C_Ruark

Just a minor critique... can the Chefs and Bravo take a couple steps off the "We LOVE you Rick Bayless" bandwagon?!?! This Bayless love-fest is really starting to irk me... (this from someone whose copy of Mexican Kitchen is very dog-eared and gnarled up.) BTW, I think I'll start cooking up burgers using Chiarello's method. What an off-beat idea... but I am packing the middle with Roquefort. Burgers without bleu cheese are just plain naked.

Now THAT, Sir, would make for a good spin-off show to watch (unlike FN's cheesey 'challenge' shows). I'd love to see the likes of Charlie T, Susan Wallace (a magnificent P-chef here in DC) and Elizabeth F go head to head.

Well as long as you apply the floor / ceiling method as consistently as you can. (not that the original data was treated the same way... ) Migrating back to topic - summing up two episodes of viewing: /Ep 6/ I would be interested in Johnathan W's plate the most. I like Art's sensibilities as far as offering the diner a "complete" plate (for lack of better def). No faulting the technique, there. /Ep 7/ Wow did Anita put up a gorgeous plate. Not going to discuss the Scottish egg dish (nice idea though). Hubert played it a little too close to his roots when doing a rework of Anita's. I guess

Ok... so doing the maths: You would need to show three sig' digits for precision when reporting computed 'Elimination' score else correct the rounding errors. All scores of N.37 were rounded the wrong way.

Yup... color me daft. Thanks.

Another one to review... A Day at El Bulli - for obvious reasons. Has anyone bought it? How is it?

Just got the copy this week... without cooking any of the challenging recipes yet, I'll give the book 4.5/5 stars. A few thoughts... 1.) At 704 pages the cookbook is a BRICK, a lot like LaRouse but the typeset is very nice and clean to read. There are color photos and the food in them hasn't been over-stylized. Most recipes are presented as not requiring a long list of exotic ingredients and the explaination of method is concise and clear. 2.) Throughout the book, there is some nice, not-to-fluffy commentary on each of the Greek regions, the eating lifestyles, and how recipes and menus change

Yeah, I agree; it doesn't test any relevant skill. ← Aww... you just made Ferdinand Point (RIP) weep.

Result = Fail. Let's hope the winner knows not to name a restaurant something like "Gorbles".

Could the whole malfunction/less-than-superior equipment issue be one of those show "elements"? If I wanted to put the screws to a group of chefs trying to play king-of-the-hill, surely a simple tweak of the fridge and freezer temp controls seems like a very low-tech and effective (albeit cruel) way to go.

Give the producers a little credit. Rocco as judge was a brilliant move.

My G/F and I just got back from a trip to Seattle and Portland. One of our fave's was the Pomegranate Bistro in Redmond. Very, very tasty meals and the service was excellent.

Just a quick note to say thanks to Portland folks who posted recommendations. My girlfriend and I came out to the city for a wedding and used this thread to get dining ideas. We ended up selecting Veritable Quandary for brunch, and all I can say is "Wow". Great food. Smart staff. And brunch eats were very satisfying.

You can still watch Adam's concept. I believe FN will be airing it this season... just watch Ask Aida.

IMHO, maybe develop a really good French Onion Soup? I think you'll find there a ton of ways to make it and all will taste pretty good as long as the onions are deeply caramelized (but not burnt). I can't give a recipe but how about the notes from my journal? I. ) One of the tricks I use is how I make the bouquet garni. I follow my instructors method for this: 2 x leaf sheaths of Leek which are wrapped around... 1 x carrot sliced into long julienne 1 x celery stalk sliced as same 2 x springs of Rosemary 1 x bay leaf Secure the lot with some cooking twine and drop into the broth. Other B.G's