Review of Clef PALATE

The clever pun, Clef PALATE, is the work of a New York based, Devo–inspired, jumpsuit wearing musical trio, Red, Kid, and Pappy. They are, respectively, the brains, the heart, and the soul of their collective, the Fandangos. Looking for a way to mix their two main loves, music and food, they stumbled upon this bizarre combination, which they describe on their site as “1 lb. cooking, 2 cans film, and 3 qts. karaoke.” In each installment, they attempt to bring their loves to the masses – and have a good, home cooked meal while they’re at it.

In each episode, the eccentric trio decides to cook some admittedly delicious looking comfort food. None of the choices are all that demanding or original – chicken quesadillas, pigs in bacon blankets, coconut chicken curry are three of the highlights – but what they might lack in creativity they make up for in familiarity with the recipes. Though the episodes

could stand a little bit of editing, as they tend to drag a bit in the middle, they are otherwise well done. Viewers are treated to the collection of the ingredients, the preparation and consumption of the food, and, oddly enough, an episode-capping karaoke performance by one of the trio. The first episode ends with a fantastic rendition of Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I do) I do it for you” in a disco setting. Later, viewers get hits from Bon Jovi, the Bee Gees, and others. After seeing a few, the combination of food and song may even end up looking normal. You can also try the recipes yourself. The directions aren’t listed, but surely you’ve watched the highly stylized depictions of the cooking enough to try it yourself.

This reporter recommends choosing based on cuisine. My own eating habits make the barbequed tofu episode one of my favorites.