Top Chef: California – Season 13

[blue_dolphin]

4 hours ago, huiray said:

Here are some pictures from Beefsteak 4 in LA (Jan 24, 2015, at Vibiana):

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/cort-cass-attends-beefsteak-4-at-vibiana-cathedral-on-news-photo/462126932 

 

Chicago also has its version of the Beefsteak Dinner.

Website: http://thechicagobeefsteak.com/ 

2014 pictures: http://thechicagobeefsteak.com/pictures/ 

2015 pictures: http://thechicagobeefsteak.com/pictures2015/ 

 

Lots of alcohol and rowdy carousing all over and wherever.  Dainty futzy fish slices with microgreens - nah. Lamb chops with bone handles - yah. SLABS of beef done this way, that way, all of which does show cooking skills when done well - definitely.

 

Not to take this too far sideways with Beefsteak discussions, but here's an eG thread with great descriptions of the Beacon Beefsteak in NY by Fat Guy and a link to the text of the1939 New Yorker piece, "All You Can Hold for Five Bucks," that Fat Guy mentions.  Both good reading.

[huiray]

36 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Not to take this too far sideways with Beefsteak discussions, but here's an eG thread with great descriptions of the Beacon Beefsteak in NY by Fat Guy and a link to the text of the1939 New Yorker piece, "All You Can Hold for Five Bucks," that Fat Guy mentions.  Both good reading.

 

Nice eG thread. Thanks for unearthing that! Great reading.  Yes, the original started in New York. The Mitchell article is also linked to directly in the New Yorker archives in the Wikipedia article on the Beefsteak which I embedded in the words "BEEFSTEAK Dinner" in my post on this TC California episode. :-) ;-)

 

Oh, I think it is all relevant to TC California, this episode, because it fills in the background for why it seemed odd that the cheftestants largely came up with what they did with a few exceptions. Some say that the EC wasn't properly explained to them, but I don't think that excuse holds water.  Carl Dooley and Karen Akonowicz gave a more plausible explanation for why at least some of the cheftestants fell short - that they were limited by what they could get at Whole Food, a retail grocery, and at Whole Paycheck prices; rather than giving them access to a full-scale butcher &etc.

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/blog/2016/01/29/karen-akunowicz-carl-dooley-top-chef-recap-8/ 

Nevertheless, IMO many of them still could not let go of their fancy-fine-dining tendencies or, as you described it, their catering kitchen box thinking.

Edited February 1, 2016 by huiray (log)

[huiray]

Here's the correct "casting call" for Top Chef Season 14:

http://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/top-chef-is-renewed-for-season-14-casting-call

posted 1-and-a-half hours ago on the Bravo TC website.

 

Yes, it has been renewed for another season. 

[blue_dolphin]

44 minutes ago, huiray said:

Carl Dooley and Karen Akonowicz gave a more plausible explanation for why at least some of the cheftestants fell short - that they were limited by what they could get at Whole Food, a retail grocery, and at Whole Paycheck prices; rather than giving them access to a full-scale butcher &etc.

 

That makes sense.  In LCK, Tom Colicchio said something to Chad like, "You should have cooked that at the Beefsteak."  Umm yes, and which Whole Foods counter is stocked with all the bovine heads he would have needed?????

[huiray]

12 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

That makes sense.  In LCK, Tom Colicchio said something to Chad like, "You should have cooked that at the Beefsteak."  Umm yes, and which Whole Foods counter is stocked with all the bovine heads he would have needed?????

 

Haha.

At the beginning of that LCK he (Tom C) did also say "no tweezers" or something like that - and the camera pans immediately to Chad plucking his tweezers out of his pocket and flinging it to the floor. Close-up of said tweezers lying on the floor. Heh.**

 

** And IIRC Chad WAS using his tweezers to place his microgreens stem-by-stem on his tuna slices - presumably the ones on the tray destined for the judges' table. :-D

Edited February 1, 2016 by huiray (log)

[huiray]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

That makes sense.  In LCK, Tom Colicchio said something to Chad like, "You should have cooked that at the Beefsteak."  Umm yes, and which Whole Foods counter is stocked with all the bovine heads he would have needed?????

