US News Talks to Top Chefs About Healthy Eating

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Mike Isabella Knows Italian. Mexican Maybe Not So Much.

Pic from Graffiato Web site.

While Mike Isabella's first DC restaurant, Graffiato, has become somewhat of a local favorite, his second attempt, the Mexican-inspired Bandolero, has the critics shaking their heads. While WaPo critic Tom Sietsema seems to like the food well enough, he thinks the decor and noise level leave much to be desired. Now the Washingtonian's critic, Todd Kliman, has panned the food.

Not having been to either restaurant myself, I'm wondering what the general public thinks of Bandolero. And Graffiato, too. If you've been to either or both, ATC'd love to read your view in the comments.

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Mike Isabella Goes Mobile!

For one day only DC-based Top Chef alum Mike Isabella is trying something new by going mobile. His version of food truck will be making rounds through town on Wednesday, July 25th.

The truck is not a full-fledged kitchen machine, rather a scaled up delivery vessel, that will bring samples of Isabella's dishes to the lucky residents of the Capital.

In his interview to Washington Post Isabella admits  to always wanting a food truck, but with mobile cuisine being a tricky business, he sees a modified version as a better route.

The best part about tomorrow's launch? All samples are given out free of charge! And to add to the joy, the chef is planning to challenge the customers to a palate test: can they name the ingredients after trying a sample of Graffiato's offerings? Can you?

Head to DC and let us know!

The Graffiato truck schedule on Wednesday:

8 a.m: Dupont Circle, Q Street NW, between 20th Street and Connecticut Avenue NW.
11 a.m.: Union Station, corner of Massachusetts Avenue and F Street NW.
1 p.m.: Franklin Park, corner of 14th and K streets NW.
4:45 p.m: Farragut North, K Street NW, between 17th Street and Connecticut Avenue NW.
6:30 p.m.: National Mall, corner of 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW.

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TC News & Information - 6.1.2012

Curtis Stone, currently seen on Bravo's "Around the World in 80 Plates," will be coming back to host Top Chef Masters season 4. Read what he has to say to the Village Voice about his shows here.

All Star Tiffany Derry is hosting a series of Top Chef dinners at her restaurant, Private Social. Guest chefs will include Angelo Sosa, Kevin Sbraga, and Carla Hall.

Two new Top Chef restaurant openings! Mike Isabella has just opened Bandolero, in Washington, DC., and Richard Blais' The Spence has also made it's culinary debut. If any of you dine at either or both restaurants, we at All Top Chef would love to hear from you. (That also goes for any attendees of Tiffany Derry's events.)

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Expansion Plans for Top Chef’s Voltaggio, Isabella, and Izard

Season 6’s Bryan Voltaggio will be switching things up between his Frederick, MD flagship, Volt, and his newest venture, Lunchbox, which kinda sounds like little bro’s ink.sack. Maybe great brothers just think alike? For more on Lunchbox, Bryan’s once-stalled project North Market Kitchen, and a possible diner tentatively called Range, check out reports here and here. Our heads are spinning.

Mike Isabella of Season 6 and All-Stars, who opened Graffiato in June, plans to open another DC area restaurant, called Bandolero, serving “modern Mexican” small plates in the form of “salsas, guacamoles, ceviches, tacos, vegetables.” This maestro of multiples is apparently looking at spaces for yet a third concept as well. Reports here and here.

And Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard has revealed details about her upcoming “Little Goat,” a diner concept across the street from her wildly successful The Girl and The Goat in Chicago.

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TC News and Information 6.27.11

I'm back from vacation, and our Top Chef contestants have been all kinds of busy!

Tre Wilcox's Marquee Grill has opened in Dallas, and you can drool over some fabulous photos of Tre's offerings here.

Mike Isabella opened his Jersey/Italian restaurant, Graffiato, last week, which will serve pizzas, pastas, charcuterie, and that pepperoni sauce from Top-Chef All-Stars that made Gail Simmons swoon. Photos from Eater DC here; menus and more from the Washington Post here.

Isabella is also working on a cookbook about New Jersey Italian food, with his wife honcho-ing the test kitchen and blogger Carol Blymire as writer. Blymire is an entertaining writer known for cooking her way through cookbooks by Thomas Keller, French Laundry at Home, and Grant Achatz, Alinea at Home, as well as some well played April Fool's jokes. But this is apparently the real deal.

Season 1’s Tiffani Faison has announced plans to open a new BBQ restaurant in Boston called “Sweet Cheeks” and is touring the South for inspiration.

All-Stars winner Richard Blais has all kinds of culinary irons in the fires, including expanding his Flip Burger Boutique chain to DC and Miami, opening a gourmet hot dog restaurant, HD or Haute Doggery, in Atlanta, and a yet-to-be-named restaurant in midtown Atlanta featuring “simple American food that tastes great.”

Another All-Stars contender, Dale Talde, will be head chef at a “New Asian” restaurant in Brooklyn’s Park Slope that hopes to open by September.

Season 3 winner Hung Huynh is slated to help open a Manhattan “seafood restaurant and lounge” called Catch.

