just got back from burger bash and SOBE in miami…alive and well…we survived…barely.

i actually started writing this blog a few days ago, going into detail about all of the curve balls that were thrown our way.  claiming the top chef ghost (or devil) was following me and creating challenges to see if i could still pull through.  then i figured well, we did pull through, so why dwell on it.  why not just focus on how much fun the event was and all of the great people we met.  who cares if our 1800 burgers were found to be mysteriously spoiled 30 minutes before the start of the event (would make a great TC episode, claiming sabotage).  in the end, we served some pretty tasty burgers.

we went with a ‘sweet and spicy’ burger this year.  used some of my favorite sweet onions to make an aioli as well as some crisp sweet onions to add a bit of crunch.  then we mixed up some fermented black beans, daikon, kimchee, manzanilla olives and some cucumbers to make an intense relish to top it off.  lots of fun flavors coming together, but not enough to kill the flavor of the beef.  i think the best part was the delicious little buns that my good friend (and amazing pastry chef) mindy segal made for us.

on the side we served some ‘ham fries’.  the original plan, which is something we are working on for a tasty snack at the restaurant, was to blanch the fries slowly in a cryovac bag of ham stock before frying, then dust in ham salt made from dehydrated ham.  but since we were prepping out of my house here in chicago, it seemed a bit nuts to attempt to do 450 pounds of potatoes that way.  so we just stuck with the ham salt which made some nice savory fries that we served with a smoked tomato aioli.  a side dish that needs some work, but has great potential.  of course i always claim my last meal would include fries so i am a bit biased.

i think the highlight of the trip for me, aside from partying with a bunch of fun chefs for three days, was going on anthony bourdain and eric ripert’s radio show for martha stewart sirius radio (great coverage of that from grub street).  i have not seen anthony since the show, and have always wanted to actually talk to him.  with my head stuck on our issues at burger bash (the interview was something i ran to do right at the start of the event), not sure i was as ‘on’ as i would have liked for the interview, but hearing bourdain say such nice things about my time on top chef was a good morale boost.  i am pretty sure i was blushing when he spoke about my food, character, and management skills so highly.  then of course there is chef ripert.  he makes every woman blush with his charm.  was great to see them both, and thanks for the invite!

a huge thanks to all of my friends at allen brothers who continue to support me in so many ways.  great people, great company, and of course great beef.

look forward to another fun event next year if we can pull away from the goat to hit the beach.  thinking i just might have to do some goat burgers next time around.