Well, I made it back in one piece from my less-than-48-hour jaunt to the (almost) swamps of Jersey (another shout out to Bruce...can't help it!). It was quite the memorable time, rolling with Guy Fieri and the group of Lost Boys he calls his Kulinary Krew. Drove in with a private chef buddy o' mine, E, and we basically hung on the periphery of the madness, sometimes dipping out toes in just enough to know that we couldn't handle a whole weekend of it...
Friday night, my job was to introduce Guy as the guest of honor at the Cheese Steak Battle. Over 700 food fanatics swarmed the Caesars Palladium Ballroom. Two contestants from AC; 2 from Philly. Talk about a border war! The winner was a local -- Tony Baloney's. It was a near-consensus amongst those in t.JPG)
he know, and apparently the paying public concurred. Their cheese steak was chopped pretty fine, and had a healthy dose of seasoning to spice up the amazing hoagie roll and near-liquefied provolone. In my eyes, it was no contest...
Saturday started by intro'ing Guy at his Big Bite Brunch @ Phillips Seafood Restaurant, on the pier. The views out there are spectacular, and the space itself was very nice. They oversold the event, so I had the pleasure of welcoming nearly 300 peeps to this gathering. The menu was conceived by Guy and his team (led by the unflappably talented Korina), and executed by the two game Phillips chefs, Sean Dufee (does NOT rhyme with etouffee) and Paul Drew. It was, to put it mildly, unique. If you've never experienced food Guy-style, hearing the menu may shock a traditionalist.
• Drink ~ Mai Tai oh My – fresh fruit and juices blended with Cazadoras Reposado tequila
• Gratis ~ Garlic Parmesan Crab, with King Crab topped with garlic a lemon aioli (mayo) and panko, then broiled
• 1st course ~Grilled polenta with a crawfish Etouffee “Guy style”
• 2nd course ~ Tequila Turkey Fettuccini with Cazadoras Reposado tequila
• Dessert ~ Coffee Banana’s Foster French Toast with Formica Challah Bread
The highlight for me was the 1st course. The grilled polenta had great texture and held up to the crawfish stew and cherry tomatoes. It was hearty, but not overwhelmingly so, which is of note because this was a brunch, mind you, not a dinner. I also need to mention the wonderful bread usesd for the dessert, provided by local bakery, Formica Bros. They also made the tasty tomato bread that was a welcome to every table upon arrival.
The event was a success, and off we went to Guy's cooking demo. Here's where things get reeeally hairy, if you don't know what it's like to live in this world. The team asked me to warm up the crowd and intro Guy again, and I was thrilled to do so. Turns out he SOLD OUT the frickin' theater (Circus Maxximus) to the tune of 1600 people!! It was surreal
and exhilarating, to say the least. Guy had 'em eating out of his hand, pardon the pun, the entire time. To be honest, the food he demo'ed is overshadowed by this guy's personality and charm and energy. For the record, he prepared Duck Fried Rice and Blackened Sesame Salmon.
Image aside... the guy can cook, and knows how to handle himself with a pair of tongs and a wok!
E and I finally made our way to the Grand Market to gorge ourselves on beer, wine, and tastings of just about everything...notables in 2 NJ brews, whose names escape me right now, but I will mention them when my.jpg)
brain resumes normal functionality...
Saturday night featured back-to-back Food Network parties, the first featuring Sunny Anderson, poolside, with some interesting cocktails, like a watermelon mojito, and 4 different types of sliders: lamb, chicken, and vegetarian, and a dessert, which was a riff (unsuccessful as such), with shortbread replacing brioche buns, and melted chocolate (pudding) and strawberry preserves in the middle...
Then it was on to the Sweet & Stylish event. It was a packed house, and there were desserts o'plenty! I took a deep breath, and made my around the entire ballroom. A lot of the treats were underwhelming. The one standout was the deliciously creamy ice cream courtesy of Alex Guarneschelli... and the undisputed star for us were the desserts offered up by Philly resto legend Georges Perrier of Le Bec Fin. We were lucky enough to meet the diminutive, feisty chef himself before we walked in, and , unprovoked, he threw his hands in the air and shouted (in his French accent), "I'm done! I'm exhausted!" Apparently, he wasn't kidding. The sad note is that this singular spot will close its doors next spring. But one taste of his smart, sexy, sensational offerings proved undoubtedly that he's still got the magic left in him. Coconut Panacotta with Passion Fruit. Oreo Cookie Mousse. It was heavenly, and I feel fortunate in retrospect to have at least tasted a glimpse at this man's considerable talents...
