Red Mesa teams tops Il Ritorno in revival of St. Pete's 'Midnight Chef Fight' series [PHOTOS]

Last Monday, almost 50 hungry diners gathered at downtown St. Petersburg’s Il Ritorno (stylized “IL Ritorno”) for a weekday service that was a bit different from its regular pasta dishes and daily Italian fare.

The restaurant at 449 Central Ave. N brought back a refurbished version of its beloved “Midnight Chef Fight” series this summer, where owner and Executive Chef David Benstock and another local chef go head to head in a friendly and interactive culinary competition. Each chef puts together a four-course meal that incorporates three specific ingredients, and the dining room rates each appetizer, entree and dessert in order to declare that night’s winner.

Three ingredients were featured at Monday night’s dinner: coconut, duck and blue masa. Chef Benstock and the Il Ritorno team started things out with a scallop tartare with coconut, kaffir lime oil, crispy ginger and toasted garlic, while Chef Chris Fernandez of Red Mesa featured a coconut ceviche loaded with citrus-marinated grouper and shrimp, jicama, carrots, pickled chiles güeros, basil and blue corn chips.

Before each course, the executive chefs introduced their dishes to the dining room, reminding attendees that they were indeed the judges of the competition.

With both the Il Ritorno and Red Mesa teams taking turns pumping their dishes out of the restaurant’s open kitchen, Chef Fernandez started gaining a slight lead over Benstock with his classic Mexican flavors, which included a duck carnitas taco and a coconut-marinated duck breast with coconut mole and a tamale. Throughout the night, Benstock showcased his prized plating skills and remained in complete control of the pass, taking a “less is more” approach to the competition with picture-perfect plates stacked with subtle Asian influences and straightforward flavors.

After the final course was presented to the dining room—a layered coconut and passion fruit panna cotta with chocolate and Thai basil from the Il Ritorno team, and a coconut sorbet inside of a chocolate coconut shell from the Red Mesa folks—Chef Fernandez racked up the most points and secured the win.

Chef Benstock’s wife and Il Ritorno co-owner Erica tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that they revived the after-hours “Midnight Chef Fight” series this summer to help “bring the local culinary community together.” But this time around, the friendly competitions aren’t wrapping up in the wee hours of the morning.

Il Ritorno’s “Chef’s Fight” series continues throughout the summer and fall, with tickets for next month’s event with Cena’s Michael Buttacavoli on sale now for $220 per person; tickets have been selling out within a day. Two more of these friendly culinary competitions are scheduled for September and October, too.