BuzzDraft
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Posts posted by BuzzDraft
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According to Harold McGee, people start losing their taste in their forties...
He must have been talking about our fashion sense and comb-over hairstyle.
That's why we over-40's can't go to the pool anymore. That, and the fear of getting harpooned.
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Mais non, cynical buzzdraft. The producers made it clear from the outset our decision was ours to make alone.
MAN! Could I have been MORE WRONG? My apologies for being cynical and thinking I know something. Just my luck, I make a public ass of myself and my gaffe not only gets noticed, but replied to by Chef Ruhlman.
So, can I have the "86 Pan" Katsuji tossed loudly onto the stove?
Don't know if it's only the editing, but Sara really emerged, Kentucky Katie seems now to be all tough talk yet has been called on the 86 carpet more than her share (how many lives does this cat have?), and Autumn admitted her heart isn't in this competition anymore. Those "Senior palates need more salt" and "They can keep their rats, I'm going back to the sunshine and pretty girls" cracks were typical rationalizing of the insecurity of so many LA people I've known.
It was interesting to see the real line cooks performing last night. This is a pretty good show, just like Chef Ruhlman promised early on.
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It's very clear to me that the finalists have been wired since the third or fourth episode..
Katie and Katsuji.
Katie has survived blatently and purposely ignoring the local guest chef's ingredients in one show, and just now the "Mortal sin" as Ming himself said of only serving two dishes when three was the clear minimum requirement, and Katsuji's attitude has put him in jeopardy several times, too. Both have violated the basic rules for their competition, yet they have been spared by the judges. Why?
Their strong personalities make it compelling TV so, guaranteed, the producers knew early who they want to be the final two. The judges realize who they've wanted to go head to head since early on, and have granted obvious "indulgences" to make it so. It's not about who the best cook is, it's about what brings the best ratings for the TV show. A TV show is about nothing more than entertainment. Even on the "hallowed" PBS.
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I loved Wendy - every time he'd point out something wrong, she didn't just say, "Yes, Chef, Sorry Chef" and fix it - she'd want to argue and discuss WHY she made the mistake.
Too funny
Her answer to Ramsay as to why she added cold water to the pot when it wasn't coming to a boil fast enough:
"I thought cold water boiled faster than hot water".
WTF???Where in the hell would she have picked up that little nugget of weird science, and worse, actually believe it? Hopefully not from any school...
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but it was real cooking and i was there to do all i could to make them succeed to their best abilities so that they could be judged on what was their best, not on some phony reality scenario.
Michael... I have a question... do you go so far as to make suggestions of ingredients or technique, such as telling Yannick to infuse the cream slowly while the food processor was running, rather than dumping it all together the moment he was doing it? I noted this suggestion was made after the fact during the judging.
How far can you go with helping out during the cooking? Do you just answer questions that are raised first or are you more proactive than that in correcting what you see as mistakes?
Thanks, Chef/Author Ruhlman, I really like the show and all players in it. Yes, even Ming
P.S. When is the 86 pan going to be marketed?
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Also, she may come off bitchy and I told her myself that she came off as having an attitude on the show,( my personal favorite line having to do with people messing with her mise en place and her response " I m from NY and I ll F**** Kill you")
Wow, your girl Kentucky Katie sure dodged a bullet last night. Her terrine looked like it was sludge and for some ungodly reason refused to use a single local ingredient, after the guest chef was brought in to describe them and even made suggestions. This competition is about listening and following instructions to the letter. By ignoring what was said Katie was begging to be cut from the show. I was totally surprised at her decision making.
Her only saving grace is that the Frenchman Yannick was such a mess. He acted like he's never even heard of terrine before. Um, isn't that a french word? After seeing him rely on the food processor to puree everything together, it looked like the old Bass-o-matic routine. I felt like I could taste the mealy result through my screen during the judging.
Anyway, I think we're seeing the show coming into its own. The first episodes have to set up the characters, and now there are six down, and five to go.
