New Trucks On The Block

Wow. The holidays are really over huh? I mean, sure its the middle/towards the end of January but it didn't really sink in till I was taking down some outside Xmas lights when I realized:

"Man...that went quick."

2017 was a really fun year for us. Sure I put on a few pounds from all of the delicious food that kept coming my way and am now on a fairly low carb/low sodium diet (outside of all of the crazy culinary stuff we get into to) so hopefully by summer my belly will be a little less rotund.

Fingers crossed.

Now that I said I was kind of dieting, we came across two new food trucks that were really tasty and wanted to introduce you to.

You ready?

Let's do this...

The Bacon Buggy

A pig happy about a truck serving bacon...hmmm

The Bacon Buggy is a cute red wagon that serves up all kinds of porky infused fun. Darla Lucerne, who is also a nurse, runs the truck with her husband, Robert, who is a certified BBQ fanatic, and all I can say is that everything we have had has been really good if not a bit decadent. They have only been in operations since October of 2017 but so far they are doing the Tucson food truck business correct by keeping their menu tight and their appearances consistent.

This is some deep fried realness but elevated a tad just beyond the reach of state fair fare. Plus for the price you pay you get a lot of food. Luckily they can be found parked in front of local bars and brew houses so after a few pints you are ready to gnaw down some comfort food yum.

And the Bacon Buggy definitely provides the yum.

These guys are for real thick 'n hearty

Like I said, The Bacon Buggy has maybe 10 items for sale on their menu, very smart for a small little food truck just getting started. They have these bacon burger sliders on pretzel buns that are drippy and very filling all at the same time. You can also get a side of fries done either regular shoestring style or curly. Get the curly fries! Somehow spirlizing potatoes before deep frying them just adds something to the taste and texture. Perhaps it is just a psychosomatic reaction going back to school lunches or food stands at county festivals.

Doesn't matter. Just get them curly.

The fried pickles were nice and crisp and not too dilly which is preferred because if you have a heavy dill accent on your pickles something does not translate well when you fry them. Not too sure why. I'll have to look into it. And I like dill pickles! Just not fried.

But the bacon and cheese stuffed jalapeno poppers are just plain nuts. Each one weighs about a pound and they come paired with a avocado dipping sauce. This is the stuff one craves when sucking down an ice cold beer and watching some kind of sport on the TV. You get 3 in a basket and they will no joke fill you up. I had one and was ready to call it quits. So good and a little spicy too.

Easily one of the best BLTs in Tucson

Here's the thing, and here is a bit of a throwdown: Bacon Buggy probably has one of the best BLTs in Tucson. If not southern Arizona. Now, I have had a lot of BLTs in my time and their version is near divinity. Of course the bacon is cooked to perfection, not too crispy, not too floppy, but the thick cut, vine ripe tomatoes and a good handle of crispy lettuce nestled between grilled sourdough is just magical. So when you spot the little red wagon with the smiling pig on the side, slam on the brakes and get you a BLT from these guys.

If you don't like it, contact us and we will refund your money. And by refund your money we mean we will laugh in your face because you didn't like their BLT. It is that good.

Oh and they usually have this really fudgy chocolate brownie topped with nuts and, yes, bacon!, on hand. Darla said that she does not make them but a local baker going by the business name Green Fairy Pastries, does, who, apparently, also makes booze infused desserts and treats. Hmm, need to check this one out.  Sounds like something right up our alley.

So, yeah, Bacon Buggy. Love it. We think you will too...

Bacon on a brownie...we say okay

Mama Bear's Cafe

Awww

This is a pretty sizable truck run by a pretty petite lady.

Alex Schlecht commodores the baby blue Mama Bear's Cafe truck with the aplomb of a drill sergeant and puts out a mean product. Her menu may seem a bit big for one person to handle on a busy night but the components are just variations on several themes.

The same chicken used for a sandwich also goes into a salad and items from salads go into sandwiches...stuff like that. And I love it when food trucks serve salad.  Sure I always like me a burger from a parked cart but, sometimes, especially when its hot out, I do crave me a nice salad. You gotta have that balance.

