Goodbye 2010

This is my last post for 2010.  First, I urge you to click the label "10 Best Things I Ate" and read or look t the pictures of the 10 Best Things I Ate from October 2009 to October 2010.  It reminds me of how many delicious dishes I ate this past year, and how many more I hope to eat in 2011!!

As I look back, I wanted to share some of my favorite posts from this past year.  I also want to invite you to share with me, via email or comments on this post, what you like about the blog and what you would like to see more of!

The Gorbals: I had such an amazing experience at The Gorbals in LA, watching Chef Ilan Hall cook for the night.  

http://www.thenycmenugirl.com/2010/10/gorbals.html

Brooklyn Adventure: My friend Justin took me on an eating adventure through Brooklyn.  He was right - I don't blog about Brooklyn enough.  I will put it on my 2011 blog resolutions list!

http://www.thenycmenugirl.com/2010/09/brooklyn-adventure.html

Prune: Brunch at Prune rocked my world.  I wish that Steak and Eggs did not cost $19 or else I would be there every Sunday morning.  I went with a $10 off coupon the first time, so it was more affordable.

http://www.thenycmenugirl.com/2010/07/brunch-at-prune.html

At Vermilion: I had such a fabulous night at At Vermilion.  The Indian food is spicy, flavorful, and memorable.  The space is beautiful too!

http://www.thenycmenugirl.com/2010/05/at-vermilion.html

Tre: My favorite deal of this past year was the $19.99 spaghetti & meatballs and AYCD sangria.  I went twice!  And I cannot wait to go again.

http://www.thenycmenugirl.com/2010/03/spaghetti-mondays-at-tre-deal-you-dont.html

Philip Marie: For $16.95 on Saturday, you get amazing brunch food and drunk town unlimited mimosas.  The chicken sandwich knocks every other sandwich out of the park. 

http://www.thenycmenugirl.com/2010/02/all-you-can-drink-mimosasyes-please.html

Happy reading!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

New Years Eve Food

New Years Eve tends to be slightly over-hyped and overpriced, depending on the choice of activity an the venue.  Some restaurants do a prix-fixe menu with few options and lots of dollars.  Some bars charge you $130 for an open bar but getting to the bar is as difficult as trudging through the sidewalks on Avenue A in this snowy weather.

Last year, I went to a house party.  This year, I should be in California, assuming a plane gets me there.  But I know that a lot of you will be in NYC and are still searching for plans.

Agozar is offering several great options, for both drinking and eating.  Agozar is an excellent Cuban restaurant in the East Village area.  It is much more a restaurant than a bar, so I think their open bar offerings may be better than a typical club or lounge. There are options between $40-$100. 

Read more here http://www.agozarnyc.com/

If you are looking for just dinner, the best place to start is OpenTable. That will give you an idea of what restaurants have availability.

Bread and Hummus at Tre

For example, Tre has reservations open.  They are offering a $55 prix-fixe menu that looks pretty delicious, and $55 is not too bad.  Check it out here: http://www.trenewyork.com/events.html

Does anyone know of any bar events that are worth checking out?  Put it in the comments and I will tweet the event!

Good luck with your New Years Plans!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

2011 Restaurant Wish List

2011 is almost here.  It is time to start coming up with your restaurant wish list.  From my pizza post a few days ago, you know that I have a strong desire to make more pizza in 2011.  I really can't wait to start my pizza making adventures.  

I also have a restaurant wish list.  I am going to let you in to a little bit of a TMI situation for menu girl - I have made a list of restaurants I want to go to, and have divided the list into categories based on affordability.  Then I slapped a nerd sign on my face.

Flea Market Cafe was on my 2010 Wish List, and I ate a pail of delicious fries with my dinner!

I have restaurants that I can afford, restaurants that are within reach, and restaurants that are more "aspirational."  For example, I really want to try, and can afford, a burger at Pop Burger in Chelsea.  I also want to try Mary's Fish Camp, a restaurant in the Village, that does not take reservations.  It is not super affordable, but within reach.   And for a more aspirational, perhaps Valentine's Day type of celebration, I dream of Minetta Tavern and Del Posto.

