Top Chef - S5E2 Postmortem

"I'm not sure it explains why they'd be such difficult critics. Other chefs, I think, having been on the firing line themselves, tend to prefer to be supportive rather than critical."

Shows what I know.

Well, I had Ariane's banner halfway done when Jill got the dreaded PPYKAG (and then it took me 20 minutes to get a decent screenshot of Jill because she wouldn't keep her farking head still in the exit interview... but I digress). Going to be very curious to hear what the blogs have to say this week. My suspicion is this is one of those episodes where a lot of criticism was left on the editing room floor to maintain suspense. Somebody at the table -- don't remember who -- mentioned that the quiche tasted like glue, to general agreement.

Can't say I was terribly enthused about Jill, but I did think she'd hang on a little longer than this.

Thoughts?

Comments

[kit]

I think that you were not invited should have been a sign that the guests weren't food critics/bloggers :)

Perhaps your generalization about chefs being more supportive than critical is true of chefs in general, but here we're dealing with that subset of chefs who want to be on a reality show competition, where being an arrogant jerk can actually engender quite the fanbase (yes, I was a huge fan of Hung).

Also, is this the first time they had something like that strange Leah/Hosea flirtation interlude? I have to be more careful when fastforwarding through the commercials...

Thanks for the power-rankings, I look forward to them as much as I look forward to the show!

[anon man]

Ariane's restaurant isn't bad, and she claimed this was something served in the place (presumably with half the sugar), so I suspect there was something redeeming about it. But come on, the "er, um, I thought you know, golly, food tasty, eggs, cool.... er, um, yum, sorry, er, um... and then I... thank you" defense from Jill was something a stoned person would say. Terrible. Top Chef should be able defend a dish even if poorly executed.

[Wangus]

In defense of the chef/patrons: It did seem like out of the reportedly 50 unchoosen NY chefs, only a handful (maybe a dozen) were given voices and only a small portion of that (like 5?) gave really scathing/obviously jealous or camera-preening comments. My read of this is that the rest of the chefs probably had very standard, honest comments on the food.

I'm sad to see the Baltimore girl go, but seriously, Gail's comment on her terrible attempt to defend herself was spot on. While quite possibly a sweet intelligent chef in real life, she seemed like an incompetent idiot on TV, editing be damned. Step up! I've already gotten e-mails from friends across the country now mocking Baltimore due to her ousting! I need Cindy Wolf to go to this show.

I'm almost cheering for Ariane to do better next week because I have a gut feeling she's better than she's been showing. Unfortunately for her, I just don't think she has the mentality and nerve to do well on this kind of show rather than not having the food chops.

Looking forward to the rankings.

[Jason]

well, the rankings should definitely change a bit next week.

[Skillet Doux]

"Also, is this the first time they had something like that strange Leah/Hosea flirtation interlude? I have to be more careful when fastforwarding through the commercials..."

Yup. You haven't missed anything. I sense an irritating storyline developing.

"My read of this is that the rest of the chefs probably had very standard, honest comments on the food."

Oh, probably so.

"While quite possibly a sweet intelligent chef in real life, she seemed like an incompetent idiot on TV, editing be damned."

She's more articulate in her exit interview, but it's clear that she just doesn't get it at all.

"well, the rankings should definitely change a bit next week."

Absolutely! I like a little volatility in the early part of the season. Keeps things interesting. We'll let everybody settle into their spots and have to fight for every notch in a few weeks :-)

[Dan]

I agree with everything the rest of you said - if the judges had any doubt at after the food, her lame defense sealed the deal for her.

One thing that really bothered me though: Ariane's little breakdown at the end. I understand that she was really scared because it was almost her. But it wasn't her. It was Jill, and rather than allow Jill to take the comfort-spotlight, she instead tried to make it all about her.

Perhaps this was purposeful, and perhaps not. However, it would have been appropriate to purposely hold yourself together for another hour or so and defer the emotional spotlight to the person most deserving of it: our little stoner friend Jill.

[Tony]

It was Jill's defense, or lack thereof, that did it for me. Then again, claiming that you thought your dish was among the winners when in fact it was one of the worst is pretty crappy, too (don't remember the chef's name off the top of my head - the only guy on the chopping block this week)
does anyone know how to make the "olives" that Fabio made for his carpaccio dish? I'd love to know!

[David]

This was an interesting episode, indeed. In some ways it paralleled last weeks episode, in that it require some chefs to cook something outside of their element--the hot dog. Naturally, the big deal was Stefan landing in the bottom 3, and being told his "world dog" wasn't worth traveling to find. Oops!

I found myself in agreement with Tom Colicchio. I didn't find the dishes to be very exciting or innovative. It seems like Jamie, Carla, and Fabio were the top three purely on taste. Jamie's soup sounded like it was delicious. I love a good pastry, and it sounds like Carla did well--in spite of her concerns. Some will say carpaccio is a lazy-man's dish, but done well it's a beautiful, tasty thing.

Here's the catch 22 for Jill. Go with something you know how to cook, and you're hit for playing it self. Go with something you don't know, an ostrich egg, and run the risk of going down in flames. I would think this early in the competition, it would be better to go with something you know and cook it well, then trying to get a little too creative and underwhelm. I suspect Jill, as are a lot of contestants who get the PPYKAG, is better than what we saw. Unfortunately, it's a week-to-week confirmation that you're only as good as your last dish. Stand by it or cue the exit interview.

Dan. The recipe for carpaccio is on Bravo's site. (They post the winning elimination challenge recipe each week.)

[DebbyT]

Tasted like glue...looked like dog food, I believe!

[Skillet Doux]

"Heres the catch 22 for Jill. Go with something you know how to cook, and youre hit for playing it self. Go with something you dont know, an ostrich egg, and run the risk of going down in flames. I would think this early in the competition, it would be better to go with something you know and cook it well, then trying to get a little too creative and underwhelm."

That's exactly what she kept repeating in her exit interview, and I'm going to just repeat myself on Monday, but here's my problem with her assessment. You used an ostrich egg. Big F-ing deal! It's cool that you're cracking a football sized egg, but once it's out, it's functionally equivalent to a chicken egg. It doesn't add anything to the dish. Doesn't change its flavor. Doesn't change its texture. There are only two reasons do it -- you think it's easier than cracking 20 chicken eggs, or you want to be able to say, "Look at me! I used an ostrich egg!" And I suspect the judges might respect if you fall short trying to do something new and different, but she made quiche that would have been exactly the same had she used chicken eggs, and acted as though that made her wildly innovative. Does she expect bonus points for using square watermelons to make a watermelon salad? Just dumb. Now, if she'd made a family-style dish centered around a giant sunny side up egg... now THAT would have been a creative and innovative use of an ostrich egg. It would have been totally inappropriate for this challenge, and I have no idea how you could pull that off (I doubt Top Chef kitchen stocks 36" spatulas), but you take my point.

[Kevin Devine]

My Father-in-law is now convinced that Ariane will get the Lisa-effect and last until the finals. Twice on the chopping block and twice narrowly avoiding PPYKAG. She is going all the way!

[Jason]

A few observations...

From what I've read here and other places, it seems Jeff is pretty talented, but it looks to me like he's got a problem with timing. I wonder if that's going to haunt him sooner rather than later.

Even with the poor showing in the quickfire (which actually looked good to me), I still think Stefan is #1 in my (considerably less informed) power rankings.

Hosea is one of my early favorites, but I get worried when a chef shows tunnel vision and can't make the obvious decision to switch from crab to something else when there is no fresh crab available. If watching Top Chef has taught me anything, it's that you've got to be willing to adjust to a Plan B when the situation calls for it.

[DaveP]

I suspect she had no idea that an ostrich egg was functionally identical (maybe a bit higher protein content?) to a chicken egg. This would be consistent with her appalling performance at judges' table, which really sealed her doom--I'm thinking is she defended her "vision" better, Ariane would've been sent home. Either way, she wasn't long for the show, though neither is Ariane (did they show her on the chopping block again in the previews?).

[kit]

If I had to conjure up a previous contestant Ariane most reminds me of, I would go for Nikki - playing it safe but perhaps not the most talented. So now I'm wondering if Ariane will go farther than expected by exploiting that same strategy of playing it safe, and letting risk-takers bomb out before her, until finally at some episode she gets PPYKAG exactly for playing it too safe.

[Bill]

I felt bad for Jill but what can you do, she was a bundle of nerves.
I didn't think Fabio's winning dish looked all that great but I'm looking forward to trying his restaurant as it's only about 15 miles from my house.
My early season dark horse is Radhika.

[Joanna]

For what it's worth, they were shopping in my Whole Foods, and I get tempted by those ostrich eggs every single time I'm there. They are so big! They look so fake! I am intrigued! (I do not want to spend $40 for one egg!)

Luckily, I know now that I don't have to bother with them, since Jill sort of dispelled the mystery. I think she made three mistakes: 1) thinking that an interesting ingredient would make her stand out, even though the final dish didn't reflect or display her ingredient choice in any way, 2) choosing a boring dish (quiche) to make with the ingredient, and 3) making her boring dish poorly. It's one thing to play it safe and make a quiche, and another thing if you can't even execute a simple dish.

I also really don't think Ariane is long for this competition. Her head is not in the right place AT ALL. At the start of the challenge, weren't a bunch of chefs clamoring to make dessert? It seemed like they all chose their course and no one was forced to make something they didn't want to, but Ariane had this resigned attitude the entire time. "Well, I guess I got stuck with dessert, so I'll try to make this, since I have to..."

And I HATED how she made everyone try her dish, ignored their feedback, and then told them that if the judges didn't like it, it would be on their heads. NO. YOU MADE THE DISH. YOU STAND BY THE DISH. These people are your competitors, and you have to take everything they say with a grain of salt, and a few of them did say that it was too sweet. She decided it was good enough anyway because she didn't want to redo it. That attitude and mindset is not going to get you anywhere in this show.

[kit]

"At the start of the challenge, werent a bunch of chefs clamoring to make dessert? It seemed like they all chose their course and no one was forced to make something they didnt want to, but Ariane had this resigned attitude the entire time."

Fabio mentions in his blog that he actually wanted to make dessert, but there were too many chefs that wanted to do dessert, which is how he ended up doing an appetizer instead (and winning!).

[Skillet Doux]

"For what its worth, they were shopping in my Whole Foods..."

Hey, Joanna... do you mind sharing which WF that is? May come in handy down the line (did last season :-).

[Magi]

I agree that Jill went down for her lack of defense. It probably didn't help that she was on the bottom for the quick-fire. I'm sure that Donatella and Padma would have that thought in the back of their mind when judging. I also agree that Ariane doesn't seem to have the emotional stability to handle this competition. Her lack of self-confidence is going to be her Achille's heel.

[Joanna]

Haha, of course - it's the Whole Foods in Manhattan, on the corner of Houston and Bowery (usually referred to as the Bowery WF). I'm a little upset that they've finished filming already, at least in New York, otherwise I'd be staking out the store to get a sneak peek! (Uh, which is probably why they finish filming before they start airing the show in the first place...)

How did knowing where they shop come in handy last year? Can't seem to remember.

[Skillet Doux]

During the whole Polish sausage kerfuffel, I called the WF in Chicago to confirm that they did, in fact, sell fresh in-house coarse grind Polish sausage.

http://www.skilletdoux.com/2008/04/top-chef-powe-3.html

[=R=]

Having tasted ostrich eggs before, I think they're actually kind of funky-tasting and it wouldn't surprise me if its use actually was a detriment to the quiche.

Also, I can't remember the exact details but I had a tonka-bean based dessert at Alinea once, a few years back. Pretty sure the whole bean was part of the dish.

=R=

[Polybus]

"I'm not sure it explains why they'd be such difficult critics. Other chefs, I think, having been on the firing line themselves, tend to prefer to be supportive rather than critical."

I think you are correct, at least about chefs that have been eliminated during the competition. You can see in every show how the chopping block affects everyone deeply, but those who have had to wilt before Tom, Padma, Gail and the guest judge have had to look their own failure directly in the eyes - and something tells me that you don't get over that quickly.

Since the guest chefs were denied participation long before the cameras started rolling, I just don't think that they could appreciate that little hell that every eliminated chef faces on the chopping block. On the other hand, I believe that once you've been there, the capacity for sympathy rises dramatically.

One other note: if I presented a dish to Padma and she actually had to spit it out, I might commit hari-kari right there in front of the camera. Now THAT would make for interesting TV and would be an alternative to PPYKAG.

Certainly, I think the least that Ariane should have done would be to apologize. How about some common courtesy?

