Top Chef Tour: San Diego

I was privileged to get to attend the TC Tour courtesy of the site Blogging Top Chef. Behind the cut is the (very long) write up of my experience, which all in all was wonderful (blasted city of San Diego and their towing procedures aside). Hope you like!

Top Chef Tour: San Diego

I had a bit of a hard time finding the big Top Chef bus hidden near the beach in San Diego, but I finally did and made it about 10 minutes before the first show. I found our contact Fred, signed in and stood in the queue with the 30 or so other fans who were waiting. Pre-show, we caught glimpses of both the featured chefs for that day, Brian Malarkey and Ryan Scott, preparing the bus kitchen. I have to say it was pretty fun to see them sweeping and getting in their jackets. Of course, Brian was sporting one of his signature hats.



Since I was on "the list," we were brought in first, and my son and I were able to get seats in the second row. The chairs were so closely packed however, we were still only about two feet from the chefs' workspace. TVs were situated on either side of the seating area so that people further back could still get an up close view of what the guys were working on.



The two cheftestants were introduced and came in. They gave us a rundown of what we would get to see, which was them preparing an appetizer course for us, while they told us anecdotes about their show experiences, and fielded audience questions.

Both chefs were very fun, warm, and open, and seemed really easy going in front of an audience. They spoke about their show experiences, including that the stew room was like hell: a tiny space with a heater were they were holed up for six-plus hours at a time. Ryan said judging was always a scary experience, especially when Bourdain was on panel. No surprises there!

One audience member asked if Lisa was really as bad as she seemed. Ryan paused for a moment and said "my mother always told me if you don't have anything nice to say..." and then laughed. He went on to explain that she was a very talented cook, but wasn't perhaps the most pleasant person to be around. Both Ryan and Brian (aww, rhyming!) did say how cool many of the chefs were, including Tre, Stephanie, CJ and even Marcel.



Ryan told us a story about Mark that took place during the movie challenge, in which they picked the movie "A Christmas Story" as inspiration. The two were shopping for the challenge at Whole Foods, and had budgeted to spend all their money, when Mark came over cradling a squash like a baby, and asked of they could buy "Baby Jesus," as their menu was Christmas themed. He pinched pennies enough to afford the squash, which he continued to refer to as Baby Jesus and cradle/pet the entire duration of the challenge. Ryan said that by the end, Jen was so sick of the Baby Jesus-squash (and was maybe a bit tipsy) that she picked it up and smashed it on the floor... Mark and Ryan scooped up the parts as best they could, but thus was the end of Jesus-squash.



Another person asked what the cheftestants ate during filming, which evoked grimaces from both guys. Brian said they usually just got the leftovers of the craft services cart, saying that the pecking order went Padma, show big wigs, the rest of the judges, the crew, then the chefs. Ryan chimed in and said once they complained so much they were able to get McDonald's, and that that was the best thing he ate the whole time. Pointing to a large duffel bag on a shelf, Brian said that he had carried that during taping, and that after challenges, he and the other chefs would sneak whatever they could out of the kitchen: "bottles of whiskey" he laughed, leftovers from challenges, etc.

I did manage to get one question in. I asked (hypothetically of course) if they were on death row or had to plan a last meal what it would be. Ryan said that although it was sappy, his favorite meals were Thanksgivings with his family since he doesn't get to see them that often. He did say if he had to pick a last meal for death row it would be "a lot of pizza and a lot of beer!"



Brian echoed Ryan's sentiments and said that his favorite dining experiences were those he had growing up on the Oregon coast, having Dungeness crab and clam bakes. Both chefs said that while they have had many extraordinary culinary experiences, the most important and special ones were those in which good company and loved ones were present.



They were both cooking for us the whole time, which for me was the most exciting part of the day. Brian had managed to procure some special local tuna, which he sliced into sashimi. He did two different cuts so we could taste the difference between the fatty belly and the upper part, and dressed them in a soy/wasabi dressing. The toro was absolutely melt-in-your-mouth fantastic. Some of the best I've ever had.



Ryan chose to do a savory summer salad, including watermelon, cucumber, baby cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, micro-greens, basil and some lovely, creamy cheese from Whole Foods on top. The dressing was a vinaigrette. It was also really, really yummy, and something I feel like I could even reproduce at home.



Toward the end, Brian mentioned that he was trying to get some of the chefs together for the San Diego Food and Wine Festival, which will be held in November. I'll definitely be planning to attend!

After the show, the guys came outside to sign the Top Chef book, promo pictures, and take pictures with fans. I hate to say it, but neither of them were my favorites during their seasons. Now, they were far from my least favorites, but they both probably fell somewhere in the middle of the pack for me. After this, I am a much bigger fan of both of them. They were so nice and gracious to everyone, taking the time to chat with everyone and really seeming to enjoy themselves as well. Ryan in particular was just a doll; he shook my son's hand and talked to him about video games, then scooped him up for the picture we took with him. Super, super sweet guy. Brian was great too, taking off his hat so my little one could wear it in the picture.





I would also like to mention the names of the chefs' restaurants in case anyone would like to visit them there: Brian is currently at Oceanaire, San Diego. It's located at 400 J Street, San Diego, CA, 92101; www.theoceanaire.com. (By the way, Ryan had eaten there the night before, and though he was a vegetarian, he says that Brian has converted him to a pesco-vegetarian, the fish was so well prepared.)

Ryan is chefing it up at Mission Beach Cafe in San Francisco. The restaurant can be found at 198 Guerrero St. at 14th St., San Francisco, CA, 94103, and online at www.missionbeachcafesf.com.

I know this was long, but I didn't want to leave one part of our fun day out! Minus that fact that at the end I got my car towed and had to shell out a few hundred bucks to get it back (that's a whole separate post, however!), it was worth it all. I got my book signed, I ate some great food, and just had an all around fun experience. Thanks so much to BTC (I represented with a shirt!) for helping to make this possible!