I like the show, and look forward to it every Wednesday night.
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I kept calling him "Mayberry" in my head.
Funny. I keep calling him "Dingleberry".
After re-watching, I can see I'm going to be cheering Ramsay on whenever he skewers this group. I'd feel sympathy for the two home cooks, but then I remind myself of Tom Hanks, paraphrased:
"THERES' NO CRYING IN KITCHENS!"
edited for a typo
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Geez, it looks like those grill marks were burned on using a cheap Radio Shack soldering iron!
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Anyone want to wager a guess as to what Rocco's reaction would have been to the enhanced women coming up to the pass-through? I'm guessing he would have run out of the kitchen, gone to their tables and rubbed their shoulders.
Ramsey told them to F*ck Off.
A nice change of pace.
And he was right in doing it!... at least in theory, though I probably wouldn't yell at an actual paying guest like that
. Maitre d's are there for a reason. - CSR
Actually, he called for the Maitre D' to "Escort these two women back to their plastic surgeon", or something like that.
At that point, I think I "Got it" - and that was the funniest moment of the show to me. The two knew what they were going to get when they went back for seconds, they just wanted some time on camera. As a matter of fact, all the contestants knew going in that they're going to be abused, but what did they expect in their quest for the big prize? They couldn't expect an easy time of it.I think what we saw last night was the series' "Stinger", where they're introducing the characters and setting the stage for the personalities. Naturally, it was over the top to establish that Ramsay is the screaming maniac chef. I noted that he seemed to have a sliding scale of abuse in direct proportion to the expectations of each contestant based on their background - he let up on the two home cooks (dare I say he showed a more gentle side to them?) and dropped the hammer on the self-proclaimed Executive Chef and others who more would be expected of. I think we'll see more training scenes in the future, and once in a while maybe even the softer side of Ramsay, which likely is still pretty rough.
Try turkey tacos, BTW. I love them - I first made them while trying to figure out what to do with leftovers from a 24 pound roast turkey.
I'd love to eat at one of Ramsay's restaurants, too, so long as he isn't serving up the bodies of the kitchen staff he's slaughtering in the kitchen...
... unless it was seasoned to my liking.
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No one in their right mind would open a restaurant with cooks who had been there for only 2 hours.
I certainly understand that, but then he's getting a million or so for the theatrics. Insulting the women at the counter didn't cost him much.
Is this realistically what it's like working with a "Genius" (aka famous) chef, though?
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Wow! Gordon Ramsay is a piece of work!
I joined this community because I wanted to get some insight into what the running of a professional kitchen entailed. I was disappointed with the series "The Restaurant", but as a result I was introduced to chefs such as Bourdain, Keller, and the talented people in this community who don't happen to have tv shows.
I had some exposure to a working kitchen in my brother-in-law's restaurant, filling in for the salad station person who didn't show up the night I arrived to take my sister out to diner sonmewhere else. I ended up making about 720 dinner salads and plating the creme de caramel for the night. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, because I knew I was walking away after my one night's "adventure". But I'm an engineer in real life, and cooking is an important hobby of mine but I'm uninformed and still seeking insight into what goes on in a top-flight kitchen.
Gordon Ramsey established himself immediately as a bully on this show, only because the people in the show are intimidate-able and allowed him to be a bully because they seemed to have a lot riding on their success in this context. I find it entertaining because if I were there, I wouldn't have as much riding on the outcome. I'd work as hard as I could, but my life wouldn't depend on chef's approval. So, I like to think I would be able to function under his pressure. I actually see through the swearing and showmanship for the cameras, and admire his perfectionism and obvious passion. Under all the bluster, I find I like the guy and want someone like him cooking my meal when I'm sitting in front of house.
So, I ask the experienced and experts here, how does this show compare to life in a real kitchen in a good-quality restaurant?
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I have no idea why Trotter is so famous. I'm open to being enlightened.
