hsm

I'm still put off a bit by that spoiler. I would like a lot more commenting by the judges about the food - maybe they'll get to that when they have less competitors. Meantime, Bon Appetit Guy is bugging. So maybe it's just Ruhlman's food comments I'd like to hear. Although, come to think of it, we rarely get full comments from the judges on IC. (Well, we sometimes get them commenting on how full they feel.) I'd just as soon have Besh win as he's the guy I'd like regularly appearing on my TV. Symon had a FN show in the way-back, even if he had to share it. Can't tell if that's an advantage or not.

Another vote for Trader Joe's steel cut oatmeal (with a box of TJ's old-fashioned oats on hand for other uses). I've been making them every few days using the 30-minute method with water and a little salt. I will be trying Melissa's method tonight, though. Daily portions get nuked with milk and stirred until creamy (1 minute + 10 seconds, which is about all I'm ready for in the a.m.). Every bowl gets some banana and grade B maple syrup. Except for the occasional substitution of Sriracha. Hey, some mornings are like that. eta: I will try it your way, achevres. Oooh.

Pille, thank you for a wonderful week and happy anniversary to you and Kristjan!

Re: As a reality show: Not as good as the Brit version. Smarter than most 5th graders (no offense, kids). Agreed they need more emphasis on food and less features like the bookie stopping by and the clam-stealing creep losing it moments before service. Having suffered through the faux drama of last season's Top Chef, my fuse is a little short for that kind of food TV. I'll stick around in the hopes Gordon spends more time near the stoves (although not that near, dear.)

Yes, free and useful are good. Having gotten used to the challenging pour of the currently-in-use Gevalia, I use it as a measurement of just how much coffee it will take to get me going on said morning. Doesn't mean I wouldn't appreciate a better-designed model one of these days, but iirc, some former Brauns and Krups created a similar problem. Or maybe that's me? One other kvetch: The thermos, which I like, isn't made for the dishwasher. Should be. And thanks to whomever edited the thread.

I'm heading towards Sara to take it (as opposed to her not taking any prize for winning an elimination challenge). CJ makes bad lobster salad and takes no responsibility. Casey's palate may be ok, but her knife skills are nil and I haven't seen her lead anything but a parade into the hot tub. Spam-Boy doesn't cook. Hung can cook, but can he go from "silly people, none of you understand my food" to Top Chef? Final two could be Dale and Sara. Dale's ok, but he doesn't seem to have shown the growth that Sara has. Otoh, you never know what tricky wabbit those TC editors can pull out of a hat.

Bye, Tre. Too bad and so sad. But this is a competitive reality show, not an audition. Besides, with him gone, think how much easier it will be to eliminate everyone who isn't Hung in the coming weeks. As Tom likes to say, this is Top Chef, so seeing Tre up against the likes of Sara's performance (and her conscience, Hung), showed a fatal flaw. The lack of ability to chop onions or make one damn dish that tasted good will catch up with his teammates soon enough.

So Colicchio couldn't stand the fan heat and got out of the blogging kitchen? Now if only he'd either declare his love for Howie or knock it off, we'd be fine. "It's all about the food." Yes, it should be, in which case, Howie and his Risotto My Way would have been sent packing last night. Perhaps we'll get a double to go next week. Along with unscented candles. And just wtf is so wrong with black tableclothes? Also, if that douchey diner was a member of the 'society' perhaps he should be concerned, sounds like he's starting to taste all those medals they wear.

Wasn't the case in season 2. Tre seems, at least for now, to be combining the good food with less drama, so in the way he reminds me of Harold, he's my guy.Howie and Hung are the season's asshats, clearly they can cook, but as far as winning this "contest," I think they are fatally flawed. Howie's getting more of the bad guy edit (he contributes so much to that!) and Hung is the new Marcel/Stephen, the arrogant ass, not without skills, but without a chance of going all the way. Although he is entertaining, what with his Hung-style responses to criticisms of his food.

More fun (Sorry!) down memory lane. We were, alas, chow funless growing up in a Jewish suburb of Detroit with a transplanted New York father. Sunday dinner meant won ton soup, egg rolls, spare ribs, fried shrimp, shrimp and lobster sauce, fried rice and chicken chow mein (for Mom). Blessedly, we discovered Crispy Chow Fun in the 90s at the late Hi Ricky's and now it's a staple. Maggie, next time you're down in Chinatown, the folks at Phoenix will make them for you (we use them like rice). They have chow fun dishes on the menu, but we order them plain and crispy. They're also sold in the market next door, so I can get my fix at home, as well (they freeze, wrapped tightly). I put some in a non-stick fry pan with a drop of oil and then back away from the noodles! They will crisp up nicely, eventually. I flip them over, back away from the noodles and let them crisp up on the other side (they're doubled over so the inside stays a little soft). Sometimes, I'll just put a little kecap manis over them and

I'll chime in with the love for Fox & Obel's cafe, which is on Illinois, btw. Their soup and salad deal is very reasonable and delicious (they've recently changed the house salad to include fingerling potatoes and manchego cheese). If you head west from work, you'll find Pizano's Pizza on State, between Chestnut and Delaware. Relatives of the Malnati's with the same buttery, cornmeal dusted crust and a tomato sauce that's fresher tasting than the Uno or Due style. And if you haven't found it already, Bijan is on State and Ontario and open til 4 am (kitchen til 3 am) with a late night menu.

