Iron Chef - Louisa Chu, Judge Panelist - SPOILER ALERT

Hi,

Last September, Louisa and her sister Annie traveled to New York City to judge an Iron Chef competition. Finally ten months later on Sunday July 20th, this episode Louisa judged is airing. Both Louisa and Annie were sworn to secrecy on the participants, secret ingredient, the outcome and pretty much everything else. Ronnie Suburban and I bumped into them shortly after their return with the good news. While they were dying to tell, they admirably kept to their promise.

Get yourself to a television and set your TIVO, to see your first opportunity of Louisa as judge. While this is very exciting, we don't have Louisa around to enjoy this premier viewing. She is in Alaska for the summer feeding the hungry hoards of sport's fishermen.

Regards,

That's so exciting! We should get together and have an Iron Chef viewing party! I'd offer - but both my TV and living room are tiny...anybody know a bar where we can control the remote? Was Annie a judge as well, or was she along just for moral support?

Hi,

Annie was moral support.

I had thought the same about getting together, but time sometimes withers away. We could also see it with Louisa and Annie sometime this Fall. It could be like a participant's commenting on what was happening behind the scene as the program advances.

Regards,

Cathy - thanks so much for posting this! Yes, I'm still up in Alaska feeding hungry fisherpeople as the chef for a charter fishing boat and lodge. But yes, let's get together to watch it again when I get back in the fall.

Michele - yes, as Cathy said my sister Annie just got to go along for moral support - and she just got to have fun! She didn't have to worry about talking while eating with a camera in her face. As for a place where you can control the remote, from this thread germuska and the zims watched Bobby Flay battle Graham Elliot Bowles at Candelite, while ChefGEB himself hosted a viewing party at Rockit.

FYI when I thought I was going to be in town I wanted to host a viewing party at Lao Sze Chuan, in the backroom upstairs, but Tony still doesn't have cable up there - only karaoke. Forget about Dish. I can't believe he's Chinese.

So yes, watch me judge Iron Chef America tonight at 8 p.m. CT! Iron Chef Bobby Flay battles Chef Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune in New York City! Yahoo TV even lists the judges: Michael Ruhlman, Karine Bakhoum, and me!

(If anyone happens to be in Sitka, Alaska tonight, please join me and my friends to watch - details on my blog - with other all airtimes!

Well, I'll be watching! Have fun in Alaska!

Hi,

Louisa wasn't edited to look like the giggling hand-over-mouth Japanese starlet type. She came across cool, crisp, professional and very intelligent. My favorite part was between Louisa and Michael Ruhlman, when he declared a dish did not taste like zuchinni. She very firmly stated it tasted like zuchinni was supposed to. Don't even try to put words in Louisa's mouth.

I am very curious what the mastika (?) in the chilled water tasted like. Gabrielle Hamilton was very distracted by that detail, which almost seemed to derail her efforts. It wasn't until the judging began did I appreciate her efforts and vision. Now she can go forth and spread the talcum power around her abode for Bobby Flay to tidy up.

Regards,

Thanks Cathy! The mastic tasted slightly sweet and was cold and chewy. Imagine if you chilled a Snickers bar not frozen, just cold - the mastic was like the nougat.

For those who missed it, it's on again at 11 pm (15 minutes from now).

OK, I'm a moron and missed it. (sorry, Louisa - we wound up having a busy night)

However, I'm setting my DVR to record it on the 24th at 11pm (EASTERN - so 10pm), when it will be on again - so, barring accidents, I'll have it for any future LTH Iron Chef viewing events. Never thought I'd say this, but good that Food Network re-runs those so often! (For those of you who missed it and haven't been following info about the show elsewhere 1) the "secret" ingredient was zucchini, and 2) There was a side bet between the chefs that the loser would have to clean the winner's house.)

I cranked up the TiVo this morning and watched the episode. I've got to commend Louisa on being one of the more well spoken judges that show has ever seen! I thought that it was a rather challenging ingredient, but some of the stuff the chefs came up with looked downright great. I hope they bring you back for another stint. I can't wait until you get back to Chicago to hear all about the production process.

I thought this was one of the best Iron Chef episodes I have ever seen, maybe because of the judges!
Bravo to Louisa for standing up to Ruhlman!
And I must say as possibly the world's least enthusiastic zucchini eater,
I don't envy the choice of secret ingredients,
I mean sign me up for battle lobster any day LOL!
But they did make many of the dishes look very very interesting,
and was fascinating to see for once that the judges weren't like falling all over Bobby Flay's
cooking as they usually are,
so I must assume that chef Gabrielle's dishes were really good.
I have never even heard of Mastic, so it's a first for me.
I'll look forward to the re-run to pick up on subtleties I missed the first time thru.
Congrats, Louisa!

