This week's top hits from Eater Seattle, Curbed's sibling bar, restaurant, and nightlife blog.
TOP CHEF—So far so good for Seattle's own Jason Stratton (Executive Chef of Mamnoon) on this season of Top Chef, though we don't see much of him with 15 other chefs running around. In the pop-up-themed elimination challenge, our man presents a dish of chilled noodles with iced radish broth, cucumber, Asian pear, and egg, and it goes over well with the judges, though Stratton doesn't end up earning immunity. Head over this way to read a more detailed recap.
CHEF SHUFFLES—We've been speculating about where chef Zoi Antonitsas might land after she announced her November departure from Westward. Would she open her own restaurant, perhaps? Well, now we can stop guessing: Antonitsas has ended her free agency and joined the staff of Capitol Hill Greek restaurant Omega Ouzeri, which is quite a coup for them, as Antonitsas has received lots of good press for her cooking and was named to Food and Wine's list of Best New Chefs this year. But it's also a good move for Antonitsas, who joins a restaurant already killing it with the critics and becoming a crowd favorite. The buzz just earned them the "So Hot Right Now" title at the recent Eater Awards. The expectations of this collaboration are going to be sky high.
FOOD TV—An episode of Beat Bobby Flay last week featured a Seattle competitor, chef Roy Breiman, the Cedarbrook Lodge's Culinary Director. Breiman made it through the first round and went on to battle celebrity chef Bobby Flay, choosing the Dutch baby pancake—one of Breiman's specialties—as the signature dish. Breiman's included caramelized apples, vanilla syrup, and fromage blanc with goat cheese, cream cheese, lemon zest, and whipped cream. Flay seemed really out of his element, and his pancakes weren't as airy and didn't rise as well as Breiman's. After a blind tasting by the judges, chef Breiman's version won.