I recommend making a list of your own.  What rocks about a restaurant wish list is that when it comes time to make a decision as to where to eat your Wednesday night dinner, you can refer to your list!  You no longer have to waste your time at unworthy restaurants - when you walk past a restaurant you want to go to, write it down, or put it in your phone.  You will be happy later when you know the name of the restaurant.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Known For

I am sure you have all been to a restaurant that is "known for" something.  The Spotted Pig is known for its burger.  Prune is known for its amazing brunch.  Artichoke Pizza is known to be worth the potential long wait for pizza.  

So, what happens when you go to a place known for something and do not get what they are known for?  Well, you might be taking a risk.  Or, maybe you are not taking a risk at all but the fact that the restaurant is known for something has forced you into ordering the thing they are known for.  How do you know? 

Example 1: The Spotted Pig is known for its amazing $17 burger.  When I went, I felt compelled to order the burger. Then, I heard the specials, which included this triple grilled cheese sandwich that sounded out of this world.  I kind of wanted that more than the burger.  But, due to the fact that I had heard the burger was so good, and I was not sure when I would make it back to The Spotted Pig, I got the burger.  The burger was awesome.  And I really enjoyed it.  But the fact that the burger was so hyped subconsciously forced me to order it.

Example 2: Ukranian food.  I went to a Ukranian restaurant this summer with Alex.  He wanted perogies at the Ukranian restaurant which made sense, since perogies are typical Ukranian food.  I did not want Ukranian food, so I very stupidly ordered a grilled cheese.  I kid you not - this restaurant took two slices of wonder bread, eight slices of kraft cheese, and maybe microwaved it for about 12 seconds.  It was terrible.  I should have stuck to Ukranian food.

Example 3: Went to Veselka for the first time a few weeks ago.  We split perogies (sensing a theme here....) which were awesome.  I got a breakfast sandwich, eggs and bacon on an english muffin, and it was very fine.  Just fine. But Alex's awesome meatball dish, which fits with the Ukranian theme, was much better.  And Veselka is also known for burgers.  So I departed from what it is known for both in regular dishes and its ethnic dishes.  I fail.

Lesson learned?  I am not so sure.  When it comes to a certain type of cuisine, perhaps we should stick to the culture.  When it comes to what the restaurant is known for though, do we order its star dish, or do we order what we want?  

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Pizza Delights

Margherita Pizza at Roberta's in Brooklyn.  Simply Amazing.

As the year comes to an end, we reflect on all that happened in 2010.  And I can't help but think about all of the great things I ate this year, and all the delicious treats that await me in 2011.  Santa came a little early this year and brought me a pizza stone with a pizza recipe book, sauce, and flour.  Delicious thin crust, pan pizzas, and flatbreads await me in 2011.  Here is a look back at some delicious pizzas I ate this year, and hopefully can attempt to replicate in my pizza making efforts!

Sopressata Pizza at Motorino.  I love the kick in this pizza.

Pizza Bash, the newest pizza place in Union Square.  You get a free soda with two slices. 

Pizza at Eataly, Mario Batali's new Italian super awesome supermarket.  

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Pork Showdown?

Last week, me and Alex could not decide between porchetta sandwiches (boneless pork) at Porchetta and the five spiced pork belly sandwich at Num Pang.  Easiest way to solve that problem was to get one of each and split both. 

Num Pang Five Spiced Pork Belly Sandwich

Lets get one thing straight - this is not a scientific comparison.  These sandwiches are very different.  This is not like comparing a few cheeseburgers.  This is simply a day where we consumed two sandwiches with pork, and decided to judge which one was better.

The Num Pang sandwich was utterly fantastic.  The bread at Num Pang is always delicious.  And the pork was tender, zesty, and amazing.  I went to Num Pang about 1.5 years ago and got the shrimp sandwich.  It didn't knock my socks off.  I am convinced that in the  between the last time I went and last week, the bread got bigger, the portions got bigger, and everything got better.  I went back a few days ago and got the Five Ginger BarbequedBrisket sandwich and it was thick and juicy.  I can't wait to get another one.

Most of the sandwiches are $7.50, which I think is pretty reasonable.  After we finished the pork belly sandwich, we actually considered not going to Porchetta for another sandwich. 

Porchetta Sandwich at Porchetta

We arrived at Porchetta about an hour later and ordered the $10 Porchetta sandwich. The Porchetta Sandwich came out in moments.  The menu is rather limited, so the food should not take too long.  The meat was very good.  It was definitely quality meat, which explains the price tag.  The bread was just good, and not as good as Num Pang.  There are some really crispy pieces, which I liked.

