Top Chef

[mmm_chocolate]

Yeah...I was relishing in the "boo-hoo" moment too, Deveaux! Oh, poor you, who was incorrectly and inexplicably let through not once but TWICE to get to the end round. In my opinion, she didn't deserve to be in the final two, a fact that I hope she realizes when she watches the last few episodes. And I just kept thinking, "Too bad Tiffini, but...what goes around comes around."

How funny was it that Stephen and Dave were all hungover and drinking in the kitchen?? She deserved that too!

Edited May 25, 2006 by mmm_chocolate (log)

[robert40]

Anyone think all that drinking was a bit strange? Maybe I've forgetting my youth but come on.... Speaking for myself if I was competing for $100.000 and started pounding them down I would not have a chance in hell.

And that wine glass on the line! I would have flipped too as not only is it not the appropriate time but if that glass broke every bit of the mis-en-place and the chance of winning would have been history.

Congratulations to Harold and truly hope his restaurant becomes a reality.

Edited May 25, 2006 by robert40 (log)

[cocoagirl]

although any amount of drinking does not shock me when it comes to restaurant work (been there done that) - I was surprised to Harold nipping at the bottle - for the cameras to see.

Although there is alot of dishonesty out there, it was pretty shocking to see it revealed so openly when Tiffani took credit for daves dessert

It seems that the editing/producers really wanted to showcase Dave's talent with food without actually making him the top chef - which also allowed for the final showdown between Harold and Tiffani

[mmm_chocolate]

although any amount of drinking does not  shock me when it comes to restaurant work (been there done that) - I was surprised to Harold nipping at the bottle - for the cameras to see.

Although there is alot of dishonesty out there, it was pretty shocking to see it revealed so openly when Tiffani took credit for daves dessert

It seems that the editing/producers really wanted to showcase Dave's talent with food without actually making him the top chef - which also allowed for the final showdown between Harold and Tiffani

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Agreed....I'd be really mad if I were Dave. They keep praising his food, and his desserts they just went on and on about. I would feel like, "Well, that's great that you think I'm the best, too bad it didn't play any sort of role in your decision to send me home." It's like they felt bad for not picking him and were trying to let him know how great he is. But it's kind of like salt in a wound.

Honestly though, I think that Dave will do great based on his exposure on this show. And even though he didn't get to the top two, the judges had so many good things to say about him...he'ss probably do better than Tiffini.

[Jensen]

This week's blogs from Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons are very insightful and address a number of the issue mentioned here:

Top Chef Blogs

[Tess]

I'm glad to see Tom standing up for Tiffani a little bit. She may be a bitch on wheels for all I know, but I think they went overboard in making her the bad guy.

[TrishCT]

I haven't seen the final episode yet, but from what I understand, Dave and Stephen were paired with Tiffani, they were drinking, and Dave was unccoperative.

This is a bit sad. Isn't it a fact that in the cooking world you are often going to have work under a chef you don't personally like? This is what being professional is all about. I look forward to watching the finale at some point, but I feel this was a lost opportunity for Dave to shine. Quel domage.

[Nina C.]

I saw Harold on the Today Show this morning, he talked about his new restaurant called "Perilla". A quick google reveals that he's going into business with the former GM of Red Cat. Guess with the breakdown of that group of restaurants, she saw it a good idea to jump ship.

Does anyone know how to make Tiffani's artichoke "risotto"? I love artichokes - I'm guessing these are really slow braised artichoke hearts? All the chefs were raving about them so much.

[Holly Moore]

It is good that Harold won. He has the skill set including team building. Any chef who can not inspire employees will not last long. I also had a problem with Tiffani's answer that she cooks for herself, not her customers.

My greatest problem though was with Dave and Stephen. Getting drunk the night before and showing up drunk for the final cookoff - immature, disloyal and totally unprofessional. In real life they would have been fired on the spot. I lost any respect or appreciation I might have had for either Dave or Stephen.

[Katie Nell]

Another thing that I thought was weird... Tiffani's dual menu... when she first talked about it, I thought that every guest would get a dual plate, but it seemed as if every other guest got a different plate. This doesn't really make sense to me. I could see if I were at a table with my b.f. and we shared back and forth, but I think that would be a little weird at a table with people you don't know as well. And what if you were jealous of what your next door neighbor has? This just didn't make sense to me at all.

Edited May 25, 2006 by Katie Nell (log)

[hsm]

It is good that Harold won.  He has the skill set including team building.  Any chef who can not inspire employees will not last long.  I also had a problem with Tiffani's answer that she cooks for herself, not her customers. 

My greatest problem though was with Dave and Stephen.  Getting drunk the night before and showing up drunk for the final cookoff - immature, disloyal and totally unprofessional.  In real life they would have been fired on the spot.  I lost any respect or appreciation I might have had for either Dave or Stephen.

←

No doubt after the first drink, they thought their 'revenge' would be so clever. So bitter, instead. I've never cared for Tiffani, but boys, you made me mad making me feel bad for her. And looking that unprofessional when any future employers are watching? Dumb.

Tiffani was classically not getting it right through the end. Cooking for herself will make her happy - in her house. Not in the back of anyone elses. And I could not for the life of me understand her comment about how her back just found Harold's knife. Except for the part where she doesn't take any responsibility for her actions or their consequences.

And can someone pass me a taste of Dave's desserts?

[liamdc]

The ending was inevitable.  Tiffani does not work well and play with others.  She can't lead because she's an abrasive bitch.  Not a single one of her colleagues had her back because they were tired of her stabbing them in theirs.

The most s-s-s-s-stunning example of hoisting herself on her petard was when she tried to take credit for Dave's dessert that he so graciously allowed her to use.  She flat out lied (AGAIN!!) and got busted for it.  She obviously doesn't even learn from her own past mistakes.  Miguel had her number a while ago.  She's a snake.  This time she threw herself under the bus by lying and trying to take credit for someone else's hard work.  Although this type of national exposure might be a good thing for most of the contestants, I think Tiff has revealed far too much about her character, or lack thereof, to get any offers for work after all this.

Congratulations to Harold.  He demonstrated himself to be Top Chef in every regard.

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Amen, Katie. I agree with all your points.

And I strongly agree with Holly's comment a couple of posts up about the unprofessionalism of Stephen & Dave showing up late & drunk. I understand why they didn't have Tiffani's back in the end, but this isn't acceptable behavior by any stretch.

I am truly pleased that harold won. Of all of the contestants, I think he's got the variety of skills that make him the most likely to be successful with the $100,000 prize in actually opening a restaurant. Am I correct that Tiffani would have used the money to travel and pay off debts--not to open a restaurant?

[Katie Nell]

Am I correct that Tiffani would have used the money to travel and pay off debts--not to open a restaurant?

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Yes, correct as usual King Friday, and she cried while saying it too!

[Zeemanb]

Perhaps this is a better question over on the wine board, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience w/Bracco wines? Just curious how long they have been around because from the sound of it last night they produce it all......Amarone, Barolo, Brunello, etc.

[DeVeaux]

Perhaps "cooking for herself" is why Tiffani is a server now, not a chef.

The roller derby might be a better fit for her talents and personality.

[jason32]

My greatest problem though was with Dave and Stephen.  Getting drunk the night before and showing up drunk for the final cookoff - immature, disloyal and totally unprofessional.  In real life they would have been fired on the spot.  I lost any respect or appreciation I might have had for either Dave or Stephen.

←

Holly, I agree with you on this point to a certain extent...was it the wisest thing to go out and get drunk the night before? No, probably not. However, it did not seem to affect their performance in the kitchen, evidenced by Dave's dessert which drew raves from all. Also, whether its right or not (not), at the least I think its understandable when an "employee" (Dave and Stephen) is not motivated to perform at his peak for a boss (Tiffani) who doesn't garner the employee's respect. Her treatment of her fellow competitors along with all the lying makes their behavior somewhat understandable. The greater motivation should have been the fact that this was playing out on national TV and may impact the direction of their careers in their chosen industry.

[Tess]

Am I correct that Tiffani would have used the money to travel and pay off debts--not to open a restaurant?

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The traveling sounded like an excellent idea for Tiffani. Maybe she could have worked in some different restaurants around the world. All they said about the money was that it's to "jump=start" your career and that might do it for her. Paying off debts, on the other hand, does not sound like what they had in mind.

[Holly Moore]

Jason32 said:

Holly, I agree with you on this point to a certain extent...was it the wisest thing to go out and get drunk the night before? No, probably not. However, it did not seem to affect their performance in the kitchen, evidenced by Dave's dessert which drew raves from all. Also, whether its right or not (not), at the least I think its understandable when an "employee" (Dave and Stephen) is not motivated to perform at his peak for a boss (Tiffani) who doesn't garner the employee's respect. Her treatment of her fellow competitors along with all the lying makes their behavior somewhat understandable. The greater motivation should have been the fact that this was playing out on national TV and may impact the direction of their careers in their chosen industry.

Dave and Stephen had three choices once the teams were set.

Most admirable: Make the best of an unpleasant situation and perform at the best of their professional ability.

Admirable: Refuse the assignment. Walk. Stephen can't really do this as he volunteered to work with Tiffani.

Least Admirable: Show up drunk, not commit yourself fully, talk behind the chef's back.

[robert40]

Win or lose a major part of the industry had their eye on the contestants. And their actions could very well reflect which doors may be opened or closed.

Actually the prize money may have been a fraction of the reward compared to the exposure in the long run.

[ronnie_suburban]

Am I correct that Tiffani would have used the money to travel and pay off debts--not to open a restaurant?

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The traveling sounded like an excellent idea for Tiffani. Maybe she could have worked in some different restaurants around the world. All they said about the money was that it's to "jump=start" your career and that might do it for her. Paying off debts, on the other hand, does not sound like what they had in mind.

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OTOH, $100k won't go very far toward opening a place, especially in NYC.

=R=

[Tess]

OTOH, $100k won't go very far toward opening a place, especially in NYC.

=R=

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No kidding. Another reason why using the money for educational purposes seems like a smart idea.

[Eatmywords]

Maybe this was discussed upthread but why was Lorraine Bracco a judge? What are her culinary accomplishments? She added nothing. All I attribute to her is very bad acting which slows the Sopranos down to a snail's pace.

[ronnie_suburban]

Maybe this was discussed upthread but why was Lorraine Bracco a judge?  What are her culinary accomplishments?  She added nothing.  All I attribute to her is very bad acting which slows the Sopranos down to a snail's pace.

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She owns the winery from which wines for the final dinners were sourced.

=R=

[hungryCAT]

CONGRATS, HAROLD!!

Yeah, what's up with Tiffini's statement "MY back just found your knife, Harold" ??

He didn't do anything to her!! She has no one to thank but herself for her bad luck.

[paigebrown]

On "Dave's desserts" - I've gotta stick up for Tiffani. For one, I got really sick of hearing Dave say bitch - not many people are so free with the word without having used too freely.

On another - she shouldn't have taken credit for the dessert, but again who's idea was the cocktails? Am I supposed to be wowed that drunken Dave memorized a Panna Cotta recipe? And his plates always looked like caca and they didn't this time.

And, why care so much about Dave's desserts but not mention that the favorite dish harold brought out - meat 2 ways, was from Miguel. A fact Tom C mentioned early on but then was never mentioned.