Thank you for a fun, entertaining and inspiring week, Mark. The food looked fantastic and it was a treat to see your town. I'm getting my jar of sambal olek some other sambal company soon. Best wishes for you and Mara.

Thanks for triggering the memory of laughing with my brothers about ordering poo-poo. Kid humor did not, however, interfere with grubby paws grabbing for the goodies: egg rolls, fried shrimp, beef on a stick (who knew what satay was - and no, there was no peanut sauce) and spare ribs are what I remember. We weren't in a Polynesian or pretend-Polynesian restaurant, just our normal Detroit suburban (filled with transplanted Jewish New Yorkers) Chinese-American joint in a small strip of stores along a street with a lot of other stores and restaurants (Chinese and deli). It did come served in a wooden bowl with several compartments. Some of which didn't quite contain the appetizers, which always made it seem like MORE. What? We were nine.

Sorry there's no camera around at the moment, but lunch sounds very similar to Chufi's, if not as prettily plated. My sauce also included soy and fish sauces, bit of hoisen, mirin, hot chili oil, garlic chili paste and some fresh Thai basil. (Now you can picture the inside door of my fridge. ) Looking forward to seeing more ideas. So far, so delicious.

Good. I was hoping that Amy and her husband chose to keep he and their kids (mostly) out of the famewhore spotlight. Another thought - the kids don't need to see her lose, if that were to be the case, and if she won, do they really need to be embraced by Uncle Emeril, Cousin Tush and the big balloons?

What with all the Paul/Jag awareness, I had to read this a few times before I got your point.As much as I think some of these (did I say "some?") reality shows might be heavily influenced by producers and networks, Rory got the shock of her life when Emeril announced Amy's name. I'm also sorry she couldn't have just plastered on the Miss America Runner Up smile. I also noticed that Emeril congratulated Amy when he first came on stage. Unfortunately, he didn't have it together enough to also offer congratulations to Rory (as a finalist) to cover his little faux pas - and it wasn't on the teleprompter. (Yikes, he looked like he was on heavy steroids.)

I'm not Carrot Top but the saying goes that you don't want to see what goes into the making of laws or sausages. I was raised in a Kosher home that had a drawer with paper plates for the Chinese carryout. I don't keep Kosher now, but I have friends and family who do. And they're pretty strict adherents of the laws - otherwise, I think they wonder, why bother? Otoh, none of us would dream of telling anyone else what do to. About this particular subject. edited because sometimes grammar requires caffeine.

The biggest thing they cooked up tonight was the Jag/Tusch & Suzi conference con hugs. What a mess. Kind of like Rory's food. I may vote for Amy, but I doubt I'll tune in at 7 am on Sundays to watch if she wins.

Friends of mine had a Mairritze at Tinto's in Philadelphia last weekend. They loved it so much they'd like to serve it at their daughter's wedding. Herein lies the challenge: Tinto's website lists the ingredients as MAIRRITZE: pisco, muddled mint, orange blossom water, orange. But the menu card in the restaurant read: rum, mint and blood orange juice. It was served in a short glass with lots of ice. Has anyone had a Mairritze? Or have any idea about how to recreate one? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! (I suggested getting the ingredients and playing around, but in the interest of our livers, I thought some guidance would be wise.)

Melissa. Finally.Along with Ramsey's salutation to the Blue Team of Chefs and Sous Chefs, paraphrasing here, "You were beaten by a nanny, a Waffle House cook and a pastry chef."

Buh-bye, Paul, you manic cupcake. Since I'm not planning on watching the 'show' that comes out of this 'contest' I can only enjoy the self-serving train wreck on its own merits (See: Alton Brown's suggestion last week of sending all the contestants home and starting over.) Great amusement can be had, however, from the insistence by Tush and Suzie that the food taste great and not be boring - and that our crazy cooks know A LOT about food. Because somewhere between no more Sara or Molto Mario but plenty of Sandra Lee and Unwrapped (have I missed the inside story of a Snicker's bar?), FN has got to be kidding.

More thanks for everything. It was the next best thing to being there.

Dim sum on Saturday isn't very far away. For my $, Phoenix has the best in Chinatown, which isn't all that far. [You can take the Green Line to the Red Line. Take that south (not in the Howard direction) to Cermak/Chinatown, walk down the steps, head west (it will be obvious which way the restaurants are), take a right at the corner with the parking lot, then a left onto the next street (Archer). Phoenix will be up half a block.]

Ah Leung, Your posts have been deliciously informative and pleasurable, thank you for each and every one. I wish you and your family well and hope to see you able to continue here.

aw, poor Tommy and the other low-hanging fruit perfectly ripe for picking off the show. [eta: Where would they be without them? Oh wait, having a contest among qualified cooks with personalities? That didn't make me nauseous.) Susie Fogelson seems to lack the irony gene or maybe she's been sharing too many cocktails with Sandra Lee. Heh, and if that's the criteria for having your own show on this network, some pink slips are in order! I'm looking at you, SL and don't start with "see how lovely my pink slip tablescape is? *hic*" I know people watch her for the snarky humor of it all, but just no.