51:00.000-05:00

Getting geared up for tomorrow's Top Chef? Then you'll want to go over to Endless Simmer to catch the latest Toby Young Insult Tracker.

Adam Gertler Goes "On The DL"

2009-01-19T20:14:00.000-05:00

It's been documented on this site that, while I do love me some food, there are a couple of other hobbies/interests that surpass it. The BIG one is sports. While I'm still smarting from the loss of my Eagles in the NFC championshiop yesterday, at least I can console myself with the memory that my Phillies are World F___ing Champions and I got to stand at Broad and South for the first parade in 25 years.

Because it's impossible to be a sports fan without becoming completely obsessed, there are a number of podcasts that I listen to regularly. One of the absolute best -- On the DL with Dan Levy -- has a Philly flair since he's in the area and a Fightin' Phillies fan as well, but his show focuses on sports media and he manages to snag some huge names, including ESPN's Tony Kornheiser, NFL Films' Steve Sabol and even Philly sports enthusiast Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. Dan and his co-host Nick are knowledgeable and the show is informative, fun and funny.

From time to time, the show also brings on some interesting non-sports folks, including a chat with Chuck Norris. So it was a pleasant surprise when I heard he was going to have The Next Food Network Star runner-up Adam Gertler (who also hails from the City of Brotherly Love) on to discuss his new show, Will Work for Food. He talks about the new show, his experience on Star and his experience owning a restaurant in Philly.

You can catch the episode on their site, but if your interested in sports, do yourself a favor and subscribe to the podcast while you're there.

Sandra Lee in D.C.?!?!

2009-01-18T14:46:00.000-05:00

Hey, maybe you're not a fan of Sandra Lee. But you've come to grips with your feelings about her because you know that she really has no access to the levers of power. What if you were no longer secure in that thought?

Sure, it' a long shot, but check out my latest entry on Endless Simmer to find out how she could expand her Semi-Homemad empire.

Simmering Away

2009-01-13T20:24:00.000-05:00

Hey, everyone. Sorry for the layoff. Yes, I'm a bad, bad blogger.

Enough of that, I'm going to make it up to you.

A while back...over a year ago, we pointed you to a great site called Endless Simmer which knocked our socks off at the time and which has churned out consistently top-notch food blog conent and which we've referenced in a number of our own posts here on TVFF. BS, gansie and the crew over there are the complete package when it comes to writing...prolific and good.

So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when, in the course of an e-mail conversation, they mentioned the possibility of contributing posts to what I think is one of the best and funniest food blogs around.

We're kicking off the party with a post on the newest judge to join the Top Chef stable. Swing over to ES and check out The Toby Young Insult Tracker, which analyzes and grades the British critic's attempts to put down the show's contestants.

Be sure to go check it out and, of course, bookmark and/or subscribe to Endless Simmer for all the great content, including some more stuff from TVFF.

Anyone Still Out There?

2009-01-11T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe you're still subscribing to the feed.

Anyway, we'll have some news for you in the very near future.

You may have thought TVFF was dead, but we're like one of those George Romero zombies, man. If you don't shoot us in the head, we don't stay down. That'll teach you.

Check back soon!

Mike

"Hey, is that...? Yes, it is!"

2008-09-30T18:51:00.000-04:00

Hola, everyone. Been busy around here lately, but you know how it is.

Anyway, I haven't been going in to work the past two days. Insteady, I've been taking a computer training class in Philly that doesn't start until 10:00, which means I'm heading into the city about an hour and a half later than usual. It's nice...there are fewer commuters at this point so it's pretty relaxing. Plug in the headphones, fire up the This American Life podcast and zone out.

That's what I was up to when I was standing on the PATCO train going over the Delaware River this morning. I casually glanced around the car, looking at a couple of the riders. One of them caught my eye, though, and I immediately thought to myself, "Hey, is that...?"

Yep

That's right...the fellow sitting there in the sunglasses is Aaron McCargo!

(Don't worry -- his companion did actually have a face. I just didn't want to subject her to my staker-azzi photo, so I blurred her out. )

He was obviously in a conversation, so it didn't feel right to swoop in and ask for a photo, hence the surreptitious iPhone picture. But he did see me and I gave him a bit of a "head nod of recognition" that he returned and flashed a quick smile, which was nice.

My Guess: The Pancetta Cologne Makes Him Irresistible

2008-09-22T20:31:00.000-04:00

Perhaps in celebration of the debut of his Spanish food show, it appears that Mario Batali is singing a little "Besame Mucho" to rock star/humanitarian Bono in this photo over at Best Week Ever.

The show, Spain...on the Road Again (which would probably be even cooler if it featured Willie Nelson) debuts this coming weekend in the Philadelphia market...go here for your locale. The DVR is officially set and ready to go.

TV Food Fan Mentioned in Baltimore Sun's Article on Geof Manthorne

2008-09-17T17:00:00.001-04:00

Regular readers of the site know about our man-crush on Ace of Cakes Renaissance man Geof Manthorne, which goes back to the early days of this site. So it was a pleasant surprise when we got a call from Jill Rosen, a reporter at the Baltimore Sun, for our take on what makes Geof so appealing.

We were more than happy to weigh in on the topic and you can see the results in the article, 'Ace of Cakes' fans have a thing for bakery artist Geof Manthorne, which is up on the Sun's site. Be sure to check out the whole thing...with special attention to the last couple of paragraphs, of course!

Charm City

2008-09-16T21:51:00.000-04:00

Busy travelling today...

I did do a drive by of Baltimore en route to Washington. Sorry, no Duff sighting, but they do have a very colorful bridge. My "iPhone-photo-from-a-moving-train" image doesn't do it justice. I'll just wait for Charm City Cakes to do a pastry version of it. Seriously, though...anyone down there know what the deal is with this thing?

From Blog Images

The Best Feast Yet?

2008-09-15T15:52:00.001-04:00

It just might be.

We really enjoyed the first two shots of Feasting, mostly because of the fact that it really presented a program that looked and felt like nothing else that was on the Network. But, truth be told, Alton and his crew were visiting places that looked somewhat familiar to American audiences. Sure, we may not have deep fried pig brains here in New Jersey, but this wasn't exactly a different world we were talking about. All that is different this year.

I think the real, "hidden" secret to this year is the fact that there seems to be less preperation on the crew's part and that they're also beholden to the winds, so we get the occasional detour.

In past years, the squad went from location to location, visiting real, authentic places that, nonetheless, were probably aware of the Food Network, and possibly even with Alton himself. I don't think that's the case this year, and it feels like more of a discovery...similar to what we see in some of the better food/travel shows.

The real tip-off for this was the fact that, during last night's episode (number 2 on the season), there was a little back-and-forth between Alton and his host about the fact that they knew about Rachael Ray (and Alton play-acted that he'd never heard of her). The fact that they included this episode and that Alton seemed genuinely a little surprised leads me to belive that they didn't hear a lot of, "Hey, you guys are from Food Network!" while making the rounds. Their ability to travel incognito lends the show a level of authenticity we haven't seen before.

Marcel Busted for Suspicion of DUI, Hair Only Slightly Less Fantastic in Mug Shot

2008-08-27T21:45:00.000-04:00

OK. Let's be clear. Drunk driving is not funny. Drunk driving mug shots, however, are hysterical.

You may remember Marcel Vigneron from Top Chef a couple of years ago. He was the one with the cartoon character-like hair and soul-piercing glare. Now you get to see him in a slightly different light, thanks to the mug shot currently up at Grub Street. The folks over at GS have a very good point when they compare the pokey photo favorably to the publicity shot from TC.

Ahhh...celebrity mug shots. Perhaps no greater treat has been brought to us by the Internet than these schadenfreude-laden glimpses of fame gone wrong. And, although Marcel has not made their hall of shame, the alpha and omega of online celeb mug shot sites is, without a doubt, The Smoking Gun.

I'm guessing that many of you know about the site, but those of you who don't (or anyone who is up for a good chuckle) should swing by the mug shot page. It's hours and hours of fun. Unfortunately, I think they missed a golden opportunity to let visitors rate their faves, but you just can't go wrong when you click around on a list like that. In case you're wondering, my all-time fave is Nick Nolte.

A quick scan doesn't seem to reveal any food TV personalities. So, Marcel, congratulations on your potentially groundbreaking achievement!

Really? Because He Doesn't Seem the Kind of Guy to Pander or Sell Out.

2008-08-25T12:38:00.000-04:00

Hey, I bet you're wondering what Rocco DiSpirito has been up to since his Bertolli-pitching appearance on Top Chef. Or maybe you were just hoping he had gone away, never to be heard from again. I know I felt a little bit of each. And now I feel like a sucker.

Why? Because Rocco is slated to be a contestant on the next edition of Dancing with the Stars.

Rocco DiSpirito: This 42 year old American chef will have to leave his homebase of New York city to compete in D.W.T.S. Rocco is another product of reality T.V. He stared in the show "The Restaurant" which followed him and his mother during the opening of their restaurant, "Rocco's 22nd Street". He also competed in "the Biggest Loser: Couples" and was a guest judge and sous-chef in "Top Chef". Viewers always like to see people with strong personalities on the show. Rocco may fit right in. His reality T.V. show "Rocco's 22nd Street" ended with disagreements with his financier, Jeffrey Chodorow. Rocco also hosted his own radio show a few years ago, but that too ended due to "creative differences".

Great...now I can add "dancing" to my ongoing list ("cooking," "talking," "anything") of things I don't want to watch Rocco DiSpirito doing on my TV.

Hat Tip to Emily for passing this fun bit of info my way.

Video Games + Iron Chef America = Awesome?!?!?

2008-08-22T20:24:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to lie. It's my secret fantasy to be a video game character at some point. Every year, you'll read an article abou thow jazzed some football rookie is about the fact that he's actually a part of the latest version of Madden. It's funny, because the article usually starts out about how thrilled the player is, and it then quickly moves on to how said player is angry that he did not receive a high enough rating in the game. Such is life.

So, does that mean we'll be hearing about Mario Batali complaining that his knife skills aren't up to his standards with the soon-to-be-released Wii version of Iron Chef America?

Alas, the TVFF household does not feature a Wii, and my video game playing is at an all time low these days, so it's unlikely we'll be providing a review. But, we do make a point to swing by the Best Buy and jam on "Guitar Hero" whenever I can (much to Mrs. TVFF's dismay), so I'll be on the lookout in the mall this autumn!

iPhone/Food Network Users - Call for Submissions

2008-08-21T12:01:00.000-04:00

Hey...are there any iPhone users out there who have tried out the Food Network iPhone web application?

If so, drop me a note at mike@tvfoodfan.com and let me know what you think of it, how useful you find it and any other general impressions you have. Thanks!

Hey, What'd I Tell Ya?!?

2008-08-18T20:39:00.000-04:00

Philly chef wins on ‘Iron Chef’

Good for you, Jose

Somewhere, Lidia Bastianich is Quietly Weeping

2008-08-18T17:00:00.000-04:00

OK...this may be a bit off-topic, but we'll just interepret the site's stated mission of "food TV" a little more liberally today if that's all right with you.

You know that I like to complain at length about any perceived "dumbing-down" of food content on television programs. Usually, that takes the form of mindless shortcuts (like pre-minced garlic), but I have to think that the ability to boil water and successfully place an ingredient into said boiling water is about as simple a process as exists in the real of cooking. And yet...

The folks at Best Week Ever manage to capture my exact feelings, so just go ahead and read this. (Warning: lightly-edited naughty language)

And...welcome back. Are you as angry as I am? Good. And I managed to find this on a day when I'll be cooking pasta for dinner. I think that makes it all the more revolting.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the Pasta 'N More is, in fact, not the biggest affront to Italian culinary heritage currently on the market. That honor would belong to the Pasta Express, which doesn't even require you to boil the noodles in water. Nope, just fill 'er up with hot water and let it...steep? Be sure to watch the "webmercial," which I swear is actually worse than the one for the Pasta 'N More.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE leave a comment or send us a note (anonymously, if you feel that you must preserve your honor) if you've ever had the good fortune to be served pasta from one of these devices.

"Sea Monster Week" (Yes, You Read That Correctly) on Original Iron Chef

2008-08-15T15:00:00.001-04:00

As much as we enjoy watching Mark Dacascos doing back-blips on Iron Chef America, we miss the good old days of the Japanese original from time to time. When we get particularly nostalgic, we'll swing over to Fine Living, which runs episodes of the classic series.

The folks over at Fine Living are very good to us at TVFF. There was the Shopping with Chefs event in NYC that we got to check out. And, in general, they reach out to us on a regular basis. My point is that they are very focused on selling their portfolio of food programs, and that apparently goes for both their original series as well as Iron Chef, because we got a note from them telling us about their special, themed weeks that start next Monday, August 18 at 8 p.m. with "Sea Monster Week."

What's the catch of the day?

Sea Monster Week will feature lots of crazy underwater creatures, starting with Battle Octopus on Monday 8/18, then Battle King Crab, Battle Giant Eel, and Battle Squid, before the formidable Battle Ashura Oyster on Friday 8/22.

According to the folks at Fine Living, this will actually be the first of five weeks of themed program blocks.

Julia Child a Spy?!?

2008-08-14T08:37:00.001-04:00

So says CNN.

Word is she could kill a man with a whisk.

Bond had Le Chiffre. Julia had Le Chiffonade.

OK...enough with the bad jokes?

Also on the list was Sterling Hayden, who appeared in two of the greatest movies of all time, as Gen. Jack D. Ripper ("Mandrake, have you ever seen a Commie drink a glass of water?") in Dr. Strangelove and Cpt. McCluskey (the cop who Michael Corleone whacks in the Italian restaurant) in The Godfather.

If She Ran the Show, the "Satelite of Love" Would Have Been Beautifully Decorated

2008-08-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

Despite her cold-as-ice reputation, it seems like Martha Stewart isn't afraid to laugh...at herself.

That's the premise of a new show that will air on Fine Living.

Can Martha Stewart take a pie in the face — even one she baked herself? Fine Living Network is about to find out.

On Sept. 16, Fine Living will unveil a new original comedy series built around a provocative premise: mocking Ms. Stewart. For a half hour, two hosts will critique — in “candid and often acerbic” language, according to the channel — old clips from her 1990s cooking and craft show. Fine Living, part of the E. W. Scripps Company, calls the series “Whatever, Martha!”

That's nice. It's always reassuring when a celebrity can be down to earth. But, really, being popular enough to base a whole program on your persona didn't really make me feel warm and tingly.

