The next Next Iron Chef 2009

[jvalentino]

My money is on Garces. He kicked butt as a contestant and his restaurants are fantastic.

I think Garces is the best chef, and would be a good IC. For some reason (ratings) I think FN wants a personality as much as a chef. That makes me think Appleman, or Trevino, and maybe Mullin but not Garces.

[Danika]

I agree! The only 2 people who have shown consistency in their performance on the show so far have been Chef Jehangir Mehta and Chef Jose Garces. Both have been complimented for their cool head (Judge Donatella complimented Chef Mehta and Alton Brown complimented Chef Garces) So we know that they can perform well under extreme stress. As Alton Brown keeps saying, a good chef can never have a bad day in the kitchen and Chef Mehta and Garces make their bad days work for them. Chef Appleman may be talented but because of his childish attitude he's making himself really unpopular. I feel being popular with the audience is also an important aspect of the show. The judges felt Chef Crenn’s preparations were really poor. It just shows that anyone can get eliminated at any point of time. Chef Trevino has been consistently skimming the bottom of the list for the last 2 episodes. This seems to be a trend with chefs who eventually get eliminated. I feel that the next episode, which has a double elimination in it, will give us a better picture of who will be in the final round and I do hope Chef Mehta makes it.

[Danika]

My money is on Garces. He kicked butt as a contestant and his restaurants are fantastic. That'd make two Philly ICs, him and Morimoto.

It is a lock!

Guess you have not been watching the shows closely! The recent episode showed Chef Mehta as the winner and not Chef Garces! Running a restaurant successfully and winning a competition are two different things. A competition needs presence of mind, an ability to handle pressure and a killer instinct. Chef Mehta has exhibited all these skills. In the 4th episode, where the chefs had to shop for themselves, Chef Garces was sweating at the shopping mall because shopping under pressure is not his thing! Chef Mehta, on the other hand, knew exactly what he wanted and made a dash for all those things. He had organized his thoughts and got his act together as soon as he was in the kitchen. Mexican food is not Chef Mehta’s domain but he was able to execute the challenge smoothly and went on to win the round! Also I don’t see any other chef being very innovative with his food. I cannot imagine anyone serving a dish in a “take-out” container, the way Chef Mehta did in the last episode. I feel being innovative is a major part of being a successful IC. By the way, in case you don’t know, Chef Mehta is not only successful in the competition but also runs a fantastic restaurant called Graffiti.

[jvalentino]

My money is on Garces. He kicked butt as a contestant and his restaurants are fantastic. That'd make two Philly ICs, him and Morimoto.

It is a lock!

Guess you have not been watching the shows closely! The recent episode showed Chef Mehta as the winner and not Chef Garces! Running a restaurant successfully and winning a competition are two different things. A competition needs presence of mind, an ability to handle pressure and a killer instinct. Chef Mehta has exhibited all these skills. In the 4th episode, where the chefs had to shop for themselves, Chef Garces was sweating at the shopping mall because shopping under pressure is not his thing! Chef Mehta, on the other hand, knew exactly what he wanted and made a dash for all those things. He had organized his thoughts and got his act together as soon as he was in the kitchen. Mexican food is not Chef Mehta’s domain but he was able to execute the challenge smoothly and went on to win the round! Also I don’t see any other chef being very innovative with his food. I cannot imagine anyone serving a dish in a “take-out” container, the way Chef Mehta did in the last episode. I feel being innovative is a major part of being a successful IC. By the way, in case you don’t know, Chef Mehta is not only successful in the competition but also runs a fantastic restaurant called Graffiti.

Another Mehta commercial...I'm surprised he is still around. The "take-out" container was hardly innovative, it seemed more like he couldn't think how to make an American dish. Of course anything can happen, but I don't see him going much further.

[gfweb]

My money is on Garces. He kicked butt as a contestant and his restaurants are fantastic. That'd make two Philly ICs, him and Morimoto.

