Throwdown with Bobby Flay exemplifies the arrogance of its Food Network chef host. In every episode, Bobby challenges another chef or restaurant owner to a public “throwdown” in which the two compete to discover who actually cooks up a tastier version of the local chef’s signature dish. Bobby travels to American towns like Buffalo, New York, where citizens’ identities are comprised almost entirely of intense local pride, and attempts to strip them of their hopes and joys by cooking their own dish better. Luckily, he rarely wins, as I discovered one uneventful Saturday night of watching four glorious hours of Food Network television shows.
I had the privilege of attending a throwdown last Tuesday in Union Square, in which Bobby competed against the Dessert Truck for the title of chocolate bread pudding king of the universe. I’ve sampled the Dessert Truck’s best-selling bread pudding many a time on late night walks home through Astor Place and can attest to its creamy decadence. The warmth and sweetness of this dessert and my disdain for Bobby Flay left me quite biased as to who I would designate the winner pre-tasting.
The Dessert Truck and an unidentified white truck were parked behind two red cloth-covered tables on the west side of the park. Jerome Chang and Chris Chen, the Dessert Truck founders, pretended to be hosting an episode featuring mobile food vendors. Finally, Bobb-O and his lady groupies, Stephanie and Miriam, arrived on the set via truck (how ironic) and alerted the audience of the show’s actual intent. The two began whipping up their bread pudding – Bobby’s was a chocolate-coconut bread pudding with passion fruit syrup, and the Dessert Truck guys served their famous chocolate bread pudding topped with a bacon anglaise.
I had to throw some serious ‘bows into the guts of freeloaders who had crawled onto the set mid-show in order to get a taste of both recipe renditions. Bobby’s bread pudding almost made up for the smug smile perpetually plastered to his face (emphasis on the almost). Its texture was more complex than the Dessert Truck’s – he layered chocolate ganache, coconut flakes, and airy bread layers to create a light and subtly sweet bread pudding. My favorite aspect was the drizzled passion fruit flavoring, whose concentrated sourness added depth to the pudding.
The Dessert Truck’s pudding was sweeter and a bit heavier; its simplicity a winning attribute. The bread, which the Dessert Truck boys buy from Sullivan St. Bakery, sits atop a thick layer of smooth pudding. The bacon-infused anglaise was understated; its nearly-hidden saltiness enhanced the pudding’s sweetness.
Three hours of standing in the sun left me irritable and slightly arthritic, so I left before the judging. Even if I had stayed, I wouldn’t be able to reveal the winner or the Food Network overlords might slay me with their sharp Santoku knives and Cuisinart blades. I’m still quite torn over who I’d choose as my bread pudding hero. I think I’d have to go with Bobby Flay, though I’m extremely reluctant to admit this tragic resolution.