And then I read this:

Martha Stewart is not widely known for her sense of humor. But she is in on this particular joke. In fact, she created it, dreaming up the premise after watching reruns of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” during a sleepless night. That series, produced from 1988 to 1999, delivered sarcastic commentary about old horror movies, and had blossomed into a cable cult hit.

Wait a minute -- Martha is a MSTie!?!? Oh, man...my respect for her just went through the roof.

Food Network to Get "Butter"-ed Up

2008-08-07T17:00:00.002-04:00

Despite the fact that nearly all of the amateur contestants on The Next Food Network Star have managed to snag some sort of job at Food Network, it's not just home chefs that have been joining the FN ranks. First, we had Anne Burrell start up a new show (which we at TVFF like, although we could do with a little less over-the-top grunting/sound effects from time to time). Now it's the chef from New York City's Butter, Alexandra Guarnaschelli, who has a show coming up. Must be a good time to be a female chef from NYC!

The show is called The Cooking Loft. That' not to be confused with Anne Taylor Loft, which is where I sit and wait uncomfortably while Mrs. TVFF tries on outfits.

Details? Here's the press release:

Welcome to The Cooking Loft, home of Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli’s innovative and inventive cooking class. This successful restaurant chef invites four students into her cooking loft to learn her secrets and ask the kinds of questions at-home viewers would want to know the answers to. Beginning Saturday, August 30th at 9:30AM ET/PT Alex invites everyone to roll up their sleeves and learn first-hand how a pro puts her own unique spin on basic cooking techniques to elevate America's favorite dishes. Each week, Alex breaks down food topics like pasta, seasonal fruit, tomatoes, pizza, turkey, breakfast, holiday cookies, and apples to reveal easy and accessible techniques. The Cooking Loft is loaded with timesaving tips and tricks viewers won't want to miss!

Episodes include:
Premiering August 30th at 9:30am ET/PT – You Say Tomato
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s idea of retail therapy includes visiting the greenmarket to find the best seasonal produce. She entices her students with a bounty of tomatoes and teaches them how to use the fruit throughout an entire meal. With dishes like Seared Steak that’s drenched in a fresh Tomato Sauce, Tomato and Watermelon Salad with strawberries, and Stuffed Tomatoes with Caramel and Ice Cream for dessert, no matter how you say tomato, your taste buds will be tantalized!

Premiering September 6th 9:30am ET/PT – This Bird’s Got Range
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli feels there are endless ways to prepare chicken. She’s sharing her all-time favorites to teach the students, including Crunchy Fried Chicken with a sour cream and mustard marinade, and surprisingly juicy Flattened Chicken Breast with a sweet and tangy Marmalade and a side of sautéed Wilted Romaine. After this lesson at The Cooking Loft, you’ll be a certified poultry pro.

Premiering September 13th at 9:30am ET/PT – Sweet and Fruity
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli teaches her students how to turn the best fruits of the season into amazing desserts. She shares a few simple tricks to working with fruit and demonstrates elegant and irresistible recipes like Stovetop Peaches with Streusel and Zesty Sour Cream and Almond Cream and Strawberry Parfait.

Premiering September 20th at 9:30am ET/PT – Perfect Pasta
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli throws a pasta party at the loft to teach her students unique takes on traditional pasta dinners. Bubbling Macaroni and Cheese with breadcrumbs and Cavatappi Pasta with Spicy Yellow Tomato Sauce are sure to be recipes that will make many repeat appearances.

Adam Gets a Job (And Has Strange Cosmic Connection to My Previous Post)

2008-08-04T17:00:00.001-04:00

Thought you were done with The Next Food Network Star's Adam? Think again! According to a Food Network press release:

Adam Gertler shared his humorous take on food throughout the most recent season of The Next Food Network Star. Now, he pairs his comedic timing with an adventurous spirit in the new Food Network series, Will Work for Food. Currently in production, the series will premiere on Tuesday, September 30th at 9:30pm ET/PT. The half-hour primetime series exposes Adam to the world of little-known food jobs, as he puts his life – and mouth – on the line to try them all!

“On The Next Food Network Star Adam exhibited a unique combination of quick wit, passion for food and an engaging personality,” said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. “He earned millions of fans across the country who have let us know that we have a second star in our midst. We feel this series is a perfect fit for his talents, letting him showcase his brand of humor while he works for food.”

Will Work for Food follows Adam on a fearless journey to learn about a wide variety of unique food jobs. Throughout the series, Adam will introduce viewers to the people who do this work the best, as he learns the tricks of the trade and tries everything firsthand. Whether he’s protecting his fingers while feeding sharks, closely examining potato chips for flaws or trying his hand as a dog food taste tester, Adam will stop at nothing to learn how each job is done.

Adam's background as an actor meant that he was pretty good on camera, so it's nice to know he's got a spot doing something for the Network. And, hey...Guy Fieri is better known now for his non-cooking program DD&D, so Adam could be the winner in the long run.

Speaking of which, Aaron's new show debuted this week. Although I thought it was fairly well put-together, the chicken finger salad recipe was a weak effort for the first episode. Doritos!?!? Ugh. He was pretty good on camera, though, and the kid was cute.

So, we know that Adam's back in it. The funny thing is that, if you check out the recap of the Philadelphia Inquirer story about this over at Foobooz (one of my favorite sites for all things Philly food and, well, booze), you'll see that they mention where Adam has been waiting tables since his place closed down. That restaurant would be...........Amada.

Philly Chef Jose Garces to Take on Iron Chef Bobby Flay

2008-07-31T21:08:00.000-04:00

It's a good time for folks from The City of Brotherly Love on Food Network.

First, we had Adam and Aaron as two of the three finalists for The Next Food Network Star. Now we get word that Philly culinary star Chef Jose Garces will be taking on Bobby Flay in an upcoming installment of Iron Chef America.

Regular readers of TVFF may recognize the name of Chef Garces, as I've mentioned him a couple of times in the past. His Spanish tapas restaurant, Amada, is an absolute delight. His second, Tinto, is also very good and only a few blocks from TVFF's Philadelphia Branch Office. This guy is the real deal, and it's going to be a lot of fun to see him in action.

Here's the press release:

On Sunday, August 17, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Philadelphia’s Chef Jose Garces will become the city’s first chef-ambassador to Food Network’s “Kitchen Stadium” – as a challenger on the massively popular series “Iron Chef America.”

“It is an honor and a thrill to be chosen to compete against Bobby Flay, who is considered one of the world’s finest culinary talents,” says Chef Garces. “I admire each of the Iron Chefs, and I’m so proud to have shared their kitchen and brought my food up against the best of the best.”

The chefs are given one hour to complete five dishes, which must each include the “secret” ingredient that is revealed to them at the beginning of the challenge. At the conclusion of the hour, the chefs present their dishes to a trio of judges who score each competitor on taste, presentation and originality.

“The energy in Kitchen Stadium inspired me,” says Chef Garces, “and I feel that I put my very best food forward. I can’t wait for viewers to watch the show and feel the excitement that I felt while competing.”
For one week after the episode airs, Chef Garces will share the dishes he prepared on the show with diners at his restaurants; each will offer a special Iron Chef Menu comprised of the five dishes that he created for the competition.

At age 36, Chef Jose Garces has fast become one of the country’s most distinguished chefs, a reputation that he solidified with the tremendous success of his first restaurant Amada, an authentic Andalusian tapas bar, which opened to rave reviews in Fall 2005. He further reinforced this standing with his second venture Tinto, a wine bar inspired by Basque country, the coastal and mountainous region shared by Spain and France, which was one of the city’s most highly anticipated restaurants when it opened in March 2007.

In March 2008, Garces launched Mercat a la Planxa, a Barcelona-style tapas restaurant in Chicago, his hometown. Most recently, Garces oversaw the opening of a third Philadelphia restaurant, Distrito, a spirited celebration of the culture and cuisine of Mexico City. His first cookbook, Latin Evolution (Lake Isle Press), will be released in September 2008.

Called the “Latin Emeril” for his wide smile and educational approach to food, Garces is a two-time nominee for the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic” award, and has long been an ambassador of contemporary Latin cuisine. He has appeared in The New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and Wall Street Journal.

For more information on Chef Jose Garces and his four acclaimed restaurants, or to make a reservation at any of them, please visit www.garcesgroup.com. “Iron Chef America” will air on Sunday, August 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network.

Both photos courtesy of Food Network

Reader Report: Top Chef Live

2008-07-29T16:00:00.000-04:00

We always like it when we get a little feedback from our readers, so we were excited when we got an e-mail from Zach out in Arizona about a trip that he made to the local installment of the Top Chef Live tour. He said that he read the write-up we posted here on TVFF and wanted to share his experience (and the image below).

Now, Zach is a serious foodie. ("I watch “Food TV” like a crack addict. I want to name my first daughter "Giada". My friends have given me "Lunchbox" as my nickname.") He and his wife, Lynn, were able to score tickets to the 8:30 a.m. (now that's dedication) show in Phoenix. Take it away, Lunchbox!

We were only able to find one person to go with us for such an early demo, so our friend Heather agreed to get up early and head downtown to the show. That just meant that one more person from the waiting list would get into the trailer. Former contestants Casey Thompson and Betty Fraser were scheduled to appear. We were excited at the prospect of meeting Casey. However a quick check of the website a day before gave us the real lineup of Richard Blais and Betty. I was excited to see Richard cook with smoke and aromatics and get super crazy in the kitchen. I would be disappointed in the end, but more on that in a min.

It was cool to see them in person and not stressed out from competition. I’ve attached a picture of me Lynn and Heather inside the trailer. We’re in the second row and I’m the guy making the goofy face with the thumbs up. The picture came from the girl sitting in front of Lynn's chair... I of course made that face and when she checked the picture she gave me a few chuckles and promised to email me. I told her my email address, never thinking I would actually see the picture. So mad props to Holly for actually sending it to me...

So Blais and Betty come in and they're 2 feet away from us and very enthusiastic for being so early in the morning. Betty started the demo by starting a Coconut shrimp with cabbage slaw... Three things that are not part of my pallet, coconut, shrimp, and cabbage... I’m just not a super big seafood guy, and I really don’t like the coconut texture. So I was a little disappointed about the demo as far as picking up a new recipe. When all was said and done I ate the dish and it wasn't too bad. I was excited about the prospect of Blais cooking something crazy but it didn't happen. Betty cooked, and Richard helped her with whatever she needed.

The coolest part was getting to ask questions while they were cooking and getting to hear the skinny on what really goes on behind the scenes of Bravo's "Top Chef". Like the fact that every episode is one day of taping. So they eliminate one person everyday when they're filming. This to me tells me how good those chefs are that get picked for the show. The question that I asked was what they did after the elimination when the chefs would just be hanging out at the house as far as cooking for each other... Richard said that the chefs would show off for each other and try to show their cooking skills and "intimidate" each other so to speak. They are totally sequestered as far as internet, TV, newspapers, etc... so as to not get any recipe ideas. What they bring to the show is what they bring, no outside influence whatsoever. I was impressed with how personable both chefs were. Richard even made a few jokes along the way, which I didn't expect. It was a lot of fun and I'm really glad we got to go.

Zach also told us that the folks at the demo from the network confirmed that they're currently taping the next season of Top Chef in New York, which jibes with reports of sightings of the cheftestants in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

Zach...great job and thanks for sharing!

A Couple of Random Thoughts on The Next Food Network Star's Adam

2008-07-28T20:13:00.000-04:00

Nothing profound here...just two things:

1. We've been getting a bunch of folks coming to the site after searching for Adam's recipe for beer can chicken. Unfortunately, that isn't one of the "featured recipes" up on the TNFNS's site, but we did track down this recipe from The Surreal Gourmet. It looks pretty similar to Adam's version.

2. So, Gordon worked with each contestant on his or her potential show mini-pilot. And, since Aaron's pilot is pretty much what we'll be seeing with his show, I'm guessing that the Network was "on board" with each of the concepts, the idea being that they could quickly transition to producing and airing the show, right? Adam's show was heavily invested in the concept that they'd be using Web-submitted ideas/questions and other "high-tech" features. Now, doesn't that sound an awful lot like Ask Aida? What would have happend if Adam had won? Would we be seeing Ask Aida? Or was it a sign that we shouldn't have expected Adam to come through in the end? Just wondering...

FYI...Adam's old (now-closed restaurant) is fondly remembered by one of my co-workers who was a regular at The Smoke Joint.

LiveBlog: The Next Food Network Star Finale

2008-07-27T21:53:00.023-04:00

Well, this is it, kids! Will it be Lisa Garza, Adam Gertler or Aaron McCargo?

I'll be providing a running commentary of wise-ass remarks below. Just keep hitting refresh every now and then for the lates. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments or via e-mail to mike@tvfoodfan.com.

Now, as soon as Mrs. TVFF finishes watching Bridezillas, we'll be ready to go...

10:01 - Bobby Flay says it may be the best cassoulet he's ever had. Somewhere, Tony Bourdain throws something at the TV.

10:04 - It may not be Eagles vs. Cowboys, but the Philly/Camden vs. Dallas dynamic between Adam and Aaron on one side and Lisa on the other, I guess that's a sales point.

10:05 - GORDON!!!!! I miss his Campbell's soup commercials.

10:06 - "Show in a Box." Hehe. Damn you, Saturday Night Live...you've ruined "in a box" for me forever!

10:09 - Lisa's fuchsia dress kinda clashes with the orange set. (Yes, I had to check with Mrs. TVFF on both the spelling of "fuchsia" and whether they, indeed, clashed.)

10:12 - First commercial. I'm glad this is the last episode, as it means it will also be the last time that Mrs. TVFF comments on the green blouse that Lisa wears in every interview. Mrs. TVFF is convinced that she either owns the same blouse or one that looks remarkably similar. Regardless her point is that either they're doing the interviews all at the same time, or she wears the same outfit for all of the interviews. Me...I'm just looking forward to a day when this is no longer a topic of conversation in the TVFF house.

10:17 - I'm not bothered by the beer can shoved up the chicken's ass, but the jalapeno sticking out the top is weird.

10:18 - "A little bump." Perhaps a terrorist fist jab?

10:23 - Gordon really captured the issue with Aaron, which is that he's really fine if/when he doesn't try too hard and "seize up" or ramble to the point of incoherence. Of course, that's true of all of the contestants, too. But this gets to the problem of judging the folks on this show, which is that being on camera, and doing something complicated on camera while trying to talk eloquently, is a decidedly unnatural thing. That's why it's a good thing that the judges are people who are accustomed to looking at raw talent and seeing the diamond in the rough.

10:31 - Lisa's got a good connection to the camera, although you do feel like you have to "keep up" with her.

