Iron Chef America 1: Nice Guy Kerry Simon Rocks

By JULIETTE ROSSANT The Food Network has confirmed to superchefblog our observation -- Last night's episode represents the first time a male chef has ever beaten a female chef on Iron Chef America. The Zen-ly quiet yet Hard Rock-ing groupies' chef Kerry Simon rocked the women's record by defeating Cat Cora. Kerry has done Iron Chef battle before -- with Todd English on the TV-bomb Iron Chef USA (see previous article and also p. 92 of Super Chef). Having viewed Kerry in action before, having interviewed him several times, and having dined at Simon Kitchen & Bar (at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas), superchefblog knew in advance that Cat had a formidable challenger. In fact, many thought during Iron Chef USA that Kerry's fixings had beaten Todd's by a long shot, especially his interesting dessert -- a crab claw in sugar syrup, served with Old Bay sorbet and a port sauce. The secret ingredient for last night's episode was hamburger (a tough act for a chef, after the fame that Daniel Boulud achieved in the wider public with his 2001 hit "DB Burger"), and the judges were veteran chef and PBS cooking star Martin Yan, Akiko Katayama (a Japanese food writer), and John T. Edge (appropriately, the author of the just published Hamburgers & Fries: An American Story), an interesting and eclectic set. Kerry's team included Kim Canteenwalla (husband of Elizabeth Blau) and Chris Vaughn. I was amazed I won. I told my team, we'll go in and have fun. The end isn't important; it was about the challenge. I'm glad I won, but I was prepared to lose. Why did the judges chose him over Cat? Kerry told superchefblog that he thought "My style related more to what they like to eat." However, "women have great palates," Kerry confessed with sincere, easy-going admiration. And Cat and her all-woman team? "They were pretty inventive. They have a 'modern' edge -- they're creative in a different way." Kerry told superchefblog that for the "kitchen battle" he wanted to focus on his American roots: I wanted to use hamburger in the full spectrum. I wanted it somewhat sophisticated -- otherwise, it can turn into just a bunch of great meat. And I didn't want to do chili because then you lose the taste of 'hamburger'. Kerry made his "ultimate hamburger" with cheese and tomato on a brioche, served with truffle-oil french fries and a vanilla milkshake. "We added shallots, onions, and celery leaves" to the hamburger. He also made a potato ravioli, consisting of thinly sliced potato blanched in oil, filled with ground beef, fontina cheese, sundried tomatoes, and served with a reduced red pepper sauce with sherry. He also prepared skewers of ground beef with shiso leaves and ginger, served with an Asian dipping sauce. A fourth dish was a ground-beef consomme with "sparkers" (chili threads), noodles, sliced tenderloin, and Thai basil. Lastly, he prepared a ground tartar, served with ginger, garlic, and horseradish sauce. Kerry recommends TV viewers keep an eye on "the beer": in the midst of preparation, team-mate Kim seemed to suddenly chug down on a beer bottle. That wasn't a thirst-quenching or beer guzzling action: that was to stop a shaken bottle from spraying the whole kitchen. Watch, too, for the challenger's constant disadvantage of working in a strange kitchen: in this episdoe, Kerry and team spent some five minutes looking for a bottle of balsamic vinegar. The episode repeats several twice this week and then again in September (dates below): Jul 20, 2005 - Wed- 11:00 p.m. EDT (again at Jul 21 - 3:00 a.m. EDT) Jul 23, 2005 - Sat - 7:00 p.m, 11:00 EDT (again Jul 24 - 3:00 a.m. EDT) Sep 18, 2005 - Sun - 9:00 p.m. EDT (again Sep 19 - 1:00 a.m. EDT) Sep 21, 2005 - Wed - 11:00 p.m. EDT (again Sep 22 - 3:00 a.m. EDT) Word up from Simon Kitchen & Bar's general manager Toby Peach is that they had a major celebration last night, with several hundred guests present to congratulate Kerry. The winning hamburger was a big hit: Kerry told superchefblog he plans to offer an "Iron Chef America tasting menu." Well, "it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," as the saying goes. Congratulations, Kerry -- a rocking-good chef and a way-cool gentleman of the kitchen blade. Salut! (Watch for tomorrow's follow-up story, as Cat's team replies to Kerry & Co.!) Previous articles: hamburger: July 4: Paul Gayler's The Gourmet Burger From Boulud's gourmet hamburgers arise... delicate Philly cheesesteaks? Previous articles: Kerry Simon: Kitchens: Better With a Super Chef? Previous articles: Cat Cora: Cat Cora Wins on Iron Chef America Cat Cora: Iron Chef America's First Lady World AIDS Day II: Iron Chef Cat Cora Previous articles: Elizabeth Falkner: Easter Special: Super Pastry Chefs Cat Cora: Iron Chef America's First Lady Restaurant Michael Mina Rocks The Passing of Mr. "Easy-Bake Oven" Previous articles: Iron Chef America: In the Audience of Iron Chef America Iron Chef America Meets Survivor Today Show Emulates Iron Chef America Anita Lo Defeats Mario Batali on Iron Chef America Cat Cora, Anita Lo: Sexing Up Iron Chef America Iron Chef Pizza Wars: Batali vs. Puck Roberto Trevino: Viva Aguaviva Ming Tsai TV Iron Chef America: Running on Empty Molto Mario Massacres Mahi Iron Chef: America vs. USA Todd English: American Chef Gone Wild Technorati Tags: chefs food restaurants cooking branding cuisine television Reality TV Iron Chef America --> back to superchefblog