iron chef uptown season 3 winner: Nick and Nat's Uptown 21?

We're a few days removed from the final round of this year's Iron Chef Uptown competition that saw Langdon Hall get edged out by Bijou Restaurant in battle rhubarb.

In case you missed the details of Stratford's participation in this event I've boiled it down for you:
Bijou, of course, won twice.  Beating Langdon Hall and Versus Restaurant.
Stratford Chef School defeated Conestoga College.
Simple Fish and Chips made it a very close and entertaining battle (Slap-Chop ftw!) against Bhima's Warung.

Big wins all around; A great showing by the Stratford community.  Bijou showed off their Titan sized cooking skills.  The Food Bank of Waterloo Region received enough donations to allow them to distribute over $25,000 worth of food to those in need.  And I have something to blog about!

None of this would've happened without Uptown 21.  This is an event that is being talked about from London to Toronto and beyond.  It creates a great sense of community in southwestern Ontario, not just among cooks and restaurant types, but between restaurants and farmers, too.  It also showcases the underrated talent in this area to those who would not otherwise be aware (I am determined now to try 3-6-9 in Woodstock!)

Those who watch the TV version of Iron Chef might feel that they're watching an impossible task - featuring an ingredient that has only just been revealed in multiple courses?  All while being judged and scrutinized? How do they do it?  The trouble is, it's TV, therefore there is an element of fake.  Those cooks you see working miracles in kitchen stadium all know the secret ingredient well in advance.  There are cuts and lapses in time.  It makes for great viewing, but it is part illusion.

What happens at Nick and Nat's is like the grittier version of Iron Chef America.  (Picture Clint Eastwood compared to Vin Diesel and you'll get the idea).  These chefs have often just finished 10+ hour shifts in their own kitchens and come into an unfamiliar space to cook 3+ courses featuring an ingredient that's identity is actually unknown until 15 minutes before the clock starts.  It seems impossible and yet the dishes we've seen over the last couple months have been outstanding.

By donating their establishment, time, equipment and (at the peril of their bottom line) their pantry, Nick and Nat have created an event that I am already looking forward to for next year (though I hear rumours of a redux at Savour Stratford in the fall!).  I hope they continue and that the fan base for such a great event keeps growing.  Show your support for Uptown21, make the short drive to Waterloo to eat at this great restaurant, you won't be disappointed (some of the best service to be had in our area!).

Bonus Link!  Just noticed that there are several videos of the final still up on ustream, plus a few from previous battles, including the Chef School/Conestoga battle and Simple vs. Bhima's!  *Caution: a few of the videos grind my computer to a halt.*

(bi) weekly linkage: liquor laws, eating local, iron chef uptown finals and more!

Shall we dive right in?  I get a little over-excited sometimes and want to get straight to the new things that I have been enlightened by recently.  The internet is a vast place filled with useless information, here I boil it down and let you know about the things you may have missed of late - and shouldn't have!

First I must beseech the local decision makers to get on the band-wagon that our provincial government has decided to jump aboard!  I look forward to strolling the garlic festival and Savour Stratford with a frosty beer in hand!

As food trends come and go restaurants are always looking to the future to see if they are making the right decisions for their guests.  You decide: has eating local become annoying?

Finally BBQ season is upon us, with a vengeance.  I look forward to warm evenings spent grilling something delicious!  But besides all the great things to eat we of course need some suggestions on what to drink with BBQ deliciousness.

To get everyone in the mood for some sun and remind us yet again why we love this great abundant countryside in which we reside, how about a video?

In case you haven't been paying attention: there has been a great event re-occurring just down the road in Waterloo at Uptown 21.  Iron Chef Uptown was hosted Wednesdays for the past 2 months where a number of Stratford's own chefs were featured battling against the best restaurants of the Waterloo region.  Tomorrow night is the final and it features one of Stratford's greatest chefs: Aaron Linley.  If you can't make it to Waterloo (tickets are $5 with all proceeds going to the food bank) then watch from home and cheer really loud so Aaron can hear you! (link is live in real time so if it's blank for now, just wait until tomorrow night @ 9:30pm)

To get you psyched for what the secret ingredient could be please enjoy a ridiculous video from our 'honourable chairman'...

black krim? brandywine? cherokee purple?

I realize it is only April but you can't blame me for fantasizing.  As soon as the sun warms my face for the first time on a balmy spring day I start to think about tomatoes.  Sure, the long harsh winter has brought plenty of Mexican tomatoes to our city, but those little bastards are waxy and grainy - a far cry from a summer tomato.  Once the heirloom varieties begin to ripen (unfortunately not until the end of July and beyond) I keep my eye on menus to find them showcased in the simplest forms.  A really good heirloom tomato does not need a great deal of pomp and circumstance; sliced and served with some local cheese and a light vinaigrette is just about perfect.

Aaron Linley at Bijou always seems to get his hands on some of the most delectable and varied heirlooms this countryside has to offer.  Last summer they were served with C'est Bon Goat's cheese and an adobo vinaigrette with a few renegade pieces of arugula scattered about for that pepper note, simple perfection.

I wait, somewhat patiently, for Savour Stratford when artisans bring their gorgeous tomatoes to our fair city, then buy as many as will last.

Nature gives us so many beautiful flavours when we accept her timing and so, though I will eat tomatoes in the winter time, nobody says I have to like it!

iron chef uptown champion?

Yesterday, when Nick and Nat's mentioned that Aaron Linley would be competing in the Iron Chef competition I couldn't help being reminded of his brilliance!  I returned to 'Kitchen Confidential' to re-read a portion that always reminds me of Aaron's cooking.

In the following excerpt, Bourdain is speaking fondly of a chef he says he is jealous of, someone whose schooling combined with natural talent has allowed him to achieve near-perfection with his food.  I have substituted and bolded Aaron's name in place of the Chef originally being described.  Those of you who have eaten at Bijou will understand why...

"Everything on [Aaron's] plate is edible.  It's food, first and foremost, to be eaten, not looked at - though his presentations are inspired.  Try and imagine the clean, unfussy integrity of Japanese cuisine, with the unrestrained flavors and soul-food heartiness of a well-remembered Grandma's best dish.  He was braising economy cuts.  He was taking greasy, oily fishes that nobody wanted and making magic.  He was presenting it in big bowls in pretty stacks where - if you jammed your fork through all three layers - you got something that combined to actually taste good.  He wasn't piling food on top of itself because layer one looked good on top of layer two and three.  It tasted good that way.  And those big bowls? At [Bijou], when something comes in a big bowl it's because there's gonna be sauce left in the bottom; chances are, you're going to be running a crust of bread around in there and mopping it up when the entree has been eaten."

Bijou is a favourite of many local restaurant 'grunts'; those of us who know food and love food, love the hidden 'culinary gem' that is tucked away behind the Erie st. parking lot.

Check out the Local-Come-Lately's experience at Bijou.