Bryan Voltaggio is working on opening two new restaurants, in Frederick, Maryland, and Chevy Chase Plaza, as well as collaborating on a cookbook with brother Michael. His Frederick restaurant, tentatively called North Market Kitchen, is inspired by Mario Batali’s Eataly in NYC, or maybe not.

And don’t miss this fascinating piece from Ruth Reichl about her experience as judge on Top Chef Masters, from her new desk at Gilt Taste, about why she was surprised a woman didn't win and still loves Floyd Cardoz's food.

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TC News and Information 4.4.11

In case you're not sated with interviews from the final two after last week's show, here are interviews with Richard Blais from the Chicago Tribune, TV Guide, and Slashfood. And don't miss Eli Kirshtein's Bravo blog, which reveals a little more about the personal side of Blais, his mentor and hero.

Mike Isabella talks to Grub Street and the Chicago Tribune.

For a couple of different perspectives, here's an interesting blog about teachable moments from the finale. And here's a thought-provoking piece from the Village Voice about why more women don't win Top Chef, with comments from several of the female chefs from the All-Stars season (thanks to reader Jennifer for mentioning it in the comments!).

Speaking of girl power, NYC pop-up-of-sorts, What Happens When, is launching a Monday night series featuring "female chefs, female pastry chefs, and female sommeliers." Check out the line-up, which includes Season 1's Lee Anne Wong, All-Stars Jennifer Carroll and Carla Hall, and Season 5's Leah Cohen.

You can find more about Fan Favorite Carla Hall's petite cookies here.

And as a new winner is crowned, Season 5 winner Hosea Rosenberg is shutting down his Boulder food truck business, while Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard continues to pursue Olympic dreams and the prospect of being a James Beard Award winner for her Chicago restaurant, Girl and the Goat.


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All Top Chef Interview with All-Star Finalist Mike Isabella

 Mike Isabella talks about his experience on the Bravo Show.

A highlight: Mike plans to open his restaurant, Graffiato in May.
Click here for more information.

Click here for the podcast.

Thank you Chef Mike!

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Bravo Exit Interviews - Mike Isabella and Richard Blais

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ATC Love to Chef Mike Isabella

Although Chef Isabella did not win Top Chef All-Stars, he came very, very close. The dishes he prepared as part of his dream restaurant were all lauded by the judges, particularly his pork shoulder with pepperoni sauce which particularly impressed Gail Simmons.

It was easy to see that Chef Isabella worked very hard to get as far as he did in the competition, particularly in the time between the end of the regular season and the finale, when he honed his skills and learned new techniques. Kudos to him for that - he really wanted this win.


Chef Isabella, we're looking forward to the opening of your new restaurant, Graffiato, and wish you much success in the future.

This post is only for positive things about Chef Isabella and his food. If you have anything negative to say, please do so here.

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One Last Battle Before Tonights Finale

Richard Blais and Mike Isabella duked it out in battle vegetable lasagna this morning on the Today show:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Top Recipe - Top Chef All Stars Finale Part 2

Watch Top Chef Master Rick Moonen prepare Mike Isabella's winning grouper dish here.

Find a printable version of the recipe here.

Congratulations Chef Mike Isabella

Congratulations Chef Mike Isabella for winning this critical elimination challenge. Your Banana Wrapped Grouper with Braised Pineapple and Warm Conch Vinaigrette looked delicious. You are certainly coming on strong in the last weeks of the season.


This post is only for positive comments about Chef Isabella and his dishes. If you have anything negative to say, please do so here.

Top Recipe - Top Chef All Stars Finale Part 1

Watch Chef Rick Moonen prepare Mike Isabella's winning chicken dish here.

The printable recipe can be found here.

Congratulations, Chef Mike Isabella!

Congratulations to Chef Mike Isabella for finally winning an Elimination Challenge this season! Not only did he win the Elimination in this first round of the finale, but he also won his battle against season 6 winner Michael Voltaggio in the Quickfire.



Way to go, Mike! Now it's time to show us all what you're really made of. Do you have what it takes to win this competition?

This post is only for positive comments about Chef Isabella and his dishes. If you have anything negative to say, please do so here.

TC News and Information 2.21.11

To start Presidents Day off on a, well, Presidential note, Just Desserts winner Yigit Pura recently made finger-lickin’ good pie for Obama. And TC Season 7’s Kelly Liken says on facebook she’s cooking for the First Lady.

If you have the day off, you might want to check out Fabio Viviani’s risotto cooking class, which will live-stream 12pm-2pm LA time. (The last time he did one of these, you could catch it later too.)

Angelo Sosa talks about the food at his soon-to-open Social Eatz in Part II of Fork in the Road’s exit interview: “We're going to take something like a sloppy joe, which I have great childhood memories of, and turn it into a Sloppy Ho Chi Minh. We do our own proprietary meat blend and infuse it with tamarind and some gochujang, which is a fermented Korean chili paste. So it's luscious and flavorful like a regular sloppy joe, but with an Asian twist. Our burgers are going to raise a couple eyebrows. And we'll do yuzu beignets for dessert.” You can find Part I here.

