365 replies to this topic

[Kat Tanaka Okopnik]

Whether it's a villain edit or actually a difference in attitude, the first two to go this season seem to share a "my food don't stink!" attitude that clouds their perceptions to the point where they're sabotaging themselves. (Tre, watch out!) That stew room scene where Jen talks about cooking to please the judges, and no one else? After having witnessed the Quickfire judging going entirely to the vote of children? Hello, message to Jen...maybe that's not a winning strategy. (Easy to snark from here, but I suspect it's hard to shift gears under that much stress.)

Looked like a fascinating division in approaches to food, by team selection. I don't know all 17 cheftestants' styles well, but it seemed to break down into the classicists and the innovators. Too simplistic? More-or-less right? (I note that this is probably flawed, as Fabio strikes me as more on the classic side.) I am fond of TiffanyD., and Carla, and Tre; emotionally, I want them

Team T-rex just imploded, evidently. I imagine if the tables were turned, Marcel and Richard and Angelo (among others) would have been dreaming up wild approaches to all-animal breakfast. Bacon strata, using ham or bacon? Eggs in a ham-cup, with a bacon garnish? Chawan-mushi with an all-meat base? Paper-thin omelettes used like crepes?

And what say you, eGulleteers - would you have gone for the flashlight stroll, or tried to make the most of 45 minutes of sleep? Me, I would have gone romping, because 45 minutes is basically just long enough to get grouchy.

[IndyRob]

Oh, I think I would have definitely been on the stroll. It could lead to ideas that might get me hyped. Hyped would be better than semi-rested.

I think the carnivore menu was tougher than originally thought. I don't buy into Tiffany's reaction that she thought she could use anything, but no pantry items? That's a severe limitation.

In retrospect I can think of some killer options (egg omelettes/crepes is a good one, KTO), but could I think of these upon entering the coolers? Maybe not so much.

My favorite bit about this episode was seeing Marcel, Richard and Angelo work together (even if there was some minor quibbling in the commentary).

[gfweb]

Here's a Philly Newspaper interview with Jen Carroll. I like the way she put it. I think I said the same thing myself LOL

http://www.philly.co...n_Top_Chef.html

[IndyRob]

“I don’t think it was an award-winning dish but all right for Top Chef. But maybe not.”

Well, there we have it.

[gfweb]

LOL.

But with those particular conditions who would make an award winning dish? Limited supplies, no vegetable matter allowed, little time to conceive.

[Kat Tanaka Okopnik]

LOL.

But with those particular conditions who would make an award winning dish? Limited supplies, no vegetable matter allowed, little time to conceive.

Is the contention here that the winning team was a foregone conclusion?`No way for Team T-rex to win? I find that hard to believe, but I think it would make a fascinating discussion here.

[gfweb]

No that wasn't the point I was trying to make. My point was that an award winning dish is not coming out of that particular process.

But I do agree with you. And in fact said when what'shername picked meat that it would be very hard indeed to get creative with only protein to play with.

[llc45]

I just wanted to add the fact that some people can handle lack of sleep way better than others. I know that if I was up all night, I don't think that I could punch my way out of a paper bag the next day. Wouldn't have missed the flashlight tour though!

[IndyRob]

I just went back and reviewed the dishes. I don't think either team did very good job of considering their options and working together. I think the problem was time. If they got to think about it overnight, I think it would've been much better.

After thinking for a while about the T-Rex challenges I think that, yes, you are very limited, but having meat, eggs and dairy is huge. The eggs alone can do many things.

I think if I were doing this I'd do...

An omelette or other straight up egg dish

A steak with a hollandaise* and bits of cooked seasoned egg whites

A flourless cheese souffle

Some chicharrones in some form to get some crunch


* No citrus for the hollandaise, but perhaps some acid could come by making butter and using the buttermilk.

[Werdna]

And Jen had a "helper" who took off because of a two-stitch cut. Give me a break; she's the one who should've been sent home...or the fritata sisters.

It really was a bad call, the person who cooked nothing stayed over the person who cooked something poorly. Right, get a cut and pass? Lets see, that 2 stichs per elimination challange if you don't like what you are presented with, and you are allowed to cut yourself.

I saw going to the hospital for a little cut as basically saying 'I give up completly on this challange'. I mean, what other way could you interpret it?

And if the teams had been switched, it would have been more fun. Some shrimp noodles from the M.G.s, some quick-cured meats, so much potential.

[Kat Tanaka Okopnik]

I got the impression that they didn't have the usual assortment of M.G. chemical tricks on hand...?

[Pierogi]

I got the impression that they didn't have the usual assortment of M.G. chemical tricks on hand...?

Right, they wouldn't have. They had to use only what they found in the Museum's kitchen.

[Doodad]

That was ugly and I am hearing some rumors that the tirade that Jen went on was actually after the scene where the departing chef literally packs their knives, but the mic was still hot. And the editors then pasted it onto her departure from the stew room. If true, I say that is pretty low.

[Shelby]

That was quite a meltdown.

It's almost like she was gunning to go home.....