10:35 - The above was a pacing comment rather than a comment on her knowledge or, as Mrs. TVFF would say, her pretentious tone.

10:36 - Feasting coming soon!!!! (September 7th)

10:38 - Hungry in Philadelphia: also known as me at approximately 11:45 a.m. Terrible name, espeically since the show has no real Philly connection and makes no reference to the main hook, the interactivity.

10:41 - Anyone else who would like to point out supposed liberal leanings in tonight's liveblog should feel free to do so in the comments!

10:46 - If I put a steak in a pan like that, we'd be taking the batteries out of the smoke detector to stop the beeping. Must be nice to have a ventilation hood.

10:48 -That is one animated set of former contestants.

10:50 - That Alltel Circle Back feature gets to me. Really...my attention span isn't that short. I remember all the way back to the beginning of the hour. And is it really necessary for those tuning in late? Nothing has been decided, and I'm sure they get the gist of it. Whatever. It's getting late and I'm getting crotchety.

10:52 - The Chef Jeff Project apparently involves a lot of yelling.

10:57 - Brooke Johnson gets to make the big announcement?

10:58 - Nope...Bobby announces that Aaron McCargo Jr. is the winner.

10:59 - I think the discussion between Aaron and Bobby hit the nail on the head in terms of why Aaron won. He got notes from the judges, he responded to them and provided to them a show that included the exact things that they were looking for from him. There's something to be said for having your vision and sticking to it, but the thing that gets you ahead on these shows is to incorporate the judges' suggestions. Simple as that.

Recap: Well, if you went looking to find the winner when you heard about the leak the other day, you would have known who the winner was. Unfortunatly, I was trying to preserve the suspense. Oh well.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy to see Aaron, the Camden resident, come out on top. I'm still not certain that his show will be a must-see for me, but he was certainly my home-town rooting interest. And if you knew anything about Camden, you'd be happy that someone from there was getting a chance to make the city proud.

Thanks for tuning in, everyone! Hope you had a good time!

The Winner is Out There (But Not in This Post!)

2008-07-25T13:53:00.000-04:00

...so beware.

It's JAG, making his triumphant comeback! I kid, of course.

A SideDish commenter caught a snafu (with a capital "F") on the Food Network Web site that revealed the winner. And, of course, I managed to open the page and see the photo evidence before realizing what was up. Grrrr.

Let this be a warning to you...anyone who wants to preserve the suspense should tread very carefully on the Web.

Of course, this won't change our plans for a fun-filled liveblog of the finale, Sunday at 10 Eastern. You bring the beer (Victory HopDevil, please) and I'll bring the bitchy comments.

Liveblogging The Next Food Network Star Finale

2008-07-25T08:47:00.000-04:00

Hey...wanted to try something a little fun and different this weekend.

Have a laptop or computer near the TV? Planning on watching the TNFNS finale? Well, log on to TVFoodFan.com at 10 p.m. Eastern this Sunday and we'll be providing a running commentary on the event. I can't promise that it will be insightful or profound. I can promies you it will be snarky.

Obviously, the big warning here is that we're going to be posting a spoilerific commentary, so those of you who are either DVRing the show for later watching or anyone living in another time zone that doesn't want to know who wins should probably stay clear of the site after 10. You west-coasters can check it out after it airs locally. Of course, you can pull up the site and follow along, too. Each entry will be time-stamped. Just DON'T SCROLL AHEAD.

OK...you're officially warned! Hope to see you on Sunday.

Aida, Princess of the Kitchen

2008-07-23T16:44:00.000-04:00

Get it? No? OK, no more opera jokes.

Anyway, the Food Network folks sent along one of their preview press releases, highlighting the upcoming "interactive cooking show," Ask Aida. They've been plugging it as part of their upcoming shows promos during The Next Food Network Star. Here are the details on the August 2nd debut.

Cooking expert Aida Mollenkamp prepares delicious dishes while solving Food Network viewers' culinary conundrums on her new interactive cooking show, Ask Aida, premiering Saturday, August 2nd at 12:30pm ET/PT. Whether it’s pies or pasta, grilling or frying, simple dinners or sweet breakfasts, each episode highlights a topic inspired by viewer-submitted video, e-mail, and text questions that Aida answers as she whips up tasty recipes that include the ingredient or theme. With exceptional culinary experience and a relaxed approach, Aida addresses everything from recipe and ingredient issues to advice on kitchen catastrophes and culinary tools. Noah Starr serves as the “tech guru” sorting through then asking the questions sent to Aida while also trying to stump her with a crazy ingredient or gadget and, of course, tasting the food too.

There's more about it on the show's page on the FoodNetwork.com.

The interactivity thing is nothing new -- Sara Moulton's old show featured call-in questions -- but the ability to shoot and submit videos and use e-mail and text are obviously the new hook.

Down below, you can see a picture of Aida. FYI...we'll be posting photos of Aida every chance we get.

But who is this Noah Starr character who will be serving as "tech guru?"

Well, thanks to the top-notch TVFF Research Department (a.k.a. Google), we know that he's a writer/performer from New York City. He's also the proprietor of Noah Starr's Blogular Craptacular! It's a sporadically-updated personal blog. Check it out now before the folks at Food Network send him a friendly note suggesting he maybe he should remove "Communism" from his list of "Things I Like." (Don't worry...it's a joke.)

According to IMDB, he also appeared as "Victim" on The Maury Povich Show.

Oh, man...we like him already!

Free Advice for Future "Next Food Network Star" Contestants

2008-07-21T20:37:00.000-04:00

Here you go...possibly the best suggestion that I can offer you:

Make friends with the cameramen.

Why is that? It's so, when five pounds of protein roll off your shopping cart in the middle of Whole Foods, maybe he or she gives you a little signal instead of just filming you while you walk away obliviously.

Vintage Julia Available on Netflix

2008-07-20T14:01:00.000-04:00

I mentioned that I was in a bit of a technology mood lately. Sure, DVD isn't exactly cutting edge, but a recent browse through the listings on the DVD rental service Netflix turned up a surprise or two.

Although you can occasionally find programs on Food Network and PBS that featured guest appearances by Julia Child, I've had less luck coming across airings of her classic program, The French Chef. Cited time and again by just about everyone as the seminal show in food television history...

The French Chef introduced French cooking to the United States at a time when it was considered expensive restaurant fare, not suitable for home cooking. Child emphasized fresh and, at the time, unusual ingredients.

In other words, if you want to understand how we got to where we are, it helps to check it out. Thanks to Netflix, that a little bit easier.

The service features a pair of three-disk collections, The French Chef with Julia Child and The French Chef 2 with Julia Child. Each of the two collections features approximately 18 episodes, so there is plenty of good stuff here.

Poking around a little bit also reveals a bunch of Food Network DVDs, as well, but the chance to learn from the master is pretty cool.

I know, I know..."technology" usually means instant gratification and you're going to have to wait for Netflix to ship you a disk. Fine. This may not be "vintage Julia Child," but it is vintage, it's hilarious and it's Julia Child (kinda). Enjoy!

Jamie Oliver Joining the Video Game Craze

2008-07-17T16:00:00.000-04:00

It looks like Gordon Ramsay isn't the only one who has a forthcoming video game on the horizon. According to the folks over at YumSugar:

This October, British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver will be releasing a handheld cooking game on Nintendo DS. What's Cooking? With Jamie Oliver will simulate real-life cooking situations, from selecting ingredients at the supermarket to plating meals at the table. The Atari video game will have an interactive cookbook featuring 100 of the celebrity chef's original recipes, alongside photographs taken by David Loftus.

…

The game will include a series of real-time virtual challenges that involve real-life chopping, stirring, and plating; recipe cook-offs with other players; and a timed competition against the clock.

You might remember that, in our post about the Gordon Ramsay game, the really interesting thing was the possibilities afforded by the Wii interface. Well, the Nintendo DS (which will also feature a Ramsay game) also provides an intriguing possibility or two.

Thanks to my long commute, I flirted with the idea of picking up a DS, which is unique in that it features two screens, one of which is actually touch-sensitive. So, you’ll be controlling your game with the usual set of joysticks and buttons, but you can also use a stylus to do things with the touch screen. Need to give that sauté pan a shake? Go ahead and do it with the stylus. The other neat feature of the DS is that it includes WiFi capability, so you’ll be able to do things like play head-to-head with friends who also have the game. The portable nature of the DS will also mean that it can accompany you into the kitchen to follow real recipes, assuming you aren’t a klutz and drop the $130 device into the sink.

No kidding…I’ve been a total disaster in the kitchen lately. Last week, I managed to splash insanely hot canola oil onto my forearm while frying up some onions. There is now an open sore the size of a quarter on my right arm. Then, last night, while honing my chef’s knife, I managed to stab the end of the knife into my left wrist, narrowly missing the assorted veins, tendons and ligaments that reside nearby. In other words, it’s probably best not to stand next to me these days.

OK, OK…I promise this is the last video game post for a while. But, I am on a slight technology kick, so check back tomorrow for a post about how you can use the technology of today to enjoy some great stuff from yesterday.

Gordon Ramsay: Meanest Video Game Villain Since Those Things From Space Invaders

2008-07-15T17:02:00.000-04:00

Having grown up on video games, I have to confess that, even now, I get a kick out of playing them. Actually, this is true of many males from my generation. I still have a PS2 hooked up to my television (although I rarely use it) and I’ll buy an occasional game now and then if it’s particularly interesting. I will admit to owning and playing Madden 2004 and that, once, I was playing all day and hardly noticed it was 3:15 in the morning and time to go to bed.

Most of the games that I’ve owned over the years have involved either shooting at someone/something or competing in some sports event. As far as I can remember, none of them involved having to chiffonade some basil. In fact, the only ones that even included food were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (you regained power by eating pizza) and Burger Time.

Believe it or not, now there’s actually a Hell’s Kitchen game on the way. And, thanks to reader Christian, we can point you to some screen shots of the game over at G4’s video game site.

Got some new screens of Hell's Kitchen for the Wii, DS, Mac and PC, courtesy of Ubisoft. Based off the popular reality-show of the same name, you can now bring home the joys of burning the roast and not only being ridiculed by your friends... but a virtual demon-chef Gordon Ramsay as well. The game comes to a boil this September.

There are a whole bunch of pictures on the site (go there and click on the first image for the gallery).

As you can see, it’s going to be available on four platforms: the two home computer platforms, the Wii console and Nintendo’s DS dual-screen portable device. The really intriguing thing here would be the Wii, though, with its motion-sensing controller that currently lets you do things like play golf and swing tennis racquets. How about a game that lets you “virtually” slice carrots and toss ingredients in a frying pan? That’s kinda cool, huh?

Judging by the comments beneath the images, the gamers over at G4 don’t seem too impressed. But how else can you get berated for your substandard béarnaise in the comfort of your own family room?

Kelsey Forgets the First Rule of Culinary School

2008-07-14T13:19:00.000-04:00

"You do not talk about culinary school."

Good bye, Kelsey. Fortunately, they haven't settled on a winner over at Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search For Elle Woods (which shows up on the DVR weekly thanks to Mrs. TVFF), so maybe you still have a shot over there. You look like you'd fit right in!

Top Chef Tour Puts You in the Kitchen

2008-07-10T16:55:00.001-04:00

The skies weren't particularly encouraging last Saturday as I headed down to Penn's Landing, the strip of riverfront recreational areas that played host to the Top Chef tour that was in town as part of the Welcome America festivities in Philadelphia. But we managed to dodge the rain for the most part and it was well worth the chance to get a front-row seat (literally, for me) to a live cooking demonstration and question-and-answer session with TC contestant Spike Mendelsohn.

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from the Tour. I knew that I had tickets and that the number was fairly limited, but it could have been "limited" to 500 for all I knew. When we got there and saw that it was taking place in the distinctly-decorated trailer seen below, it was clear that the seats were going to be limited and that we were going to be right on top of the action. They lined up the ticketholders and let us in. My group was the second to be called, so I snagged a seat in a folding chair that was close enough to have me dodging grease spatter while Spike did his thing.

Spike got up and did his intro, followed by starting off the dish that he was going to be preparing, which was a Greek-style sautéed eggplant with a tomato sauce. Really, though, the cooking was secondary to the discussion of his time on the show and the other questions he fielded from the audience. Despite his on-show persona which may have left viewers feeling like he was a bit arrogant, Spike provided an insightful, honest and interesting series of answers. He was extremely articulate and even self-effacing in discussing his ultimate downfall on the show, the use of frozen scallops. In fact, he referenced the mis-step a couple of times during the talk and it because a bit of a catchphrase by the end..."those frozen scallops" elicited laughs from the crowd whenever it was mentioned.

As he continued his dish, Spike encouraged the crowd to ask more questions. They hit on a variety of topics, most of which were about the experience of taping the show and how much of it was accurately portrayed on the screen. He said that the producers did a good job of keeping the pressure up on the contestants and that the show depicted that in the finished version. I was able to ask a couple of questions, including one that I've always wondered while watching the program.

From time to time, they like to include shots of the contestants back at the house, usually doing the kind of mundane things we all do...brushing teeth, working out and cooking. I've always had the feeling that there was probably something pretty interesting going on with those meals. I mean, you can't put a bunch of competitive chefs in a house together without some sort of one-upsmanship going on, can you?

Spike replied that it was true, the chefs did use the opportunity to try and break out the old family recipes in order to impress (and intimidate?) one another. But not Spike. He said the he sat back, relaxed and didn't lift a finger in the kitchen, instead enjoying some of the most consistently excellent meals of his life without having to fire up the stove. It had me thinking that I may want to volunteer as a handyman at next season's contestant house...just so I can snag the leftovers.

Spike finished by talking about his future plans, which include a new burger restaurant in DC and the possibility of hosting some food shows in the vein of Anthony Bourdain's work. He posed for photos, signed some autographs and spent time talking with fans.

This kinds of access isn't something you see every day, so if you can manage to finagle some tickets when it swings by your city, be sure to do it.

Check out the photos below for a few more shots of the action.

Food Detectives Promo

2008-07-09T17:01:00.000-04:00

Here's that promo I mentioned below. I'll have a thing or two to say about it in an upcoming post. Also, stay tuned for a recap of my trip to the Top Chef Tour.

Food Network Maps on theSUGGESTR.com

2008-07-08T17:08:00.000-04:00

We got a note from someone over at theSUGGESTR.com, a site that provides local, personalized restaurant suggestions. The site is cool, as it lets you search locally, see ratings and comments for restaurants and then have them mapped on an embedded Google Map. You can set up an account and rate your favorite spots. Fun stuff.

They wanted to let us know that they've put together a couple of maps that may be of interest to food TV fans. The maps include locations from episodes of $40 a Day and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Check 'em out!

