popwreckoning

Are you ready to have your culinary world rocked?!?!

Who knew the Foo Fighters, particularly lead singer Dave Grohl, were total foodies? Not I, but apparently the guys are huge fans of Bravo‘s highly-rated reality food competition “Top Chef“.  I also didn’t know it was virtually possible to literally fall off your chair in excitement upon learning that your worlds of happiness (watching “Top Chef” and all things David Eric Grohl) will be colliding on Wednesday, November 26th.  So Foo fans and “Top Chef” fanatics, get set for some food-related drama, laughs and quite possibly a culinary boner or two.

On an episode titled “Foo Fighters’ Thanksgiving”, Grohl and his bandmates will serve as guest judges for an elimination challenge where contestants must cook Thanksgiving dinner for the guys on their tour stop in Rochester, New York.  The other guest judge will be restaurateur Grant Achatz, who is 2008′s “Best Chef” according to the James Beard Foundation.  It seems the Fighters of Foo weren’t the only smitten kittens in the kitchen.  According to New York Magazine’s restaurant blog Grub Street, Top Chef head judge Tom Colicchio mirrored Grohl’s excitement:

The funny thing with Dave was that right before we go out to do our entrance, he’s like, ‘I’m so excited. This is my favorite TV show. I can’t wait!’  They’re really into food. Some of the things he said … it was hysterical. I would just look at him and be like, ‘What did you just say?’ He would be like, ‘the sear on the meat could have been a little better, you know, I think you needed a little more seasoning.’

Grohl is no stranger to the kitchen since it’s been said he loves to cook when he’s not busy rocking out.  He sings, plays guitar, wails on the drums, and now boasts culinary chops?  Jeez, is there anything this perfect man can’t do?  Ever-amusing, clever and quite possibly one of the most charming men in rock n’ roll today, lucky for us Dave is also no stranger to culinary witticism either.  He shares the following tip:

I’m a steak guy. A nice fillet. The key to making a good steak is in the flipping. You want to turn your steaks. You have to show each steak an equal amount of love. Don’t walk away from the grill. If the steak gets lonely, it will burn. You don’t want that. OK? You just don’t want it.

Thanks Dave, we’ll keep that in mind.  Judging from Bravo promos, hilarity will most likely ensue.  I recall seeing a moment where the camera zooms in on Grohl’s unintentionally comedic face as he takes a bite of some contestant’s dish and is left with an extremely puzzled look that screams “WTF?!”  But this is to be expected since most things involving Foo Fighters promise to be entertaining, memorable, and most importantly hysterical.  So prepare for some antics that will make for great water cooler talk at the office on Thursday morning.

I personally hope they film a bloopers segment during the credits with Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins man-handling the Thanksgiving turkey wishbone.  Or perhaps feeding each other after dinner mints?  But for “Top Chef” fans like myself, the only way to find out is to tune in on Wednesday night and watch Dave Grohl indubitably amuse our collective bouche.

Bravo: website
Foo Fighters: website | @ Virgin Mobile Festival 2008 | @ Austin City Limits 2008 |

NY Magazine sponsored the Highbrow BBQ at Solar One Complex, a solar-powered, “green energy” arts and education center along the East River. “Top Chef” fans of the indie rock persuasion flocked to the event in the name of a 2-year subscription to NY Mag, free food and beer, a chance to witness “Top Chef: Season 3″ contestant Chris “CJ” Jacobson take on grillmaster duties and a full set by indie rock darlings Islands (all for 25 bucks!). All in all, it was your not-so-average rock n’ roll beer-b-q along the NYC waterfront with awesome food and a kickass band.

 

The crowd was a mix of “Top Chef” fans, Islands fans, foodies, hip New Yorkers and “free beer” fans alike. While pale emo boys worked on their sun tans, some celeb-crazy individuals were able to coax uber-friendly CJ into posing for a photo as other fanboys and fangirls edged closer to the stage hoping to catch glimpses of Islands’ band members. The funniest part was the hordes of people zig-zagging the outdoor space, hopping from one line to the next. There were lines for food, the bathrooms, to win prizes/free stuff at the Saucony [Ed. Note: best shoes ever!] booth, and of course, the massive line for free beer. All these lines and the inevitable squabble with the occasional line-cutter, yet, sadly, no line dancing!

Did I mention the free beer? The Sugar Hill Harlem Brewing Company purveyed the alcohol and remained a hit with the crowd, until they ran out of beer for about 30 minutes. They eventually secured more and the crowd cheered like a bunch of frat boys. Running out of stuff seemed to be the theme for the event because even CJ’s culinary creations ran short and some people weren’t able to partake in the delectable goodies of the event’s menu:

* Moroccan BBQ pork tortillas with coriander citrus cabbage
* Vegetarian tortillas with grilled Moroccan eggplant, apples and dates
* Watermelon, chili and radish salad
* Grilled corn on the cobb sprinkled with cotija cheese
* Ginger peach cobbler
* Ice cream treats

 The masses were forgiving because as soon as CJ hopped on stage to announce the Islands’ set, people forgot about the food/beer shortage and rocked the F out. Islands really got the crowd revved up with their brand of inventive indie pop. Super fun and super nice, they played many tracks off their latest release Arm’s Way and took requests from the crowd. They truly served as another reminder that Canadian indie rock never fails to please.

 

(For “Top Chef” fanatics, man, oh, man! is CJ tall: all 6 foot 8 inches of him! I chatted him up about “Top Chef: Chicago” and learned we share a mutual love of Richard Blaise, yet both agreed Stephanie Izzard deserved to win. We also laughed over Marcel Vigneron’s (Season 2) antics and he didn’t even mind when I gushed over the hotness that is Sam Talbot (Season 2). I jokingly asked him if he had his phone number, at which he smiled and said, “Unfortunately, no.”)

Islands: website | myspace

Photos and Writing by: Mona Sheikh