Top Chef competition between sister restaurants

The restaurant that held this is Testa Barra in Macomb Township, MI. The first restaurant the owner opened is named J. Baldwin's. That one is classified as American cuisine (and I love everything I've had there) and this is his Italian restaurant which opened a year ago. Chef Baldwin is classicly trained in French cuisine. Having worked with many chefs before opening his own place, then training sous chefs, and seemingly being a nice guy and fair boss, he hand-picked his chefs and mixologists for both restaurants. The Top Chef competition is between various chefs at both restaurants. The diners vote for their favorites between 2 drinks, 2 salads, 2 entrees and 2 desserts. Each winning chef gets a cash prize and bragging rights. All of the diners had registered and paid for this event. We were given printed recipes for each submission but occasionally an ingredient or specific description (such as Tuscan kale and another variety versus generic kale) were omitted.

First was the Cocktail Course.

  

Not much to see in the photo to differentiate the two but they were very different. The one on the left is a Grand Anejo Paloma. Ingredients were El Mayor Anejo (premium tequila); Grand Marnier; agave nectar; lemon juice; red grapefruit juice; Angostura bitters; and an orange slice. The rim of the glass had a crust of cinnamon sugar.

The drink on the right was a Ginny Hendrix. This used Hendricks Gin (another premium label); lime; lemon; agave syrup; Peychaud's bitters; cucumber, and torched a rosemary sprig. Yes, you read that right. He torched a rosemary sprig, then muddled the rosemary, cucumber, lemon, and lime.

With dinner but not a competition, a red wine was served. It was Spanish Quarter Cabernet Sauvignon/Tempranillo. This was a 60/40 combination of those two wines, the second one I had never heard of but that isn't saying much. I am not an oenophile even if I know that word. 😉  The description said this deep, purple-red wine had a nose and palate of ripe, dark berry fruits with a hint of dark chocolate and vanilla oak.

The Salad Course featured kale.

 

One the left is Warm Kale Salad with Pear Vinaigrette. The unexpected ingredients (to me at least) were broccolini, white navy beans, and toasted garbanzo beans. He seasoned them and toasted them in a skillet. Delicious! The seasoning was omitted in the printed recipe and I couldn't hear what he said while cooking.

The salad on the right is New Kale Salad. This kale was raw where the first one was slightly wilted. Both dark and golden raisins were added along with pine nuts. The dressing was balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and honey.

The Main Course had two very different meals which were plated together for ease of serving to approximately 70 people.

On the left is Blackened Shrimp & Grits with Andouille Sauage. Cheddar and gouda cheeses were added to the grits and a ladle of beurre blanc sauce went over the shrimp. On the right is Lamb and Beel Ragu made with beef short ribs and lamb shanks. This was served over sriracha strozzapreti (pasta) with crumbled goat cheese to balance the heat.

The Dessert Course featured fried pastries.

The J.Baldwin's Doughnuts with Caramel Sauce were tossed in cinnamon sugar and served with a salted caramel sauce. The Bombolinos with Creme Anglaise had a lemon flavor that is missing in the recipe and was undoubtedly given but couldn't be heard.

My opinions and the winners.

The winning drink was the Grand Anejo Paloma. I didn't vote for either because I didn't care for either one. I rarely drink alcohol anymore and admittedly do not have refined tastes. If pressed to choose, I would have picked the Paloma over the Ginny Hendrix. Normally I prefer gin over tequila but the cucumber really did not appeal to me at all. The red wine was completely lost on me but others seemed to enjoy it.

The winning salad was the Warm Kale Salad. Both salads were good and I am not a fan of kale. If the New Kale Salad had been served first, I might have liked it more. The warm salad was much better in my opinion and having eaten that first, the other one didn't stand a chance.

The winning entree was the Shrimp & Grits. The vote count on this was close, deservedly so. Both entrees were very good. The heat of the ragu wasn't overwhelming, but it was there. If I were to make this at home, I would omit the sriracha but that is just me. The Shrimp & Grits were perfect.  A lot of people born and raised in Michigan without any southern heritage don't like grits. I am the rarity among my friends and most relatives. Everyone near me liked these, even those who aren't fond of grits.

The winning dessert was the Doughnuts with Caramel Sauce. I totally agree. The other dessert was just fried dough to me. Doughnuts are not an item I ever choose (no fried pastry ever is) but these were very good.

This was a fun event and I have nothing bad to say about the restaurant. People are another story. This gives you an idea of how close we were seated but this was still comfortable. Most people were there with at least one friend. We were asked to be QUIET while a chef was speaking. Twenty years ago, background noise didn't interfere as badly when I'm trying to focus on what someone is saying but LOUD boozy people who are regulars at an establishment (meaning they are as comfortable as if you had entered their home) would have been hard to block out even when I was 20-something.

 

If I go again, I would get there as soon as the doors open (the restaurant is normally closed on Mondays) and get a seat as near the chefs as possible. The chefs each had a mic so hearing wouldn't have been a problem if people hadn't been rude. The mirror over their work area was easily visible for all in attendance. I am not likely to make any of these recipes at home but not because anything was too difficult or distasteful. I paid to enjoy the evening and learn but the boozy broad next to me talked over all of the details.
over all of the details.