Top Chef Guide to NYC Restaurants
Foodies and Bravo TV addicts, set your Tivos - - tonight marks the fourth season of Top Chef. In their quest for $100,000 and a precious fifteen minutes of fame, 16 cooks will suffer a series of absurd challenges and surrender to the whims of Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, and a rotating host of guest judges. Last week we had a look at Chicago sites important for the new season, but as the premiere approaches the real question is: who's going to win? All three previous winners have done time in New York kitchens, so I'd put my money on one of the six hopefuls from our town this season. Ahead is a map of where to sample the work of Top Chef contestants past and present. The industry is fickle and cooks come and go, so we've only picked restaurants that contestants currently call home. Additions and updates are welcome in the comments.
Crave on 42nd
650 W 42nd St
New York, NY 10036
Located on the far west end of 42nd St., the recently opened Crave is run by season one's lovable but constantly teary Dave "I'm Not Your Bitch, Bitch" Martin. Reviews … have been mixed, but his famous black truffle mac 'n cheese, which won accolades from a panel of Napa Valley chefs, is on the menu for fans to try. [link]
Public
210 Elizabeth St
New York, NY 10012
Two cooks from Public, Mark (sous chef) and Lisa, enter the competition this season. With training from this eclectic Nolita restaurant, the two will hopefully draw … inspiration from the menu's more unusual dishes, like snail ravioli and grilled kangaroo. With or without Top Chef staff, it's also worth visiting for the cocktails (particularly bloody marys) and quinoa croquettes. [link]
Paloma
60 Greenpoint Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11222
This Greenpoint restaurant in owned by chef Camile Becerra, who was the first New Yorker to be eliminated in season three. She's getting on just fine without the Top Chef … title, serving local diners simple fare like pork chops with brown sugar apples and moules frites. [link]
Solo
550 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10022
This kosher fine-dining restaurant in the Sony building will be a temporary home for season three winner Hung Huynh. During his one-month contract, which began last week, … the former Guy Savoy sous-chef will focus on meat-heavy dishes with Asian accents. To combat kosher cuisine's reputation as being dull, expect creations like truffle glazed sweetbreads with lemon-honey carrots. [link]
Perilla
9 Jones St
New York, NY 10014
Dear future winner, here's an example of how prize money and a priceless amount of exposure can be used wisely. Year-old Perilla -- the baby of season one winner Harold … Dieterle -- may have received only one star from The New York Times, but it's constantly packed with devoted Greenwich Village locals, Top Chef viewers, and probably the occasional Dieterle stalker. Described as New American with Asian accents, the menu is solid and unpretentious. Fans take note: an appetizer of duck meatballs, which were panned on the show, is the only dish that made it from TV to menu. [link]
