Frenetic Flay and relentless White House Chef Comerford Win Galactic Battle
Photo by The Food Network
Could the battle of the Stainless Steel Titans Sunday in Food Network’s Kitchen Stadium possibly live up to how much money was spent on full page print advertising as well as on the ethernet? (Print, hooray, it isn’t dead yet)
“The greatest night in culinary history?” A secret ingredient “of national importance.” I would have made the ingredient “sweet potato and/or broccoli” But an invitation to ravage the White House Garden plus pillage a coldbox of popular proteins gave an easy glide to the contenders – Favorite son Bobby Flay paired with White House stalwart Cristeta Comerfield against Iron chef Mario Batali and Emeril Legasse sweating like a stuck Nixon – an easy glide.
Sam Sifton and Kim Severson blogging on NYTimes.com, thought the fix was in. Is it possible Mario Batali had never lost before? Could he have singed his icicle radishes deliberately and then dared to serve them “charred” as if were intentional? And Lagasse…had he taken one two many Ambien on the red-eye and come directly from the airport in a fog toting a sack of bitter chicory-tinted coffee? What did flaming Café Brulot with clove-studded orange rind have to do with anything sustainable or antixoident? And that overcooked turkey roulade. Puhleeze.
Even woundup and dramatically on the run while Comerford’s second struggled with the crumbly pastry, Flay got those pretty plates out with Criseta in full dress synchronosity. Drama, friends, loved that suspense. Clearly from the orgasmic sighs and bosom heavings of the judges, Batali’s exploding raviolo was the best dish of the night (unless you want to include Nigella Lawson in that category). But the Flay-Comerford presentation and originality trumped it.
Frankly what an eccentric choice of judges. And where was the Chairman? How could he miss the event of the century. Is it possible he’s an illegal alien and couldn’t get Secret Service clearance. Was he off getting his visa renewed?
Of course I personally screamed with joy at the end – when the judges chose Flay and Comerford triumphant and I learned their charity of choice was Citymeals-on-Wheels…today $25,000 stronger.
About Gael Greene
Photo: Steven Richter
In her role as restaurant critic of New York Magazine (1968 to January 2002) Detroit-born Gael Greene helped change the way New Yorkers (and many Americans) think about food.
"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Ice Cream But Were Too Fat To Ask," "The Mafia Guide to Dining Out." and " Nobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen" were early pieces. In more recent years her annual roundup of New York City's dining favorites, Ask Gael, was a gourmand's collectible for many years and she continues to write a weekly Ask Gael column for NYM. Earlier she worked at the New York Post.
As co-founder with James Beard and a continuing force behind Citymeals-on-Wheels as board chair, Ms. Greene has made a significant impact on the city of New York. Citymeals, the largest public/private partnership in the country, has raised $200 million in its twenty-six-year history to help feed the city's frail elderly shut-ins.
Ms. Greene's memoir, "Insatiable, Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess" was published April, 2006. Earlier non-fiction books include "Delicious Sex, A Gourmet Guide for Women and the Men Who Want to Love Them Better" and "BITE: A New York Restaurant Strategy." Her two novels Blue skies, No Candy" and "Doctor Love" were NY Times best sellers.
Gael Greene
Articles used with permission of Gael Greene, Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Steven Richter's photographs may not be used without permission.
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