Celebs - - Page 32

by gansie

Hott Links: Endless Applause

Being in the Endless Eater Hall of Fame is no small matter, which is apparent by the crazy amount of emails we get asking what our stars have been up to since their induction. Here’s a quick update, in order of appearance.

Anthony Bourdain swears his new show is not actually a new show and then compares himself to John McLaughlin. My love for him just grew stronger. [Anthony Bourdain]

Bobby C not only makes his own beer (trust us), not only makes his own mustard, but now makes his own beer mustard. Brilliant! [Any ideas for dinner?]

JoeHoya is really fucking serious about Thanksgiving. He’s already smoking and roasting birds (getting visits from the DCFD) and leaving it up to you decide the better method. [Capital Spice]

by BS

White House Guessing Game: Who Will Cook for Barack?

With the epic campaign season finally concluded, Washington has moved on to that quadrennial guessing game that has the corridors of power all abuzz: Who will the president-elect bring with him to the White House?

We here at ES could care less about some hard-hitting chief of staff or misogynistic treasury secretary candidate. The real burning question is: Who will Obama appoint as White House Chef? All we know for sure is that some serious change is in need after Bush’s eight years serving BBQ and hohos at official state dinners. Here are the leading candidates, along with our exclusive odds, and a few additional people we think P-E Obama should put on his short list.

WaPo’s Tom Sietsema says the frontrunner is definitely Art Smith. The chef at Capitol Hill’s new Art and Soul restaurant, Smith has both the inside DC knowledge the new prez needs, and the down-home Chicago background he loves (he was Oprah‘s personal chef for 10 years). Smith’s upscale-downhome specialties (caviar and horseradish hoe-cakes, red eye gravy pork chops) would deliver a hearty slice of Americana to visiting heads of state. Odds – 3:1

Or maybe Obama wants to skip the in-between and go fancy-fancy. Barack and Michelle’s first meal out after winning the presidency was at Chicago’s Spiaggia, the same place the first couple celebrated their anniversary and Michelle’s b-day this year. That’s quite the endorsement! A native of Kenosha, Wisconsin (swing state!), chef Tony Mantuano offers high-end Italian cuisine featuring dishes that even foodies can’t decipher, like STRANGOZZE VERDE CON LUMACHE, AGLIO E PANE GRATTATO. Yum! (I think). Mantuano would bring a touch of class back to the Oval Dining Room. But then again, Barack might not be too enthused about Italian lately. Odds – 7:1

BHO could show an important display of bipartisanship by asking current White House chef Criseta Comerford to stay on in his administration. Hand-picked by Laura Bush in 2005, the Philippines-born Comeford is the first female to lead the White House kitchen, thus allowing Barack to hang on to the Hillary vote. Plus, then he could get rid of Gates. Odds – 8:3

So those are the most likely bets. But honestly, none of these choices would bring the radical change and hope Obama promised us. Let’s forget the Washington insiders and shake things up a little bit, Barack! Here are our alternative recommendations:

by BS

Food Costumes Gone Famous

OK, this is the last Halloween post of the year, I promise. But I just had to make sure everyone noticed that our obsession with food costumes caught on with the Hollywood crowd this year.

Gwen Stefani takes the lead in our fav-celeb-ever contest by dressing up as an Endless Simmer icon, the fried egg. Her hubby Gavin Rosedale, however, loses some points for slithering out of his matching bacon costume when the paparazzi caught site of them. Who could be embarrassed of bacon? Jerk. The Superficial has a great photo gallery of the sequence of events.

More celeb food costumes after the jump.

in Celebs / Eggs / Holiday / Trends 2 comments

by 80 Proof

Just Like Us!

They cook in their sweats!!!

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But when the lights come on, it’s showtime…

in Celebs / Contests / TV 4 comments

by BS

ES Sneak Peek: Top Chef Season Five

Endless Simmer got a sneak preview of the upcoming season of Top Chef at the Taste of the Five Boroughs event in New York yesterday, where we met up with the judges and some chef’testants from the past. (Yes, it’s true, I was that close to Padma Lakshmi.) But most importantly, we got to meet the cast of the upcoming season. They all seemed to be very close with one another, insisted they were all friends, and reported that there was no villain. Riiiiight.

Here are some very snap impressions:

Melissa is a sous chef from Boulder, Colorado, and the most personable of all the chef’testants I met. She’s super-talkative, comes off as a party girl, and definitely has some drama potential — she seems more like a Real World contestant than a Top Chef-er. I’d say they’ll keep her around for a bit.

If you’ve been missing the Long Island flavor that Howie and Joey brought to Season Three, than you’ll be excited to meet Danny. He’s the chef de cuisine at the Babylon Carriage House in Fire Island, and I’m voting him most likely to get drunk and start fights in the waiting room while the judges deliberate.

Radhika is my fav. She’s the executive chef at Between Boutique Cafe and Lounge in Chicago, and I’m already digging her fusiony-y cuisine. She’s way cuter than this photo, and really soft-spoken and sweet. She says she was a religious watcher of Top Chef in past seasons, and has never been more nervous than when standing on the chopping block. I’m rooting for her.

More snap judgements — and Padma’s insight — after the jump.

in Celebs / TV 5 comments

by gansie

Hott Links: RIP Nacho Queen

As clear nacho fans, Endless Simmer wishes to celebrate the life of Carmen Rocha, the woman credited with bringing this staple snack to gringos everywhere:

For a special treat Rocha sometimes went into the kitchen and made her customers an order of nachos, an item not included on the menu. She followed a recipe she learned in San Antonio, where she grew up, layering tortilla wedges, shredded cheddar cheese and slices of jalapeño pepper, warming the dish in the oven. Before long she had requests from all over the dining room and her nachos were added to the menu.

Thank you, Carmen, for showing the world that melted cheese truly changes lives.

Carmen Rocha dies at 77; waitress credited with introducing L.A. to nachos [LA Times]

link via Maidelitala’s boyfriend
Photo: LA Times

in Celebs / Cheese 2 comments

by BS

Aw, Shucks! You’re Making it Too Easy, RayRay!

It’s been awhile since we made fun of Rachel Ray here on Endless Simmer, and that just doesn’t feel right. I’ve been holding off on this clip, because well, it kind of feels like a cheap shot. But hey, sometimes you gotta take the gifts god gives you. The video below, of Rachel learning how to shuck corn, or something, should please the 11-year-old boy in all of you. For those of you who can’t stand the sound of RayRay’s voice, it’s pretty funny even with the volume off.

in Celebs / TV / Veggie 2 comments