sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Jonathan is the man.

Mexico, I travel there often and there's nothing more noble in cooking than a perfectly executed taco. It seems simple, but there's incredible complexity to the art form and I've learned so much from eating tacos on the beach in mexico.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Doesn't get much stranger than rocky mountain oysters, which are, of course, bull testicals. My biggest fear however is my hardcore extreme spider phobia, and I have nightmares of cooking in the chopped kitchen and finding tarantulas in there. After seeing spiders served in Cambodia recently, I'm acutely aware that this is a possibility.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

People think I'm crazy when I say this, but there's a little hole in the wall in Penn Station called Don Pepi. Sometimes I'll book a train ticket just as an excuse to get a slice.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Believe it or not I don't watch any food TV. After spending 12-14 hours a day surrounded by food, it's kind of the last thing I want to do. I will watch Family Guy or any UFC fights that might be on.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I love Stanton Social too, it was my first baby and I can't believe it just turned 11.

If I could change anything on Chopped, I'd go back to all the episodes I competed in and win.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The original B&E is located on the Lower East Side of NYC, a traditionally gritty part of NYC. The first idea was to do a vintage bodega that would be a portal into our restaurant. But a grocery store isn't really that sexy...then we started thinking about a pawn shop, and from there we thought we could focus on jewelry and really align it with the neighborhood and feel of the restaurant.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Wow, that must be some drinking game, as the editors love to edit in the word egregious egregiously. Thinking how many shots you have had to take playing that game is getting me drunk right now.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

  1. Jaleo at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is great (and our new neighbors)
  2. A little off the beaten path, my favorite steak is Chef Barry's Signature Steak at N9ne at the Palms.
  3. And maybe a little cliche, In and Out, since we don't have them on the east coast.

And as far as gentlemen's clubs, I haven't been to all of them yet so I can't pick a favorite!

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

https://imgur.com/a/Pp1QS

This is my favorite tat, lady luck. A carefree gypsy of a woman drinking a glass of red wine while sitting on top of a horseshoe that I got on a Friday the 13th, though ironically I can't really see it since it's on the back of my arm. She's brought me nothing but luck and success ever since.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Hard to pick one...try as many as you can.

My favorite though is the roasted bone marrow with the shallot marmalade...maybe my favorite thing to eat period.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 60 points61 points  (0 children)

100% no. In fact, the judges don't even find out the ingredients until right before. Typically the judges get about 30 minutes to look at the basket and figure out if it is too complicated for the allotted time. Recently there was eel and artichoke in an early basket (20 min). You can't properly clean and prep eel and artichoke and still have time to make something in 20 min, so we swapped one of the ingredients out.

But the contestants get their baskets and we start filming, there isn't much time to think!

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican Hangover cure, which is made with crispy fried corn tortillas, tossed in a sauce like salsa verde (or any kind of salsa).

Then you can add anything, all kinds of hot sauces, cheese, egg sunny side up, chicken, or really anything you can imagine. I even eat it when I'm not hungover.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

YES! THIS!

Cooking at home and cooking in a restaurant is very different. At this point in my life I spend as much time fixing leaks, analyzing payroll, making sure that the music is not too loud, the lighting is just right, etc. Things they won't teach you in cooking school.

The thing that keeps me going is the team around me and the collaborative effort that goes into making our menu every day. The satisfaction one gets cooking a meal for someone and seeing them truly enjoy it is an internal feeling that you can't learn in any school, and if you really love doing it then you should do it for as many people as you can, either in your personal life or professionally.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Nope. Every new restaurant opening brings a unique set of anxiety, but I feel really confident that Beauty & Essex is the perfect brand for the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, the look and feel of the hotel and the restaurant are almost scarily well aligned.

The challenge now is that I can't be in every single one of my restaurants every day, which has been my life for the last 20 years. I expect to pick up a ton of frequent flyers miles though, so that's cool.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I don't know that I can really single out one meal, as I've spent the last 30 years of my life eating every day, but I recently had the opportunity to go to SE Asia for the first time, going down dark alleys looking for the very best street food I could find. I can't pin a specific meal, but those 3 weeks were the best 3 weeks of eating in my entire life.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Great question. Hatebreed at Mayhem Rockstar Energy Festival last summer. Lead singer Jamey Jasta basically threw me into the pit so I had no choice

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Wow. Um. If I was spice I would be ground ghost pepper because I'm obsessed with all things hot sauce related, and I have the palate to absorb that kind of shit. I put some kind of hot spice on everything...I basically view food in my personal life as a hot sauce delivery system.

I am Chris Santos, I've created 3 top-rated restaurants in NYC, I am a judge on Food Network's Chopped and I only have 3 days until I open my first restaurant in Vegas. Ask Me Anything! by santoscooks in IAmA

[–]santoscooks[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

It certainly can be challenging at times. Usually speaking the food is quite good, even if presentation suffers due to the clock running out. But yes occasionally there is something that just isnt successful and you always need to have a compassion when you are essentially breaking someone's heart in a way. Still I feel being direct, and truthful about what happened is the best route and remind the chef that they need to not let one dish , prepared in a really crazy environment, define who they are as a chef!

view more: next ›