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| Chef Kenny, Hannah, Johanna Kramer, and Chef Erica hiding in the background. |
Sara and I didn't know what to expect as we were driving towards Poole's Diner. Not that we had questions about the dinner's quality, but more of a question about the dinner's company. Neither one of us had been part of a tweet up or had ever met any reality television or culinary celebrities. Would we have enough to talk about? Is it going to be awkward? Am I going to know what everyone is talking about? Will everyone enjoy the food? I was asking myself questions as if I was meeting someone for the first time off of an online dating site.
We sat inside of Poole's Diner waiting for the rest of our dinner party, a group of individuals we had never met before. I assumed we parked next to Ellen and Katy of
Girls With Guts, but to avoid any awkwardness I tweeted them instead of knocking on their window. After the introductions we made small talk until Johanna Kramer, a.k.a.
Durham Foodie, entered Poole's after which we were finally seated. As we made chit-chat at our table, I compulsively check the front door to see if the rest of the party arrived. Suddenly at the hostess's station stood a stocky, physically imposing fellow. Immediately I knew it was Chef Kenny "The Beast" Gilbert. Chef Kenny, Chef Erika Davis, and others sat themselves at our table.
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| Beef tartar |
At first, it's easy to be intimated by Chef Kenny. Equipped with professional wrestling sized biceps and the nickname "The Beast," it's understandable how one could be weary. But once I began to talk to Chef Kenny, the very first thing I realized is that he is a genuine person. The perceived bravado that Chef Kenny portrays wilts away once you hear him talk about his passion, his food, and his willingness to share some of his beef tartar, wonderfully seasoned rare beef topped on a nicely toasted crostini.
We began the dinner with passing around a smorgasbord of appetizers. The apps were passed so quickly and conversations were flowing so freely, I was unable to take any pictures or take note of the wonderful flavors. Chef Kenny started to discuss with me his newly opened restaurant,
Nipper's Beach Grille in Jacksonville, Florida. The Caribbean inspired restaurant sits on the water, allowing boats to dock right up to the restaurant. Though seafood, especially conch, is a consistent theme of the restaurant menu, Chef Kenny seems particularly proud of his Mac & Cheese.
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| Macaroni Au Gratin |
Much like Nipper's Mac & Cheese, Pooles Diner's Macaroni Au Gratin is one of the top dishes of the restaurant. Cheese and pasta goodness bubble underneath a flawless crunchy cheddar crust. The moment my spoon broke through the crust and scooped the oozy and cheesy bite of macaroni I knew I had fallen in love.
It was interesting to watch Chef Kenny as he tasted the Macaroni Au Gratin. He silently took a bite and nodded his head to himself as to say he found it satisfactory. Then as he proceeded to take another taste someone at the table pressed him for his opinion. Being humble but not overly enthusiastic he commented that it was a good macaroni, and he enjoyed the cheddar and other cheeses that were used. He elaborated on how his macaroni and cheese differed drastically from the one at Poole's. The mac and cheese at Nipper's Grille is made with chorizo con queso and jerk chicken. Definitely a tasty sounding dish in its own right.
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| Soft Shell Crab |
As we moved onto our entrees, our conversation changed to Kenny's future endeavors. Chef Kenny told me about his hopes in opening an Asian fusion restaurant in the near future in Jacksonville. He's ideas include Asian influenced burgers, one topped with sriracha slaw. He envisions the decor of the restuarant inspired by japanese tattoos. Which also led to a discussion of his admiration for tattooing, including one that states "The Beast" which was inked shortly after his dismissal of the Top Chef competition.
I began to dig into my crisp fried soft shell crab and we moved to the topic of reality television. I wondered about the legitimacy of the challenges and the concept of Top Chef. "It's actual reality!" Chef Kenny boasted. Laughing to himself, he recounted how he would come into the kitchen that day and had no prior knowledge of the pending challenge. When I asked Chef Kenny about producers or camera crews creating scenarios in which he or his competitors would become frustrated or angry, he retold a story of when the crew gave them a vague time frame of when they would arrive to the house but then arrived extremely early, waking him up with cameras in his face.
As I continued to savor the freshness of the crab and the wonderful creaminess of the aioli, I asked Chef Kenny about any other reality TV cooking competitions, specifically Iron Chef. To my surprise he had already been contacted by the producers of Iron Chef but unfortunately he was unable to receive the message until after the opportunity had passed. But he his very open to doing another TV cooking competition.
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| Pork shoulder |
While Chef Kenny and I were chatting about his opinions on food blogs and social media, Sara was indulging in Poole's pork shoulder. The pork meat sat on top of velvety and savory butter beans while the meat itself was a tender treasure. Sara thought there was the perfect amount of fat and an impressive size portion.
I always wondered about a chefs' stance on food blogs, like how it feels to have one person, possibly with no culinary savvy, criticize the finer details of their restaurant and/or food. Surprising to me, Chef Kenny was welcoming to an individual's voice and understanding of the new found impact that media like blogs, Twitter, and Facebook carry. It shouldn't have been too surprising to me as Chef Kenny does carry his own social media presence.
The night continued with drinks and desserts until it was time to depart. Satisfied in our dinner and our company, I was disappointed that I was not able talk to Chef Erika due to the volume of the restaurant and the seating arrangement. We were able to talk after her cooking show, but that's our next entry.
Poole's Diner
426 South McDowell Street Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 832-4477
http://www.poolesdowntowndiner.com/
Chef Kenny "The Beast" Gilbert
http://kennygblog.passionate-culinary-enterprises.com/
http://twitter.com/chefkennyg37
http://www.facebook.com/chefkennyg