And Mama Bear's has got the balance.

Perfect bar snackin' food

Alex has a really good thing going here and I hope she can find some reliable help because on certain nights when she gets slammed you're going to need an extra pair of arms to sling out the deliciousness without having people wait. So far though we have had no problem with the service. She knows what she is doing and she's got the speed and drive to deliver a good, and tasty, product to you on time.

So for that we say: Yay Alex!

Keep up the good work because we want you to stick around for a while...

Fresh, crisp and delicious

There are always daily specials so be prepared to have different yummy bits coming your way. One night she had these really good taquitos that were smothered in cheese and salsa, a great snack if that's all you need. Another time she had green bean "fries" paired with homemade ranch and this Cajun jerk sauce. The beans were sauteed and seasoned really well and had a very nice snap to them. Hopefully she'll have this one again because we couldn't stop eating them.

The Pineapple Chicken Salad was really good. Sitting atop a bed of leafy greens are sweet peppers, toasted coconut, cilantro, green beans (see...repurposing!), grilled chicken, fresh pineapple and drizzled with that jerk dressing. She also does a Chicken Caesar Salad and a Caesar Salad Sandwich too.

The pineapple used for the salad is also a big element in her Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich that was one of the best sandwiches we've had from a truck. The chicken was seasoned and cooked perfectly and paired with ham, red onions, grilled pineapple, Swiss cheese, lettuce, mayo and a sweet Hawaiian sauce.

Highly recommend that sandwich. 

Love it when trucks do salads

The Mama Bear's burgers are really good as well.

She has a classic cheeseburger, a California Burger with 1000 island dressing, a Patty Melt, a Mushroom Swiss Burger but my favorite has to be the Sriracha Pepper Burger.

Oh man, not only is this thing delicious but it packs a spice wallop as well. Ok, yes, there is Sriracha, of course, but she also climbs on peppered bacon, pepper jack cheese and fried jalapenos as well. We like it spicy here in Tucson and, well, Alex gives us the goods. Nice thing was is that the burger wasn't too spicy; just the right amount of heat without any real pain. You can get your spice and enjoy it too.

Did I mention Alex has tots aboard the Mama Bear's truck? Oh yeah.

Ten thousand points to Mama Bear's!

Tasty, tasty sandwiches

Now here is where things get serious:

Mama Bear's serves breakfast. Like all day, anytime breakfast.

We are now huge fans.

She's got this Breakfast Burrito that is huge and filled with all kinds of egg, potato, cheesy goodness with a choice of ham, bacon, sausage or chorizo. That or a Breakfast Sandwich on homemade bread, a fried egg and the best part - American cheese. Sometimes you just have to give it up and eat a slice of American cheese. It'll make you feel patriotic.

Best of all is that Alex serves pancakes. Are you kidding me? Can you imagine coming out of a bar, chock full of firewater and there is a truck right in front of you serving up stacks of fluffy goodness? Pure heaven.

Try the Cinnamon Roll Pancakes made with a cinnamon sugar swirl and topped with frosting. Oh dear all things sweet and delicious, so amazing. She also does Tropical Pancakes made with pineapple (gotta love that pineapple), coconut and macadamia nuts then topped with a vanilla glaze. Yikes. This stuff is going to give some Tucson breakfast staples a run for their muffins. 

So a big Homeskillet cheer for Alex and Mama Bear's Cafe!



There you have it: Two new food trucks to keep an eye out for. I've supplied hyperlinks to their websites but it is up to you to follow them on social media to see where they are parked next.

Thanks for reading kids! Hopefully we'll bump into you by one of these carts.

Cheers!

Breakfast on a food truck = oh hellz yeah

Camera, Typing and Food Truckin'
"Metal" Mark Whittaker
After the holidays, 2018

Metal Influence: 

GOATSNAKE

"A Truck Load of Mama's Muffins"

The Homeskillet Looks Back on 2017

Let's be honest here: For me anyway, 2017 was awesome. 