The one that I think is particularly helpful is the D,D&D map. Lots of the places mentioned on the show feature alternatingly quirky (Biff's Beef-O-Rama or the like) or mundane (The Skyline Diner) names, so you may hear about a nearby location and then manage to forget the name before you can track down a pen and paper. Nowadays, it's a bit easier for me since I can rewind with the DVR and you can always track it down on the Food Network Web site. But having it represented on a map is a cool way to scan it quickly and see what's been covered in your neck of the woods.

Tough Times for Rachael Ray (and a Note on TNFNS)

2008-07-07T20:35:00.000-04:00

First up, I think we're officially in the home stretch with The Next Food Network Star. Mrs. TVFF turned to me last night during the episode and stated that she didn't see a watchable star among the group. She may be right, but last night did give me a bit of hope that the eventual winner can handle him/herself on camera pretty well. I'm still not sold that there is a compelling food program coming from one of these folks, but I'll take a show with someone who works well off a prompter.

Saw the quick commercial for the new Ted Allen show. I know the idea that it was close to Good Eats was thrown out there, and the slightly zany nature of GE is on display, but from a content standpoint, it definitely looks like a food-centric MythBusters.

Ahh, Rachael. We haven't talked much about Ms. Ray lately, mostly because I'm nowhere near a TV when her show is on. But we have been able to track her rising star as she went from how-to host to veritible media maven, so we like to keep tabs. As you may have heard, life hasn't been too good for her during the past week or so.

First, there was word that she's writing her memoirs, which received a scathing mention from the always-bitchy Ted Casablanca. Be sure to check it out. There's apparently some drama about the name of the forthcoming book.

I know what you're thinking: Hey, this is good news. If she's writing a memoir, that must mean that she's really made it...she's truly important.

That's where you're wrong. The fact of the matter is that, unless your name is Winston Churchill or Bob Dylan, you're not interesting enough to actually warrant having your life and thoughts chronicled. The only requisite for a memoir is an audience willing to buy it. This is no slight to Rachael, but we already knew she was popular, and a memoir is always more about the writer's ego than his or her imparting wisdom to the world.

It's not the life story that lets us know that Rachael has entered the upper echelon of media personalities. It's the news that a former employee on her show is suing for discrimination. Welcome to the big time, Rach.

A former accountant for Rachael Ray’s cooking show has filed a $1 million lawsuit saying he was forced out of his job because he has an eating disorder.

Aaron Ferguson says in Manhattan court papers that he has suffered from anorexia for about six years. He says his supervisor repeatedly exhibited "hostile behavior" and made "vile," discriminatory and hurtful comments.
...
The lawsuit names CBS Corp., CBSTD Inc., and three individual employees of the show as defendants. Ray is not named.

Happy 4th

2008-07-04T14:23:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to wish you all a food-filled 4th of July.

We'll be attending the Top Chef demonstration in Philadelphia tomorrow (weather permitting), so we hope to have photos and a write-up for you by early next week.

It looks like there are still some tickets available (they had to change the date) and they're taking applications, so you can go and see Hung and Spike by signing up at the Bravo site. I actually have two free tickets for the 1:30 show, so if you want to go to that one, you can also drop me a line ASAP.

Wait...What?

2008-07-02T10:45:00.000-04:00

I have absolutely no idea what this is about.

Now You Can Own a Piece of Food Network

2008-07-01T11:30:00.000-04:00

Now you can help build your nest egg with a little bit of Tyler Florence because today marked the first day of trading for the spin-off Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. Well, sure...you always could have bought a share of former parent company E.W. Scripps at one point or another, but whatever.

According to that article, E.W. Scripps shareholders will receive one share of the new stock for every SSP share they currently hold. Congrats to all of our friends who work at Food Network, who are now likely proud shareholders of the new stock, which will trade under the code "SNI." He're hoping you all got a generous stock compensation packaged when you signed on!

How good an investment is SNI? Damned if I know. This isn't a stock tip site. And if you're taking investment advice from me, you're already in trouble. But:

In the first quarter, Scripps Networks profits were up 16.6 percent in 2007, to $603.5 million, on revenue of nearly $1.2 billion, the company said.

Considering the tailspin my old job's 401(k) is currently experiencing, maybe I should diversify into some Food Network.

Or maybe I can earn some extra scratch by putting out my own line of ingredients like Giada. Anyone interested in buying some official TVFF Thai Green Curry?

Happy 2nd Birthday to...Us!

2008-07-01T10:05:00.000-04:00

That's right.

It's been two whole years since we sat down, signed up for an account and published our fist post to TV Food Fan. I'm not sure if I was drunk at the time, but that's the only rationale I have for making a decision like that considering the amount of work it was going to take.

You can see the post that started it all right here.

Typically, I'd take this opportunity to sum up all of my thoughts about the site, the food television landscape and whatever else I feel like talking about, but I'm just not feeling like it right now. I will say that, after taking a few weeks off and then coming back was a great chance to think about what I was doing with TVFF, make some decisions about what I did and didn't want the site to be about and get some pep back in my step when it comes to posting.

So, what can you do to show your birthday well-wishes? You can certainly give us a holler in the comments below, you can send us an e-mail at mike@tvfoodfan.com and, as always, you can show your appreciation by letting a foodie friend know about the site!

Mike

Perfection Means Never Having to Say You're Perfect

2008-06-30T17:05:00.000-04:00

We like Lisa Garza. We really do. Which makes this semi-rant a little tough for us.

Sure, she's a bit too fussy some times. But she seems to be trying to work through it.

Yes, when she wears that necklace, we can't stop thinking of Wilma Flintstone. But the girl can accessorize!

And, yeah, her eyes have a strange habit of disappearing from time to time.

But if one thing has been sticking in our craw lately, it's the fact that she keeps bringing up the fact that she keeps bringing up the judges' feedback that she has to be "less of a perfectionist." Pu-leeeease!

Really? That's kind of annoying. Like when you go in for an interview, get that, "What is your worst trait?" question and respond with the fact that you care too much about your work or that you spend too much time at the office. In other words, it's just a different way of telling us how great you are.

That said...she's far from being the most annoying reality food contestant of the season (that's Jen from Hell's Kitchen) and she appears to have some real cooking chops, so we expect to see her around for a while.

Possibly My Favorite Contestant Ever

2008-06-25T19:55:00.005-04:00

I don't spend a whole lot of time talking about Hell's Kitchen. For starters, it's the television equivalent of bubble gum. Secondly, the real joy to be gained from it is in the voyeuristic masochism that you get from watching the poor contestants get worked over by Gordon Ramsay. Talking about it is just superfluous.

But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Matt, who has become possibly my favorite food reality show contestant of all time.

You may remember that we mentioned Matt way back at the beginning of the season, when he made Chef Ramsay vomit with a scallop/venison/white chocolate concoction. Well, the dish elicited a strangely defensive comment (really...check it out...) which warned all the critics to stay tuned because Matt's fortunes were gonna take a turn for the better.

But really, we were the ones who had good times ahead.

Matt managed to stick around despite getting torn apart week in and week out. It was really a sight to see. Consistently getting passed from team to team and getting called out by Ramsay. And yet, he stuck around.

But the best part was the faces he would make. In fact, a montage of the best looks was featured on an episode of Best Week Ever. And once you've made it on BWE, you're big time.

Matt, you made Pine Hill, New Jersey proud!

How Not to Shuck an Oyster

2008-06-23T14:15:00.004-04:00

Do you see that big, black rubber thing with a wooden handle attached to it? Yes, it certainly appears to be a mallet. WHAT?!?!

Now, I'm no fishmonger, but I'm fairly certain that there is no good way to get an oyster out of it's shell by using a large hammer. Something's telling me one of the producers was having a good time and hoping that the could stump the contestant enough that he or she would "give it a whack."

Actually, I've shucked oysters. It's not that hard, and I think it's actually a tiny bit easier than getting into a smaller clam. The one thing that made it tough is that you have to find just the right spot and that the shell can very easily flake, and then you're going to be spending five minutes picking shell out of your oyster.

If you're interested in how you really get into an oyster or clam, check out this tutorial on the Food Network site.

Great, now that I wrote about this post, Mrs. TVFF will be asking for oysters again.

Emeril on Fine Living's Web Site

2008-06-19T16:49:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, I mentioned how I really liked the Fine Living Web site.

Once upon a time, I mentioned how I really liked Emeril's site's content and -- particularly -- his blog.

And so, now that Emeril has BAMmed his way over to Fine Living on a nightly basis (7 pm), the two things I liked before have come together on a new Emeril page on Fine Living's site.

According to a note I got from the network, the new page features embeddable videos (like the one below), highlights some interesting facts about Emeril, and lists upcoming episodes and recipes. It also pulls in what looks like the latest post from the Emeril blog, which is written by the folks at his Web site.

Fine Living is building itself a nice portfolio of food programs, and they have an attractive site with some nice features to show it off.

Alton Brown, Disk Jockey?

2008-06-18T17:02:00.001-04:00

We love Alton Brown.

We love his cooking, we love his nerdy take on food science and we love his general attitude.

But the thing we really love about Alton Brown is the fact that he's got something interesting to say pretty much every time he opens his mouth. So it's no surprise to see him put something out there that has nothing to do with food.

And so, we were delighted when we took a spin by his site and saw that Alton has contributed an iTunes Playlist...basically a celebrity-created list of songs that you can, if you wish, purchase from iTunes. You can check out his list and comments on each track on his home page or click here to go directly to the list in iTunes. (You need iTunes installed for that second link, obviously.)

And you should check out his list -- it's very good. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't offer some thoughts on his choices.

(Hey, if you think I'm an opinionated know-it-all about food TV, you should know that it actually runs a distant fourth to sports, politics and rock music from about 1964-1985.)

Prog rock with ELP's "Karn Evil 9" and jazz-rock with the Steely Dan cut: Good job establishing your genre-spanning credibility. He's only one glam-rock song short of the 70's Music Geek Troika.
The Black Keys: A nice shout-out to the cool kids. I'm getting into current music a bit more now that I'm down in Philly for work. Those of you in the Delaware Valley should be listening to bands like The Black Keys on 88.5 WXPN. Everyone not in the Delaware Valley should be listening to bands like The Black Keys on 88.5 WXPN's online feed.
Don Henley, Paul Simon and Billy Joel: A true music geek knows to throw out there some main-stream "pop" artists to prove that they're not an elitist. Usually, I go with Electric Light Orchestra and Todd Rundgren, but that's just me.
Joe Jackson's "Another World" off of Night and Day: Nicely played, Alton. Night and Day is currently in heavy rotation on my iPod. That said, "Another World" is a perfectly nice song that doesn't hold a candle to "Steppin' Out," a song that I think is an underrated gem and that I've loved forever. Hey...I had the 45 when I was six years old and I had it played at my wedding. Maybe Alton didn't want to go for the obvious choice. If that was the case, I would have gone back to Jackson's Look Sharp! or I'm the Man.

There you have it...my commentary on Alton's commentary on someone else's music. How "meta" can you get in one post?

Top Chef Promotional Tour Coming Your Way

2008-06-16T14:19:00.004-04:00

Wanna see some Top Chef up close?

NBC Universal (NBCU) today announced the first of 20-city stops for Bravo’s “Top Chef: The Tour,” which kicks off in Jericho, NY on Long Island (Whole Foods Market, 429 North Broadway in the Birchwood Shopping Center) on Sat., June 21, 2008. The promotional tour will feature a customized traveling “Top Chef” 18-wheeler semi-truck and will offer Bravo’s passionate fans and cable affiliate partners with the unique opportunity to experience the hit series in their hometowns. Watch what happens when “Top Chef: The Tour” pulls up to a farmers market or food festival in the following cities:

Boston, MA -- July 1
Philadelphia, PA -- July 4
Pittsburgh, PA -- July 9
Columbus, OH -- July 12
St. Louis, MO -- July 16
Denver, CO -- July 19
Phoenix, AZ -- July 26
San Diego, CA -- July 30
San Francisco, CA -- August 2, 3
Los Angeles, CA -- August 8
Des Moines, IA -- August 16
Detroit, MI -- August 23
Madison, WI -- August 27
Chicago, IL -- September 3, 4
Raleigh, NC -- September 13
Tampa, FL -- September 20
Orlando, FL -- September 24
Atlanta, GA -- September 27
New York, NY -- TBD

In each city, select “Top Chef” chef’testants will host four live interactive shows, three for fans in attendance and one private show for cable affiliate partners over one or two days. Cooking demonstrations, gourmet tips, show secrets, and food tastings will be highlighted on the “Top Chef” truck, an impressive 48-foot self-sufficient moving vehicle equipped with power and water. The truck, which includes a state-of-the-art kitchen with the capacity to accommodate 38 guests per seating, also allows for addressing 300 people in an open-air setting. And, HD cameras will offer a live-feed of the chefs at work on 42” screens.

To sign up for free admission and learn more about “Top Chef: The Tour” visit www.bravotv.com/thetour.

I already got my hands on some tickets for Philadelphia, so be sure to grab some for your local stop ASAP.

Good News, Kids!

2008-06-15T22:53:00.003-04:00

Apparently, eating paste in elementary school has no long-term effect on cognitive ability.

At least none that prevent you from going on to become a Senior Vice President, Programming and Production.

We kid Mr. Tuschman because we like him. But seriously, Bob...we're glad you stayed away from the lead paint.

Musical Chairs: Food Personality Edition

2008-06-15T20:43:00.000-04:00

There has been quite a bit of movement recently among the food celebs on television.

The other day, we told you about Ted Allen. Plus, over the past couple of months, we've had:

Mario to PBS
Emeril to Martha Stewart Inc.
Every big-name chef you can think of to Top Chef
Giada to Today
Guy Fieri to casual dining stardom.

That's a bunch of big names making big, high-profile changes.

In some of these cases, especially Giada and Rachael Ray's talk shows, it's clear that they got these opportunities because the possessed skills and talents beyond cooking, namely that they are naturals in front of the camera, regardless of their culinary abilities. In other cases, though, the changes seem to me to signal something else.

I really thing that it signifies the true arrival of the food celebrity on a level even higher than we've seen before.

Think about this...why did Katie Couric land the huge deal to host the CBS News? Yes, she got the job because she is a qualified journalist who can anchor a television program. But the real reason she's raking in the dough is that the brass at CBS thought that she was already enough of a celebrity that she would bring an audience with her.

She was a brand name that they were buying.

I think that, with the wealth of food programming available on a variety of outlets, and with food and cooking entering the mainstream media like never before, those who have achieved a certain level of fame are now marketable brands who producers and programmers believe can bring a built-in audience.

