Dining at Edward Lee’s 610 Magnolia, and a Sneak Peek at His New Restaurant

Kumomoto oysters with American sturgeon caviar, watercress,

leek, and champagne sabayon from 610 Magnolia

On a road trip from Cincinnati to Louisville, I finally got to taste the food at 610 Magnolia, Season 9 contestant Edward Lee’s flagship restaurant. Lee is about to open his second restaurant, Milkwood, at Actors Theater of Louisville. Check out this video interview from Louisville TV station WHAS with Chef Lee and Kevin Ashworth, who will head the Milkwood kitchen, for a glimpse at the new space and the “comfort food with an Asian twist” it will serve up.



Hungry for more? How about frog legs with fish sauce and bourbon brown butter, which Kevin demo's here.



The night I ate at 610, I was fortunate not only to enjoy a truly spectacular meal but also to meet Chefs Lee and Ashworth. These talented, thoughtful chefs were gracious enough to give me a few minutes of their time – even as they ran back and forth across the street between 610 and the restaurant’s Wine Studio, which reportedly was hosting a private event for Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert. You can find the full story of my evening here.

Sous-vide beef tongue with heirloom baby beets,

wild caperberries, mustard ice cream, and nigella seeds

One thing’s for certain, if I have a chance to taste the signature 610 BLT again at either restaurant, I’m going for it. The “L” in their version stands for liver, as in foie gras, which is combined with bacon ends and red wine to create the most devastatingly delicious paté I have ever eaten. Add some oven-dried tomatoes and aged gouda and sandwich between toasty bread and you have a definite winner! (Recipe here.)

610 BLT

Best of luck at Milkwood to Chef Ashworth and to Chef Lee, who is also soon to be a new father! Fittingly, the baby is due the week of the Kentucky Derby.

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Your video du jour - Edward Lee makes over potato pancakes from the Colonel

Chef Edward Lee has teamed up with KFC (whose parent company, YUM!, is based in Louisville, where his restaurant, 610 Magnolia, is located) for a series of videos. Glad to see Ed put his own spin on this recipe for potato pancakes. If I don't miss my guess, the soy sauce he pours over his shrimp-potato pancakes is from another great Louisville vendor, Bourbon Barrel Foods.

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Cook Like a Top Chef - Edward Lee's Tomatillo Gazpacho

While lots of recipes from Top Chef seem like they might be delicious, not all of them are do-able at home. Sometimes the chef's directions aren't particularly clear. Other times the recipes are simply too complicated. But there's nothing complicated at all about Edward Lee's tomatillo gazpacho, which he prepared for the Quinceanera in episode 3 of Top Chef Texas.

I'm a big fan of gazpacho - toss a bunch of raw veg in the blender and end up with a flavorful, nutritious soup. Doesn't get much easier than that. Ed's recipe is a bit more involved in that he cooks most of the vegetables before puréeing them and mixing them with cucumber purée. He included his poblano peppers in the cook pot, but I thought they might have more flavor if roasted first. I also tossed out his watermelon, jicama, and pork rind garnish because I didn't want to buy a bunch of extra stuff. I already had a daikon in the fridge and thought if I pickled it, it would cover the juicy, sweet, and crunchy bases covered by his original garnishes. I also didn't bother to strain the soup; after all, I wasn't being judged on its appearance. I thought it was pretty nonetheless, as pretty as something Army green can ever be. And it tasted good, too.

Tomatillo Gazpacho, adapted from Edward Lee

1.25 pounds tomatillos, quartered
1 medium onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and deveined, roughly chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
1 poblano peppers roasted, seeded and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cucumbers, peeled and roughly chopped
sour cream
ground cumin, to taste
cilantro, chopped, to taste

Garnish
2" long piece of daikon, or 5 radishes, cut into tiny dice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons agave syrup
salt

Place tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapenos, and vegetable stock into a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat down to medium. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature.

When veg are cool, puree in a blender. Pour puree into a large bowl.

Place cucumbers in the blender with a handful of cilantro and puree. Stir into tomatillo puree in bowl. Cover bowl and refrigerate until cold.

Serve in bowls. Garnish with dollop of sour cream, spoonful of daikon, and a bit of cilantro.

