at the Hyatt Regency. Now he is the Executive Chef of Andrei's, which coincidentally is the restaurant that won our kudos for Best French Fries. Here are his answers to our silly survey
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1. Dish that you cook that most represents you.
Braised Beef Short Ribs – they are robust and strong but at the same time, delicate and tender.
2. What was the last meal you had at home?
Whole roasted duck with thyme from my garden, Fountain Valley farm stand green beans with extra virgin olive oil, Tahitian squash, cippolini onions and fingerling potatoes (a sample from one of my vendors), creamed corn, mixed greens and a glass of wine but no space for a sweet dessert, just Manchego cheese and Oregon Blue from Rogue Creamery. You just happened to ask on the right day!!!
3. Your favorite restaurant (other than yours):
New York: Tabla – Bread Bar, Gotham Bar and Grill, Balthazar for breakfast. Vegas: San Marco at the Venetian to sit at the Salumi bar and have wine and small plates. California: OC – Marche Moderne. I love the creativity of Florent and Amelie's food. Santa Monica: Anisette, the place to be after the market for brunch and a great chef. Paris: Le Souk, Benoit, L'Arpege.
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4. Fast food guilty pleasure:
Pain au Chocolats from Cream Pan or 2 Double Doubles from In-N-Out Burger.
5. Complete this sentence I would like to [verb] [Food Network Star] with [noun].
(for example: “I would like to BEAT BOBBY FLAY with A STALE BAGUETTE.”
or “I would like to SHOWER GIADA DE LAURENTIIS with FLOWERS”):
I would like to challenge Mario Batali with a grinder to create a duck terrine. He tried to get my recipe years ago in New York.
6. Last meal of your life, what would it be?
No special dish, just to be surrounded by my family and friends at a long table outside enjoying food together.
7. Items you always have in your refrigerator:
Butter, harissa from Tunisia, cheese, yogurt drinks and overripe bananas so my wife can bake banana chocolate chip muffins for me and everyone else.
8. Your most indispensable kitchen tool or appliance:
There are no specific tools but the quality of the ingredients to create any dish.
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.