Top Chef

[coquus]

I think Colicchio said it best in regards to Stephen: all style and no substance. 

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He called Harold out Wed. too with that cooking in a box comment. He's growing on me more as time progresses. Upthread someone said TC looked like Cal Ripken Jr., I have to say he does, crossed with Howie Mandel, he's pretty fit for a chef. Someone's gotta teach that yoga girl some salt she'd be on her way then. I liked this weeks structure of two per cart, as Tom admitted, some of the best food was made.

Yeah, I watch this, It's not the greatest but what have I got better to do (full distainful looks to TFN).

[coquus]

Also, I'd like to call the judges out on something, well maybe I would if I truly knew the answer, in the tasting when they had chile paste, and Miguel says Sriracha. Sriracha, you know the cock on the bottle hot sauce, I was under the impression that it wasn't a brand name but more of a thai word for chili sauce (the bottled stuff is garlicy and it's probably what Miguel was thinking), yeah, not chili paste, but they gave Lisa credit for saying sauce. Minor, yes, but it would have put Miguel in a tie with yoga girl who I'm proud to say I called to win the immunity yesterday.

[shoutsandmurmurs]

Also, I'd like to call the judges out on something, well maybe I would if I truly knew the answer, in the tasting when they had chile paste, and Miguel says Sriracha.  Sriracha, you know the cock on the bottle hot sauce, I was under the impression that it wasn't a brand name but more of a thai word for chili sauce (the bottled stuff is garlicy and it's probably what Miguel was thinking), yeah, not chili paste, but they gave Lisa credit for saying sauce.  Minor, yes, but it would have put Miguel in a tie with yoga girl who I'm proud to say I called to win the immunity yesterday.

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i noticed that, too. last night, i looked at the sriracha i have in the pantry and it says "chili sauce," which is what lisa said, and they gave her that. i mean, i know that technically, chili paste and chili sauce are different, but that inconsistency kinda bothered me.

[Jensen]

Okay, I rarely watch TV but the re-runs of Top Chef were playing in the background on Sunday afternoon and they lured me into it. After watching the gas station gourmet and microwave epidsodes, I had no choice but to watch on Wednesday night!

Miguel's performance in the junk food taste test (not to mention him interrupting--in Spanish--Stephen's convo with the Latino butcher) redeemed him slightly in my eyes but he just strikes me as being somewhat lacking in integrity. I recall him ripping off Tiffani's Krispy Kreme bread pudding idea from the gas station episode and then throwing Andrea to the lions was not good. He and his little piggy eyes can be booted off anytime (along with Stephen).

I'd thought of the empanada possibility for combining Latino and Japanese. Too bad the food had to be prepared in advance; okonomiyaki might have provided an interesting option as well but I don't think it would hold well.

[jm chen]

I'm annoyed with Miguel for giving all the responsibility to Andrea in the first place, but not for blaming her in front of the judges. If he really thought she was responsible, he should say the things he said: it's not like they were going to throw her off, she had the immunity.

Like I said, though, I think it was a stupid move for him to just do whatever she said in the challenge. She is not a strong chef. As Tom C kept insisting -- why would you listen to a chef who's already been thrown off the show once before!?

[brooklyncook]

Also, I'd like to call the judges out on something, well maybe I would if I truly knew the answer, in the tasting when they had chile paste, and Miguel says Sriracha.  Sriracha, you know the cock on the bottle hot sauce, I was under the impression that it wasn't a brand name but more of a thai word for chili sauce (the bottled stuff is garlicy and it's probably what Miguel was thinking), yeah, not chili paste, but they gave Lisa credit for saying sauce.  Minor, yes, but it would have put Miguel in a tie with yoga girl who I'm proud to say I called to win the immunity yesterday.

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You know, I caught that as well, and thought, "Isn't Sriracha a chili sauce?" Oh well.

Stephen had my apartment-mates in an uproar after he let us know that he was "...in the top three percentile of everything [he does]." WHAT? I won't transcribe our comments, since it'd get my post edited.

Word from my friends who attended a very recent Food & Wine party is that the kicked-off contestants from Top Chef were in attendance. I asked if there was any sign of Stephen. None.

A man can dream.

[coquus]

A man can dream.

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You call that a man? Yeah, I cracked up when I heard that comment as well, he's got the best compliments for himself ever, what rock did he crawl out from under?

[brooklyncook]

A man can dream.

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You call that a man? Yeah, I cracked up when I heard that comment as well, he's got the best compliments for himself ever, what rock did he crawl out from under?

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Actually, I'd meant myself, dreaming that Stephen would be there (thus meaning he'd been kicked off -- a spoiler of sorts?) but there was no sign of His Holy Spikeyness.

[Anonymouze]

I think Harold has a good chance if he remains focused. I can't stand "spikeboy" his attitude of holier than thou makes me want to lose it and smack my t.v. (and thus him more or less! LOL) I am sure that "vegan girl" will probably be one of the next to leave in the next challenge or two because she doesn't always think of what the taste may be for the more mainstream (non-vegan) folks.

I was also watching Bourdain earlier in the evening, I find him mildly amusing especially when frozen and shaken not stirred! -heh- I'd like to see him live in action to see if he's really that "fiery" or is it more for showmanship? But on the other hand I think him seeing a 400 pound woman might drive him to drink a case of Vox or Grey Goose!!!!!

[coquus]

Oh, sorry, brookcook, oh well, I guess I just can't say enough bad about the guy.

I'm looking forward to wed., I have a decent amount of respect for what Q.E. Ted has to say, he seems like a decent person, even though hes made a few false moves on Q. E., his experience on Iron Chef should serve him. I would like to see how he reacts to some of the personalities, and hope he actually tastes all the food. It's time for a little spring cleaning.

[jgm]

I am sure that "vegan girl" will probably be one of the next to leave in the next challenge or two because she doesn't always think of what the taste may be for the more mainstream (non-vegan) folks.  ...

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Looks like you nailed it! I was a little surprised. Although I have not expected her to win, I thought Miguel totally blew it this week. Okay, so he made a mistake with the sorbet. Throwing a hissy fit about it was out of line. His inexperience is showing. I really expected him to be the one. His confrontation with Tiffany was out of line; obviously she's entitled to her opinion, and obviously, she's not a judge. So who cares what she thinks, in the long run? It's no more important than what any other contestant thinks.

I wish Dave could pull his act together. His self-loathing is getting in the way of his talent; IMHO he deserves to have more confidence in himself. A good therapist is needed here.

I think the contest, in the end, will be between Stephen and Tiffany. He's apparently the best cook of the group, and definitely the worst human being. I'll be pretty irritated if he wins.

[Tess]

I feel really limited by not being able to taste the food, but it doesn't look to me like Stephen is clearly better than Lee Anne, and Tiffani may be the best.

That was funny seeing them cook with KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce. I wish they would show more of the downtimes. The junk food challenge was good too.

[Jensen]

Tiffany and Lee Anne seem to me to have more substance than Stephen. I wish Dave wasn't such a crybaby; his food often looks like it is superb but, oh my god, the tears!

[ingridsf]

My money's still on Lee Anne. She's a better leader than Tiffani, much cooler under pressure and she has both strong cooking and management skills. She's not grabbing for attention except byhaving food that tastes good -- Tiffani gets in people's faces. Bleech.

[brooklyncook]

Agreed -- Harold or LeeAnne will take this.

My thoughts on the Miguel v. Tiffani thing:

Miguel did handle himself quite poorly in the kitchen, no question. I don't feel that his asking the other competitors why they felt he should go home was out of line, though -- I think that was okay to ask.

I do NOT feel that Tiffani needed to lie to him. Which she completely did -- telling him that she DIDN'T say he should go home? She said the exact opposite not more than a minute earlier on the show! If she's so die-hard about her beliefs and how to work in a kitchen and all that (which is admirable), why lie to someone that you're sure should be kicked off (and quite possibly would have been)?

My respect for Tiffani dropped tenfold last night.

Andrea...my girlfriend put it best. Does she need to keep mentioning "BM's" every time she discusses her food? Good lord! It was funny once -- but she keeps saying it at the wrong time, i.e. IN FRONT OF THE JUDGES.

[Tess]

Agreed, it was really stupid of Tiffani to deny what she said. They asked contestants to evaluate each other starting with the first episode and there is nothing wrong with saying what you think.

I also thought that as awful as Miguel was, it was time for Andrea to go home. She doesn't have the full package for this contest. She gave them the perfect grounds to throw her out with the cold potato pancake. The salt thing, on the other hand, happened in the kitchen.

It is so hard to predict a winner with this because (as on Project Runway) there is luck involved. With the guest judges for example. Ted was wowed by Stephen's dish but we've all seen him do the same kind of thing several times. It could get a lot more capricious than that too. (I liked Stephen a lot better this time, though.)

[cocoagirl]

What I thought was interesting is that the judges did not pick up on the comment that Andrea several times said she does not care really about winning. This is a contest about being the best chef. Why would she say that. She should bring her best to the table. I would think that would of been the best reason to let her go.

Dave- must stop crying- it is awlful. Harold needs to listen. Steven is growing on me.

[Katie Nell]

Dave- must stop crying- it is awlful.

