Fire on the Rock

The first “Got to be NC” Competition Dining Series event to be held in Asheville was an unmitigated success, with all seven dinners selling out. The Asheville competition, Fire on the Rock, ended with a finale on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at Lioncrest at Biltmore.

Chef Adam Hayes of the Red Stag Grill and his team defeated co-finalist Jason Roy and his team from the Lexington Avenue Brewery in a match called “Battle Angus Beef and Texas Pete.”

Chef Roy and his team created three dishes using the secret ingredients revealed to them just hours before the dinner service. Those dishes were crisp potato-wrapped certified Angus beef tartar with Texas Pete aioli, Texas Pete salt, scallop crudo with Texas Pete beurreblanc, carrot and celery sticks; Angus beef skirt steak with grilled chili spoon bread, frijoles negros, mango “Pete” puree, cilantro pesto and Texas charred cippolini onion; and Angus beef consommé, pork belly, charred scallion, lobster salad with crispy wontons.

Chef Hayes and his team countered with Angus beef flatiron steak with Daikon noodles, scallions, cilantro and grilled shitake mushrooms with Texas Pete lime foam; Spanish style shrimp and grits with shrimp, crawfish, beef tasso, marinated beef skirt steak, Old Mill of Guilford saffron grits and Texas Pete sofrito; and Texas Pete chocolate mousse, pistachio-beef brittle, Texas Pete and pepper curd, with orange-scented cake and Angus beef skirt jam.

Chef Hayes’ team defeated Chef Roy’s team by a combined average score of 73.74 percent to 58.16 percent.

Chef Hayes and his team will meet the winner of the Blowing Rock portion of Fire on the Rock during the Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival, to be held in Blowing Rock this April.

The Blowing Rock portion of Fire on the Rock will take place at the Meadowbrook Inn April 3 to 30.
The next Competition Dining Series event is Fire on the Dock in Wrightsville Beach, Feb. 19 to April 3.

For more information, visit http://www.competitiondining.com.