Via pretty much any food, advertising or Top Chef blog, including EOnline, YumSugar, AdRants, Buzzfeed and Lemmonex.

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Specifically, she’ll be promoting the Bacon Western Thickburger in a new commercial. She joins  Head Judge Tom Colicchio, who recently stared in an ad for Diet Coke, in the world of junk food promotion.  People Magazine has obtained an image from the new ad which is slated to start running in March.

Via Amuse-Biatch and Grub Street.

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I’ve been saying that Stefan would win since the beginning, and I stand by that. You don’t win 10-11 challenges in a 6 show span without having something special.  Carla has been a real mystery and a pleasant surprise this season.  The first 2-3 episodes I was saying, “well she’ll be gone any minute.” But then she held on by the skin of her teeth then really stepped up her game down the stretch. Despite looking like a giant female version of the muppet character Beaker, she’s fun, endearing and from DC…she’ll have my support tonight.  I liked Hosea at first, but now I’m kind of whateves about him. I feel like he got into the final by process of elimination, not by wowing anyone.

Overall, this has been a somewhat blah season for me. Most seasons I find 2-3, or at least one person, that I REALLY like (See Harold, Sam, Brian, CJ etc.) and get to root for deep into the season.  Other than a brief flirtation with liking Eugene in the first few episodes, I haven’t had much of a favorite beyond Carla this year.

So go check out Serious Eat’s preview HERE.  You can also catch me liveblogging Top Chef tonight with the gang over at Endless Simmer.

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Via Slashfood.

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Premise: Four chefs of varying backgrounds (head, sous, nutritionist, amateur) battle..to not…get chopped.  They create a 3-course meal, and after every course someone get eliminated.  For every  30 minute round, disparate foods and food products are placed in a basket, and the chefs are asked to incorporate all of the items into the course.  The judges then decide whose is terrible and who isn’t.  Whoever doesn’t get chopped wins a smooth 10,000 dollars.  Did you notice how long it took me to explain the premise.  It takes them twice as long to do it on the show.  Woof.

Tagline: “You have been chopped.”  Ugh.  UGH.  At least we don’t get bad punnery with Top Chef.

Ted Allen as host: Sorry, I don’t buy it.  For some reason, he comes off as…well…strange.  While trying to inject some kind of tension into the show, his voice takes on a stern, automaton-like rhythm.  He falls prey to the Food Network Syndrome championing wholesome over interesting.  Sad thing is, I used to really like him on Top Chef and QEFTSG (don’t make me break down that acronym).

Judges: This is where Top Chef and Chopped begin to differ.  For every single episode of Chopped, there is a new panel of celebrity chef judges.  The episode I watched featured chef/internet talking head/Top Chef guest judge Scott Conant, chef Amanda Freitag, and NYC chef Geoffrey Zakarian.  Not a bad cast of characters whatsoever (although I could do without the “I’m listening to myself speak on TV” Conant), but the fact that they are immediately rotated out after this show is disappointing.  Who am I supposed to get to know?  The only thing that draws one to competition-based reality TV are the relationships between viewer and cast.  You’re with these people for weeks, and you feel their pain/experience the joy vicariously.  How else could anyone explain this behavior?

Contestants: This is the kind of show that makes me wonder how many times the show will reference itself.  How many times will a contestant turn to the camera and say, “Only 30 minutes?  This is impossible!”  We know it’s impossible, hence the “challenge” set-up.  Couldn’t the producers/editors find anything compelling?  I heard this twice last night: “I don’t want to be chopped!”  We know, that’s the whole point of the show.  Like the judges, there is little to no connection to these contestants.  You get to know them and *BOOM* they get CHOPPED.  POW!!!  Say goodbye, guy who couldn’t find a way to incorporate bananas with bacon and wontons.  Boo yah guy who put salt in a plum cake instead of sugar (WTF?!)!  Without any kind of formed relationships, this show is just an exercise in sucker-punching.

Baffling Network Incest: When watching my episode of Chopped, I noticed that one of the contestants was Einat Admony.  Which is strange.  Because she was featured on Bobby Flay’s Throwdown recently.  Why is she suddenly back in a contest for 10,000 dollars?  She beat Flay in a Throwdown, so isn’t it a given that she’ll murder her opponents and win the money?  Sounds fishy to me.

Music: Definitely stock material, can’t hold a candle to Top Chef’s drum n’ bass bubble.  Not to say they don’t try to emulate (or even directly copy) the style though.  Any reality competition show on Bravo uses cymbal and percussion strikes to enhance tension.  Once again, Food Network cribs those very flourishes.  Not.  Cool.

