Top Chef (Part 3): The "Quickfire"!

 

Let me tell you that the Top Chef tour was a lot of fun to watch!  It was incredible seeing Carla and Ariane compete in a live quickfire...although I feel like Carla cooked more in front of the audience than Ariane did.  Of course, it was still awesome seeing the past competitors in action!

Due to some serious metro closures (I love DC....), I actually did not arrive until right before the event started, so I was unable to get on the list to sit in the tent and actually taste the food.  For this foodie, that was extremely disappointing, but what can you do when you rely on public transportation as your only means of transportation?  Getting a car would mean less money for food....and we all know how I feel about that decision!

Still, I was able to stand at the perimeter and watch.  Overall, I'm glad that I went, and it was a BEAUTIFUL day in DC, which rarely happens.  I know next year I will arrive really early to get a seat...especially if they host it again on a Memorial Day weekend! 

Top Chef Tour (Part 2) - DC Appearances Announced

I'm sorry, I cannot help but be a little excited about this weekend! So for the two days at Eastern Market, the chef's to be competing in the quickfires are:

May 28th:

Carla Hall vs. Ariane Duarte

 

May 29th:

Spike Mendelsohn vs. Ariane Duarte

Oh how I adore Carla Hall, so I will be there on Saturday....anyone want to join me? Demo times are 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, and 1:30 pm.

Top Chef Tour Coming to DC!

Ok you Top Chef fans...BIG announcement! The Top Chef tour is coming to DC May 28th & 29th at Eastern Market. Apparently a limited number of tickets are available, so check their website often if you want to attend!  

They main attraction will be a quickfire cook-off between two of the past contestants, which will take place three times both days:  10:30AM, 12:00PM, & 1:30PM.  They won't announce who the two chefs will be in DC until closer to the event. 

Additional information is found at http://www.bravotv.com/thetour.

Review: Good Stuff Eatery

I have been meaning to head over to Good Stuff Eatery ever since Spike (the owner) was on Top Chef...which was several seasons ago.  (I know, I know, worst Top Chef fan ever.)  So when a friend of mine asked for a place to meet for lunch near Capitol Hill, I knew exactly where I wanted to go.

We got to the restaurant at 2 pm on a Saturday afternoon half expecting to have the place to ourselves.  Boy were we wrong!  There was a line of about 20 people, and another 8 to 10 people standing near the entrance waiting for their food to go; this is not even counting all the people seated eating!

It is hard to tell from the restaurant name, but Good Stuff Eatery is primarily a burger joint.  Gourmet burger restaurants have become en vogue over the past few years, and I feel like they are popping up all around DC.  Good Stuff Eatery's burgers are not the biggest you will see, but they are very juicy.  This is especially important considering I had the Turkey Burger, which typically can be very dry.  The turkey burger was served on an oat wheat bun with avacado, munster cheese, lettuce and tomato.  The ingredients were of good quality, and you can see from signs in the restaurant that they are dedicated to local produce. However, I'm not sure that the burger lived up to my "Top Chef" expectations.  Still, they have several creative burgers, including the Sunnyside which has a fried egg on top, and one named after President Obama, which sets them apart from other burger restaurants.

My friend and I also split a regular fry.  They came out colder and squishier than I normally like, but I liked the added zest of Thyme and Rosemary of the Spike's Fries.  I also like the mayo bar with different flavored mayos. We ate our french fries with Mango Mayo and Chipotle Mayo (separately of course).  The mango was better with the less seasoned fries and the chipotle with the more seasoned.

Overall, I think that Good Stuff Eatery is a cool place to check out if you are in the Capitol Hill/Eastern Market area.  Although the burger was not the best, it definitely ranks on my top 10 list. The price was mid-range for typical gourmet burger places.  My friend and I each had a burger, one regular fry, and two drinks for around $20.  So if you want to have a "Top Chef" experience, head over to Good Stuff Eatery for a good burger.

Rating (out of *****): ***
Price (out of $$$):  $
Address: 303 Pennsylvania Ave S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003 (Capitol Hill/Eastern Market) 
Website:  http://goodstuffeatery.com/