Yes, I was biased last night, when Symon appeared at his first battle against Ricky Moore, Washington D.C. chef. I wanted Symon to lose. I wanted him to be embarrassed. I wanted to do a little happy dance that Food Network screwed up. But no–Food Network got the last laugh, because Symon won.
May I ask how you judge Thanksgiving as a secret ingredient? Must the dinner have turkey, or a more modern invention to the dinner table?
Time began ticking and Symon seemed oddly quietly and nervous–was this the same chef from last week? Where was his outgoing nature? Was there “a you better not screw this up” speech given by the network?
Both Moore and Symon created turkey dishes, dessert, stuffings, and sides. Moore created more of a Southern Thanksgiving, while Symon tried a more modern twist. Moore’s pumpkin soup with bacon and mushrooms caused me to want a taste. However, Symon’s apple crisp with the fennel addition peaked my interest (I want to recreate another one of his dishes, is Symon silently persuading me to his side?).
They both seemed to have really good dishes. To me Moore’s seemed better, but I am biased toward Southern cooking. Symon’s fried oyster with corn and crab salad just didn’t pique my interest, as well as other dishes. And the judges seemed impressed by both. Moore’s downfall was the deep-fried turkey and its toughness. I believe this caused his low score.
Symon’s win makes it official–he is a good iron chef, but he still has to win me over, completely.
Oh and did anyone else see Batali’s missing picture on the wall? I think it’s official Batali is gone! As a friend and I discussed and agreed, Flay is next to be bested out for the next round of The Next Iron Chef. But I guess we’ll just have to see.