If I wanted a pork sandwich the next day, I would have to choose Num Pang.  There sandwiches are unique, thick, and under $10.  But I am not writing off Porchetta - this sandwich is worth a go!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Dinner at The Breslin

The Breslin Bar and Dining Room is brought to you by Chef April Bloomfield, who you might know from The Spotted Pig and The John Dory.  About a year ago, The Breslin opened in the Ace Hotel, located on west 29th and Broadway.  The Breslin certainly gets a lot of buzz for being an awesome gastropub with tons of meats and really long waits.  I decided to check it out.

The Breslin does not accept reservations.  This would be hurdle #1.  I wanted to eat at The Breslin and I did not want to wait for 2 hours.  Granted, I did not have much else to do that evening, but I still preferred to eat upon arrival.  The restaurant opens at 5:30.  I arrived at 5:40.  I was seated at 6:05.  Clearly, this place is always full of people.  There was already of list of people before me, which is why it took 25 minutes to get seated.  I did not mind the wait because it was relatively short.  The reason why you may not want to go around 7 and wait for 90 minutes is because the bar is also really crowded.  So standing around waiting for a table may be just that - standing around.

We were seated between two other tables, and considering the volumes of people by the door, I assumed that the restaurant would be pretty loud.  Somehow, once you are seated, the noise stays at the bar and you can have conversations with your dinner guests without shouting.

I usually do not order alcoholic beverages with my meals.  I want alcoholic beverages with my meal, but if I am going out for a nice dinner, usually cocktails and bottles of wine are not in my menu girl budget.  However, considering that my trip to The Breslin was my night out with Alex to celebrate Christmas, I decided that I would order a cocktail, since the restaurant claims to have great cocktails.

I ordered the Lust for Life, gin with lavender syrup, mint and fresh lemon juice, topped with soda water.  The cocktail was $12.  It was so awesome.  It barely tasted like alcohol, but one cocktail gave me a little buzz, so I felt the $12 went a long way. If you order one, I recommend holding off on ordering a second until you let the first one sink in a bit.

On to the food.  They have specials every night, which the waiter presented with great enthusiasm and detail.  One of the specials was a lobster roll, as an appetizer.  Our neighboring table split one and it looks very tasty.  I got a clam ceviche special appetizer, for $9, and it was pretty awesome.  Alex got a $13 soup, with pork and cheese.  It was incredible!  It was flavorful, delicious, but not overly filling.  When Alex ordered the French Onion Soup at Plein Sud, it was good but a lot a food for an appetizer.  This soup was perfect.

We waited about 25 minutes after appetizers to get our entrees.  The time in between was both surprising and perfect.  For a restaurant as busy as this, I really thought the courses would come one right after the other so as to feed people and get them out.  Instead, there seems to be a very calculated reason for the nice spacing - this restaurant emphasizes meat.  Eating a lot of meat in a short period of time may lead to guests feeling overly stuffed.  Here, they understand you are consuming some heavy foods, so they let you take your time.  We were there for 90 minutes, which I thought was awesome.

I ordered the Lamb Burger and fries, for $17 and Alex ordered the Pork Belly and Mash for $28.  The lamb burger was fantastic.  You can't see it but there was a little bit of feta cheese on the burger, enough for flavor but not so much that you would be stuffed.  The fries are my ideal fries.  They are not too skinny and skimpy.  They are not so thick that they taste more like potato wedges than fries.  They were perfectly crunchy and tasty.  I ate all of them.  And I ate the whole burger.  AND the guys next to me, who both ordered lamb burgers, somehow only ate about half of their burgers.  I almost asked them if I could finish their burgers.

The pork belly and mash was also tasty. There was not a lot of mash, which made me skeptical at first, but it was a good balance with the pork.

Overall, we really loved our night at The Breslin.  The meat was amazing.  The gastropub vibe was awesome.  Our waiter was quirky and delightful.  My only complaint was that it was kind of cold inside of the restaurant.

