Top Chef - S5E12 Postmortem

Aaaaaaaaaand, there was much rejoicing.

As mentioned, I had hoped Leah was going to make the finals, but I realize I was in a significant minority in that regard.

That said, hoooooooo buddy, a nailbiter. It seemed clear that Leah was going, but I know I wasn't the only one who was sweating. That was a little too close to total disaster for my tastes.

I'll let you guys comment for a while and jump in later.

Oh... and what I said about Carla's chances of making the final final final and that New Orleans couldn't be any more squarely in her wheelhouse? Looks like it's a catering challenge. So apparently, it can.

Discuss!

UPDATE : I'd just like to add to Fabio's chicken discussion by saying there's perfect, and then there's PERFECT. Sounds like his fell in the latter category. I agree, I'm glad to see him go in on a win, but it took him getting something he could rock up and down at just the right time and I'm not sure it means much other than his grandmother made one amazing roast chicken. Sounds like he really caught a break (ha!).

Comments

[aaalex]

The moment that frightened me most was when Stefan, finally, responded to Hosea saying "Hosea doesn't have the balls to be top chef". Stefan sounded angry, so I wondered if he'd been sent home. This was the first time Stefan responded in kind too Hosea, so it feels as if Hosea is getting to Stefan, not the other way around. Glad that Leah went home, but it felt like it could be Stefan.

Wasn't that impressed with either of the front runners, though. The squab was okay, but simple. The chicken was okay, but it was roast chicken. Not difficult. Hard to tell how good either Carla or Fabio actually is from the dishes they cooked tonight.

[karenology]

I agree with the person who commented on the last thread - the editors are so cruel! Just based on the episode alone, I was sure Stefan was going home. I'm happy at the outcome, of course, but I'm still waiting for Tom's blog to show up so that I can get the insight that wasn't revealed in the show.

[canasian]

And creative editing rears its ugly head to try and make us believe that the three passably good and largely redeemable dishes became crimes to the palate in the time it took to drive from the restaurant to Judges' Table.

Well, I, like Dom, would rather have Leah in the finals than Fabio, but if he had to make it, at least he made it by winning and not barely sliding through.

[madge]

In regards to the first finale challenge being catering, it might be an advantage for Stefan and Carla, but it's somewhat of a tradition from past seasons. In Season 4, the final three were determined by catering that party at the Puerto Rican governor's mansion (or similar). That's when Dale left Stephanie's pork out all night, but saved the day with the chicharrones. I think season 2 also had a catering challenge in the finale -- I'm remembering Marcel making some kind of pineapple "poi."

[aaalex]

Also: loved Fabio, as usual. But is it me or does Wylie Dufresne seem like a self-satisfied and arrogant d*ckhead?

[Independent George]

Quick thoughts:

1. Is it me, or did Leah look relieved to be eliminated?
2. As soon as Stefan said Hosea didn't have the balls to win, I was convinced he was gone. Thankfully, I was wrong.
3. Is anybody else getting annoyed with Hosea's obsession with Stefan? It's not quite on the level of Ilan/Marcel, but it's still irritating. I think it demonstrates a lot of insecurity. I think it would have been way funnier if Stefan were just completely oblivious to his challenges, instead of needling him.
4. I absolutely loved the elimination challenge.
5. How the heck do the judges eat that much food without exploding? I think I would have been full after the Eggs Benedict, regardless of how thin the hollandaise was.

[Jason]

Holy cow...I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I'll add more tomorrow. Geez.

[KinderJ]

I disagree Aaalex. This was the episode that was all about the triumph of simplicity. Yes, these were simple (as in 'not a lot of ingredients or complex techniques') dishes, but Fabio and Carla did them perfectly or near perfectly. I am reminded of that old anecdote about the Pope who asked Renaissance painter Giotto to demonstrate why he deserved a rather large contract from the Vatican. In response, Giotto drew a perfect circle freehand. Hard to argue with perfection, even if it's simple. The flavors are classic and satisfying, and just what the judges wanted. I was very impressed. Oh, and Fabio won with a freaking broken finger. Lets just ruminate on that a moment. Broken finger. Won. Yeah. I was shocked that Stefan overcooked salmon. You would never have thought he would make a mistake like that. I mean never.

[karenology]

non-related quibble with this episode: what was up with the SciFi channel, alien abduction movie style lighting! Not appetizing.

[Hoo]

HOOTIE!

[anon man]

Forzza Italiano! Sorry, had to get that off my chest. Great episode, and can't really argue with any of it. My two totally random comments:

1. How lucky/planned/fixed(?) was it that the Finn got the Swede, the French trained got Pepin, and the Italian got the Slovenian (sorry, inside Italian history joke).

2. Why did Stefan do creamed and uncreameed spinach? Does anyone know Swedish or Finnish cuisine with some expertise? Does one prefer cream in their spinach and one not? Really an odd decision in the grand scheme of things. Bueller???

Hootie Hoo!

[aaalex]

Kinder: good point. But I still feel a little at a loss about both Fabio and Carla. What kind of imaginations do they have, as chefs? Fabio made a good roast chicken, according to his grandmother's recipe. He's done little all competition that tells me he's much more competent, except spottily, you know? From time to time, he can do something well, but ... would you win top chef with a roast chicken and (airplane) salad and what does a well done roast chicken tell you about a chef?

As to Carla: I really like her. I hope she makes it to the end. But: who is she? I guess you could argue that, with this squab, she steps a little further onto the classic technique tarmac. So, she knows her French cooking technique and made Pepin happy. But this show didn't really nail her cooking style down (for me anyway). So, I'm still wondering with her (as with Fabio) how far from their comfort zones they can go, how surprising they can be. Because I don't think either is going to win with what they've cooked so far.

The broken finger thing was great though, you're right. I'm just still a little perplexed by both of them.

(If Stefan had gone home, he would have deserved it. Overcooking salmon is pretty much like ... like ... oh, I don't know ... leaving scales on the salmon when you serve it.)

[Steve]

While I love creativity, in the end, as the judges keep reminding us, it is about good food, regardless of what went into it. Sometimes creativity is a mandate. Tonight, the judges made clear they were looking for simply good food, even if it was simple.

Stefan scared the heck out of me. That was too simple a mistake for him to make. Yikes.

Carla came through (again!). Yay!!! She's a riot. And she's proved she can cook!

Finally, I have always had Fabio higher up in the race. But like you all, I was concerned about his technical mistakes - largely with how he cooked his proteins, even if his sauces and sides were delicious. Well, he brought it together like I knew he could.

Final two: Stefan and Carla.

[jse91]

Yea Carla! I thought the quickfire was really interesting. It was like some of them were paying no attention. Wylie says eggs are my favorite thing in the world to eat and some of them think: "Gee, I will make something that looks, but doesn't taste, like eggs." What was up with that?

[aaalex]

Je91: I agree but Stefan actually came in second in the QF by making something that doesn't taste like eggs. So ... they'd probably guessed right about Dufresne's headspace.

[Dom's cousin]

Independent George: "How the heck do the judges eat that much food without exploding? I think I would have been full after the Eggs Benedict, regardless of how thin the hollandaise was."

I wonder that every single episode. At least with the judges you figure maybe they only take a few bites, but the fish lunch challenge really had me going. Did they really all eat six whole pieces of fish? One of the many mysteries of TC...why no one weighs 500 lbs. by the end of filming.

Anyway, glad to see that everyone had the good sense to stay away from the ostrich eggs (or whatever those were). It seems so long ago that we had the giant egg disaster, doesn't it?

If nothing else, Fabio is consistent every week by saying something that makes me bust out laughing and/or spit out my dinner. That bit about cutting off his finger and searing it on the grill was hysterical. And big agree that he gets mad props for winning the challenge with a broken finger.

Go Carla! I love how she was so cool and collected during both the QF and the EC. I think she's really come into her own and she's going to give Stefan a run for his money. Someone asked in the other thread if we would be satisfied with anyone other than Stefan winning...at this point I would be completely satisfied if either one of them wins.

This may seem petty but since Hosea and Stefan are both bald, I wonder why Hosea's head is always dripping with sweat and Stefan's isn't. I choose to believe it's Hosea's insecurity about being up against Stefan coming out of his sweat glands. But even if it's just hot in the kitchen, dude, wear a bandana or something. Ick.

[kit]

Did Toby say he likes his egg *whites* runny??? Is that, like, a thing that people like? Did I misunderstand him? Oh, if only he were around for Jamie's TV show demo, ha!

[toro]

At least Toby didn't embarrass himself too much, with some pathetic attempt at humor, in front of that vastly smarter crowd of judges (at least on television!!!)

[Lou]

There have been episodes over the past seasons where a roast chicken has been a true test of a chef. It is deceptively simple but delivering a bird that is well roasted with moist flavorful meat is a rare feat. From what was said Carla lost out because of time under the heat lamp and that pushed her squab just over. The birds (and the shrimp, for that matter) are probably the most difficult of the dishes to time and deliver perfectly in restaurant service.
I tend to forget that all this happened well back and what we comment on the editing and such in the show can only affect next season (this one is long over). I am glad Leah is finally gone but for me it was a toss up.
I'm looking forward to the finals and I think it is more a contest between Stephan and Carla than the others.

[karenology]

kit: haha, the look on Dufresne's face when Toby said that was hilarious!

[aaalex]

Lou: good comment and I suppose you're right. Maybe it is a rare feat to deliver a roast chicken that's moist within a given amount of time. I'd like to think that Top Chef means you can do that consistently, though. That you can do a roast chicken or squab or salmon in the time you're given. But here's a question: would you award Top Chef in a roast chicken cook off? I mean: see who does the chicken (or salmon or beef) best and give award to them? Ariane might well have been the best chef on the show, if it had come to that...

[KinderJ]

It's a bit of a bugger isn't it? It's somebody's last meal, so they want something comforting and familiar. On the other hand, you want your food to really shine and stand out. How much will a perfectly made (but ancient and staid) dish stand out? Fabio has been citing his grandmother as the last word in flavor and presentation all season, and most of the time, that has not been a good choice for him. Tonight, he nailed it. Salad aside. Yeesh. Words you do not want to hear from a judge... Carla, hmmm... I think Carla is a little more creative than she gets credit for. Sure, simple homey food is her comfort zone, but that classical training lets her do things with it that are more unusual. Those green eggs? I could not tell you how she pulled that off technically. Did she add stuff to the yokes when she put them in the pan, then slowly turned up the heat? I don't know. I do think that she has not been pushed out of her comfort zone until these last few episodes. She has been steadily plodding along producing generally adequate food, but now she is compelled to raise her game. I expect good things from her in the finals.

As for Hosea, I just cannot get exited about his food. I just cannot. I'm not a seafood guy, so that's a factor, sure. Beyond that, I just feel like his food is disconnected. He seems so concerned with putting his spin on things that he does not consider what made the dish he is spinning good. Going back to that farm episode, I feel like a classic roast leg of lamb would just have rocked the show there. Instead they rolled the meat. I just wonder why? I sort of blame Blais for this, and maybe Marcel too. Their dishes were so off the wall and idiosyncratic that people thought that was the way to get to the finals. Getting a little far afield here.

Leah... well from some of the interviews with the judges on the Bravo web page, it sounds like those runny yokes and broken sauce were just inexcusable. I think this gets back to the difficulty of perfection. It was a simple dish, and as such any defect was magnified many times over.

Stefan's dish just mystifies me. I mentioned this above, but who here would have bet any sum of money, at any odds, that he would mistime cooking salmon? I really thought from the comments that he was done. Not so much the edits, just the judges comments. Overcooking salmon at this late stage in the game? The man dodged a major bullet tonight.

[Cici]

I thought Tom looked really impatient when Toby was finding good things to say about Leah's dish, almost as if he really wanted to bust out a comment on past performances but knew that wasn't supposed to be relevant. I also found it noteworthy that when commenting on the quickfire Wylie specifically mentioned that Carla choosing to do just one thing rather than 2 or 3 things really was to her advantage. It illustrated how, despite his reputation being built on what he does differently, at the core of his cooking he was in consensus with what we consistently hear from the judges--keep it simple. (Poor Jeff would have floundered hard this week if he'd made it this far.) I also wonder how much that specific feedback influenced Carla's decision (which was so universally admired) to do such an understated elimination dish.

...And, it seems we have another "it's not Top ____" gem from Fabio!

[Independent George]

"Did Toby say he likes his egg *whites* runny??? Is that, like, a thing that people like? Did I misunderstand him?"

He's English.

[katja]

Did anyone else get the impression that Toby was trying to convince the other judges NOT to send Leah home? He defended her in a couple of conspicuous ways -- the runny egg white comment wasn't the only one.

And I LOVED that Fabio deliberately kept his injured hand behind his back when presenting his dish -- so the judges wouldn't take that into consideration? Very classy.

[Dreamboat]

Perhaps the top two dishes were very simple, but all of the "last supper" requests were simple. How hard is Eggs Benedict? You have to get the Hollandaise right and make a perfect poached egg. Also the shrimp scampi and salmon were not rocket science. BUT, you have to cook the protein perfectly in all of the dishes.

It seemed that it ame down to the 2 who did not cook the protein perfectly -- Leah and Stephan. Thankfully Stefan stayed because I think a finale without him would be sub par. JMHO

[Allison]

Even though I hated the outcome of last week’s challenge, can’t argue with Jamie's departure ... and it took me a week to get over it, I really enjoyed that challenge.

And I liked this week’s even more, although the craziness continues. I was beginning to get concerned about the finals not having any of my favorite chefs. If Stefan had been asked to PPYKAG, I would have come close to throwing some things.

Fabio on top? Stefan overcooking salmon? (I confess that I was a bit worried when he drew Marcus Samuelsson combined with his level of confidence in the edited footage seemed like a set-up … my favorite simple quick salmon recipe is from M.S. & I expected the judging on how the fish was cooked to be precise).

I’m not at all sorry to see Leah go. I had much higher hopes for her in the beginning, but by tonight’s episode even hearing her voice annoyed me. That said, after watching her exit video on Bravo, which confirmed my sense that she was tired & not ready for prime time, I have to agree that in some ways being on TC in NYC, her home, yet not for the time being, had to be an added burden.

Cooking for Jacques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich, Marcus Samuelsson, Wylie Dufresne and Susan Ungaro? Awesome.

I’m with the group that thinks now that the show heads to New Orleans, Carla’s chances of winning go up (when she started to “emerge” I don’t think I realized how close we were to the finals). I still don’t see Fabio at the top (roast chicken simply doesn't seal the deal for me), but who knows anymore?

Final note: I’ve really enjoyed seeing the cooperation in the kitchen. This group of chefs as a whole seems to be very professional and supportive of each other.

