Top Chef - S6E6 Postmortem

And we were having such a nice little drama-free season.

Apparently the pile-on-Robin has begun. Maybe she's unfairly being ganged up on because everybody feels she should be gone. Maybe she's one of the most irritating people on the planet to live with and her cooking is an excuse. Don't know, don't care. Here's hoping this little dustup dies a quick death. I'm not holding my breath.

Hooray for Penn and Teller! A little superfluous, sure. But a fun Vegas tie-in to a fun culinary theme.

Toby's back. And he's far less irritating than he was last season, for which I give him credit. After grossly misjudging what was going to fly on the show in the early going, he's clearly trying to adjust. Doesn't stop me from wishing he was Jay Rayner, though.

Speaking of Jay Rayner, he made an unannounced and amusing virtual appearance today to talk about the judging of Top Chef Masters. As if I didn't like him enough already.

I love that Jennifer was beating herself up and preparing to pack her knives over a top four dish. LOVE it. I also note that she cooked a rockin' flatiron steak for Tom. Buried in pasta and dressed with tomato sauce isn't exactly what I had in mind, but nonetheless, I believe that means I'm now obligated to call her Jennifer Norris.

And if there were any doubt, I imagine that just about clears up the notion that the neckerchiefs weren't supplied by the producers.

Man, this is going to be a tough week for the rankings.

Discuss!

Comments

[Dreamboat]

What a sad picture of Ron :(

My daughter really liked him. I think because of his red crocs and accent.

Dom, once again you nailed the elimination. w.o.w.

[babyarm]

Ashley again setting up to be the Carla of this season. Finally enough ammo to rank MikeI where he belongs. Only in his own mind will he ever be able to compete here among these people.

Jen cooks meat well, shocking but true.

This EC just wasn't fair to the non fine dining chefs. The caterers and rustic cafe types didn't stand a chance.

Looks like the next EC is another horrible "cook in the hotel" challenge. Last time they did it was a QF for breakfast and that was fairly underwhelming. Are those people at the table the husband/wives of the main judges?

Good outcome tonight. It was just a matter of time for all three of the bottom people anyhow. No wrong decision to be had.

[mncharm]

I actually laughed out loud at the amount of seafood (particularly raw seafood) in the quickfire. Too funny.

Jen can cook meat!

[anon man]

Dom, please start a blog predicting lottery numbers.

The anti-Robin vibe from the other chefs is pretty remarkable. I also got the sense that Mattin was better respected than Ron or Robin. I'm going guess that maybe its because he has successful restaurant in San Francisco. Outside New York, there is no finer foodie city. That had to get notice.

[Anne]

I loved how happy Kevin's dish made everyone. It was obvious he would win just by their reaction to it.

I don't envy Dom ordering the top 4, or the bottom 3 for that matter. Ashley for #5?

[Independent George]

Ashley looks like she's about to go on a run.

Jennifer got taken completely off her game, cooked meat, and still ended up in the top four.

Was anybody else surprised at how everyone seems to be turning against Robin? I feel really bad for her now. She doesn't seem like a bad person. Worse yet, this may well be the first she's heard about all this... Watching that on TV alongside your friends and family - I can't even imagine what that must be like.

[aaalex]

i wasn't sad to see ron go, but the stuff against robin has been a long time coming: from michael i's calling her an old lady to ron being nasty about her. it's like we've been prepared for a robin narrative. strange to watch it play itself out. (and on her own blog, she doesn't seem nasty at all. she even kind of defended ron after he'd pleaded the fifth about working with her.)

if she doesn't get sent off soon, i bet she stays around and surprises. unless the editors just get off on making us watch the nasty vibes ...

[Anne]

Agreed on Robin. I don't really understand why everyone's so hostile.

I actually pity Eli. Many of us have said horrible things when we were stressed out that made us look like the biggest ##@$#@ on the planet. Not many of us do it on national television.

[mncharm]

By the way, how much do the other chefs dislike Robin?! Normally I try not to read too much into the personal relationships between the chefs, but it seems pretty clear the chefs want her out yesterday -- wow.

They may well have good reason, but nonetheless, impressive that she's pissed off that many people in a short amount of time.

[kit]

Anne says: "I actually pity Eli. Many of us have said horrible things when we were stressed out that made us look like the biggest ##@$#@ on the planet. Not many of us do it on national television."

Bunch of blogs up on the Bravo site, notably both Kevin & Eli have "Burning Questions" blogs that address the Robin situation. Looks like Eli stands behind what he said about Robin.

[jon]

Eli's is snarky but funny. You can say something funny without being mean/hostile/evil.

Robin is the real tool for:

1) mentioning her cancer in the quickfire - seriously, to break out the cancer card, she must have really thought she was going home. Once it's out there, how could you not given her the win, even for mediocre food.
And the other chefs, e.g. Eli, recognized the mentioning of cancer for what it was.

2) after she wins ONE quickfire, she becomes all proud and a braggart, and the quiet, unassuming Laurine rightfully becomes annoyed at her in the house.

3) then, knowing that she has immunity, and seeing that Laurine is behind in the kitchen during the prep, Robin asks Laurine for favors, pissing off Laurine even more.

I think that this is not the behavior of one of the classy chefs, and aside from the fact that she has been one of the weaker chefs to date - certainly weaker than Hector and Mattin were. No wonder the other chefs don't like her attitude.

[Independent George]

This EC just wasn't fair to the non fine dining chefs. The caterers and rustic cafe types didn't stand a chance.

But isn't that kind of the point of TC? The entire show is about fine dining. Stefan and Carla were caterers, and they did just fine. Jennifer was clearly uncomfortable with this challenge, but still managed to put together a tasty dish.

I wonder if language was a problem for Ron? He didn't really get the 'vice' part of the first challenge, either.

[suzanne]

Robin reminds me of a coworker, both in personality and looks. My coworker is a chatterbox and EXTREMELY needy, often getting others to do her work.

I really won't miss Robin when she's gone.

The guest judge looked much better than she has in seasons past. I've always really liked her, though I know many don't. Isn't she the one that got on Elia for not rinsing her kidneys? She's very direct and honest, and doesn't sugar-coat things.

[MCH]

I feel guilty about it, but I laughed at Eli's comment about the cancer. I dunno - he sold it well.

Interesting that Kevin felt making another mole was a chance at redemption - didn't realize the first was bad. But I want to see what went into that dish - I couldn't get any handle on how it worked based on the description, but it looked cool and it must have been bad-ass.

On last week's question of "copying" dishes, here's a picture of the Caesar Salad from Jose Andres' Minibar, where Michael has worked. His dish wasn't the same, with the chicken and the brioche, but the encased dressing which is the heart of the dish is apparently Andres'. (I should note I basically agree with the Dark Lord of Rankings that "copying" dishes like this is not too big a deal - if Michael knows how to make a really cool "deconstructed" caesar, should he actively avoid using the recipe even when he's assigned the job of "deconstructing" that salad? And, given that all I have are photos, it's quite possible Michael put his own vision into the dish in some important way.)

I think my expectations for Toby Young were so low that I was pleasantly surprised by his articulating opinions that displayed at least a basic knowledge of food and cooking. Although, he sure had a lot to say about plating and appearance - I mean, sure, we see food before we eat it and so sight is an essential part of the experience, but when that many of a critic's comments are about the appearance of food, I wonder if said critic just isn't skilled enough at talking about how food tastes, and covering that lack of competence with easy jokes about livestock boyparts.

[mena]

Hi, newbie here! Thanks Dom for creating a great blog and an eerily accurate Power Ranking!

I wrote this on the previous blog entry, but I guess this entry is the more logical place for it.

After the great discussion of Deconstruction possibilities I was disappointed that the chefs mostly did reconstructions. But reconstructions were probably the safest way to go.

And to add to the "borrowing" discussion, has anyone else noticed that Michael Voltaggio has borrowed dishes from his former boss, José Andrés? The nitro gazpacho that Michael won $15K with and tonight's deconstructed caesar salad are both from José Andrés. I dunno - it bugs.

[Independent George]

Eli's comments from the Bravo blogs:

Yes, even though I was in the top three in the Quickfire I didn't think I should have won and I want to make sure that's clear. The dish that should have won was Michael V. Everyone in the room saw how elaborate his work was, the level of execution, and were just stunned. It was brilliant. He integrated two dishes, as opposed to a duo, while showing multiple techniques and philosophies.