[Tri2Cook]

Well, my chances of picking the winner correctly just got reduced by half.

[hsm]

Scroll to the third video to see/hear the food reasons why "Jenny" would still be there if Chef Ripert was at JT.

[IndyRob]

Scroll to the third video to see/hear the food reasons why "Jenny" would still be there if Chef Ripert was at JT.

He makes a strong argument, but I'm not sure that I agree. Sure, the frittatas had a consistancy problem. Some may have even been inedible. But presumably some (if not most, or even possibly nearly all) were good. There were some scenes with enthusiastic conversations about which of the three varieties were the best.

On the other hand, Casey didn't seem to like the braised bacon before it went out - even without the much criticized eggs. To me, it didn't seem to work on any level.

I'm very glad that neither Ripert or Bourdain were judges for that one. Too many connections there.

[Dignan]

Having watched it again, her testimony that it was basically "perfect" borders on the irrational. There are too many variables between chef and diner in this context to be unable to acknowledge there might be a problem.

[Septemberdog61]

Was there a new episode last night? My dvr did not record Top Chef last night.

[Dignan]

Yes, there was.

[Septemberdog61]

Bummer. Thank you. I will catch a re-run.

[bolero]

I thought that that was one of the best episodes in recent memory at least in terms of the challenges.

[Chris Hennes]

I agree, I enjoyed this episode a lot. I'm sorry Dale went home, I liked having him around and would have preferred Fabio's elimination, but it seemed fair. And obviously Mr. Sommelier was not long for this competition (and seemed to know it upon defeat).

[IndyRob]

In his blog, Tom Collichio has clarified that the undercooked frittatas were not raw. They were safe to eat, but undercooked.

On to this week, I just noticed that Rick Moonen is doing videos each week recreating the winning recipe. Dale's simply presented dish turns out to be suprisingly complex.

[hsm]

Rick Moonen is doing videos each week recreating the winning recipe

I believe that used to be Fabio's job.

[oakapple]

It really was a bad call, the person who cooked nothing stayed over the person who cooked something poorly. Right, get a cut and pass? Lets see, that 2 stichs per elimination challange if you don't like what you are presented with, and you are allowed to cut yourself.

I saw going to the hospital for a little cut as basically saying 'I give up completly on this challange'. I mean, what other way could you interpret it?

The judges made the correct decision. The show has an on-site medic, who has a role (not seen on camera) in deciding whether a cheftestant is fit to compete. The producers have liability issues to worry about. Although it turned out that she required only two stitches, it may at first have appeared to be more serious. Injuries are like that sometimes. I did not get the sense that she deliberately bailed out on the challenge.

If, as I suspect, the show's own medical staff determined that she needed to go to the E.R., it would have been perverse to send her home for that. It could also set a bad precedent — e.g., someone who really does need to go to the hospital, but insists on staying, because they don't want to lose that way.

So they sent home the chef who actually made bad food, rather than sending home Jamie, who (for reasons not within her control) wasn't able to make anything.

[Kat Tanaka Okopnik]

Was it the medic's decision to take Jamie out? I doubt it; Fabio competed in the final with a broken finger!

I think the medic erred on the side of overcautious (liability issues!) and told Jamie that if she wanted, that was likely to need stitches.

Staying or going has to be the decision of the competitor. On the other hand, the producers are not interested in creating a situation where future competitors feel they need to forego medical care in order to stay, because this creates a dangerous precedent.

Jamie's lost herself a bunch of cred with her peers. Whether it's prudent or not, it's a part of kitchen culture to Get The Food Out No Matter What, and she opted against that. (Then again, I'm a big proponent of crazy glue in lieu of stitches.)

[IndyRob]

Tom C said, in her defense, that she had never had to have stitches before. So when they said "You're going to need stitches" she probably just accepted that as meaning "now".

But now I know how I can get to the finals if I can ever get on. As soon as they start the timer, I'll grab a knife and give myself a whack. By the end I'll be bandaged up like a mummy, but I can challenge for the title with my fried bologna sandwich.

Edited by IndyRob, 18 December 2010 - 06:33 AM.

[David Ross]

Having watched it again, her testimony that it was basically "perfect" borders on the irrational. There are too many variables between chef and diner in this context to be unable to acknowledge there might be a problem.

I agree--Jen's proclamation that her dish was spot on is seemingly hard to swallow. I mean, how could Collichio's tastes be that far off? In any case, after having watched that episode three times now, I'm glad she took her stinking attitude out the door.

[Chris Hennes]

Was it the medic's decision to take Jamie out? I doubt it; Fabio competed in the final with a broken finger!

Not an apples-to-apples comparison: with a broken finger, all the hospital is going to do is splint it, the same thing as the show's own medic. With stitches, their efficacy is dramatically reduced the longer you wait. When you need stitches, you need them NOW. Plus, with modern stitches and various adhesives, it's hard to say how serious a cut is based on the number of stitches. In my opinion, what we are seeing here is a clear case of the Elves giving the "villain" edit: I strongly doubt Jamie had any real choice about going out to get those stitches. If she did, the producers and their lawyers are sleeping on the job.