Gumbo Throwdown Tonight

[edible complex]

A night of surprises on the Food Network tonight at 8 p.m., when Food Network's Bobby Flay challenges Poppy Tooker - writer, caterer, teacher and cheerleader of the Slow Food movement - to a "Gumbo Throwdown" to see who makes the ultimate seafood gumbo.

Tune in for the gumbo and stay to watch New Orleans Magazine's Food Editor, Dale Curry, and Dining Editor, Jay Forman, judge the battle!

(Cox Cable Channel 67; HD 767.)

[Doctor_Technical]

Speaking of Throwdown, I have to give a big tip-o-the-hat to a previous Throwdown location: Mike Serio's.

Had a last minute meeting today at St. Charles and Common; the client hit the street at 2:55pm, declared he was hungry and in a hurry, and looked to me as the NOLA "expert". The pressure was on until I remembered another board had recently discussed Serio's. Even though they were locking the front door as we walked up, all of the staff welcomed us in, made us a hot po-boy and told us to take our time.

Client was highly impressed with the friendly staff and proprietor (we talked about the last two NOLA BF Throwdowns as well as the one tonight), and the tasty sammich and cold Abita helped me seal the deal.

[gumbo lover]

I just don't know if I can watch the rest of this show... I can even stomach the tomatoes and okra, but that idiot left the the heads on the shrimp and fried the okra in cornmeal. What a joke. I think they set this up. Ridiculous!

[flyinbayou]

I just don't know if I can watch the rest of this show... I can even stomach the tomatoes and okra, but that idiot left the the heads on the shrimp and fried the okra in cornmeal. What a joke. I think they set this up. Ridiculous!

C'mon, Gumbo.
By your name I would think you are a tradionalist! Well, Poppy showed that times 10 tonight. I thought she would aggravate the hell out of me (more than Bobby usually does!) but she didn't.

While his gumbo wasn't that traditional, I think it was the best of his 3 NOLA throwdowns. (Mayo in olive salad in muffulettas? Something that didn't even come close to jambalaya!)

At least Flay's gumbo looked edible. And purchasable. I would buy it.

The only detractor from the show were the judges! Where the hell did they dig up these stiffs?!?! Never heard of them. They have to be in print because there is no way they make a living appearing on TV.

[The Bear]

Did they leave the Leah Chase scene in?

[Doctor_Technical]

Which LC scene? She was in most of the show.

[gumbo lover]

When I posted, I'd only seen the first versions of their gumbo. BF's first attempt at the gumbo before arriving was different from what he did when he made it at the Throwdown. He didn't use the okra as a garnish. He threw it all in fried up. The garnish was actually creative. I could pick that out and eat it and then have had okra free gumbo. He left the heads on the shrimp. I don't want to pick heads out of my gumbo. In his first version, he added the stock before cooking the veggies in the roux. He used scallops in the first version, but not the second. Not that big a deal, but I don't care for them in gumbo. His first roux was much lighter. Some folks like that. I like dark with seafood and with foul gumbos. He put andouille in version 1, but not version two. I'm a purist. No sausage/meats with the seafood please. I like them to be distinct, meat or seafood, not both.

No problem with Poppy. I just prefer no tomato in mine, but her's was a traditional version. A little too thick looking for my taste, but probably quite good. I though Leah Chase's gumbo z'herbes looked WAY too thick. Didn't have a soupy aspect at all from what I could see. Just looked like cooked down greens. I use an awful lot of greens in mine, but it's still much closer to a soup than a side dish. I've never had hers though.

[ToddMa]

I hope Poppy has a nicer disposition in "Real Life". She came of as a condescending jerk.

She reminded me of the Southern Belle that says "How nice" when she means F You.

By the end of the show I was pulling for Bobby Flay. And I don't like Bobby Flay.

Notice the lady judge voted for Flay and the man talked her out of it.

[edible complex]

Flayva Flay's version was starting to sound more bouillabaisse with the clams and the head ons.

[kcdixiecat]

I hope Poppy has a nicer disposition in "Real Life". She came of as a condescending jerk.

She reminded me of the Southern Belle that says "How nice" when she means F You.

By the end of the show I was pulling for Bobby Flay. And I don't like Bobby Flay.

Notice the lady judge voted for Flay and the man talked her out of it.

Oh, I'm glad you said that. I agree with you 100%. I'm hoping that the condescending attitude and general uptightness was just a case of nerves. Wasn't impressed at all.