 

I would add this - Phillip a.k.a. Man-Bun got his lamb chops from that same Whole Foods, with which he won the EC. There have been comments about RIBS being an obvious meat offering. Maybe that Whole Food may not have had beef ribs, but surely pork spare ribs, on-the-bone-in-some-way meat, even whole chickens (rather than the ground-up chicken meat that went into Isaac's panned sausages) must have been available and in sufficient quantity for the challenge? 

[Lisa Shock]

I was recalling the old eG thread when watching the episode, and wondered why anyone would bother with bread -as it's something that is traditionally discarded at old school beefsteaks.

 

I was also kind of surprised that no one managed a really interesting side, no deep fried mac & cheese, no stuffed vegetables, no mini twice baked potatoes, nothing wrapped in bacon, etc.

 

I kept wondering why no one did chicken legs, although it has to be really difficult to manage a menu for hundreds when shopping at a retail grocer. For fish, I think the challenge was fairly difficult, as many cooked fish dishes aren't finger-friendly, and raw bar doesn't show off enough cooking skill to impress the judges. Poke (maybe served in a cucumber boat or a baby bell pepper half) might have worked. Crab cakes might have also been a good choice.

 

Overall, this episode felt like the show was treading water. I am looking forward to the revamped Restaurant Wars.

[Shalmanese]

I think the most surprising thing to have come out of that episode was the revelation in LCK that Tom Colicchio had never eaten cow eyeballs before. And I'd argue that he still hasn't given that Chad basically made a mystery meat pie out of it for him.

[Shelby]

Man, I felt bad for Isaac this episode.  The girls were so dismissive and mean.  I do not like it when people feel like underdogs.  I guess I have a soft spot for the guy.

 

Baaaaaaad choice to only concentrate on the judges food.  I don't think I've ever seen a team that didn't feed all the people in their restaurant.  How embarrassing.

 

Marjorie was smart, IMO, by asking the guests if they would like champagne in order to get them to vacate their table. 

 

[Lisa Shock]

I suspect that not feeding people will be the downfall of team orange. I think this was forshadowed by the editors who caught people on the team wondering about the complexity of some dishes. I can't believe that no one thought about streamlining some dishes for speed's sake. I understand that the decision to focus on the judges led to their downfall, but, that said, how complicated were these dishes that they took so much time to prepare? There should have been plenty of time between sending out the apps and sending out the mains -especially since the judges take time to discuss what they are tasting.

 

And, Carl's terrine bothered me. I know that it's common to see terrines where the pan is lined with bacon, but, this practice has always bugged me. The flabby steamed bacon has a very unappealing appearance and can be difficult to cut on the plate with a fork. He also needed to add something for color, and something for texture. This is why pistachios are so common in terrines; they add green color and crunch.

[FrogPrincesse]

41 minutes ago, Lisa Shock said:

 

And, Carl's terrine bothered me. I know that it's common to see terrines where the pan is lined with bacon, but, this practice has always bugged me. The flabby steamed bacon has a very unappealing appearance and can be difficult to cut on the plate with a fork. He also needed to add something for color, and something for texture. This is why pistachios are so common in terrines; they add green color and crunch.

Thank you for noting that! In France it's much more common to line terrines with caul fat; I don't think I ever saw bacon used for that purpose until I came to the US. I also find the appearance and texture of steamed bacon extremely unappealing. You pretty much have to remove it before you can eat the terrine (because who wants to eat steamed flabby bacon), whereas caul fat is a very thin layer that melt onto the surface of the terrine and doesn't need to be removed.