Of course, if it is true that they think that Emeril and Guy are worth big money, what they're really saying is that you, the viewer, are worth the money.

So maybe it's less about the rising stars of food television and more about the ever-increasing value of the food enthusiasts.

Ted Allen Heads to Food Network

2008-06-10T21:24:00.002-04:00

Despite my extended sabbatical, the wonderful folks in the Food Network publicity department were nice enough to keep me on the press release mailing list. And so, we get some very exciting news about one of our favorite foodie personalities.

Famed culinary expert Ted Allen joins the Food Network family with the debut of his new series Food Detectives, premiering Tuesday, July 29th at 9pm ET/PT. The half-hour primetime series explores the delicious connection between science and food, pulling back the curtain and revealing the answers to some of the most puzzling food mysteries.

“We’ve wanted to work with Ted for years on a series of his own and we’ve found a great fit in Food Detectives,” said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. “Not only will this show provide a wealth of interesting information for our viewers, it also gives Ted an opportunity to show off his wit and culinary knowledge.”

Ted's been a favorite of ours since his time on Queer Eye, and his recent appearances on Top Chef have pulled us out of our Padma-induced malaise, so the fact that he'll have his own show is welcome news indeed.

Allen's greatest strength is the same thing that made him the perfect food guy on Queer Eye. He's knowledgeable without being condescending, and he makes food extremely accessible without dumbing it down.

A little more about the show:

Food Detectives mixes a healthy dose of humor with a wealth of fascinating factoids. Aided by willing culinary techs and the brains from the leading science and technology magazine Popular Science, the series will conduct experiments to find the truth behind the most interesting food myths. Ted and his team will dig deep to answer questions like: Does it really take seven years for gum to digest in your stomach? Is the five-second rule true? Can an “apple a day” really keep the doctor away? Viewers can also get in on the fun by submitting their most puzzling food conundrums for potential show experiments.

As I mentioned above, Ted has done the rounds on a number of food-related programs. This seems to us to be an increasingly-common occurrence, and we'll have a bit more later this week on this development and what may be behind the whole thing.

TRAINWRECK!

2008-06-08T22:52:00.003-04:00

Next stop: Quitsville.

Oh, Nipa. Really? There were probably thousands of applicants who wanted a shot at this. You got it, and this is what you do with it? The fact that she's still in the running is a testament to either Kevin's ineptitude or the judges' desire to keep one of the few contestants with a clear, non-mainstream culinary POV.

Maybe she should have just cried. It worked for Shane last week!

Other than the boneheaded tantrum, the young season of The Next Food Network Star has been quite good, with a focus on food that is making me feel good about the culinary integrity of a program that could have veered into the realm of simple popularity and personality contest. Hey, they're cooking with duck...it can't be all bad, right?

Note: I know it's been a while, folks. More on that soon, but I promise to be better. Really, this time.

Three New Books for Bourdain

2008-05-12T20:11:00.004-04:00

Well, at least someone can find time to write on a regular basis.

We all know how much fun it can be to hear Anthony Bourdain pontificate on this, that and anything else that comes up. But his true gift is his writing...his prose is basically a food column written by Hunter S. Thompson. It's been a while since he came out with anything substantial (not that blogs aren't substantial...), so it's good news for Bourdain fans that Grub Street is announcing that the gonzo chef has sold a handful of book ideas to a publisher.

Check out the GS link for the full description of the books, but with a Kitchen Confidential follow-up, a memoir and a work of fiction in the hopper, there will be plenty to anticipate in the coming years.

It's That Time of Year Again...

2008-05-01T19:59:00.004-04:00

Oh, yes...

The fourth season of personalities, challenges and a shot at Food Network stardom.

The Next Food Network Star is back this summer with a star-studded fourth season on Food Network. This season Bobby Flay takes a seat with the selection committee full-time and the finalists are put through the ringer to prove that they can take the cake (and the pizza, and the lobster, and the potato salad) to be the last chef standing and winner of his-or-her own Food Network show. The series kicks off with a few friendly Food Network faces on Sunday, June 1st at 10pm ET/PT.

TVFF regulars know my rule: Don't bother learning the names of reality show contestants until you're 1/3 of the way through the season. However, if you insist on getting a head start on things:

The 10 finalists include: Nipa Bhatt (Victoria, MN), Jennifer Cochrane (Woonsocket, RI), Lisa Garza (Dallas, TX), Adam Gertler (Philadelphia, PA), Cory Kahaney (New York, NY), Shane Lyons (Colorado Springs, CO), Aaron McCargo Jr. (Camden, NJ), Kelsey Nixon (North Ogden, UT), Kevin Roberts (San Diego, CA), and Jeffrey Vaden (White Plains, NY).

Best name? McCargo. Why? Because it sounds like the nickname you gave your high school buddy who always wore baggy pants.

Wait...what's this?!? Adam from Philadelphia and Aaron from neighboring Camden, NJ (which yours truly passes through every morning on the way to the day job) means we have a side competition, which I have officially dubbed "The Battle of the Ben Franklin Bridge." In this epic clash high above the Delaware River...who...will...survive?

So, our rooting interests are officially split, but Aaron from Camden will have our full allegiance if he manages to work Campbell's Soup into each dish he makes.

I Always Thought It Was the Water

2008-04-25T10:57:00.003-04:00

Why can't you get decent pizza on the left coast?

It was that question that led to a phone call to Mario Batali, according to a post on Gothamist. The big guy chalks up the superiority of NYC pizza to, well...I'll leave the reasoning in Batali's original language:

New York’s old pizza ovens “capture the gestalt of beautifully cooked pizza.”

OK, back from looking up "gestalt" yet? Good.

I don't know about all that, but I will say that one of the major frustrations for me when trying to replicate recipes from TV shows or cookbooks -- particularly dishes from foreign and "exotic" cuisines -- is a lack of access to uncommon ingredients that are necessary for an authentic taste. And this is coming from someone who lives half way between two of the biggest cities in the country...imagine what it would be like for someone out in the boondocks.

Case in point: I made a killer Thai green curry paste last weekend that finally had the kind of flavor that I've only been able to get at a Thai restaurant. The difference? The fish sauce (which is pretty widely available) and shrimp paste, which necessitated a walk down to Chinatown.

Coincidence?

2008-04-24T17:35:00.002-04:00

Barack Obama finally eats a cheesesteak at Pat's (and, thankfully, not at the xenophobic idiot, Geno's) and tallies over 65% of the vote in the Pennsylvania 2nd Congressional District (i.e. Philadelphia).

Obama's ability to keep the net loss to ten delegates (better than the 16 Chuck Todd was using when showing how dire Clinton's situation is) means the party's pretty much over with the pledged delegates.

So, when all is said and done, I think it's safe to say that we can credit the Philly cheesesteak for an Obama nomination.

Obama Consolidating His Foodie Base

2008-04-21T16:49:00.003-04:00

Can there be any doubt that Barack Obama is the choice of the foodie voter? We knew he had Oprah in his corner, and now it appears he may haver her protege, as well. According to a Washington Times blog:

Has Rachel Ray chosen hope as her main ingredient for the presidential race? I've learned she will interview Obama and his wife Michelle today on the campaign trail.

Glad to know our political fates are being determined, at least in part, by daytime talk shows. Swing by Everything Rachael Ray, who I'm sure will have more on this. While you're there, be sure to congratulate Madeline on the new addition to her family.

In other food news, the Plain-Dealer is reporting that Iron Chef Michael Symon will be taking over for Robert Irvine on Dinner: Impossible.

Symon is stepping in at "Dinner: Impossible" after Food Network got egg on its face after it was revealed by the St. Petersburg Times in early February that host Robert Irvine exaggerated a wee bit on his resume. Like that bit about cooking for England's royal family. And being friends with Prince Charles. And being a White House chef. And having a college degree in food and cooking from the University of Leeds. And being a knight.

The format of the show won't change. Symon won't know where he's going until he gets to the airport and won't know his cooking mission until he arrives at the site, and will have 12 hours to finish the mission.

I was a little surprised that they kept the format going with Symon, figuring that they would just kind of let it slip away and then come back with a similarly-themed program, slotting in whatever new chef they wanted. But the story notes that D:I is the Network's third highest rated show, so I guess there's no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The Coveted TVFF Presidential Endorsement Goes To...

2008-04-16T19:43:00.000-04:00

...Barack Obama!

How did we arrive at this decision? Well, first there was our pronouncement that his "opponent" for the Democratic nomination was toast. Sorry for the snarky "opponent" thing, but the race is mathematically over and it's kind of sad that the only people who seem to have not noticed are her and her staff, along with the media propping this thing up so the have something fun! to talk about instead of actually doing their job. The only chance she has now is to somehow poach the nomination, which I'm sure will do wonders for her already lousy 54% negative number.

Why not McCain? For that, we go to our DC/Philly food blog buddy, endless simmer:

As The Huffington Post reported yesterday, not a single one of Cindy McCain’s “family recipes” featured on the McCain website were actually original recipes, but instead cut-and-pasted versions of FoodNetwork.com recipes from Rachael Ray and Giada! Oh, Cindy!

Lesson to everyone: Don't plagiarize. It's just too easy to get caught in the age of Google.

Were going to throw all of TVFF's political weight behind Obama, although we're still a bit miffed at his steadfast refusal to eat a chesesteak.

So, there you have it, TVFF Nation. I expect you to all vote with your stomachs!

Second Season of "Shopping with Chefs" Starts May 3rd

2008-04-14T22:00:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the long break this weekend. Life has been busy and I spent a good portion of my free time convincing my new Macbook to play nice with my wireless network. I thought I had it figured out, but then it had problems today. It's looking good for now, but we'll see...

Anyway, you all know that I'm a big fan of Shopping with Chefs. My admiration for the show goes way back, and I can assure that it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they also fed me very well. But, hey...that didn't hurt.

When I first got my DVR, I added SwC as a subscription and was able to quickly catch all of the episodes. Looks like it's time to fire up the DVR once again:

Beginning Saturday, May 3rd at 2pm ET, FINE LIVING NETWORK will present all new episodes of its original series Shopping with Chefs (series airs weekends at 2pm ET). Co-hosts David Myers (chef owner of Los Angeles’ eateries Sona and Comme Ça and the patisserie Boule) and Jill Davie (chef de cuisine at the Santa Monica hotspot, Josie and a former competitor on FOOD NETWORK'S The Next Iron Chef) employ their culinary expertise as respected chefs to help viewers navigate the vast world of kitchen essentials. Each weekend, the two help the time-starved, chef-at-home cook better by shopping smarter.

The newest batch of episodes served up by FINE LIVING will cover kitchen gadgets and food that ranges from the obvious to the obscure including, shopping for scallops, cauliflower, asparagus, pies, olives, gelato, chile peppers, mushrooms and home herb gardens. Viewers will learn how to choose the right crepe maker, slowcooker, food processor and milkshake mixer and get tips on picking out the perfect refrigerator and cooking range. And just in time for summer, Myers and Davies will share their secrets on what to buy in order to fire up the grill and have a sizzling outdoor entertaining experience, from outdoor "smokers" to margarita makers!

Check out that original review for my full take on the show. After having seen all of the additional episodes, as much as I get a kick out of the gadgets, gizmos and appliances that they cover, the ingredient shopping trips are what really sets the show apart for me. Few other shows (Good Eats being one of them) go to the trouble of educating the viewer on perhaps the most important part of good home cooking -- the fine art of choosing quality ingredients.

On so many cooking shows, there seems to be an aura of perfection when it comes to the ingredients. World-class vegetables and fantastic proteins just "appear" in the celebrity chef's kitchen. Being able to see how to separate the wheat from the chaff goes a long way toward your and my ability to recreate these dishes in our own homes.

Special Offer on "Feasting on Asphalt" DVD

2008-04-09T21:26:00.003-04:00

Speaking of a new Feasting on Asphalt/Waves (scroll down to my last post)...

The folks at Food Network were kind enough to send me a complimentary copy of Alton "Scourge of the Unitasker" Brown's Feasting on Asphalt, The Complete Second Season: The River Run on DVD. It's like they knew I just installed my brand new kick-ass surround sound system! That BMW bike is going to sound awesome coming out of my subwoofer.

But their largesse is not limited to just my copy. You can get a piece of the action, too. They're offering a special discount for TVFF readers. You can get a 10% discount on the DVD of The River Run (regularly $29.95) by going to www.FoodNetworkStore.com, running a search for "Feasting on Asphalt the River Run" and using the code C93837 when you check out. Those of you who act quickly (i.e. one of the first 1000 to buy the set) will also get a free map of Alton's trip.

Upfronts: It's That TIme of Year Again

2008-04-09T21:04:00.003-04:00

I'll be honest that my radar for the "New York" scene isn't what it used to be. Frankly, it never really was, but it's that much worse now that I spend my days in Philadelphia. An example: I used to always know when upfronts were being held. (Click the link to see my post on last year and to read about upfronts if you're not familiar.) I wasn't in advertising myself, but I did have my desk on the same floor as my old company's advertising department, so I could count on those days being gloriously neighbor-free!

Anyway, I'm not as plugged in, but fortunately Broadcasting & Cable is and they have a nice roundup of Food Network's presentation at the event. What piqued my interest?

Food Network is adding another cooking competition show to TV’s mix. Chopped will pit four contestants against each other to find the nation’s top sous chef.

After the extremely enjoyable Next Iron Chef, this looks like it could be another good blend of top-of-their-games food pros and fun-for-everyone challenges. It will be interesting to see how the "sous chef" aspect makes this different than the shows like Iron Chef and Top Chef, which stress both technical proficiency and the kind of creativity we expect from a top-tier culinary genius chef. I know I'm simplifying these roles, but I'm pretty sure there's a point in there somewhere.

And that wasn't the only good news for sous chefs everywhere:

New talent coming to primetime includes Anne Burrell, Mario Batali’s sous chef from Iron Chef America, who will answer viewer e-mails;

We told you about another installment of Feasting on Asphalt -- this time in the Caribbean -- and that was confirmed.

Be sure to check out the B&C article for a few more new shows.

How Is Rachael Ray Like Hillary Clinton?

2008-04-08T20:44:00.002-04:00

For one thing, the latest math isn't very kind to either Hillary or Rachael.

Hey...I'm not really one to criticize the sartorial decisions of others, but WOW, Rach!

Lidia Bastianich to Be Honored at Upcoming NYC Gala

2008-04-06T23:10:00.003-04:00

No posts last Friday as a result of me wanting to take my birthday off and spend it doing what I do best...drinking and eating. A couple of pints at The Black Sheep off Rittenhouse Square and then dinner at Vietnam over in Chinatown, which was very good. Anyway, back to work...

