Full Article Text
Flay in the kitchen. Bobby vows to Flay the 'Iron Chef'
By MICHAEL GILTZ
THE campy Japanese
cooking show "Iron
. Chef' returns to Amer
ica for one-on-one battles
between top U.S. names
like Mario Batali of New
York's Babbo and Wolf
gang Puck and Japanese
counterparts.
Up first tonight at 9 p.m.
on the Food Network:
Bobby Flay takes on Hi
royukiSakai.
It won't be easy for Flay to win: Sakai has com
peted in more than 80
"Iron Chef" face-offs and
he's never lost when_ the
main dish is fish. The item
'"S~kar and Flay' have to
tackle? Trout.
"The Japanese chefs take
[the show] incredibly seri
ously," says Flay. "They
put their pride and reputa
tion on the line."
Certainly Flay's pride
was wounded when he
first competed on "Iron
Chef" four years ago. "I cut my finger," admits
the 39-year-old Flay. "I cut
my finger. I had a tough
time with the pressure."
Not surprisingly, he lost.
"I was a little pissed,"
Flay admits. "In this com
petition, there's no substi
tute for experience."
That experience came in
handy when Flay went to
Japan for a rematch and
won.
Viewers who tune in to
"Iron Chef" will see Flay
serving a soup in an over-flowing coconut shell, a
subtle nod to Japan.
"I got the idea from the
sake," says Flay. "They
have the square, wooden
cups and they always
overflow them. I asked
someone about it and they
said it's about abundance."
In the "Iron Chef" finale
airing Sunday at 10 p.m.,
Flay and Masaharu Mori-.
moto take on Hiroyuki
Sakai and Batali. But Flay,
despite "Iron Chef" and
the shows he hosts for Food Network, still fo
cuses on his restaurants.
"I haven't opened a res
taurant in 10 years," says
Flay, who has a Mesa Grill
opening this fall in Las
Vegas as well as a new
book, "Boy Gets Grill: 125
Reasons to Light Your
Fire," due out next month.
"My restaurants [take up]
90 percent of my time.
The great thing about the
Food Network is you
shoot a little bit and they
show them a lot."
By MICHAEL GILTZ
THE campy Japanese
cooking show "Iron
. Chef' returns to Amer
ica for one-on-one battles
between top U.S. names
like Mario Batali of New
York's Babbo and Wolf
gang Puck and Japanese
counterparts.
Up first tonight at 9 p.m.
on the Food Network:
Bobby Flay takes on Hi
royukiSakai.
It won't be easy for Flay to win: Sakai has com
peted in more than 80
"Iron Chef" face-offs and
he's never lost when_ the
main dish is fish. The item
'"S~kar and Flay' have to
tackle? Trout.
"The Japanese chefs take
[the show] incredibly seri
ously," says Flay. "They
put their pride and reputa
tion on the line."
Certainly Flay's pride
was wounded when he
first competed on "Iron
Chef" four years ago. "I cut my finger," admits
the 39-year-old Flay. "I cut
my finger. I had a tough
time with the pressure."
Not surprisingly, he lost.
"I was a little pissed,"
Flay admits. "In this com
petition, there's no substi
tute for experience."
That experience came in
handy when Flay went to
Japan for a rematch and
won.
Viewers who tune in to
"Iron Chef" will see Flay
serving a soup in an over-flowing coconut shell, a
subtle nod to Japan.
"I got the idea from the
sake," says Flay. "They
have the square, wooden
cups and they always
overflow them. I asked
someone about it and they
said it's about abundance."
In the "Iron Chef" finale
airing Sunday at 10 p.m.,
Flay and Masaharu Mori-.
moto take on Hiroyuki
Sakai and Batali. But Flay,
despite "Iron Chef" and
the shows he hosts for Food Network, still fo
cuses on his restaurants.
"I haven't opened a res
taurant in 10 years," says
Flay, who has a Mesa Grill
opening this fall in Las
Vegas as well as a new
book, "Boy Gets Grill: 125
Reasons to Light Your
Fire," due out next month.
"My restaurants [take up]
90 percent of my time.
The great thing about the
Food Network is you
shoot a little bit and they
show them a lot."