Sure it didn't start out so great, what with us somehow electing a billionaire business man who is on his third marriage and once bankrupted a casino as president, but outside of that bizarre madness I had a really good time.

A bit too good at times. 

You'll see.

(Note: all of the pictures in this edition were submitted to the Tucson Weekly and were never used, some of which were my favorites yet didn't fit the Weekly's format. So...yeah.)

The spread at Firefly....unreal

2017 was also a very indulgent year for me.

It was the first full year of me being the food and beverage writer for the Tucson Weekly so I got invited to a lot of culinary events, dinners, tastings and even to be a judge a few times for competitions. This was also the year where I got jumped into the GUT (Gastronomic Union of Tucson) collective and became a viable member of the local food scene. This was also the year where I started to feel real cool about what I do and who I am. To say the least, I ate it all up.

Literally.

I totally liked this picture better than the one they used for Gus Balons

In fact, there were times I was so busy with the Weekly, this blog, my wife, trying to be a good cat dad to Lil Poundcake and having a day job that I forgot to submit articles.

Cafe Botanica, the quaint cafe inside of the Botanical Gardens, invited me to taste some seasonal food, take some pictures and get them in an upcoming issue. I did all of that...except get them in an upcoming issue. Not too sure what happened but I, well, just kind of forgot about them. That might seem and sound mean but other articles were taking precedence and when I didn't hear from the Cafe Botanica folk (usually chefs and restaurant owners will get back to me asking when the article is going to run, these guys were silent) the article got shelved.

Sorry about that guys. That corn chowder and veggie tamale were really good.

Let's try again this summer.

Good food but forgot to write the article...oops

Or sometimes I would go to a place, do an interview, take pics and try their food then, poof!, they would shut down before I could write about them.

The biggest blow was the Twisted Tandoor.

I have been a fan of their food for years so after Mukhi's death, when their brick and mortar finally got its reality, you have no idea how excited I was to feature them. Roop (Mukhi's widow and owner of Twisted Tandoor) and I hung out, I got to take a lot of awesome pics and eat their incredible Indian inspired food. A week or two later I get news that the restaurant had shut down due to various unforeseeable problems, so I had to move on to another feature. Sucks man.

Thing is that Roop has revitalized the old Twisted Tandoor food truck and will be starting that up soon. When she does you better believe I will be there and getting them in the Weekly. And here probably.

Heck...let's get them in everywhere! Yes the food really is that good.

Did I tell you that Mukhi once offered me a job cooking with him on his truck? Yeah. Dude was so cool.

I miss that smile of his.

Amazing food but never got the chance to write an article

If you know me then you definitely know this: I rarely go downtown.

For me, as a food writer, that whole arena speaks for itself. Other flashy magazines and websites spend a lot of time focusing on the downtown culinary scene, and its great, but I prefer the funky off the well paved paths options of dining discoveries.

But I will say this, every time I do go downtown, or 4th Avenue, I always have a great time and eat some amazing food.

So thank you for all of the chefs, cooks and owners that invited me or allowed me to pop into your place, sample the goods and then write about it.

Ben and the HUB crew, rockin' it

I'd say some of the highlights had to include the spread that Bin An set up for me at his place MiAn, this upscale sushi concept on Broadway. I ate Peking duck tacos, fire roasted sushi rolls, buttery sashimi and this caviar oyster shooter that tasted like the ocean. So good.

The sushirito at PokeZone was a beast but a lot of fun to eat. The fact that chef Ben Caballero of HUB loves tater-tots as much as I do is always a plus. The jackfruit torta at Even Steven's was a sticky, delicious mess. And, of course, the vegan divinity at Urban Fresh makes me not miss meat at all. At. All! Everything there is so good and you can taste the care and attention to their inventive daily specials. How those kids do it....I don't know.

But cheers all to holding it up downtown. I'll try to get out there more often.

I promise.

Great pic, didn't get used

One thing about writing for a locally popular newspaper and website is dealing with the comments section.

Hoo doggies! I go from the occasional comment that a friend or my mom makes on this blog to hundreds of thousands of readers either hating or putting up with my style of culinary journalism.