[canasian]

"If I had to conjure up a previous contestant Ariane most reminds me of, I would go for Nikki"

Well, theydid have similar preseason records - owner and chef of a restaurant, but more on the owner end. Food not that interesting, but generally good reviews. For what it's worth, I've been to her restaurant. Bland, overcooked entree, and I had the mereingue martini. It was, well, not very original(crustless lemon pudding with a brulee'd marshmallow topping... Stop the press!), but it wasn't sweet to the point of inedibility. I'd still have her in the basement because of her nerves and attitude.

[Adam]

I think it's a bit unfair to Nikki to compare her to Ariane. Nikki was boring and one-note, but she stayed in the game by avoiding big screw-ups. And when called on to do something she was familiar with (like lasagne in the first episode) she usually delivered. By contrast, Ariane has put out dishes with major technical errors in both elimination challenges. I don't think she will be around much longer.

[kit]

Adam - That is a very good point. I think I forgot about Nikki's early successes after watching what seemed like 20 episodes too many of her sticking around for some reason.

As for Ariane, I am having a hard time understanding her motivation or seeing her passion. I mean it must take some love of cooking and food to be successful in the restaurant business (I'm guessing?), but her attitude towards each challenge just seems to be doing barely enough to squeak by. Other contestants have often shown excitement about challenges or the dishes they are creating, but after 3 cooking challenges I have yet to see that from her. Instead, she seems rather like a deer-in-the-headlights, over making a hot dog. I feel for her, because personally I do not do well in hyper-competitive, pressure-filled environments, but that is why I am not going to enter any reality tv competitions any time soon.

[Herb]

You have to wonder if these guys actually saw any of the previous seasons. Why would Hosea, by all accounts a good chef, use canned crab? Didn't he see what the heck happened to Spike last season when he used the frozen scallops? If you can't taste it or smell it, don't use it.

[Jim D.]

Ariane is on the wrong reality show - she seems much more like one of those numbed chefs sending out microwaved dishes that Gordon Ramsey parachutes in to save on his 'Kitchen Nightmares' show.

[Jake]

A few comments (caught the show last night -- hooray Tivo):

1) The failed applicants need not all be actual good chefs. They could be anybody who applied to be on the show. A few of the harsher comments appeared to be brazen attempts to get on camera and have 3 seconds of fame, too. That said, it's not like most of us aren't doing the same thing in criticizing dishes, and we don't even get to taste them.

Plus they have to realize that the producers aren't simply picking the 17 best chefs to be on the show -- they need a mix of styles, personalities, hometowns, etc. to create a compelling show. There's a big luck element in getting selected for shows like this, too.

2) The difference between Hosea and Jill is that Hosea had a very clear idea in mind when he went to the store, and Jill seemed to show up and try to figure out something cool on the fly. The former approach works way better when you have such limited time. Of course, Hosea should have been able to change gears on the fly when the only available crab was in a can.

3) What the hell kind of Whole Foods doesn't have any fresh crab? I mean, ostrich eggs, but no crab? Not even tacky buffet-style king crab legs?

4) I don't think Ariane was trying to steal the spotlight. I think she genuinely is out of her element. She admitted that she's made this very dessert many times before, and after realizing it was too sweet, decided not to remake it ... it's not an indictment of her skills as a chef to say she's ill-suited for this competition.

5) I am amused by Leah's "I like having a boyfriend" plotline. I don't mind a minute or so of that in an episode.

6) The European dudes are looking pretty strong, huh?

[David]

Is it me, or did the seafood guy in Whole Foods appear not to even know what Dungeness Crab was?

According the website for Ariane's restaurant, her husband is a pastry chef. Maybe he makes all the desserts and Ariane was not as familiar with the set up. Just a thought.

I do find the new format for coming to the judge's table interesting. No one knows who's high or low. It definitely keeps a level of drama and intrigue to that part of the show.

[Rabrab]

My bet on the ostrich egg tasting like glue is that it wasn't very fresh. Somehow I doubt that there's a lot of turnover in stock with ostrich eggs.

I also really like that they've started pulling the high- and low-placers out together rather than telegraphing to the chefs which group they're in.

[Travis]

On Whole Food's not having fresh crab:

I fell into the same trap as Hosea a few months ago. I was jonesing for a Mario Batali pasta with crab recipe and went to the Whole Foods a few blocks from my house (in the SF Bay Area) and astonishingly found the same lack of fresh crab and ended up paying $18 for the same 8oz can of crab that Hosea did and it was a total bust. Just terrible. As soon as i opened the can and smelled it, i knew. When he picked up the can in the episode my GF and i were just yelling at the tv. Pretty damn funny.