Those of you who don't own a tuxedo may see the world "gala" and get nervous, but having been to a couple of these soirées in my time means I see the appeal of getting all gussied up and spending a night out on the town. And if you can get to see a legend of Italian cuisine at the same time? Even better!

Bpeace, an organization that "help[s] women in regions of conflict and post-conflict start businesses," will be honoring Bastianich at an event to be held next month in New York. You can check out the details below.

Coming herself from a location of change and conflict (post-war Istria, which was ceded by Italy to Yugoslavia after the Second World War), Bastianich's successful restaurants make her an outstanding example for a group that wants to promote entrepreneurship among women.

Third Annual Bpeace Gala
Wednesday May 14, 2008, 6PM
Capitale, 130 Bowery, New York, NY
Festive Attire

Description:
The Bpeace Gala on May 14th in New York City is a fun and festive event and our most important annual fundraising activity. Funds raised keep our offices in Kigali and Kabul open and provide field grants and training to the Rwandan and Afghan female entrepreneurs in our program.

Our goal is to net $200,000 through table and ticket sales, live and silent auctions our very successful "Fund a Cause" moments.

There are lots of new highlights this year, including a new venue - the fabulous Capitale in New York City - a CNBC-TV host - and a special honoree who is bringing her friends and family to support Bpeace.

Cookbook author, Public Television Host, Chef and Restaurateur Lidia Bastianich is receiving our first Bpeace Economic Impact Award recognizing the businesses her family has built and the ripple effect they have produced in terms of jobs created, business partners who have prospered, with the result that thousands of families have fashioned a better future for themselves and their children. This directly mirrors the effect we wish for Bpeace activities - that our Rwandan and Afghan Associates build strong businesses that foster peace, prosperity and stability in their communities.

The evening will include cocktails, dinner, silent and live auction. Tickets: $500.00

Tickets

Scratch THAT One Off My Lunch List

2008-04-03T17:02:00.001-04:00

In addition to the good memories and photographs that I brought back with me from London, another result of the trip has been a severely overloaded DVR. To say I'm "behind" is an understatement. In all likelihood, I'll be able to watch the whole run of John Adams in one fell swoop since it will have aired in full by the time I get to it.

And so, with this in mind, you'll understand why I didn't catch the debut of Hell's Kitchen. Philly ex-pat The Hungover Gourmet also has a great recap of the first episode...be sure to check it out. Anyway, it turns out that there is a local Philadelphia connection. It also turns out that things didn't start off so hot for the Philly boy. According to an entry on the Daily News' gossip blog, his "innovative" dish actually induced vomiting from Gordon Ramsay.

It may be a good thing that Matt Sigel cooks only breads and pastries at the Radisson Warwick and Tavern 17. His fine cuisine skills turned the stomach of Chef Gordon Ramsay on Tuesday night's season premiere of Fox's "Hell's Kitchen." Ramsay puked after sampling the signature dish of Sigel, a Pine Hill, NJ resident, a plate consisting of venison, diver scallops, shaved white chocolate, capers, and quail eggs.

First off, the guys if from Pine Hill, which is about ten minutes from TVFF's boyhood home. Dude, that's no way to represent South Jersey!

Secondly, I walk past the restaurant where Sigel works (Tavern 17) EVERY MORNING on the way to the day job. Frankly, it's always bugged me a little. Here's why.

One of the popular trends over the past few years has been the rise of the "slider" -- mini-sized versions of full-sized sandwiches. It started with burgers but quickly went upscale. Let me be perfectly honest with you and let you know that I think the trend is ridiculous.

For one thing, there is one and only one slider. For another, if you have something delicious, why do you make it smaller and serve me three of them? This is especially true of burgers, where making them smaller makes them more likely to dry out.

Then there is the name. It's just not appetizing. And so, when I see a chalkboard outside Tavern 17 while my stomach is still adjusting to the waking world and it advertises the "Slider of the Day" -- and it's crab and brie -- ugh.

To be fair, I've never ventured inside and it may very well be the best restaurant in the city. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll be able to make it past that slider.

And if I ever see a venison, scallop and white chocolate slider on that chalkboard, I'm going to have to change my route.

Foobooz Gets Some Face Time on Food Network

2008-04-01T16:28:00.003-04:00

You may remember a post a while back in which I told you about Food Network coming to Philadelphia for a soft pretzel battle. As we said at the time, soft pretzels don't get the fanfare of other local favorites like the cheesesteak and TastyKakes, but they are certainly a Philly Favorite.

(They're also a great way to keep co-workers on your good side. About once a month, I run out of the office and come back with twenty pretzels. Everyone loves it. It's money well-spent.)

Anyway, the Throwdown aired and a local blogger, Kirsten Henri, from the fantastic Philly foodie site Foobooz was one of the judges.

Yes, that was me on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay on the Food Network last night. And yes, that was me NOT voting for the Philly version of the soft pretzel, but for Bobby Flay’s surprisingly delicious alternative. Before you rabid localists start a petition to get me thrown out of the city on grounds of culinary treason, take in the whole tale.

You can get the whole story, which is really interesting. I always find it so fascinating how much goes on behind the scenes when filming television shows...even "reality" shows like this.

Oh, and Kirsten's right -- there's no way cheese sauce is an authentic Philadelphia add-on. That's wrong...just wrong.

Giada De Laurentiis Gives Birth to Baby Girl

2008-03-30T22:40:00.002-04:00

Hey, you know it's good news when People includes an exclamation point in its headline.

Yep, the magazine is reporting that Giada De Laurentiis and husband Todd gave birth (although I'm guessing Giada did most of the work...rimshot!) to a 5lb, 13 oz baby girl named Jade Marie De Laurentiis Thompson.

If I remember correctly, this is pretty much on target for the due-date, so that's good news. I'm long gone for work by the time she's showing up on Today, so I'm not sure how long she's been out.

We here at TVFF would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to the happy family and note that it is with much regret that we don't know where they are registered. So, in lieu of a gift, we'll be making a donation to an extremely worthy cause (i.e. the TVFF beer fund).

Martha en Français

2008-03-27T19:19:00.002-04:00

Franco-philes out there will want to tune in tomorrow to Martha Stewart's show, as she'll be spotlighting some of the best in the business.

If you love French food, Martha has the show for you! Join us for an hour full of mouthwatering meals prepared by three of New York's top French chefs. First, the talented Eric Ripert of New York City's internationally acclaimed Le Bernardin restaurant returns with a recipe for braised halibut and peas a la francaise that's perfect for your next special dinner. Then, Jean-Georges Vongerichten heats up the kitchen with a French twist on a classic dish -- roasted chicken -- that will have everyone asking for seconds. And, Daniel Boulud (Cafe Boulud) shows you how to make a heart-healthy salmon dish the whole family will love.

For those viewers who miss the episode this Friday, they can catch a second helping of ‘The Martha Stewart Show’ on FINE LIVING NETWORK. Airs on a day delay on Fine Living Network at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT.

I've had the pleasure of going to Vongerichten's Southeast-Asian restaurant in NYC, although I've never been to his world-class French place.

An Up and Down Day for Philly Food

2008-03-24T21:28:00.002-04:00

You win some, you lose some...

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the food over in England, I'm happily readjusting to meals back home. And, of course, that means many of my usual favorites, including the food of Philadelphia, where I toil away at the day job.

There was a bit of local food news today, with Philly managing a decent showing among the James Beard Finalist nominees. Included in the list was a nom for Jose Garces in the Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. You all will likely remember his name from tales of my trips to Tinto and Amada. The recognition is well-deserved.

As good as that news was, I have the sad duty to inform you that, despite tantalizing us with the possibility, Rachael Ray will not be in attendance when the production crew of her show Tasty Travels turns up in the City of Brotherly Love to shoot some footage.

Throwdown Not as Covert As It Used to Be

2008-03-19T16:33:00.003-04:00

We're still getting back in the saddle around here, so in the mean time, we'll rely on a little help from our friends.

As you know, Bobby Flay's Throwdown has been around for a little while now. Of course, the main conceit of Throwdown is that the competitors don't know what they're in for when they agree to the taping.

You probably remember that show, Punk'd, which featured celebrities being set up for practical jokes. Well, after a season or two, any time you saw Ashton Kutcher walking your way, you had to be suspicious. It appears the same thing is happening with bogus-sounding shows that want to tape local chefs.

Our buddies over at endless simmer have a first-hand account of a taping of America Eats. You don't have to be a genius to figure out what happened next...

...And We're Back

2008-03-18T20:34:00.003-04:00

I hope that everyone had a good time while I was away. I had an absolute blast in London, as you can see from the picture of me in Trafalgar Square over there.

In addition to seeing all of the historical sites, churches and museums, it was also a great trip from a foodie standpoint. Meals included:

Some great chicken vindaloo from one of the city's many Indian restaurants.
Tea pretty much every day, often with a scone with clotted cream.
Fantastic Fish and Chips at the Dickens Inn in St. Katherine Docks, right near the Tower Bridge.
A proper English Breakfast that featured sausage, rashers, egg, baked beans and mushrooms.
And my latest obsession, steak and ale pie.

The week was spent pretty much free of food television. For one thing, we got something like seven channels in my hotel room and three of them were in Arabic, so that limited the options. I did catch a couple of commercials (or "adverts," as the Brits call them) for the supermarket Sainsbury's featuring Jamie Oliver that were good for a giggle.

But that's all over now and we're back to "real life." Sigh.

How Did I Miss This?

2008-03-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

I have to hand it to our friends at Pages, Pucks and Pantry who, in a recent roundup, included a link to a site that I have to admit I've never seen before...and I just don't know how I could have possibly missed this.

Yes, it's a site dedicated to chronicling the ups and downs of Giada De Laurentiis' neckline.

The site is called -- appropriately enough -- Giada's Cleavage, and it looks like they update it with recaps of her recent apparel. I do suppose that the posts do have some culinary value as they also include links to the recipes used in the episode.

Regular readers here know that, while we focus on the written word on this site, we like to throw up photos in order to keep the site from looking a little to bland. Well, as you would expect, the folks at GC also employ images to illustrate their points and for "documentary purposes." Want to see what Giada's cleavage looked like in a particular episode? Well there it is! And they've even gone to the trouble of editing out distracting objects like her head and arms. How nice of them!

Top Chef Starts Tonight

2008-03-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

I'm going to assume that a good many of you read a number of food and food-TV related sites and not just TVFF. If that's the case, then you have undoubted seen the breathless countdown to the new season of Top Chef.

Well, the show's about to hit the road and my friends over at YumSugar were good enough to drop me a note and let me know that they have an interview with Andrew, one of the new contestants. From the look of it, Andrew has some badass potential. Fun.

I'll be catching this on DVR when I return from my vaca, but don't put off watching it just for my sake!

Be sure to check it out on Bravo at 10/9 central.

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares: Compelling Television...If Your Cable Goes that High

2008-03-11T12:30:00.000-04:00

Although you risk a nosebleed by venturing to the upper reaches of your digital cable, tracking down BBC America in order to watch Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is well worth the risk. The show may be the most compelling food program on television right now.

I know what you're saying. "He's a boor on Hell's Kitchen." "The U.S. version of Kitchen Nightmares reeks of Fox Reality Programming." Yes, I'll give you that. But, as we've come to expect from all things British, this is a much classier level of boorish behavior.

Yes, Ramsay's still the opinionated, ill-tempered person we see on American television. But the main difference is that the impatience and yelling melts away much more often. You can see that he's a rude guy, but it is done for the purpose of making the restaurants into something better. Plus, these are professionals in the kitchen, so that feeling of squeamishness you feel when he's beating up on some hapless HK contestant isn't there.

It's also an interesting show for Americans because it does give you a look at life in everyday-UK. The thing that I was most surprised at when I started watching the program -- the first British reality show I've watched -- is that, despite our familiarity with the British culture, much of what we consume through movies and television is an idealized Britain. Whether it's a Victorian costume drama or a Bond movie, we get the remnants of Britain's storied past. Or sometimes we get a glossy comedy (all those Bridget Jones look-alikes) or cheeky romp.

The thing is, we rarely get a true glimpse into British life. I'm thinking of the film version of Quadrophenia or maybe a Ken Loach film. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares focuses on the real people of the UK, not the kind that might be played by Colin Firth.

London Calling

2008-03-07T14:51:00.002-05:00

That's right, kids. I'm packing up and taking a nice week-long vacation starting next Tuesday. I'll be binging on fish & chips and Indian food, as well as seeing all of the big sites on my first-ever trip to London.

But, thanks to the wonders of the Internet, this doesn't mean that you'll be left out in the cold! I have a couple of posts already loaded and ready to go, and they'll be rolled out during the week. We might not be on top of the latest news, though. So, if Giada somehow decides to go into labor while I'm in the U.K., you'll just have to get your gossip elsewhere.

We don't have a whole lot of visitors to the site from Great Britain, but I'll gladly accept any recommendations you may have, especially for food and/or pubs. Be sure to get them in by Monday evening, either in the comments section or directly to me at mike@tvfoodfan.com.

Former Chef from Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Project Found Dead

2008-03-06T16:40:00.004-05:00

Some sad news out of the UK where one of the enrollees in Jamie Oliver's Fifteen program, which sought to give troubled youths a chance to turn their lives around through an opportunity in the kitchen, was found dead near the Cornwall location of Fifteen. According to the Daily Mail:

Depressed Christopher Pethick, 20, was found dead in woodland just 18 months after securing a place on the Fifteen training programme.
In May 2006 he became one of 21 young cooks chosen out of 300 hopefuls who applied to work in Fifteen in Watergate Bay, Cornwall.
But he dropped out of the course after just two months with "severe depression."

The program was started a few years back and was the focus of a short series called Jamie's Kitchen, which was featured on cable (but not Food Network, if I remember correctly). It is a noble effort and all signs point to it being a successful endeavor, considering they've gone from one location to three. Obviously, when you're dealing with troubled teens, there is always the risk that, even with the fantastic opportunities afforded here, the situations and influences that got these kids into trouble in the first place may re-emerge.

About Two Hours

2008-03-05T17:15:00.003-05:00

That's approximately how much Food Network, in total, I've watched over the past three weeks or so. And that's including the two DVR'd episodes of Bourdain's seven-year-old-show that I viewed.

I caught about fifteen minutes of that Ultimate Recipe show and had some Giada on as background noise on a Saturday morning. Normally, I'd rant about the over-the-top Applebee's tie-in, but the show doesn't come close to eliciting enough passion to get me worked up.