Friday night, my job was to introduce Guy as the guest of honor at the Cheese Steak Battle. Over 700 food fanatics swarmed the Caesars Palladium Ballroom. Two contestants from AC; 2 from Philly. Talk about a border war! The winner was a local -- Tony Baloney's. It was a near-consensus amongst those in t
.JPG)
he know, and apparently the paying public concurred. Their cheese steak was chopped pretty fine, and had a healthy dose of seasoning to spice up the amazing hoagie roll and near-liquefied provolone. In my eyes, it was no contest...Saturday started by intro'ing Guy at his Big Bite Brunch @ Phillips Seafood Restaurant, on the pier. The views out there are spectacular, and the space itself was very nice. They oversold the event, so I had the pleasure of welcoming nearly 300 peeps to this gathering. The menu was conceived by Guy and his team (led by the unflappably talented Korina), and executed by the two game Phillips chefs, Sean Dufee (does NOT rhyme with etouffee) and Paul Drew. It was, to put it mildly, unique. If you've never experienced food Guy-style, hearing the menu may shock a traditionalist.
• Drink ~ Mai Tai oh My – fresh fruit and juices blended with Cazadoras Reposado tequila
• Gratis ~ Garlic Parmesan Crab, with King Crab topped with garlic a lemon aioli (mayo) and panko, then broiled
• 1st course ~Grilled polenta with a crawfish Etouffee “Guy style”
• 2nd course ~ Tequila Turkey Fettuccini with Cazadoras Reposado tequila
• Dessert ~ Coffee Banana’s Foster French Toast with Formica Challah Bread
The highlight for me was the 1st course. The grilled polenta had great texture and held up to the crawfish stew and cherry tomatoes. It was hearty, but not overwhelmingly so, which is of note because this was a brunch, mind you, not a dinner. I also need to mention the wonderful bread usesd for the dessert, provided by local bakery, Formica Bros. They also made the tasty tomato bread that was a welcome to every table upon arrival.
The event was a success, and off we went to Guy's cooking demo. Here's where things get reeeally hairy, if you don't know what it's like to live in this world. The team asked me to warm up the crowd and intro Guy again, and I was thrilled to do so. Turns out he SOLD OUT the frickin' theater (Circus Maxximus) to the tune of 1600 people!! It was surreal
and exhilarating, to say the least. Guy had 'em eating out of his hand, pardon the pun, the entire time. To be honest, the food he demo'ed is overshadowed by this guy's personality and charm and energy. For the record, he prepared Duck Fried Rice and Blackened Sesame Salmon. Image aside... the guy can cook, and knows how to handle himself with a pair of tongs and a wok!
E and I finally made our way to the Grand Market to gorge ourselves on beer, wine, and tastings of just about everything...notables in 2 NJ brews, whose names escape me right now, but I will mention them when my
.jpg)
brain resumes normal functionality...Saturday night featured back-to-back Food Network parties, the first featuring Sunny Anderson, poolside, with some interesting cocktails, like a watermelon mojito, and 4 different types of sliders: lamb, chicken, and vegetarian, and a dessert, which was a riff (unsuccessful as such), with shortbread replacing brioche buns, and melted chocolate (pudding) and strawberry preserves in the middle...
Then it was on to the Sweet & Stylish event. It was a packed house, and there were desserts o'plenty! I took a deep breath, and made my around the entire ballroom. A lot of the treats were underwhelming. The one standout was the deliciously creamy ice cream courtesy of Alex Guarneschelli... and the undisputed star for us were the desserts offered up by Philly resto legend Georges Perrier of Le Bec Fin. We were lucky enough to meet the diminutive, feisty chef himself before we walked in, and , unprovoked, he threw his hands in the air and shouted (in his French accent), "I'm done! I'm exhausted!" Apparently, he wasn't kidding. The sad note is that this singular spot will close its doors next spring. But one taste of his smart, sexy, sensational offerings proved undoubtedly that he's still got the magic left in him. Coconut Panacotta with Passion Fruit. Oreo Cookie Mousse. It was heavenly, and I feel fortunate in retrospect to have at least tasted a glimpse at this man's considerable talents...
Those tastings were, almost literally, the icing on the cake of the Festival of Foods...
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