In Dallas, a Cadillac Culinary Battle: Marcus Samuellson vs. Bruno Davaillon

celebruchef marcus samuellson

chef bruno davaillon of dallas' mansion on turtle creek

chef marcus samuellson of harlem's red rooster

Last weekend, Cadillac rolled through Dallas to for a see/drive/eat event that was part test drive (the 2012 Cadillacs) and part meet-and-greet-then-eat with chefs Bruno Davailon (Dallas’ Mansion on Turtle Creek)and Marcus Samuellson (of Harlem’s Red Rooster and NYC Aquavit – and fresh off the cover of Vanity Fair, btw).  The two cooked in a mock Iron Chef contest where I was the judge. (For the record, the crowd’s vote was evenly split, so the contest was declared a draw.)

Samuellson is a James Beard Award winner. Davaillon is a Michelin-starred chef.

Davaillon prepared grilled quail on grits (with a homemade, bacon-spiked bbq sauce). Samuellson was more daring, topping a brick of braised beef short ribs with a vinegar-spiked pickled veggie slaw and a smear of sweet potato puree.

Fun event. If you were there, you got to taste some pretty fine food. If you missed it, you can check out the multi-city lineup here.