The Golden Rooster Goes To . . .

Could there be a better way to mark my one year anniversary in Milwaukee than to sit between Mark Metcalf, actor and co-owner of Libby Montana’s, and Milwaukee’s Mayor Tom Barrett, and have three teams of great chefs place nine incredibly ingenious dishes in front of me?

I think not.

This afternoon I had the honor of being one of the judges for the Iron Chefs of Downtown Milwaukee - Mystery Box Challenge. I arrived at the Milwaukee Public Market around 11:50, just after the three teams of chefs were issued boxes of ingredients.

Inside the boxes were a wide assortment of ingredients including scallops, pork, proscuitto, Poblano chilies, onions, peppers, sweet potatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, heirloom tomatoes, mixed greens and corn.

There were quite a few other interesting ingredients as well, but suffice it to say, there appeared to be enough to inspire lots of creative combinations.

As time ticked away, each team quickly fired up the Wolf grills lining St. Paul Street and started to slice, dice, and sear some of the peppers and fish.

Emcee Joel Chesebro provided a running commentary on developments, pausing once in a while to sample some of the fare (“Is that Sprecher Root Beer I taste?”).

Meanwhile, I pried Mark for details on how he came to settle in Milwaukee after living in L.A. and New York, and strolled from one tent to another checking out the progress of each team.

The Westown team, comprised of Executive Chef James Nowak, of the Hilton Milwaukee City Center and David Simms and Daniel Turek, both from the Milwaukee Chophouse, were separating eggs yolks and slicing some sweet potatoes.

Next to them, Executive Chef Michael Dunn, from the Wyndham, and Robert Wido formed the East Town team. They too were working with the sweet potato and had a pot already simmering with something sweet.

Down a little further, the team from the Historic Third Ward sported crazy hats and worked at a furious pace. Azmi Alaeddin from Aladdin-Tastes of the East tossed coleslaw with some Pomegranate Molasses, Brian Moran from St. Paul Fish Market started work on what looked like a tropical salsa, and Troy Withington from Sushi-A-Go-Go sliced some charred Poblano peppers, stuffed them with goat cheese, and started to wrap them in thin slices of proscuitto.

I could tell this was going to be a tough competition.

I could also tell my sunblock was working overtime. I congratulated myself on having the forethought to slather some on my face and sought temporary shelter in the shade of a tent.

While sipping a rose granita, I surveyed the crowd of onlookers. Quite a few people had gathered to check out the scene. I spotted my husband and waved him over so he could snap a few pics for me.

By then, the chefs were busy plating up the final creations. I took my seat at the judges table and felt my mouth start to water as one by one the artful dishes were placed before us.

Picking up my fork, I took one or two bite of each item. Yes, only one or two. You try eating in front of a crowd! I guarantee you’ll do the same. It’s a little nerve racking having several dozen people and any number of cameras pointed in your direction while you try to balance a well-seared scallop on your fork!

Anyway, we finally ascribed scores of one through five for Creativity, Presentation, and Taste and handed over our score sheets to be tallied. Everyone agreed that all the dishes were really outstanding, but in the end the winner’s congrats and a big ceramic rooster went to the team from the Historic Third Ward.

My work there done, I went home, did some yoga, and later over dinner, raised a toast of rosé to the passing of my first year in Brew City. Cheers...

Comments

[Lynn]

I watch the Iron Chef on cable. I wish I could have made the event. It looks like fun.

[jill]

Could you provide more info on the dishes each of the teams made? You made a mention of one from each but not the rest nor your thoughts on them. thanks!

[Audra]

Jill, I’ve slept a lot since then so forgive the lack of intricate detail.

Here’s a quick breakdown of sides:

**Coleslaw with pomegranate molasses sauce and toasted almonds.
**Poblano pepper stuffed with chorizo and sweet potatoes.
**A very tasty, chunky salsa.

They were all good. But the coleslaw really rocked my world with that pomegranate molasses. Henceforth, my pantry will never be without it.