Robin's dish was weak. Little technical work or conceptualization went into it. I also thought the two dishes she presented didn't work together in concept. She presented two dishes with a loose tie (if any), and with little philosophy behind it. During her explanation to the judges she talked about "when she had cancer" no less than three times. It was disgraceful.
I've had significant personal experience with cancer, and I'm not discounting the huge impact living through that disease must have had on Robin. Both of my grandmothers, my aunt, and my cousin all died of cancer. It affects me and my family everyday. I don't have an issue with her becoming a stronger person because of her struggle, but being part of a family who has been through a similar struggle she made it appear cheap and as a grab for attention. It seemed clear to me as well as everyone else in the room that her explanation was not about her food but an attempt to pull on heart strings.

That changes my perspective a little bit. I still don't like the way everyone's seeming to turn against Robin because it seems rather bullying, but I obviously don't know the whole story. I can see the resentment building, particularly if Mattin and Hector were both as well respected as they seem to be.

[doktarr]

I get where the other chefs are annoyed with/tired of Robin, but I was still taken aback at Ash's comment in the stew room. It was so plainly dismissive of her cooking style that it seemed a bit over the line.

[aaalex]

re robin: as kevin suggested, there must have been something more to robin's dish for it to win. it's a bit condescending to suggest that a judge will award a win based on a story about overcoming cancer. should she have mentioned it at all? probably not, but these people are under a lot of pressure. pressure is the point. and sometimes it doesn't bring out the most honourable or thoughtful. i don't think it justifies eli, who came off as a self-righteous little dwarf, berating her.

after winning a quickfire, she was probably relieved as hell, having been close to the bottom so often. again, the pressure here is obviously tremendous. her behaviour is understandable, if not entirely justifiable.

yeah, robin was inconsiderate, but weaker than mattin? not sure about that. they seemed about on the same level and his ceviche was worse than her chlorine tasting shrimp. an accomplishment. she worked on the three bean chili with hector. you probably give the props to hector on that because he's latino, but as we don't know who did what, it's hard to say who did the most for the chili's flavour. he recipes have been busy, it's true (as we saw when dominic listed the ingredients in one of her dishes), but i'm not convinced she was so much worse than mattin, given what we saw anyway ...

[Anne]

My pity is gone. I think it's pretty arrogant and obnoxious of Eli to assume that Michelle Bernstein gave Robin the win out of pity. And I wonder if he would have said that about a male judge.

doktarr, agreed, and I really like Ash. Robin must really have been ticking people off, and I don't think the editors have done a good job of showing us why. And it's a reality show, sometimes people who are good get booted off early. I don't get why that would engender such anger. But EVERYONE seems to dislike her.

I'll stop posting now.

[Independent George]

I'm still thinking about the Fennel Funnel Cake on a naked Padma from the previous thread. Well, ok, maybe not so much the cake.

[Bawdy George]

Anyone else catch the "you are such a tool" look Michelle Bernstein gave Toby at the judges table? I enjoyed that.

And, my daughter thinks Jen is a female version of Napoleon Dynamite.

[anon man]

Eli= douche bag. Ok, maybe that's harsh, but everyone has a story. Ron and his escape from Haiti or Kevin and his "I'm from the South" thing. Picking on Robin because her story was based on her cancer, which understandably is a defining moment in her life is pretty low. And, assuming that Michelle Bernstein was so overwhelmed by the story to give her the win is disrespectful of her.

But, whatever, Ron leaves. Robin or Laurine is probably next, or maybe Ash who is having problems keeping pace. He gets some credit for refusing to serve something he didn't like, but self-editing only takes you so far.

Number 5 (i.e., the just missing out) seemed to be Bryan. The judged loved it, Penn clearly wanted the fatty goodness of corned beef. Its this week's duck mole ala Kevin.

As for Toby, I've read his blog and written stuff and I find it witty at times. He clearly gets edited on tv into the distilled a-hole. I can take or leave him, but I don't have the visceral reaction others do. But, Tom and Michelle calling him out on how to pronounce Spanish is pretty funny. Toby's take down of Ramsay's flagship restaurant and it Franglish probably falls into this same category. Here in the U.S., we're ok with Pie-a-ya, but not Meh-E-co in ordinary parlance. Apparently, he's is the camp that "fillet" is pronounced "fill-ET" in English, which I disagree with, but two cultures separated by a common language and all that...

[Bart]

Wasn't surprised to see Ron go.

Really shocked to see how everyone's getting into Robin's face.

Jon: Robin is the real tool for...mentioning her cancer in the quickfire - seriously, to break out the cancer card, she must have really thought she was going home. Once it's out there, how could you not given her the win, even for mediocre food.

Seriously? She's a tool for referencing to something that could have killed her, something that she survived?

Having cancer is a major part of a person's life. It completely changes their outlook. Of course they're going to refer to it when it applies to the way they think (in this case, angel vs. devil).

I'm just disgusted. I'm not trying to be PC and say, "Oh look at the poor cancer patient, let's handle her with kid gloves." It's almost as if people think Robin is glad that she had cancer, that she wanted cancer, that she brought it on herself by referencing to it.

Was she being annoying in the kitchen? Yes. Is she up to the level of the top contenders this season? So far, we haven't seen anything to indicate that she is. But that has nothing to do with the fact that she had cancer.

The woman survived something that isn't easily survivable. She overcame a huge obstacle in her life, and uses it as motivation. And she should be criticized for that? That's disgusting.

It's like saying to Lance Armstrong, "Hey, buddy, enough with those Livestrong bracelets already. Now that you've told everyone you've had cancer, they have no choice but to give you the Tour de France championship seven times in a row."

I have a feeling that Robin actually EARNED this reward, and people can't handle that. One of those things where it seems to unlikely to certain people (like Eli), that it can't be true, and therefore, she won because of something else (in this case, the cancer thing).

What bull.

[gilmore]

Wow Dom!!!! You are on a Vegas roll.

I guess the others just flat out don't think Robin can cook. I think she over-compensates by over-complicating.

I think she got the QF win because the salad may have been the healthiest and the desert the biggest sin. Saved her bacon because her clam chowder may have landed her in the bottom.

Top 4 are too awesome, Ahsley moves to #5.

[mar]

Loved the smackdown of Toby Young by Michelle Bernstein for the 'paella' pronounciation. That look she gave him was priceless! I'm not excited about his return. And Jen's dish is in the top! Almost predictable based on the fear-mongering promos.

[gilmore]

Forgot to mention -

Ron was a class act on his elimination and I wish him well. I think he can cook much better than it appeared on the show - he may not have understood many of the challenges well enough to execute.

[Krazikarl]

Yeah, Michelle Bernstein going at Toby over paella was probably the highlight for me. The look she gave him was priceless.

[Independent George]

In hindsight, Robin's loquaciousness is probably a better explanation for why she mentioned her cancer so much during the QF than an attempt to curry favor, but I can also kind-of see why someone might think otherwise in the heat of the moment. If, as Eli implies, Michael's dish blew everybody away, and they're already resentful of Robin's presence following Hector and Mattin's absence, combined with exhaustion from the shooting schedule... I can see where the comment came from, but it's still terribly unfair.

Anyway, I think I've had my fill of discussing the politics of Top Chef.

I get the feeling Eli's and Brian's dishes just barely missed the cut for the top four; the judges seemed to really enjoy them.

[Lou_NJ]

Robin v Eli - I like Eli less as he is just sleaze. Michelle Bernstein must have liked the dish to give it the win. If she was rewarding the Cancer card she would have put her in the top 3 but didn't have to give her the win. Michelle Bernstein has more integrity than to give it just because of the sob story.

I think the "support for Mattin" was in poor taste - looks organized by Mike I simply to slam Robin ... but in the last EC Mattin's dish was not only bad it could/did make people nauseous. Glad Robin asked for the scarf (and put it on her shoulder - not around her neck)- and I think she was well aware of the sentiment behind it. I like Mike I. less every week because he is getting more passive/aggressively unpleasant about the others.

Ashley should move to #5 now as she is out showing the rest of the MOTP.

Robin probably won't stay much longer but she does make efforts and puts herself out there. I don't get that from Eli (or for that matter Mike I.). And, Eli - if you know your equipment is in shoddy condition don't use it - there were others to use.

What they say about each other tells me more about them and maybe because I a little too unsophisticated for the group I would rather eat at Robin' place than Mike I or Eli's places. Mostly I'd like to eat at Kevin's place.