Well, he was the guest chef in the front row on Emeril Live tonight. That got him some exposure and name recognition with the large number of average restaurant customers in the U.S. who watch food shows to learn some new things beyond what they've experienced.
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I read this thread this morning, before I went out to mow the lawn for the first time this yardwork season. While coaxing the mower through the tall weeds, and dizzy from the clouds of pollen the mower was raising, my mind wandered to the philosophy to be learned in this thread, and I was reminded of this famous quote:
"I am not a vegetarian because I love animals;
I am a vegetarian because I hate plants. "
A. Whitney Brown
I guess I hate ducks after all. And, is a vegetarian being hypocritical when he mows his lawn, and inhumane if the blade is dull? Is the Chik-Fil-A cow being unethical by encouraging us to "Eat Mor Chickin" and spare his own hide?
I profess to love animals, and all that, but I also have a refrigerator full of chicken breasts and cuts of beef. I conveniently choose not to think about how they once frolicked in the fields, how they met their demise, and were delivered to me in neat, sanitized packaging, and layed out in appetizing arrangements. Thanks to our friendly market purveyors and retailers, I don't have to. If I had the gumption or the stomach to plant, raise, cultivate, catch, harvest, slaughter, and butcher my own food, that would be one thing. But, my humble opinion is we are all hypocrites to varying extents when it comes to the things we eat... crossing the line to me is when we are saying one thing yet doing another.
Including all you plant-haters!
BTW, I'm not a foie gras fan, but I certainly respect it, even though I apparently hate ducks. And next time I mow, I'm definitely wearing a dust mask.
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On the rush hour trip home to Roswell from the ATL airport on the tail end of a grueling business trip to Santa Barbara, "Two chili-steaks all the way" with the world's best onion rings, and an FO, from the original Varsity Drive-In next to the Georgia Tech campus, complete with car hops. My health floated out the window over the window tray as the aroma wafted in, but the deliciousness comes from the experience and memories it brings back.
Sorry, I couldn't think of any french words to make everyday food sound fancy like so many other stories on this thread... often speaking "Amurican" says it so much better!
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"Les Halles Passe"?
I'm only a beginner...
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From AllAccess.com - a radio industry website:
I like the fact that he was known nationally as a star on a TV show, not as a chef.
Really? From what I saw he was more the "Villain" than the "Star" of that series.
I got all 12 episodes on dvd, only because dvd blanks are less than a buck.
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I'm just some guy in Cleveland tryin' to make a living.
If thats true, how 'bout coming down to Cleveland Browns Stadium this Sunday for a lesson in grill cooking and libations? Mostly libations. Because there isn't a lot of football going on there right now. Who gives the lessons can be decided at the time. I'll send you the links to find the "tailgate", which is a vast understatement. My pals have won the Jack Daniels award for the best tailgate party... again.
I'll be there after attending a wake for my Grandma who passed at 93 this week, so my outlook on life may be more philosophical than a simple football game. I'm sure to offer more than one toast in her memory.
My Grandma was living proof that her "Bacon diet" is more healthful than vegetarianism.
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Hey y'all when I went to the link for the magazine at the top of this thread my virus detector sent up a balloon!
Me too. The page tried to execute "Download.Ject" and my system quarantined it. It could just be adware, but never trust code being downloaded from the 'net and self-executing.
I'd like to see the critic list, too.
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Court papers filed by China Grill allege that on March 16 DiSpirito grabbed Rocco's chef, Ed Rosenthal, and threatened him, saying, "I'm going to ... kill you. You are a dead man."
Hey! Chodorow did finally manage to find another chef that didn't require him to change the "R" logo. Good on him!
This must have been the "Shoving match" I read about a couple months ago. I hope Ed gets all the profits from the book DiSpirito was having his picture taken for.
Edit: You beat me to the punch line, Ingrid. Good on YOU!
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Chodorow: Buy me out, we go to litigation, or take a couple hundred thousand to go away.