Read more here!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Frank, Lil Frankie's, and Supper - Free Weekday Lunch

This may be old news to you, but every weekday, Frank, Lil Frankies, and Supper give out a free lunch.  It is a simple process.  If you have a twitter account, follow @Lil Frankies, @Frank, and @Supper.  Lil Frankies has their daily giveaway of a pizza at 12 pm.  Frank's has a giveaway at 1 of an entree or sandwich.  And Supper does an entree giveaway at 2 pm.  Once the special is announced on twitter, you have to be the first to retweet.  Within the half hour, the restaurant will announce the winner. Please note that people know about this deal and are ready to retweet the moment the special is posted.

Meatball and Sausage Sandwich with salad from Frank's Restaurant

The catch?  These restaurants are located in the East Village, and you must be in the delivery zone or available to pick up your free lunch.  Sorry for those working in midtown or in the financial district - this special is not for you.

If you find yourself in the East Village/Union Square/LES area, try grabbing one of these specials.  You could win a huge and filling lunch for free!

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Midtown Lunch at mai cuisine

I have never worked in midtown, so I do not know much about the midtown lunch scene.  I do know that it is bustling and that you have to find the great places to find a good lunch spot to call home.  Recently, I tried the new restaurant mai cuisine, located on 41st and Madison.  This restaurant is in a great location because it is accessible to midtown offices, but pulls you away from the streets filled with workers and shoppers stampeding over each other.

Mai cuisine is unique because it is a deli by day and restaurant by night.  There is a nice room in the back for dinner with a different menu and vibe.  But the deli up front is a great treat, with fresh Japanese food for every mood.

Prosciutto Sushi

Mai cuisine reinvents the concept of a bento box and turns it into a fun way to create your own bento box, with stickers on each item to indicate what part of the bento box it makes up.  For example, you can order the ume bento box for $7.79, and that includes 1 entree, 1 square sozai, and 1 veggie or ice cream.  And everything will have a green dot so that way you know it goes in that bento box. 

The best part about lunch at mai cuisine is that you can get a lot of small things at good prices so you can mix and match.  Mai cuisine definitely gives you a reason to come back!  If you like trying new things, then you will like mai cuisine.

Read more here.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Royale - An All Around GOOD DEAL!

I love a good burger, and I hate a bad burger.  A good burger makes me so happy.  A bad burger feels like a waste of calories and energy.

I have always heard that the burgers at Royale, a burger joint on Avenue C and 10th street, were delicious.  Despite having lived on Avenue C when I first moved into the city, I somehow never made it there.  Last night, that all changed.

Royale is simple and awesome.  I had this impression that it was going to be a dive burger joint.  It is actually very polished on the inside.  It has tables on the right and a bar on the left.  I think the real charm is in the backyard patio, but seeing as it was 20 degrees, we obviously stayed warm inside.  I definitely want to try it in the summer though.

Once seated, the waitress came over with menus and promptly informed us that it was happy hour.  Happy hour is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m and you get half priced draft beers.  The draft beers include Magic Hat, Blue Moon, Yuengling, Brooklyn Lager, Stella, Sierra Nevada, and Guinness.  All of these beers were $5 or $6, meaning they were $2.50 or $3 during happy hour.  This happy hour rocks for a few reasons:

1.  It is not one of those restaurants that only does happy hour at the bar.  You get happy hour at your table.

2.  If I had two Blue Moons, it would be the same as a 2-for-1 deal.  But I only had one, because I just wanted a beer with my burger.  Since it is half-priced, you can have an odd number of drinks and still get a good deal.  When my Mom and I go to Aruba, we go to a 2-for-1 happy happy hour, where you have to order the same drink.  We always only want 1 glass of wine each (because we drink a bottle of wine at dinner), so we always have to order the same thing.  Half-priced would be better.

3.  It goes until 8, not 7.  You don't have to rush to get there at 6:45 for an earlier dinner just to make happy hour.  

Royale is known for its burgers, but offers other pub fare.  Turkey clubs and crispy chicken sandwiches are on the menu, alongside chicken fingers and honey mustard and a BLT.  But if you are there for the burger, you have three simple options - 1) The Royale, a burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle 2) The Royale with Cheese, the same as the Royale but with cheddar, american and swiss cheese options, and an additional charge for blue cheese and 3) The Bacon Royale, everything with bacon.  These burgers ring in at $6.50, $7.50, an $8.50 respectively.  They stand alone, meaning they do not include fries or onion rings, which are side dishes for $3.50.  