[aaalex]

Dreamboat: I'm kind pf thinking you're right (and Kinder and Lou), that with the protein it may not be the most difficult thing to do in theory but you have to do it right when you're called on to do it. By that standard, you can't take anything away from Fabio or Carla, however much I might have wished both had cooked something more striking. They get to cook more striking things in the finals. So, it'll be good to see what they pull out.

On the other hand: Leah didn't lose for her protein. She lost for her thin hollandaise.

[KinderJ]

Aaalex- I totally agree that you would expect anyone seriously competing for the title of Top Chef, especially this late in the game, to be able to execute a perfect simple roast chicken, squab or salmon ten times out of ten. I also agree it's not the type of food I think of when I think of four star cuisine. That being said, I attribute Fabio's and Carla's success in this episode to being the two people who really understood this challenge. This was about the very last meal you would eat before you died. This was a dish about nostalgia and warmth and comfort and familiarity. This was a dish about the good times when life was simple and safe. Fabio and Carla reached back to those primal tastes, to those memories, and made them sing. That is a very special thing, and it sort of blows me away. When Chef Tom said that Fabio's chicken was a dish his restaurant would be known for, I was very impressed.

Katja- I agree that it looked like Fabio was hiding his hand from the judges, both when he presented the dish and at judges table, but also when Chef Tom came and visited the kitchen. On the other hand, I don't remember who said it, but someone did ask at judges table whether the broken hand should be taken into consideration for the judging.

[aaalex]

KinderJ: Interesting, isn't it, that Tom said Fabio's chicken would be a dish his (Fabio's) restaurant would be known for, if he opened a restaurant in NYC. When Jeff left the show, (in an interview with people, was it?) he complained about the simple roast chicken served at Coliccio' restaurant Craft, saying he felt it was a crim eto be charged premium prices for such simple, grandmotherly food.

[Lou]

aaalex: most definitely I would award Top Chef in a roast chicken cook off. Over the years I have moved from the fussy and complicated (and still try them) to looking for the essence and pure flavors. I'm far down the list of accomplished and or experienced cooks that comment here but over time I have learned to savor the richness of an uncomplicated but well executed dish. The "simple" dish is difficult because there is little you can do to save it when something goes wrong. If a bird that is moist, flavorful and has good mouth feel. A dry chicken (or turkey for example) is hidden under a gravy and no matter how good the gravy it is still a dry bird. A steak (or any beef dish) cooked to well-done no matter the quality of the seasoning or sauce is a tough chew for me.

[jse91]

I think that Jacques Pepin must be the most gracious, lovely, generous person in the world. He found something good to say about everyone's dish. And the way he greeted Carla when she brought the food out was so kind and friendly. What an amazing man.

[Independent George]

I appreciate Fabio's willingness to do a Ronnie Lott, but did he ever explain how, exactly, did he break his finger? It's not like he smashed it (which would be sort-of understandable). He appears to have bent the entire thing backwards. That makes no sense to me. If I were to rank the likelihood of kitchen accidents, that wouldn't even make my Top-10:

1. Mandolin accident: every time I see a shot of a chef using a mandolin without a hand-guard, I cringe
2. Oyster shucking: sharp knife + slippery protein = nothing good
3. Run with scissors (or knife): I remember when Hung nearly impaled Casey in season 3. This seems especially dangerous early in the competition.
4. Too hot to handle: the only reason this isn't higher is that they don't appear to use much cast iron, but I can't count the number of times I've grabbed a hot iron handle without thinking.
5. Knife slippage: self explanatory.
6. Pressure cooker: I know the modern ones are much better designed, but I always still expect to see one of them things explode.
7. Spillage: everybody spills. Everybody runs. Something's got to give.
8. Electrocution: lot's of chefs, lots of appliances, lots of liquids being poured/spilled, not a heck of a lot of time, space, or attention to one's surroundings.
9. Grease fire: it happens all the time.
10. Hansel & Gretel: losing your balance while leaning into a hot oven.

[DPP]

What's up with Fabio's 1994 haircut in New Orleans?

[KinderJ]

Aaalex: Yeah, that did sort of intrigue me. The only time I have eaten at one of Tom's restaurants was at Voyses (sp?) down in SC. Somebody told me he was the exec chef there. Anyhow. All the food and sides were served separately, sort of family 'everybody share' style, and they were all simply prepared. I had the wagyu skirt steak and it was quite simply the best piece of beef I have ever had in my entire life. And I do mean simply. I tried to guess how it was cooked and all I could think of was 'salt, pepper and the taste of rosemary got in there somehow but buggered if I see the slightest trace of it.' It was utterly stripped down and free from all unnecessary addition. Not minimalist, just... perfect. The thing that I think throws a lot of chefs in this competition, and I guess at some restaurants as well, is the belief that the more complex a dish is, the better it is. I almost think it's a way of compensating for not being able to do a simple thing perfectly. You disguise the imperfection with clutter. Chef Tom, be it with the chicken, beef or whatever, is demonstrating with his cooking that simple and perfect is better than complex and flawed. That may be an oversimplification, and people will probably disagree, but that's my reading of all of this.

[aaalex]

Lou: so, we get to the heart of the matter. There are some who feel that executing basic things (getting the timing right on a protein) is the hallmark of a great chef and some who feel that you shouldn't even be called a chef if you can't get the protein right, whatever the protein might be. To the second group, it's kind of understood that, if you're a chef, you know how to do the proteins, so why dwell on it?

I don't know where I fall, exactly.
I'd be shocked if I went into a great restaurant and was served a horrid piece of meat. (It happened here in Toronto and I've never been back to the restaurant, despite the chef's reputation.) But if I went into a "great" restaurant and all I came away with was nicely done protein ... I'd be happy, but I wouldn't go to the place when I was in the mood for a kick to the taste buds, you know?

[Independent George]

Ok, Fabio's interview on the Bravo website indicates it was #7 on my list:

"I took a corner and I did fall due to the wet floor and my pinky was dislocated, so it got very swollen and I coud not move my whole hand."

I was thinking concussion or broken wrist; I'm not sure how you land on your pinky, but it's not unheard of.

[Allison]

aaalex, I have to say that I agree with Jeff in his exit interview that I very rarely order this type of food in a restaurant. Roast chicken is simply too easy to make at home & much cheaper. Not to mention the leftover chicken soup, salad, stock ...

That said, of course, I didn't taste the dish.

[KinderJ]

I had a dish once at a very fine Italian restaurant in London. It was a pumpkin ravioli with aniseed and a very simple sauce. I never had anything like it. The flavors were strong but complex and layered. You could really feel the textural difference between the ravioli and the filling that made both seem special. That is the sort of dish I think of when I think of creative fine dining. Someone taking a classic and improving it beyond all recognition. I get the feeling that's what Carla did with her peas. Pepin seemed really blown away by them. I really loved this episode because of little things like that.

Aaalex- I think that if you are cooking for a panel like that, you damn well better know how to cook your protean. I hate overcooked meat with a passion bordering on the holy, and conversely, undercooked bird and pork is downright dangerous. The key issue here for me, because as you point out a pro is going to know how to cook protean, is the ability to consistently cook that protean perfectly. Every time it leaves the kitchen, it's perfect. That's why I really don't rate Fabio's chances is the finals. Too inconsistent with his food. It seems like it's almost always over or under cooked. That's also what shocked me about Stefan. Usually he is utterly consistent and generally produces the good stuff. One thing we both agree about though- I would not pay top dollar for a nicely done bit of food. You pay the big bucks for excellence.

[Allison]

Independent George -- my thoughts exactly. I've been involved with #1,#4,#5,#7 & #9 ... and the 1st 3 have happened more than once. Thanks for the list.

1. Mandolin accident: every time I see a shot of a chef using a mandolin without a hand-guard, I cringe
2. Oyster shucking: sharp knife + slippery protein = nothing good
3. Run with scissors (or knife): I remember when Hung nearly impaled Casey in season 3. This seems especially dangerous early in the competition.
4. Too hot to handle: the only reason this isn't higher is that they don't appear to use much cast iron, but I can't count the number of times I've grabbed a hot iron handle without thinking.
5. Knife slippage: self explanatory.
6. Pressure cooker: I know the modern ones are much better designed, but I always still expect to see one of them things explode.
7. Spillage: everybody spills. Everybody runs. Something's got to give.
8. Electrocution: lot's of chefs, lots of appliances, lots of liquids being poured/spilled, not a heck of a lot of time, space, or attention to one's surroundings.
9. Grease fire: it happens all the time.
10. Hansel & Gretel: losing your balance while leaning into a hot oven.

[aaalex]

KinderJ: Damn. That pumpkin ravioli sounds really really good. I'm going to bed, before i start eating.

[Independent George]

Television Without Pity has a list of season 5 misfires, and they all pretty much echo the comments here - particularly the last one:

"Stefan is Not a Villain, No Matter How Many Times You Tell Us He Is - Every few minutes this season, the cheftestants have explicitly complained at length about how evil Stefan is, and how he's so difficult, and "Oh, he's food Hitler" and whatnot, but aside from his "rivalry" with Hosea -- which Hosea himself fuels as much as Stefan does -- and his mildly lecherous dealings with Jamie, all Stefan really does is help his teams win challenges, be a really good chef, and actually be surprisingly positive and comforting after botched challenges and stew room goodbyes. Yes, he is very confident, but he's also the best chef there, which means he is not over-confident. Being so good you make everyone jealous does not make you a Top Chef villain, it just makes you the very predictable Top Chef winner."

URL: http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/top_chef/top_chef_season_5_misfires.php

[Allison]

Independent George,

I hadn't considered that #7 meant this, but OUCH! I remember landing on my pinky after tripping over something on the floor of my parents' garage many years ago. Yes, it was WEIRD ... who falls & lands on their pinky? Leave it to me. No medical attention (rural environment), but that finger is still slightly misaligned to this day. On the other hand, I had no issues using my hand, no swelling.

Ok, Fabio's interview on the Bravo website indicates it was #7 on my list:

"I took a corner and I did fall due to the wet floor and my pinky was dislocated, so it got very swollen and I coud not move my whole hand."

I was thinking concussion or broken wrist; I'm not sure how you land on your pinky, but it's not unheard of

[aaalex]

KinderJ: before I go to bed: where did you have the ravioli in London? It's a great city for good restaurants and really lousy ones. One of my best meals I've had: River Cafe. One of the worst meals in my life: also London at a chinese restaurant.

[kit]

At first I found this episode Really boring (I like it when they get a little crazy concept-wise, because as Stefan aptly points out, I can't lick my TV and enjoy any of this homey comfort). But after reading some of the comments (oh how I love this blog), I'm starting to appreciate the concept of this challenge. It reminds me of that scene in Ratatouille, when the food critic tastes the titular dish and is instantly transported to a childhood memory. It's quite beautiful, and I believe that notion of successful food as part nostalgia actually came from Thomas Keller (who served as a consultant for the film). That being said, I don't think anyone would classify Keller's food as simple or homey. It's got me thinking about how much of Keller's success is about his ability to give you something refined and innovative, yet still familiar and satisfying.

As an aside, Keller has described his creative process in interviews (for example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJFwXk9yvpo about 43 seconds in) and let's just say I Completely believe that Blais used to work at French Laundry. Sigh. And now I'm having nostalgia both for Blais as a contestant and that one time I ate at French Laundry :)

[KinderJ]

I need to be off to bed my self. It was a couple of years ago, but I think it was called Sefarino? Somthing like that. It was south of the river. River Cafe, as you probably know, was the old stomping ground of Jamie Oliver, so, yeah, food there is not going to suck. You have my envy. The food in London can yoyo between exquisite and downright diabolical. Best Indian food I have ever had was at the Bengal Lancer in London. Gallipoli Bazaar has amazing North African and Moroccan food. The Home House restaurant, if you can get a member to invite you to dinner, serves some of the best food in London for significantly less than you would pay in comparable W2/W1 locations. And by comparable I mean the Ivy or one of Gordon Ramsey's places. Better food then at the Connaught. Same people own Scotts, actually. Just to whet your whistle, I had the most decadent appetizer at Home House- a fig tort with a piece of roast foie grais on top drizzled with a superb basalmic reduction. Probably had enough calories to power a tank for a year, but it tasted fantastic. Oh, and they have a superbly stocked wine menu and the somilliere is fantastic guy and a good laugh. *sigh* I really, really miss London. To bed.

[Independent George]

Allison - I'm deathly afraid of the mandolin; I think the machine is a deathtrap. I have no idea how those things are even legal.

Every now and again, I think to myself, I could really go for some homemade potato chips (or some such nonsense). Then I realize I'd need a mandolin, shudder, and decide I'd much rather keep all of my fingers thank you very much.

I do about 2/3 of my cooking in cast iron, which means I burn myself at least once a month. Yes, I really am that stupid.

[KinderJ]

Kit- Spot on about Ratatouille. And now I have envy for you too for having eaten at the French Laundry. I would cheerfully swap several people I see on a daily basis for, say, three appetizers and a dish to be named later if Keller had been on the stove.

[KinderJ]

Holy crap Kit, that's a fantastic interview and really topical. Great find. I could make two with just two appetizers...

[Fabio Viviani]

Hi Guys, it's Fabio, i just want to thank you cause is very funny and entertaining to read the blog, is amazing of how people that has never been in the kitchen ( or the most of you at least as a profession ) feels so comfortable to judge plate just by see them in tv, dont get me wrong, i dont cook fancy food and i will never do,and i agree to the fact that my plate dont look like a paint ( for those things museum are better than restaurant ) but my restaurant, Cafe Firenze, in the last 6 months of 2008 has done 38% more than the last 6 months of 2007 and in this time of economy when all your fancy restaurant with fancy plating are closing down, i'm stronger than ever and ill open 2 more comfort italian food restauarnt with average plating skills in 2009, how wonderfull is that ??? I had a chance to have a wonderfull breakfast with Colicchio couple of days back and he told me that most of the 3/4 stars restaurant in Vegas are losing their ass off.... i guess fancy plating and small bites are not really helpfull .... good luck with this website, very entertaining and very funny to read..... you guys give a good laugh all the time.

Thanks to everybody for the support anyway and keep up with the good work on the website.... i'll see you in New Orleans.

Love you Fabio

[Chuck]

I really enjoy this blog, so thanks Dom for keeping up with it.

Fabio, you totally cracked me up tonight with your comment about cutting your finger off and searing it on the stove. Your English is certainly far from perfect, but my Italian is even worse. You charm me every week. Congratulations on the win. You got lucky cooking for Lidia, whom I know and let me tell you she can be brutal if she doesn't like something. I could happily eat at Felidia once a week; the veal tenderloin there is amazing. I thought the comments about your salad were kind of pointless. I certainly have never had a salad like that on an airplane. It looked fresh and delicious.