It is a lock!

Guess you have not been watching the shows closely! The recent episode showed Chef Mehta as the winner and not Chef Garces! Running a restaurant successfully and winning a competition are two different things. A competition needs presence of mind, an ability to handle pressure and a killer instinct. Chef Mehta has exhibited all these skills. In the 4th episode, where the chefs had to shop for themselves, Chef Garces was sweating at the shopping mall because shopping under pressure is not his thing! Chef Mehta, on the other hand, knew exactly what he wanted and made a dash for all those things. He had organized his thoughts and got his act together as soon as he was in the kitchen. Mexican food is not Chef Mehta’s domain but he was able to execute the challenge smoothly and went on to win the round! Also I don’t see any other chef being very innovative with his food. I cannot imagine anyone serving a dish in a “take-out” container, the way Chef Mehta did in the last episode. I feel being innovative is a major part of being a successful IC. By the way, in case you don’t know, Chef Mehta is not only successful in the competition but also runs a fantastic restaurant called Graffiti.

I said this in post on 8/11/2009. There were no shows to watch yet. In a later post I said that Garces and Mehta were the top two.

However I stand by my 8/11 prediction. If only because Mehta has shown himself to be a real tool and he looks like a vampire.

[Dignan]

The posts from the Chef Mehta PR team are getting a little tiresome. He could cook human flesh in a garbage can lid and it would "show killer instinct."

[jvalentino]

I think Garces is the best chef, and would be a good IC. For some reason (ratings) I think FN wants a personality as much as a chef. That makes me think Appleman, or Trevino, and maybe Mullin but not Garces.

I suppose this goes in the "shows what I know" file-maybe Mullin.

[KristiB50]

The posts from the Chef Mehta PR team are getting a little tiresome. He could cook human flesh in a garbage can lid and it would "show killer instinct."

LMAO!!!! Mehta fan club party of one!

I think he's creepy and everyone else I know says the same. He only stands out because he's annoying and has crappy sportsmanship.

[Danika]

I could not believe that Chef Appleman was asked to go, especially after he had won the first round in that episode. If you ask me, I was thoroughly disappointed with the judges’ knowledge of Indian food. They made some weird comments about not serving yogurt with food, and then they also said something about beef not being a very common ingredient in India. To top it all, they decided to announce Chef Garces, who had served undercooked dessert and a Daal with Zucchini on it, as the winner! Since I am a Chef Mehta fan I was obviously rooting for him to win. His preparations were definitely authentic and he had captured the essence of India on that platter. His plating was superb and uncluttered. I felt like taking a bite of the Puri and the Halva which he had served on the traditional banana leaf. Judge Donatella did mention that he had not innovated at all but the challenge did not call for the chefs to innovate! My next favorite was Chef Freitag. I mean her platter did look a little crowed but I was impressed with her potato slices trick in the Saffron Rice. It was neat. She was the only one besides Chef Mehta who had brought the whole Indian theme together.

[gfweb]

I'm wondering if the chefs were given a heads-up that Indian food was going to be in play.

That cuisine is hardly part of the common training or experience yet these guys all came up with dishes PDQ. Bet they were tipped and read up beforehand.

[gfweb]

I could not believe that Chef Appleman was asked to go, especially after he had won the first round in that episode. If you ask me, I was thoroughly disappointed with the judges’ knowledge of Indian food. They made some weird comments about not serving yogurt with food, and then they also said something about beef not being a very common ingredient in India. To top it all, they decided to announce Chef Garces, who had served undercooked dessert and a Daal with Zucchini on it, as the winner! Since I am a Chef Mehta fan I was obviously rooting for him to win. His preparations were definitely authentic and he had captured the essence of India on that platter. His plating was superb and uncluttered. I felt like taking a bite of the Puri and the Halva which he had served on the traditional banana leaf. Judge Donatella did mention that he had not innovated at all but the challenge did not call for the chefs to innovate! My next favorite was Chef Freitag. I mean her platter did look a little crowed but I was impressed with her potato slices trick in the Saffron Rice. It was neat. She was the only one besides Chef Mehta who had brought the whole Indian theme together.

