ICA: Flay v. Kinch (Battle Cabbage)

[ipsedixit]

Why was there a "farmer" on the judging panel?

And how ridiculous was it to have the "farmer" dressed in denim overalls? What farmer today looks like that? 50 years ago, maybe. Today? A modern farmer is as much a scientist dressed in a pair of Dockers and nice pressed shirt as anything else ... Sheesh.

[grantham]

Fun episode. I always miss Jeffrey. Attire of judges isn't incredibly important to me.

[eatzalot]

Note to Chowhound: Can this be consolidated into the original thread on this subject?

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/599556

[ktb615]

For those that don't know, Farmer Lee Jones is the owner of Chef's Garden farms. He supplies produce/microgreen/etc to the like of Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter, etc. They don't pick your vegetables until you order them to maintain high quality and freshness.

[Frodnesor]

The overalls and bowtie is obviously Lee Jones' schtick, it's not like ICA had a wardrobe department that decided to dress him like that. Here's his website where he is dressed the exact same way ->
http://www.chefs-garden.com/index.htm

David Kinch gave what I thought was one of the most remarkable performances ever by an ICA challenger. His stuff looked and sounded exquisite and - not that I really pay that much attention to the "competition" angle of the show - I don't recall ever seeing a challenger run rings around the "Iron Chef" to quite the same degree. With cabbage!

I have never been to Manresa but sure want to go now.

www.foodforthoughtmiami.com

[CucumberBoy]

I found the "farmer" ingratiating, frankly; everything he tasted was "exquisite" or "perfect", except for one dish involving chestnuts IIRC. I just didn't feel he offered anything as a judge, unlike the picky, snobbish judge from Saveur mag...

During the mid-program chat with the judges, Farm Boy said something to the effect that "cabbage is under-appreciated in America." I dunno, I found that comment absurd, frankly. Now, if he'd says chayote squash was under-appreciated, I'd have likely agreed, but cabbage?

Anyway, fun episode. I felt bad for Chef Flay -- his had his brussel sprouts handed to him by Chef Kinch.

-cb-

[paulj]

If the Test Kitchen boss gets by with a bow tie, why not the grower of specialty vegetables?

[Porthos]

Long time no see Frod. Anyways, it's pretty much pop warner vs NFL. Flay was totally outclassed and it showed. I could cook at least half the dishes from Flay's array. This is not a testament to my skills but more of Flay's lack thereof. I can safely say that I couldn't make a single Kinch dish even if I were given the recipe.

I would highly recommend Manresa when you go to the Bay Area. You know I'm a huge fan of NYC high end dining but Manresa, in terms of cuisine, beats them all. I thought the flavors there were much more original and delcious than what I had at TFL. Definitely one of the the top dining experiences in the country.

A well deserved win for Kinch.

[farmersdaughter]

The overalls were a silly touch. I liked the concept of having a farmer be a judge, especially with a secret ingredient being a vegetable, however. I wonder if the farmer was more of an agribusiness person or if he is a true farmer (from Ohio, I think they said).

What a battle. I love David Kinch and Manresa and everything he prepared looked incredible. I'm hoping he does a dinner at Manresa where he prepares the dishes he made on the show.

Bobby Flay's plating really looked amateurish compared to Kinch's and he had two dishes of basically a hunk of meat + cabbage. They looked pretty boring.

I would have loved to see Kinch v. Morimoto. I think that would have been a much more interesting battle.

[ipsedixit]

Yeah, Kinch slaughtered Flay.

[paulj]

The spread in scores was similar to that in the Italian cheese battle which Mario won.

[sailorgrrl05]

farmersdaughter: I was left BREATHLESS by last night's competition, and this show has never done that to me. What an ass-whuppin'. And on his debut appearance!

Here's a link to a SJ Merc article about it, where it mentions Kinch has ruled out your suggestion: '"There's nothing we make in this restaurant that we make in an hour," he said.'

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_1192147...

[Paul H]

I think we will see an Iron Chef dinner being offered. There will be demand for it, the food costs are almost nothing, and it can be done in an hour!

[farmersdaughter]

I saw that article, but one can still hope . . . I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[sailorgrrl05]

I would love to be able to try that cabbage quenelle and that "napoleon"!!!