[Esther]

Nice job again, Dom. ;-)

Kevin's dish looked so incredible that I was half-ready to book a ticket down to Atlanta. The idea that a paella was the hardest dish is ridiculous; a good mole depends on such a complex balance of flavors that I can't imagine the skill required to tease them apart, reconceptualize each, and bring them together in a satisfying and delicious way.

BTW, just to add a little fuel to the Jen Norris train, I thought it was interesting that Toby called her dish the second best of the night (after Kevin). It was definitely less of a neat, clean deconstruction than the Caesar salad, but it clearly proved that she can a) cook meat, b) make pasta, and c) balance flavors in a dish nowhere near her comfort zone.

I have mixed feelings about Robin's win. I agree that it's disrespectful of the guest judge to assume that her story affected her win. Rather, she seemed to produce a dish that certainly exemplified the theme (two apple dishes, one sinful and one virtuous) and did so with simple, delicious flavors. Still, it strikes me as Ariane food: even when it's technically good (which it isn't always), it's never jaw-droppingly gorgeous, innovative, or skill-intensive. She or Ash are still my bottom two, although Laurine's been fluctuating so much that who knows.

Nobody knowing Eggs Florentine is just odd.

[Independent George]

So how do we jumble the top-4 now? Kevin wins the EC, Michael seems to be the consensus runner-up in both the QF and EC, Jennifer cooks meat and places in the EC, Brian seems to have just barely missed. At this point, I think it's effectively a draw amongst both the top 4 and the bottom 3. Ashley was impressive, and I think everyone agrees she belongs at #5, Eli at #6, Mike I. at #7.

[Independent George]

Did anybody else have flashbacks to Casey suggesting sous-vide to Carla while watching Eli and Kevin giving suggestions to Ron? I think they were both genuinely trying to help, but wound up freaking him out even more.

[Esther]

Oh, and I've gotta ask: why on earth is Toby Young back? Fan reaction to him seemed universally negative last season. This season, he's offering slightly more helpful criticism, but much of it just seems to be the same tired hyperbolically negative analogies (e.g. the oft-repeated clip about the pork rillette that resembled testicles). As soon as he came onscreen, the boyfriend and I were echoing Carla: "Gayle? Gayle?!?"

[Independent George]

Ron was a class act on his elimination and I wish him well. I think he can cook much better than it appeared on the show - he may not have understood many of the challenges well enough to execute.

You're entirely right, of course; sometimes, it's easy to forget to credit the positive. He gets my respect for a very dignified and graceful exit.

As soon as he came onscreen, the boyfriend and I were echoing Carla: "Gayle? Gayle?!?"

I was screaming, "Jay? JAY?!?!", but the larger point is the same. He does seem noticeably less phony this season, so maybe he'll improve with time.

[Dreamboat]

I would like to comment on the food. One of the reasons that I love TC is that I learn so much about food, various ways it is prepared, and terminology. I never heard of MC before Marcel. I had never heard of Carpaccio before a chef did the dish in TC4 or TC5 (I cannot remember who, but I looked up after that episode). These are just examples.

From today's EC I have learned that I don't think I care for deconstructed dishes. The only one that looked appealing to me was Michael V's Caesar's Salad. Mind you that I cannot smell or taste the food, but if I had ordered any of the other dishes then I would have been disappointed when the server set it in front of me. I would have thought "I didn't know I was ordering this..." This is JMHO, but I will keep this in mind when I see "Deconstructed" on a menu and know that I simply do not prefer my food that way.

[Jon Olsen]

I'd like to just jump in and point out that "jon" above is a different Jon from me! I'm not touching this cancer thing.

I really want to know more about what was wrong with Bryan's QF dish. The reviews of those are still so truncated.

I'm liking how Ashley's coming on. I think she's got a good character arc developing and it's clear she can hit things into Tom's breadbasket, so to speak.

Do we know if Kevin wound up using Michael V.'s bread scraps or not?

I really wanted to taste these dishes. I've been wanting to do that a lot this season, but the top four here really caught my eye.

[Independent George]

Dom, please start a blog predicting lottery numbers.

But Dom only predicts losing lottery numbers. I really don't need any help with those.

[SorchaRei]

I ate at Crave before it ran into site issues and had to close. It was a very good rustic bistro kind of place, which I liked enough to return to more than once. I know people who were fanatical about it, which I couldn't really agree with, and some who thought it was mundane.

Robin produced tasty, locally-sourced, consistently good food at Crave. I don't think she's in the same league as Ashley (I like Branzino more than I liked Crave), let alone the top group of chefs in this season's group, but she's not a horrible chef.

I'm not sure what she did to make so many people dislike her, and I don't think she's going to last much longer. However, I don't like the implication that Michelle Bernstein was manipulated into her decision at all. For the most part, I'm going to write this off to the stress of competition coming out, and see what happens next.

Glad to see Mike I. cooking about where I suspected he belonged. Even more glad to see Jen cook meat successfully. I believe she has now met your bar for calling her "Jen Norris", Dom.

[Vega]

1) DOM IS A WITCH!

2) I think it's hilarious that all the chefs thinks Robin is such a terrible chef that everyone who has been eliminated is better than her. That was my general impression. I have a feeling that Robin is gonna start getting a villain edit.

3) I have a big straight crush on Michael V. Baking his own bread? Umf.

4) Although Jennifer did well in the elimination challenge, it kind of troubles me how she seems rather uncomfortable cooking with non-seafood proteins.

5) I agree with Independent George about Ron possibly having language issues. He just seemed completely confused by the whole thing.

6) DAMMIT BRAVO. DID YOU JUST BRING TOBY ON TO MAKE DRAMA. WHY YOU GOTTA DO THIS TO ME.

[Dave F.]

I liked this episode marginally more than last week's, but I was disappointed. I got the strong feeling that the theme for the EC was chosen only because Penn & Teller were booked as guests and there was an attempt to tie in the EC with them. I don't know how much more the cheftestants know than we, as viewers do, but I was kind of shocked that deconstruction was never explained: balls and cups weren't enough and I don't think what P&T do is analogous deconstructing a traditional dish.

[jh]

I don't know why we try to predict who is going to go home. Haven't we already learned that it doesn't really matter who we think should go home? All that matters is what Dom thinks. So much for keeping the site spoiler free..all I need to know for the next episode is what's written in the Power Rankings :-)

Not only did Jennifer Norris filet the red herring, but she can also reconstruct a cow from flat iron steak.

[timothy]

What really strikes me about the Robin pile on is that it is cowardly. It takes no strength, no risk at all, to dump on the person everyone else is dumping on, and as much as I like the TC performance of the Voltagglio brothers, it takes no courage to stick up for them or to say they should have won. The junior high dynamics really came out in this episode.

[EdT.]

IG: "I wonder if language was a problem for Ron? He didn't really get the 'vice' part of the first challenge, either."

Actually, I think he did - his vice wasn't that he spent all that time in that situation, it was that HE COULDN'T LET GO OF IT. (caps for emphasis, not shouting.) This is, to many people of faith, a rather serious shortcoming (as it also allows them to play the victim.)

Just my opinion on the subject.

~EdT.

[Shelly]

I think Robin is getting an edit to build sympathy for a "very special episode" next week. To me it feels like she'll get knocked off next week. That said, I'm disgusted with everyone's comments toward her. I didn't notice everyone saying the same about Ron's play for sympathy when he told his boat story. But then, he's a guy.

(I shouldn't say 'everyone's' comments. Kevin proved himself a gentleman in the blog at Bravo.)

I'm becoming less and less impressed with Mike I. He doesn't know a Bearnaise, he doesn't know eggs Florentine, he doesn't know Asian. What exactly does he know? Oh, he knows he's better than Robin. *rolls eyes*

[EdT.]

RE: Robin vs. Mattin - I suspect Mattin was a lot of "fun" to hang around, while Robin is probably the more quiet, introspective type (except for this episode, in which she Transformed into an annoying chatterbox.)

OTOH, remember that, while both their dishes were at the bottom of last week's EC, (1) Tom actually spat out Mattin's food (I thought it was Robin's), and (2) Mattin's dish made Tim Love ill (nauseous?) - and it is NEVER a good idea to poison the judge in a cooking competition!

My guess is that the other chefts realized what a silly basic mistake Robin made (Taste. Your. Food.), and were reacting to that.

Oh, and Eli? You just made a real d-bag of yourself on national TV. Ass.

~EdT.

[Anne]

Yeah, I thought Kevin couldn't be more fantastic until I read this weeks burning questions. He was really classy and kind to everyone--Robin, Eli, everyone. It sounds like pretty much everyone else could learn from him.