 

I know this isn't directly linked to Top Chef but I would be really curious to find out where this practice is coming from? My guess is Julia Child but I could be totally wrong.

 

There were more issues with his terrine. When he was grinding it and the meat wasn't cold, you could see the resulting gummy texture and that wasn't appealing at all either. He could have diced it very finely with a knife instead... That's what I used to do when I didn't have a meat grinder at my disposal.

 

[blue_dolphin]

I'm glad Phillip is gone because I really disliked his failure to take responsibility for any of his dishes that the judges didn't care for but he wasn't by far the worst on his team. I'd argue that Jeremy's executive chef lunch decision put his whole team at a disadvantage and that risotto?  Who makes risotto with water?  Apparently the crispy egg from lunch saved him.

 

Back to Phillip, I was listening to Carla Hall on Ed Levine's Special Sauce podcast and she said something like, "One of the beauties of being on any reality show, whether you know yourself or not, you will get to know yourself really well when they are playing it back."  I wonder if Phillip has developed any self awareness in watching himself or if he blames any negativity on editing?

 

I'm rooting for Marjorie and I'm sorry that her dessert failed but glad to see Isaac get a win, especially after getting picked last!   I suppose the strawberry-champagne combination will have to be added to the list of Top Chef kryptonite foods  after both Marjorie and Phillip got dinged!

 

Not sure how painful the LCK injuries were for the chefs but it was certainly painful to watch - ouch!

Edited February 12, 2016 by blue_dolphin (log)

[chefmd]

Phillip is young and rather successful for his age. I admit that the way he was portrayed on Top Chef is not very appealing.  Not sure how much of that is editing and how much is real Phillip.  My son is 28 and often very arrogant (for no good reason).  I am not sad to see him go though.  Glad Kwame got to stay.  He and Marjorie are my favorites.  I think Marjorie is more consistent and versatile.  Making deserts and not being eliminated on Top Chef is a major achievement.

No excuse for water in risotto.  My husband does not cook.  At all.   Barely able to heat things in microwave.  His question: Honey, don't you use stock in risotto?

[Shelby]

My DVR never has recorded the second part of Restaurant Wars.  Sigh.  I really want to watch it.  Anyway, yes, glad to see Phil go bye bye.

 

I just watched the last two episodes.  I kind of rolled my eyes when I saw MC Hammer on, but I ended up enjoying that little quick fire challenge.  Toups Legit To Quit LOL.  Loved it.  Nice to see Amar do well.

 

The wok episode.  Oh Kwame.  Frozen waffles.  I knew from that moment on he would be the one to go (I was rooting for Jeremy to go home, though...Taco Dudes=sorta lame.)  Like Tom said, Kwame could have had an awesome concept had he made the waffles and flavored them.  LOVED Pasta Mama.  I would eat there.

 

Go Isaac!!!

 

PS--Anyone know who is in Last Chance Kitchen now?

Edited February 28, 2016 by Shelby (log)

[Jaymes]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

PS--Anyone know who is in Last Chance Kitchen now?

 

I'd tell you, but I'm hopeful you'll just watch it.  Great episode:

 

http://www.bravotv.com/last-chance-kitchen/season-5/videos/lck-ep-10-breakfast-baby

[blue_dolphin]

3 hours ago, Shelby said:

My DVR never has recorded the second part of Restaurant Wars.  Sigh.  I really want to watch it

Can you watch online?   I think you just log in with your cable or satellite provider info.  Sometimes it tells me an episode isn't available but it comes up OK when I refresh the page or open a new window.

 

I thought the last episode was really good.  Martin Yan is such an icon, it was a treat to watch him judge the quick fire.   The fast casual elimination round was an excellent challenge for these chefs, both creatively for the concepts and production-wise in having to put out 150 servings.  Aside from the little "anyone but Phillip" comments, I didn't feel there was excessive editorial injection of faux drama.    Also sad to see Kwame go but when they included the frozen waffle choice in the previews at the end of the previous episode, it was clear he was a marked man!   Great choice to have them make breakfast in LCK, too. 

