Top Chef: Season 3

[Reignking]

Wow are they cheap on the prizes -- Hell's Kitchen winners get better prizes!

[Toliver]

This morning "Top Chef" was nominated for an Emmy.

[Zeemanb]

Wow are they cheap on the prizes -- Hell's Kitchen winners get better prizes!

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Lol! We were laughing about that last night when he passed the bottle of wine off to Joey.......he should have at least said "hey man, let me throw in a pack of smokes too".

[LoriZig]

I was really surprised that Lia went. They don't really seem to keep their decisions solely based on that day's competition and Lia has outshined Casey and I believe, won last week. On the other hand, Lia does not look like Jennifer Aniston like Casey does...

Cheesemaker-Sara's chile rellenos were such a huge hit with everyone. Why in the world didn't she make the top group? Especially when it was just the 2 guys in the top group and 4 in the bottom. Plus, um, she MADE CHEESE!!! Mmmmm

Hung is downright obnoxious. I'm not a chef by any stretch of the imagination, but even I recognize atrocious kitchen ettiquette when I see it.

Next week's episode looks like a zoo! (can't wait!)

[pimptenshi]

I was really surprised that Lia went.  They don't really seem to keep their decisions solely based on that day's competition and Lia has outshined Casey and I believe, won last week.  On the other hand, Lia does not look like Jennifer Aniston like Casey does... 

Cheesemaker-Sara's chile rellenos were such a huge hit with everyone.  Why in the world didn't she make the top group?  Especially when it was just the 2 guys in the top group and 4 in the bottom.  Plus, um, she MADE CHEESE!!!  Mmmmm

Hung is downright obnoxious.  I'm not a chef by any stretch of the imagination, but even I recognize atrocious kitchen ettiquette when I see it.

Next week's episode looks like a zoo!  (can't wait!)

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My words exactly! They won't be sending the hottie home and I like it. Last week's poll was fun! =D

I think Casey is kind off talented and overall better than Lia, which, IMO, only won last week because foam = auto lose (BUT, I have to agree that the foam was badly presented...why do they try to make foam without a stabilizer??)

Hung is starting to disappoint me on the quickfires and he sucks with his excuses.

Btw, although polenta is originally an italian dish it's indeed highly consumed in Brazil. I've been eating it for as long as I can remember, at least for more than 20 years and I must say, the way Lia has done it is kind of boring, but the deep fried version is delicious and often substitutes french fries in brazilian fast food places.

Of course its popularity is due to immigration but many other latin dishes like guacamole and ceviche, as they were originally known were highly modified with ingredients from other countries as well (spanish guys have brought onions to latin america as far as I know).

Edited July 20, 2007 by pimptenshi (log)

[Pierogi]

Hung is getting very very tiring with his "they just don't get the concept of the dish" excuses.

HELLO........they get it. They didn't like it. It's not your audience, its your cooking. LEARN from it and curb your ego. He's clearly talented, but way too full of himself.

I was surprised too that Lea went, and also disappointed that Tre seems to be sinking into the mediocrity of the middle of the pack. I still want him to win, but he needs to throw it into high gear.

[jm chen]

Lia's departure depressed me. I thought it should have been Hung. And it worries me that I'm starting to like Joey, who initially infuriated me to no end.

Positive review of the show in general here: Are We Not Entertained By Top Chef?

[laurelm]

And it worries me that I'm starting to like Joey, who initially infuriated me to no end.

LOL, me too. And I did not mind Hung in the beginning, and now he irritates me to no end.

[Zeemanb]

I still really think Tre is going to be in the top two or three, so with that said........how long before the creative editing starts showing his "evil" side? I think that's how they handled Ilan last season...he was pretty quiet, competent and low key for several weeks and then WHAMMO!- we find out how whiny, petty he is, with zero depth as a chef. Just a theory, but they will need some serious drama in addition to Hung's egocentric "if you don't like my food it's because you're an idiot" attitude.

[KristiB50]

Rocco is going to be on next weeks show. Ughhh...I just had flashbacks of his show.

[laurelm]

I enjoy that this season has less drama, it is more like the 1st season, rather than the dreadful second.

I always thought Ilan was a tool, I do not think that was re-edited.