So far the biggest hate I got is when I featured Old Chicago.

Look, they were celebrating 20 years of being here in Tucson, they were giving away free food for their birthday, they are named after a pinball machine not the city, a lot of people don't know they are corporate but the rest that do know that they are corporate chimed in with some visceral begrudgery.

Yes, I used to work there. Yes, my wife still does. But here's the thing: it's a solid company that takes care of their employees and puts out a decent product. The Weekly was still in the transitional phase of the last writer, who loved to nitpick and point out every single detail of flaws, to me who likes to tell stories and let you decide for yourself if the place is good or not.

That's why the Weekly hired me.

Sorry....but you're stuck with me for a while Tucson.

Ah the hate I got for featuring Old Chicago

The other incident that comes to mind is a bit harsher.

For my first cover story I got to write about the three major distilleries here in southern Arizona. Hamilton is right off of FT. Lowell and produces the Del Bac whiskey series, winning all kinds of awards and national (now international) acclaim. Three Wells makes locally harvested vodka and gin and this cactus fruit liquor that is at once unique and very brandy-esque.

Then....there is the Independent.

What I had gathered is that the Independent was a local distillery that is also a bar downtown. I emailed them, I got contact names, I set up a time to do an interview and take photos and that is, looking back anyway, my biggest mistake.

Turns out everyone that I talked to, including the manager, weren't involved in the distilling process at all. In fact, they later made off with a bunch of money and are being sued by the real owners. The whole time I was there something felt off so I gave the Independent the least amount of words since they were chatting up the bar element and not the distilled product.

When the cover story hit, the guy/manager I spoke with wrote a very long and very upset post on social media calling me a liar, that I got everything wrong, that I did not represent the Independent at all, that I...

Listen. All I did was show up, take pictures, do an interview, transcribe that interview and wrote what was given to me. Unfortunately the interview was on an old phone so I have absolutely no proof but...still. Wow. What a mess.

So that was a big blow. And for my first cover story too!

Ugh.

Ah, the hate I got from these guys for, well...writing about them

But the very few negative vibes coming my way in 2017 was only offset by the 99% of awesome that outshined the negative.

Although my blog here, the dear old Homeskillet, has taken a backseat to my duties at the Weekly but I really hope that will change now that I am comfortable in my role as the Chow writer and I plan on scaling down the Homeskillet a bit to meet with my schedule and try to get out more fun stuff to you guys.

Can't really pinky swear on it but I will do my best.

So lucky to have eaten so much deliciousness

The food is great. Being a part of a wonderful and hardworking community is even better. But you know what is best about what I do? Its meeting and making friends with so many awesome people that are just as food obsessed as I am.

A big standout is Emily Peterson, aka the Beer Geek Bakery, who makes 'beer kissed goodies' out of ingredients that go into beer. She then pairs them at local breweries and beer houses and the combo of a pastry made with the same grains that went into a stout or ale is stunning. Best thing is she is a total nerd and goofball and everytime we hang out its like we were high school buddies that just never really grew up. And I like that.

Plus when she sent me a 'Happy Burt-day' message featuring a nude image of Burt Reynolds for my birthday, I quickly responded with "I almost bought a jigsaw puzzle in Texas with that same image but it was $50 and didn't and now its the biggest regret of my life" which morphed into a texting battle of shaming and fun.

So yeah. Emily is rad.

Emily and pal doing what they do best

Outside of all of the GUT chefs such as Travis Peters, Mat Cable, Michael Elefante, Devon Sanner and Gary Hickey, whom I all consider good pals, it was really cool making a connection with local butcher Ben Forbes.

To me, what he does and how he does it is total punk rock. And he kind of reminds me of Milo from the band The Descendants. Again, every time we run into each other its like we're old friends. Plus the meat and sausage this guy procures is staggeringly fantastic. And he's a social media whore just like me.

So he's got that going for him.

Hopefully 2018 will bring about some cool people I can call a buddy. But, for now, I'm real happy with the ones I got.