Oh, and I nominated that Dom be exclusively referred to as the Dark Lord of Rankings from now on.

[Dan V.]

Michelle Bernstien may have Latin roots but Toby, being the Englishman that he is, was probably being cynical and calling her out as the Jewish girl from Miami that she is. They're not too different when you think about it.

Toby's a good writer but I keep scratching my head as to why he's on TV.

[Anne]

Oh, and the British taking a word in another language and giving it their own British-ized pronunciation? I'm shocked, SHOCKED.

They're British. That's what they do.

[MCH]

Although Jennifer did well in the elimination challenge, it kind of troubles me how she seems rather uncomfortable cooking with non-seafood proteins.

That's not how I read it. It seemed obvious that Jen knew how to make simple, but excellent pasta, red sauce, steak, with a couple other elements, and was happy to do that. Her problem, as she articulated it, is that she has a traditional, classical training, and has not done this sort of modernist food. Jen had to not only conceptualize a new dish, but to think about food in a way that was foreign to her. I think that her placing in the top four, given that this challenge basically could not have been further from her comfort zone, is seriously impressive.

[MCH]

Another thing on that front - Jennifer was quite explicit about what she felt about her dish - she said the flavors were there, but she was unhappy with the composition and appearance of the plate. It was precisely the "deconstruction" that made her uncomfortable.

[Bart]

Two things I forgot to mention (I was just so darn mad that people would pile on Robin for daring to have breast cancer *rolls eyes*)

1. Was anyone else enormously amused by Kevin's near child-like reaction when Penn and Teller walked in? He looked like a little boy on Christmas morning! I love it.

2. I don't mind Toby Young. He said in a blog somewhere that when he first joined Top Chef, he wasn't aware that it had serious street cred, so he took it as a lark.

Notice how serious he was this time. He quickly learned.

I really do think he has valuable input. I wish people would stop harshing on him (yes I said harshing) and listen to what he has to say. Even if you disagree with his ultimate assessment, he usually makes valid points. Sometimes they're a bit obvious, but I don't think he's quite as bad as everyone makes him out to be.

[The Last Stop]

Some observations:
1. The Robin hate was really uncomfortable. I wonder what was going on behind the scenes to merit all of that. Even Lisa didnt engender that much hatred until later in the season. Except from Dale about the shrimp, I guess.

2. Looks like Kevin gets the #1 spot on numbers. The only one besides Mike who has both elimination and quickfire wins, no bottoms, etc.

3. As much as it sucks, it looks like Ron was probably the "diversity pick" this season. I don't really see this as a fundamentally different issue than the one of 4 women being kicked off. Unfortunately, it appears that, for a variety of historical and social reasons, the field is still dominated by white males. Hopefully we'll see more cooks like Cliff, Tre, Hector in the future.

4. Does anyone else find Laurine as impossible to decipher as I do? Her facial expressions are hard to read and all of that anger came completely out of left field. And then there was that little "dating match up" feature on the bravo website - did anyone else catch that? Apparently, she describes herself as "sassy" and she was a deadhead 20 years ago! And, on a completely superficial note, sometimes she looks really cute and other times she looks... er... kind of matronly?

4. While we are being completely superficial, did anyone see Jennifer's body? Not the movie, I mean Jennifer's body... Yowza.

[Clarita]

Re: Eli's video: sure Michael V's QF was complex and took hard work, but did it taste good? Could it have had one ingredient a little off? Did Eli taste it? The judge tasted it, and she thought Robin's was better.

[aaalex]

watching the show again, i can't get over what a f'cking asshole eli actually was. robin based her angel/devil on her own experience. so? michael v. might have made a complicated dish but it had nothing to do with angel/devil. as he said himself, his dish was about ancient/modern. when bernstein gave the win to robin, she was acknowledging that the woman actually played by the rules.

eli's comments reminded me of why i hated season two's crop of mean, petty, self-involved chefs. what's particularly sad is that this season was going fine. it was about food not nasty, jealous bullshit, until this episode when, for some reason, the editors felt the need to unleash the anti-robin sentiment. even colicchio got in the act by mentioning that robin did not have the technical skills needed to execute her ideas. he should have added "within the time frame and under these circumstances". his blog gave the impression he was questioning her ability in the real world as well as here, on top chef. robin's obviously a talented chef, even if it's not clear she can function, in this setting, at the highest level.

this episode just left me feeling bad about everyone, except for kevin - who is just fantastic, so far. (i hate the idea there may be footage somewhere of him being unpleasant.) someone above mentioned they'd most like to eat at kevin's restaurant. me too. but more than that, i'd kind of like to shake the man's hand for such grace under pressure. rare quality to be able to function at your highest level in such high stress situations, but he also manages to keep his civility. a fundamentally good person, it seems. "manly" in the german sense - menschlich - a good human.

[Sean]

I just saw this on Toby's blog on the Bravo.com website:

"So, finally, I’m back. I was originally scheduled to be in an earlier episode this season, but two days before I was due to fly to Las Vegas I was knocked off my bicycle. The car was only going five miles an hour but I ended up spending the next 16 hours in hospital. (You can read more about my accident here.

When I arrived in Vegas, 48 hours later, the producers of the show took one look at my face and decided I was TUFTY: Too Ugly For Telly. I had to sit in my hotel room, cooling my heels, until the stitches were ready to come out. Only then could enough make be applied to ensure my cuts and bruises weren’t visible on camera."

Ok, fess up time...who made a recent trip to jolly old England? :-)

[Skillet Doux]

"Ok, fess up time...who made a recent trip to jolly old England? :-)"

I would like to state for the record that Skillet Doux does not endorse the vehicular assault of unpopular Top Chef judges.

:-)

[Chris W]

"I think Robin is getting an edit to build sympathy for a "very special episode" next week. To me it feels like she'll get knocked off next week. That said, I'm disgusted with everyone's comments toward her. I didn't notice everyone saying the same about Ron's play for sympathy when he told his boat story. But then, he's a guy."

Actually if I recall correctly, someone who was in Ron's group with him poked fun at the fact that he didn't seem to understand the challenge and pointed out that his obvious play for sympathy would probably fall flat.

[jw]

Thought it was interesting that Kevin considered his cookout-desert mole a failure, even though the judges really liked it - evidently if he's not in the top 4, it's a failure. High standards, indeed...and I mean that in a good way.

I used to think that Rick Bayliss was the nicest (cutest? most adorable?) chef around reality tv - now I think Kevin's giving him a run for his money. Also mean that in a good way!

[jw]

Also...Jennifer Norris = the REAL grand poobah of pasta.

[SorchaRei]

I don't mind Toby Young. He said in a blog somewhere that when he first joined Top Chef, he wasn't aware that it had serious street cred, so he took it as a lark.

Notice how serious he was this time. He quickly learned.

Actually, that makes me respect him less. He took a job, for which he was being paid, without bothering to find out the first thing about the show he was appearing on. Fine, when he was in England and they offered him the job out of the blue, he might not have known that the show had any standing at all, but by the time he packed his bags, got on that plane, and flew across the Atlantic, he had plenty of time to research the show and find out what he had gotten himself into.

Instead, he just barreled in and made snotty comments that were more about looking witty than about the food. When he was called on it in the media and on the internet, his response was "Americans are too stupid to understand full sentences".

Yes, he knows about food. Yes, when he calms down, he can make useful comments. No, I don't respect him for the way he approached this show and how he dealt with people's response to that. He had a chance to figure this stuff out ahead of time, and when he didn't do it, the right thing to do would have been to say what he said in that blog, not to attack the audience who correctly noticed he wasn't taking it seriously and wasn't actually doing the job he was hired to do.

[suzanne]

Nobody knowing Eggs Florentine is just odd

Or, maybe someone did know eggs florentine, and just wasn't sharing :)

[amj]

I actually sympathize with Eli. I don't think it was wise for him to say it, but I thought it was a bit over the top for Robin to emphasize her cancer. And I agree that there was no unifying concept to her QF. Serving two unconnected dishes -- effectively a salad and a dessert -- doesn't seem to faithful to the spirit of the challenge.

[aaalex]

sorcha rei: i agree with you about toby, but even when it comes to toby young's food knowledge i wonder if jay rayner's wasn't/isn't clearly superior? superior in its expression, for sure. the frustration, this year, has partly to do with the great job jay rayner did. it feels like having to settle for toby young.

actually, to this point, i guess my favourite judges would be: colicchio, rayner, simmons, and gael greene. i could do without padma, who doesn't often add much. (when i think about padma, i can't help remembering the bitter comment made by emily sprissler: it takes padma eight hours to get a thought out). i'd be happy if padma stayed on as host, helping to keep the chefs attentive and at ease. but i'm not sure she always adds much to JT.

not that toby young was lousy this episode. he was just "meh". didn't really stop me wishing rayner was a regular.

