Zakarian speaks

Had a nice chat with Geoffrey Zakarian, guest judge from last night and chef/owner of both Town and Country in NYC. Top Chef got some serious star power this week (Boulud was quite a coup too).

Zakarian is a busy guy. His wife gave birth to  a daughter four months ago and I read in New York magazine that he and designer Thierry Despont (who did the Carlyle Hotel and Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in London)are teaming up with playboy hotelier Vikram Chatwal (Night, Dream hotels) for a place called the Lamb's Club, opening on W. 44th Street in August of next year.

Town's kitchen hasn't suffered. The New York Times writes that the hotspot in the the hip Chambers Hotel  is "a civilized, adult setting that suits Geoffrey Zakarian's elegant, clean cooking, which seems almost effortlessly assured."

Mr Z manages to find time to watch Top Chef every week and enjoyed being a judge and would do it again in a heartbeat.

"What's good about the show is that producers have a knack for getting the most out of the contestants, who can be really strong one week and then get thrown a curve ball,'' he say. "I was impressed by the professionalism. The guys and girls really go at it. It's honest."

Other comments:

Tre: "You don't shoot the soldiers, right? So Tre had to go. He's a level headed, mature guy. He'll be a better chef for it. People don't realize how difficult the challenges are. The chefs are really cooking under those time constraints. When a chef gets nervous, they can't edit their food. With his salmon he kept layering ingredient upon ingredient and kept going and going. Bread pudding is one of the simplest dishes to prepare. It's hard to mess up. But he had a total meltdown. It was very dry. Though the tableside service was nice. Chefs should come out - not too often - and finish the dish."

CJ: "He had the ability to help out and decided not to. You need someone to watch your team if you're not firing on all pistons, had a fight with your wife or you're hung over, which doesn't happen often. I don't think CJ is a leader. He wouldn't help you over the wall. He'd jump over and say Call me when you get here. His lobster salad was something you'd throw together at your house in the summertime. You have to be really careful when you dress something, keep tasting it. And if it's too salty, throw it out. It's like he just thought, Well, everybody likes lobster, so I'll do this."

Howie: "I like that guy. He's honest, gruff like a blunt instrument. But he's a gentle soul and consisent cook." When he found out Howie was in New York, he asked me for his info. Would like to do lunch with him or at least a coffee. Howie, are you out there?

Sara N: "She and Howie are one and the same. They both have big egos and they collide."

Dale: "He looked too casual to be front of the house. You should always try to dress better than the patrons. I have a real problem with sweating, too. Get a grip. "

Hung: "I know I said his tuna was a cliche but it was delicious, my favorite dish. It was a very nice starter - clean, appropriate. Hung is very talented. Also has a big ego. But did you see the way he chopped up that chicken?"

   

Comments

[ann]

What on earth does "honest" mean? Get a thesaurus or a dictionary please.

[julie]

Good observqtions, especially re: CJ. I wish Tom had also felt that way about the issue of teamwork. Maybe Tre would still be there.

Hung's skills are always so enjoyable to watch. I hope there will be more challenges like the Quickfire relay in the future. It's great when the chefs really get the chance to strut their stuff.

[ann]

the honest remark was directed at Zakarian.