Ben and slab, in repose

There is one thing I do want to say though, and come clean about:

Because of the earlier mentioned indulgence, I have put on a bit of excess belly weight.

All of the restaurants, all of the chefs, all of the food, all of the booze...I ate and drank it all. It being my first year as the Weekly food writer, when things came my way you better believe that I dove into it full Metal Mark style and didn't give two fxxks. Heck, I sampled 23 separate plates of food being a judge at the Bacon Fest. Heck yeah I did!

But consider this: I am now 47 years old, tried joining a gym but didn't have the time, my metabolism isn't what it used to be and the gorging of 2017 has taken its toll...especially 'round the middle.

Yes. I have gotten jolly plump, enough where some shirts and shorts don't fit like they used to. So now it is time for me to relax, enjoy the goodness when it does come my way but to ease up a little. I've already cut back on my drinking and going out to bars, so I hope that helps, but the intake of rich and starchy food has to quiet a bit as well. I am going to try and be as active as I can even with a pretty sit down heavy day job and slowly delve into a regular exercise routine. But its has to be gradual, can't just Jillian Michaels myself right off the bat. It's going to take time but I hope by summer I can wear some of my favorite shirts again.

Hey. I knew the job was dangerous when I took it.

Right?

Let's hope 2018 is just as tasty

That said, I want to thank all of you for continually reading my stuff and for making me feel cool, even though I am a shut in these days when I'm not out discovering new places to eat, meeting talented cooks and bartenders and generally sending out my love of Tucson and all that it offers.

The food here is incredible, so is the beer, and the culinary scene is abundant and starting to pick up and get some big time media attention which is way cool. But its you guys that make me do what I do in the first place which is writing about you and trying to get the word out on how super duper it all is.

Again, thank you for all you've done for me, my blog and the Weekly this past year. You all rule.

So here's to 2017!

Let's make 2018 even better shall we?

We shall.

Cheers!

Are you raising your glass? Because I already raised mine. Sheesh...

Eating, Drinking and General Mirth Making
"Metal" Mark Whittaker
2017 and Beyond!

Metal Influence: 

FIREBALL MINISTRY

"Remember the Story"

Unfinished Blog #2 : TOP GOLF

Okay this one was a bit weird.

What was supposed to be a humorous take on a "stranger in a strange land" type of scenario (aka me in an upscale driving range golf concept, say no more) totally backfired. And it was all my fault.

The nice people at TopGolf sent me an invite to their media night for the new one that just opened in Marana and after I had a few free drinks in me I posted on social media calling the whole event a "wank".

What made it worse is that someone I know got a job there and she had a talking to by the higher ups asking what my comment was all about and, yeah... Not good.

So let me apologize to everyone at TopGolf for being a turd that night. If it helps I was also on the cusp of being sick so I was edgy going in. But still.

Thing is, I had a totally good time. Now, I am not much of a golfer...hold up, let me rephrase that: I AM NOT A GOLFER!, so getting the chance to hang out at a place I would probably not go to voluntarily was really cool. The place is huge. Three levels of bars, driving ranges, restaurants, etc - TopGolf is set up to be a destination for corporate events, parties and general sporty mirth. Oh and is equipped with like 500 humongous 3D plasma screens. Again, not my scene but it is for a lot of people who got the cash.

The food was really tasty. We got to sample rare prime rib, charcuterie boards, cheesy meatballs, amouse bouche bites and dessert balls that you get to inject cream into. All of it was good. But this was just media night fare. The regular menu includes chicken and waffle sliders, flatbread pizzas, brisket grilled cheese sandwiches, a kids menu and best of all...tater tots.

How can I insult a place that serves tater tots? Idiot!

Thing is after my gaffe I'm sure I wont be invited back so if I want to eat that food I'm going to have to go in incognito and, sigh, pay for it myself. Oh the humanity!

But I deserve it. What I should have done is just added an S to that word and the whole thing would have been 'swank'. Then things wouldn't have gotten sticky. Or at least as sticky.