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Definitely agree, but he's still my favorite personality! And how funny is it in the previews for next week when he says to Tiffani... "Stop treating me like your bitch, Bitch!" My chocolate milk came out of my nose... very painful stuff!

[monavano]

Andrea needs some serious couch time to work out her Freudian poopy obsession! I mean, ya can eat 3 squares at McDonald's and chase it down with a twinkie and guess what?

YOU STILL POOP.

Amazing.

Glad she's gone.

Stephen's food must have tasted good, because the plating was dreadful.

Overall, I think all of the competitors are strong, but as in Project Runway, I'm not voting for the egomaniac to win. He does make for good tv though.

Edited April 13, 2006 by monavano (log)

[Katie Nell]

Andre needs some serious couch time to work out her Freudian poopy obsession! I mean, ya can eat 3 squares at McDonald's and chase it down with a twinkie and guess what?

YOU STILL POOP.

Amazing.

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Yes, Long John Silvers works wonders too!

[Jensen]

Definitely agree, but he's still my favorite personality!  And how funny is it in the previews for next week when he says to Tiffani... "Stop treating me like your bitch, Bitch!" 

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The Spouse watched last night's episode with me for the first time. He loved that clip from next week's episode. (And what's not to love, I ask you?)

A few minutes after the show was over, they started to play it again. Spouse heard the "show noises" the TV was making and came zooming back into the living room to see if it was the next episode. I'm sure he just wanted to see the verbal bitch slapping.

Edited April 13, 2006 by Jensen (log)

[Anonymouze]

I think that unless Miguel pulls his act together he will be the next to go IMHO. If he does manage to pull it together enough I think it will be Dave because he just doesn't act professional enough and even though it's not baseball... and I'm no Tom Hanks - there's no CRYING in "The Kitchen". Save it for your pillow, therapist or your spouse.

Dave has blamed others, had excuses and made mistakes too many times to be a "professional" or "Top Chef". You work under pressure in a restaurant environment ESPECIALLY the kitchen so as the saying goes....

(groaning)

If you can't stand the HEAT get out of the Kitchen!

How can you serve a Latke cold? UGH. See you after the next episode(s) maybe.

[viaChgo]

I've officially gotten sucked into this show. I think Dave is the next to go. He doesn't have the same chops as the others and thus far, he's been a bit of a train wreck emotionally. He may be able to tur out tasty food but so can any number of those who post here. He lacks the organization and leadership to run a kitchen.

On another note, I've really enjoyed reading Tom Collichio's blog on bravotv.com, as well as Gail Simmons'. It's a great companion to the tv episodes. There's a lot of insight and perspective that doesn't fit into the episodes. For example, Tom noted that he did not think Stephen's clams & sea beans should have won the immunity challenge and he wasn't totally on board with last week's Quickfire tasting challenge either.

[LEdlund]

I'd fallen behind on my TC viewing so I watched the last two episodes last night.

OMG, I have the biggest crush on Harold! Yes, he's arrogant but he can also be very sweet. I thought it was great that he never blamed Lisa for leaving the jicama behind, even though it was clear it was her fault. And he was very gracious to her when she was eliminated. That said, what a stooopid decision to serve seared ahi salad. I was surprised by Harold's lack of street smarts on that one. I thought that Stephen and Tiffani's cubano sandwich looked great!

Seeing Stephen dressed like that giving out street food was funny; maybe he does have a bit of a sense of humor about himself after all.

See, I can't decide if he does or not. It almost feels like this is a persona that he has chosen to take on and he is just playing a role. Whatever it is, it sure is a train-wreck and I love watching it!

I couldn't decide if Tiffani was lying to Miguel or just playing the semantic's game. Did Tom ask who should be the next to go or did he ask who was the weakest in the challenge? I can't remember.

I like Ted from QE and I liked what he had to say during the show. He certainly pulled no punches! I especially liked it when he said something like "Andrea's food would have been better if she cooked it in a stick of butter". Cracked me up. Andrea was the right person to go. She is totally not up to par with the rest of the folks. I predict Miguel will be the next to go. I have faith that Dave will pull himself together. I thought it was so funny that they cut to him crying everytime someone mentioned stress in the kitchen. Poor guy. I did think that Stephen showed a lot of class by helping Harold with dessert. I also think he did it because he respects Harold. I can't imagine him doing that if Andrea was on dessert. I can't wait for next week!

Lauren

[Grub]

Andrea -- when the judges try to inspire the contestants with words like "sinful," your best strategy is probably not to shill rabbit food and the benefits of taking a really nice dump... In the words of the Danish poet Piet Hein, "People who knows what's best // Rides the world like a pest" -- or, of course, there's Julia: "I just hate health food."

Edit: There's something rotten in the state of my Danish translations.

Edited April 15, 2006 by Grub (log)