Everybody’s favorite “late-night chef fight,” Back of House Brawl, returns on September 14. The event matches up two pairs of chefs creating dishes for judges who taste and then pick the winning team. Two battles are slated for the fall: Brian Howard (Sparrow + Wolf) and Nicola Costagliola (Guy Savoy) versus Sean Farney (Aria) and Kaoru Azeuchi (Kaiseki Yuzu) on September 14; and James Trees (Esther’s Kitchen) and Johnny Church against Ralph Perazzo (bBd’s) and Sean Griffin (Jean Georges) on October 19.
The fall winners will dish it out with the three pairs of winners from the spring series: Justin Kingsley Hall and Josh Smith of Main Street Provisions and Bardot Brasserie; Oscar Amador and Alex Pitts of EDO Tapas and Bazaar Meat by José Andrés; and Scott Green and Antonio Nunez of the Stove.
Though the battles comprise the main event, BOH Brawl attendees can enjoy grub from various food trucks and watch an undercard cocktail competition. This year’s festivities will take place at the parking lot of the Sand Dollar Lounge, which has showcased the competition in the past and puts a more local shine on the tournament. Says creator and promoter Jolene Mannina, “The BOH Brawl is an industry event, so we decided to finish the series at one of your favorite industry bars.”
The winner-take-all five-way culinary death match takes place November 17 at 3 p.m.—the first-ever BOH Brawl battle to take place during daylight hours. That’s good news for non-industry folks who don’t stay up as late as the kitchen crew.
BACK OF HOUSE BRAWL Sand Dollar Lounge, 3355 Spring Mountain Road, 702-485-5401. September 14, 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m.