[aaalex]

the QF challenge was to bring up an angel (something good or good for you) and a devil (or something bad). in what way did robin fail to do that? the "unifying" element was provided by the challenge itself: to produce something "good" and "something evil". the fact that eli chose to do two version of scallops means nothing. the challenge wasn't about using a single element two ways. (which was, btw the only "unifying" element in his QF) it was about executing the concept of good and evil.

michael v didn't do it, however well his dish appeared to eli. and eli's dish didn't please the judge as much as robin's did. he should have shut the hell up, rather than insulting bernstein, by implying she bought a sob story instead of judging the food, and demonstrating his pettiness.

[kat]

>>>there was no unifying concept to her QF. Serving two unconnected dishes -- effectively a salad and a dessert -- doesn't seem to faithful to the spirit of the challenge.<<<<

Wasn't the unifying theme apples? Apples in the salad, and in the crisp?

[anon man]

Well, to be fair, compared to say the V brothers and Kevin, Jen's dish did look the worst. (Ashley's looked pretty traditional.) As Tom said in a blog, appearance only matters when its bad. So, it wasn't THAT bad...

[Bart]

I always loved Gail Simmons, but her defense of Robin in this interview makes me love her even more. (Link: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/gail-simmons/whats-in-a-name)

SorchaRei: Agreed. Lack of preparation is no excuse. He should have been better prepared. But he made a mistake and moved on.

If you're the subject of snide vitriol across America, of course you're going to respond with a bit of a chippy attitude. Most people who get criticized get a bit defensive. That's exactly what happened with Toby.

But that's all in the past. He's moved on, and so should we.

Look, if we're comparing British chefs, then yes, I like Jay Rayner too. But at the moment, we're stuck with Toby. We can't change the past, so let's just focus on what we have now. *shrugs*

[kit]

aaalex says: "even colicchio got in the act by mentioning that robin did not have the technical skills needed to execute her ideas. he should have added "within the time frame and under these circumstances". his blog gave the impression he was questioning her ability in the real world as well as here, on top chef."

I think this is an eminently fair critique for a judge to make. I'm not saying he's right or wrong about what he's saying, but that whether a chef has the technical chops to execute a dish is squarely within the judging criteria for top chef. Even assuming Colicchio is suggesting that even in the real world she has issues bringing her ideas to fruition on the plate, I don't see how we can link such an opinion of her abilities to some personal bias that Colicchio is harboring against Robin, based on her chattiness, cancer storyline, or other personality quirks. In short, yah people were jumping on Robin, arguably unfairly, but it's not fair to lump Colicchio into that group.

[kit]

Re: Ash's potato/parsnip puree

Ash decided not to use his potato/parsnip puree because it was too gummy. I noticed in one shot it looks like he had stuck it in a food processor. So I've heard the conventional wisdom with potatoes is you can't stick them in food processors because it turns them gummy, is that actually true? (I've never tried it.) And if so, was he hoping that the ratio of potato to parsnip was low enough that he could get away with foodprocessorizing it?

[Danielle]

My TC-watching-buddy thinks they're building up to a very special episode w/ Eli, because he's getting a lot of screen time for someone whose elimination dishes are rarely on the top or the bottom.

[Dave_P]

First off, I love Penn & Teller, and esp. their cups & balls trick, which I remember firsting seeing on SNL in the 80s. Got to see them live on Broadway back then too--amazing act, and Teller talks non-stop once he's off stage (or camera).

Second, I freakin' knew Kevin was going to knock it out of the park, before even serving. After serving (but before JT), I knew he won the EC. Having said that, the Top 4 are still the Top 4 w/no noticeable separation. Still putting Mike I 5th (though not knowing what goes into an Eggs Florentine was a bit bizarre), Eli 6th, Ashley 7th and Robin dead last. There's definitely separation bet. 7 and 8 though as the "2nd tier" have shown they're all better than the rest of the MOTP, but not Top 4 level.

I also predicted that Jen was going to nail her lasagna even with all her worrying. She's far too talented of a cook to get something simple like that wrong. She had me worried while she was still evading Tom in the kitchen, but once she started to present (but before the judges started to comment), I knew she had a winning (almost!) dish.

Editing is a bi***, but from what I see of Robin, and from the different chefs reacting to her pretty much the same way (Ron, Laurine, Ash, Mike I, Eli, prolly others), I can see she'd be a huge annoyance to work around. I think it's the chatting thing. Esp. when you're in a high stress environment, something like that can easily grate on your nerves. Now live with that person too for 3~4 weeks. And have that person be perceived as one of the weaker contestants that maybe don't belong there any more? Yeah, I can see why she't not popular.

Way too many chefs equated "deconstructing" with "reimagining". Whatever. The worst one for me would've been fish & chips--I mean, that's not a lot "constructed" to take apart is there? I think I would've played more w/the batter, maybe cure & poach the fish ala Bryan, then do something creative w/panko and make a malt vinegar emulsion to tie them together. Hardly creative, but what else can you do w/something that simple?

Finally, Toby, you smug little muppet. I don't hate him like I did last season, but it was gratifying to see Michelle put him in his place. I wonder how Toby pronounces chateaubriand?

--
Dave

[dc]

Neat episode. As a born skeptic, I'm a long time fan of Penn & Teller, and they so totally fit with the Vegas locale. What I took from the PT intro is that deconstruct food is a high dining magic trick. Basically an optical illusion for the eyes and palate.

I liked the deconstruct challenge the chefs to really show off "modern" high-end fine cuisine. As I'm not a highbrow foodie outside of TC, this was all eye-popping new ground for me. The challenge of making high-end restaurant food taste like comfort food. Wow... that's a mind-bender. I wouldn't have any clue how to start. And they did it with a knife pull ... no making your pet dish, unless you are lucky pull. How lucky for us that Kevin, the far and away master saucier, to get Mole? I agree with previous poster that I thought Mole was the hardest.

Poor Ron, I think paella should have been one of the easiest.

As far as Robin drama... well, we've been getting an increasingly loud storyline that "she won't stop talking." Remember it started ep 1 with her pulling the gold chip -- and Mike I "old lady" remark. I get the sense this is a fairly quiet/introvert group, even considering Mattin and Mike I outside of their occasional snide or cutting or funny confessional remark (depending on your POV). OTOH Robin can't let there be a moment of silence. I wonder if anyone has told her in her face to shut-up!? My guesss she's probably this way IRL and doesn't care (self-centered, living life to its fullest, etc) and maybe is or isn't doing it for more airtime. The more you say, the more material the editors have to pick to put on the air. As far as her TC cooking, she hasn't produced worse than anyone that's been eliminated. So knocking her for inferior cooking seems unjustified, but more an extension of her being personally annoying.

I'm fine with her being drama candy. If she lasts past Ash and maybe Laurine... then I'll take her more seriously.

[Independent George]

I think the biggest reason I'm so hard on Toby Young is that we're completely, utterly dependant on the judges to understand what's happening in the competition. We can't taste or smell the food; we only know what we see. What I hated about Toby Young was that he seemed to care way more about presenting a persona and proving his own cleverness than about being insightful and explaining to viewers what he actually tasted. It's actually a major flaw in reviewers of all types - the temptation to make it about the reviewer than about the object of review.

[TxGriff]

"2. Looks like Kevin gets the #1 spot on numbers. The only one besides Mike who has both elimination and quickfire wins, no bottoms, etc. "

Actually, that would be Kevin and Jen who do not have any bottom mentions. Mike was in the bottom of the last quickfire (cactus).

I don't want to comment too much on the Robin/Eli/cancer topic, but I just want to say that I find it troubling that living through such an ordeal is even an avenue for criticism. I'm not going to say anything more on the subject and will gloss over other comments discussing it because the topic really bothers me.

I guess we finally have proof that Jen can cook meat well! And outside of her comfort zone to boot. Did anyone else think it was funny how many fish/seafood dishes were in the quickfire? Honest, what's going on with the seafood this season??

[Independent George]

I just noticed that in the episode 4 power rankings, Dom actually called on Jennifer to prepare a flatiron steak... and that's the exactly what she did. Wrong challenge, but the right cut. Jeepers.