Not to mention but we also got free water bottles as we exited. I insult a place after drinking and eating on their tab alongside getting a gift? C'mon man.

For all my smarts, sometimes I am just not that bright.

Anyway, that said here are the pics I took from the media event and I'm sure you'll get an idea of what you are in store for when you visit TopGolf.

Oh and I  removed all of the posts once I got word that the wank hit the fan. So...we/I got that going for us/me.

Cheers!

Spiffy

Can't go wrong with a meat and cheese board

Bacon with a side of sprouts

Bite sized nibbles

There's a lot of balls at this place

You get to inject cream into these balls

Very Metal

S'long Top Golf!

Eating, Drinking and Not Golfing
"Metal" Mark Whittaker
Early December, 2017

Metal Influence:

HIGH ON FIRE

"Fertile Green"

Unfinished Blog #1 : BACON FEST

So this is part 1 of 2 blogs that never got, well...blogged. For some reason (oh I don't know, having a full time day job, writing for the Weekly and trying to be a good husband and cat dad) after I uploaded these pics they just sat there until I realized that, wow, I never did anything with it.

The Bacon Fest happened in mid-November and it is now mid-December so the heat from the competition has pretty much cooled off.

As you know when I Homeskillet I try to get content out as soon as possible but this one lingered so apologies to all that were involved.

To break it all down I had a super awesome time judging this one. Although, honestly, it was a little odd having it start at 2pm and not later in the evening, as they traditionally do, which might account for the Tucson Convention Center being not as packed with people as it could have been or how Bacon Fests of the past usually run. Still! The turnout was good and the food was even better.

As a judge, this one was an endurance test. Myself and the four other judges had to sample 23...23!!!...different dishes that were all infused with bacon.

Not to mention we were also sampling beer from the various local breweries that were in attendance, along with tequila and some whiskey. Hoo doggies were we feeling good!

We had bacon mac and cheese, a pork and bacon Cubano sandwich, bacon ice cream, bacon cake, bacon cotton candy (yes...you heard that correct), bacon wrapped hot dogs and sometimes just bacon. By mid judge I was pretty stuffed and I wasn't even finishing what was placed in front of me. Just tasting, getting the gist. I ate a lot of veggies the night before and the day after and only had some fruit for breakfast that morning to get the belly ready but not content. It was a lot to take in but we did it and when all was said and done I had a freakin' blast.

I'm pretty sure that Cubano sandwich won 'Best Of' because that is exactly what it was: the best. So flavorful, juicy and above all so bacon-y.

I love being a part of the Tucson culinary scene and getting tapped to judge events like this just makes me so happy. This was my last one for 2017 and hopefully 2018 will be chock full of competitive local food awesomeness.

No...I know it will.

2018 will also be a year when I take the Homeskillet into a new direction. It's an ambitious endeavor on my part and was easier when I first started it a few years ago because I had the time. Now that the Tucson Weekly keeps me busy, uploading a minimum of 10 pictures and 1,000 words at least once a week is tough when you're trying to manage life and other responsibilities.

For now just enjoy some of the images from the 2017 Bacon Fest.

Man...it was porking good.

Cheers!

Chef Gary and his prized pig

Let's get this started

Bacon mac n cheese

This hammy Cubano was the best thing all day

About halfway done, getting full

Bacon whipped cheesecake with candied bacon

We were 20 plates down here...insane

The debacle on the judges table

And the winner is!

Camera, Typing and Eating of all the Bacons
"Metal" Mark Whittaker
Novembacon, Swiney17

Metal Influence:

PIG DESTROYER

"Phantom Limb"

Who Brings a Food Blogger to a Knife Fight?

I totally meant to take more photos but, man, I was having so much fun hanging out with my friends and, well, being a judge that my photo duties kind of took a back seat.

So...apologies for the lack of images.

It happens.