Obviously the judges thought Mehta's food wasn't that great. That's why he didn't win.

[Werdna]

I gotta say it. I'm past trusting the judges, something weird is going on if Appleman was sent home. Freitag appears to be amazingly uncreative and yet remains forever, has she ever done anything interesting? I'm pretty close to thinking that the whole show is a farce.

[rlibkind]

I'm pretty close to thinking that the whole show is a farce.

Calling the show a "farce" is getting nearer the truth than calling the show a rational, measured, judicious examination of cooking skills. It's entertainment, folks! And, I might add, pretty good entertainment if you are at all interested in food.

My bets are on Garces or Freitag; they've got the I.C. personality, the others don't. Since I'm in Philadelphia and have enjoyed eating at a couple of Garces' restaurants, I am a bit biased, though. Unless I've missed it, Garces and Freitag (and, I think Mullen) have never dissed another competitor or gone out of their way to screw them. (Thinking yourself the best is not dissing someone else.)

[hsm]

I think of it as a game show. One in which the producers have decided who (likely more than one) they can live with for at least one season of IC. The chefs' appearances may help fill their restaurants, so there's motivation to participate (and some of the egos certainly think that they'd be The One).

Freitag appears to be amazingly uncreative and yet remains forever, has she ever done anything interesting

She's previously appeared on Food Network shows. ::emoticon for, oh, wait, you said interesting::

The judges were disappointed with Mehta's food and since he's the most familiar with Indian food, I don't blame them for wanting him to innovate, or at least, blow everyone else's food out of the water. Plus, hogging the grape leaves was not a great example of the behavior you'd expect in Your Next Iron Chef (from that pantheon of cooking heroes - - although even they have lapses, as Flay's lucky Morimoto didn't give him the business end of a paring knife for jumping up and standing on a cutting board during their first battle).

Can the other three cook and chat at the same time? Maybe Freitag and Garces more than Mullen.

Edited November 8, 2009 by hsm (log)

[gfweb]

Who was that Indian guest chef for the last show? What an arrogant ass!

[rlibkind]

Well, I was wrong about Freitag.

[KensethFan]

I thought last night's episode was interesting. From the editing, it appears they all were not really happy with Mehta's food. Then they show Frietag's food and they all seem gaga over most of it (especially the Japanese fellow) and then she goes home instead of Mehta. Clearly there either must be a bias against Frietag and a love for Mehta or the editing must have just made it seem like Frietag's food was good and Mehta's didn't cut it. I wish they wouldn't do it. Makes their credibility suffer.

[KristiB50]

Honestly I don't think any of them seem interesting.

And I agree about the odd editing last night. I was surprised to see Freitag go after the judges comments.

[bsims]

Don't forget that unlike some other cooking-based contest shows, the competition isn't for a spot at a restaurant or simply a monetary reward - it is a competition for a slot on a television show. While the credentials of all the contestants show there are no slouches in the kitchen, don't doubt for a moment that the winner chosen has just as much to do with their ability to draw viewers to the parent program as their culinary skills, if not more. All of the existing iron chefs have something that makes them unique, some ethnic or regional specialty, with the exception of cora/symon, which have a Mediterranean overlap. And it may not be PC to say so, but Cora's primary "unique" contribution to the show is arguable being a reasonably attractive female.

I really don't think it is any coincidence that the contestants had strong representation from French, Indian, and Latin American cuisines - none of which are present in the existing lineup. The program is looking for someone that either has a unique personality or to fill what they perceive to be a gap in the current staff. To that end, I find it no surprise that comments on the cooking or not, Frietag was the one who went home. I predict it will be Garces and Mehta in the top two. Mehta definitely has the stronger personality (some of his expressions just freak me out!), but he may cross the line into bizarre and turn some viewers off.