[BryanZ]

I think Casey is kind off talented and overall better than Lia, which, IMO, only won last week because foam = auto lose (BUT, I have to agree that the foam was badly presented...why do they try to make foam without a stabilizer??)

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To speak to the lack of stabilizer, you're not allowed to bring chemical additives or other special tools into the kitchen during the main competitions. That's why Marcel couldn't easily cook sous vide and had to wait until the finale to bust out the hydrocolloids and various other starches/sugars.

I will concede that it's foolish for the cheftestants to call what they're making a foam if only because the judges don't like the word. To serve a sauce or broth that's been whipped with a hand blender to give it lightness and the ability to cover a dish elegantly a foam does not make. Yes, this is a smart, fine-dining technique but not one that needs to be called out so explicitly. We can thank Marcel for that and adding to the negative foam stigma.

It's totally messed up that Lia went. She was certainly among the top five cooks there, if not higher. Her elimination seemed really out of the blue, especially considering that they rarely base eliminations off of a single challenge, despite what the judges claim otherwise. She said it best herself when she admitted she was disappointed and was a better cook than what she had the opportunity to show.

[tetsujustin]

I think Casey is kind off talented and overall better than Lia, which, IMO, only won last week because foam = auto lose (BUT, I have to agree that the foam was badly presented...why do they try to make foam without a stabilizer??)

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To speak to the lack of stabilizer, you're not allowed to bring chemical additives or other special tools into the kitchen during the main competitions. That's why Marcel couldn't easily cook sous vide and had to wait until the finale to bust out the hydrocolloids and various other starches/sugars.

Yeah but you can still add gelatin or egg whites can you not? It doesn't make a foam stay forever, but it helps it get to the table and stay long enough to make an impact. Not sure exactly because I haven't worked with foams enough, but I'm pretty sure adding either will help it stay.

Is it just me or does Hung seem to be playing a schtick just to either A) be a character or B) make him stay longer because from what I recall, most people who defend their own dish to no end stay a lot longer than people who think they may go home.

I was almost sure either Casey or Sara Nguyen would go home. I could see how cold polenta with smoked trout wouldn't taste absolutely fantastic though...

it sucks, I liked Lia's dishes previously. Even her ill fated franks and beans.

[chappie]

The editing early on in this season hedged toward making the viewer believe Hung was a lock. I think he's not making the final. When he's on, he's remarkable cocky; when he's being charbroiled he panicks so hard his hair goes limp, his entire face metamorphizes and his voice changes. I can picture him devolving into muttering, lunatic self-dialog as the episodes progress.

But I still don't mind him and he makes for good television.

Overall -- and I know it's early, with plenty of time for producers meddling and heating up tacky dramas -- I can't find anything really unlikable about Season 3. The one budding hate-fest between Joey and Howie was nipped in the bud instead of being cultivated to embarrassment like the Marcel hazing debacle of Season 2.

I'm hoping things continue in this vein. With each week, Season 2 seems like a fading nightmare. (By the way my money has to be on Tre. They've kept him oddly low-key and out of the spotlight the last couple challenges, hinting at a big revival.)

Edited July 25, 2007 by chappie (log)

[KristiB50]

Oh geez a reunion show already?

Best Parts:

LeeAnn looked beautiful and she defended Marcel

Lia looked beautiful

Tom being embraced by the bear community was funny(I didn't know what it was either)

The faux judges table-"why does your beef taste like beef?" "you had 30 seconds"

Tim Gunn!

Padma has the biggest appetite and looks enormous mid-season(where?)

I liked when Harold basically called Micah an idiot for never watching the show before going on. I call bullsh*t. I'll bet she's one of those faux, "I never watch TV" snobs who has 2 TiVos and can name every contestant on the Real World.

Oh and her, "I was explaining that Americans like ketchup on their meatloaf like Indians put chutney with their curry,". Then Padma comes back with, "uh no...we don't"

I hope we never have to see Ilan again. I dislike him even more.

[Morgan_Weber]

...couldn't help but enjoy seeing footage of Ilan getting his ass handed to him by Pepin.

[hungryCAT]

I'm sorry, but IMO, that was a total inane waste of an hour.

Was there a point in showcasing the eternal, exotic beauty of Padma? I mean,

yeah, she's attractive, but give me a freakin' break.