Then, the other night, I switched FN on and saw Dinner: Impossible. That just depressed me and so we were off to something cheerier...I think it was a WWII documentary on The History Channel.

I don't know whether that spate of negative articles about the Food Network from a couple weeks back had an impact on me, but I certainly haven't been thrilled lately.

That's not to say that I haven't been watching food TV lately. In fact, I've been watching quite a bit of what may well be the best food show on television. And the unfortunate part is that you likely aren't watching it. In fact, you may not even be able to watch it.

But we'll have more on that next week...

Jamie Oliver: Better than Churchill and MLK?

2008-03-03T16:42:00.005-05:00

Possibly, at least according to a survey from the UK on who children should look up to as role models. According to an article from Reuters:

Diana, Princess of Wales was placed sixth and celebrity chef and healthy eating campaigner, Jamie Oliver came in number seven.

"Despite our obsession with celebrities and footballers it would seem they do not make the cut when it comes to top role models, with go-getters such as Branson and Jamie Oliver being the exception," said Mark Hodson, Head of Research at Opinium.

Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was ranked eighth, American civil rights hero Martin Luther King ninth and Microsoft founder Bill Gates came 10th.

I think that Jamie should be content with his seventh-place showing. If I were him, I wouldn't be particularly jealous of Richard Branson, who came in second -- behind "a family member" and in front of Jesus.

Sure, a spot ahead of THE BIG GUY may seem like quite a coup. But I'm guessing you wouldn't want to court the same controversy brought on the last time an Englishman compared himself to JC.

Hmmm...Sorry for the False Alarm!

2008-02-29T23:39:00.003-05:00

Those of you that tuned in to tonight's episode of Amnesia may have thought to yourselves: "Hey, Chris Cognac looks a lot more female than he does on Food Network."

Never fear, dear readers. Your eyes aren't failing you.

We have it on very good authority that his show was moved to March 14th. Tonight's show actually featured a woman who lives in the city where Chris walks the beat on a daily basis, so I suppose there was a nice bit of coincidence right there.

I will say that, based on my personal experience, this sort of thing happens. My taping was originally slated to be the debut episode, but they bumped someone else ahead of me when they won the whole shebang (we took five out of six -- I think -- in the bonus round). Obviously, when you have a new show, it's nice to be able to give folks a taste of the fun of running the table. Not sure if that's what happened in this case, though, so you'll have to tune in and see how Chris does.

As for me, March 14th means I'll have to rely on the DVR again next time. Why is that? All in due time.........

Robert Irvine: OUT

2008-02-29T14:04:00.002-05:00

So says TMZ.

According to the gossip site, the Network has, "not renewed Robert's contract for future seasons" and "will be looking for a replacement host."

Between this and JAG, what is the moral of the story?

Don't lie to Tuschman.

Reminder: Chris Cognac on NBC Tonight

2008-02-29T08:51:00.003-05:00

Just a quick reminder to tune in tonight to your local NBC affiliate and check out Chris Cognac on the new game show Amnesia. I think it's on at 8 p.m. here in the Eastern time zone but, as they say, check your local listings...

We'll be running around, but our DVR is already set!

Hey...I Know a Tester!

2008-02-28T19:07:00.003-05:00

Been busy busy busy around here on account of the day job. That included an extremely early morning for me today (don't ask...just go ahead and feel bad for me). And, what greeted me when I switched on the TV while getting ready this morning? It was America's Test Kitchen, with Chris Kimball approvingly looking on while they made reduced-fat chicken parm. (It got a thumbs up, in case you're wondering.)

From some of the discussion around here, you may think that I would not be a fan of the show's "no nonsense" approach to food, but I enjoy the geeky fun of it and, frankly, they come up with VERY sound recipes that get rid of the personal touch some chefs like to (needlessly, often) put on a dish. These are tried and true recipes that just work.

And how do they get to this point? Well, they always say that this innovation or that technique worked well for "our testers." As appealing as the image of a hanger-sized room filled with lab-coated food scientists is, it turns out that that the whole testing process is a bit more realistic than that. Those testers are regular people just like you and me.

Or, more to the point, just like my friend from work, who was recently enrolled as one of the ATK testers!

She's a big foodie and we chat quite a bit, so I'm getting a bit of a close-up look at their process. And I can say that there really is a lot of "testing" going on, with the army of testers being given recipes and instructions to provide feedback. She's having a blast trying out the new dishes.

I've also been able to see that they take quite a "scientific" approach to this. When a recipe they sent out to the testers apparently came back with bad early reviews, they let those who hadn't made the dish yet know to skip it and try out a substitute. Who knows...maybe we'll get to see this described in a future episode of the show.

Me? I'm just hoping they put out a call to "sign up a friend" soon.

Our Trip to Tinto

2008-02-26T20:07:00.002-05:00

You may remember that I went on (and on) about my post-Valentine's Day trip to the nifty Philly tapas restaurant Tinto. I then completely bailed on my responsibility to you, dear reader, to let you know how it all went.

Well, since this is a food TV blog and not a food blog, I will spare you my overwrought prose and pedestrian viewpoint and leave that kind of thing to the pros. I will, however say that the food was fantastic and the table we got was a blast, since we were right next to the Plexiglas-enclosed kitchen. Trust me...any real foodie who gets to watch top-notch professionals in the kitchen IMMEDIATELY want to run out and join a culinary school.

Our menu for the evening:

Sliced Serrano from the Charcuterie
Duck confit, black cherry, bleu de basque spread...a sort of open faced-sandwich
House-made potato chips & smoked paprika cream
Baby squid in squid ink with crab bomba rice (like risotto)
Lamb loin kebabs, eggplant, bacon, sherry jus
Shrimp and rabbit paella

They were all good-to-great...the only bad part was that the best item on the list, the duck confit, came first. It would have been nice to save that for towards the end.

My my count, that's 7 separate animals: pig, duck, squid, crab, lamb, shrimp and rabbit. Not a bad showing for a night's work.

How many of those types of protein would you have tried? To tell you the truth, not that long ago, I probably would have limited myself to just three: pork, crab and shrimp. The rest were too "exotic" or "unknown" for me and I probably would have gone for the familiar chicken or beef. But this openness (and I know that eating lamb doesn't really qualify me as brave) has really been brought about by watching food shows, becoming more familiar with ingredients and actually seeing someone enjoy them.

During a time when we're seeing more and more focus on easy-to-prepare dishes on food shows, it's good to remember that programs that introduce you to unfamiliar ingredients and that probe deep into authentic ethnic cuisines can be supremely rewarding.

Anthony Bourdain Learns a Valuable Life Lesson

2008-02-25T18:59:00.002-05:00

And what lesson would that be?

No matter what you may say or think about someone, it's very, very hard to be mean to them to their face.

Oh, and if you're wondering how those "Clog Awards" went, here you go. From the sound of it, the Network was none too thrilled about them...

Bordain and Ruhlman to Hand Out Some Hardware

2008-02-21T19:14:00.003-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, we're in the thick of awards season. Speaking of which -- how have I made it this far without some sort of milkshake reference?!?!

Anyway, to mark the occasion, Anthony Bourdain and his buddy/Internet landlord Michael Ruhlman are trotting out "The Golden Clogs" which will recognize...well, just go check them out. Any of you who are venturing down to Florida for the Food & Wine Festival should probably go ahead and reserve your spot at the ceremony right now.

The list is full of good stuff, particularly for those of us who follow food TV pretty closely. They take shots at just about everyone (including themselves) and even manage to be au courant with a timely dig at Robert Irvine.

I do have to say that my favorite is The Alton, which recognizes individuals "For being on Food Network and yet, somehow managing to Not Suck." They show some love for Giada, and include Duff and Ina. I'm thinking that their lack of ubiquity has a bit more to do with (a) Duff being so much better in an unscripted environment and (b) Ina's steadfast refusal to hop on the L-I-Double R (HEAVEN FORBID!) than anything else, but it's good to see them get a shout-out.

Also getting a shout-out...Philadelphia (kinda). Foobooz (a fantastic food blog that all of our Delaware Valley readers should be checking out) points out this nomination:

THE CHEF'S CHEF AWARD
Also known as The What's a Publicist? Award for the chef who continues to make the kind of food other chefs like, while flying largely under the national radar

Nominees: Scott Bryan for Veritas and now -- some place in Virginia; Mark Vetri for Osteria and Vetri in Philly; Paul Kahan for Blackbird and Avec in Chicago

Foobooz picked up on the same thing that I did, namely that this comes after Bourdain took a jab at Philly last time he was in town. I think he referred to it as a two-horse town (Perrier and Starr), so giving Vetri some attention is a well-deserved step in the right direction!

(Thanks to Rene for reminding me to write about this.)

Hey, Is That Chris Cognac on a Game Show?

2008-02-20T20:09:00.003-05:00

Yes, yes it is...

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here, and today was no different. Up before dawn, riding the rails to Washington D.C. for work and then back home again. So it's always nice when my TVFF life gets a little easier.

Case in point, today I get to write about food personality/man-about-town/all around good guy Chris Cognac and his upcoming appearance on Amnesia, a game show hybrid of a quiz show and This is Your Life.

Those of you with good eyesight can see him pictured on the screen capture above. Those of you without good eyesight can click on it for the full-sized version. Or, better yet, you can check out a preview on NBC's site. Click on "Sizzling Memories" in the center box to see Chris in action.

OK, Chris...I'm talking to just you now: The Sizzler? Really? At least I took Mrs. TVFF out for Thai on our first date. Granted, the chef must have known that I was out on a first date, because he fell in with the heat.

But I'm with you on those monkeys. Those things are freaky.

Despite my rapidly decreasing affinity for Dennis Miller (loved him on Weekend Update, hated him on Monday Night Football), the show looks like it could really be fun. It debuts this Friday, the 22nd at 9:00.

Chris let us know that he's going to be appearing on the second show, which will air on the 29th, so go ahead and set your DVRs now.

I'd be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to let you know that Chris isn't the only one who has taped an episode of a game show before its launch and then ended up as the second episode broadcast. Yep...you're going to want to click on that image below and behold the full glory of a 7th-grade version of yours truly on Nickelodeon's Think Fast.

Let the mocking begin!

Wow! Big News Day in TV Food Land!

2008-02-19T20:16:00.004-05:00

Credit for the headline goes to reader/food blogger extrordinaire Nicky, who kept me on my toes with the latest news today. Nicky is great -- not only because she sends along info -- but also because she adamantly refuses to compromise the food-related content that she's creating despite my constant efforts to get her to cater to the lowest denominator. (Sorry...inside joke. Somewhere, Nicky is laughing.)

First there was the news that Martha Stewart bought Emeril Lagasse. Or something like that. OK, she doesn't actually own Emeril, but her umbrella organization, Martha Stewart Omnimedia Inc., purchased the rights to Emeril's shows and branded merchandise.

The New York-based media and merchandising company founded by domesticity maven Martha Stewart announced on Tuesday that it bought the rights to the Emeril Lagasse franchise of cookbooks, television shows and kitchen products for $45 million in cash and $5 million in stock at closing.

The final price could rise to up to $70 million if certain benchmarks are achieved.

Not a bad haul for someone whose flagship show just stopped taping. We kid...I'm sure that Emeril and his plethora of signature items (everything from pasta sauce to pots an pans) have a very profitable life ahead of them.

Hmmmm...Oprah has Rachael and Martha has Emeril. How long until Martha and O show up at Kitchen Stadium with their culinary hired guns for a media-marketing grudge match?

The other big news is that Food Network launched a new online video series with Adam Roberts, a.k.a. The Amateur Gourmet. According to the release:

Launching today at http://www.foodnetwork.com/fndish, the intrepid Adam Roberts INFILTRATES Food Network's hallowed culinary halls to find out what really goes on BEHIND THE SCENES at the popular cable network in THE new online series, The FN Dish. From reporting almost live from the 2008 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, to cooking with newly-crowned Iron Chef Michael Symon at his Cleveland restaurant Lola, and chatting up Rachael Ray at a network shoot, Adam tackles it all. Food Network fans unite for a fun-filled ride, spending time with your favorite shows and stars off the air!

You can check out the first episode below (sorry about the auto-play). It's pretty fun. Despite the fact that he's an obvious neophyte to video (us bloggers aren't good with human interaction, even when it's just a camera), Roberts is charming and has a quick wit.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention two things that I discussed in my look at Food Network and the Internet late last year. First, when it comes to blogging, I mentioned Roberts as a great example of how they went outside to get some fresh content. They're going back to him again and that's great news.

Secondly, I griped about the lousy video interface. The GREAT news is that the video series features a brand new player that allows you to jump around in the video, has a full-screen option and allows embedding in blogs and other pages. The ability to comment and rate the videos round out some nice social aspects. About the only thing I'm not seeing is the ability to subscribe to these as a podcast, but that may be dictated by the fact that it looks like most of the videos are already up and there will be less in the way of an ongoing series. Regardless, fantastic job all around.

Another Food Network Personality's Resume Embelishment?

2008-02-18T20:02:00.003-05:00

This time, it's Robert Irvine.

At least according to a report in yesterday's St. Petersburg Times. The article comes at the story from the angle of two restaurants that Irvine was looking to open in St. Pete which, according to the article, won't be happening any time soon.

It is now three months past the planned opening. Look through those windows, past the giant posters of chef Robert Irvine, and you'll see a dirt floor, exposed pipes, lonely ladders.

The piece goes on to describe the legal and verbal wrangling that has been going on between Irvine and some locals who contend that the owes them money and that, well, he's been generally insufferable since coming to town.

Obviously, this is not good publicity for the star or the Network, but it all takes on a different angle when the reporter starts to delve in to Irvine's resume. In a line of questioning that couldn't have been welcome at the Network considering the JAG situation from last year, a number of points from his bio are challenged. Namely, his B.S. degree, his claim to have worked on the wedding cake for Charles and Diana, his recognition by the British crown and his time at the White House are all questioned to one extent or another. Be sure to check out the article for his responses.

As to the comment from the Food Network, a post on the gossip site TMZ links to the St. Petersburg Times article and adds this quote from FN:

"It's unfortunate if Robert embellished the extent of his culinary experiences," said a Food Network rep. "We are investigating the matter and taking the necessary steps to ensure the accuracy of all representations of Robert on Food Network and foodnetwork.com."

With Irvine's extensive and impressive resume a featured part of the show -- indeed, a large part of the program's opening sequence -- this can't be good news. The last time the Network said they were "investigating the matter," we were only a few days away from watching a former military man walk the plank. What will the future hold for this retired member of the Royal Navy?

