Top Chef: Season 3

[tejon]

I think the right person went home. Micah had shown a lot of inconsistency and it was clear her heart just wasn't in this competition. What really made me laugh was the tag at the end: "find these healthy recipes at Bravo.com!" Though I am curious as to what made that meatloaf "crunchy" .

[dockhl]

So, this is interesting:

"I am from South Africa; I don't understand meatloaf" Micah went to jr high and high school in Bridgwater, MA

CLICK HERE

Huh.

[KristiB50]

So, this is interesting:

"I am from South Africa; I don't understand meatloaf" Micah went to jr high and high school in Bridgwater, MA

CLICK HERE

Huh.

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Hee Hee-I just came here to post that.

Maybe they don't have meatloaf and mashed potatoes in Bridgwater, MA.

[JohnRov]

Micah made the comment that they don't eat meatloaf in South Africa or something to that effect. My brother got married in SA and when we were there we ate a LOT of bobotie, which is ground meat with curried spices, egg custard, and raisins (there are variations, just like every mom's meatloaf recipe). It's more of a casserole than loaf.

She could have easily spun her dish into an interpretation of that which would have adhered to the basic concept while bringing in her heritage.

I swore after last season I wasn't going to watch, but here I am. I just wish they would spend a little more time showing cooking and talking with the chefs about their dishes.

I'm not a chef, nor do I work in a restaurant, but when Hung left that crawfish on the floor I was annoyed. I think there needs to be more respect for living things you are using for food. To just essentially waste it (and you could see it floating dead in the tank as other chefs got their shellfish) is horrible IMO.

[Darcie B]

OK, maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but the way I understood the elimination challenge was they were to recreate comfort food in a more healthy way, and serve to people eating at the Elks Club. Now that's not exactly a bastion of adventurous eaters, so I was a bit taken aback when they were criticizing people for not being very imaginative. Maybe they had more instruction than was shown, or maybe I just misunderstood, but that didn't seem as large a part of the challenge initially.

I was also put off by Hung's leaving the crawfish on the floor. Also, when the guest judge criticized the size of his croutons in the seafood challenge, his didn't try to learn from the criticism, he said that "obviously he [the judge] didn't understand what I was trying to do." Well maybe it, umm, wasn't that clear? Heck, even when my neighbor of the dessicated pork chop fame gives me advice on my cooking I consider it!

[I_call_the_duck]

I'm from New York, and I didn't understand meatloaf until I was in my twenties. I still don't understand chicken ala king. I think some contestants were at a slight disadvantage if they didn’t grow up exposed to these foods.

Hung's starting to bug me.

Edited June 29, 2007 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[jess mebane]

I just wish the tribute to Americana gastronomie had more oomph! We've all had to update classix for kids, or dietary restrictions, etc. Meatloaf is your win card, I doan care who you are!

So I mashed buttons in fury 'till the Paul Simon tribute came on, and watched Lyle Lovett's beatific, crooked grin take on "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover," and thought, "Now that's more like it."

Killed it! Like meatloaf!

[TAPrice]

Check out this really annoying interview with Micah. The interviewer keeps trying to get her to talk about, you know, the show. Micah, on the other hand, rambles on endlessly about her childhood.

[tjaehnigen]

I am still just a tad surprised that Micah was shown the door. The chicken a la king person could just as easily been given the boot. It's all in the editing, IMO.

Hung is funny, edited to be the bad ass and jerk and better than thou. You always need that for something like this to be entertaining, right?

[handmc]

The news reports Salman Rushdie and "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi will end their marriage. I guess to told him, "Its time to pack your books and go!"

[Morgan_Weber]

The news reports Salman Rushdie and "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi will end their marriage. I guess to told him, "Its time to pack your books and go!"

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6262442.stm

...finally something that makes sense.

[KristiB50]

Wow Padma was his fourth wife??

Marriage is not for him!

[tmgrobyn]

The chicken a la king person could just as easily been given the boot. It's all in the editing, IMO.

heh I thought the chicken a la king plate looked like something my cat upchucked. Seriously, it looked just like it! Yeccchhh!

[RMeierdirks]

I wasn't sure what the judges were looking for. The people that tried to turn the "classic" dishes upside-down and otherwise re-interpret them, were criticized because the dishes diverged too far from the "classic" presentation. On the other hand, those that simply did lower-fat/cholesterol versions of the "classic" presentation were slammed for not being innovative. I suppose Dale's chicken and dumplings did split the difference the best, being a healthy variation on the dish, non-traditional yet recognizable as what is was supposed to be.

As for the lobster issue, if cholesterol was the main issue, why didn't they have a nutritionist in to calculate the fat/cholesterol for each recipe as they did for sugar content in the diabetic camp episode? Then they would have had to adjust their dishes to meet nutritional criteria, rather than rely on the possibly incorrect assumptions of the judges, whose expertise is in flavor and presentation, not in nutrition.

