The X Food Network

[Snaggletiger]

A few years ago, a friend of ours who owns a restaurant here, won the inaugural Top Chef competition.  Kelsey Barnard Clark beat out a bunch of chefs from around the country on one of those, “Here’s the theme, what are you going to create for us?” shows.  The skirt and I watched every minute of every episode, because it was someone from here that we know.  Cool, neato-keen stuff.

However, that’s about as much as I want to watch of cooking competition shows.  Maybe some BBQ cookoffs, but I can’t get into so many of them because they’re just not real life situations. “Your ingredients for this competition are an octopus, 3 packets of lime Kool Ade and a pine cone.  You have 15 minutes to present your dish to the Judges.  Good luck.”  Cue dramatic music.

Otherwise, I love cooking shows.  #1 on my list is Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  It’s not the weekend unless I catch some Triple D.  Some like him, some don’t, but Guy Fieri is all over the place, and seemingly has a part in 15 shows.  But, Triple D is nothing more than picking 2-3 off the beaten path restaurants, and having the chefs show you how they make their most popular dishes.  Also a big fan of Michael Symon and especially his show, Cooking Out.  He prepares the dish and fires up the Weber Bowls outside.  Always a little cocktail involved. 

I like just about any show that focuses on all the prep and cooking of a dish, because if it looks good, I’ll dang sure take notes and give it a try.   

[wesfau2]

I used to be a food network junkie.  Give me the single cam, host in a kitchen, breaking down the steps/science and I'm golden for a marathon.

Then everything was reality competition shit and I got away from it.  My faves:

Alton Brown - the nerdiness and in-depth explanations hooked me.  Plus he makes neat gadgets sometimes.
(Pre Rape) Molto Mario - this show was technique heavy, while making very approachable dishes
Barefoot Contessa - she's insufferably WASPY and relies on niche artisanal products only available in suburban Connecticut, but she does produce tasty stuff even with my substitute ingredients
Mike Symon - love his midwestern, but still a little fancy, meat and potatoes approach

[Snakebite]

I used to be a food network junkie.  Give me the single cam, host in a kitchen, breaking down the steps/science and I'm golden for a marathon.

Then everything was reality competition shit and I got away from it.  My faves:

Alton Brown - the nerdiness and in-depth explanations hooked me.  Plus he makes neat gadgets sometimes.
(Pre Rape) Molto Mario - this show was technique heavy, while making very approachable dishes
Barefoot Contessa - she's insufferably WASPY and relies on niche artisanal products only available in suburban Connecticut, but she does produce tasty stuff even with my substitute ingredients
Mike Symon - love his midwestern, but still a little fancy, meat and potatoes approach

BFC used to put me to sleep after classes back in the day. Softest voice there ever was.

The only competitive cooking show I truly enjoy is Guy’s Grocery Games.

With Hams on Triple D. Good show, and brings business to local eateries.

[Snaggletiger]

BFC used to put me to sleep after classes back in the day. Softest voice there ever was.

The only competitive cooking show I truly enjoy is Guy’s Grocery Games.

With Hams on Triple D. Good show, and brings business to local eateries.

He's quirky with the hair and all his catch phrases, but he has a following.  And when he revisits places he did a show from years ago, it definitely appears to have had a positive effect on business.

Another Symon show I like is Burgers, Brew & Cue.  Not only bringing the good eats, but there was always a focus on a tall, cold pour to go with your meal.

[chinook]

i've been to a few of the triple Ds in PDX ...most recently, Christmas Eve, to Chin's Kitchen (chinese) for the dumplings. 

are the dumplings the best in PDX?  ...very debatable amongst "new friend" circles.  i'm not sure how he chooses but the affect his pop-in has on a restaurant is very good for business for months and years to come.  notably Matt's BBQ and Pine State Biscuits.

[Snaggletiger]

I read an article on Triple D, and how everything is done.  They actually do a good job in production to give the impression that it’s a simple process of a couple of camera guys following Fieri around, and filming the preparation and interactions with the chef, and saying a few words with the customers. Easy, right?

Nope!  Restaurants and viewers submit requests for a visit to a certain location, complete with menu and back stories.  The staff selects some and Fieri narrows them down.  There are sometimes 3-4 in-depth interviews with the owners before final selections are made, which again, are totally up to Fieri.  The business shuts down for filming, which in some cases, may be a few days.  Fieri has them prepare a shit load of items from the menu and he decides which ones make the cut.  There’s a production crew of up to 20 people, and then the customers are selected and invited by the restaurant owner to film the dining area spots.

They oftentimes film up to 7 places in one city, and everyone doesn’t make the cut. But if they do, they say the restaurant better be prepared for a huge boost in business.  And of course, the Camaro, valued at well over $100K, is trucked from location to location.  Fieri drives it a block or two to say his lines, then back on the truck.