For anyone out there that watches "The Next Iron Chef", you'll want to read this post. If not, then you might still enjoy it, but it won't be the same.
Recently, I (Bob) posted a pic of myself with Chef Duskie Estes in Napa. It was really great to meet her, but little did I know that it wouldn't be my last Next Iron Chef encounter.
Recently, I (Bob) posted a pic of myself with Chef Duskie Estes in Napa. It was really great to meet her, but little did I know that it wouldn't be my last Next Iron Chef encounter.Ok, now for the part of the Napa story I didn't tell you. Not only did Chef Estes come out and talk to us, she also signed Nate's (my friend) Bottle of wine (from her winery), and she signed a menu for Patsy (my wife). I was so proud that I got Patsy a signed menu that I called her the next morning to let her know! Then, as I was leaving the hotel room the next day, I forgot it on the table. Bye-Bye menu...
The point to all this is that this past Friday night Patsy and I decided to have a date night and head down to Julian KC. Julian is owned by Chef Celina Tio. You might remember Tio making it almost to the end of the show. She, in our opinion, was robbed of her chance to go against, and beat Canora, but what are you going to do? Before I forget, I want to mention that Chef Estes specifically told me to say "Hi" to Chef Tio if we ran into her back in KC; so of course we took that as a mission!
When we arrived, they sat us right away. Since we had a reservation, it was all good. We were happy to see that it was a nice atmosphere - kind of simple and modern. We were sat in a corner so we only had people on one side of us; it was perfect. Then, after enjoying some wine, and a wonderful goat cheese appetizer, we saw her talking to another table. It didn't take long and she came by. We were actually in the middle of enjoying our dishes. Mine was a crispy pork shoulder, sweet potato puree, surrounded by a tamarind pork sauce. Patsy's was a strozzapreti pasta, with La Quercia prosciutto, Grana Padano smothered in a tomato sauce. Both were fabulous!!! Anyway, we spoke with her for a few minutes about the show and how disappointed we were that she didn't make it.Once she left, we realized that we didn't even think to ask her about getting a picture. After saying something to the waiter, we thought our chance may be over. Then to our surprise she came back out with a signed menu and signed postcard from the show. We were so excited! Then she said that it would be no problem to get a pic and to just grab her before we leave! We did and it was cool.
This was definitely our best restaurant experience in KC to date! Thanks Chef Tio!
Of course, as I was reviewing our products in our online store for Christmas this past week, I ran across a new offering that just fit this post perfectly! So if you are a fan of any Chef TV or you know someone that hopes their baby is an aspiring little chef, then you should pick up this great outfit.I'm including an online code here that offers 15% off if you purchase before Christmas; just click the link below and enter the coupon code:
CB0020
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