Makes about 2 quarts.

Garnish directions: place daikon or radishes, vinegar, agave, and pinch of salt in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or more so the vegetable pickles.

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James Beard Award Poll

Both Top Chef Master/Top Chef Texas judge Hugh Acheson and Top Chef Texas cheftestant Edward Lee are finalists in the James Beard 2012 Best Chef Southeast category. Who do you think will win it? Vote here and then tune in after May 7 when the winners will be announced.

poll by twiigs.com

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All Top Chef Interview with Edward Lee

Chef Ed Lee talks about his experience on the Bravo Show.

Click here to learn more about his restaurant, 610 Magnolia.

Click below to listen to the podcast.

Thank you Chef Lee!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

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Bravo Exit Interview - Edward Lee

Click here to watch the interview.

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ATC Love to Chef Edward Lee

After making it to the Final Four....then the Final Five....Chef Edward Lee ends up not making it into the Final Final Four because he chose to use canned smoked oysters in his dish. Without that element to his Mentor Dinner dish, he may well have won this contest. But now we'll never know.



Chef Lee - you have been an amazing competitor all season long, and we've been cheering for you. May you have continued success with 610 Magnolia and any and all future endeavors.

This post is only for positive comments about Chef Lee. If you have anything negative to say, please do so on our Reactions post.

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Congratulations, Chefs Ty-Lor Boring and Edward Lee!

Both Chefs Ty-Lor Boring and Edward Lee were on the bottom of the heap last week, and both chefs have given themselves some pretty bad knife injuries. Perhaps those things in common bound them together in such a way that they were able to make some gorgeously-cooked quail and get the win in this week's game-based Elimination Challenge. Or maybe they're just terrific chefs. In either case, congratulations to them for a job well done!

This post is only for positive comments about Chefs Boring and Lee. If you have anything negative to say, please do so on our Reactions post.

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Top Chef Video Sunday - Edward Lee Dishes on Season 9 and a Bourdain DVR Alert

Current contestant Edward Lee of Louisville's 610 Magnolia talks to local station WHAS about what it's like to compete and says he hasn't cried yet. With his unique Asian/Southern twist, Ed also demos Cornmeal and Coconut Macaroons (gotta love a Top Chef who's comfortable making desserts, and who knows the difference between a macaroon and a macaron). Ed also offers some holiday variations you can try in your own kitchen.

Meanwhile 'tis the season, and the always twisted holiday special on Travel Channel's No Reservation with frequent Top Chef guest judge Anthony Bourdain airs Monday night at 9:00 Eastern. Tony's blog post about it here.

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Congratulations, Green Team!

Congrats to the Green Team of Chuy, Edward, Beverly, Paul, Richie, Chris J., Heather, and Grayson! They prepared a successful selection of elegant Mexican dishes for young Blanca Flores' quinceanera celebration and earned another week of competition on Top Chef Texas.

This post is only for positive comments about the chefs on the Green Team . If you have anything negative to say, please do so on our Reactions post.

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Meet the Chefs - Edward Lee

HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, NY
RESIDES: Louisville, KY
AGE: 39
PROFESSION: Executive Chef / Partner 610 Magnolia
CULINARY EDUCATION: Self-taught

Edward Lee is chef & owner of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Kentucky. A Brooklyn native, Lee found his way to Louisville while attending The Kentucky Derby in 2003 and destiny brought him to the restaurant, 610 Magnolia. The following year, he bought the restaurant with partner Brook Smith and moved to Louisville. With Lee at the helm, 610 Magnolia has been praised as the fine dining destination of the region. In 2011, he was a Finalist for The Best Chef Award Southeast from the James Beard Foundation.

Lee attended college at NYU graduating Magna cum Laude with a degree in English Literature. At 22, he chose to pursue a culinary career instead of a literary one. He staged in a number of restaurants in France and after a brief stint working at several high profile restaurants in NYC, Lee opened Clay in 1998 at the age of 25. When he’s not cooking, Lee is hanging out with animals (both four legged and two legged), hunting game birds, eating fried chicken, singing karaoke and trying to perfect a one handed backhand. His wife, Dianne, is his biggest fan and strongest inspiration. “If I can do one thing to make her proud, my work is done.”

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