"Chopped" is a travesty

• 
• I kind of hate Ted Allen. He has no personality, at least on this show, and I don't have any reason to believe he knows about food in the same way that even a Tom Colicchio would.
  
• It's obvious that this is a Top Chef knock-off. It was bad enough when they had "Next Food Network Star," which sucked, but at least was right for Food Network. The skills it tested were more associated the warm nonsense that Food Network goes for than actual cooking. This show purports to be about actual top-level cooking, which is why is fails. That's simply not what Food Network is about, it's about home cooking.
• The ingredients are mostly things a Food Network viewer might find at home. It might seem cute and appeal to some, but it just seems contrived and weird to restrict real chefs in this way.
• Dessert is the final showdown between the last two contestants. Really? Something real chefs apparently don't really focus on at all is the last task?
• Because there are new chefs on every episode, you don't get to know them, so it ends up being another personality-less affair, like Food Network Challenge. At least on shows like Throwdown, you can learn to love to hate Bobby Flay.
• There's really only room in my life for one food competition show, and even that one spot has been being squeezed recently by the poor quality of Top Chef this season. Sorry Chopped.
  

A Very Alinea Thanksgiving

Ok, so these videos have been making the rounds for a short time and they really probably would have been much more interesting about two weeks ago, but since they get less interesting every day, here they are anyway:

Part One:



Part Two:



I first want to make clear that while I've certainly never eaten at a molecular gastronomy restaurant, I'm no Grant Achatz hater. But I think his confidence really comes through on these videos. He knows exactly what he's doing with every flavor on the plate and that's really the only thing that matters, regardless of what techniques he uses. Yet, his style remains a few light years out of the range of mere mortals using stone-age equipment, such as myself and this pair:



Funny stuff. A cautionary tale. For now, I'll retain my humility and low aspirations; I'll stick to the cookbooks meant for housewives, thank you.

Scenes from Thanksgiving break

• Standing outside of Neighbor's Bar and Grill on Cedar Avenue for about half an hour after being booted due to a suspiciously early last call; watching the local residents play soccer in the parking lot.
• Realizing that "pieces of flair" still exist at Outback Steakhouse - a waiter gets one pin for every compliment he receives.
• Successfully roasting a turkey.
• Drinking Heineken foam from a Miller Lite bottle in a green room while sitting on a futon listening to Queen's The Game on vinyl.
• Spending an evening drinking white wine from a bottle with a snap-lid while watching recipes on You Tube.
  

A quick rundown of some relatively new Cville restaurants

The Box: I've heard that developers kicked Atomic Burrito out because it made too much noise for the hotel they wanted to construct across 2nd St.  Anyway, where Atomic Burrito once was, now is The Box.  The Box's vibe is similarly hip and laid back, a place for a quick lunch or to hang out late into the night.  A gong  and Mr. Miyagi's portrait on the wall indicates that you won't get any glares for ordering a sake bomb.  The Box, though located steps away from Marco & Luca's, focuses on noodles that are unquestionably superior to M&L, which often taste of peanut butter and are kind of disgusting.  This is at the cost, however, of $8 for a bowl [with some meat and a wide selection of noodles and sauces.]  If The Box knocked their noodles down to a price point of $6 we could have a deal.  I'll probably return to check out the evening scene or expanded menu at some point.

Aroma's Cafe: Newly transplanted from the middle of nowhere to Barracks, Aroma's is a middle eastern restaurant with an eye to interior design.  Think falafel, hummus, and couscous while listening to "Apologize" by Timbaland.  Despite dinner service with ceramic plates and actual glasses, Aroma's features a price point around $10 for a full meal.  The dishes are appetizing but not mind-blowing, but the convenience factor is undeniable - easily the best overall restaurant in Barracks.  The servers are well-meaning novices but this will hopefully improve with time.

Boheme: Kind of disappointing.  The "cozy" dining area quickly turns into "cramped" with "long waits."  Boheme also shares a very utilitarian bathroom with the three or so other facilities in its building.  The owners are caterers who were forced into the restaurant business, and the level of service shows.  The price point was uncomfortably high for the quality of food received.  There is no compelling reason for me to go to Boheme again when I could go to Zinc for a more comfortable atmosphere, roughly equivalent food, a much better bathroom, and a much lower price.  This place might have trouble competing with the glut of semi-French places already in Cville.  [e.g., Fleurie, Petit Pois, Cassis, Zinc...]

Maya: Maya is easily the best new restaurant I've eaten at in Cville.  While some of my friends have complained about service, each time I've been there the service has been either very kind or at least adequate.  The interior combines an attractive dark red

 brick wall and black slate detailing current specials with what I presume are locally-made paintings.  The food is also excellent - combining southern-style cooking with more modern techniques.  Maybe a little too Paula Deen in its approach to lipids, but that isn't a huge issue.  The bartender is superb and the bar has the most comprehensive whiskey selection I've seen in the city.  They have music on the weekends too.  I will happily consider Maya along with other top tier Cville restaurants such as Zocalo the next time I'm looking to drop a chunk of change on a really nice dinner.  

Eager to try: The Local, Mas, the return of al fresco dining on the mall