I had the Royale with cheese.  It was definitely worth $7.50.  The bun was delicious.  The tomato was crunchy.  The cheese was oh so gooey but somehow not messy. And the patty was thick!  This is the kind of burger that I want when I am craving a burger.  It was meaty and it was all burger.  It was not one those small dainty burgers, but it wasn't a sloppy mess.  It was really great.  The onion rings were pretty good too.  

This burger is definitely on the top of my burger list.  The happy hour seals the deal for me in wanting to return to this restaurant.  Grabbing a burger for $7.50 and maybe two beers for $5 is a pretty nice way to end your work day if you like burgers and beers.  

Compared to other East Village burgers, this one kicks a lot of butt.  I still like Whitmans, and their fries are pretty awesome.  The beer options/prices do not live up to Royale though.  Blue 9 Burger, which is also fantastic, beats Royale in price ($7.25 cheeseburger includes fries and a drink), but the ambiance is obviously lacking since it is a fast food dive/hell hole.  The Smith is still one of my favorite burgers, but it costs $15 and it is not the casual hangout that Royale is.  

Discuss.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef

This is not the beginning of a nursery rhyme.  Well, it is a nursery rhyme, but I am talking about This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef, the restaurant in the East Village on First Avenue and 9th Street.  You may know the people behind this restaurant - it is the same people behind the growing establishment Artichoke.  Artichoke pizza started on 14th and 1st, expanded to Chelsea, and now has a location in the Village, next to Off the Wagon. 

This Way on a roll

Artichoke’s Francis Garcia and Sal Basille did a great job with Artichoke.  There is always a line out the door and people come from far and wide to get the pizza.  This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef has not achieved that status yet, and I am not quite sure that it will.

Basically, your choices are This Way, That Way, and The Other Thing.  A This Way sandwich is roast beef with cheez wiz.  It is $5.50 on a roll, as seen above, or $8.50 on a hero.  Then you have a That Way sandwich, roast beef with gravy and mozzarella cheese. Also $5.50 if you get it on a roll, and $8.50 if you get it on a hero.  The Other Thing is a pastrami sandwich on rye bread or hero with spicy brown mustard.  There is one last sandwich - The Something Else, a roast beef sandwich with cheez wiz, mozzarella, gravy, and a side of fries, for $12.50.

That Way on a hero

I got the This Way and Alex got the That Way.  We split fries.  The bill was $18.  We waited for TWENTY MINUTES to get our sandwiches and fries.  I thought that was kind of long for sandwiches and fries.  We brought our food home, since they have just a small counter place to eat.

The sandwiches are tasty, but they are messy.  That is not necessarily a criticism - it is fun to sink your teeth into a messy sandwich on a Friday night at home in your apartment while you watch old episodes of The Office.  So, if you plan on stopping here for lunch before going back to work, I would bring hand wipes and a toothbrush.

Hand Cut Fries

The fries are pretty good though.  They are more like potato wedges.  Look how big they are!  For $4.00, they are big and filling.  I have a feeling that is why we waited so long to eat - they had to cook these fries. 

Long story short (too late), everything was good, and I am glad I tried it out, but I am not sure I am going to race back there.  I could go for some more Artichoke pizza though...

Check out the menu here.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Make Me A Regular!

The title of this post sounds like a new reality show.  I mentioned once before that I wanted to be a regular at a restaurant.  Being a regular at a restaurant has its perks.  You usually get free stuff, lots of smiles, and great treatment.  In a city where there are several restaurants to choose from, many restaurants will be happy to see you choose them time and time again.  

I am not doing a good job finding a place to be a regular.  I always want to go to new places, so I hardly visit restaurants more than a few times.  I guess I need to set a few criteria for finding the right place.  Here are my criteria thus far:

1.  I want the place to have delicious food of course!  If you are going to eat somewhere over and over again, you want to love the food.  

2.  I want the menu to be slightly complex.  For awhile, I thought I could become a regular at Whitmans burgers.  I love Whitmans.  But, it only has burgers and chicken sandwiches.  I think I need to be a regular at a place that is not so one note.

3.  It needs to be mostly affordable, because it will take quite a few trips before I become a regular and I cannot start shelling out $25 an entree at a place I may or may not become a regular at.  

