The Chowdown! w/ Rathu Chau & James F!@#$%^ Friedman
What is the CHOWDOWN?
We’d die without food or music. Which is why each month, The Chowdown invite one local chef and one local DJ to showcase their talents to a live audience. During the three-hour event, Chowdown guests eat, drink, relax and mingle while the chef prepares and serves up a three-course meal‐all to a perfectly-selected soundtrack provided by the guest DJ.
On Tuesday, May 8, the Chowdown prowls Gotham for a lineup that takes it to the city streets. Episode 10 will see chef Ratha Chau’s own fancied-up renditions of Cambodian street food goes head to head with downtown DJ James F!@#$%^ Friedman’s back-alley New York electro and techno. Will Southeast Asia or South of Houston win this sidewalk brawl? Make a reservation and find out! Seating for the three-course dinner is limited, but if you miss chef Chau’s special curried noodles, don’t worry—we’ll be dancing on the tabletops into the late hours and you’re welcome to drop in after 10pm, when The Chowdown open their doors to the public for free.
Episode 10 - The Chowdown featuring guest chef Ratha Chau from Kampuchea and guest DJ James F!@.$%^ Friedman. May 8th 2007, @ APT
Ratha Chau
After a starring role as manager and wine director at Manhattan’s prominent French restaurant Fleur de Sel, Ratha Chau opened Kampuchea Restaurant in November 2006 to share his own version of South Asian street food. Chau, originally from Cambodia and raised in the United States, has made Kampuchea his personal salute to his heritage. With items such as Cambodian crepes, num pang sandwiches, and specialty noodle soups, Ratha infuses the indigenous flavors of his native country with his own creative, modern touch.
James F!@#$%^ Friedman (Throne Of Blood/Go Commando)
is a true New York personality, and a tireless supporter for all that is fresh and forward thinking in electronic music. In New York, Friedman has hosted a series of influential parties that became known as stateside domiciles for the world’s left-of-center DJ talent, including the long-running Refuse! at APT, which hosted the likes of DJ Kaos, Joakim, Luke Vibert, and Tiefschwarz, as well as 2005’s All Wrong night at the Tribeca Grand, which saw the US debuts of such artists as Annie and Tom Vek. In addition, James has grown into a truly eclectic, technically skilled DJ, playing sounds that run the gamut from punk-funk bass lines to disco, rock, and acid-tinged techno that could strip the polished veneer off APT’s walls.
Missed it? Tune in - The Chowdown is recorded!
Yep, that’s part of the fun: The Chowdown is a DJ dinner party, and it’s also a radio show. During dinner, they record the DJ sets. The following Monday, you can tune in online as a two-hour podcast. Photos of the night will also be posted on the site.
When’s the next Chowdown?
Next month! The Chowdown takes place once a month, but actual dates may vary, so join their mailing list and they’ll keep you updated with plenty of time to mark your calendar.
NEXT UP:
Tuesday, June 12, the Chowdown brings The Rub DJs in house for a dirty South throwdown, complete with a finger lickin’ Southern barbeque. Mark your calendar and bring plenty of wet naps!
I’m interested in cooking or playing at the Chowdown. How do I get on board?
Do you make an amazing deep-dish pizza that would go perfectly with Chicago acid house? The Chowdown are always looking for good folks to get involved. If you or somebody you know is a kick-ass professional chef or DJ, please send the Chowdown an email: joe@thechowdown.com
COLIN!!! you can’t fool me with your slick blurry imagery!
=)
Comment by lahdee — May 9, 2007 @ 8:25 am
We went there yesterday and had the most horrible experience ever in my ten years in New York. We were a party of 5 and were seated at a table at the back of the restaurant. We placed our orders and some of us got our drinks. At that point the waitress comes and asks us to move to the cornermost table so that they could seat someone else on ours. The only way to get to that table was for two of us to get up so others could pass behind us.
Also the table they wanted us to move to was for four people and she said we could squeeze in and sit.
All this for the “expected” future customer with no real customer waiting to get a table.
We told her that we did not want to move to that table and if there were other customers, we would gladly get up to let them into that corner table.
So she went and called the assistant manager, who turned out to be a complete jerk. He said that we could not dictate where we wanted to sit and that we had to follow his orders. At this point, however agitated we were getting, we tried our best to keep our cool. He goes somewhere and comes back and says that since we are not ready to move, the chef has said that he will not cook for us. This is the first time we had heard something so ridiculous. And this was after we had ordered drinks and food which would have totalled more than 200$.
The assistant manager then goes away and in some time the chef comes to our table. The chef Ratha Chau was extremely rude, had an attitude and told us that if we are not ready to move where he wants us to move we should leave the restaurant.
And thats what we do. As we leave, he comes out on the side street and starts fighting and cursing us. He tells us that we created a scene in his restaurant and not to come back. It took a lot of effort to not curse back and be the crude horrible person he was.
I will never go back to the restaurant and urge everyone to do the same.
In living in NYC for ten years and eating in countless restaurants here, this is the first time I have been treated so and have been asked to walk out of the restaurant.
Comment by arZan — January 20, 2008 @ 3:19 pm