The Verdict: F is for FAIL.  The show’s utter lack of originality hurts it.  Making the contestants stand in the back room while the judges confer is just embarrassing.  It follows Top Chef’s formula shot-for-shot at times, and makes me wonder what Food Network’s future holds.  I’ll watch Ace of Cakes and Alton Brown material, but most of their new programming comes off as cloying or a direct rip-off.   It’s been a strange chain: Jacques Pepin and Julia Child begat the Food Network.  The Food Network begat Bravo’s and Travel Channel’s food shows, and now…well, we have Chopped and Ultimate Recipe Showdown.  Chopped just doesn’t measure up.  It leaves a bad taste in the mouth.  Chopped is the margerine to Top Chef’s butter.  Alright, that’s about as much terrible retributive word play I can dole out on a given day.

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Also, Chef Eric Ripert is featured in a video with Cynthia Nixon:

The videos are kind of lame, but semi-interesting. Artistically they seem to have been really well done. But hey, if you can’t get enough of Eric Ripert, or you love every chance you get to see Padma, here you go.

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Of course some stuff actually happend on the show. Like this dude, Patrick, who is still in culinary school, and this lady Lauren, who was recently in culinary school WITH Patrick, were both eliminated. Now I know this isn’t shocking since they were the two least experienced chefs, so it would make sense that they were eliminated early. However, this does beg the question, what culinary school did these two go to? Possibly not the best PR for that school.

As far as contenders go, it’s still too early to tell, but the European ego, Stefan, seems to be off to a strong start, as does up-from-his-bootstraps Gene.

For more coverage of last nights Top Chef, you can check out Endless Simmer’s live blog, YumSugar’s questions and Serious Eat’s recap. You can also always find Top Chef info on Blogging Top Chef.

Also, Grub Street has a “Where are they Now” post on previous competitors and Capital Spice chatted with Carla Hall, the chef and caterer from Washington, DC who, during the premiere episode, said that when it comes to designing meals, she likes to be “led by my spirit guide.”

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At the door, I was handed a copy of the limited menu they were offering for the Friends & Family event. I immediately honed in on the Blazin’ Barn burger which I had been eying ever since I saw it on the menu released on Monday. The burger, which features pickled daikon & carrots, mint, cilantro, thai basil, lettuce and spicy mayo seemed to promise a very interesting flavor combination. Alas, I found out about this event last minute and had no camera with me (so sadly, no picture of me kicking it with Spike). However, when I got home I snapped a picture of tonights menu:

One thing that jumped out at me right away: the grill, the fryer and the “line” were RIGHT by the counter, and you could easily watch the cooks preparing your meal. Spike was there, wearing one of his trademark hats and diligently working the fry station- adding a mix of fresh thyme, rosemary & cracked pepper to create the “Spike’s Village Fries” that were being offered tonight. The restaurant had a good ambiance, hip and modern but also very basic and no frills. An upstairs area offered ample seating, and big screen TV’s tuned to CNN and MSNBC (it is located on Capitol Hill after all) lined the walls.

After placing my order (Blazin’ Burger with Spike’s Village Fries) I sipped on a sample of the Strawberry Shake. It was smooth and creamy without being heavy, providing just enough lightness to make for an ideal summer shake that would tickle your taste buds without weighing you down. It was just sweet enough to accentuate, rather than mask, the taste of fresh strawberries.

While I waited for my meal to be prepared, I headed over to the dipping sauce bar and got myself some Old Bay Mayo, Sriracha mayo, Chipotle mayo and Mango mayo. After getting my meal I sat down to dig in.

First up: the burger. As I bit into it, the first thing I noticed was that the meat was perfectly cooked. Nice and pink throughout the burger, unlike say, Five Guys, where all the burgers are cooked well done. Having a perfectly cooked piece of meat not only makes it look more appealing, it just makes every bite that much more enjoyable. In terms of size, this isn’t a softball sized burger you’d find at a dive bar. The burger patty was not thick, but it was certainly big enough to satisfy the average eater. The meat was flavorful with a good texture and the acidity of the pickled daikon & carrots balanced perfectly with the spicy mayo. The bun tasted fresh, and each bite of the bun left a buttery taste lingering in your mouth.

A fellow food sampler who ordered the Smokehouse burger commented that while the bacon on it was exceptional, the burger itself was just an above average version of your typical bacon cheeseburger, lamenting that the Blazin’ Burger I had ordered provided a far more interesting flavor combination.

On to the fries. While the fries were just slightly undercooked for my taste, the fresh thyme, rosemary & cracked pepper provided an abundance of flavor before the fries were even dipped in anything. But dip them I did. Of the four mayos offered at the dipping bar, the Sriracha mayo was my clear favorite, smooth and spicy – but not hot, it had just enough kick in each bite. In fact, it was about as good a mayo as I’ve ever had. The mango mayo provided an interesting contrast, offering just a hint of sweetness.

