Omnivore Atlanta

Oops, she did it again. And she really, really shouldn’t have.

In last night’s Vegas style battle of the sexes, the girls served up a heaping helping of repeats – an impressive feat for the second episode – practically handing fuel to Michael Isabella’s fire. Eve, the midwest complicated/simple girl, served the judges and a cabana full of bachelors underseasoned and over complicated (not to mention over cooked) shrimp, this time with salsa instead of curry, and still couldn’t explain a lick of it. Jesse came up with another decent idea for chicken and did everything wrong again. Not even Jennifer’s snotty octopus ceviche could save the day for the girls’ team, no matter how much I was rooting for them.

Thankfully, Atlanta fared much better than the ladies, with both Eli and Hector winding up at the top during judge’s table. Despite missing out on the elimination challenge victory (it’s pretty hard to beat a macaroon filled with guacamole after that many shots), Hector’s tequila lemon-lime tofu proved he still had plenty of huevos, earning accolades from the judges and even more sighs of envy from my couch. Fellow Atlanta representative Eli also scored with his thai-inspired tuna tartar with wild rice, winning over Gail Simmons and the bevy of “so hot” bachelorettes (Thanks, Mattin). (more…)

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GO TEAM! Kevin Gillespie wins the first elimination challenge

Score one for Atlanta!

In a sea of tattoos, piercings, and un-shucked clams on last night’s debut of “Top Chef Las Vegas” (at first, I thought I might have accidentally been watching a new episode of “LA Ink”), Atlanta’s three resident cheftestants managed to make quite a splash. Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill, who came off with an odd mixture of arrogance and good guy charm, won the season’s first elimination challenge for his procrastination-inspired arctic char and turnip salsa verde, winning over guest judge celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and tough guy Tom Colicchio.

Kevin was definitely the star of the evening, but my heart already lies with Hector whose accent and cooking motto (“I cook with heart and balls”) are setting him up to be this season’s gentle giant. I was a fan the minute he complemented Padma without just calling her hot, although I’ll admit I’m still wrapping my head around the deep fried steak dish.

As for Eli, Atlanta’s third representative, I’m pegging him as this season’s class clown. His commentary (“I cook ’cause I’m a fat kid”) and faux-cocky attitude (which appears to be about as tough as his faux hawk) are funny without going the way of, say, “Top Chef” New York’s Stephan. Stephan’s honor I’ll reserve for Michael Isabella, whose own cocky attitude and sexist comments put him as the prime suspect for season villain. Preeti may not have been able to shuck clams, but she does know what seitan is — take that, Jersey boy! (more…)

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Hector Santiago

When Richard Blais made his now legendary run on “Top Chef” Season Four, it captivated Atlanta audiences in a way basic cable rarely does: We became enthralled as a community.

This season, we have even more reason to tune in. Three Atlanta chefs, all of them fairly prominent, compete in the sixth season premiering Wed., Aug. 19: Pura Vida’s Hector Santiago, Woodfire Grill’s Kevin Gillespie and Eno’s Eli Kirshtein. Anyone who cares about food and restaurants in Atlanta has most likely eaten in at least one of these guys’ restaurants. And while none of them may be as well-known as Blais (who riled up the passions of foodies long before he was on “Top Chef”), they each bring a set of strengths and challenges to Las Vegas that will be fascinating to watch.

I spoke to all three chefs last week, and while they aren’t allowed to talk about what happened on the show in any detail, I was able to find out a little about how they went into the competition and what their strategies were once they arrived.

Continue reading “Atlanta’s Top Chefs”

(Photo by Trae Patton)

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Pura Vida's Hector Santiago

It’s time to unpack your knives. “Top Chef” is back and it’s more local than ever.

The new season of “Top Chef,” this time set in glitzy Las Vegas, starts this month, and, as previously unveiled, will include three Atlanta chefs, the most of any season: Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill, Hector Santiago of Pura Vida, and Eli Kirshtein of Eno.

Gillespie, Santiago, and Kirshtein are just three of the 17 cheftestants featured on the upcoming season. Others include the executive chef for Google, a Frenchman from Biarritz, and a finalist for the James Beard Best New Restaurant award. My biggest question leading into the series (other than how the economy has affected Padma’s wardrobe) is how well the locals will fare against the rest of the competition. Past chefs have gone to both extremes: Atlanta-based chef Nimma Osman was the first to pack her knives on the Chicago edition of “Top Chef” while Richard Blais made it to the same season’s finale. How well do you think Gillespie, Santiago, and Kirshstein will fare? And will any of their restaurant’s dishes wind up on the judges plates? (more…)

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Bravo has revealed the chefs competing on the new season of “Top Chef” and three chefs are from Atlanta — Kevin Gillespie from Woodfire Grill, Hector Santiago from Pura Vida, and Eli Kirshtein from Eno. All this hometown competition should make for an exciting season.

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