Top Chef Season 4

[madziast]

When Valerie said she was making blini's ahead of time I thought, "Oh nooooo...!!!"

And were they saying "Bellini?" as in the drink?

ah, yeah, valerie kept calling them "bellinis," even at the end when colicchio corrected them. just bad. bye, valerie (just watching it now, tivoed so no idea who gets sent home)

[Slamdunkpro]

I was nonplussed by this episode.

Seconded - this one wasn't very interesting. What a waste of WD, I don't think he uttered 25 words.

[Ndy]

I like that Andrew guy. He seems really quirky and fairly talented. That Erik guy looks like the new Mikey.

[Pierogi]

Is it just me, or did Andrew seem to have a complete and total personality transplant since last week???

No, or very little, profanity, he seemed like he wanted to work with his team, seemed to keep the ego monster in check...tonight I actually sorta liked the guy.

Unlike last week when I wanted to reach through the TV screen and wash his immature, 12-year old mentality, potty mouth out with a bar of some really heavy duty industrial-strength soap.

However, if I recall the promos for next week correctly, I do believe the Original Andrew surfaces next week. Or maybe that was Spike. As another poster said, they do seem sort of interchangeable.

I liked the quick fire challenge, that was a good one. The elimination, meh, not so much. And yes, if I heard them call "BLINIS" "BELINIS" one more time I was going to launch the TV set. Yikes.....they're pancakes, who wants to eat room temperature pancakes? And those mushrooms did look, ummmmmmmm, like something you'd find in a litter box.

[Doodad]

Just tuned in tonight's episode, at the corny main challenge point where they draw knives bearing different zoo animals. When Padma told the chefs they need to base their meals around said animal's diet, I was hoping they would have to quickly research this themselves and interpret. For vultures, I was immediately thinking offal, organs.

Instead, they get a lame little sheet listing foods they should focus on -- totally dulling what could've been an interesting challenge. For vultures it had things like rabbit, fish, lamb. Lame. Boring. Blah.

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I know I would have had one dish that looked like a flattened something. With a tire pattern. Maybe a gingerbread roadkill with chocolate tire tracks. Or roadkill quesadilla with mole tracks.

Edited March 20, 2008 by Doodad (log)

[nliedel]

Maybe Andrew had a change of ways? Maybe the sun is going to burn out at 2:33 this afternoon? I'm sure he was taken down a rung by his general suck-ness last week and the editors got their hands on him.

Valerie had to go. Blini's as Bellini's. I can take, or leave blini's, but Bellini's are a whole nother thing altogether. It's peach season somewhere. Let's celebrate!

Padma is a real judge. Happened the second season.

[Darcie B]

Not to be snarky, but nonplussed doesn't mean unimpressed.

From dictionary.comnon·plus    Pronunciation[non-pluhs, non-pluhs] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, -plussed or -plused, -plus·sing or -plus·ing, noun

–verb (used with object)

1. to render utterly perplexed; puzzle completely.

–noun

2. a state of utter perplexity.

For those who found this episode boring, I agree it was a little slow but at least it was about the food and not some artificial drama between the cheftestants.

I don't think they had the time or resources to do their own research on the diets of the animals, so it's good they were given ideas. I think they could have gone a little farther; I like the concept of the roadkill quesadilla w/tracks.

What I find incredible is that the chefs routinely don't taste the food that is being served. After you watch one person go for that very reason, you'd think to make a note of it. And after you add an entirely different ingredient to a dish, don't you think you'd make sure it helped it? I wanted the woman who made the yucky mushrooms to go (I'm not trying to remember their names yet), although blini-girl seemed mousy and she wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway.

[nliedel]

Every single season, "Did you taste it?" Comes out of Tom, or Padma's mouth. Every single season bone-heads say, "Um, no."

You work in a restaurant and don't taste the food you serve? Really? Not everything, of course, no bites out of my food please, but in general, you taste what you present. I taste things as I cook and I'm a mom from MI cooking for kids, for pity's sake. *I* know to taste food. I'm a dope and I know to taste food.

I get that people who don't cater don't understand catering. It seems to be a horse of a very different color, but I'm still gobstopped by the none-tasting going on. That's why Nimma left. Well, that and she just was not cut out for this.

[Tsulli1]

I wanted the woman who made the yucky mushrooms to go (I'm not trying to remember their names yet), although blini-girl seemed mousy and she wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway.

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I'm going to miss Rachel Dratch

[Zeemanb]

Every single season, "Did you taste it?" Comes out of Tom, or Padma's mouth. Every single season bone-heads say, "Um, no."

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And the first "Top Chef Drinking Game" is born!

I've enjoyed the first two episodes, and I think that the hack-factor with dishes like the blini's and mushrooms will (hopefully) allow the better chefs to establish themselves and not get "Tre'd" too quickly this season.

[Zeemanb]

I'm going to miss Rachel Dratch 

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Oh man I'm glad I already swallowed that sip of coffee before I read that......hysterical.

