I Heart Tom Colicchio

Every year, Food & Wine magazine hosts an event to honor the best new chefs of the year. This year was particularly exciting because it was the 20th anniversary… and I scored an invite.

The venue was this super modern space with white acrylic walls, dim lighting, and concrete floors. It was chopped into individual rooms -- one with a (oh so trendy) girl DJ, another for the press, and another with custom cocktails and sponsor schwag galore. We mingled, attempted to take discreet photos of famous people, danced to a few house mixes of retro-Britney songs, and ate a lot of food that I'm still unsure how to pronounce.

My favorite thing about these events (and NYC in general) is the people watching. Last night was no exception. As I was stuffing my face with some exotic, delicious treat, Morimoto shuffled by me (in his full-out Iron Chef kimono and sandals). As I turned to do a double take, I literally rubbed shoulders with Rocco DiSpirito (mmm). I stood in line for drinks with the lovely Gail Simmons who was chatting with Top Chef Season 2’s Lee Ann Wong (who must have lost 30lbs since the show aired). Wylie Dufresne was totally working the room and I think I spotted Rick Bayless on the dance floor. Daniel Boulud (considered one of the best chefs in the world) even served his dish to me! I spent much of the night trying to spot Anthony Bourdain and Padma Lakshmi (both very tall human beings, so I wasn’t too concerned about missing them). Unfortunately, they were not as excited about the event as I was and failed to show up. Hung and Marcel (who was sporting an awkward mountain man beard) were shamelessly flirting with all of the women in the room -- leaning in to describe the details of their mediocre ceviche (Rick Bayless’s was much better). And then, there was Tom Colicchio. What can I say? I’m a lifetime member of his fan club and it made my night that he was there (even though I wasn’t particularly fond of his dish).

But, beyond my nerdy TV chef obsession, the food was incredible. The event was catered entirely by past Best New Chefs honorees. Waiters roamed around with trays of one-bite portions prepared by 22 previous winners. In the spirit of Top Chef, Sarah and I kept a running list of the best and worst dishes. Here’s mine:

Best:
Fabio Trabocchi (Fiamma, NY) – Il Carpaccio, duo of Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with Tartare, Wild Mushrooms, Truffles and Parmigiano-Reggiano
Todd English (Olives, NY) -- Pork Belly Schwarma with Grilled Za’atar Bread (I'm not exactly sure what schwarma is, but it was de-lish)
John Besh (Restaurant August, New Orleans) – Fried P&J Oysters with Louisiana Caviar and Herb Salad (Hard to eat, but yummy nonetheless)
Andrew Carmellini (A Voce, NY) – Shrimp Polpettini with Artichoke and Lemon
Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Chicago) – Salmon Ceviche with Orange, Capers, and Roasted Green Chiles
Daniel Boulud (Daniel, NY) – Crayfish A L’Americaine with Watercress Gnocchi
Sotohiro Kosugi (Soto, NY) – Hokki Nuta, Poached Surf Clam Marinated in Sweet Miso and Mustard Vinegar, with Fresh Ginger Shoots, Sesame and Yuzu Zest
Tom Valenti (Ouest, NY) – Raspberry Martini Fizz (I ordered this one only because the last step in mixing the drink is to hook it up to an oxygen tank! It ended up tasting good too, but it would have been worth it either way)

Worst:
Barbara Lynch (No. 9 Park, Boston) – Asparagus Terrine with Crab Salad and Morel Vinaigrette (Bleh)
Tom Colicchio (Craft, NY) – Duck Pastrami with Pickled Red Cabbage and Sweet Mustard (I wanted to love this one, but alas…)
Anita Lo (Annisa, NY) – Chilled Avocado Soup with Shiso
Dan Barber (Blue Hill, NY) – Pork Liver and Parts Terrine with Chocolate Wafers (Perhaps my palate isn’t sophisticated enough for this, but it was unanimously “gross.”)
Gavin Kaysen (Café Boulud, NY) – Crayfish and Quail Egg En Gelee, Jambom, and asparagus Chantilly (“En Gelee” = no thank you)