Portland chef Vitaly Paley outcooks Jose Garces on 'Iron Chef America'

By Kristi Turnquist, The Oregonian 

The OregonianChef Vitaly Paley, of Paley's Place restaurant, bested Iron Chef Jose Garces on "Iron Chef America" Sunday night.

These are tasty times for Portland chefs and TV challenges. Not only isNaomi Pomeroy, of Beast, competing on Bravo's "Top Chef Masters," Vitaly Paley, of Paley's Place, scored a win on Food Network's "Iron Chef America" Sunday night. 

Paley was competing against Jose Garces. Both chefs were challenged to create a meal featuring an unglamorous ingredient -- radishes. 

In a press release, Paley says competing on the show "was a dream of mine, and it proved to be one of the most fun, challenging endeavors of my career." 

He also said he had "the dream team with me – Paley’s Place Chef de Cuisine Patrick McKee and Chef Ben Bettinger of Beaker and Flask – and we are thrilled to bring home the win for Portland.” 

Coincidentally, Pomeroy also competed against Garces on "Iron Chef America" in an episode televised in September, but Garces won that battle. 

The food party goes on this week, as Paley will serve his "Iron Chef" menu at his Northwest Portland restaurant, Paley's Place. The menu featured such dishes as a radish quartet appetizer, radish greens and ricotta gnocchi, served with glazed French breakfast radishes, Oregon Dungeness crab, parmesan and preserved lemon, daikon radish and turnips cooked sous vide with bacon and chanterelle mushrooms, and pork tenderloin with horseradish.

And yes, there's a radish dessert, a watermelon radish tarte tatin with Granny Smith apples, a watermelon radish caramel sauce and radish greens and mint syrup.

The "Iron Chef" menu is served this week and selected dishes will be featured throughout the month. 

Paley’s Place is located at 1204 NW 21st Ave.