[dockhl]

I guess I'm gonna have to watch it again but I thought they had decided (wisely) that the mushrooms shouldn't be served . Then the judges came over and they gave them some, rather than standing by their decision. Stupid. ESPECIALLY when the OTHER thing that everyone gets sent home for is serving something that should have not been served.....right?

[handmc]

"Tre'd"- Ilike that, its funny.

I also like the tire track idea as well, I think it would be hugely popular.

The mushroom girl should have been sent packing. I would understand if that was her first time making mushrooms but come on. And once you pull an item because it sucked, what the #&%$% are you thinking giving to the judges? Was she curious about her level of suckitude?

Perhaps a little less Sandra Lee on the tablescapes and more cooky.

Then the blue glasses at the end-arrgh I wanted scream - but they had to send the girl with the dirt pancakes home.

It is not going to take long for the cream to rise to the top.

I am interested in seeing Bayless as a judge. He is very serious about his food. I anticipate while a nice guy will be a very tough judge. I don't think that it would want him to judge one of my dishes unless I knew I nailed it.

[Dieck]

Am I the only one who thought there was an inordinate number of shots of Padma stuffing her face with messy food? They showed the other judges eating, but not the way they showed her. (Or maybe this is a duhhh thing ... of course they are going to show close-ups of her...)

I agree about the gorilla menu -- it should have been vegetarian.

And I'm excited to see Rick Bayless on the show.

[Tsulli1]

I agree about the gorilla menu -- it should have been vegetarian.

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I think Gorilla's are omnivores, although probably not the one's at Lincoln Park Zoo...

[KristiB50]

I agree about the gorilla menu -- it should have been vegetarian.

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I think Gorilla's are omnivores, although probably not the one's at Lincoln Park Zoo...

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According to This site they occasionally eat bugs and grubs.

[jsmeeker]

I thought this show was better than most of you found it. I sorta liked the zoo challenge. I certainly agree that if the "experts" didn't list any meat on in an animal's diet, there should have been no meat.

I like that Mark made a good comback after is stumble with his duck dish. He looks like he could be a strong contender.

Did someone say Bellinis? I'll go get the prosecco.

Edit to add: I too am looking foward to seeing Rick Bayless next week. Love that guy.

[Tsulli1]

Did someone say Bellinis?  I'll go get the prosecco.

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I think gorilla's would probably eat peaches. Not sure about pancakes or prosecco.

[Swicks]

Totally agree that it was a complete waste of Wiley.

I am clearly not privy to the shows inner workings but I will never understand how these people don't taste the food before it goes out???? Especially in a catering situation.

[Doodad]

Every single season, "Did you taste it?" Comes out of Tom, or Padma's mouth. Every single season bone-heads say, "Um, no."

You work in a restaurant and don't taste the food you serve? Really? Not everything, of course, no bites out of my food please, but in general, you taste what you present. I taste things as I cook and I'm a mom from MI cooking for kids, for pity's sake. *I* know to taste food. I'm a dope and I know to taste food.

I get that people who don't cater don't understand catering. It seems to be a horse of a very different color, but I'm still gobstopped by the none-tasting going on. That's why Nimma left. Well, that and she just was not cut out for this.

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Nimma was in the local rag this past week. She is working FOH somewhere now.

[cathrynapple]

I am so far unimpressed with most of this year's contestants. The dishes they're putting out seem very unrefined to me.

I liked the mint and yuzu "glacier" idea, but it's a cocktail party, which usually means beautiful, individually portioned tasted of things. I was mostly disappointed with the presentations of most of the dishes. Couldn't they have served the gelee in little spoons or something?

[Jane Die]

Oh and did anyone else squeal at Rick Bayless in next weeks previews?

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I did! I love watching Bayless and wish he was on more besides his PBS show. I also agree Wiley was underutilized but also glad they're getting a really nice mix of great chefs to guest judge. Except for Rocco, that is, with whom I remain unimpressed.

I also agree, what's up with Bourdain? And his Top Chef blog?

I'm rooting for the New Zealander, but it's early yet.

[LoveToEatATL]

Hooray for Richard Blais!

As someone who was lucky to frequent his eponymous restaurant in Atlanta, I am just thrilled to see him on Top Chef.

He's the bomb!

As for last night's episode - hubby and I spent the last few minutes of the show screaming "Blini! Blini!" at the television - for Pete's sake!

And really....if you don't think a dish is going to work, scrap it instead of just putting it up for the sheer volume of food. I've catered and it's not brain surgery.

So surprised it wasn't Nikki who left - she would have had my vote for those hideous stuffed mushrooms. Ick.

Whoever mentioned the "Did you taste it?" drinking game - I'm in!

[dockhl]

Whoever mentioned the "Did you taste it?" drinking game - I'm in!

Ditto !

[nliedel]

I'm all for the, "Did you taste that?" drinking game.

I did read that Gorillas eat bugs and grubs, but Andrew Zimmern can have my share.