I hoped Dispirito would sell out like he does on Home Shopping Network. Since I know of the court cases a couple months ago, Dispirito took the litigation route. As bad a person as Chodorow may have been, I hope he cleans Rocco's clock. And this Mama love affair I don't get at all. She comes across to me as the Wicked Witch.
And so ends the video side of it. No matter how awful this play was, I have to find out how the plot ends by reading blurbs on the net from NY courts?
Thanks all for a very interesting thread over the past year. It sure as hell has been more interesting to discuss here than watch on NBC.
your pal,
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Tonight at 8 EDT is the final episode of this series, probably for good. NBC's site teases that Dispirito considers a buyout offer from Chodrow. I wish he'd take it, but then I know what has gone on in court since the last filming wrapped.
I'd like to have a look at his cookbook, but I find him so repulsive I don't want to give him an extra dime in royalties.
Will we miss it?
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Did some searching for why it isn't on tonight, found this...
The Restaurant Temporarily Cancelled
In a press release NBC has announced that The Restaurant has been cancelled; temporarily. The show will rejoin the network's schedule on Wednesday, June 9th at 9e/p. NBC is planning to rerun the three second season episodes that have already aired and then run the final two episodes.The last aired show, Episode 3, was very unsatisfying. It didn't move the story forward at all. Worse, the closing poignant scene of Rocco looking through the window at his mama is setting the stage for the hero (whoever it is) to rise from rock bottom and be triumphantly restored.
I've come to the disappointing conclusion that there will never be an "Ending" to this melodrama. I'm not blind to the REAL Reality that's not on the five month network time delay, that being the lawsuit that hasn't been settled. That pretty much guarantees there will be no closure on the TV show. The series will end with a "To be continued..." teaser, yet it won't be continued. All the threads will be left hanging.
And I never did get to see the kitchen in action and get the feel for how a real restaurant kitchen functions. I'd be better off if a chef installs a live webcam in their kitchen. Any takers?
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In reviewing last night, I am still satiated that the intern got collectively butt-kicked. The glasses in ice was too hazardous for words. Captain Douchebag, indeed! He'd have gotten an old-fashioned ass whupping anywhere else.
Do you suppose the snot-nosed intern was involved in the "Shoving incident" referred to in the press (musta been off camera)? As badly as Dispirito is coming off on this series, kicking the arse of that kid would be very rehabilitative to his image in my book.
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WELCOME...Cool commentary...but do you feel really like a lowest common denominator...???
Depends on the topic:
Engineer? I'm the BEST!
Foodie? Average now, but very keen to learn here every day.
Dancer? Spaz.
Snappy dresser? Errr, needs a lot of help from Carson. Stripes and plaids looks ok to me. Even on the same garment.
But as a TV VIEWER (the area in question)? Defintely LCD. Let me put it this way. I believe Curley Howard was the greatest actor of the 20th Century.
There's no malice in my post by accepting it. Don't mistake me for having an ego - especially in contrast to those scamps on The Restaurant. I'm just a schlub really. My secret is that I'm actually the greatest guy walking the planet. Telling myself I'm LCD keeps me humble... -ish.
Thanks for the warm welcome. I respect what all of you "bring to the table". 18 more posts and I get an avatar! WooHoo!
COOKING UNDER FIRE from PBS: April 27 premiere
in Food Media & Arts
Posted · Edited by BuzzDraft (log)
Well, it was a long time coming.
English got to make the choice for his own restaurant, but I was still somewhat surprised that Kentucky Katie never was held accountable for her chronic lateness, and breaking some clear instructions/rules. If I'm in the restaurant, and my dishes are coming out cosistently late, or incomplete, the food that did make it to my table would have to more than make up for my irritation.
Anyway, it was a good series. I may watch it over again from the start and see if it feels different the second time.
Thanks Chefs Tsai, Ruhlman, and English.
I still want the 86 pan Katsuji flung on the cooktop when he left.