Congratulations to Angus Barn chef Walter Royal who defeated Cat Cora in tonight’s episode of Iron Chef America. The theme for the contest was ostrich, and Royal was able to bring out the flavors of the delicate meat better than Cora. The scoring was as follows:
| Cora | Royal | |
| Taste | 21 | 27 |
| Plating | 11 | 12 |
| Originality | 11 | 12 |
| Total | 43 | 51 |
The show appears on FoodTV and the episode will be replayed tonight at midnight, Thursday at 11pm, Friday at 2am, Saturday at 7pm and 11pm, and Sunday at 2am.
Dec 12 edit: Here is the official press release:
Angus Barn chef wins “Iron Chef America”
TV competition
Using ostrich as the secret ingredient, Executive Chef
Walter Royal battled Iron Chef Cat Cora on the Food Network show in an episode
originally aired on Dec. 10, 2006
RALEIGH, N.C. (Dec. 12, 2006) — Southern cuisine and ostrich. For most this combination seems
offbeat, but Angus Barn Executive Chef Walter Royal proved the two were a
winning combination in his recent appearance on “Iron Chef
America.”
Creating
traditional Southern dishes using ostrich – ostrich burgers, ostrich pot
pie and even chocolate soufflé using ostrich eggs – Chef Royal won rave reviews
from the judges and defeated celebrity chef Cat Cora 51-43 on the popular Food
Network TV show taped Jan. 23, 2006.
“I’m
proud of my team and the way we worked together under pressure,” Chef
Royal said. “But, I’m particularly proud because I know how hard it
is for a challenger to defeat an Iron Chef.”
Chef Royal
enlisted the help of Angus Barn sous chefs Julia Strickland and Alan McSwain,
as well as 13-year-old Christopher Thanhauser, the show’s youngest
assistant on record, to help him bring out the flavor of the ostrich, a
flavorless, dry meat, according to Chef Royal.
“Instead of
creating new dishes for the ostrich, I tried to make ‘real’ dishes
and use ostrich in them,” Chef Royal said.
Chef Royal made
ostrich burger with homemade chips, ostrich satay with peanut dipping sauce,
ostrich pot pie with black pepper honey, ostrich fillet with smashed rutabagas
and turnips and wilted watercress, and chocolate soufflé made with an ostrich
egg. The judges particularly enjoyed the soufflé.
Judge Joel McHale
said, “You managed to take one of the ugliest birds and put it into one
of the best desserts.”
In honor of his
participation on the show, Chef Royal will host “Iron Chef
America”-themed dinners at the Angus Barn in March 2007 complete with
live video of Royal creating the meal just as he did for the taping last
January. “I want everyone to try the unique dishes I made for the show
and experience the same level of excitement we felt,” Chef Royal said.
“Iron Chef
America” is based on the format of a very popular Japanese television
series using a kitchen stadium format and the famed “secret
ingredient.” Each week, world-class chefs battle legendary Iron Chefs
Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Masaharu Morimoto and Cat Cora in a 60-minute showdown
for the best dish based on taste, presentation and originality.
With 11 years
under his belt as executive chef at the Angus Barn, Chef Royal is one of only
two chefs from the South, and the only one from the Carolinas,
selected to participate this season.
Chef Royal’s
appearance on “Iron Chef America” is one of many exciting events
for the Angus Barn in the coming months. In addition to the “Iron Chef
America”-themed dinners at the restaurant, Chef Royal will be teaching
monthly cooking classes. The landmark Raleigh
restaurant will also open a new addition to their world-renowned wine cellar in
early 2007; it will feature a 36-seat dining room and state-of-the-art kitchen
designed personally by Chef Royal.
To learn more
about Chef Royal and the Angus Barn, please contact Jamie L. Martin at (919)
420-6072 or via e-mail at jmartin@marketsmart.net.
###
Founded in 1960,
the Angus Barn is a distinguished fine-dining establishment in Raleigh, N.C.,
owned and managed by Van Eure. Featured in Southern Living magazine and on the
CBS program “48 Hours” for its cuisine and exemplary service, the
Angus Barn has won numerous awards, including the Ivy Award, DiRöNA
(Distinguished Restaurants of North America)
Award, Wine Spectator Grand Award and Fine Dining Hall of Fame Award. In 1997
Restaurant Guild International named Angus Barn Executive Chef Walter Royal as
its Five Star Chef of the Year.
“Iron Chef
America” is produced by Triage Entertainment in conjunction with Food
Network and is based on the format owned by Fuji Television Network Inc.
Nice Job Royal!! Great win.
The burger looked fantastic!
I’m glad to hear that Royal won. However, be aware that putting the announcement in the headline spoils the ending for anyone who records the show and hasn’t watched it yet. How about making the headline ‘Results of Cora-Royal Battle’ next time?
Nice work by chef Royal! And he made it look easy (w/shots of whiskey to boot). I’ve got my fingers crossed that Bobby Flay will come to Raleigh for a Throwdown someday soon……who can we sign up?
How about incorporating this into a special menu at the Angus Barn? I would suspect a good amount of people (myself included)would love to give these dishes a personal taste!
Good job, Royal!
I would like to second Finley’s point though. I had DVR’ed Iron Chef and was planning on watching it tonight. THe ending was “spoiled” with my daily Raleighing scan.
There will be a special Iron Chef menu served at Angus Barn in March.