Sneak Peek: Talde

Photo via DaleTalde.com

For the most part, reality shows are TOTALLY a springboard to fame. One day the whole world is watching you compete against a bunch of people for some title or another & the next day, you're either marrying quarterbacks & spouting your batshit beliefs on a beloved daytime talk show or you're Kelly Clarkson, or you're that chick from Survivor: The Australian Outback who posed in Playboy. FAME.

True Confession: Until about a month ago, I'd essentially shunned reality food TV. Sure I'd seen the occasional episode of Iron Chef or Hell's Kitchen but for the most part, I'd just skipped it all. The way I figure, I spend enough of my day obsessing over food as it is.

Then last month, on a late-night-filled weekend in which I was OBVIOUSLY too drunk to be operating a TV set, something changed. I caught multiple episodes of two bottom-of-the-barrel food reality shows—Bar Rescue and Restaurant: Impossible. Since then, I've seen way too many episodes of Man vs Food and Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. And as a Korilla BBQ fan, have been following The Great Food Truck Race 2. Personally, as long as they keep serving me amazing kimchi-laden tacos, I don't care that they got booted off for cheating.

Still, I haven't seen a single episode of Top Chef, which is virtually the king of food reality TV. In mid-October, Dale Talde, who made it to the final six on both Top Chef: Chicago (season 4) and last season's Top Chef All-Stars, is pairing up with two dudes from Thistle Hill Tavern to open a new "Asian-American" restaurant on the corner of 7th Ave & 11th St. The name: Talde.

Last week, I stopped by to get a sneak peek of the restaurant and chat with Dale and the Thistle Hill guys—David Massoni & John Bush.

Photo via Park Slope Lens

Since Dale's a fucking food TV reality star, he'll obviously be heading up the kitchen, and with his name on it, it's really his place. David's overseeing the house & John the bar.

The first question I had for Dale was "Why Park Slope?" As someone who lives in the L.E.S. & has spent five years at Buddakan, why wouldn't he just open a restaurant in Midtown & use his reality TV cache to cash in on that crowd?

Photo via Park Slope Lens

As he explained it, Brooklyn is similar in many ways to his hometown of Chicago. Over the past two years, they looked at places in Prospect Heights. They looked at places in the North Slope. Ultimately, the more that David & John took him around Park Slope & saw the people & got a feel for the place, the more Dale knew it was right. As it turned out, the space at the corner of 7th ave & 11th street was the first one they looked at. Though they initially passed on it, the shitty housing market eventually helped get them into the space. Yeah, economy.

Compared to the majority of Park Slope restaurants, it's quite ginormous.

Photo via Park Slope Lens

A main bar will occupy the front area & the rest of the restaurant will be filled with tables that stretch all the way to the back, where there will be more bar seating adjacent to the kitchen. While it's still far from being set up, there were countless decorative elements laying around the place, all of them reflective of one Asian culture or another.

Dale plans to bring that eclectic Asian style to the food. As a first-generation Filipino, he believes that while there are countless Italian-American restaurants, there are not enough places (especially in Park Slope) that reflect the space occupied by both Asian & American cuisine. It's kind of true, Park Slopers. While there are countless sushi & Thai & Chinese joints scattered about the neighborhood, on a base level they're all pretty much interchangeable. Where's our f'n Momofuku, Chang? Where's our Bauhaus, Huang? Eh?

While the first thing that's going to get me there is the Korean Fried Chicken, the second thing that will get me there is the Pad Thai with Bacon & Crispy Fried Oysters, a dish that Dale basically described as a tastier twist on a great hangover food. Overall, the impression I got of the menu was one of comfort food. David took it one step further by saying that "comfortable" was more fitting...not too casual but not too intimidating.

David / Photo via Park Slope Lens

They hope it'll be the kind of place where you can chill by yourself at the front bar with a drink & a plate of noodles & watch the game, the kind of place where you can grab a seat near the kitchen & watch Dale work his magic, the kind of place where you can bring thirty people & rent out the back area & MOW DOWN BROWN COW.

As for the name "Talde," it's one that Dale continues to struggle with—"I have to tell my girlfriend that 'I’m going to ME.'" Still, he sees the name as a tribute to his mom & dad and the place is sort of supposed to reflect his experiences, so "Talde" works. Plus, he couldn't come up with anything better. The way I see it, two seasons of Top Chef have created a brand around him. As long as the food & atmosphere back that brand up, dude's in business.

Are you so excited about Talde coming to the neighborhood?  So are we!  Be on the look-out for a special promotion from Talde, exclusively for FIPS readers.

Read way more from Shawn at eatdrinksnack.com.