Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The Philly Cheesesteak - a nearly century-old American culinary creation – got a makeover last weekend, with two of the top American chefs in the GCC coming together to share a sumptuous story of friendship and of course, fried goodness.
At the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay’s CUT by Wolfgang Puck restaurant, executive chef Brian Becher invited his friend and head chef of Four Seasons Abu Dhabi’s Butcher & Still steakhouse Marshall Allen Röth last weekend.
The goal Chef Brian set was simple – reinterpret the Philly Cheesesteak however he’d like, as part of a series in which the Philadelphia-born kitchen master is inviting chefs from Bahrain and the GCC to bring their own spin to the all-time favourite.
The original cheesesteak has been credited to Pat and Harry Olivieri, two brothers who sold hot dogs near South Philadelphia’s Italian Market.
Legend has it that in the 1930s, the brothers added a new sandwich to their menu - grilled beef and onions in a toasted roll. After it gained popularity, another Philadelphia restaurant added provolone in the 1940s. Thus, the cheesesteak was born, and the rest is history.
For his creation, Chef Marshall decided to double-batter the steak and fry it, simultaneously adding a wonderful crunch to the hoagie sandwich, while also politely putting on hold any healthy diet that dares rear its head in his kitchen.
Served with fries, I found this to be the perfect weekend lunch meal, to be enjoyed in the shade at the five-star property’s Bahrain Bay-facing restaurant.
But of course, Chef Marshall’s delicious dietary debauchery did not stop there.
During his trip, he also served up the Fat Kid – a large peanut butter cookie, with peanuts, topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
The warm goodness of the cookie ‘baked medium-rare’ – Chef Marshall’s words – infused with the quickly melting ice cream, make for a decadent and heavenly treat.
American food may be considered too ubiquitous by some, since it’s found in almost every corner of the world, but the flip side is that it’s very easy to differentiate between the best and the rest.
And Chef Marshall’s 20-year history of culinary proficiency definitely sparkled here, as the kitchen master dazzled, not just with his food, but the moments he created with his infectious smile and friendly personality.
Though we were satisfied with our late afternoon treat, Four Seasons Bahrain’s marketing and communications director Tugce Goksel invited us to enjoy dinner at the restaurant, and, really, how could we say no?
For the appetiser, we were recommended the butter lettuce served with avocado, Roquefort blue cheese, cherry tomatoes and an herb vinaigrette.
We also relished the roasted eggplant with tahini, Japanese bacon, mint yoghurt and arugula, with a side of fresh pita bread, as well as the spicy Blue Fin tuna tartar, infused with mango, cucumber, passion fruit and sesame crisp.
For our main dishes, I enjoyed the line-caught black bass, served with taro, radish, edamame, zucchini and coriander, while my dining companions went for the grilled whole sea bream and the USDA Prime 28-day aged filet mignon with bèarnaise sauce.
During dessert, joining the Fat Kid (and the rest of us equally opulent adults) at the table were three kinds of sorbet, a pear crumble and decadent dark chocolate ice cream.
I must confess, however, that although dinner was delicious as always, watching the chefs in the kitchen perform the performance art they call cooking really stole the show.
And it left me excited to see what other twists on the American classic are yet to come!
For more details, follow @fsbahrain, @chefbrianbecher and @_the_savage_chef on Instagram.