[docsconz]

Based on his actions and personality, I think Mehta is in as the necessary "villain," the guy people watch hoping that he will lose. I think he will go down to the wire, but ultimately lose, most likely to Garces. Then again, my initial prediction was for Appleman.

[KatieLoeb]

Jose is going to win this thing. I'm feeling confident about that. Even more so now. It'll likely be he and Chef Mehta in the final and Jose will emerge victorious. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy or a better chef. Go Team Garces!!

[Danika]

Don't forget that unlike some other cooking-based contest shows, the competition isn't for a spot at a restaurant or simply a monetary reward - it is a competition for a slot on a television show. While the credentials of all the contestants show there are no slouches in the kitchen, don't doubt for a moment that the winner chosen has just as much to do with their ability to draw viewers to the parent program as their culinary skills, if not more. All of the existing iron chefs have something that makes them unique, some ethnic or regional specialty, with the exception of cora/symon, which have a Mediterranean overlap. And it may not be PC to say so, but Cora's primary "unique" contribution to the show is arguable being a reasonably attractive female.

I really don't think it is any coincidence that the contestants had strong representation from French, Indian, and Latin American cuisines - none of which are present in the existing lineup. The program is looking for someone that either has a unique personality or to fill what they perceive to be a gap in the current staff. To that end, I find it no surprise that comments on the cooking or not, Frietag was the one who went home. I predict it will be Garces and Mehta in the top two. Mehta definitely has the stronger personality (some of his expressions just freak me out!), but he may cross the line into bizarre and turn some viewers off.

That’s a good observation. Also the idea is to see how adaptable these chefs are to the other foreign cuisines. I think the reason they have introduced these different cuisine rounds is because they want a chef who can cook in all these cuisines and yet have a distinctive style with which he cooks the dish. I think the final 3 contestants have proven that they can hold their own in any cuisine. Chef Garces did a great job in the Japanese preparations in spite of being known for his Mexican style though I am not convinced about his win in the Indian cuisine. At the same time Chef Mehta did exceedingly well in the Mexican round. The Tamarind Braised Pork was not an authentic Mexican dish but had all the Mexican flavors to it. I think the last two episodes are going to be really exciting to watch and the final will be between Chef Mehta and Chef Garces. My vote is reserved for Chef Mehta from the very beginning!

[Jane Die]

Who was that Indian guest chef for the last show? What an arrogant ass!

That was Suvir Saran. I don't think he's an arrogant ass IRL. He just played one for The Next Iron Chef audience. I think he's actually a pretty awesome chef/author specialising in Indian cuisine.

(Disclaimer: I love Indian cuisine.)

Rock on Chef Mehta!

[hsm]

I miss Suvir in these parts. Always generous, helpful and so very knowledgeable. Clearly, also a good actor.

[Danika]

I thought last night's episode was interesting. From the editing, it appears they all were not really happy with Mehta's food. Then they show Frietag's food and they all seem gaga over most of it (especially the Japanese fellow) and then she goes home instead of Mehta. Clearly there either must be a bias against Frietag and a love for Mehta or the editing must have just made it seem like Frietag's food was good and Mehta's didn't cut it. I wish they wouldn't do it. Makes their credibility suffer.

I agree with you. In fact the same thing happened in the Indian round. Chef Mehta had cooked the most delectable Indian feast and the judges were totally impressed with his efforts. They went on to declare that it was delicious and had all the right flavors. They criticized Chef Garces’ food majorly because it lacked any Indian taste to it. He had served Dal with zucchini! I agree that he had innovated but the outcome of innovation should be balanced flavors. I don’t know how they thought a touch of Zucchini could balance anything in a Dal. So there is no bias towards anyone but an attempt to increase the entertainment value. Now there is nothing wrong in editing a reality show to increase the entertainment value but they need to stop misleading people!