Enjoying My Day Off

2008-02-18T19:54:00.002-05:00

I hope that you got a break from work today, too!

As for me, I took advantage of the day home from work to do "Take 1" of my pizza experiment, referenced here. The results were...mixed.

The good news is that the quarry tiles, recommended by Alton Brown, worked well. Actually, perhaps a bit too well, as they got so hot that the actually burned the bottom crust a little bit. I'll try it at a lower temperature next time.

The peel, which I got as a gift for Christmas, worked wonderfully once I put a sprinkling of corn meal to help "grease the skids" for getting the dough in to the oven.

I'll give it another go some time soon and let you know how it turns out.

South Beach Festival Rapidly Approaching

2008-02-14T21:53:00.002-05:00

How rapidly? Well, it starts a week from today!

Once again this year, I'll be celebrating the event by not attending. Other vacation plans are in the works this year...more on that later.

But, yes, the festivities will run from the 21st to the 24th. You can see a full run-down of the events on the site. The prices for many of the sessions are a bit...steep. Wow, actually. Looks like I won't be playing golf with Ming Tsai any time soon.

One cool TVFF tie-in, though. At one of the soirées, the Wine Spectator's "Best of the Best," it looks like there will be a whole bunch of big name chefs (including Masaharu Morimoto, who is scandalously listed for his NY location instead of his original Philadelphia restaurant). Included in that list is one Chef Jose Garces, at whose Tinto I'll be dining at tomorrow night!

You'd do well to read about Garces (here's his bio), particularly if you're in the Philly or Chicago area. He's opening a place in the Windy City soon. Don't fret, Philadelphia...he'll be opening Chilango -- which will focus on the cuisine of Mexico City -- in University City later this year.

Jamie Oliver Demonstrates the Power of Food

2008-02-13T21:06:00.001-05:00

Jamie Oliver...cooking meals and reuniting families.

Getting the Milk for Free?

2008-02-12T20:39:00.000-05:00

It may seem that way with news that HarperCollins is making Robert Irvine's cookbook available online for free. Not only can you check out the whole book on the HarperCollins, but you can see from the widget on the left that they're actively encouraging people to embed a link to the book on websites.

You may very well be thinking to yourself, "Hey, isn't a bit strange that a company that sells books is giving them away?" Well, maybe, but the rapidly-emerging model for those who sell media is that it's helpful to give consumers plenty of latitude to check out the product.

Sure, you can get a free electronic version of the book. But it's not like we're the Jetsons or anything...laptops and terminal computers are not so ubiquitous that we all have them in our kitchens. People are still buying books. And what better way to get someone to buy your product than to let them take it for a spin. It works for cars!

And, if you think about it, it works for music, a good equivalent for books.

For the sake of argument, let's all just forget about the whole Napster episode. That was more about the industry not having a business plan that could deal with electronic media and a groundswell backlash against what consumers saw as greedy music companies.

Have you ever had a friend burn you a CD of a band that he or she liked? And you listened to it and probably looked in to the band a bit more. Chances are, you ended up buying the next album or went back and bought some of the old ones. Maybe you even went to a concert. Perhaps you convinced a friend to come along and, after they enjoyed the show, you burned them a CD. And on and on...

Anyone who is looking at selling media these days will tell you that the time is gone when you can zealously control the product once it's out of your hands. It will be those who best use these networks who will have the greatest success.

Valentine's Day in Philadelphia

2008-02-11T19:46:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't already know, Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching. Other than the fact that it's held on February 14th each and every year, the most obvious way of getting the hint may have been from the not-so-subtle change in the programming on food television programs during the past weekend and upcoming week. What would that change be?

Of course, it's the non-stop running of shows dedicated to desserts, chocolate and assorted other sweets. I haven't managed to catch an episode of Unwrapped this week, but I'm sure the topic was, in no particular order, how Hershey makes its chocolate, how Godiva makes its chocolate, how Ghirardelli makes its chocolate, how Lindt makes its chocolate and how Russel Stover makes its chocolate.

Nothing says "I love you" as much as demonstrating to your one true love that they are stuck with you for life no matter how fat you become.

OK...I like a sweet treat as much as the next person, but for me the really exciting eating is of a more savory variety. Fortunately, we won't be exchanging candy in the TVFF household. Instead, we'll be heading out for a meal at Tinto, one of Philadelphia's top restaurants and the newer of the two establishments run by chef Jose Garces, whose Amada is one of our all-time favorite meals.

Coincidentally, my buddy PhilaFoodie featured one of Tinto's dishes in a spotlight post just yesterday. I'm taking that as a good omen that I'll be enjoying my trip to this Basque-style tapas and wine bar.

Reports of Deglazing.com's Demise...Greatly Exaggerated?

2008-02-07T16:47:00.000-05:00

All of you regulars know that we were big fans of Nicky's Deglazing.com. She always came up with great posts and even better video tutorials. You also know that we were pretty bummed when she retired the site. But...like the phoenix rising from the ashes...a new video! This one is on making pizza dough, a timely topic for me since I picked up those quarry tiles and plan on getting moving on my own "at home" pizzas.

She also has a post or two with some great photos from a "new project" and she's soliciting feedback. We can't wait to hear more about it!

For Those of You Who Find the Television Channel a Little Too Fast-Paced: Food Network Magazine?

2008-02-05T16:41:00.001-05:00

There has been news loating around about Food Network starting a magazine. Thanks to reader and commenter Mrs. L, who runs the very cool Pages, Pucks and Pantry food blog, for writing and asking about it, thus getting me off my butt about commenting. From a post:

What's in the oven at Hearst? In recent weeks, the magazine giant has been staffing up for a secret development project, picking off editors from the Reader's Digest-owned Every Day with Rachael Ray. But for what?

According to a well-placed source, the project in question is a new food magazine to be published in partnership with the Food Network. Like previous TV-to-print adaptations Hearst has housed -- ESPN The Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine and the ill-fated Lifetime -- the title would carry the Food Network's brand and be published as a joint venture, in this case between Hearst and Scripps, which owns the channel.

Truth be told, I never seem to have the patience to subscribe to and regularly read a magazine. They invariably stack up until I end up tossing them...I'm more of a "doctors waiting room" sort of magazine reader. But, hey...someone is reading these things.

Magazines can be profitable -- albeit volatile -- undertakings. How will this one fare? The blogger at the post doesn't think much of this venture:

Will this one be a hit like O or a bust like Lifetime? The source, noting that Hearst is not the first publisher Scripps approached with the idea, predicts the latter. The problem is that the network's personalities aren't an automatic part of the package. And of course Ray, possibly the network's biggest star, has her own magazine, as does Paula Deen. "All you really get is the logo," says the source.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the blog making this prediction is, in fact, run by Hearst competitor Condé Nast.

The Neelys are Setting Records

2008-02-05T15:53:00.000-05:00

What do get when you give a new show some primo real estate in the middle of your Saturday morning cooking lineup? By the looks of it, you get yourself a hit.

"Down Home with the Neelys" became the highest-rated series debut in the five-year history of Food Network's popular "In the Kitchen" weekend block after its Saturday, February 2 premiere (11am ET/PT). The new show, featuring Pat and Gina Neely, African American restaurateurs from Memphis, TN who create approachable Southern BBQ comfort food, was watched by nearly 2 million people.

A record number of female viewers went "Down Home with the Neelys" making it the highest-rated program among women 25-54 on ad-supported cable during its time period. The show earned a 1.1 rating and 700,000 viewers among women 25-54. It also ranked second among adults 25-54 with a .8 rating, averaging 870,000 viewers.

As I said, the overall numbers undoubtedly benefit from the fact that it was debuted in the middle of some of their most popular shows, but the stats are certainly impressive nonetheless. This is particularly true when you consider the fact that, unlike debuts of shows with existing FN personalities or, say, the winner of TNFNS, Down Home didn't come to the table with a pre-existing audience.

Time will tell if the show is able to sustain these numbers (particularly if it is moved to a different time), but it's off to a very good start.

Rachael Ray and the Gridiron Gourmets

2008-02-04T21:06:00.000-05:00

You may or may not be aware of this, but there was a pretty big football game that took place yesterday.

Actually, to say it was a "game" is a bit of an understatement, as the Super Bowl has now become a mega-event that works its way into a number of facets of our lives, as evidenced by the "stock up for the Big Game" sales at the grocery market and the intense scrutiny that the commercials receive.

And so it should come as no surprise that other shows are taking advantage of the one weekend a year where everyone is a football fan. Mlive.com, a site that covers Michigan, has a post up about a spot that aired on Rachael Ray's talk show which featured a cook-off among current and former NFL players.

Rachel Ray Show, February 1: The Super Bowl is Sunday ... but first three gridiron greats are going head to head in Rach's kitchen! Only one will win and superstar chef Mario Batali will be the judge.

Going toe-to-toe(-to-toe) with former Giants running back Ottis Anderson and Jets tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Harrington whips up a batch of his baby back ribs and creamy corn potato mash. Delish!

Being a pretty big football fan, I'm a little more interested in this from the non-food perspective. In case those names don't look familiar to you:

D'Brickashaw Ferguson - Plays offensive line for the New York Jets and may possess the greatest first name in sports.

Ottis Anderson (caution: noisy site) - Was the running back for the Giants teams that won the Super Bowl during the '86 and '90 seasons. He had the nickname of "OJ," which was cool for a running back during the 1980s. These days...not so much.

Joey Harrington - Joey is the main reason for the post on this Michigan site, since he was a disastrous #3 overall pick for the Detroit Lions. He's since moved on to Falcons, where he was a disastrous choice for the suddenly Mike Vick-less Falcons (Harrington was benched during the season).

If you click through to the post itself, you'll see a picture of Joey Harrington in his Falcons jersey. You'll recognize him because he looks like a 13-year-old. Coincidentally, he also plays quarterback like a 13-year-old.

Bobby Flay Looks to Imporve His Record in the Delaware Valley

2008-02-01T14:59:00.000-05:00

Apparently not content with his current record in the City of Brotherly Love (you'll remember his Cheesesteak and mac & cheese Throwdowns), Bobby Flay was back in TVFF's backyard for a couple more competitions, according to local media reports.

He ventured to Collingswood, New Jersey (about fifteen minutes from where I grew up) to face off over grilled cheese:

South Jersey got a shot of television glitz and glamour Monday as celebrity chef Bobby Flay came to the Pop Shop for a grilled cheese-making contest for a future episode of the Food Network's "Throwdown! With Bobby Flay."
Flay squared off against Stink and Connie Correia Fisher, co-owners of the popular Haddon Avenue eatery whose menu features 31 varieties of grilled cheese sandwiches. For the show, which is scheduled to air in the spring, the Fishers pitted their Calvert sandwich against Flay's creation, dubbed the "Five B" by one of the invited guests at the taping.

Really?!? I've never heard of this place, but I may need to check it out if they're sporting 31 types of grilled cheese!

And that wasn't his only stop. I guess the producers figured: "Since we're down there anyway..." He stopped by Drexel University to battle it out with soft pretzels:

Cameras rolled last Sunday in the Drexel Hill store. Pretzel Boy's John Howe and Tim Dever were dispatched the next day to Drexel's culinary school for an hour of shooting in front of about 50 hospitality and culinary students and faculty.
Then Bobby Flay walked in.
Snack Attack?
No, sneak attack.
Flay challenged the Boy's boys to a pretzel-making contest for his Food Network series Throwdown!

You've heard us talk quite a bit about local Philadelphia food specialties, particularly the cheesesteak, TastyKake and scrapple. But the soft pretzel is another local favorite. A product of the city's German heritage (hey, we have a section of the city called "Germantown"), the figure-eight shaped pretzels (you'll know them if you see them) are tasty and dirt cheap.

Food Network to the "Rescue"

2008-01-31T20:05:00.000-05:00

Remember the post about my ongoing quest with a certain pasta/pork/egg dish? Although it's been a long journey, that's part of the fun. In other words, I don't want Mario showing up at my front door and walking me through it. What's the fun in that? The real reward is in the discovery.

Maybe you don't feel the same way. Maybe you just want a meatloaf that isn't as dry as a block of styrafoam. Then here you go:

Beginning this March, Food Network’s new darling, Danny Boome, is “on call” responding to the pleas of viewers hoping to overcome personal culinary obstacles with his new series, Rescue Chef. These everyday cooks welcome problem-solving chef Boome into their homes and, most importantly, their kitchens. Boome offers simple, creative solutions and unique quick-fix ideas to save the day (and the meal)! Premiering Saturday, March 1st at 12pm ET/PT, the half-hour show infuses Food Network’s successful “In the Kitchen” daytime line-up with Boome’s outgoing personality and irresistible appeal.

“Danny is a charismatic young chef who will charm viewers with his passion for cooking instruction and his energetic style in the kitchen,” said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network. “Rescue Chef speaks to our viewers’ real-life cooking struggles, and Danny averts their kitchen crises with humor and flair.”

From The Big Apple to The Lone Star State, Boome will “rescue” viewers across America from culinary meltdown. Whether Danny’s helping a schoolteacher recreate her wedding’s short ribs recipe for an anniversary dinner or perfecting culinary delights like Grandma’s Mexican enchiladas, crispy southern fried chicken, and authentic Thai food – each episode will guarantee supper success. Danny also encourages recipe risk-tasking with inventive ingredients to give stale meals a fresh twist.

Hang in there...moist meatloaf is only a month away!

I know what you're thinking: Hey Mike...you didn't really put much effort into this post. You basically just posted the press release.

My response: Get of my back. I'm tired and Lost is back!

Big Accolades for Everything Rachael Ray Site

2008-01-30T22:48:00.000-05:00

We admit that we haven't been very good about plugging our foodie blog friends of late, but we are thrilled to be able to do it today. Anyone who enjoys Rachael Ray and her various shows should be a regular reader of Everything Rachael Ray, which is run by the AMAZING Madeline. (That's her over on the left...I'm sure she's thrilled I'm posting her photo.)

If you're not a regular reader, today is a good day to start, because she's about to get some fantastic and well-deserved recognition for the time, thought and devotion that she puts into a site that covers the latest news and provides helpful reviews of RR's recipes.

I was very excited to hear from Vicky Zhou, an author and writer who offers online dating advice. She is writing a book titled "The Top 500 Blogs," which covers topics ranging from online dating to technology, lifestyle, sports, music, health and love. The books aims to be a comprehensive list of the top 500 blogs.

The Top 500 Blogs will be available on Amazon and all bookstores by the end of 2008. Everything Rachael Ray will be included in the category of "Food & Cooking," so look out for that!

Like I said, Madeline deserves every bit of praise that she gets. Congrats!