It looks like Bravo is listening to some of us and reducing all the product placements in the last part of the season. These last two shows indicate we may be getting a really good finale.

[Shelly]

Hmm, everyone is saying that these dishes are easy, but not one of the contestants did theirs perfectly. That's reason enough for me to believe it's a good challenge.

As far as choosing Top Chef for a roast chicken, don't forget that this is only one of the challenges. I wouldn't choose Top Chef for cooking Thanksgiving in a microwave either, but those who could, passed. The four in the finals are those who passed all the challenges, period.

Personally, as someone who loves cooking roasted chicken and roasted potatoes and fresh peas, I know how easy it is to screw up. The slightest small detail can throw the result off, and nothing you do can save the dish. That Fabio did his dish successfully with an injured hand is impressive. Me, I'd have won Top Pussy. ;)

A word about the judges: Jacques Pepin is such a gentleman, so gracious. I'm in love. Tom though seemed pretty testy didn't he? His face when Toby was trying to convince the judges to let Leah stay was so sour, though understandably so. But it seemed like he was even getting a little snappish with Jacques Pepin. Dude, don't argue with the master about whether his chosen last supper was cooked correctly.

Dom, thank you for the time and effort you put into this blog. It has entertained and educated me all season.

[aaalex]

Kit: thanks for the interview with Thomas Keller. The whole interview, http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9008, is worth listening to as well. Keller's favourite meal is ... roasted chicken.

[SorchaRei]

I was just coming here to say that those who are trying to distance Thomas Keller from perfectly roasted chicken should take a look at his book Bouchon, where he waxes enthusiastic about simple roasted chicken and provides a recipe for his favorite dish: ingredients are chicken, salt, thyme (optional), butter and dijon mustard. The recipe is called "My Favorite Roast". An if the picture is anything to judge by, I'd be as happy to eat that as I was to eat everything that came out of his kitchen the one time I ate at French Laundry.

[aaalex]

Drat. The link to Charlie Rose's interview with Thomas Keller doesn't seem to work. It's worth listening to the whole thing, though. So, if you're interested, you should search for the 2008 interview with Thomas Keller on the Charlie Rose website. Among other things, you'll find that the "last supper" concept is not Top Chef's.

[Rab01]

Lord, Toby is such a freak. Here's an episode where I didn't detest his presence on-screen and he gets totally weird in his blog. First, saying that he'd have sent Hosea home for not guessing the challenge's intent well enough and doing his own version of scampi rather than the most classic version of it. Then he says that Stefan hasn't been creative at all during the competition and needs to step up his game to match Hosea! What is he smoking? Stefan has to "raise his game" to match Hosea????

"Last night’s episode was a good illustration of the golden rule when it comes to food reality shows: Keep it simple. I know from having been a judge on three different ones that the most common reason contestants are eliminated is because they over-reach; they opt for the fussy and complicated when, really, they’d be better off cooking the most straightforward version of the dish in question.

However, this is only a good strategy for avoiding elimination. Once you’ve reached the final, you have to pull out all the stops. So far on this season of Top Chef, Stefan, Carla, and Fabio have survived by cooking well in a fairly safe, conventional way. Hosea has been much more ambitious — and, as a result, he has been among the losers as often as he has among the winners. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the next two episodes and whether the other three can raise their game."

[kit]

Thanks for the pointer to the entire interview aaalex, here's the link:

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9008

He is quite the repository of interesting ideas about food! I'll throw out another quote of his: "Simplicity is the hardest thing to execute and that has more to do with the quality of the products than execution."

[Bart]

Great episode. I loved that Carla and Fabio won.

I was so scared that Stefan was going home.

Lidia is a wonderful cook. I can watch her on TV for hours. Anything she makes, I'll happily devour. Having eaten at Becco (which is run by her and her son, I think), the food is even better then it looks on TV.

I'm glad to see Leah go. And I think some of you aren't giving Fabio enough credit. The judges have always said, with his bottom dishes, that there was some element to his dish that was just amazing. Sounds like every element in his roast chicken was amazing (sans salad, of course). If Fabio can cook every element amazingly well, he could win Top Chef.

That said, I think it's going to come down to Stefan and Carla.

[aaalex]

Kit: his distinction between "intellectual food" (molecular gastronomy, for instance) and "emotional food" (like, well, roast chicken) is also spot on. It's not that he denigrates molecular gastronomy but he makes it clear that it comes from a different place. It's the difference between eating something you love, which is tied to your life and emotions, and eating something you've never tasted before that surprises and delights. You need both, in this life, don't you?

[paula]

I was cracking up the whole time during JT because it was so patently obvious that Tom (1) had reached his limit with Leah (and Toby) and (2) was in no way going to let Stefan get sent home. You could practically see the thought bubble over his head: "I don't care what any of these f**kers say. I'm the head judge. Leah goes to the finals while Stefan goes home? Screw that. Not on my watch."

Also, I'm absolutely fascinated by the adoration of Carla's peas. PEAS. I love peas, but I can't imagine them being the subject of such awe, especially when they appeared to be so simple. I would give a lot of money to taste those peas. Rock on, Hootie.

[paula]

One more thing: No disrespect intended, but considering the rest of the company, Susan Ungaro? Shrimp scampi? I'm sure she's a lovely person and an excellent administrator, but she's not a chef. She's the former editor of Family Circle magazine (or McCall's; I forget). She seemed so out of place in this particular challenge. And shrimp scampi just screams Red Lobster to me. I bet Hosea was bummed, bummed, bummed to draw that knife.

[Kathy]

Paula, FYI, No disrespect indented, but Susan Ungaro is the President of the James Beard Foundation. I think she's qualified to judge a chef's work.

[Peggasus]

I thought it was pretty funny how the Judges' Table room was set up: one long table, white tablecloth, big windows in the background, atmospheric lighting...

'Last Supper,' get it? Haha! Who was in the center? Jacques, I believe.

[aaalex]

Peggasus: Yes, the "last supper" arrangement was a little over the top. But ... what that Toby sitting in Judas' spot?

[aaalex]

Peggasus: I meant, of course, "WAS that Toby in Judas' spot?"

[Glen]

Very telling comment in Jacques Pepin's Q&A on Bravo- "I remember one. I remember the poached egg with hollandaise sauce. The hollandaise sauce was a disaster because of the yolk. I didn't discuss it because it wasn't my dish. The beginning of the yolk was not cooked enough. When you add the liquid it just collapsed and the whole thing was covered in liquid. I think that a pretty bad disaster."

Those damn editors!

[Glen]

One more thing- Is it possible for a human being to be classier than Jacques Pepin? I think not! The fact that he wouldn't talk about Leah's failure because it wasn't his dish is so telling about the kind of person he is.

[Mann of Sandd]

Fabio,

Thank you for taking the time to post. I think most of the folks who post here realize that we don't get the full picture since we don't taste your food, so we can only comment on what we see. As for your restaurant, I'm glad that it's going well in such difficult times, but I'm sure at least some of that extra business is due to the show that you're currently on, so I would maybe dial down the arrogance just a smidge.

That said, it would not be sustainable if you were not doing a good job, and I hope one day I can try your food. Good luck in the upcoming episodes.

(for the record, I am not a chef, or even a good home cook. I do have a second job as a server in a restaurant, and hope to own my own restaurant one day when I can escape my office shackles)

[David]

Thank you Mann of Sandd. Fabio's a "touch" defensive don't you think? Sheesh!

[paula]

Kathy: I'm not saying Ungaro is unqualified to be a TC judge in general. I just think that she was a bad fit for this challenge, when all the others got to cook for world-renowned chefs. She is not a chef and never has been.

[Unhappy Gilmore]

I thought Leah was a goner as soon as she was told to cook the egg dish. I recognize that being able to cook the basics perfectly is important, and that cooking eggs perfectly is important, but comparing eggs benedict to the other dishes seemed to be a mismatch.

Other than cooking it perfectly, what flavors could you impart to make it memorable?

Seems to me you can season the vegetables and proteins of the other dishes to make them classic, yet really stand out.

Much to most skilletdouxer's delight, Leah is gone. I was almost convinced that Stefan was leaving, but not to eggs benedict. Glad Stefan was not a douche (hadn't read that word in a while).

[SorchaRei]

"I'm not saying Ungaro is unqualified to be a TC judge in general. I just think that she was a bad fit for this challenge, when all the others got to cook for world-renowned chefs." (Paula)

I guess the question is whether you think they were cooking for great chefs or for people who are enormously influential in the chef profession. If it's the former, she's not a good fit, but if you are looking for very influential movers in that world, she's a terrific fit.

[Elise]

The camera people/editors got too cute. Yes, it's A Last Supper challenge. Not THE Last Supper. The chefs all lined up like the painting with glowy soft focus lighting was tasteless.

Other than that, great show!

[Bill]

To Fabio's points:
Because people haven't worked in a professional kitchen doesn't mean they can't have an opinion.
Let's be honest here, your 38% increase is due to being on Top Chef, not the food at your restaurant. I've been there twice and the food is good so I'm not being critical of your cooking or your restaurant but it's not a place that would draw out of towners were it not for your recent TV star status.

[Jake]

Great episode, I agree, and I'd really like Jacques Pepin to adopt me as a grandson. Can you even do that? I bet he can. He's Jacques freakin' Pepin.

It's funny that some people are complaining about the simplicity of the winning dishes, when all five dishes were pretty simple and traditional. And no, Top Chef is not just about cooking simple food perfectly, but it's one important part of it. That's why there are lots of different types of challenges. This is just one out of many.

How good must Carla's peas have been? I can't even begin to imagine what makes peas rave-worthy. Roast chicken I can understand.

I really really really enjoyed the looks on the faces of the judges when Toby Young said he likes his eggs benedict runny. He could have dropped his pants and taken a dump in the middle of the table and gotten the same looks.

I thought Wylie Dufresne came across as pretty passionate about food and sharing his thoughts on what makes great food. I didn't think he came across as arrogant in the least. I also don't think Fabio or Stefan have been particularly arrogant either. To be fair, I think Simon Cowell is only a little over the top, though.

Fabio -- do your thing, man. We're just people watching on TV and trying to get a handle on who's doing well, mostly based on how they edit things. If people think your plating is weak, it's because we keep seeing judges' comments on your plating, and because we can see plating but can't taste the food. If people stopped trying to figure things out and guessing who's doing well, the show would be a lot less popular. You're obviously getting a lot of flavors just right, too, or you wouldn't be headed to the finals. Don't worry about what people watching on TV think of your plating or food, just keep doing what you're doing.

[ally]

Independent George sez: "I was thinking concussion or broken wrist; I'm not sure how you land on your pinky, but it's not unheard of."

I have a friend who is 6'3" and skiied over his own finger. So anything is possible :)

[Kathy]

Paula, perhaps we're taking different views of this particular episode. Instead of just "wold-renowned chefs", perhaps they were going for a kind of "James Beard" association slant (which is the way I interpreted it.) As Susan Ungaro stated in her blog, "In most episodes, Padma introduces just one guest chef judge, who is often a James Beard Award winner. But tonight they were facing off before not one, not two but five multiple award-winners or nominees (including Tom), and me, the president of the Foundation."

[Elise]

Just read the Bravo Blogs. Will you all think I've got no palate if I say how happy I am to see that Jaques Pepin likes his duck well done also! I'm so sick of seeing everything but chicken cooked medium rare. Some things really do taste better cooked all the way through.

I also thought it was interesting to see Tom look like he was biting it tongue when Pepin was saying the squab was cooked just fine. Stuck between his own idea of perfect meat and not wanting to disagree with someone who makes him look like a novice.

[Skillet Doux]

Hey, folks...

I don't want to stifle discussion, but I just want to ask that we keep things civil. I'm not saying there have been any low blows or anything... I just want to head it off before it goes there is all :-)

Fabio, thanks for stopping by (presuming it's you... unlike with Stefan's catering company, there's no contact address on the website, so I can't confirm... though I have no reason to doubt). And mostly, thanks for being a good sport in the face of some critical comments.

A couple of things that I think are important to remember. First, how can the contestants NOT be a little defensive? Though admittedly one of their choosing, it's a very difficult position to be in, where scads of people are judging your food who haven't even tasted it. I think most people around these parts, at least, understand that we're getting a very incomplete picture based on recipes and the judges' comments, but there are those who have no problems with claiming a dish obviously sucked when they never even tasted it. As Stefan has said (paraphrasing here), you can lick your TV screen, but it isn't going to tell you much. I think it's important to bear in mind that that has to be incredibly frustrating for even the most serene personalities.

And Fabio, understand that most of us are taking the cues the judges give us. They're there to judge you, of course, but their other function -- an even more important one for the sake of the show -- is to act as our surrogate tastebuds. Most of us believe Tom has a pretty good palate. You seem to agree. So if he says something doesn't work, we're inclined to believe him. And also, while there's so much we can't taste, sometimes you don't need to taste to know certain things. You don't have to taste to know that a broken hollandaise is unpleasant and oily. You don't have to taste to know that duck liver, limburger cheese, rhubarb and curry powder probably don't work together. And, as you like to put it, you don't have to taste to know that monkey ass in a clamshell probably didn't deserve to win. Most of us make that distinction -- a recipe looked great, or the dish sounded delicious, or the judges seemed to like it. And it's on that basis that we discuss.

Also, it's great to hear that your restaurants are doing well. I can't stand the fact that I can't find a decent inexpensive, simple trattoria like you find on corners all over Italy... everything has to be gussied up, made special, modernized... there's nothing wrong with the basics. I live smack dab in the middle of Baltimore's Little Italy, and I hardly ever eat here because I can't go out and get an inexpensive, traditional, simple plate of pasta. Those are the dishes that I adore (and regularly defend, if you read the blog a bit) and presuming your restaurants do them well (and I don't doubt that they do), they're the kind of places I'd love to eat at every week. But bear in mind that when somebody says your dishes are too simple, they're not discussing where they'd like to eat every week. They're discussing who should win a crazy cooking competition with weird restrictions and time restraints and a panel of overly dramatic judges and cameras 24/7. You don't win the Bocuse d'Or by making roast chicken with potatoes. That doesn't mean the food at the Bocuse d'Or is inherently better or more valuable than a great roast chicken. It just means that a simple roast chicken would be out of place in that competition. It isn't in Top Chef. There are plenty of challenges that allow for great execution of simple dishes, but most viewers -- rightly, I think -- expect something more than the basics from the finalists, no matter how well they're executed.

Incidentally, you said some VERY interesting things on this subject and the judging in your Q&A on the website, and I want to collect my thoughts and talk about all of this in next week's rankings. I hope you'll stick around and weigh in.

And lastly, let's be clear about one thing. Fabio's running successful restaurants. You guys are coming here to read, discuss and be entertained. I'M the one writing 4000-6000 words about every single episode of this show, so if anybody here needs professional help, it's me :-)

[Mike G]

"Also: loved Fabio, as usual. But is it me or does Wylie Dufresne seem like a self-satisfied and arrogant d*ckhead?"

Just you. He seemed pretty dowb to earth for who he is to me. He also seemed like he should be the owner of a used record store in Madison.

[Independent George]

I must confess - 'The Last Supper' is now more closely associated in my brain with Mel Brooks' 'History of the World, Part I' than the painting.

I am a barbarian.

[Kathy]

Independent George: Its good to be the king.

Sorry.. that was the 1st thing that popped into my head.

[paula]

Kathy: Maybe so. I didn't see the connection that they were all James Beard associated folks (and I haven't read the Bravo blogs yet), so that makes more sense to me. And yet...I still think that if you were in a group of 5 chefs, and 4 of those chefs got to cook for absolute masters of the craft and you didn't, you might be a little bummed.

[David]

Dom, I am merely a guest on your blog, so I definitely want to abide by your rules, sensibilities and requests for civility. I just find it telling that of all the things said about Fabio on this blog over the course of the season, he comes in, guns blazing, to (mostly) address the criticisms. In fact, his post is just what I'd expect and validates my suspicions about Fabio that extend beyond the mere food. Like it or not, this show is not purely about the food. It is also about the personalities of those doing the cooking. There's near unanimity about the appreciation for Fabio's personality. However, there's also near consensus on the disappoint of what's been presented. I, for one, don't think that what we see is entirely reflective of the chefs' cababilities. I do think it provides a window, though. I think a nerve was clearly touched about plating. Considering I'm one of the primary critics of Fabio's plating, I felt particularly addressed by his response. I think what was lost by Fabio, is that I stated that I love rustic food and casual plating, but there's a difference between casual and sloppy. I feel Fabio's veers clearly to sloppy; and I seriously doubt he hasn't been told this before--particularly in the context of the show. Again, if you look for just the negative, that's all you'll see. What Fabio also seemed to gloss over, in search of criticism, was that plating was a minor element/pet peeve, and wouldn't lead me away from acknowledging and praising a tasty dish. But, as Dom so eloquently pointed out, we can't taste the food, so we are at the mercy of highly respected judges to convey what they taste.

Interestingly enough, Dom, you and I are about on the same page about what Fabio's produced on the show. What I think jumped into the crawl of a few of us in this post is Fabio, seemingly, sticking it to his critics. That's the very behavior (defensive arrogance) that I've discussed for weeks. It's a little unsettling, particularly when you factor in that Fabio volunteered to read and comment on your site. As I said when Stefan posted - Far be it for me to even suggest Fabio and Stefan shouldn't post here. What is needed, though, is thicker skin. Looking back, I appreciate and respect Stefan's approach to responding to comments on here. He didn't come in quoting sales statistics.

[Jon Olsen]

Leah lost?!? Oh I gotta... Waitwaitwait I got it...waitwait check this out:

Whatever.

No, wait, not shruggy enough. Too engaged. Lemme try again

what ever

That's the stuff. That. is. the. stuuuff.

I literally mouthed the literal words "stefan please pack your knives and go" literally as Padma was pausing. Literally.

This episode was awesome. I expected Stefan to have such an easy time drawing Samuelsson and overcooks his fish; and then Hootie and Pepin connect on some other plane; and Fabio wins one? Just in time, this season has all snapped into place.

The lighting is not alien abduction, it's The Last Supper. Get it? Yeah, me too. wayyy over the top.

[Naomi]

Thanks to the commenter who post TVWOP's reasons why Stefan is NOT a villain. I'd like to add that his behavoir at JT last night, when he seemed very close to elimination, did not reflect that of an arrogant villain.

[ally]

Lol Jon about the disclaimer. I'm worried because I'm actually starting to understand your posts.

People on the Top Chef portion of skilletdoux do seem to be getting more personally offended...guess that means the season is almost over :(

[aaalex]

Dom: my fault for using the word "d*ckhead" in relation to Wylie Dufresne. Sorry. Didn't mean to be uncivil and, as others have mentioned, I'm the ONLY one who felt that way about Mr Dufresne. So, again, sorry for the language.

[Skillet Doux]

David...

No worries whatsoever. And the last thing I want is for anybody to feel like they can't express their opinions. I just felt the temperature rising a little bit and I wanted to make a quick plea for mutual understanding before the discussion went on, that's all :-)

By all means, continue!

[Kathy]

Paula: I can see to your point as well. But I also wonder maybe, just maybe, if Hosea didn't feel a little bit of relief instead. After all he's always the one pointing out if Stefan seems to take what Hosea thinks is the easier way out (i.e. Super Bowl & Le Bernardin challenges). And Hosea might see cooking a meal for the palette of non-chef rather than a master chef as a lucky break.

I know, I know... I must quiet the evil monkey spouting off inside of my head.

[Unhappy Gilmore]

aaalex - you may not be the only one who feels that way. I watched the episode half asleep and will watch again to get a better feel.

Stefan took advantage (or not) of his winning the QFs. He did not take the easy way out for Restaurant wars.

[Tim]

I can definitely appreciate the visiting 'chef-testants' frustrations with being critiqued by peons who can only lick their television screens. That being said, then why do you review our posts? Why enter a cooking contest on TV? Why a reality show?
You got to take the good with the bad.
I think it's safe to say that many entered this contest to prove their mettle as well as to showcase their talents on national TV. That's great, but obviously it's not the best venue for cooking. Unlike other cooking shows, we can't faithfully reproduce many of the recipes.
Also, many of us are here are to be entertained as well as to learn. So if in watching the show we see things that are short of inspiring or demonstrative of good cooking or professionalism, it is our prerogative to say so, for whatever our opinion is worth.
On a final note, I think this is one of the better forums for TC where people actually comment on the food and the craft and less about the personalities. I think most of us appreciate that what we see of the contestants are edited caricatures for some reality-based soap opera. Ironically, the few near-accurate impressions we do get of the personalities is when they make posts here. You know, sometimes an editor can be your friend.

[JW]

If Fabio actually made the earlier comment, then great - it's good to hear from him....but.....am I the only one who is a little suspicious that it was actually Fabio?

Especially when a lot of the content is straight from his latest interview on the Bravo site?

[Danny]

After the last two episodes it amazes me that Hosea is an expert at cooking seafood. He goofed with the timing of the monkfish and now he makes an underwhelming Scampi. I've never eaten Scampi at any restaurant or home where there have been comments about it needing more garlic. It's like saying there's not enough basil in the pesto.

Stefan really dodged a bullet. But I have to admit if given a choice between runny egg whites with a thin underflavored hollaindaise and overcooked salmon I would have to, very reluctantly, choose the salmon.

As to Toby.....well at least he's dropped the lame, irrelevant jokes. I was a foreign exchange student in England and have been back many times. I can't recall being served runny egg whites. I've never had a waiter ask me how I'd like my egg whites cooked. I've never heard a local extol the virtues of runny egg whites. But maybe it is a custom for some in the UK. The look on WD's face when Toby said he liked his eggs that way was absolutely priceless.

Tom looks so over Toby. I've never seen Tom be so hostile to a judge. I have a feeling that he lost all respect for Toby at his first judging/stand-up act and the damage appears to be irreversible.

Carla continues to impress. I can't wait to see what she cooks in New Orleans. And on a positive note, Fabio finally took a criticism without getting defensive or saying in the confessional how wrong the judge was. Good progress!

[Unhappy Gilmore]

I think the editors have tamed Toby and that his inane comments were still being made.
I wouldn't put it past the editors to only put in the Hosea comments about Stefan to set up the finals. I would guess that over the course of hundreds of hours of video, all of the chefs commented on the others. Maybe not as much as Hosea, but some. Selectively showing Hosea's comments to make a rivalry where there is none is good TV.

[aaalex]

JW: no, I agree with you. The comment from "Fabio" was written in the same way Stefan's comments were written: as if Fabio were speaking. But the comment from "Fabio" is a little TOO close to how Fabio actually sounds. The real Fabio would not be able to write English so close to how he speaks it without knowing English fairly well which, you have to suspect, he doesn't.

I could be wrong, but it's a little too pat to be believed.

[Dom's cousin]

"I'M the one writing 4000-6000 words about every single episode of this show, so if anybody here needs professional help, it's me"

Dom, you know if there were a Top Chef Fan Favorite Blog prize, you'd win it hands down. We depend on your keen insights (well, at least I do!) :)

I'm actually continually impressed by the level of discourse here, especially considering you don't really moderate the comments. No catfighting, no overt hostilities, very little to no troll traffic. The other pleasure of this blog is the intelligent, knowledgeable, and self-aware discussion, unlike the usual banter of yahoos just trying to get their two cents in like you see most everywhere else.

Love that Fabio and Stefan have both joined the party and can give us a little more insight. I hope some of the others will chime in (Jamie, Carla, Jeff...). Maybe once the finale airs you can give us the really good behind the scenes dirt? :P

[Hillary]

Yea...I didn't want to admit this on my own blog but when I saw the possibility of Stefan going home, I started shaking. I think I get way too into this show!

At least Leah admits she wasn't really into it.

[jse91]

From People's interview of Leah:

"Before coming onto the show, I really did not have a lot of experience. I had never put a dish together from start to finish"

What the . . .

[Jon Olsen]

Toby Young in his blog:
"— but Tom was convinced that Leah ought to go because the hollandaise sauce in her eggs Benedict was watery and flavourless. In the end, Tom managed to convince the rest of the judges to send Leah home on the grounds that she’d failed to do what she’d set out to do"

So that settles one thing at least—just like another commenter suggested above, it looks like Tom created the momentum for sending Shruggie home. I don't think I'd go so far as to say he set out with that conclusion in mind, but he did drive the outcome at JT.

"Fabio's" comments are a definite cut-paste job. That doesn't mean it was NOT Fabio posting here, but it was definitely a paste in from the bravo Q&A. I don't mind, I'm just saying.

Hey you guys see that news item/ad thing on the right side of the Bravo site? "Top Chef: Masters" or whatever? How bout them apples?! Dom, you gonna power rank that show? Come on, you know you have to.

And the fantasy leagues are gonna be insane!

[justforthis]

Born and lived in England half my life and have never heard of anyone liking runny egg whites. I could see Tom grit his teeth at Toby's comment. Felt that if the judging criteria of last week was followed, Stefan should have gone but that would probably mean no-one would watch the remaining episodes so Tom quite rightly changed his criteria. Stefan, man with nerves of steel..how did he manage to overcook the salmon. It seems like more of a crime because he is more skilled than Leah.

[Dom's cousin]

Here's a thought...how about some live-blogging for the finale episodes? Think you're up for it, Dom? :)

[Kellhoun]

Okay as far as the runny egg whites issue. I will slightly defend Toby on this one. If you have heard someone order or have ordered yourself Over Easy eggs then that means that the cook only cooks the outside of the egg and leaves both the yolk and the inner parts of the egg whites still runny. Having worked in a restaurant and cooked lots of orders of eggs, I can tell you that people ordering thier eggs overeasy would have sent the plate back if the whites weren't runny.

[aaalex]

Kellhoun: nothing personal but I like my eggs "over easy" and I loathe runny egg whites. "Sunny side up" is the one with the runny egg white potential, I think, and that's why I never order them that way.

[justforthis]

I am English but have not been back in the UK for 10 years...over easy and sunny side up are American ways of cooking eggs. In England, fried eggs come (or did), sunny side up only and the whites are cooked properly whilst the yolk is soft/runny. It seemed like the only reason Toby quite liked his whites runny was so that Leah could stay in the game.

[justforthis]

sorry for going off topic....

[jw]

Paula, nice thought bubble.

I agree with everyone who observed the obvious disagreement at JT about who should pack knives. I found myself asking the tv, "Well, Tom, are you going to stand up and make sure Stefan stays?" I was very afraid the answer was "no." And now, according to Toby's blog (for what it's worth, crazy runny-egg-white eater that he is) it seems Hosea was really in more danger than Stefan. Wily editors.

Also agree with everyone's comments about Jacques Pepin. Classy, classy, classy. First Ripert, then Pepin. What is it with these French chefs?

[jw]

One more thing...Dom mentioned last week that he found it "strange" that Hosea didn't know about nailing the eel head.

Did anyone else find it even more strange that Leah was wandering around Whole Foods asking where the eggs and milk were?

[canasian]

I've seen that come across that thought elsewhere, jw... My thinking is that while it should be obvious to anyone who's entered a grocery store where the dairy products are, it could be that she's never had to buy milk/cream/eggs at Whole Foods before. They've always had access to the TC pantry until now, which I know for a fact has chicken eggs, and I would assume has at least cream and whole milk. And beyond that, I don't remember her doing anything with cream or eggs before (other than her breakfast quickfire)in the entire competition until now.

[Angie]

Perhaps the most nail-biting finish all season !

I really thought that Stefan was about to go - overdone salmon is pretty bad ( with Stefan's catering experience, inexplicable ), and plating two kinds of spinach does not give off a vibe of confidence.

The (semi-raw) eggs were glossed over in the commentary, but going back to the TV spot challenge, I suppose an undercooked egg would be looked at as rather unforgivable,

Personally, I loved the "Last Supper" seating arrangement - it reminded me of ( and I'm showing my age here ) the scene in "MASH" just prior to Painless's 'death and resurrection'. Questionable taste, maybe. Appropriate (and funny, to those who got the joke), certainly.

Didn't get the QF judging at all - loved Stefan's offering, but I thought Hosea's was incredibly inventive, despite landing in the bottom - he's going to be tough in the finals if he keeps up like that.

[Weirdsmobile]

I really liked this elimination challenge, and I'd love to see it become a regular "final before the finals" tradition on Top Chef. We see a lot of famous/eminent guest judges on the show, but in this challenge we got to know them better than usual. What is more personally revealing, in the culinary realm, than the hypothetical choice of one's final meal in life? I love that we not only got to see Jacques Pepin, but to find out that the one meal he'd want to go out on is squab and peas.

And how much more elemental does it get than to challenge these chefs to create a meal that will give, literally, the ultimate pleasure and comfort to another human being at the end of life? What more profound test of a chef is there than to watch them try to connect with one diner on such an intimate level? There have been a lot of gimmicky challenges on Top Chef, but this one actually had some soul, and to my way of thinking, got to the heart of Why We Cook.

I have to admit I haven't been much of a fan of Fabio up to this point, but I think his win showed, not just technical proficiency in cooking a perfect roast chicken, but real heart and soul, in that he understood, not just the rules of the challenge, but the spirit of it. Contrast this with Hosea, who for all his good intentions didn't seem to really "get" the point of the challenge, and tried to create a dish that impressed rather than comforted.

I would love to see this challenge again next season, with a new panel of familiar judges -- maybe Bourdain, or Ripert -- to see what they would choose. I think it'd be fascinating, much like that book that came out recently on the same subject. And even though it's not the most exciting challenge in terms of flashy, virtuoso cooking, it's one of the most relevant challenges I've seen on the series, in that it gets right down to the fundamental roots of cooking and forces the chefs to reveal much more than just their skills. Foodies like to talk about food having "soul," and a challenge like this tests that quality in the cheftestants more effectively than any other I've seen.

[KarenB]

so where oh where is LeAnne? anyone know?

[kit]

In case anyone is interested in the book that a few commenters referenced above, "My Last Supper":

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596912871

Apparently, this is an old game that chefs like to play with one another, and Lidia Bastianich, at the time of this book, actually chose linguini & clams. I wonder if she's just changed her preferences, or if the selection of a different dish was show-related...

[Charles]

I agree with everyone who has said this was a great challenge. Really the challenges this season have been very good, not nearly as gimmicky or limiting as last year and fairly creative. The Thanksgiving challenge is the only that really stands out in my mind as being trivial and stupid.

All of that said, I really hope next season there are a few more challenges where the whiz bang, creativity of cooking is emphasized. Roasted chicken is a great choice for a last meal, but it's not what you're looking for on a Saturday night with friends.

I was wondering how Stefan could make such an glaring error when he wasn't being pushed by time constraints or overloaded with work. My theory is he relaxed, because he looked around and realized the other chefs aren't at his level. I hope this was a wake up call that anything can happen.

Also, how appropriate is it for this season that the most highly praised dish of the regular season was....peas.

[SorchaRei]

"Roasted chicken is a great choice for a last meal, but it's not what you're looking for on a Saturday night with friends. "

I disagree. I've had the pleasure of eating at both French Laundry and at Bouchon (Thomas Keller's bistro in Yountville). French Laundry was one of the three best gourmet meals I have ever eaten. Bouchon is where I want to go on Saturday night with my friends. Having cooked several dishes from his Bouchon cookbook, I assure you that the next time I am so fortunate to eat at Bouchon, I have every intention of ordering roasted chicken (and paying through the nose for the thing).

The onion soup at Bouchon was the most amazing soup I've ever eaten, and believe me, there's a lot of competition for that, as I adore soup and order it often. Simple, perfect, sort of a refined and distilled perfection. If I could eat a roasted chicken that was as good an example of roasted chicken as that soup was of onion soup, I would do it in a heartbeat.

This is not the first time a chef on Top Chef has wowed the judges with a roast chicken. Elia did it in Season 2 (I know, I'd like to forget that, too). I think Dom is right in his update: there's perfect and then there's PERFECT. "PERFECT" is an artform. It may not be an artform that Jeff appreciates, for example, but then minimalism in painting is not everyone's thing, either.

[Jon Olsen]

I loved this challenge for the insights into the great chefs, and just to see Jacques Pepin so perfectly on display. At the same time, something Jamie said resonated with me—the whole "culture of celebrity chefs" thing. How great would this challenge be with non-chefs, everyday people? Putting them in a room with regular Joes and Janes and taking time to interview and get to know what they would have in their last meal?

How much heart but also skill would you have to put into your dish to make it right for someone who may not be able to articulate exactly what it is they want? Pepin can say "squab and peas," but John Doe doesn't know what the hell a squab is. "I had this bird one time at a friend's birthday party. It wasn't chicken and ... I think it wasn't duck? And there was this side of peas they had some kind of green herb in them." Or even if it was the whole childhood memories thing. You know, "I always loved macaroni and cheese growing up, but my grandma used some special flavors in it and she used a different kind of milk." Or someone who just says "hot dish." Push the chefs to let go of snobbery while not dumbing it down.

I don't mean to be exploitative, but how great would this challenge be with persons who are actually dying? That would be amazing television—take that AmFAR challenge to the next level by getting some people who are actually living with (living with, not dying from) the disease. Push the chefs to the very limits of their skill and soul by demanding they focus on something so immediate and moving.

It would take the piss out of the whole celebrity chef thing and remind chefs to think about who they are cooking for. Put that episode RIGHT before Restaurant Wars. I bet the service quality would go up.
-------

Also, I think one thing that is impressive when Fabio goes back to Grandma's recipes is that he seems to nail them. That is pretty cool. I sure can't recreate my Grandma's swedish pancakes off the top of my head. Grandma and I never spent time doing that. But little Fabio was there in the kitchen, listening and watching, when Grandma told him about these dishes. It's a good feat. In a way it's probably just as hard to capture the spirit of someone who put so much love into their dishes for family as it is to recreate a Ripert fish plate. At least, I bet if you asked Eric Ripert, that sort of love and respect and artistry is probably something he aspires to. Yes, it's not down home cookin' but I bet those dishes have some Grandmere in them somewhere.

[Charles]

The debate rages on. I guess it's just a matter of personal taste. I appreciate the simple and PERFECT, but what I really want is to be blown away, to walk away saying, "What was that spice? How did the chef do that?"

I'm just worried that the way the season has progressed by the time we get to the finals the dessert is going to be one perfect strawberry on a plate.

All that aside, I think this has been the most likable group of chefs of all the seasons. I'd also say it's one of the funniest seasons too. Carla's "bye...bye....see ya" confessional was hilarious. As was the look Wylie gave Toby when he said he liked runny egg whites.

Does anyone think Top Chef will actually hurt Toby's career? I'd have a hard time taking him seriously after this show.

[Jon Olsen]

@Charles: That's it! It's a master plot by Colicchio! Tom must be planning to open a new restaurant in London sometime soon. If he can destroy Toby's reputation before he opens, he will ensure any bad review Toby might give would be ignored.

[Brent]

Jacques Pepin is universally revered in the food world. A culinary god. But I wonder how he'd be thought of had his career started later? Exact same chef, same ideas, same cookbooks, same career - but coming of age in the Food Network/Bobby Flay era. I wonder if he'd be made fun of by food snobs, rather than revered by them. Because Jacques Pepin spent years as the food director for Howard Johnson hotels, and now he's a food director for a cruise line. Would he be called a sell-out and belittled? Not even Rocco has directed a budget hotel chain's food service.

[aaalex]

To be fair to Toby Young, he came into an impossible situation. He has to take the place of Gail, a cheerful and inoffensive judge, or take the place of Ted Allen (ditto). He must have been told going in: "We want that burning wit you English people have. Give it to us." The English aren't any wittier than Americans, for one, and nasty with an English accent is not more elevated than nasty without one. For the first shows, he was trying too hard. Now, he's been edited down. His place to the side and almost invisible at the "Last Supper" table was kind of sad, as was the very odd assertion that he doesn't mind runny egg whites. Runny egg whites make most people gag. It's like a mouthful of someone else's saliva while you're eating an egg. But it was all he could say to get ANY attention at that table. I'm not a big fan or anything but I'm starting to feel sympathy for him. His blogging is, as you'd expect from a writer, pretty good and, last week, it was very informative. It's clear (thanks to Toby's blog) that though everyone thought Stefan's salmon overcooked, it wasn't rubbery or dry. Slightly overcooked, most likely, which is why Toby could vote to get rid of Hosea or Leah before voting to ditch Stefan. (I'm not convinced Tom was working overtime to keep Stefan in. Rather, what we saw were scenes made to create some sort of tension, to create a sense Stefan might really, really, actually be sent home when, in fact, it wasn't that close.) I hope Top Chef doesn't hurt his career, but I'm not sure this format or this editing does him justice or shows off his best qualities which are ... well, I'm not quite sure, but I'm sure he has some.

[Brent]

aaalex, et.al., there are lots of people who like runny egg whites. I am not one of them -- I agree with everyone else who has expressed disgust at the notion. But my father-in-law, for example, requests his eggs runny in restaurants. (In-laws! What a bunch of freaks! In-laws and the English.)

[paula]

More on the runny egg white issue, if you guys can stand it: There's a difference between "runny" and "raw," yes? I always thought eggs over easy had a bit of runny egg white (where it's white in color, but not firm...not still clear, which would be raw). It's why I always order my eggs "over medium": whites firm, yolk runny. I'd never order sunny side up, because then I think you do get--or have a greater chance of getting--a bit of raw egg white close to the yolk.

[Brent]

Let me quickly add that I'm not defending Toby nor Leah. If you're cooking eggs, cook them properly. A properly cooked egg white is not runny. They should only ever be that way if the customer has specifically requested them as such.

Just pointing out that many such customers do exist.

[Jake]

I think the fact that the judges have been at least partially able to move past basic technique and flavor comments to talk about "soul" and other esoteric qualities is a testament to the quality of the food. Like in any other art, there's levels: basic techniques, flavor profiles, palate ... only after these are nailed down can a chef start working on the next level, say, creative pairings of flavors, textures, or even intellectual surprises (like Stefan's quickfire dish, just to pick a recent example). Then after that level, higher forms of creativity, connection with the food and the diner, soul, etc. I'm sure there's a better way to describe this than what I'm saying here, but I didn't want to get into another extended analogy about music or poker or writing or something.

[aaalex]

Brent/Paula: The runny egg thing reminds me of the various ways people like bacon. I know people who like their bacon so "crisp" it shatters if you look at it wrong. I like it more medium, with a bit of flexibility to it still. And I have a friend who can't stand it brittle and eats her bacon almost raw. You'd think with such basic, "simple" things like eggs and bacon there would be general accord or agreement, but there really isn't. So, how is it possible to tell what PERFECT as opposed to "perfect" is when it comes to anything at all. Now that I think of it, is this whole Top Chef thing a cruel, existentialist joke or what?

[Lon]

I was out of town Wednesday night and when I got home Thursday, one of the first things I did is watch this show. This was one of the best episodes. . .ever.

I haven't read all the comments, but has anyone else noticed that the performances improve when the stakes are higher. I don't want to discredit any of the chefs in the early rounds, but it seems the judges are stronger, the contestants perform better, the challenges are more focused.

One comment about both Leah and Carla. I think both of them realized about halfway through the season what this show was really about. Leah began to understand she was in over her head and began to give up, so yes, I think she was relieved to be eliminated. Her natural ability just barely kept her out of the slop until this week's show. Carla, because she is so new to being a chef, finally began to understand she could stand up with the rest. Perhaps in other years she would have gone away earlier, but perhaps not either.

Once one gets into the final four or five chefs, I think it is safe to say that almost all the losing chefs screwed up trying to get to complicated or fancy.

Perhaps my favorite episode of all time was Season 3 where the chefs were asked to prepare classic meals with chicken, potatoes and onions.

Complicated menus can mask a chefs true ability. Simple foods put the emphasis on expertise.

[DaveP]

Ugh, I missed the episode on Wed and had to watch the rerun on Thursday, which meant assiduously avoiding this blog til now. So much has already been said, there's really very little to add, other than to welcome Fabio into the fold. So, I'll just give my own power ranking for the finalists:

Stefan - Wow, Mr Technique overcooks the salmon! Damn those editors; I really thought he was in trouble for elimination. Very happy to see him go on as he's still the heavy favorite.

Hosea - Maybe finally hitting his stride after showing some flashes very early on? He was one of the (albeit, many) chefs I was high on after ep. 1 so I'm happy to see him make it. I think he has enough creativity and refinement to actually win it all, assuming he doesn't mess up in the first round and Stefan stumbles in the second.

Carla - Speaking of hitting (her) stride, she's really been on fire lately. She's almost a shoe-in to make the final three considering the venue and nature of the next challenge. I'm still not 100% convinced she has the refinement to win it all. Simple and great food will get you very, very far, but I don't think it wins it all. Not to say she only does simple food, but that's what she's best at.

Fabio - Very well played, injury and all, and congrats on the win. Of the remaining, I think he's the likeliest to fall in the first round (followed by Hosea), since he's a bit more prone to making technical mistakes than the others. If he makes it to the final round, he might be able to give the others a run for their money, but his overall works to date don't compare to Stefan, certainly, or Hosea and Carla.

Leah - Ah, what could've been. I'm not sorry to see her go, but I wish I could've seen her at her peak in the finals. Maybe we will as a sous anyway, but I would've liked to have seen her actual creations. Oh, and I like my eggs runny too. Or even raw. It's not just Europeans who like runny/raw eggs. :)

--
Dave

[Steve]

Ooops. Looks like it will be a final three instead of a final two.

So I'm rooting for Stefan, Carla and Fabio.

I suspect that Fabio could come through and surprise us again by making the final three. The issue is going to be refining his technique and how he incorporates his Italian cooking background into New Orleans food.

Stefan looks like he had both having an attack of overconfidence and nerves this last episode. He's got to bring it and win this...for the sake of the show, if nothing else!

Without Jamie and Jeff...can anyone else be the standard bearer of great, delicious, refined food?

This was a disappointing season in that two of the favorites didn't make it to the semis. But the two best personalities will be there, so at least it will be entertaining.

An expansion of my point earlier in this thread: basic delicious cooking is as part of being top chef as is delicious, inventive cooking. So I don't mind the contest including such challenges. In fact, delicious basic cooking is the foundation of great, creative food.

******

SPOILER ALERT

******

I am tres worried again. This time about Stefan. In the trailer for the semis, Colicchio seem to be bringing Stefan down a notch because the judges were "expecting something a little bit more." Stefan seems embarassed.

But these previews are usually red herrings meant to mislead. So I hope he's safe.

Then there's the clip of Hosea not having a ladle to serve his gumbo. And then we have Emeril at Judges Table criticizing someone's food as the first in his 28 years of Lousiana cooking where's he seen someone burn gumbo.

Yikes!

[canasian]

Spoiler! (even though it is on the Bravo site and the previews)

Next week is supposedly a double elimination, but they also say three will be cooking in the final final. What the hell?!?!!!!?

[ally]

Not sure where I stand in the simplicity debate but I do agree with Charles: "What was that spice?" is an awesome question to be walking away with.

One dish that has resonanted with me for 15 years was a bow-tie pasta dish with shrimp and a very light cream sauce that had mustard in it somehow, which I've tried to reproduce without any success whatsoever. I can still almost taste it, I have no idea how to make it, and I wish I could have it again. Various degrees of successful roast chicken don't really stick in my mind this way.

Hmmm, maybe I do know where I stand on the simplicity issue.

[jse91]

Another comment on the "simplicity" issue. One of the very, very best things I have ever eaten in my life was in the highlands in Guatemala. It was chicken soup, mostly broth with this vinegary pepper condiment that you put added. I swear to you that I still think about it more than 15 years later - chicken soup. I think if you told me I could have one meal of my life again, it might actually be that one. As Dom says and I can attest - PERFECT is just a whole other world.

[SorchaRei]

I actually think that the example of the bowtie pasta, shrimp, and cream sauce that has stuck with you for 15 years is just another example along the lines of the roast chicken I'm talking about.

I've had lots of very successful bowtie pasta with cream sauce and shrimp. None of them has particularly stuck with me. I don't attribute this to weirdness with you, ally. I attribute it to the fact that you encountered a sublime version of that genre, one which was so refined and so perfect (or PERFECT) that it stuck with you all these years and still tickles your memory in a special way.

I grasp that you have never had this experience with roast chicken. What I ask you to consider is that there is nothing about bowtie pasta and shrimp with cream sauce that makes it different than roast chicken. Yours was special because that version of it was special.

I have eaten roast chicken that did leave me walking away wondering how he made it taste infused with the flavor of thyme when I could not see any thyme at all. I can roast a chicken. Heck, I have had terrific results with Thomas Keller's "My favorite roast" recipe. I can't reproduce the most sublime roast chicken I've yet encountered (which was cooked by Rob Feenie when he was still running Lumiere in Vancouver).

In both these cases, it's not the dish itself. It's what the chef did with the roast chicken or the pasta and shrimp that elevates it. That's what Fabio did -- roasted a chicken that a table full of world-class chefs thought was a worthy achievement. This suggests to me that it wasn't "successful roast chicken" any more than your pasts dish was "successful bowtie pasta".

Thinking of that roast chicken at Lumiere reminds me I need to go back there now that Daniel Boloud is the managing chef, working with Dale McKay. Great. Now I'm hungry.

[Anne]

Dom,
If you can come up with pictures from Carla's modeling career, your name will be sung throughout history as a hero among men.

[Helaine]

Random question (I apologize if this has been addressed before). What factors/contraints make a top chef challenge a "catering" challenge? Obviously, the chefs standing in front of stations with burners of food, serving guests - Catering (preview for next week). But, it seems that sit-down meals have also been described as "catering", so I'm curious as to the distinction and why some people seem to feel the catering challenges are not representative of someone's chef capabilities.
Thanks.

[babyarm]

The "runny egg white"-gate puzzles me. Aren't Sunny Side Up eggs by definition runny on top? Plus the treatment of eggs/chicken in the UK is far different than eggs here. They can eat eggs raw with much more confidence than here. And a raw egg is not half bad in the right context.

I have no issue with a soft egg white in the shell either. Much better IMO.

Of all the thing toby has said when he said that I was for the first time nodding in agreement.

Oh well.

[redpoint]

I was not sad to see Leah go -- BUT -- and this is important: You all have been very harsh on her, calling her lazy, checked out. The girl is only 25 years old. She's obviously a talented cook, because she won or was on the top of quite a number of quick fires. I don't know her, but did you ever think maybe what you thought sounded blase was actually insecurity. She's not extremely verbal, she's young, she's stressed out, she's insecure. And she's a damn good cook. Give her a break.

The business with Hosea is perfectly normal for a 25 year old. If she were 30, I'd look at it differently.

Please!

[Liz]

After watching the episode twice, I still can't tell whether or not they liked Hosea's dish.

[Rahul]

babyarm: The problem is that Leah probably didn't intend to make runny eggs. Just because Toby has a taste for them doesn't mean that she succeeded with her dish. And his opinion will have very little sway as long as Tom holds the reins. Which is fine by me...

[jse91]

redpoint - I would try and agree with you about Leah, except then I remember her statement to People [posted earlier]:

"Before coming onto the show, I really did not have a lot of experience. I had never put a dish together from start to finish"

and I can only just say again - How is that possible? I get that she is twenty five, but what is she doing here if she never put a dish together "from start to finish". I am not sure I know what that means.

[Allison]

I love this blog. Thank you so much for your work, Dom, & also thanks to the avid bloggers. I went away for only a day this week (when I missed the entire previous week) & so much happened. Of course, I understand that we're in Top Chef late season mode.

After I went to sleep late after a rerun of this week's show, Fabio (or his online look-alike) posted. Hmmm ... where is Stefan this week?

FYI Independent George, I did slice a bit of my index finger in the mandoline & no longer get near the blade ... leftovers are vegetable stock fodder.

Jon Olsen has probably expressed many of my thoughts best in his earlier posts (& it's not just because my last name ends in -sen ;-) -- and I think an AmFar challenge would be great!

While we may deeply appreciate simple perfectly executed dishes & I'm very satisfied with this challenge (wish I could have tasted the food!), many of us expect more from the Top Chef contestants. I think we will see it in the finals.

I visit the recipes & occasionally try some of them. The Bridal Shower lamb recipe was one & Hosea's salmon/mushroom eggroll (with my own marinade because none was specified) was another -- both excellent. Look at Fabio's recipe for roast chicken. Then visit Carla's recipe for the squab & peas. I learned nothing from the former & found detail in the latter. Just mho.

And about those runny eggs ... as someone who likes her eggs very very very done, I learned to appreciate raw eggs in Japan & find it difficult to enjoy sukiyaki without one. But not in this situation ...

[Danny]

Allison, I have always shied away from mandolins but received yet another one this Christmas, this time from my partner. January 30th my partner was with his brother, his wife and their wonderful kids having fun while I stayed at home to cook. I used the mandolin and managed to slice a very large chunk of the tip of one of my fingers. It bled for four hours. I now only go so far with the slicing and, like you, the rest is for a vegetable stock.

I was very sad to read Fabio's Q & A on the Bravo site. He spent a good part of it trashing Carla's food (not just the eggs and he didn't say her name). He seemed particularly bitter about the egg challenge and certainly felt that he should have won. After obsessively watching the episode for the 4th time (what an amazing episode - talk about being about the food!) I realized that there was no possible way that Fabio would win no matter how the food tasted. WD said he loved eggs and breakfast was his favorite meal. Fabio veered away from breakfast and made a dish with three seperate components, two of which had no egg at all in them (I don't count the eggshell container). I could not imagine WD saying that Fabio's was his favorite especially because of the eggless dessert soup. Even if it was amazing tasting it was not what the challenge was about. "Make something great with veal.""How do you like my oyster dish?"

[Charles]

Fabio doesn't come across a bit prickish in his blog; what with the obsessing over Wylie's taste in eggs and Carla's cooking.

However, I still like the guy (not as much as Stefan and Carla) because of comments like this...

"If i have to die after dinner, I want to be a little drunk."

I'd wear that on a t-shirt.

[Charles]

Ooops that should be "does come across as prickish" not "doesn't." Sorry.

[Duffy]

Re Stefan's overcooked salmon: Perhaps an unfamiliar stove? Oven running hotter than setting indicated? Pans come out of oven a little too hot? His service deadline is upon him and its too late to fix? As I gather, the dish was still tasty so it must have been just slightly overdone. Stefan did not seem too suprised at being called out for it.

[aaalex]

Charles: the really weird thing, for me, about Fabio's post-win interview is that he says:

"Lately who is winning the challanges has been doing panna cotta, seared scallops, mousse, and grits. With all due respect for those people, how amazing is a panna cotta or a plate of grits."

What's weird about this is that, for the QF, Fabio actually DID a panna cotta, a coconut milk panna cotta with mango puree. He was getting in a dig at Stefan with the panna cotta reference, but, uh, he comes off a little ridiculous here. Unless, of course, he means that OTHER people making panna cotta are being lazy but when he does it it's genius.

No, likable as he is, there is definitely a prickish component to him.

[Danny]

Sorry. One other comment. Why did they get an hour to put together breakfast egg dishes and only 15 minutes to make something great from canned foods and Velveeta????

[stefan]

Sorry for the Delay ;-)

Here it goes again. I have seen so many positive and negative comments on all the blogs over the last few month. More positive then negative actually. And i really don't care what people think. Because i know who im and what i stand for. It is a reality show and we all have signed up for it. Dom i love your blog i have enjoyed it for a long time. If People don't believe it's me ( It is me trust me) go on my website and e-mail me and put in the subject skillet doux then i know it's you guys. I have thousands of e-mails every day and love to respond to all of them ;-).

Have fun blogging and love the comments

Stefan

P.S why the f... am i the Villan i just don't get it?? Because im confident?? Id that so bad??

[justforthis]

Stefan; I think most people actually impressed by your cooking and skills as well as your willingness to help others during the competition. It's your touchy Italian colleague that is losing admirers.

[Tim]

Hi Stefan!
I'm glad you're hanging in there both on the show and with the critiques. It is, as we say, the nature of the beast. No flattering bullshit here, but the prospect of you in the final 2/3 is what is keeping this season interesting. As for the 'villain' label, I tend to blame the media production of TC. Every American show needs a villain, and face it, right from casting you fit many of the negative 'villainous' traits - 'foreigner,' Germanic accent, shaved scalp or 'skinhead'. Although everyone accepts that self-confidence is good, a majority of American people identify more with underdogs and team players and feel threatened by the proud and authoritative. Although I'm sure that in real life you may have some abrasive quirks - as we all have - I'm sure you're a good person as well as a seasoned professional and a top chef. Good luck!
Now, can I get back to sharpening my daggers? ; D

[aaalex]

Stefan: if people think you're a villain, it's because you've been edited that way. We see you saying things that sound arrogant, especially at the start of this series, and we have nothing else to judge you by. We don't know you. We know the version of you that Bravo controls. Lately, it seems clear that you are not arrogant, that you're helpful and kind, that you like the people you've been in this competition with: not just Fabio but Jamie and Leah as well. But this impression is given by Bravo too. It's editing. We still don't know you and, once this season is done, most of us never will. We're all reacting to an image of you, not you. You, as a real person, don't exist on "Top Chef". So, if you're unhappy with the response to your image, you should blame Bravo/Top Chef, not the viewers.

The one thing some of us can and do know about you is your food, through your recipes. And having followed some of your recipes, all I can say is: I wish I could afford to have you make food for me. That would be a good thing.

One question: who is your favourite chef?

[duffy]

Stefan: Five reasons you are the villain in the show: (1) the editors, (2) the editors, (3) the editors, (4) the editors and (5) the editors. Relax.

Also: does anyone among you really believe that simple = easy??

[Unhappy Gilmore]

The editors messed up enough to show Stefan with a sense of humor, laughing, especially at himself and helping others either verbally or with plating, etc.

[Allison]

Danny, I SO sorry about your mandoline experience, yet completely understand it. There are many many nerve endings in the fingertips & I know that we lost more than a few. I'm crazy enough to have bought my own mandoline because I like the results (vegetables, not past exeriences with fingers).

Nice to see Stefan resurface. Perhaps Top Chefs are realizing that this is the place to be?

Happy Valentine's Day to you all.

[Independent George]

Allison, Danny: I'm sorry to hear your mandolin stories, but must admit to some relief that my phobias are not completely irrational. I was at a kitchen supply store today, and saw a Kyocera model with the ceramic blade. Based on my experience with a Kyocera ceramic paring knife (best knife I've ever owned), I must conclude that the Japanese are out to kill us.

[Independent George]

I think we have the perfect answer for who the permanent 4th judge should be: Richard Blais.

His last two blog posts on Bravo have clinched it for me. We already knew he's got the palate, skill, and knowledge, but now we know he's got the insight and communication skills, too. He's perfect:

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/richard-blais/literally-cooking

"Fabio does his best impression of Wylie and finds himself on the bottom. Carla does a good impression of herself and wins.

...Molecular gastronomy, it must be said again, aims to make food better. Extending and adding on to tradition by asking questions and experimenting. If you can make an ingredient better by manipulating it, that is good. If you can only manipulate for the sake of manipulation or art, then that is bad."

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/richard-blais/chicken-and-caviar
"What the contestants don’t realize is what’s about to happen. And I don’t mean in next week’s episode. After the show is airing some of them will start getting phone calls and e-mails. The offers will range from chef positions to speaking engagements. And more television work, from special guest appearances to pitching your own treatments. But not as much for those who personally presented themselves poorly. The ones who rant in the stew room or shave people's heads. The ones who disrespect the distinguished guest judges or bad-mouth the hosts in People magazine. The ones who quit and toss their equipment may not get those new opportunities.

There are two rewards you get from being on Top Chef. One is an egg. It’s a $100,000 egg. One chef gets it each season. The other is a chicken. And some of these chefs don’t realize that chickens make eggs."

[Anne]

Stefan, you're only the "villain" because they felt they needed one and decided it was you--except it's not quite working. The viewers aren't buying it. Because, sure you're confident and sometimes singleminded, but also charming and funny and helpful and (apparently, since I can't like my television) a damn good chef. It's a real mistake of this season that they tried to put you into that role, but at least it's not really working, because they can't help but show the charming stuff, too.

I'm curious if Hosea's douche-y comments were a surprise to you, or if you knew he was that fixated on you during the filming. He seemed to want to make it a two-man race when for the viewers it was a Swede/lesbian race--until it wasn't anymore. Now it's improbably all about you and the Hootster.

[canasian]

As much as I think Blais would make a great judge (heck, even Sam Talbot would be better than Toby), the Gail/Toby/Ted spot is filled by Gail/Toby/Ted for a reason. I've mentioned this before, but I can't remember if it was here or at TWoP. Tom is the chef of the panel, the person who should be looking at the cooking of a perspective of having been in the chefs' shoes himself at one point. Padma is the "common palate," meant to bring in the idea of what the people who will ultimately come to the winner's restaurant will want. The food writer/critic (Gail/Toby/Ted) is there to take the opinions of Tom and Padma and boil them into what will most widely appeal to the public (by that criteria, Toby might be the worst person on Earth for the job, because who respects his opinion after the second he made the WMD joke). Blais could be a great judge, but he is too close to Tom's position to be replacing Toby.

[Omelet]

It's funny to me that some here are rushing to reassure Stefan that he's not a bad person, it's the editors' fault - while at the same time, harshly judging Fabio as if the impression viewers have of him is not due to the very same editors!

We are very lucky, the fact is this has turned into a wonderful season and should be an outstanding finale. All of the final four contestants have quirks and all of them seem capable of surpassing their best efforts to date, which is something to look forward to.

I too have been pleasantly surprised with the non-food-related insights in Blais's blog. This is still the top blog, but Blais is running neck and neck with Chef Tom as the first stop on the Bravo website.

[aaalex]

Omelet: I think, when we mention "Fabio" or "Stefan" it's understood we're mentioning creatures created by television. No one thinks the real Fabio is "prickish" or that the real Stefan is "arrogant". We're all referring to the reality created by Bravo. It would become very tedious if, every time someone mentioned "Fabio" or "Stefan", we had to put quotation marks around their names or reiterate that we're not referring to the "real" Fabio or Stefan.

