Chef Kristen Kish Surprises Fans of ‘Top Chef’ at Her Austin Restaurant’s Watch Party

When guests sat down in Arlo Grey’s private dining room for a special screening of the latest “Top Chef” episode, they were greeted by an off-screen surprise.

Chef Kristen Kish, the Emmy-nominated host of the Bravo cooking competition and the owner of Austin’s Arlo Grey, stopped by her restaurant on Thursday, May 1, to welcome fans. Kish is currently on a book tour for her new memoir, “Accidentally on Purpose,” and hosted a last-minute signing ahead of service at Arlo Grey in the LINE Austin hotel. She stayed after to say hello to diners at the lakeside eatery’s Thursday series, A Seat at the Screen.

Kish, who won “Top Chef” Season 10, took over as host last year when Padma Lakshmi decided to step down after 19 seasons. In honor of her new role, her downtown Austin restaurant, which opened in 2018, began hosting a weekly dinner series, where guests enjoy a multi-course meal while watching that week’s “Top Chef” episode.

A weekly dinner series inspired by ‘Top Chef’

“Executive Chef Alejandro Muñoz crafts a unique menu inspired by the latest ‘Top Chef’ challenge, bringing the creativity of the show directly to our guests’ plates,” Kristen Kish says in a statement to Tribeza. “It’s a joy to share this experience in community, where great food and exciting storytelling come together.”

Last week, Kish surprised fans at A Seat at the Screen’s premiere of the Season 22 “Restaurant Wars” episode in Canada. This popular elimination challenge pushes competitors to team up and create their own culinary concepts within 24 hours. It was a full-circle moment for Kish, who was eliminated after her own “Restaurant Wars” challenge in Season 10. The chef came back victorious after she won the series “Last Chance Kitchen,” which gives eliminated chefs a second chance to return to the competition.

Arlo Grey has been hosting the private dinner event since Kish made her debut as host for Season 21 in Wisconsin. Each week, executive chef Alejandro Muñoz puts together a menu inspired by the episode. For Episode 8, guests were greeted with a specialty cocktail featuring Kish Apertif, a line of chef-inspired liqueurs created by Kish.

The five-course ‘Restaurant Wars’ meal

Since “Restaurant Wars” doesn’t have its own overarching theme, Muñoz showed his creativity with this five-course meal, starting with an endive and radicchio salad. The second course featured a beef and beet tartare on a buttery slice of brioche, and the third was a duck cappalleti with a rich broth poured over Muñoz himself.

“Usually throughout this series, we’ve adjusted the menu to fit the challenge, but this one was more of a free-for-all,” Muñoz says.

For the main course, Muñoz presented his take on a pot pie, featuring Maine lobster in a Southern-style broth, a variety of vegetables, and a puff pastry disc topped with a sweet shrimp dust. The meal concluded with a tart lime sorbet, as guests tearfully applauded for this season’s “Restaurant Wars” winner, Tristen Epps, a Houston chef who, despite receiving the news of his father’s passing, persevered through the season’s notoriously hardest challenge.

Kristen Kish made several appearances in the dining room throughout the meal, checking in on guests and taking photos with each group. Although she remained tight-lipped when probed about this season’s “Top Chef” winner.

There are only two more chances to reserve a spot at Arlo Grey’s A Seat at the Screen before the Season 22 finale on Thursday, May 15. Tickets are $99 a person, and bookings can be made on OpenTable.

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