Best Chefs America Launches Regional Guides

By Shandana A. Durrani Published March 29, 2014

best chefs america launches regional guides the american south — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Who are the best chefs in America? Everyone has their favorites and while names such as Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin and Andy Ricker of Pok Pok are often bandied about by gourmands around the country, Best Chefs America used a more scientific approach to determine the cream of the crop. The results, which are based on peer reviews, are contained in its new, five-part regional guides, the first of which, “Best Chefs America Presents: The American South,” recently launched in Charleston.

The behemoth of a book, encapsulating 248 pages, honors chefs from 12 southern states and contains more than 1,000 listings, food facts, dining districts, recipes and essays defining each state’s unique cuisine. The top-25 chefs in the South include Susan Spicer, Mike Lata and Linton Hopkins, names synonymous with Southern cuisine.

Recommended Videos

“Chefs from each state pride themselves and are passionate when it comes to recreating regional flavors in their dishes,” says Gabe Joseph, Editor in Chief of Best Chefs America.

Best Chefs America launched in 2013 and is heralded for its peer-review nomination system, which honors the top chefs around the nation. The top one percent of all chefs are rated by other chefs on their credentials and skills as well as their reputation in the culinary world as cooking giants and trendsetters. More than 5,000 chefs were interviewed and four additional regional guides, from the Northeast to the West, will launch throughout 2014 and 2015.

Topics

Food

Shandana A. Durrani

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Shandana A. Durrani has been a magazine editor and travel writer for more than two decades. Her work has appeared in numerous…

Food & Drink

Best Meat Delivery Deals: Omaha Steaks, ButcherBox and Good Chop

Omaha Steaks roasted chateaubriand

You may or may not be aware, but like grocery delivery services, it's entirely possible to have specific types of food delivered, from desserts such as ice cream to a sizable and juicy steak. There are full meal kit delivery services too. As a third option, there are meat delivery services, too, which also means there are some fantastic meat delivery deals out there -- to get your food for less. You no longer have to visit the local butcher for yummy cutlets of beef, chicken, pork or beyond. You can order it all online, sit back, and wait for it to be delivered to your doorstep. Some even come pre-prepped and ready to throw on the grill or in the oven. How awesome is that?

Now, when it comes to finding the best meat delivery deals, or choosing a service, there are a lot of different options. To lighten your load, and improve your selection process a little, we've rounded up the best of the best below. Some of the more notable services include Good Chop, ButcherBox, Omaha Steaks, and Crowd Cow -- especially if you like lamb.
Good Chop
Boneless ribeye steaks, top sirloin, Filet Mignon, Alaskan sockeye salmon, chicken breast, pork tenderloin, if any of these sound mouth-watering to you then Good Chop is the place to go. We haven't even begun to scratch the surface in regards to just how many different types of meats they offer. Organic, grass-fed, and delicious are three words that can be used to describe Good Chop's meats.

Food & Drink

These are the 7 best Mexican restaurants this side of the border

There's no shortage of good Mexican restaurants here in the states — These are the very best

The Original Ninfa’s

Of the many truly great cuisines out there, Mexican must be in the mix. It belongs in the same breath as Italian and French, full of diversity, dynamism, incredible age-old recipes and techniques, and a lot of food that's just plain fun to eat.

Yes, our country is home to some fantastic Mexican restaurants, from family-friendly outposts to high-end establishments redefining the very genre. And it's not just happening in border states like Texas, Arizona, and California. There's great Mexican cuisine all over the United States.
So, while this is by no means the definitive list of best Mexican restaurants in the nation, it is a collection of some of the finest. If you’re looking for an iconic experience, authentic dishes, or simply a great a meal, these options will never disappoint.

Food & Drink

A chef’s guide to making the perfect Korean fried chicken

Chef Sol Han of NYC's innovative Little Mad shares his best fried chicken tips and tricks

Delivered fresh in takeout boxes or served alongside frosty beer at bustling restaurants, fried chicken is a national obsession in Korea. Historically, chicken consumption was rare in South Korea, and it wasn't until the 1980s that Korean fried chicken became popular. While Korean fried chicken has similarities to Southern fried chicken, the Korean version is way more diverse in both flavor and variety.

Interested in cooking Korean fried chicken in the comfort of your own home? Here to lend The Manual some expert tips and techniques is Chef Sol Han of Little Mad, an innovative and modern Korean restaurant in New York City. While making fried chicken at home might seem intimidating, the finished product is well worth the adventure. You can reward yourself with the cold beer to pair it with.
Tips to make your Korean fried chicken even better
Chef Sol Han of Little Mad in New York City. Moonhee-Kim
Seasoning the chicken
Chef Han likes to brine his chicken overnight in a 3 percent salt-to-water ratio. One unique twist he likes is to marinate his chicken in dashi stock or white soy, a type of soy sauce with a lighter and sweeter flavor than dark soy sauce. However, if brined, the chicken must dry out on a rack before being dredged in flour.
Frying the chicken
In Korean fried chicken, flour is often replaced with potato starch or corn starch. The use of starches, especially potato, gives the finished crust a less greasy, and pleasing white color. A pinch of baking powder added to the starch will also help increase crispiness. But do not substitute baking soda. The chicken will have an unpleasant alkaline aftertaste. Chef Han likes to dredge his chicken in seasoned flour consisting of salt, black pepper, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.