Best Iron Chef

American IC >>>> Jap IC, easy.

I bet you like "authentic" burritos too.

wtf are you high

or maybe in a competition to say the rongest thing imaginable?

the one white guy with glasses who hosts the american one and yes i am high but still, him

ALTON BROWN

I have seen like 15 of the Japanese ICs and they are OK but the USA version is far more engaging.

Gotta be Chen K

Process of elimination trying to decide who is worse: Morimoto or Sakai...

shit I meant Iron Chef Italian Kobe, not Sakai.

Sakai is skilled although my favorite chef in SF (first American to appear on Iron Chef) swept him in Battle Lobster 10 years ago (it's on youtube).

It's on youtube do yr research lazy fuk.

Got to be Sakai, love the 'stache.

libcrypt i'mma mortar/pestle you to a fine paste, amigo.

Sakai is my fave but Chen's dishes are the ones I'd most like to eat

Michiba = Obi Wan Kenobi. I loved how he always hand-calligraphed the menu.

BTW, I voted Michiba, largely due to his Kenobi-esque characteristics.

went with Chen Kinichi - not a tough choice, it always cracks me up how Chen puts on an extra show of humility every time ("well I tried a lot of different things, I'm not sure what worked, I hope the judges won't be too disappointed", *wipes sweat from forehead*, proceeds to roundly trounce opponent)

Kenichi even

and yeah original infinitely superior to American version wtf how could there be any question

Head says Sakai, heart says Morimoto. Oh well, I never vote in these things anyway.

The US version is just as good, the only difference is the lack of "LOL JAPAN = FUNEE" which was never really that funny anyway.

I don't know, the Japanese version seemed actually more aware of its amusement wrestling-style roots, I mean, they put a damn fortune teller as a judge half the time, and loved those mini-angles with rivals and whatnot. I don't sense any of that fun in the American version, at least the bits I see here and there. The LOL JAPAN stuff was in the dubbing for sure, but... Kaga. KAGA.

Oh come on, the Japanese show was totally aware of it's over-the-top-ness.

^^^on the real

chen! he was like the columbo of iron chef.

japan IC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> american IC

Sakai all the way.

You guys know there were two American ones, right?

yeah, the first one was hosted by shatner and stunk even more than the current one.

Seriously, how are you NOT going to vote for Sakai? The guy is legendary.

http://www.csu.edu.au/special/sakai/images/sakai1.jpg

Voted Morimoto because I've eaten at his (Philadelphia) restaurant, but the real answer is probably Sakai.

Sakai. After all he IS the "Delacroix of French cuisine".

The Sakai/Michiba/Kenichi trio was a truly awesome thing to witness.

http://www.fallinghaikuleaf.com/userimages/user2121_1163584980.jpg

went with Chen Kinichi - not a tough choice, it always cracks me up how Chen puts on an extra show of humility every time ("well I tried a lot of different things, I'm not sure what worked, I hope the judges won't be too disappointed", *wipes sweat from forehead*, proceeds to roundly trounce opponent)

-- Shakey Mo Collier,

So true Shakey. He is a real gentleman, and he has that lovely, monkish humility. Though I one think he lost his temper, in the most genteel way, with one of the judges. His comment was something like 'Humpf! What a ridiculous thing to say'. I think that was Chen.

I voted for Michiba, but after mulling this over I kinda wish I voted for Chen. His Battle Yogurt episode is one of the best IC episodes ever. His expression at the end is priceless: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-NOQ5ejIX8

ahahahahahahaha k-lassic!

love that "who, me?" shit

Battle Lobster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGf1zJEvnik

Chef French Sakai vs. Ron Siegel (currently exec chef at Ritz Carlton Dining Room in SF, previously of Masa's, Charles Nob Hill, The French Laundry, Daniel (NYC), and Aqua).

Siegel is my favorite chefs in SF and his ability to sweep Sakai utilizing 2 sous-chefs who spoke no English is pretty remarkable. First American victory on Iron Chef.

I have a few questions.

I have never seen the American version of Iron Chef. Is it ever funny? Are there sycophantic celebrity guest tasters who say that every single dish is really good? Does the robot voice still say "15 minutes remain"? Do the three iron chefs rise up out of the floor at the very beginning? Is there an arrogant chairman presiding over the whole event? Most importantly, does someone bite into an apple during the intro and laugh maniacally?

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

does someone bite into an apple during the intro and laugh maniacally?

I thought that was a capsicum?

Regarding Battle Yoghurt, above, how lovely is Chen's humble monk's stoop and ever present handkerchief to mop his brow?

An honourable mention for the scholar, who nearly always presents his comments as a dialectical journey of suprise, challenge and resolution: 'At first I was concerned that the strong flavour of x might overpower the delicacy of y, but then I realised that, in fact, the two were in perfect balance. This is really quite an achievement!'

I thought my wife and daughter and I were the only ones to call Asako Kishi the "East German Judge," but according to Wikipedia it's a pretty widely used nickname. We came to it independently though!

It's a very fitting nickname.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

That's it. The chef battle is OVAH!!

(obviously I should have put "bang a gong, we are on" at the top, but I forgot).

I feel sort of bad for kobe, he always seemed a little out of his league.

this calls for a sudden death tiebreaking run-off match

I feel sort of bad for kobe, he always seemed a little out of his league.

On the other hand, Kobe is responsible for one of the best scenes in any episode of Iron Chef... beating a live octopus to death with a daikon radish.

!!! clip plz

Yeah, beating on the octopus with the radish may be the high point of that show. "Fukui-san, he said he's...tenderizing it!"

!!! clip plz

Irritatingly it's not on YouTube, but I do have it on tape (yes, tape)

Yeah, he beat it down with the radish and then sliced off its arms while it was still alive and squirming around! Didn't an animal rights group file a complaint when that episode was aired in the US?

I don't know, the Japanese version seemed actually more aware of its amusement wrestling-style roots,

The basic structure of the show is unquestionably modeled after professional wrestling (video packages that set up "feuds" between chefs, interview segments, grand entrances with music, etc.)

So I just had a chat with 3 friends who are chefs/restauranteurs in Japan and they said that Rokasabura is widely considered the best (but Sakai a close second), with Morimoto by far the worst.

One friend offered that Rokusabura has the best career winning percentage (86.5%) and what do you know I looked and Sakai has the second best (82.4%). The numbers don't lie.

Yes, the thing that's missing from this poll is that none of us have tasted the food.

I mean, the poll reflects our relative emjoyment of the chefs' personalities, rather than their culinary skills.

Easy with that Sceptre of Assumption thou art wielding, for I have tasted the morsels and meade of Morimoto's and Nakamura's, my liege.

Voted Morimoto because I've eaten at his (Philadelphia) restaurant, but the real answer is probably Sakai.

-- Rock Hardy, Wednesday, July 2, 2008 9:22 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Link

Easy with that Sceptre of Assumption thou art wielding, for I have tasted the morsels and meade of Morimoto's and Nakamura's, my liege.

reads like something gary gygax woulda written

What was your verdict Steve?

IC Japan is positively sloppy, tbh.

Fuck you and your attachment to American-style production values.
I bet you get mad when teevee commercials for local car dealerships aren't up to your standards.

does libcrypt prefer the americanized human tetris as well?

Commercials? Who watches them in the 21st century????