Edited July 8, 2007 by RMeierdirks (log)

[Tess]

According to Lee Anne Wong's blog, they had a list of high cholesterol foods to avoid in the pantry. If fat was an issue, I haven't seen any mention of that. It sounds like you could pretty much do what you wanted if you kept off the forbidden list.

[RMeierdirks]

But how did they come up with the foods to avoid list. When you look it up and see chicken has more cholesterol than lobster sans butter, there's no reason to ban it. Again, why not have a nutritionist there to calculate the values rather than just assume.

P.S. After consulting my Top Chef decoder ring, the secret message from last week was "Don't forget to take your Vytorin." A crummy commercial. Son of a bitch!

[Morgan_Weber]

How bout a new drinking game?

Every time Top Chef has annoying and blatant product placement, slam back a shot of Bombay Sapphire Gin...

This is really getting ridiculous!

[Tess]

But how did they come up with the foods to avoid list. When you look it up and see chicken has more cholesterol than lobster sans butter, there's no reason to ban it. Again, why not have a nutritionist there to calculate the values rather than just assume.

Trying to figure out the logic of Top Chef is a good way to go nuts, IMO. Consistency is not their strong point. If I had to explain the difference between this and the diabetic camp challenge, I'd say that kids with diabetes are going to react to any one meal with too much sugar and they are all on a particular diet. The Elks Club members are not attending a cholesterol-lowering camp or anything. I don't know what they were told but they may not have even been guaranteed of having low-cholesterol foods. I did think it was kind of silly to suggest that low-cholesterol = healthy, which they seemed to do. (What about fat, sodium, fiber or the lack thereof, etc. etc.?) In reality I think it was just another flaming tire for the contestants to jump through.

[Darcie B]

I think they should rename this show "Done in by Dessert." It never seems to fail that when cheftestants chose to do a dessert, it bites them in the arse.

Since I am a big fan of dessert, to view their dessert attempts make me cringe. I know they aren't pastry chefs, but you would think they would have a better grasp on it.

I know a lot of chefs view dessert as an afterthought, but to me it completes the meal. A good dessert should elicit unintended moans and make your toes curl, like, well, you know.

[dockhl]

But how did they come up with the foods to avoid list. When you look it up and see chicken has more cholesterol than lobster sans butter, there's no reason to ban it. Again, why not have a nutritionist there to calculate the values rather than just assume.

Trying to figure out the logic of Top Chef is a good way to go nuts, IMO. Consistency is not their strong point. If I had to explain the difference between this and the diabetic camp challenge, I'd say that kids with diabetes are going to react to any one meal with too much sugar and they are all on a particular diet. The Elks Club members are not attending a cholesterol-lowering camp or anything. I don't know what they were told but they may not have even been guaranteed of having low-cholesterol foods. I did think it was kind of silly to suggest that low-cholesterol = healthy, which they seemed to do. (What about fat, sodium, fiber or the lack thereof, etc. etc.?) In reality I think it was just another flaming tire for the contestants to jump through.

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Well, not to mention that they all pretty much thought that cholesterol=fat. Period. No thought to "good " fats. The concept wasn't bad but they had no idea how to execute it.

[KristiB50]

Bartenders are now called "mixologists"? OK.....

I never order mixed drinks with a meal. I drink wine. And having mixed drinks with wine never ends well for me.

I wish they would have explained that medal wearing supper club. Who are they?? I belong to a supper club and we don't have bling.

I'm going to google them as soon as I can remember the name. Or maybe there's info on the Bravo site. Haven't been there yet.

The cameraman sure loved that blondes cleavage! Lot's of boob shots.

I never noticed Camille until I saw her kneeling on top of the stove to beat her batter...and then she went home.

Edited July 12, 2007 by KristiB50 (log)

[Catew]

I wish they would have explained that medal wearing supper club. Who are they?? I belong to a supper club and we don't have bling.

They seem like a special, special group of people. Not only was that bling, it was bling with about 47 levels of meaning denoting status and experience. I'm going to have to watch the show again with my new secret decoder ring in hand.

Check them out at Chaine des Rotisseurs USA. Read specifically about the bling and its meaning at Eating Club Bling.

[KristiB50]

I was just coming here to post that website.

They didn't say much about what they were eating. Except the guy who said you could get the beef plate at Denny's. At least that's how it was edited.

I wonder if they got more bling for being on the show?

[Morgan_Weber]

Here's to apparently having taste in fine food, but definitely not web design...

That website is YEEEEEAAAAUUUUGGGCCCHHHH!

[Darcie B]

I just.could.not.belong to any kind of food/eating club that requires the wearing of badges (Badges?! We don't need no stinkin' badges!). It seems the height of pretension. Plus, it looks like I don't have appropriate cleavage.

I haven't worn a sash or badge since Girl Scouts....although I do vaguely recall getting some kind of cooking badge...wonder if my mom still has it...