Chicago’s Top Chef
Dale Levitski, a self-taught chef and consultant, has had his fair share of challenges, working in several Chicago restaurants and eateries, including Stone Lotus. But he’s never faced the kind of stress he’s got now as a contestant on the third season of “Top Chef.”
This reality competition show pits 15 chefs from all over the country with different backgrounds and styles against each other in weekly challenges. Every week, a panel of professional chefs and food-scene celebrities judge the contestants’ performances and eliminate (at least) one of them. The one winning chef receives $100,000 to help start his/her culinary career and is featured in “Food & Wine” magazine. New episodes are on Wednesday nights on the Bravo cable network but are re-aired often throughout the week.
Unfortunately, Dale’s “Mustard-Seared Alligator Tail with Monkfish Liver Hash” was among the worst dishes in the very first episode, but in his defense, he wasn’t familiar with either of the protein ingredients (alligator and monkfish) that he was left with. However, he did much better in the next elimination challenge (a barbecue theme) with “Grilled Sirloin with Grilled Spring Salad with Two Sauces.” Here’s hoping this Chicagoan is well on his way to winning a challenge and then the competition.
4 Comments
Top Chef can be tough, but at least Dale didn’t serve up his dish on Hell’s Kitchen! I think Chef Ramsay would have sent him packing you know where!
A friend, and former Seattle-ite chef, is also in this season’s Top Chef competition — Brian Malarkey. He did rather poorly in the surf/turf challenge, but won the competition this past week with his seafood sausage. It’s fun watching when you know one of the participants.
http://www.theseattletraveler.com/former-seattle-oceanaire-chef-on-season-3-top-chef/
My husband seems to be in Chicago on business just as often as he is at home, so I just might have to tag along to check this city out. I hear that the restaurants are amazing and eating out is right up there with my favorite things to do!
[...] third season, so I don’t think I’m spoiling it for anyone when I say that, sadly, our favorite chef from Chicago, Dale Levitski, did not win. However, his culinary skills helped him make it all the [...]