In the end, this season is interesting and very watchable because Bravo/Top Chef has done a tremendous job with the challenges, with the editing and, yes, even in the selecting of a judge like Toby (who's made it possible for us to argue about what makes a good judge ... and less we forget, "Toby" is made by editing, too). Most of the blogs I've visited focus on the personalities and on the food, because that's where the most fun is, but have you noticed how Bravo has got this show down to an art: the music comes in precisely "here", the moments of chef comedy come "now", the camera angles and film/video editing are crisp and unfussy. All of the production decisions this season have been good ones (including the moments out to see how Hosea and Leah mess up their performances by getting too intimate). (We could argue about the incessant product placements, but since that's how they pay the bills ...)

It's a good moment to congratulate the producers of the show. Though the chefs, this season, may not be as technically gifted as some of the chefs in other seasons, though the food may not always be as intriguing, Top Chef Season Five is a step up, a step up from Season Four, even, and I thought Season Four was great.

[redpoint]

Maybe its posted here among the comments, but I don't see it. Can someone tell me the address of Stefan's web site? Thanks.

One comment about "the editing." I went to a lecture given by season 1 Dave Martin. a few months ago. There were only about six of us there, so it was like a conversation. We talked for a bit about the editing, if he thought people were misrepresented by it. He unequivocally said no. He said the people were just what they seemed like. People said the things that they said, and that's what they were. The big example was Tiffani and Stephen. They were exactly like that. Dave said Tiffani was trying to psychologically undermine Candice. And Ken was a crazy, scary person who screamed in his sleep.

I imagine Stefan and Fabio are like how they appear on the show. Maybe if it was one episode we could be fooled by editing, but over time a real personality emerges. I like them both, they are multi-dimensional people with charms and faults. Its that whiny Hosea that bothers me. He doesn't talk about winning Top Chef anymore, he just wants to beat Stefan. How childish.

Going back to my earlier comment about Leah, which mostly went unacknowledged amongst the millions of comments. I think its ludicrous to believe that she truly said she has never put a meal together from start to finish. That was probably taken out of context. She's too good a cook for that. I'll say it again, I think most of you have been much to harsh on her. She's only 25, obviously insecure, not very verbal (though not as bad as Jill!), and is probably a very good chef. She won too many quick fires not to be. Sure she has a lot to learn, but she got this far on her talent, not on luck (like Lisa or Spike, for example).

[bfish]

redpoint, I'm glad you brought up the Leah quote again. After reading several interviews with her, I think the broader context is she wasn't using her recipes in the restaurant where she works and/or wasn't responsible for putting together combinations of food that are plated. Like you, I didn't read this as she's never cooked a complete dish or meal. Her comments in one interview suggest that post-TC she is now contributing her own recipes and/or food combinations to her restaurant's menu. So, TC was a growth experience for her.

Re: the editing, I think what was shown depicted her accurately (i.e. wasn't staged, re-created or faked) but the editors select what they show and don't show. For example, according to Leah she was pals with Stefan and Fabio as well as Hoseah (don't ask how "friendly" she got with these two!) and was put out that this was left on the cutting room floor to play up the Leah + Hosea angle.

I'm no apologist for Leah -- her food and slacker attitude didn't shout winner to me. Nonetheless, some valid points in her defense have been made and I wanted to put in my two cents (FWIW). As a person, she has never made me as uncomfortable as Lisa did, not to mention Ilan, Sam, Betty, and Frank! I'm an unwavering Stefan fan from episode 1 on, but have, to some extent, enjoyed all of the contestants this season.

[Independent George]

Redpoint - I agree that the Leah probably a better chef than we've seen, but I take issue with the fact that she's 'only' 25. Her age is undoubtedly a factor in her talent/skill - obviously, she's had less time to learn and experiment than older chefs, and I give her a lot of credit for making it this far - but it should have nothing to do with comportment. At 25, you're an adult, and should be expected to act like one.

Moreover, Blais has mentioned the fact that the competition is very much an endurance test at this point; if anything, her age gives her less of an excuse for wearing down. (We may have snarked at Antonia in S4 for always talking about missing her kid, but that's got to be difficult - unless she's got a sick parent we don't know about, it's way more difficult than anything Leah might have missed).

[aaalex]

Redpoint: with all respect to Dave Martin, I don't buy that what we see on television is in any way real. First, these are contestants on a reality program. Their behaviour is the behaviour of people put in an extremely artificial situation. The most you could say about these contestants is that you know what they're like in extremely artificial situations where they're asked to remain apart from their family and friends and to cook. Second, what we get from their interviews are selections from what they say. We don't get the whole context. We don't get the comment before or following. So, we're not being given the whole picture, ever, even after 16 episodes. We're given facets of their personality. The producer's art is in choosing those facets to make a fairly integrated personality. Of course Fabio is Italian, of course he's got a sense of humour, but he is also, clearly, many many other things and those other things are not given to us. The producers/editors have reduced him to a handful of his characteristics. Third, real people aren't followed around by music and we don't see them rapidly cutting from home to store to kitchen to judgment. Everything about this show is artificial and I think it's important to remember that. If you forget this, you end up with situations as in Season Two when a woman attacked Marcel Vigneron in a bar. She smashed a glass in the face of someone she knew ONLY from television. The barrier between real and illusion had fallen and her behaviour was that of a psychotic. It's fun to imagine we know these people, because we feel invested in their struggles, their triumphs and their failures. But we don't know them at all. Not at all.

[jkelley]

Tom's blog is finally up, very interesting: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/tom-colicchio/squabbling-over-squab-and-exiting-over-eggs
Although I still miss Le Anne's contributions...

[Danny]

Omelet, my problems with Fabio have nothing to do with anything the editors did. My problem is based on the interview with him on the Bravo site. He spends a considerable amount of time in the interview trashing Carla and Stefan's cooking, trashing the challenge itself and making it clear that he should have won even though he made a 3 component dish, 2 without eggs.

It is a very off putting interview and it validates what we've seen on the show when, in the confessional, he is outraged that his food was thought to be sub-par and when he argues with the judges. This part, of course, could be all the editor's doing but the interview is not.

This is in the same way that Jeff's People interview seemed to validate a lot of what we saw on screen with him.

[Danny]

I should add one more thing. One thing we've learned from all seasons of TC is that the cheftestants who listen to what the judges have to say, don't get defensive and learn from it are the ones most likely to continue on to the end. The ones that ignore the judges' critiques eventually get eliminated.

[Omelet]

That last comment is so true, Danny, on Top Chef as in most of our daily lives!

[jse91]

I would take anything Dave Martin said with many, many grains of salt - especially about Tiffani. He was so insecure about her, it is ridiculous. However, if what you see on tv is real, then I have no problem believing he is a misogynistic jackass.

I was the one who put up the Leah quote about a meal from start to finish. I agree that it can't be literally accurate, all of us have done that at home. I thought it was telling, regardless.

[redpoint]

"Misogynistic jackass?" Where is that coming from, jse91?

[jse91]

The "bitch" thing for starters. Totally out of the misogynistic playbook. Can't compete on her level? Call her a bitch! That will work. Never an acceptable word in a work setting, at least in my prudish book. Just never had any use for Dave. Would not have stopped me from eating that truffle mac 'n cheese, but still . . .

I have been irritated for years that Bravo played that up in a t-shirt. Misogynistic all around.

[Rabrab]

I finally saw this episode today, and I thought that it was magnificent. The Quickfire was everything a QF should be: challenging, fairly open in structure, and not silly.

I also appreciated that while there was a trap built into it, it was an easily-avoided trap for any of the chefs who really understood what Wylie and molecular gastronomy are about. If they didn't really understand what MG is, or if they focused too hard on Wylie's reputation for it, they would step square into the jaws of the trap and make something that was clever, but with the cleverness adding nothing to the dish. If they did give it some thought, they could avoid that trap. Carla did clever that did add to the dish, and that won her the QF.

On the elimination, I think that one thing has been missed in the discussion of how could Stefan overcook the salmon. One of the judges comments that "It was cooked all the way through." On the duck, Tom pointed out that there's a generational divide on how well done fowl should be -- chefs from an older generation tend to like it done more thoroughly than younger ones, and Jacques Pepin basically agreed, saying that he thought the squab was done perfectly, while Tom thought it was slightly overcooked.

I suspect that that divide may exist in regards to how thoroughly fish should be cooked, as well. It's only recently that fish is considered "properly cooked" when it's not done all the way through. I'm only a bit older than Stefan, and I don't like fish that raw or rare in the middle. It's very possible that he was preparing it the way he remembered, and ran afoul of the newer, "fish should be rare" mindset.

And about whether simple is a valid judge of skill, I found myself comparing what they were asked to make in this episode to Ikibana flower arranging, compared to western flower arranging: it was an exercise in the perfection of simplicity, with no way to hide an error with a sauce or flashy preparation. Underpoach the eggs or cut the cherry branch too short and it's impossible to hide. There's no way to distract the eater from the runny egg, and there's no baby's breath or ferns to distract them from the awkward shape of the branch.

Simplicity can be breathtaking, but to achieve that, it must be PERFECT.

[Jon Olsen]

Dave acquitted himself quite poorly--behavior-wise, not necessarily in the cooking--over the last three or four challenges of season one. I felt that Bravo edited him into a stronger competitor than he was. He also had a kind of schtick going. But he didn't behave maturely on camera, and he was very focused on other people (Tiffani in particular) and the various injustices done him.

I think it very telling what Bravo did with the people from that season. Leeanne has the gig on the show: clearly she understood the chicken she was handed and made the most of it with aplomb and class. Harold did exactly what the award suggested he do: he opened a restaurant. It's still in business in NYC partly by dint of his celebrity, but the reviews are generally positive (one star from Frank Bruni may offend the sensibilities of the finest of fine dining but it's nothing to sneeze at). And when he's been back on the show he demonstrates class. Tiffani finally came back after a few years for the big holiday special showdown. Dave? Well Dave's restaurant is successful. Fine. I haven't seen much of him on the Bravo site or on the tube.

They rewarded awesomeness with a continuing role in the TC universe. They reward schtick by putting it on a tee shirt.

[babyarm]

Just remember when handicapping the finals the performance of the chefs in the first 5 episodes traditionally has mattered MUCH more than the last 5 episodes.

If the finals really were the weeks after the final 5 episodes then maybe the recent performance would matter. But from what I can tell there was months between tapings. This is plenty of time for the real contenders to make adjustments to the regional cuisine of the finals for week 1 and come up with a menu for week 2.

[J H]

After reading Tom's blog, I was a curious about the "Ready, Set, Cook" challenge at the Food and Wine Classic and came upon this blog that has Tom and Harold (S1) vs. Jacques and his best friend:

http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2006/07/fw_classic_in_a.html#more

[redpoint]

"They rewarded awesomeness with a continuing role in the TC universe. They reward schtick by putting it on a tee shirt."

I think your examples are kind of random. Going on the Top Chef Holiday Reunion wasn't a reward. Both mediocre and good chefs were on that together. I'm sure many declined, perhaps Dave. The t-shirt thing is just some random marketing thing, like that dumb "culinary boner" line. Who cares? That' doesn't reflect on Dave.

I disagree, that Dave was edited to be better than he was. That sounds unfair to me. He did really well, and the spot in the top two was arguably stolen away from him. His food was considered better than Tiffini's, he made the error of forgetting to make a third dish. Re-watch it.

I don't know Dave Martin. I just met him once. But he seemed like a sweet, personable, down to earth, funny, warm person. He got emotional in a pressure-cooker, sure. But mysogynistic? Just because he used the word bitch. Who hasn't used the word? Come on.

I don't understand the anger here. It feels so inappropriate.

[redpoint]

And another thought:

WWCD? (What would Carla do?)

She'd spread the love. Come on people!

[babyarm]

So any guesses as to who would serve gumbo over grits?

[Steve]

Dom, where are you? Help! We need you to bring us back from reality TV diss and conspiracy theories to talking about great food again. ARRRRGGGHHHH.

Rankings.....uhhh....need rankings....

[canasian]

The strange thing, Steve, is that the conversation really began to derail when Stefan showed up again. I know I defended the guy last time somebody brought this up, but maybe he does bring omens of off-topicness to this blog. And I also NEED power rankings. Doooooom!!!!!!!!! Dom???

[aaalex]

canasian: depends what you mean by "off topic" or "derail". I thought this was a place to discuss, among other things, the show, Top Chef. Top Chef is about much more than the food. Also, since Stefan wrote in the topics have been: the show's editing, the creation of "villains" by the producers, Richard Blais' blog, Tom Colicchio's blog, and the "Ready, Set, Cook" challenge ... nothing off-topic there, if you ask me. Was this meant to be a blog exclusively about the food? If so, Dom himself is frequently off-topic, don't you think?

[Skillet Doux]

Provided they're at least tangentially related, side discussions are not only allowable but quite welcome. Go nuts, folks :-)

[Unhappy Gilmore]

Lets take this sumbitch over 200 posts!!!!

Delay the rankings Dom. Let us moan and whine for them a little longer. I can always find another job.

[Karen]

I am wondering if Tom had it in for Leah. The way Toby wrote his blog, he implied that Tom pushed for her to go. What do you think?

[aaalex]

Karen: in Tom's blog, he mentions that the choice between Leah and Stefan was easy. Stefan had overcooked the salmon (it was cooked through) but nailed the dill sauce and flavour combination. Leah had undercooked the egg (Jacques Pépin confirmed this) and thinned her hollandaise to the point where it had little flavour (as Padma said at JT). Hosea, whom Toby wanted to kick out, had done his shrimp well, though he ruined the tomatoes. The only chef who had screwed up two components was Leah, so ... I don't think it was a difficult decision for the judges. Doesn't seem like he had it in for Leah.

I was kind of sad to see her go. I had a higher tolerance than most for the drama between her and Hosea. To me, it felt like part of the human drama that comes with putting people in these heated, artificial situations. And she also seemed like a deceptively competent chef, at times. So ...no sigh of relief from me. But I'm still glad Stefan and Carla went on.

[Unhappy Gilmore]

I am with aaalex on his analysis. I also always ranked Leah over Hosea - maybe because of the skill she occasionally showed, or I am just not that wowed by Hosea - Mr. Seafood - not.

[Jon Olsen]

Nah, I don't think I'm going to feel bad for formulating an opinion of Dave Martin's behavior on a television show. I really don't think I suggested anything about him other than his behavior. meh.

As for the examples, well, I'll partially stipulate that. Tiffani's is a random example—-and not as clear as I meant to be. Which is to say, I actually meant that it took three seasons for Tiffani (who had herself displayed some unpleasant behavior) to "come back." Whereas several other cast members have been invited to blog, to create other multimedia content, and to participate in the general "Top Chef culture" that has grown up around the show. Dave—and Bravo—made an ongoing deal out of the "not your bitch, bitch" quote which is not particularly clever. Nor was it entirely accurate since it's so clear the degree of "nagging" has been played up by editing and commentary.

His bickering behavior with Tiffani was very unimpressive, and unrelenting, to the point that he essentially sabotaged the other chef in the final. He was *drunk* on the line, and drank throughout service.

But if you want to make it just about the food, I'm fine with that. Dave won three times, the most of anyone not counting quickfires. Dave's winning dishes included an apparently stellar mac and cheese, a team challenge with Tiffani, and a "fry daddy mix" from the freezer (the poker players semi final). He won one challenge working front of house for the pair of eventual-finals chefs.

In his last appearance Dave failed to make enough food and claimed to not understand the challenge—a fact that has been repudiated by other contestants because before the "your time starts NOW" they turn off the cameras and explain the rules in detail, permitting questions.

I am not "angry" at Dave. But I am concerned that the facts are not well-represented. I'm further convinced that The work to exploit Dave's behaviors by the editors and producers (resulting in lots of promos and the aforementioned tee-shirts) was completely unnecessary. The show was and is a hit on its merits without playing up Dave's histrionic behavior.

Look how compelling this season has been and what have we seen for ill behavior? "Bad touch" in the house? Throwing a whisk? I get really upset with Leah (really upset) but the drama has been there, the tight storytelling has been there, all without having to over-play schtick elements or a lot of bickering in the kitchen. No one has been drunk on the line. No one has failed to deliver a dish, though there have been some bad ones. I'm willing to bet that hold true through the finals.

[Karen]

I guess my point about Tom (I appoligize about using his first name so easily, I would destroy spelling his last name) is that I wonder if he grows a fondness or dislike for some of the chef's cooking. I question whether Tom was frustrated with Leah giving up in the episode before and did not want to help her through to the finals. I am not necessarily a Leah fan, I just thought Tom's blog was missing something this week. And when Toby said that Tom wanted Leah gone because of the egg, it just made me question.

[Unhappy Gilmore]

I agree Karen. Tom C. has the most to lose if the Top Chef brand is tarnished.

Maybe he learned that last year with Lisa. The giving up the week before may have been enough for Tom C. not to want Leah in the finals, in case she went on to win.

[aaalex]

Karen: I think you might have a point where Jeff was concerned. Colicchio was never anything but lukewarm towards his cooking, even when others were very impressed. You could see a kind of philosophical difference between Tom and Jeff that played itself out in Jeff's post-Top Chef interview. He slammed Colicchio's restaurant Craft. But, of course, I think that's fair game. As Thomas Keller pointed out in his great interview on Charlie Rose, there is a difference between perfectly executed simplicity (great roast chicken) and experiments with flavour that take you places you have never been before. It's a rare chef that can go to both places with ease, so there's a natural competition between chefs who go for perfect simplicity (Colicchio) and those who experiment (Jeff).

I don't get the impression (and I might be very wrong) that Colicchio really has time to dislike the chefs personally. Nor does he seem like the kind of guy who would put his emotions before his judgment of the food. I mean, when does he see the chefs? At JT, in the kitchen when they're working, and that's about it, isn't it? Leah was clearly getting tired/frustrated with being cooped up. But would it really have been such a blow to the show's reputation if she had gone further or won? She wasn't as consistently mediocre as Lisa. Besides, wouldn't it have been a strong storyline if, rather that failing, she had conquered her frustration and stepped it up to win? I just don't see how it's in the show's or Colicchio's interest to have Leah gone.

[babyarm]

I also never figured out how people think that TomC would "hate" chefs. From what I can gather he spends hardly any time at all in their company. He drifts through the line for 15-30 minutes and then sees them at chefs table for 15-20 minutes. Though the actual people that have been on the show might be able to confirm this better than I, obviously.

Hell, Gordon Ramsey on HK spends orders of magnitude more time with his little worthless drones than TomC does.

[Skillet Doux]

"I also never figured out how people think that TomC would "hate" chefs. From what I can gather he spends hardly any time at all in their company. He drifts through the line for 15-30 minutes and then sees them at chefs table for 15-20 minutes."

Exactly! It's easy to forget, but the truth is that we see FAR more of these contestants than Tom does. He catches them for a couple of minutes while they're prepping, and then at Judges' Table where they're either being praised or fighting for their lives. We sit here and lament the fact that we're just getting little snippets of information, when -- tasting aside -- the judges get even less! They can barely form quick impressions of these people, much less feel that they've come to know them in any meaningful fashion.

Tom has, in the past, lamented this. He's said in interviews that his instinct, and what he'd prefer, would be to take a mentoring role in the kitchen and get to know these people and help them. But he says he refrains from doing so because maintaining a certain impartial distance was a conscious decision the producers made for his role as judge, and nobody has refuted that claim. There are certainly arguments both pro and con as to whether that's a good decision on the producers' part, but it's been made clear by everybody involved with the show that the judges' ability to get to know the contestants personally is, by design, cursory at best.

[Charles]

I wouldn't say Tom dislikes the chefs on a personal level. However, I do believe that once you've made a poor impression with him, be it through your actions in the kitchen or the food you serve, it's hard to change his mind. Once he decided he didn't like Jeff's fussy/refined (depending on your POV) approach, it was an uphill battle for Jeff. Remember Tom whining about him not using red tomatoes? I'm not going so far as to say he would ignore the food. But, if it comes down between you and someone else - you're toast.

Leah probably did have the weakest dish, but Tom was through with her after she quit last week. She was a goner as soon as she was put on the chopping block.

I also thought he didn't like Mark from Season 4.

Can anybody think of others or am I completely wrong?

[Jake]

I really think, based on other judges' comments and blogs, that the chef who made the weakest dish has gone home for each of the past three episodes (and before). I don't see any reason to find a more complicated explanation.

[Dom's cousin]

"Tom has, in the past, lamented this. He's said in interviews that his instinct, and what he'd prefer, would be to take a mentoring role in the kitchen and get to know these people and help them. But he says he refrains from doing so because maintaining a certain impartial distance was a conscious decision the producers made for his role as judge, and nobody has refuted that claim."

That's an interesting point, considering TC is the second of the creative/reality shows that began on Bravo (R.I.P, Project Runway). What you described sounds like the Tim Gunn role, where he does interact with the contestants and gives feedback, but is not in the role as judge. On TC, the only feedback they really get is at JT once it's too late (at least for the challenge at hand). I wonder how it might change the outcomes if the chefs had more mentoring during their prepping.

[rab01]

"Can anybody think of others or am I completely wrong?"

He didn't like Ilan -- he titled the blog about Ilan's victory "Top Cook," which was a pretty serious diss of the season winner -- but I support that judgent and I think he developed that feeling after clippergate and learning that Ilan had ripped off Batali's recipes.

Other than that, I can't think of anybody. To be honest, I never got the sense that he actually disliked Mark. I'd agree that once you've done some terrible cooking in front of him, he doesn't forget it but it has to be indicative of issues with their cooking abilities not the product of a bad day. For example, Arianne messed up cooking Faro and Tom remembered it but he seemed to fully appreciate it when she started cooking well.

I think a certain amount of building up residual good-will or bad-will makes sense -- hey, we all love Dom's rankings in part because of that gestalt of the entire competition. Also, you need to allow for a little bit of institutional memory to keep slackers like Mike Midgley from coasting into the Finals by not being noticeably awful at any point.

[rab01]

"I wonder how it might change the outcomes if the chefs had more mentoring during their prepping."

It was certainly interesting to see the impact of it in the Le Bernardin challenge. But in an interview, Tom said that couldn't work for a cooking competition because time constraints tight enough to cause pressure are usually too tight to allow for rethinking and reconceiving a dish to incorporate comments. In Project Runway, they generally have one or two days to finish sewing a garment.

[Biebs]

Like many others, I thought the last two episodes were easily the best of the season. But, in the last episode, I had never seen such a divergence of opinion in individual meals.

It seemed that everyone thought Stefan overcooked the fish, though to what extent, and how damaging it was seemed to really vary by judge. Likewise, Hosea's dish. WHile it wasn't shown, Ms. Ungaro seemed to love his dish in her blog, but Toby thought it was one of the worst and Tom criticized him pretty harshly. Leah's received contrasting reviews as well, though most thougth she undercooked the egg as well, it seemed that the reviews were mixed.

I'm not the only one who got the feeling that if Leah presented Stefan's dish and vice versa, that Leah still would have been sent home. I don't disagree with that decision in the least, there are times when having the dish counting 100% makes sense, and there are times that history does count for something. I think the judges have to be a little flexible/inconsistant for the sake of the show.

[aaalex]

Biebs: that's a great question, I think. Would Stefan have been sent home if he had served Leah's eggs benedict and vice versa? I disagree with you that Stefan would have stayed no matter what, because I'm not sure Stefan and Leah were the botton two. It sounds like Hosea's tomatoes were not that good. Also: Stefan's salmon was cooked through, that's true. But there's a huge difference between cooked through and dry/rubbery salmon. To serve a rubbery salmon is a huge sin, an amateur's mistake. Stefan tasted the fish before he sent it out and he thought it was good. If it had been rubbery/dry, he would not have been so confident. So, I just can't imagine he killed the fish. (Remember: Tom did say he felt none of the chefs had embarrassed him.) One of the problems with salmon is that it does keep cooking for a while after you've taken it from the oven. So, I'm thinking Stefan mistimed his dish, not that he killed it. Leah's was undercooked and her sauce watery/thin. I'm thinking if Stefan had seved it he would have got the boot.

[aaalex]

Dear Mr Skillet Doux: Is there a prize for the 200th comment?

[aaalex]

Cause I think I'm the winner, no?

[Skillet Doux]

Congratulations, aaalex! For posting the 200th comment, you win A FOURTH CLICK, which I'm pleased to see you just utilized by linking to the fifth page of comments to read this notice!

What can I say... the budget's been a little tight at Skillet Doux lately.

:-)

[aaalex]

Dom: You like me! You really like me!

[Steve]

I figured out who's not making it to the final!

I'll explain tomorrow night after the elimination. It'll make sense. And boo to the ones who spoiled the surprise. :)

[Biebs]

@aaalex - To clarify. The impression I got (based on blogs that weren't Tom's and what we saw) was that Leah's and Stephan's were the worse (more than 1 component wrong) Fabio's and Carla's were the best, and Hosea was in the middle.
I feel as though Tom would push much harder for Leah to be cut (as Toby says) than he would if Stephan put out the same dish.

Now, this isn't a case like last week, where it was clear that Jamie's dish was the worse (even she acknowledged that she screwed up) there were arguments to be had. If Stephan had a clear cut worst dish, than he would have been sent home. But I think Tom would be more willing to push for Leah's ouster because whether he admits in on the show or not, she embarassed him by quitting in front of Ripert. There's no bigger way to embarass a chef than that. And if he sees these contestant as representing him in any manner, that's a shameful act (and I'm someone who think's Leah's gotten a bit of a raw deal on the cut). I don't think it's any great conspiracy, I just think that the guy who's been the best all season vs. a woman who's clearly coasting and outright quit in a quickfire in front of Eric Ripert, you push harder for Leah.

A complete aside, one thing I thought was interesting, one of the problem's Pepin had with Hosea's dish (I think it was Mr. Pepin) was that it wasn't cooked from the heart and wasn't "provincial", that wasn't really a criticism of taste, and leads me to believe that they were discussing the best of the dishes and not the worst at that moment.

[aaalex]

Biebs: You may be right. If you take away Tom's blog, things look slightly different. But Stefan's only problem was the overcooking of the salmon ... no, actually, there was the undifferentiated spinachs, I guess. But the criticism of Hosea's tomato was, indeed, a criticism of taste. It was supposed to be "Tomates Provençales" (Tomatoes in the style from Provence. Nothing to do with "provincial"). All agreed that Hosea HADN'T managed a good provençale.

Here's a recipe I found online:

You need ripe tomatoes, parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. The secret is to let blend and caramelize the natural sugars of the tomatoes with the olive oil, so let them blacken slightly at the edges.

1 large ripe Tomato
1 clove finely chopped Garlic
1 tablespoon chopped Parsley
Salt
Pepper from the mill
Olive oil

1. Halve the tomatoes laterally and empty out all the seeds. Fill the cavities with the chopped parsley and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting dish, and drizzle with olive oil so as to soak the cavities. Cook for 40 to 50 minutes in a hot oven.

Pépin mentioned the tomatoes hadn't properly caramelized. So, Hosea didn't do a proper provençale. He was in the bottom three for that reason.

[Naomi]

My frustration with Leah is that she has shown some moments of greatness which makes her whiney, girly "I can't" behavior that much more upsetting to me.

It's *because* she's good that I came to dislike her so much in the last few episodes.

[chris w]

"I wouldn't say Tom dislikes the chefs on a personal level. However, I do believe that once you've made a poor impression with him, be it through your actions in the kitchen or the food you serve, it's hard to change his mind. Once he decided he didn't like Jeff's fussy/refined (depending on your POV) approach, it was an uphill battle for Jeff. Remember Tom whining about him not using red tomatoes? I'm not going so far as to say he would ignore the food. But, if it comes down between you and someone else - you're toast."

I think what's probably closer to the truth is "once a top chef viewer has decided Tom dislikes a chef, it's un uphill battle to convince that viewer that Tom doesn't really care one way or another about the chef. Especially since each contestant is, statistically, more likely than not to be eliminated."

Or something like that.

[anon man]

FYI: Whoever it was that called Leah a talking shrug and said that her response to being booted was what.ever., should check out amuse-biatch. They have a few posts about her, including a series of interviews. "Whatever" shows up a bunch. Although, this one is a Gem:

Q: What did you think of Toby?
A: Toby is a douchbag. He was, like, whatever.

[Unhappy Gilmore]

Looks like Stefan made douche popular with the chefs too. Whatever.

[aaalex]

uhm ... question for anyone who knows the answer: is Padma a notoriously unpleasant human? Leah's response to a question about Padma ("I don't have anything nice to say about Padma so I'm not going to say anything.") kind of surprised me. Does Padma torment the contestants? Is she just haughty, or what?

anon man: thanks for the amuse-biatch link.

[Dom's cousin]

So Dom, did you change the picture so you could show how runny Leah's egg whites and hollandaise really were? :)

[Skillet Doux]

"So Dom, did you change the picture so you could show how runny Leah's egg whites and hollandaise really were? :)"

Ha!

No, just a little OCD. The recipe photos weren't up yet last Wednesday, so I had to wait to nab the image :-)