 

In the previous episode, I thought the historical-research based elimination challenge was very interesting and I would have preferred to hear more about it vs. the MC Hammer quick fire.  That part was pretty funny and this is Bravo and not PBS after all!  

[Lisa Shock]

I was glad to see Phillip go, his final words were very telling. -He once again hammered at the judges for wanting things to their own personal taste. I found this to be arrogant and very insulting to the judges. I have been an ACF judge at some small local (C-CAP) events and once filled a last minute vacancy at a national event as (you guessed it!) sanitation judge. Now, I don't know the TC judges, the audience doesn't really know what guidelines they follow, if any. But, I would like to think that in setting up the premise of the show, someone was thoughtful enough to put in place basics, like health and safety (no raw chicken), if you name a food it should conform to the description (like don't call your pancakes crepes unless you can roll them), dishes should look good, dishes should have contrasts of texture and flavor but also harmony, etc. But the most important thing is that a judge set aside personal tastes. For example, I don't like asparagus and I never serve it at home. However, it shows up in competitions regularly and as a judge I evaluate it like any other item on the plate: is it trimmed and cleaned properly, is it easy to pick up with a fork (or fingers) and eat, is it cooked properly (not too crunchy, not too mushy), how is the sauce, is there some sort of innovation present, etc. Every judge has personal likes and dislikes, but, the position demands those be set aside. You know when you take the job that you will be forced to eat a wide variety of foods and they will not all be to your liking. Phillip accusing the judges of using personal taste means that he has no clue about what he did wrong. If he doesn't wake up soon, he will never be able to grow as a chef because he cannot accept criticism and learn from it.

 

On the risotto, I would cut some slack for that, I have done it, you need to know how, though. When I was just starting in culinary school, we had risotto in class for the first time and we were instructed to use stock from a giant communal stockpot (made by a different class) to make it. As a vegetarian, I decided to experiment, which is normally not a good idea in school -you make the dish as demonstrated. I made my risotto with water to which I heated with salt and a couple tablespoons of fresh herbs in a bouquet garni, so, I guess it was technically a tisane, not just water. Anyway, I told no one, and placed it for grading with the other students' plates. I got an A and a commendation for best dish of the day.

 

I thought the historic challenge was interesting, but wonder how much time they really had for research, people commented that they didn't really get recipes. I have to agree that not choosing Renaissance Italy was a sad oversight.

 

This week, I liked the idea of the main challenge, but, I think the time allocation was weird. 3 hours the day before then 1 hour the day of doesn't allow for a lot of fresh produce prep and would be an issue if you wanted to make fresh tortillas or some other quick bread. Quame's comment that he didn't have a waffle recipe (have not remember) makes me wonder about the rules: are the chefs allowed to bring some personal recipes with them? Still, waffles aren't that difficult, and there's a wide range of recipe tolerance, he should have made them from scratch. If he had, I don't think he'd be going home, I think a certain brah would have been headed to LCK.

 

The latest LCK was great, my only complaint is that 15 minutes really limits what you can make. You can't get a potato peeled and cooked in that time. If you use a bread, it has to be a pre-made one.

[blue_dolphin]

23 minutes ago, Lisa Shock said:

Quame's comment that he didn't have a waffle recipe (have not remember) makes me wonder about the rules: are the chefs allowed to bring some personal recipes with them?

No, the chefs can't bring recipes. I believe the reasoning was that they should have the techniques down to the point that individual recipes wouldn't be needed.   I read this in a Gail Simmons interview where she said that this rule proved to be a disaster in the first season of the Top Chef Just Desserts competition where they used the same rule but ended up having to change that for subsequent seasons due to the importance of exact measurements in baking.  