Louisa did an excellent job, begining with her assertation that zucchine DOES have flavor. Besides a local girl done good, I'm aways happy to see a challenger win. I would say, however, to me, that the most original dish was Bobby Flay's "pasta."

I always have a problem when Karine Bakhoum is a guest judge and Bobby Flay is competing as I cannot believe she is unbiased, especially considering how she swoons whenever Flay looks her way. She is owner of KB Network News, a PR firm that has represented one of Flay's restaurants, his catering company and three of his cookbooks. I also consider her responsible for Chef GEB's loss to Flay as her voting was heavily skewed towards Flay, while Jeffrey Steingarten and Ted Allen voted for Chef GEB. That being said, this episode it seems as if she had definitely toned down her enthusiasm for Flay, although the episode just could have been edited that way. How did she seem to you, Louisa?

Michele - oh please, no worries - it's only going to air again a bajillion times.

Steve - hoo-boy - who knew? I just couldn't NOT speak my mind. And yes, I loved that it was a challenging ingredient. I mean, you don't have to do anything to a white truffle and it will taste good.

irisarbor - thanks. And yes, when I saw the mastic I was so excited - mastic, zukes, she's doing something Greek - but it was original, interesting, and something I've been craving again.

Rob - thanks too - and of course it has flavour!

Fujisan - Karine was enthusiastic about both chefs. It was fascinating to see in person that she was not biased towards Bobby Flay as she's often accused.

Personally, that was one of the few Iron Chef episodes where I really wish that I could get ahold of the ten recipes prepared by the iron chefs.

Egads, i almost turned it off when I found out that "zucchini has no flavor."

jlawrence01 wrote:Personally, that was one of the few Iron Chef episodes where I really wish that I could get ahold of the ten recipes prepared by the iron chefs.

Egads, i almost turned it off when I found out that "zucchini has no flavor."

yes, I am especially keen on the zuke in harissa vinaigrette. Louisa, can you grab that for us?

Given that we'll be up to our ears in zucchini soon, perhaps we should set up a zucchini specific recipe topic...

Mhays wrote:OK, I'm a moron and missed it. (sorry, Louisa - we wound up having a busy night)

However, I'm setting my DVR to record it on the 24th at 11pm (EASTERN - so 10pm), when it will be on again

I was so disappointed when I missed the show. Thanks for alerting us to the rerun date - can't wait to see Louisa judging!
Hope Alaska is treating you well Louisa.

Jyoti

jlawrence01 wrote:Personally, that was one of the few Iron Chef episodes where I really wish that I could get ahold of the ten recipes prepared by the iron chefs.

Egads, i almost turned it off when I found out that "zucchini has no flavor."

I too would love to get ahold of those recipes. I thought they were amazing! I think that was one of the best iron Chef comepetitions I have seen so far.

I have to agree with others; I think Louisa is my new favorite judge and should be back more often! I already deleted by DVR'd copy but I thought the intro was a bit....well....meh...low key even. Louisa is more than just a food blogger and esteemed grad from CIA (IIRC). They seemed to minimize her accomplishments but that could just be an issue with respect to the amount of time allocated to intros.

Louisa, I thoroughly enjoyed you on the show and hope you will have the opportunity to judge again. I thought your interaction with the other judges was great! It was nice to see someone tell Ruhlman to keep an open mind on the ingredient.

I'm not a big fan of Karine and find the creative editing of ICA tends to lead us to believe she is Bobby-biased. However, sometimes you catch glimpses of her truly enjoying the food. This show was one of those rare moments. Like everyone else, I would love to get the recipes for all the dishes.

Rob - will try to get the recipes.

Jyoti - yes, Alaska treating me very well - except the rough waters.

dees_1 - thank you! And actually Cordon Bleu Paris.

Well, I finally sat down last night and did enjoy the episode of Iron Chef, which I recorded. I used to be a fan, but had stopped watching the show, partially because I'd been annoyed by the "celebrity" judges, who don't seem to have a vocabulary to talk about food, much less an understanding of it.

Between Ruhlman and Louisa, this was a different episode entirely; it was nice to hear the judges actually critique the food - and even more fun to see disagreements among them. Kudos to you for giving a smack-down on the flavor issue, Louisa; you came across as confident, well-informed, and well-spoken (no surprise here!) Bottom line, Food Network needs to continue to hire food writers and bloggers of Louisa's caliber to judge these competitions, otherwise it's like watching "Ready, Set, Cook!"

Ooops! Sorry Louisa! Like I said, the time spent on your intro was very short. I do recall hearing you graduated with honors though!

CIA or Cordon Bleu Paris - two places *I'll* never go!!!

dees_1 - no worries at all! I had considered CIA but then I thought - Homer Simpson-like - "Mmm...pain au chocolat..."

