So last week we read about how Le Cirque is doing just fine despite the departure of chef Christophe Bellanca and news of its wine auction. But it didn't hold up so well at today's Top Chef and City Harvest sponsored Taste of the Five Boroughs. Always forgetting we can attend these things as press, we bought a ticket for the 1pm hour - at least it's for a good cause - and upon our entrance discovered Le Cirque already ran out of food. By the time we made our final rounds at 130, it was still the only restaurant to have done so. But we did find Andrew D'Ambrosi at his knife skills demo across Vanderbilt Hall where he was proud to represent the restaurant "rockin' the three stars." And how he represented! Showcasing his non-sissy knife skills at breakneck speed, he started supreming fruit before carving into his finger, began bleeding, turned to the demo sinks disappointed to discover they're just props, was first handed paper towels, then a bandage, then finally left the stage as an EMT arrived, and wanting to shift the focus and cameras away from him and back to his demo partner Spike Mendelsohn he went backstage to be tended by the EMT. (We can't even imagine how an actual sissy would have handled this!)
Spike, who arrived with Josh Ozersky, serving as his food runner until his demo began, followed it by walking up to the bar at Cipriani afterward just as we finished the last of our lunch hour Bellinis. He was one of a number of returning contestants involved in demos or representing their own restaurants. (Like Dale, slowed down from frothing up Lemongrass Bubble Tea and Nikki from 24 Prince who apologized to Andy Cohen for learning on Eater he was turned away from the restaurant over the summer, hoping he didn't think it was a snub. And he reassuring her not to worry and that all publicity is good publicity.)
So was it like for us paying masses? It was a young white collar crowd of chef groupies, maybe 4-1 women, mixed into a 1-1 ratio with the media, the former taking a day off from bargain midtown lunches wanting an experience worth sending into Gawker Stalker. Getting a picture taken with a contestant made the food an afterthought, especially since waiting to enter the tasting hall attendees were encouraged to gorge on Godiva chocolates. Although if you came hungry the massive pulled pork sandwiches from Dinosaur BBQ and the American and Japanese Wagyu Tartare from Kobe Club - two restaurants with no Top Chef affiliation - easily stood out from the pack. And no one left empty-handed either, the goodie bag came with a sample of the new Top Chef video game to keep everyone entertained until the start of the new season.
How did you get a video? I was there and only got a magazine!
Posted by: colleen | 28 October 2008 at 15:32