[laurelm]

I hope we never have to see Ilan again. I dislike him even more.

Same here.

[Tess]

I liked when Harold basically called Micah an idiot for never watching the show before going on. I call bullsh*t.  I'll bet she's one of those faux, "I never watch TV" snobs who has 2 TiVos and can name every contestant on the Real World.

Oh and her, "I was explaining that Americans like ketchup on their meatloaf like Indians put chutney with their curry,".  Then Padma comes back with, "uh no...we don't"

I thought it was funny when someone asked her about saying she was unfamiliar with American food-- and it turns out she went to high school there. Oh, yes, she went to high school in Massachusetts but never ate American food. Now, I wouldn't be surprised if someone on the show had encouraged her to play up her South African background, but she looked like a big honking liar at that point.

[JohnRov]

Ilan is still a tool; the tux with no socks? It's like a high school kid trying to be cool by wearing different random stuff, except he's like 25.

Too much yapping by Sandee without her adding anything.

The judges table spoof was pretty funny.

I would have rather have seen them cook but it wasn't too bad, although the host was pretty bad, they should have just let Ted run the thing.

[rconnelly]

Ilan is still a tool; the tux with no socks?  It's like a high school kid trying to be cool by wearing different random stuff, except he's like 25.

Too much yapping by Sandee without her adding anything.

The judges table spoof was pretty funny.

I would have rather have seen them cook but it wasn't too bad, although the host was pretty bad, they should have just let Ted run the thing.

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That host is the producer, I believe!

What about Micah calling herself a "very pale African-American"? I liked the look on Cliff's face. It showed her complete unawareness of everything- I think people were uncomfortable with the comment, even though she thought she was funny.

[tetsujustin]

Was it just me or did Lia look possibly 10 times hotter than anyone else on stage. (including Padma)

I like the look of Perilla. Food looks honest, in a nice setting. Something that I'd like in my neighborhood.

The rest of the show was pretty boring. It looked like only four of the five contestants actually had anything to say while everyone else just sat there with their thumbs up their ass.

Oh well.

Lets get on with the friggin show.

[skoolpsyk]

Was it just me or did Lia look possibly 10 times hotter than anyone else on stage. (including Padma)

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She's always been cute to me, but looked especially good last night!

[RMeierdirks]

Ok, just caught up on last two episodes. I know there are always going to be those little twists, but to cut their prep time in half at the last minute? Yeah sure, Tom, they just called and said they're coming earlier; the producer didn't plan that at all. I can't imagine booking a party of 20 - 30 people and calling up 3 hours before and saying we'll be there in 90 minutes so you better be ready. Most chefs obsessively plan their days out , allowing time for each task to get things done right. It's an enormous insult to demand someone to sling hash like that and then criticize the end product for being sub-par. Sure, some of them were able to compensate for the shortened time and put out great dish, but I would rather see every cheftestant get the opportunity to do their best, not just the best they could do given the circumstances. Yeah, things can go wrong in a kitchen that necessitate some extra hustle and inventiveness, but an event like this would have been set in stone 3 days ahead.

I didn't think the Lia's polenta was so unreasonable, it's similar to the shell of a tamale. If it wasn't done right, that's criticism enough. She was trying to use Latino ingredients with cooking methods she was familiar with.

I am getting tired of Hung reacting to every criticism, particularly when food is overcooked or not seasoned properly, with "That's your opinion." Newsflash: the opinions of your customers matter more than your opinion of yourself.

Micah again complaining about not knowing American food. Fine, you didn't eat it at home, but you went to an American High School, what did you eat for lunch? Almost all of the American comfort foods have something relatively analagous in other countries, .eg., Mac 'n Cheese in Italy is Fettucine Alfredo. Cassoulet is a more upscale, high-end french cousin to franks 'n beans.

Someone mentioned before that South African Bobotje is similar to meatloaf.

I agree that Ilan has become an obnoxious tool. I don't think he made one truly original dish on the show. The fideos that were raved about were lifted wholesale from the tapas place he worked at. Ilan may be a very good cook, but he is not a chef. He should put the money in the bank and work at a few more restaurants to get more experience.

[JohnRov]

Was it just me or did Lia look possibly 10 times hotter than anyone else on stage. (including Padma)

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She looked cute, but I'm a Camille guy myself.