Top Chef Kitchen, 10-16-12 -- 11-18-12 Tribeca

[junescook]

Apologies if this has already been posted. I don't live in the city but if you do, this looks fun and pretty reasonably priced. For a month or so, from October 16th through November 18th, each week, a pair of Top Chef contestants will be hosting a four-course menu for $95 ($125 with wine pairings) at 211 West Broadway in Tribeca "and be on site to execute a creative menu as well as interact with the restaurant guests." For more info:

bravotv.com/topchefkitchen

[deepfry7]

Anybody go last week? Curious to see how it's going.

[Pookipichu]

OK, to add insult to injury... I received an email from Opentable stating that there were reserved reservations available for 5,000 points. 5,000 points equals $50. So basically not only would you be overpaying for a meal, you'd be paying to overpay for that meal.... is this where we are heading as a food culture? Celebrity over substance?

[huiray]

Well, just think of all the "new" restaurants that need to have "buzz", NOISE; are places to be seen, places to have a good time; then the foodie-trainspotting and trophy-collecting phenomenon regarding Michelin-starred restaurants, "The Best XX Of.." lists; and in all of them, the buzz and fame associated with sitting next to a celebrity, or BEING that celebrity, etc etc etc. Note that the word "food" didn't occur in that tabulation above. Oh, sure, there will always be foodies and folks interested almost wholly in the food and not even necessarily in the reputation or "acclaim" (aka stars awarded) of a restaurant, but such people are a minority nowadays.

p.s.1: That includes folks posting on Chowhound. ;-)
p.s.2: I got that email too, some days ago.

[kyph0515]

At first I thought it was $95 for BOTH 4-course menus, which would be marginally justifiable...then I realized you have to mix and match from the two chefs to make your own 4-course meal. It's not as bad as the Super Mooga saga but that's what it reminds me of...

[Pookipichu]

Almost none of the menus look like they are worth $95.

[huiray]

I'd have to agree. Tiffani Faison's in particular.

Paul Qui's is chicken, chicken, chicken...looks like he's squeezing everything out from one chicken!

[Pookipichu]

Tiffani's menu looks like there might be $10 worth of ingredients in it. Seems almost like some sort of Top Chef challenge. Padma slurs: "Having a budget of only $10, you must create a meal where people will pay $100"

[plumpdumpling]

Love you for this.

[chefhound]

They don't give you any information about who will be there. And there are no reservations left!

[junescook]

If you click on each week you will see the two chefs for that week and each of their menus.

[junescook]

Go to the site, scroll up to menus, then as you click on each particular week, you'll see the two chefs for each week and can download each of their menus. I thought that the last two weeks (Blais/Schmitz, and Lofaso/Viviani) looked particularly good to me.

[chefhound]

Sorry, I was dumb and didn't see the top with the menus. In any case, there are no reservations left.

I'm actually in NY when the first pair are doing it and would have loved to try Edward Lee's food. But there aren't any reservations available on OpenTable.