[babyarm]

I think Toby got unfairly smacked down. What I think he was trying to say is that USA English speakers have a funny habit of picking and choosing which words to pronounce in their ethnic tongue. Paella being one of them and "Mexico" being one we have no interest in dropping the "X".

His mistake was assuming nobody there had any latino origin, not in his original assertion and that's what got him snapped off. However, I tend to agree with his original point and it's something that bugs the heck out of me on local newscasts and often tex-mex advertisements.

[Dave_P]

Forgot to mention Ashley's pot roast. I was really worried and pegged her for a lower finish when she started off by saying she doesn't like the texture of pot roast. Isn't the whole point of pot rost to get the meat & connective tissue nice & tender... to that very texture she evidently dosn't like? Reading Tom's blog, I guess she worked more with the flavors while presenting a "nice piece of meat," which I'm guessing was served medium-rare-ish. Awesome that she pulled it off, much like with Jen who also pulled off a dish & concept she wasn't too thrilled with, and with flying colors.

--
Dave

[Danny]

I think that Mike I should be lower than fifth. This is the second time that he has made a dish where a judge has noted that it is too salty - kind of a rookie mistake I'd say.

That Caesar Salad thing may have tasted great but it did not look appetizing or appealing in any way to me. It looked more like a crafts project than food.

This episode confirmed why I avoid anything on a menu that is described as deconstructed. The food that looked best to me was the food that was more reimagined than deconstructed. Generally, the deconstructed dishes that I've seen look like a line of little elements all in a row waiting to be combined by me in some random way.

The lasagna looked amazing. I hope that Bravo gives us the recipe. The winning dish looked awesome as well. The least appealing dish to me was the Shepherd's Pie debacle. Parsnip/potato puree? Really? The really cool thing about Shepherd's Pie is the way the top of the potatoes get all brown and crusty and then the potato's consistency and flavor changes as you go deeper into the dish. As Toby said, the potato/meat ratio is about 3 to 1. Deconstruct all you want, but you are not going to get anything that reminds anyone of a Shepherd's pie with some soupy potato on the side of a lamb chop.

Like the sin challenge, many of the contestants were way too literal with the EC. Here's a mild scallop, here's a spicy caramelized scallop. It may be good but it has nothing to do with the challenge. Robin's dish fit the challenge perfectly. It told a story and to understand the story she had to mention the cancer. Knowing that you have to eat healthy foods in order to save your life and all the while dreaming of a rich decadent dish. Some years back I had hepatitis and I was not expected to live. I went through a similar battle although mine involved trying to get food into me as I was dreaming of having no food at all. That would be a tough dish to make! The comments made about Robin were disgraceful.

I also hated the way Ash berated Robin's dish while waiting to hear the judges' decision. Last I checked Ash has won absolutely nothing and has now had at least three disasters (the first custard thing that he only passed with because of a good story, the QF this week only making one dish and then the EC lack of potatoes due to his failure in basic cooking skills). It seems to me that Ash is the last person who should be criticizing someone else's food.

And yes, I think that there is more than a little sexism going on when these men think that Michelle, being a woman, would be so overcome by a sob story that she would give the win to a subpar dish. She is respected and knows her food. Really disrespectful.

Toby didn't bother me this time except for the paella thing.

[aaalex]

kit: you know, you're right. colicchio's comments were not like the comments of the other chefs. they were fair, i suppose, but they sounded different, to me, in a context that included the pile-on we saw last night. all things being harmonious, i probably wouldn't have mentioned coliccio's comments about robin at all. but his comments came after an episode that had some pretty negative things said about robin, and i would have liked him to be more specific that he wasn't talking about her as a chef in real life.

"Even assuming Colicchio is suggesting that even in the real world she has issues bringing her ideas to fruition on the plate, I don't see how we can link such an opinion of her abilities to some personal bias that Colicchio is harboring against Robin"

here i don't really agree. there's a difference between having the technique "in the real world" and having the technique on top chef. presumably, robin was invited to participate because the cooking at crave was very good and there was no question of her (or eve's for that matter) real world skills. if robin did not have the technical chops, she should not have been invited on the show.

in this situation - under extreme, sleep deprived pressure - she did not/could not think of a way to execute her dish. fair enough. but the suggestion that she couldn't do so in real life would be unfair to robin and, given what he was asked to judge (ie. her food on top chef), unnecessarily mean-spirited, as he was not, in fact, judging her "real life" food. it's exactly because there was room for ambiguity that i would have liked coliccio's comments to be more squarely about robin's food on this episode as opposed to being about the woman as a chef.

i want to say, though, that i should not have used the words "got in on the act". i didn't/don't at all think coliccio's comments were based on robin's cancer narrative or annoyance with her performance in the kitchen. it's just that they came (as he must have known) after an episode during which she was pissed on by all involved, including ash who, to this point, has been pleasant. in the end, i started to feel as if robin were this year's marcel. once a few people (like the horrid betty) started jumping on marcel, everyone jumped on and it was unpleasant to watch.

[Independent George]

Isn't the whole point of pot rost to get the meat & connective tissue nice & tender... to that very texture she evidently dosn't like?

I think that's the point of all roasts - long cook times at low temperatures to create a tender piece of meat. Pot roasts are really just braises - a hunk of meat cooked with in a pot on the stovetop instead of over a dry pan in the oven. The liquid turns into a great sauce, but texture of the meat sometimes gets gooey and mushy, which is what I think she was talking about.

[karenology]

Robin comes off like a Betty to me - older, kind of irritating chirpy personality, and I could totally get why the other chefs don't dig her. Eli's comment was unfair, sure, but he made the unfortunate mistake of unloading this in front of the cameras. Note to reality TV contestants: never say anything that can possibly define you as an asshole to the rest of the nation!

[karenology]

aaalex: Colicchio and others have said, time and time again, that they don't really get to interact with the chefs during filming apart from tasting the food. He doesn't know that the chefs are ganging up on Robin or saying mean comments about her, until well after filming has taken place!

[kit]

karenology says: "[Colicchio] doesn't know that the chefs are ganging up on Robin or saying mean comments about her, until well after filming has taken place!"

I think aaalex was referring to Colicchio's blog post. Perhaps this was an exception, but it seems often that the bloggers get an advance copy of the episode (without the ending at least for those who weren't here, such as Jamie) with which to prep their post, which is why many of the posts go up immediately after the episode airs and often make reference to behind-the-scenes shenanigans that are aired during the episode (e.g., Gail referring to Mike I's sexist comment in the first episode - I don't think she knew about it until she watched the episode.)

[jsd]

Is Eggs Florentine a regional thing? Here in San Francisco there isn't a restaurant that serves brunch that DOESN'T have it, but I grew up on the East Coast and I don't think I ever encountered it there. (I wasn't much of a brunch guy then either so it's hardly conclusive.)

But, yeah, most of the ep my wife and I kept yelling at the screen "how is it that none of you know what eggs florentine are!?"

[aaalex]

karenology: uhm, yes, i specifically mentioned tom's blog. the blogs are written AFTER the show. how else could tom have referred to mattin's dishonesty at JT, last week? this week's blog was also, i assume, written AFTER he had seen the show. how else would colicchio have known about the chefs' feelings about deconstruction?

so, to repeat: colicchio almost certainly did know (when he wrote his blog) about the treatment robin had received (or at least the editors' version of that treatment). and it's in that context that i would have liked him to be a little gentler in his assessment of robin's abilities.

[momjamin]

How lucky for us that Kevin, the far and away master saucier, to get Mole? I agree with previous poster that I thought Mole was the hardest.

Especially 'cause Bayliss spent more years perfecting his mole than Kevin's spent living.

[Dave_P]

Independent George: Not sure if I agree w/that definition of a roast. Many good roasts seek to preserve the tenderness of the meat, so should start with a good cut, but my understanding of a pot roast is a specifically slow braise of otherwise tough meat, cooked for a long time to break down the connective tissues to get that "falling apart" texture. I suppose the end result may seem mushy to some (I'd bet Tom would fall into this category), but I happen to love it. Ashley obviously executed her version extremely well, but it surprised me a bit after her comments about the texture.

