Competition Dining: Battle Milk

"Milk was my favorite thing to drink growing up,” Adams said, “You get a kind of terroir, you get the grasses.”

Asheville area. Crippen described her restaurant as being “days old.”

Regardless, Hogue, wearing a cap emblazoned with a hog and the North Carolina flag, brought her confident, calm demeanor and commitment to nouveau ­Southern cuisine to Raleigh.

The true star of the evening, however, was the secret ingredient: Ran­Lewis Dairy milk​. Located in Alamance County’s Eli Whitney community, Ran­Lewis Dairy produces extraordinary milk, featuring a significantly higher butterfat content than the usual store­bought carton. Speaking prior to the first course, owner­ operator Randy Lewis showed a passion for putting flavorful milk on the table.

“No homogenization, no standardization,” Lewis preached before the first course, “This is milk as the good Lord intended it.”

cereal. With chocolate syrup added, it rivals even the most luxurious desserts.

As with all Competition Dining events, the dishes are served and no one knows who made what until after the scores are tabulated. Here's a rundown of each course, reviews and results. In each round and overall, diners (the Joes) and local chefs (the Pros) grade the dish on aroma, presentation, creativity and other factors. All scores are out of a possible 40 points. The score shown is the final weighed score for each dish.

It is always a pleasure to see a perfectly cooked, saucer­-sized scallop. The fried leeks felt like a chewy distraction, but the sweet, mild scallop and the creamy broth, with what seemed liked southeast Asian spices, were balanced by the tangy, Pinot­-plumped cherries.

Not all diners at the table were anchovy fans, but Adams used a milk bath to pull the fishier notes out of course two, making converts of a few. However, it was impossible to detect the secret ingredient in the dish, which used milk more as a tool than as the star.

Course three was not without its faults: the chicken bordered on dry, while the hash only added to the perception that the dish was far too heavy and unbalanced. But the milk gravy had diners thinking back to childhood, and the chunk of smoked tomato butter was a novel addition. And as always, the supremely salty Mangalitsa ham will never not make diners swoon.

The creamy foam in course four was a fun component, but the true star of the dish was the immaculately cooked sweet potato. Impressively tender, yet far from mushy, it would have been a worthy entrant in Competition Dining: Battle Sweet Potato. However, the combination of braised pork, black garlic, and the foamy broth created an oily aroma that had many diners wary when the plates appeared.

“The ricotta utilized the milk so well. It transformed it into something different, but it was also the best delivery of true milk flavor,” Cross said, “You can taste the grass the cows were eating.”

pomegranate seeds for nuts, blood orange sections for cherries. 

Regarding the ricotta, Adams said, “I had done nothing approaching that before.”  The chef said he’s considering adding a similar dish to his menu in the future.

“We thought it would be hectic, but everything was so chill and laid back for the most part. But then it hit the fan. We were sitting pretty with no problems, until all of a sudden we weren’t.”

Measuring out the dough in the kitchen, her team had just enough to make the sugar-­laden doughnuts for all diners. But then a handful fell apart in the deep fryer, meaning some diners never got a sixth course, and some diners received beignets that with overdone exteriors and undercooked centers.

According to Eric Cross, “Dish six missed a huge opportunity. I know there is milk in the beignet, but it could have used the cream better.”  

out soon.

“It’s surreal,” Hogue said as a line of diners formed to have their photo taken with her, “I really wanted this first one bad.” 

Hogue spoke of having a chip on her shoulder, being a relative unknown from Goldsboro, working in Goldsboro, at a restaurant that didn’t exist a year ago.

“I knew people wouldn’t have much of an idea of me,” Hogue said, “I’m an outsider.”

Later, Crippen spoke highly of Adams, calling his dishes “creative” and “gutsy,” especially for his use of anchovies. But Crippen was obviously pleased that the chef he took a chance on delivered in the end. 

“I’m always excited to promote a new restaurant,” Crippen said, “and Chelsi came in and showed she’s got some chops. It’s not easy to bring out flavor in milk. She did it.”

After Tuesday evening, Triangle diners have no excuse to not know Chelsi Hogue and Ed’s Southern.