4.  I would like it to be in the East Village/LES neighborhood.  Usually if you go to a restaurant over and over, it is in walking distance of your home.  You do not want to start taking the subway far away to a restaurant that you may want to go to every week.  

5.  It should come naturally.  I do not want to force myself to go somewhere over and over to obtain regular status.  I just want to find a place that feels like a second home.  

Where do you have regular status?

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl

Top Chef All Stars

Top Chef All Stars premieres tonight at 10 p.m. on Bravo.  I have high hopes for this show and I am confident that it will deliver.  My one fear is that there will be slightly more unnecessary drama between cast-mates as they dwell on mistakes made on past seasons.  There will be the inevitable jab at Casey for the failed sous-vide job when she was serving as sous chef to Carla.  But, hopefully the focus will still be on food.

Who are the strong contenders for this season?  I thought it might be fun to make a few predictions, and then we can see how it all turns out.

You can brush up on your contestants here

Angelo, Season 7: I do not think he will make it far.  He is probably burnt out from last season, his restaurant Xie Xie closed, and he is no longer marrying his (mail-order) bride.  

Dale, Season 3: I just met Dale at his restaurant in Chicago, called Sprout.  I think Dale has what it takes to win, but I have a feeling he may approach this with a more relaxed and fun attitude.  He has a successful restaurant.  He will cook great food, and make people laugh.

Casey, Season 3: Casey is on this show to right a wrong.  Top Chef fans are mad at her for persuading Carla to use the sous-vide method, a method of cooking Carla was unfamiliar with. It cost Carla the win.  You can be mad at Casey, but you have to put some of the heat on Carla for letting Casey persuade her.  Long story short, Casey will be cooking with her heart and will be working to get that charm back.  I think she will succeed.  

Elia, Season 2: Elia is a ball of fire.  She is going to bring it, and I think she will do really well.  I think she will make it to the Top 10.  

Marcel, Season 2 & Fabio, Season 5: Both great chefs.  I put them together though because a television show is a television show, meaning that a television show has to be entertaining.  Marcel is a jerk.  Fabio is an Italian charmer.  Marcel will piss people off.  Fabio will deliver those one-liners that will make hearts swoon.  We will be watching them for their entertainment value.

Stephen, Season 1: Saw him in Union Square once.  He is a sommelier.  He kicked some major butt in the first season.  However, he made a weak return to a Top Chef special once where it was clear that his time spent not in the kitchen was impacting his cooking.  He will make it to the top 10 though.  No way would he come back on to this show without studying and practicing first.

Tiffany, Season 7: I think she is running on adrenaline from Season 7 and will go far.  She will be a great teammate, and people will warm up to her quickly.

Spike, Season 4: Spike has opened two very successful restaurants in D.C. and won the Burger Bash event at the NYC Food & Wine Festival.  He has definitely proven himself to be a talented chef without the show.  I fear he will revert back to his annoying antics from Season 4.

Mike, Season 6: Mike annoys me.  He seems kind of dumb.  I hope he leaves in the first few episodes. 

Dale, Season 4: I barely remember him.  I think that says it all.

Antonia, Season 4: I think she will go far.  She has that underdog vibe, but she actually kicks butt.  

Jamie, Season 5: I like Jamie.  I really liked her restaurant, Absinthe, in San Francisco.  Top ten.  

Here are my Top 5:

Tre, Season 3: Tre was kicked off during Restaurant Wars.  He should have made it far.  It was devastating when he left.  He will not let that happen again.

Jennifer, Season 6: Jennifer was slightly annoying at the beginning of Season 6, but then she grew on me.  She is a fabulous chef who works incredibly hard.  She is going to do everything she can to take all of these men down.

Tiffani, Season 1: Tiffani was heartbroken when she lost to Harold on Season 1.  She has frequently appeared on these one episode holiday special Top Chef showdowns, and she comes with fire in her eyes.  I have no doubts that she will be well prepared and fired up.  I don't know how she will do, but she will be in it to win it.

Richard, Season 4: He had a bad night on his season finale.  He could have won.  This is his second chance.

Carla, Season 5: I am really pushing for my Hooty-Hoo girl to make it to the top five.  I think she learned a lot on the show, has a strong support system, and works really hard.  Please Carla, make it to the end for me.  I don't know if she will actually make it to the Top 5.  I just really want her too.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl