David Ross

Fair enough Chris-but I think in the context of what we have seen on Top Chef so far, (and what I take is Chef Colicchio's criticism), is that we've seen more failures than accomplishments with the little toddy cups. This week we saw another poor effort when the pomegranate aperitif failed to elevate the Duck dish presented by Ryan's team. In most cases, the contestants have not taken the time and thought that is necessary to conceive a "wee-teeni" whose flavor compositions work with the main elements of the dish. Those lapses in judgement, along with a lack of "executing" the drink have been the dearth of the Top Chef. Two examples come to mind-one a success, the other an utter failure. The first example, one I think failed, was the wasabi based cocktail Mark presented with his Duck dish in Episode 1. The judges described his dish as pretty much being all over the place with too many elements, including the cocktail. I saw it as a clear example of the cocktail being done primarily for the sake of being trendy with little thought about how the cocktail could support the duck. Maybe it was a case of not being an appropriate accompaniment, maybe it wasn't executed properly or the flavors were off, but it didn't seem to work. Now on the other hand, you are certainly correct that the "wee-drink-on-the-plate" can be a raving success-if it is executed properly-and that is the catch here. The dish that I think is probably one of the standouts of the season to date is the perfect example of how the little drink in the little glass can elevate the main dish to a thing of beauty. Just last week, in episode 4, "Film Food," we saw the team led by Richard, (and his Sous Chefs Dale and Andrew), craft a dish that perfectly fit within the movie they had chosen-"Willie Wonka." Their winning dish of "Smoked Salmon with Faux Caviar and White Chocolate with Wasabi" paired with a cocktail of "Pear and Celery Soda" was a revelation-both in the context of Willie Wonka and in a culinary sense. The judges seemed to respect the cocktail for its clean and understated flavors that accented, yet didn't overpower, the flavor of the smoked salmon. In this instance, the little drink that could, DID.

I haven't been to the Batali places yet, but from what I have heard from people I know that live in Las Vegas and are "in the know" about the restaurant scene-the reviews for B & B at The Venetian have been mixed-mainly uneven service-but the early reviews for Carnevino at The Palazzo have been good. The prices for the steaks at Carnevino are pretty high, so if that is your choice, be prepared to pay big bucks. You might want to consider Wolfgang Puck's "CUT" at The Palazzo. One of my employees had dinner there last week and she said it was the best steak she had ever had. She also said the service was quite exceptional. The reviews I've seen so far give CUT a very high rating. I'll be in town for a week in early May and our party is planning a dinner at CUT.

I've never been a huge fan of this trend by chefs to adorn plates with some sort of itsy-bitsy-teensy-weensy "cocktail." First few times I saw it I thought, "wow, that's a neat idea." I kind of liked the idea of tasting a thimble of "Yuzu Bloody Mary" sitting next to a "Flash-Fried Kumamoto Oyster." But like many fads in cooking, sometimes the gimmickry gets in the way of the final dish and becomes very tired when it is used over and over and over. Such was the case with the "Pomegranate Prosecco Aperitif," presented by the "Air" team alongside their dish of "Duck Breast with Citrus Salad." Nikki and Ryan both made some negative comments about the "tini" not really turning out right or being the correct choice to accompany their duck dish. If you look at the photo of the dish over on the Top Chef site under the "Rate the Plate" tab you see a large Collins glass in a corner of the plate with some lonely little pomegranate seeds swimming in bubbly prosecco. Sounded pretty on the menu, didn't turn out pretty in the glass or on the plate. Chef Colicchio's comments on his blog scream volumes about how silly this whole mini-me cocktail fad can be: "I can’t sign off without at least commenting on the trend of the "mini-cocktail" garnish; those "pomerinis" and "refreshers" and whatever-else-you-want-to-call-them rarely impress me. We’re chefs, not mixologists. I’m not saying I’ll never give a win to someone who prepares one -- IF the food alongside is the best in the competition. The wee-drink-on-a-plate comes across as slightly precious and hasn’t yet pushed a single dish into the winning category. Still, without fail, dishes keep turning up with these silly shot glasses competing for real estate. My advice to our future contestants: Quit trying to be cute, and focus on the food." Another "Bravo" to Chef. I totally agree. My advice to the remaining contestants is to focus on the food-don't throw chairs in the kitchen after your partner is booted, don't grab your crotch and puke out expletives at your teammates, and try, however hard it is for you, to keep things simple and focus on putting exceptional food on the plate.

I think one of the "winner's" on Top Chef this past week was Tom Colicchio and the much appreciated comments he put on his blog on the Bravo site. I'd like to think that maybe, just maybe, in some small way, some of our comments on eGullet have made their way to New York and the offices of Bravo. Doubtful, but just maybe Tom and the Top Chef producer's heard some of our gripes, (or-more likely the gripes of the public), and they realized we had some valid points that should be addressed-like the foul, rude and abusive language that is often spewed out of the mouths of the cheftestants and the trendy, silly little "tini's" that seem to always garnish at least one plate in the Elimination Challenge. If you scroll through some of the earlier postings about "Top Chef Season 4," you'll read a number of comments about the use of profanity in the kitchen. Some of us didn't think it was appropriate and others didn't seem to be bothered by it. The debate got to the point where a new topic about swearing in professional kitchens was started in another forum. I was curious as to what Chef Colicchio thought about this issue and this week his blog finally gave me some answers. So I give a "Bravo" to Chef for sharing his thoughts. This is a bit of what Chef Colicchio has to say about the profanity: "I have been reading your comments when I can, and I want to put in my two cents about one thing -- the language on the show. I’m flattered that people think I have enough input over the production and editing to impact this. In reality, we spend about six weeks shooting the show, during which time the judges are in a state of semi-isolation, kept from interacting with the chefs except in our kitchen walk-throughs and the Judges’ Table. The "talking-head" interviews you see are filmed away from us and then woven later into the episode by the editorial staff. I see those interviews when you do -- when I watch the show. And you can be sure the chefs are on their best behavior when I stroll the kitchen, (though I wouldn’t be surprised if they are swearing at my back, as I move on through.) That said, I have to agree that the gutter language has been excessive. One of my biggest thrills has been meeting kids of all ages who tell me that Top Chef has induced them to try new foods, or get into the kitchen and start cooking. It bums me out to think that parents might decide to restrict their kids from watching because of the chefs’ language. Admittedly, we cooks are a special, salty breed -- more longshoremen than naval officers, if you catch my drift. But I learned fairly early in my career that making my mark as a chef would require me to do more than just cook -- like interacting with the public and the press. In short, I cleaned up my act. The chefs in our competition would be wise to do the same, and hold their food and their demeanor to a high standard. To the extent that I am able, I will ask the producers to stay on the chefs about this in subsequent seasons. In the meantime, to the parents out there, my apologies." I couldn't have said it better.

Chris your blog has been wonderful. Tell me about the casings you are using for your sausages. I assume they are natural casings? Are the casings you buy preserved in salt? Do you rinse and soak them before you stuff the sausage? I've used both fresh casings from the butcher and dried/preserved/salted casings I bought at a Sporting Goods store. I think I prefer the fresh casings, but I'm a rookie at sausage stuffing. Give me some casing advice.

I also posted this dish over in the Food Traditions and Culture forum under the topic "Why is Lamb so Expensive.......". I found some lamb shoulder chops cut "country-style" and I used them in my basic pot roast recipe-I braise the meat for six hours in a sauce of red wine, tomatoes and lots of vegetables. I served the lamb over creamy polenta with some shredded smoked gouda added for a little extra flavor.

I also got lucky scoring some lamb shoulder this weekend-of all places at my local Walmart. I came across some lamb shoulder chops that were labeled "country style." I've only seen pork "country style" ribs so I was surprised to see lamb cut this way. I bought a pack of 6 chops at $2.99 a lb.-really a steal considering the final dish tasted just as good as a grilled rack of lamb that would have cost me much more. Here's a photo of the final dish, Braised "Country-Style" Lamb Shoulder Chops served with Polenta with Smoked Gouda. Enjoy.

Your dish looks really good. Tell me about the sauce on the pork. Your pineapple looks delicious. That's a great combination with pork. I use a lot of tropical fruits this time of year since we are still months away from fresh local fruit, and I find grilling brings out a lot of the natural sweetness of the pineapple.

Last night, Devil's Food Cake with Chocolate Creme Anglaise, Chocolated Malt Ice Cream:

Scored a ticket for the Thursday night event at Uncork'd, sounded like fun! ← Great Report-Thanks. As you've seen first hand, there are so many dining choices in Las Vegas you simply can't cover even a fraction of them in one trip. I've got a thread going about Vegas Uncork'd and if you would be so kind to give us a report, and maybe some photos, after you get back from Vegas Uncork'd, please post it over there. Which "Masters' Series" Dinner did you book on Thursday night?

This morning I checked the website for the events and the only dinner that is sold out so far is the "Masters' Series Dinner" hosted by Cat Cora at Mesa Grill on Thursday, May 8. This year on Thursday I'm attending the Masters' Series Dinner at Bradley Ogden hosted by Alan Richman and Chefs Bradley and Bryan Ogden. I don't think we'll be disappointed-the menu is posted online and it sounds wonderful. The Fish Course is "Pan-Roasted Atlantic Halibut with Spring Garlic Ravioli, Sous Vide Porcini and Parsley Puree." Last year I attended the Masters' Series dinner at Guy Savoy. It was quite the memorable evening and this year's dinner at Savoy will likely follow that precedent. The Fish Course at the Savoy dinner will be "Cote de Turbot, Asperge et Morilles." February was the first month in a number of years where the major casino operators in Las Vegas saw a drop in gaming revenue. Following that news was a drop in the cost of hotel rooms to stimulate reservations. I recently booked a room at The Mirage for the incredibly low price of $135.00 a night, including Friday and Saturday nights. A year ago, the average traveller couldn't touch a room at The Mirage on a Saturday night for under $300.00. So if you enjoy fine dining and the excitement of Las Vegas, you may want to check out the site for details-BAVEGASUNCORKED.COM

Rob, maybe you mentioned this earlier and I missed it--but how old is the bison? I'm wondering if bison are harvested at the same age as feeder cattle, which can be in the 18-24 month range. You mentioned that the bison feed on grass, so my guess is that they are taken off the pasture and go straight to processing? I was wondering if they are fattened up on grain or corn before they are processed.

Rob-first off, Happy Birthday and I hope you ate many, many sweets on your birthday. The heading for your post immediately caught my eye because I have become quite interested in the movement of consumers buying animals directly from farmers. I find it intriguing that the consumer and the farmer are moving back to some of the simple traditions of the past where we bought our foods directly from the farm. We knew how it was grown, where it was grown and what it should taste like. So thank you for sharing your story. But as I read on, I also gained an emotional tie to your story through the personal, respectful thoughts you have shared. Your own words give the Bison's life reverance-"a powerful symbol of strength." The life of your animal is giving strength through the sustenance it will provide. And I agree with Rooftop-sharing your animal with others will further share the spirit of the Bison's strength. I too live in the West and maybe our history is what gives us such a strong tie to the cultures of the West and the role that the Bison played in shaping our history. I'm a descendant of pioneers who came West in covered wagons on the Oregon Trail and staked homesteads in Eastern Oregon. I live in Eastern Washington and there are a number of small ranches that raise Bison. When I drive out into the country and spot one of those Bison in a rolling wheat field, I realize that's the same image that someone saw many, many, years ago. Today when I read through your posts, it evoked these thoughts of what life must have been like in the West when the Bison roamed free. Thank you again for telling this story-I'm looking forward to hearing more.

Thank you, but please don't encourage me too much. Tonight I'm watching this episode for the third time--and I'm picking up more silly snippets on which to comment-"I can tell you for SURE that combination-(white chocolate and wasabi)-doesn't work." Yes Zoi, we heard you loud and clear. So did you actually taste Richard's teams winning dish? No less that Daniel Boulud, certainly an accomplished palate, stated that the combination did work. Personally I would love to have Richard, Andrew and Dale serve that dish to me. Zoi-Can you state, based on fact, that the taste of the flavor combination (white chocolate and wasabi), "doesn't work?" Or--is our assumption true--that you didn't taste the dish you ripped but rather, you are just pissed at yourself, (lady of pasta salad and limp lamb), that you are becoming overwhelmed with jealousy for your fellow competitor's and it may be clouding your cooking? I've probably already said too much about this week's show so I'll stop commenting for now. Just for a bit. This is going to be one delicious and tempting season of Top Chef.

Those are beautiful. Good Lord package them up and sell them!

Sorry for the poor photo. The taste of the dessert far outweighed the fuzzy photo. Toasted Coconut Cake, Grilled Pineapple, Whipped Cream:

Wow, your Skate looks delicious! Very nice.

I love that! Tom Cruise, (aka Ryan), in his briefs cooking up some pasta. You can really see that connection, (Ryan as Cruise), can't you? And what about the Chicago based movie "The Blues Brothers?" Could a Top Chef, (maybe Ryan?), create a dish using the simple ingredients from this classic exchange in the movie...... "I'll have four fried chickens and a coke" (Jake) "And some dry white toast please" (Elwood) Hmmn. Chicken, Coke and dry white toast. I wonder what sort of dish the Top Chefs would have presented using that theme!

By the way, the winning recipe of Team "Willy Wonka"-Andrew, Richard and Dale-is posted on the Top Chef website.

That was actually a Willy Wonka reference, not a molecular gastronomy reference. It was a reference to the chewing gum that Violet grabbed from Mr. Wonka, which had the sequential flavors of a three-course meal -- tomato soup, roast beef, and blueberry pie. Richard also made a crack about how the diners might levitate from their fizzy drinks, as in the movie (and book), and that to get back to the ground, they'd have to belch. Just for the record. Christopher ← Point well taken. Thank you for the correction. Richard's team obviously won for the flavors, the execution of the dish, the presentation and for being the team that was most succesful at marrying their dish to the movie theme. But in some small way I suppose one could say that Richard's comments reflect a satirical view of a popular cooking technique of the day. Doesn't really matter though, that Salmon dish looked awesome.

Although we are only four weeks in, this was my favorite episode of season 4 so far. A fine episode of cooking. For the most part. I liked the fact that the producers presented the Chefs with two challenges that tested their culinary skills. And while I am sure we will see some ridiculous challenges in the coming weeks, I hope that we will not be shamed with one of the absolute worst challenges of Top Chef seasons past. Was it year one or two when the Chefs were challenged to create a sumptuous dish using ingredients from the pantry of the local Convenience Store? You remember, dishes of Fried Pork Rinds and Suzy Q's. How dreadful. But in contrast to my criticism of laughable challenges of the past, I give kudos to the webnerds at Bravo for adding a new feature to the Top Chef website, "Rate The Plate." I like seeing photos and descriptions of the dishes presented by the Chefs. But.....a word of advice to the keepers of the website....make it fair for all the Chefs. It you click on the photo of Andrew's Quickfire dish, you see a horribly out of focus plate with something red, something white and something black. That's it, a bad photo and no description of the ingredients in the dish. That isn't fair to Andrew. Just two clicks away you see a clear photo and description of Dale's winning Quickfire dish of "Daikon Marinated in Tobanjan, Tournee of Avocado and Cucumber." Looks nice Dale and you deserved the win. All the Chefs and all the photos deserved the same treatment. Make "Rate the Plate" fair for all Bravo. I did like the Quickfire Challenge testing the chefs "technical" skills. I did chuckle a bit to myself, (and said a little "I told you so"), when Chef Boulud prophetically told the chefs prior to announcing Dale the winner to "take 5 minutes to THINK of a plan." Exactly Chef and what I've screamed about for weeks-put some thought into your dish first before lighting ten burners on the stove. Think first, cook second, lest you might present a weak dish ala Manuel. Sadly for Manuel, Chef Boulud had to admonish him for his dish being "very weak, a fennel frond is NOT technique." Ouch! Richard has established himself as the front runner at the first turn of this long horse race. He really was the "Top Chef" of the team with Andrew and Dale as his Sous Chef partners. And what a team they were. Their dish of "Smoked Salmon with Faux Caviar and White Chocolate with Wasabi" looked as delicious as the judges said it tasted. And what a beautiful presentation with the accompanying cocktail of "Pear and Celery Soda." Fabulous and definately a "Top Chef" dish. As always, comedic relief was rife in this episode, with two amusing quips standing out in my mind: Andrew-the herky-jerky one who has given us three weeks of cheftainment, doesn't disappoint this week when he proclaims that "we will make them (the judges), culinarily crap in their pants." Well, I don't know if they crapped when they tasted the white chocolate-wasabi combination, but your team did win. Richard-the Chef who by his own self-admission is a student of the School of Molecular Gastronomy, shared a bit of insightful humor about how silly this particular art form can be when he said it's a "bit like a gumball that tastes like a roast beef sandwich that turns into a blueberry pie." No thank you, I prefer your Salmon please. And of course, we can't leave this week's show behind without commenting on poor Zoi, the woman with the white chocolate inferiority complex. Zoi opened the door of intimidation when she said that "I can't compete with white chocolate." And..."if that's what THEY want, then I'm outta here." Zoi-the door is now open for you to walk through. What the judges want isn't the only key to success on Top Chef Zoi. Had you created the lamb dish that fit within the theme-the one you sort of described to the judges-and had it awakened the tastes of the judges through its bold flavors, you and Antonia may not have been before the judges as one of the two least favorite teams. All in all, a good episode.

Edited to add that this dish is of course from "Babbette's Feast." If my budget of $150 wasn't enough to buy quail, black truffles and foie gras, and if Whole Foods had some turtle meat, (nah-they wouldn't sell meat from a precious species like a turtle would they?), I would have gone with: Potage a’la Tortue (Turtle Soup) Failing the budget crunch and lack of politically unpopular ingredients, I would have settled for the dessert from Babbette's Feast: Baba au Rhum avec les Figues (Rum Cake with Dried Figs)

I don't think the budget for the Elimination Challenge, ($150 for 8 diners), probably would have been enough to create a dish from my favorite movie with a food theme: "Caille en Sarcophage avec Sauce Perigourdine" (Quail in Puff Pastry Shell with Foie Gras and Truffle Sauce) Even if the budget would have covered the cost of the ingredients, I doubt that the Whole Foods market where the Chefs shopped would have sold lobes of foie gras-reportedly banned from being served in Chicago restaurants.

Richard's been doing variations on the smoke theme for a little while now, and I had the pleasure of experiencing it in Atlanta twice with a mussels dish. It works. I can see how some might be turned off, but when you have the dish in front of you, with the chef bringing it out and explaining the smoke, you get it. And the aroma is, like he said, the proverbial cherry on top of the sundae. The dish would be great without it, but it adds that extra touch. I've also experienced Alinea's "pillow" and "burning leaves" - those are certainly more "elegant" ways of doing something similar - but the restaurant Richard was at (Element) was decidedly more casual and inexpensive. ← I'm not discounting the use of smoke and Richard has been and continues to be my favorite for being named the Top Chef. Go Richard. I think leading his team in presenting that wonderful salmon dish using a hint of smoke was extemely creative. I just can't buy into using plastic wrap to uncover the dish.

← Sorry, the computer clicked faster than I could on that last post. The dreaded plastic wrap once again raises its ugly head! Darcie I totally agree with you about that darn plastic wrap. I ranted about it when Richard used it on his first dish on episode #1. Tacky, tacky, tacky. Certainly Glad Wrap is one of the many sponsors of Top Chef that is trying to get their products noticed-I seem to remember having seen some plastic containers sitting next to a roll of Glad Wrap in the pantry. I'm not all that bothered by the commerical aspects of Top Chef. Without sponsors of course there wouldn't be a Top Chef. But when the urge to hawk a product becomes so blatant that it interferes with the theme of the show, then that really, really, bugs me. It just seems odd to me when I see a product like Glad Wrap used by a Top Chef to showcase an upscale dish that would be served in a nice dining room. Very unprofessional looking. I just have to believe that there are very nice china serving dishes in the pantry that are fitted with lids or domes that could be used instead of that flimsy, silly plastic wrap. I think that would be a more classy way for Richard to transmit his smoke signals.