The chipotle mayo was like any chipotle mayo you’ve had – and in the past few years, you’ve no doubt had one. When did it become a prerequisite that any restaurant must offer some sort of chipotle dish or condiment on their menu? 2003? 2004? Either way, it’s a trend I could do without. The Old Bay mayo was interesting. I’m a fan of Old Bay on my fries, but had never tasted it in mayo form. It didn’t knock my socks off, but it was good, and I appreciated the shout-out to a popular local seasoning.

One of the bloggers for Capital Spice had ordered “Cliff’s Homegrown Vidalia Onion Rings”, so I tried one of those as well. Messy and greasy – many of the onions quickly broke free from their breading. The rings provided quite a different taste than the fries. Unlike the heavily seasoned fries, the onion rings provided a more simple flavor combination. The vidalia onions gave the onions a slightly sweeter taste than your average onion ring, and the breading on the onion rings was flavorful. However, what jumped out at me most of all was that the breading is incredibly crunchy. But because the breading was limited, the onions were the focus, with a flavorful crunch dabbed all over the rings.

While only the strawberry shake was offered tonight, a gentleman there who had tried the toasted marshmallow shake raved about it – saying it was made with real toasted marshmallows and caramelized bananas – that shake is a must try the next time I stop in.

Other items on my “must try” list: the “Shroom Burger”, which features Portobello tops stuffed with muenster and cheddar cheese, flash fried with panko crumbs. “Uncle D’s Famous Spicy Chili” and “Spikes 5 Napkin Burger” which comes with maple bacon and a fried egg.

Good Stuff Eatery also serves beer, offering very reasonable $3.50 pints of Yuengling and Blue Moon.

Spike was my boy on this season of Top Chef, so I knew I was inclined to like the place. But bias aside, I must say, the fries were solid, the shake tasty, and the burger probably the best part of all. I can’t imagine myself ever buying a wedge salad – perhaps this is an offering for those who want to check the place out but aren’t interested in burgers? But everything else on the menu looks good. Adding a shake to your meal will certainly up the cost of your bill a bit, but two people can split fries and each have a burger and a drink for around $20 – not a bad deal these days.

Spike seems to have leveraged the “Spike Brand” coming out of Top Chef about as well as he possibly could. The restaurant is opening just a few weeks after this season of Top Chef ended, and unlike NY or LA where he might get lost in the celebrity chef shuffle, Spike has a great opportunity to stake out some turf in the begging-for-more-celebrity-chefs city of Washington DC.

So has Spike created food at the “gourmet level” some might expect from a Top Chef finalist? Yes and no. I had absolutely no complaints about my burger. It was delicious with well balanced flavors from start to finish. But remember, the goal of Good Stuff isn’t to offer a fine dining experience, it’s to offer damn good burgers with delicious, fresh ingredients at prices the average person can afford. If that is in fact the goal, Spike has certainly succeeded.

I know this burger fan will definitely be going back for another round – and perhaps, if I’m in there when it’s not too busy, I can score a picture with Spike – who I can only hope has become an avid reader of So Good since moving to DC. Whadda say Spike?

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They have posted several videos, including a video showing the inside of the restaurant and another showing Spike making a shake. Most interesting of all, Best Bites interviewed Spike about the new restaurant, his Top Chef experience, and how he’s enjoying Washington, DC so far. A nice little tidbit I found interesting – Spike already owns a property in my neighborhood, Adams Morgan, where he plans to open another Good Stuff location. Check out the interview below, and click over to the original blog post to see the other video clips of Good Stuff Eatery.

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Personally, I’m really looking forward to it. Why? Well, because I love Spike and his inane collection of hats and take-no-prisoners approach to trying to win Top Chef. Plus, Good Stuff? That’s a good name. Simple, to the point, just like So Good. Hook me up with a tour or a free burger Spike!

But the big news of the day is not that the restaurant is going to open on July 7th, but that when I checked in on the website today, I noticed that the menu has been posted!

First thing I’m going to try? The D-Lecheable Leche Shake, the Blazin’ Barn Burger (pickled daikon & carrots, mint, cilantro, thai basil, lettuce, spicy mayo) and Spike’s Village Fries (topped with fresh thyme, rosemary and cracked pepper). Everything looks pretty yummy. Click below to see screenshots of the menu.

If you are having trouble viewing these images, either click on the image for a slightly larger and clearer view, or you can view a PDF of the menu on the Good Stuff website.

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“I hereby challenge Brian Malarkey to a silly hat-off”

Spike is hoping the DC establishment will be the first of a new chain of burger and shake eateries.

Based on the description found on the website, it looks promising:

Props for specifying that it would be Vermont cheddar cheese. Also, I’m curious about the rosemary and thyme fries and the toasted marshmallow shake. I’ll be sure to check this place out as soon as it opens!

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