High on fire

The Tucson Knife Fight began in September of this year with 16 local chefs competing for a bodacious trophy, $400 cash and total bragging rights. Think of this as a very long episode of Tucson Chopped where each chef brings a secret ingredient to scare off the other while another unknown ingredient is introduced right before the competition. I was lucky enough to be a judge on the 'final 4' slot where two chefs brought the same secret ingredient (duck hearts), which was pretty funny, and the secret secret ingredient was jackfruit, basically a bigger, spikier version of a mango, and totally sticky too. The competition was really close that night but from the ashes of the semi-finals rose two local kitchen heavyweights to make it to the finale:

Gary Hickey of Charro Steak and Tim Marshall from The Parish.

Oh man...you can cut the tension with a knife.

Huh. I just saw what I did there...

The view from the judges table

Just like the final four the finale was held in the back patio at Martin Drug Co. on Congress. It's really a great space but unlike last time, this event was definitely bigger.

First thing I noticed were all of the flashy DJ lights and lasers and such. Looked like a rock concert or rave rather than a cook off. Plus there was a large screen projecting the action live on the side wall. Very cool. The stage was decidedly higher too putting contestants well above normal head level. They were going all out with this one. I was really impressed.

Not to mention the place was packed, like wall to wall people. So far this was going to be a night to remember...

Chef Mike holding the esteemed trophy

To start things off there was a cocktail competition, ironically enough, between bartenders from The Parish and Charro Steak. While this was going on folks continued to stream in as the two competing chefs began prepping for their big moment. It was at this time that I walked up to the stage to take a place at the judges table.

I was joined by Adam Lehrman from Tucson Foodie, Kate Selby of Edible Baja and, once again, Ben Caballero, executive chef for HUB, which Martin Drug Co. is a part of, whom I judged alongside with for the Final 4.

We were way up there and I kept having to make sure that I didn't slip and careen down the metal stairs because, honestly, we were all drinking and I didn't want to look like a total amateur chump in front of a full house.

But, as doing events such as this before, I began to feel cool so maybe taking a head plunge down would calm my ego just a tad.

Although I'm glad I didn't tumble. We were really high up and those stairs looked sharp.

Chef Gary in full action

Before we knew it the competition was underway. The unfortunate secret ingredient was taro root, which is a root vegetable and kind of tough to deal with. Another culinary monkey wrench was the use of Pate a Choux which is a fluffy dough usually used to make eclairs or beignets.

This is going to be tricky.

Huge cut of meat, cooked perfectly

With all of the lights flashing and host Matt Russell of On The Menu, Live! talking in his usual fast candor, when dishes started to arrive on the table I kind of couldn't hear, or see, what was in them (obviously taro root and Pate a Choux) although I do recall a gnocchi dish where the Pate a Choux stood in for the usual potato. The Pate a Choux was really soft but the sauce and other components were very tasty. I thought the dish worked fairly well.

For me, when I judge, its usually very close as far as scoring is concerned. Unless, of course, something blows my mind or something really sucks. Not going to give anything away but when I did the Margarita Competition there was one drink that was so foul that I gave it my first 1 out of 10. Ugh. It was gross and served warm. C'mon now.

Here though, my scoring was pretty darn close. That is until Gary Hickey brought out this pho platter that totally won me over. It was stunning. In the short amount of time that he had Gary pulled out one of the most flavorful dishes I have ever had in a culinary competition. Tim did great with a huge steak but the taro root was a bit buried. That was my only complaint.

After three or four dishes each we all had our fill, we tallied the votes and one winner was announced.

Who would it be?

This is going to be a close one.

Gnocchi out of Pate a Choux dough? Awesome!

And the winner was...

Gary Hickey of Charro Steak!

Tim gave a great performance and delivered delicious delights but Gary took the grand prize. That pho dish though. Ugh. So good.

Everything, all of it...so good.

Thanks again for letting me judge yet another amazing culinary competition and, hey!, keep 'em coming. If you need a food dork like me on your panel I am that guy.

Looking forward to the next big competition.

Bring it on!

Cheers...

And the winner is...

Eating, Drinking & Judging
"Metal" Mark Whittaker
Why is it still hot out...it's November!, 2017

Metal Influence:

IRON MAIDEN

"Flash of the Blade"