I haven't followed up to see if the larger WF a few miles away (where i buy my fish) has fresh crab, guess i should check that out. Anyone else run into the same problem?

[jesster]

"I fell into the same trap as Hosea a few months ago. I was jonesing for a Mario Batali pasta with crab recipe and went to the Whole Foods a few blocks from my house (in the SF Bay Area) and astonishingly found the same lack of fresh crab.."-Travis

Travis, I also live in the SF bay area. The reason that you could not find fresh crab is because the season for dungeness crab just started a week ago. You can now find fresh or "steamed at sea, kept on ice" crab for about $7/lb (at least where I shop at on the East Bay)...and the crab is quite good. However, I heard on the news the other day that the crabbing season has not gone well, so you should expect an increase in prices. I guess the crab have not recovered from the oil spill last season.

[David M]

Yes, for sure that is the Whole Foods on Houston Street between 2nd ave. and 3rd ave.

Now - I have been in that SPECIFIC Whole Foods and had to get that SAME crab Hosea got. I used it to make a Thai-style crab cake, and it wasn't THAT bad. But the crab cake I made had a lot of additional seasoning to mask the flavor (lime juice, panko, oyster sauce, fish sauce, kaffir lime, etc.). Hosea's dish seemed like the crab was more naked - not a great choice on his part. But really - his dish was far and above the other bottom 2.

Ariane is killing me. And I'm rooting for her because she's on my Top Chef fantasy team (third round pick). Why is she complaining that she has to make dessert when SHE PICKED TO DO DESSERT!

And what's with so many chefs WANTING to do dessert? That was bizarre.

And can anybody answer me if it HAD to be 5 apps, 5 entrees, 5 desserts - was this part of the rules or did it just organically work out that way? Seems like for a lunch menu like Craft, 6 -6 -3 would have made more sense.

In defense of Ariane - her dish the first week looked pretty darn good - that lamb was cooked perfectly. But she's making stupid mental errors like using an ingredient she's never cooked before (farro) and then choosing to make dessert when it's not her forte!

I cannot understand at THIS stage of the competition why chefs are picking anything but dishes they have 100% confidence in. Now is NOT the time to pick black rice noodles you've never seen before when you want an udon consistency - PICK UDON for god's sake!

Fabio's carpaccio (another guy on my team) seems like he benefitted from a weak field. Because let's face it - other than pounding some filet mignon and doing some weird things with pureed olives, he really just threw a bunch of good flavors together. And I'm concerned with his presentation in general - looked kind of sloppy to me.

I must say overall, however - this is shaping up to be a great TC season - and not just because I'm from NYC. Lee Ann is also in her element here, and it's showing with her choices of challenge so far. Big Apple challenge - head to head neighborhood - reinvent the hot dog - take over Craft... the only problem might be they're setting the bar too high too early!

[=R=]

Regarding the top 3/bottom 3 at Judge's Table, it's a carry-over from Bravo's Project Runway, although I seem to remember it being used on Top Chef before, too. I thought it worked very well and led to a bit more suspense . . . for the participants and the viewers.

=R=

[Skillet Doux]

To weigh in on the crab thing, I'm on Baltimore's waterfront -- no more crabby place than that -- and though it isn't something I've looked for there, I'm in the Whole Foods two blocks from our place almost every day, and I only recall seeing fresh crabmeat once or twice.

The problem is that Phillips (which now has something like 80% or a similarly absurd share of the US crab market), with their canned pasteurized crabmeat from Asia, has developed a product that isn't going to satisfy people who know and care about crab, but is JUST good enough for everybody else, and the convenience trumps all.

[rf]

Although i think TC is the best show on tv right now, i would love one change to the format. Blind the judges to who is making what dish, at least early on in the show. There was no reason why the judges had to know who made what dish, (outside of tom knowing due to expediting). I really wonder how much bias plays in the show. In fact, i would bet if the judges had to choose who guys based on the food only, Padma's regurging the lemon suprise would have been the death knell to ariane. It is really easy to do and I would believe more that the show is "only" about the food.

[Joanna]

Quick Whole Foods update: I went earlier today and passed by the seafood counter, and there was a nice display of fresh whole Dungeness crabs.

Guess Hosea was just 3-4 months early...

(Also, they seemed to be out of stock of ostrich eggs.)