Event Thu Jun 19 2008

The "Top Chef" Showdown at Drawing Room

Last week, "Top Chef: Chicago" winner Stephanie Izard went head to head with The Drawing Room Executive Chef Nick Lacasse in a four-course plate vs. plate dinner competition held Sunday. The dinner sold out in moments, as savvy diners realized it would be the first public event for Izard after the show's finale. The fact that she won made the evening that much more of a must-attend event.

The chefs each created a dish incorporating the following ingredients:
• First Course - raw fish and asparagus
• Second Course - foie gras and kumquats
• Third Course - lamb and cherries
Course Four was a collaborative dessert featuring fresh strawberries.

Each chef's dishes were labeled A or B, and diners used ballots to pick their favorite of each course. A run-down follows after the jump.

For some reason, only the winning dishes were in the press release from The Drawing Room, so we tracked down the other courses, too.

First Course:
• Chef Lacasse: Fluke tartar, aspargus, yuzu, brown butter vingagrette, truffle oil
• Chef Izard: Hamachi tartar with seaweed, asparagus yogurt, sliced asparagus and picked radish salad

Second Course:
• Chef Lacasse: Sautéed foie gras with walnut crostini, pickled fennel and kumquats gastrique
• Chef Izard: Seared scallop with foie gras sauce, mushrooms and kumquat compote

Third Course:
• Chef Lacasse: Pumpkin seed-crusted lamb chop with smoked potato puree, roasted shallot-bing cherry relish and spearmint oil
• Chef Izard: Sauteed Lamb loin, miso lamb sausage, braised pistachios, leeks and cherry/lamb jus

When the ballots were counted, Izard took the first course, Lacasse too the second, and Lacasse eeked out the overall win with a close vote on the third course.

Chef Izard's hamachi appetizer and Chef Lacasse's lamb entree will be featured menu items at The Drawing Room through Sunday, June 22. Call 312-266-2694 to make a reservation.

— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)