[Shelby]

I think Kwame could have bought boxes of Bisquick and made different flavored waffles (or even just one cool flavor) and been way better off.  I figure there's a recipe on the box....

[Shelby]

Ohhhh I was nervous for my boy Isaac.  Phew.  

[blue_dolphin]

24 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Ohhhh I was nervous for my boy Isaac.  Phew.  

 

Yes!  Especially after they featured him in that emo-family-phone-call segment in the beginning of the show.  It seems like those little up close and personal segments are a harbinger of doom for the featured chef!

I'm still rooting for Marjorie but she seems to be self-destructing.  They did a good job of editing that elimination challenge to feel very nerve wracking.  I was going to make some popcorn but I was afraid it wouldn't be Fleur-worthy!

 

The toast quick fire was one of my favorites - I love stuff on toast!  And for once, I agreed with the judges on the bottom 2.  Not sure about the winner, sounds like there was too much going on (chicken liver mousse with pickled cherries, white raspberry, and arugula on ciabatta) but I'd love to try them all!  

 

Two LCK episodes to watch but they didn't reveal who would be going on to Las Vegas.  I was sorry to see that Jason went out in the first of those 2 LCK episodes and would have liked to see him rewarded for that long string of LCK wins.

[Shelby]

Someone needs to PM me with who wins LCK.  I know ya'll want me to watch it, but I live in the sticks and I can only get HughesNet out here.....any TV show or movie watching sucks my bandwidth down to nothing, I get put in "time out" and I have to pay $12.50 to restore my internet.  

[blue_dolphin]

42 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Someone needs to PM me with who wins LCK.  

 

@Shelby, I also have a very slow internet connection but luckily no fines!  Just in case anyone else has similar constraints, I'll post my LCK observations.  There's only a spoiler (that I already mentioned in my last post) on the first of the 2 LCK episodes and they didn't reveal the winner of the second one. 

 

For the first of the 2 LCK episodes, Amar and Carl join Jason for a 3-chef competition where one of them will be out.  The challenge is to use sourdough and they have many sorts of sourdough bread and fresh dough to work with in 30 min.

Amar made a Beef Wellington wrapped in sourdough with asparagus and bernaise.  Carl made a gazpacho with apple, green tomato, grilled shrimp, and sourdough croutons.  Jason made a bruscetta with smoked salmon, artichoke fritatta served on top.  Tom commented that the radish and turnip garnish on Jason’s was underseasoned - dum, dum dum, dum…. Jason's out.  On his way out the door, Tom mentions that his eggs were overcooked as well.  I was sorry to have him leave.  

 

That left Amar and Carl to duke it out in the second LCK challenge - fish!   Sort of a redux of their quick fire elimination but this time it has to be cooked, so no crudo!  Tom set the starting time at 20 min and challenged them to bid it down, leaving them with 12 minutes at the end. Yikes!  I’m pretty sure it will take me more than 12 min to make my tuna salad sandwich for lunch!   Unlike all the other LKC episodes, they did NOT reveal the winner at the end although Tom says both were technically excellent and it came down to a few grains of salt.  Tom and his salt!  The segment ended with quick clips from Vegas  (same as at the end of the full episode last night)  that didn’t reveal any thing more than Padma hosting whilst wearing a red slip.  Not sure what happened to her dress.  Maybe a lost luggage issue, not sure.

Edited March 4, 2016 by blue_dolphin (log)

[ElsieD]

Blue Dolphin, I almost choked on my tea just  now reading your post above.  We watched Top Chef last night and when I saw the clip from the Las Vegas episode I said to my husband, why is Padma wearing just a slip?  Looks like I'm not the only one wondering about her wardrobe choice.  Or lack thereof.

[Shelby]

Thank you so much for the great recap!  Jason hung in there for quite a while.....

 

I, too, saw the red slip and thought the exact same thing.  Perhaps she had stopped over at that Bunny Ranch before filming?

Edited March 5, 2016 by Shelby (log)