My dear Ms. Chu,

Late at night, sitting in a hotel room in the northeast suburbs of Detroit last weekend, I was flipping through the channels when I remembered that the Food Network was part of the in-house cable system. On the off chance that I might catch the Iron Chef installment on which you were a judge, I surfed ahead until I heard Alton Brown’s familiar voice and waited to get some clue as to the secret ingredient. Within seconds a plate of zucchini popped up on the screen and I knew that providence had sent me the right episode.

I missed most of the show but had luckily picked it up just before the break leading to the judging. As I had more interest in seeing you and hearing your comments than watching the actual preparation, I had no regrets. I’d been reading what others had written here and knew that there was going to be a moment of comeuppance for Michael Ruhlman, but had no idea when it would occur nor the power of the occasion.

It came fairly early in the judging process; I think it might have actually been with the very first dish. Ruhlman, sitting there haughty and overconfident, states that zucchini has no inherent flavor of its own. Karine Bakhoum made her point in defense of the humble green squash. Then he turned to you, thinking you might be the weaker opponent, repeating his assertion that the zucchini is an unworthy ingredient, and there it was, your exquisitely timed response, First the pause, then that withering look of disdain, then those three simple words, “Yes, it does,” in that tone of voice that said “Hush you rude little boy; the grownups are talking now.”

My blood ran cold at the sound, and then I burst into hysterics as Ruhlman and his dreamy hair crawled back into their protective emotional shell. None of it should have been a surprise. After all, you cut your argumentative teeth right here on LTH. You could have handled Michael Ruhlman’s outburst with your tongue tied behind your back. It was quite a moment; well worth missing twenty minutes in the middle of “Blood Diamond” over on HBO.

Louisa, after watching your performance on Iron Chef, not that we ever would, but I can tell you that I will never argue with you on any topic. You could tell me that grits ain't groceries, eggs ain't poultry, and Mona Lisa was a man and I would just nod my head in dumb agreement for fear of getting “The Look”.

Congratulations on a job well done. I hope the producers at Iron Chef invite you back for many more appearances. Maybe next time you’ll get to judge a better ingredient than zucchini. I mean c’mon, zucchini? Does that stuff taste like anything at all?

Buddy

It was a good ep, but rather strange: very little protein appeared anywhere on the plate. Admittedly, you don't want to hide the zukes, but I expected something like kabobs with chunks of squash, ground lamb stuffed into a small pattypan...

But what I really missed is my very favorite use of zucchini -- thin slices on a thin-crust pizza or focaccia. With some garlic and a little parmesan and olive oil, the zukes caramelize and are heavenly.

Way to go, Louisa! The episode was great, and it was so refreshing to see someone on the judging panel that wasn't an actor, owner of a clothing line, or news anchor, that left me scratching my head wondering, "Why is this person on the show? Their PR manager must be really desperate" (Mark Ecko comes first to my mind). Congratulations on putting Ruhlman in his place--I think I saw his marvelous hair deflate just a bit when you defended the zucchini. I hope they ask you to judge again and hopefully sit next to Ruhlman for another time.

Sharona

Home from vacation and I finally got to watch this episode. I thought Louisa comported herself really well. It was an enjoyable episode and I definitely appreciated the outcome. As for the 'run in' with Michael Ruhlman, I thought it came off as friendly, even though that might not have been everyone's perception. But what made Louisa's comments about zucchini having flavor so great was that the episode bore those comments out. In fact, by the end, it was clear that everyone present was in agreement about zucchini possessing flavor. That made Louisa appear especially sage. Considering it was her first time (and hopefully not her last), that was particularly impressive.

Congrats, Louisa. I hope there is more of this to come from you.

=R=

I don't mean to steal any of Louisa's thunder, but I accidentally Tivo'd the prior week when I was aiming for her show and I thought Steve Dolinsky did a very good job as a judge.

It looks like it was a rerun, but I didn't find any mention of it here on the board. Alas I can't recall much in the way of details, but look here, I found Dolinsky's own YouTube post compiling his clips from that episode together...

I must say, in general, I found that a more interesting episode ("Battle Rabbit" with Michael Symon v. Guy Rubino)

germuska wrote:I don't mean to steal any of Louisa's thunder, but I accidentally Tivo'd the prior week when I was aiming for her show and I thought Steve Dolinsky did a very good job as a judge.

It looks like it was a rerun, but I didn't find any mention of it here on the board. Alas I can't recall much in the way of details, but look here, I found Dolinsky's own YouTube post compiling his clips from that episode together...

I must say, in general, I found that a more interesting episode ("Battle Rabbit" with Michael Symon v. Guy Rubino)

I agree that Battle Rabbit was also a great episode and that Mr. Dolinsky was very well-spoken.

Chicago has a lot to be proud of regarding our ICA judges.

=R=