Top Chef season two winner Ilan Hall filled glasses with Manischewitz to premiere The Gorbals, his long-promised Scottish-Jewish restaurant, in Downtown Los Angeles for one night yesterday (official open in about ten days). We grabbed a front row seat to watch Hall personally feed a crowded room without breaking a bead of sweat, introducing diners to brand-new bites that were well-received. Not every ingredient felt completely congruent, but each flavor was full, the textures exciting, and the appearances imbued with true artistry from the pinwheel of bacon coursing through his soon-to-be-signature puffed matzoh balls to the vertical slab of lamb atop a toasted slice of rarebit. Top Chef season two contestant Elia Aboumrad flew in the night before to stand by Ilan’s side and lend a hand. Take a look at our slideshow and see what Ilan’s been cooking up over the last two years.