Oh, for the QF, I only watched the show once, but did no one do like a hot & mild duo? First thing I thought of for an devil/angel duo would've been a spicy hot & cooling, maybe sweet variation of... something. Hell, Kevin could've done a hot/sweet mole duo. :)

--
Dave

[The Last Stop]

Txgriff: Sorry if I was unclear, I meant Mike V. In fact, the whole thing I said about Kevin was poorly phrased. It was meant to be a three part assertion. Kevin is the only one with all of the following:
i) 3 total wins, along with Bryan
ii) wins in both eliminations and quickfires, along with Mike V
iii) no bottom mentions, along with Jen.
That makes him #1, for this week at least, in my book. I really hope Brian gets his footing on quickfires soon.
What I love about this season is that you ain't keeping your power ranking number unless you're winning. There were quite a few weeks in past seasons where dudes like Blais and Stefan could coast at #1 even if they didn't hit any wins in a given episode. This season? No way. Mike V. "only" getting a top mention for his dashi? Tough luck, your brother won and unseated you. Brian's reuben called delicious by Colicchio and Bernstein but not beefy enough for Penn Jilette? Tough, Kevin made a transcendent mole. Nobody's coasting on the strength of their banana scallops this season.

Is that Tyler Florence in the preview video? Aren't there a thousand and one binding legal agreements that prevent this sort of thing from happening? Or are we getting close to a Bobby Flay/Tex Wasabi quickfire.

[mcb]

I was also puzzled about the eggs florentine, but went back and watched the episode.

1. I think Mike I. was partly playing dumb. He might have had an idea of what the dish was, but was asking the other contestants to reaffirm his suspicions and perhaps clues on how it is specifically cooked. For example, he somewhat knew what a bernaise sauce was, but needed help in both the preparation and the execution.

2. His comments about making an omelet with spinach could have been his joking way of saying how he would deconstruct the dish.

3. The cheftestants are in a competition, so they can either help Mike I. and their competition by telling him about eggs florentine or decide to play dumb themselves. I believe many chose the latter.

Mike I. is portraying a very interesting character on TV. He has a fairly impressive resume and the brothers have vouched for him, yet he says/appears not to know some basic dishes such as the bernaise sauce and eggs florentine (or a shrimp salad). However, he apparently knows how to cook a mean cactus and had a top mention for the snails, both unconventional ingredients.

I personally don't think he's that great (or as great as he thinks he is) because although he has had a few successful dishes which have been in his comfort zone, he has had multiple problems with seasoning (bachelorette party, potato QF, florentine), or makes something unmemorable (gyro).

[Shelly]

Robin, on last night's show. It sounds like some of it came as a painful surprise to her. :( How horrible of those chefs, and to have her find out that way.

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=44956196334&topic=11143

[TxGriff]

The Last Stop: No problem! I saw that you were factoring in several levels of criteria, I just wanted to add that Kevin and Jen have never been on the bottom of ANYTHING, which is impressive. I also want to see Kevin higher than #4, he dishes seem very thoughtful and he's been able to do both comfort food and sophisted dishes with finesse.

That's twice that Mike I has oversalted something...I know they have both been quickfires, but still. I think he is talented and one of the stronger people not in the top tier, but he strikes me as a gifted cook rather than a gifted chef. Maybe I'm letting my personal bias against him interfere with my critique...or maybe it's that he didn't know what eggs flourentine was. How the heck did no one know that??

[TxGriff]

eggs florentine** oops! Guess I should spell check before I post!

[SorchaRei]

yet he says/appears not to know some basic dishes such as the bernaise sauce

I am by no means a Mike I. supporter, but I don't believe this is correct. I think he *does* know how to make a bernaise. What he did not know how to do was to make a deconstructed bernaise, and that is what he needed Bryan's help with.

[Katy]

The Paella bit with Toby I interpreted as being another attempt on his part to be too cool for these American rubes. I love the British, but this strain of superiority in language is longstanding and annoying. Where is it written that 60 million people on an island 3000 miles away from us get to choose the pronunciation for the 300 million people here in a far more multicultural society?

Hey, I wonder if he also objects to the pronunciation of "tortilla"?

[aaalex]

well, actually, michael i. did make it seem as if he was unsure what a bearnaise was. he was probably joking - he added that he would advise young chefs to learn what a bearnaise is - but this along with his not quite sure-ness about the eggs florentine makes you wonder just how sure his "basic" knowledge is.

[EdT.]

@aalex: while they don't appear to have the posting times on the Bravo TC blogs this year, in previous years I noticed that sometimes these were published within MINUTES of the end of the show. So, my guess is that they are at least drafted, based on watching a preview of the episode (possibly with the ending left out, in case the PUBLISH NOW! button is clicked by accident.)

BTW, I tend to presume that the judges are referring to things in the context of the episode, unless they explicitly state otherwise. That's just me though, YMMV.

~EdT.

[mcb]

SorchaRei,

You may be right. I went back and watched part of that episode. When drawing knives, Mike I says, "I see a lot a French words. I don't know what half of it is. I don't cook French food." However, later he describes what the sauce is. It is possible that Bryan told him how to cook it, and the interview was later, but it is also reasonable to assume that he knew how to cook it. Another interesting note, it has been mentioned that it was Mike I.'s idea to deconstruct the sauce, when it fact, it was Bryan's all along.

[gilmore]

Remember back in Episode 3 - Thunderbirds - Ron and Robin were a team. Ron said that Robin talked too much. The annoyance factor must have been building. When someone is annoying (and I have much experience at that), anything else that person does becomes exponentially worse.

[mena]

I think you're talking about the Vivre Las Vegas episode where Ron & Robin were a team for Frog Legs Meuniere. And yes, Ron did say that Robin was very chatty - but it appeared that he did nothing to stop it.

It's interesting that you brought up the Thunderbirds episode. Hector was being chatty during that ep and Jennifer firmly but fairly told him to quit it. Why haven't the other chefs done the same to Robin? If her chattiness is such a distraction to them what good does it do to gripe about it after the fact and behind her back?

I wonder how this group would've handled Dave from Season 1.

[EdT.]

"...he didn't know what eggs flourentine was."

That would be the Toby spelling of the dish, I take it?

:-)

~EdT.

[amj]

I stick to my comments about Robin's QF. She made a salad and a dessert. They do not go together, in my mind. I think she took the challenge too literally. Despite her admittedly touching and inspiring personal story, I would not want to eat her QF.

I think other chefs were more true to the spirit of the challenge, which in my mind was to create one cohesive dish with angelic and devilish aspects.

[Esther]

The more you say, the more material the editors have to pick to put on the air.

Yes and no. Kevin doesn't seem terribly chatty around others, but they go to him for a lot of the reactions/background commentary clips. Probably because his comments are generally insightful and/or adorable. (Is my crush showing?) Robin, on the other hand, seems to use the camera much more to just talk about herself -- at least, that's the narrative that the editors have built.

BTW, as last night's episode settles in, I'm wondering if Ash has managed to sink lower than Robin in my internal rankings. Yes, the other contestants don't respect her cooking, and she's spent a lot of time at the bottom. But she's also pulled out some really solid dishes, and her errors are more often those of judgment (like, say, tasting your damn shrimp!) than of execution. On the other hand, I laughed aloud last night when Tom said something to the effect of, "The problem with Ash is that he can't cook." If you can't prepare basic lamb chops consistently -- and last night, not only did he screw them up, he didn't realize it -- then you're going to be in trouble fast. Even his one victory, that I can recall, was based on a failure of cooking (an ice cream that didn't freeze).

[librarylass]

You know, Ash was a jerk to make a comment right to her face and Eli's cancer crack was just uncalled for (and Mike V is all assface all the time imho), but other than that, I just don't have that much "oh poor Robin" in me.

So the other chefs didn't like her? Big deal. As long as they keep it in the confessional or private conversation (and keep their hands to themselves, ILAN/CLIFF/ELIA), I feel like everyone has the right to be annoyed by someone. However irrationally. I guess I just don't buy this "everyone piles on Robin" storyline springing out of the blue. It feels edit/manipulated to me. There has to be more on both sides.

One thing I never understand on reality shows like this: why not just ask someone nicely to pipe down 'cause they're wrecking your concentration? Why is it always such a big passive-aggressive eyerolly deal?

[librarylass]

Grr, Mike I is all assface all the time. Mike V is just inexplicably fond of him. I really hope Isabella gets booted soon, if only so I stop doing that.

[Elise]

I think the most telling thing on the QF is that Michelle didn't say I think the best dish is... She said, I think the dish that best embodied the Angle/Devil nature of the challenge.

I heard that to mean she didn't pick the best food, she picked the dish that most clearly illustrated the struggle.

If I was one of the chefs I'd find that amazingly frustrating.

