Tribe fans may be crying in their Buds, but at least Cleveland foodies still have reason to cheer as the national spotlight continues to shine on some of our dining scene’s top toques.
Chef Michael Symon rocks on toward the title of Next Iron Chef after last night’s victory in the Resourcefulness portion of the 6-week contest. A family-style dinner of grilled quail, polenta topped with crispy wild mushrooms, and sweetened berry ade — all prepared from “mystery” ingredients over an outdoor charcoal grill – wowed the panel of judges, with host Alton Brown assuring Symon that he had hit “one right out of the ball park.” (Too bad the same can’t be said of Pronk, Grady, and their pals…)
At this point, Symon is one of four chefs remaining out of the original field of eight in this contest to determine the next member of The Iron Chef crew. Personally, we think he’s going to win. Then again, we thought the Indians would too, so what do we know? Click here to catch up on the details. —Elaine Cicora
This article appears in Oct 17-24, 2007.