
So last night was the big battle between Chef Garces and Chef Mehta, the two finalists on Food Network's
Next Iron Chef with two very different cooking styles. I didn't watch much of this season, but judging from
last night's episode I wish I had. Jeffrey Steingarten is one of my favorite judges, and it's interesting to see other iron chefs in the judging chairs.
Did the right chef win?

Food Network has been smarting from
the debacle involving Robert Irvine, the former host of Dinner: Impossible. Now, the other shoe has dropped in the kitchen.
Food Network announced that Michael Symon will replace Chef Irvine on Dinner: Impossible. This should be a piece of cake -- ha, ha, food metaphor -- for Chef Symon. He has already competed for a major role at Food Network and won. He's one of the
Iron Chefs, having defeated all challengers in last seasons on air contest.
Since that victory last summer, he has joined Mario Batali, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay and Masaharu Morimoto as a member of the home team on
Iron Chef America. He's been cooking in Kitchen Stadium along with the rest of the gang.
Chef Symon owns the Lola and Lolita restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a graduate from The Culinary Institute of America. After the Food Network's experience with Chef Robert Irvine, it's safe to say that Michael Symon's resume has been fully vetted.