All-Star Mike Isabella is also working on a new restaurant, Graffiato, which he calls Italian-inspired, but not strictly Italian. Potential dishes include chicken wings with black-garlic Romesco and baby-back ribs crusted with Sicilian oregano and served with coriander yogurt and a small salad of blood oranges, sliced radishes and marinated onions, which you can read about in Part II of the Washington Post’s three-part story. Part I, which focuses on the build-out of the space, here.

Following his penchant for naming restaurant’s after fabrics (like Searsucker), Season 3’s Brian Malarkey is calling his new restaurant Burlap. It will feature “Cowboy Asian” cuisine, with a menu ranging from steaks, seafood, roast chicken, duck, and pork butt to sashimi, hamachi, salads, and stir-fry. "It's a protein house but we'll have subtle flavors like ginger butter, yuzu sauce, soys, pickled cactus and sage,” he says in this interview.

Season 7’s Amanda Baumgarten has been named Executive Chef at LA’s Water Grill.

Season 6 finalist Bryan Voltaggio (who happens to be an investor in Mike I.’s Graffiato) is slated to appear at DC’s “Savor: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience” in June.

All-Star Carla Hall cooks up a feast honoring Edna Lewis at Manassas Thursday night, with a menu featuring a salad of wild watercress with vinegar and oil, chicken with dumplings, glazed carrots, crusty yeast bread with butter and deep-dish apple pie with nutmeg sauce. More about the event, and Edna Lewis, Grande Dame of Southern Cooking, here. And on February 25, Carla will speak at the Green Matters Symposium on "Real Food Renaissance” at Brookside Gardens.

Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard will participate in Cochon 555 in Chicago March 20. For more about the porkapalooza that is Cochon 555, don’t miss the video here. Steph will also be part of the line-up of all women chefs at Hot Chocolate’s 6th anniversary party and benefit for Share Our Strength February 28 and another benefit, for TC Masters’ Art Smith’s Common Threads, on March 7.

As if that weren’t enough, Feast speculates an announcement may be forthcoming this week about Steph’s second restaurant.

Yigit Pura will be a celebrity judge at COOK Orlando March 27 to benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

And Top Chef Canada premieres April 11!

TC News and Information 2.7.11

Congratulations to All-Star Richard Blais and his wife Jazmin on the birth of their second daughter, Embry Lotus!

And congrats to Season 6 finalist Bryan Voltaggio and his wife, who are expecting their second child.

All-Star Mike Isabella will do a pop-up Valentine's dinner.

Departed All-Star Dale Levitski, Just Desserts’ Yigit Pura, and Bravo’s own Andy Cohen made Out Magazine’s list of Top 100 Most Eligible Gay Bachelors.

And, uh, Season 2's Ilan Hall wants to be on Dancing With the Stars? So suggests this new facebook page.

TC News and Information 1.09.11

"Top Chef "and TC judge Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" have been nominated for Producers Guild of America awards (in separate categories).

Bravo grand fromage Andy Cohen gets a lengthy write-up in the New York Times.

Congrats to Season 4's Nikki Cascone on the birth of her son, and on her newly opened NYC restaurant, Octavia's Porch. Nikki talks about her "global Jewish" Lower East Side restaurant here.

For those of you who've been thinking Mike Isabella looks pudgier on All-Stars than he did back in Season 6, here's what he has to say.

Richard Blais was working the Bravo stage at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. You can see him demonstrate how to make "popcorn-sicles" in this video.

Blais is also cooking a James Bond-themed Valentine’s Day dinner for the Nashville Film Festival. Tickets are, um, $2,500 per couple or $8,000 a table.

Or you could attend this January 11 dinner in Denver prepared by Hosea Rosenberg for a mere $75 per person.

Staying in and cooking at home during the lean, chilly winter months? Chicagoan Dale Levitski offers suggestions on that topic and more in this new interview.

And you still have until January 31 to enter a fish taco recipe in the Wild Alaska fish taco competition, which Top Chef Masters contestant Susan Feniger talks about in this podcast.

Casey Thompson may have been PYKAG'd last week, but her restaurant, Brownstone, made Eater's "Heat Map" of 9 top Dallas restaurants to eat at "right now." You can also read Casey's own take on the episode that led to her departure on her blog.

What's Up with Mike I?

An anonymous comment on the most recent recap roundup post wondered why Mike Isabella seems to be getting so much air time this season. Good question! What do you think?

poll by twiigs.com

TC News and Information 12.27.10

Mike Isabella reveals more about last week's tennis-themed Elimination Challenge, talks about his upcoming pizza restaurant, and claims there was less drinking during the All-Stars season than previous seasons in this video interview from the Washington Post.

Atlanta Magazine catches up with Kevin Gillespie here and gets an update on his plans "to create an old-fashioned, old timey-style barbecue joint meant to emulate the original roots of barbecue" - mmmmmmmmmmm.

You can catch Tre Wilcox doing cooking demos in Brandon, Florida Jan. 13 and 14.

And here's a look at the Magical Elves' newest food-related TV show.