Tuesday, September 16, 2008

ronnie the greek handicaps the field

ronnie perkins has been one of my best friends for almost three decades. and i know no one who does a better job of studying the candidates and issues before he votes.

but i sort of thought that when i told him i needed his vote for the batali grilling contest, i might just get it. nope. he studied the field, broke it down, weighed pluses and minuses, and finally came to his conclusion.

here is his report:

I watched the other videos to see your competition. Here's my assessment:

Salmon guy - sort of quirky but the vintage wine since thursday, low-rider capital of the world, and fish-hating granny was funny. decent presentation but not for me.

NASCAR lady
- a bit too much energy for this contest. good sound and video effects. Unique idea but it seemed way too much effort for a NASCAR tailgate party. Just throw a pig in the ground and tap a keg!


Jack Daniel's BBQ man - i liked the ingredients flying in and the process through the night but he's too cocky for me. although the food looked good it wasn't original and he didn't discuss anything but the bbq sauce and the duration on the grill. i liked having the gang at the end taste-testing the finished product.

Pigeon killer - i like squab/quail but he was way too boring. nothing but grilled bird with some bbq sauce and wine. i liked the grape wood idea since it was from his vineyard but not much else.

Vince's pork roast - definitely your toughest competition. i liked the ingredients and the way it was wrapped and tied for cooking. the audience was a good background and his presentation skills were really good as was his finished food presentation. hopefully he doesn't have many friends!

father and son butt team
- not bad. pretty good looking food although i don't like coleslaw. the jeff gordon look alike was a funny idea too.

PWPSP - oh yeah. i like how you showed the construction, the grilling, the cutting, and the tasting. but the final presentation of the food was the best of show and the idea (3/7 pork) and the name should be a crowd-pleaser. my only critique would be more eye contact. i think you have a winner! everyone will need to vote! good luck!


well, there you have it. after much thought, the considered opinion is pig-wrapped, pig-stuffed pig. ronnie assured me i got his 5-star vote.

whew.

ps: i can't really tell if you can tell how the voting is going, but if i am reading it right, i fell overnight. i really thought i'd gain with all my late-night friends. the quail guy shot out of nowhere, going from (i think) sixth place to (i think) first. then it appears that the guy with the wrapped pork shoulder is close behind (hmmmm, sausage wrapped in pork. know what that needs? bacon.), then the bbq sauce guy. then i'm neck-and-neck with the father-son team. sigh. i'm hoping that the other entrants used up all their friends the first day and that i still have a lot more in the bank. so get out there and vote!

No comments: