Friday, May 9, 2008
Guests:
- Padma Lakshmi
- Curtis Stone
- Ingrid Hoffman
- Tyler Florence
- Gayle King
Oprah's first sandwich showdown takes 3 celebrity chefs with 3 viewers who are huge fans and puts them together to compete to create the most tasty and original sandwich. Oprah, Gayle King and Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi judge to see whose sandwich is the best and will win a great prize. The 3 celebrity chefs include Ingrid Hoffman, Tyler Florence and Curtis Stone.
Oprah first got the idea for a sandwich showdown after Gayle shared with her Esquire Magazine's list of the best sandwiches in America. In addition to Oprah's sandwich showdown competition, Gayle also visited 5 states, traveling 6,000 miles to try 6 of the sandwiches on the list with Oprah's cameras following to see how each rated.
- Restaurant Bricco, West Hartford, Connecticut: Bricco's sandwich consisted of thick cut white bread which was buttered and toasted with fresh lobster and havarti cheese - the sandwich is then topped with onion rings. Gayle's Rating: 2.5 (Gayle does not like lobster and said if she did, her rating would have been a 5)
- Allen & Sons, Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Allen & Sons sandwich consisted of pulled pork shoulder that had been smoked with hickory for 9 hours, topped with the establishment's famous BBQ sauce and coleslaw on a seeded bun. Gayle's Rating: 3.5
- Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada: Chef Rick Moonen from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas serves a different take on sloppy joe. Rick's sandwich consisted of onions, peppers, catfish, BBQ sauce, pickle and potato chips. Rick brought a sample to the show for Oprah to taste as well. Gayle's Rating: 4 Oprah's Rating: 6
- Perilla, Greenwich Village, New York: Harold (the first winner of Top Chef has created a chicken parmesan sandwich at his restaurant Perilla. Harold's sandwich consisted of a red sauce made with sausage, crispy fried chicken, fresh mozzarella on a crunchy roll. Gayle's Rating: 4
- Cafe Muse, Royal Oak, Michigan: The sandwich at Cafe Muse is a different take on grilled cheese. Cafe Muse's sandwich consisted of organic bread, tomato, basil, honey, havarti and fontina cheeses toasted with butter. Gayle's Rating: 5
- Zingerman's Deli, Ann Arbor, Michigan: The brisket sandwich at Zingerman's takes 2 days to cook due to the deli marinating the meat for 24 hours and simmering it for 8, making it tender and juicy. The sandwich at Zimmerman's is simple - BBQ brisket on a bun. The deli sent a sample for Oprah and the entire audience to taste. Gayle's Rating: 4.5 (increased to 5) Oprah's Rating: 11
After Gayle's take on Esquire's sandwich list, it was time to move on to the sandwich showdown. Before seeing the teams cooking, Oprah's introduced the chefs and their teammates. The first team consisted of Curtis Stone from the show Take Home Chef on TLC and his teammate Andrea. The second team paired chef Ingrid Hoffman from Simply Dilicioso on the Food Network and her teammate Emily. The final team included chef Tyler Florence from the Food Network whose shows include How to Boil Water, Food 911, and Tyler's Ultimate with his teammate Madeline.
Padma Lakshmi - supermodel, actress, host and cookbook author - from the Bravo! series Top Chef was on hand to serve as a judge for the sandwich showdown. Padma explained that the 3 major points for judging would be presentation, originality and taste. Padma surprised the contestants and presented them with their partner before giving them 15 minutes to plan their sandwich creation. The teams then had 30 minutes to shop for ingredients at Whole Foods with 25 minutes to cook. The winning contestant would get an entire line of Kenmore Elite appliances and cookware valued at over $7,000.
Padma, Oprah and Gayle sat at the judges table ready to taste each competitors sandwich and choose a winner. The teams and sandwiches included:
- Blue Team - Tyler and Madeline: "Ron-Trey Entree" - Pot roast on a toasted roll with garlic and olive oil topped with cheese, sage, and a caramelized onion and cranberry marmalade.
- Pink Team - Ingrid and Emily: "Chicalicious" - Lobster, chipotle mayonnaise, avocado, poached egg and bacon.
- Black Team - Curtis and Andrea: "Earth & Surf" - A falafel and pita sandwich as well as a crab cake sandwich.
After tasting the sandwiches from each team and saying that each was great, the winner was: Blue Team - Tyler and Madeline - "Ron-Trey Entree". As an added twist, Kenmore sent each competitor an entire line of appliances, making everyone a winner!
