bpearis

So instead they just made it all bullshit.

If that is the reason for the curious reactions, it is unfortunate, because it really took away from any genuine tension IMHO. I think Chris was joking. You were joking, right? Right? Cause if not, that's the most horrible thing I've ever heard.

I think this comes more from the editing than anything else. If this show moves forward, they need to give more time to the tasting and show more of peoples comments and less trying to snip them down to a two second soundbite. Of course, having judges who sound intelligent about food will help this.

tommy, you're right. i'd say half of alton's commentary was done in post. you can just tell by the way it sounds. iron chef japan seemed like it was made like a sporting event -- edited on the fly. this iron chef is edited like a reality series, after the fact, creating drama where it doesn't exist with narration to fill in the gaps. personally, i thought j. peterman was among the best so far. he obviously likes food and is at least somewhat eloquent. the o.c. chick (and i LOVE the o.c.) started every comment with "wow, i've never had INGREDIENT before..."

Maybe I'm just getting used to the ICA format, but episode 2 (batali vs. morimoto) already seems better. more interaction between alton and the floor guy (who still seems clueless).

Alton is great -- funny, smart, knows what he's talking about -- but to do it all himself, there's just no dynamic. It's hard for anyone to just talk and talk and talk and make it interesting. You need someone to bounce off of, a color guy. Or have Alton be the color guy. It was just a bad decision and one I can't believe they made. And the floor guy just seemed like someone off of E!'s red carpet team. Clueless. I thought the panelists were fine, actually, especially compared to the ones on the USA version. No one refused to try anything or made an "icky" face. This show is serious about the food, the way it should be, but there was no electricity, excitement. If this turns into a regular series, I'm sure these issues will be addressed and fine-tuned. Do we need three threads on this, though? Moderator merge power.... activate!

in the making-of they showed one of the producers going shopping and one of the ingredients on the list was lotus root. they showed the guy buying a package of pre-sliced lotus root... what they can't find a whole one?

i like brian unger (an original daily show correspondent) and the way the show was edited it seemed as if sakai was a lock. maybe that was the problem, the editing. that said, we've got steingarten coming up as a judge. then again, some vapid Access Hollywood woman too. i'm still looking forward to the batali/morimoto battle.

forcing alton to do both play-by-play and color was a big mistake. (and half his commentary was obviously done in post.) plus no live audience. there was no energy to the show. it's still better than the abomination that was the USA Networks version. plus, am i the only one who thought sakai had it sown up?

Alton Brown is the sole commentator? No color guy? Who's idea was this? looks like patricia yeo is bobby flay's assistant...

I haven't had crispy pork intestines (Chinese chit'lins) in a long time. How are the goose intestines made? Perhaps with black bean sauce or sour cabbage? it's a cold (maybe warm, it's been a couple years) dish with bean sprouts. much like jellyfish, you'd think they were noodles unless told otherwise. it's a pretty light dish, vinegary. no one will think the crispy pork intestines are noodles, however.

The marinated goose intestines at Funky Broome are actually pretty good. But I can't say the same for their crispy pork intestines which had a distinct barnyard flavor if you know what I mean.

The Daily News' Pascale Le Draoulec spanks Jacques-Imo's with a half-star review. (The website's rating says star and a half but the print edition is definitely half a star.)

And it was leverage that saved her.

Don't know if this link has been given before but Slice is a compendium of information on New York Pizza. Some nice pictures on the Totonno's page.

Totonno's keeps kooky hours and they close whenever they run out of sauce. It would be best to call ahead. You'll have no trouble getting tables -- it's all locals except on days like the Mermaid Parade or July 4 (even then most people don't know about it). Go easy on the toppings as they tend to make the center soggy. But the plain cheese pie is my favorite in the city. Plenty of char, they err on the side of burnt but never in an inedible way.

Is Michael Anthony still part of Blue Hill? He's not mentioned on the soft opening invite I received, nor is his name on either website. Sorry if this has been discussed and answered before.

I can confirm NY Noodletown has them and they are good. Tonight's specimens were the biggest I've had there and very tasty. I must say I always wish they'd serve them with lemon or lime wedges but that chili sauce is pretty good.

Adam Platt reviews Masa in the April 26 issue of New York Magazine.

Have they hit Noodletown yet? They're not the best I've ever had (that would be at Nobu) but they're consistently very good there and reasonably-priced.

Sam Sifton's Diner's Journal weighs in on Megu and its $25 edamame.

I got one too, but I'm not sure how as I've only eaten at the restaurant once. I think I signed up for their mailing list on the website. Maybe that's it.

Moira Hodgson reviews Megu in this week's Observer. She makes it sound pretty awesome. Some quotes:

Hesser is interviewed in today's Gothamist. Key word being TODAY. Here's a quote:

Why? What are they pictures of? There are these surrealist paintings of a brothel (I think that's what it is) with grotesque ogre-like Johns and tiny women. They're funny but unsettling. But cool. I just remember thinking "that's a very odd print to have in a bathroom." All part of the charm of the place I guess.