And, not to belittle the cancer battle, but because she used that to tell the story to go with her food, Robin provided a better story of temptation than the others did.

So, while snarky, I think Eli's comment was valid, but not necessarily in the way most of you are taking it.

[Esther]

Oooh, Blais's blog is up now! And great as usual:

For the record, making mole, is like building a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle on the third story balcony of this midtown Manhattan hotel. Deconstructing mole would be throwing the puzzle overboard, running downstairs, and reorganizing it here on Park Avenue. During the lunch rush hour. That’s mole. Loud, almost uncontrollable, raw, and chaotic.

[Bart]

Shelly - thanks for the link to the Facebook. Robin's reaction makes me feel bad for her too.

At this point, I hope she outlasts Eli and Laurine just to spite them.

[rab01]

Thanks for the link to Robin's post. It's really very evocative.

It seems like Robin is a wierd mix of Marcel and Arianne. She does Marcel's non-stop talking thing that annoyed all the other chefs (even Harold in an All-Star episode). She has the simple approach to food of Arianne though I've yet to see her really wow anyone with execution the way Arianne did.

I don't understand the depth of Eli's antipathy and suspect it is tied to something idiosyncratic going on in his head. But, for the rest of them, I think that she's a bit like a pebble in your shoe; plus, they resent her having had immunity twice, knowing that she didn't earn the first and suspecting that she didn't earn the second.

[Shelly]

I dunno amj, this reads like a decent pairing to me:

http://www.bravotv.com/foodies/recipes/raw-salad-of-apple-and-fennel-cardamom-ginger-crisp

I have to say though that I thought the premise of the QF kind of stupid, because it's not that far off from the vice thing they did for the first challenge.

Blais says next week is a repeat. Is that true? I thought the previews said "Next week on Top Chef".

[Skillet Doux]

Whoa, okay, a little fact check on Mike Isabella.

First, while I can't substantiate it, I'm quite confident that he knows how to make Bearnaise. Second, both he and Bryan have said that it was Mike's idea to do something different with the Bearnaise, and that Bryan then jumped in with his deconstructed Bearnaise. These are not quotes, but this is how I imagine the exchange going:

MI: "Man, I don't want to do a traditional Bearnaise. I want to do something interesting."

BV: "Hey, I actually do a deconstructed Bearnaise at VOLT. It's really good and it's perfect for our dish. You want to do that?"

MI: "Yeah, that sounds great! Tell me how you do it and I'll make it."

And if this isn't approximately how it went down, it's entirely plausible, correct? And if so, I really don't understand what the big controversy is here. They're individual competitors, but this is a TEAM dish. I mean, really, what's Isabella supposed to say?

"Screw you and your awesome deconstructed Bearnaise, Voltaggio! I don't care if it IS exactly what I said our dish needs. I'm making something else. And whatever you do, asshole, don't you dare try to collaborate with me because I don't want anybody saying that I wasn't making MY food."

I mean, really, what was the alternative?

[Lou_NJ]

I want to eat something.... oh lets see, a nice healthy salad or a nice gooey satisfying dessert - that is the best embodiment of angel/devil decision. I make the decision all the time and that's why I'm overweight. I like the devils in my life. And Robin's choice was the best embrace of the concept to me. They were 2 sides of the same food (apple - good and evil, knowledge and temptation - way too allegorical a choice and smart if you want to over-read into it). It looked like she used a Granny Smith so it was tart in the salad and sweet in the dessert. She worked on a lot of levels - without probably (over) thinking about it.

Florentine in culinary terms means Spinach (not kale, chard or any other green thing) even to note that that it's defined in Websters. Deconstruction should use the real elements (not the color) of the dish.

Someone above mentions the (or one of) Voltaggio Brothers worked for Jose Andres ... well that's who Mike I works for now. How do they know so much and he so little (in comparison)? Eli worked for Richard Blais. Blais always seemed nice Eli could have learned something from him.

[amj]

But Lou_NJ, do you eat them both at the same time? I don't and that's my problem.

To be fair, Robin's dish looks better on Bravo.com than I thought it looked last night. (Thanks for the link, Shelly.)

[EdT.]

"Blais always seemed nice Eli could have learned something from him."

At least, until Lisa went off on him at the end of the semi-finals, then his evil twin came out whenever he talked about her.

~EdT.

[aaalex]

padma said: "las vegas is the land of temptation and is a constant battle between the angel on your left shoulder [cut to a shot of bryan] and the devil on your right [cut to michael v]. so, for your quickfire challenge we'd like you to make a duo that represents your personal battles, as a chef, between the angels and devils on your shoulders. like the battle between being healthy and clogging your diners' arteries."

michael voltaggio simply ignored the set-up and made a dish that highlighted ancient vs. modern. it looked great, of course. but it had nothing to do with anything padma asked for.

the evil dwarf made scallops two ways. his "devil was really fatty and the angel is pretty much fat free".

robin played by the rules and, to what must have been eli's humiliation, robin's two dishes won out. not because she had had cancer, but because she played by the rules [which fact michelle bernstein mentioned] and created two dishes that were better (as far as the judge, michelle bernstein, was concerned) than his own. (also, as she writes on the bravo blog: there was apple and ginger in both crisp and the salad. so, even there she unified the two dishes)

you might not want to eat her food, amj, but there is no way at all that robin's food was not made in the spirit of the challenge. if you want to criticize a chef who ignored that spirit criticize michael v.

[rab01]

"I mean, really, what was the alternative?"

Dom, it's not that he should've rejected Bryan's great suggestion. It's that Mike I really doesn't deserve a hell of a lot of credit for the thinking behind that dish if that's the way it went down. That collaboration with Bryan was easily Mike I's best dish. If he was just the sous chef for it, color me unimpressed and he still has to show some individual plate that is really exceptional.

The Volts talk about Mike I as if he's one of the strongest chefs -- to the extent of including him but not Jen in the list of the best chefs there. I get that he has worked with and for one of them so they like and appreciate his cooking but he has yet to show anything on this show to make me think he's better than Ashley.

[Lou_NJ]

@amj, I didn't hear a requirement that you have to eat both at the same sitting. Just "an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other" you have choice to make. A lot of people contrasted the same food (more or less elegantly) but it was not a "do something" 2 ways it was just easier to set up the contrast with that self imposed limitation.

I'm not trying to be an apologist for Robin because I think there are better chefs there but I will take her side because Mike I was just crude with his organizing the red neckerchief thing and the others for simply going along. He owes Robin an apology because he acted like a brat/ill mannered child. And why were the rest of them cowed into similar behavior... She talks too much (they are about half way through 20 days cooped up together - I'm sure there are a lot of annoying behaviors going on in that house.

[Jon Olsen]

I believe hey said strongest "cook". That may be significant.

[rab01]

"I didn't hear a requirement that you have to eat both at the same sitting"

I thought Padma distinctly said that it was supposed to be a duo. Maybe Dom can give us the definitive word on that one ...

I'm not saying that she didn't win; I didn't taste it. I'm just saying that if it is supposed to be a duo, I don't think it can be just two separate courses served on the same plate. Since it won, I doubt that her dish tasted like two separate courses.

[aaalex]

rabO1: i transcribed padma's words exactly. those are the very words she spoke.

[mcb]

"And if this isn't approximately how it went down, it's entirely plausible, correct? And if so, I really don't understand what the big controversy is here."

I don't think that it's as much as a controversy as it is a glimpse into the cooking dynamics. Although it is a team challenge and they have to marry the two components together, they are still ultimately responsible for their individual component. I can also see the two of them (and the other teams as well) bouncing ideas off each other to achieve the best result, and it doesn't necessarily matter who comes up with which idea. The thing that bothers me with Mike I. and the sauce is that it felt like Bryan really walked him through the whole thing, and thus, Bryan ultimately made both components of the dish from both the technical and creativity standpoint.

In an absurd hypothetical sports situation, it would be like the offensive coordinator and the defensive coordinator deciding together which play would be best for the offense to run and then calling the play versus the OC saying, "That's a great idea, but how you run that play?" and DC telling the OC exactly where each player should stand and run while the ball is in play.

Props to Mike I. for recognizing a good idea, but if he wants to win, he needs to be able to have his own vision and tastes profiles shine beyond his saltiness issues. He has yet to make a dish that the judges just fall in love with.

[aaalex]

dominic: the only sad part about your link to jay rayner's teasing email is that it makes me miss his presence even more. i wonder if there's going to be a top chef masters two. has anyone said as yet?

[Scott]

I just wanted to throw in my two cents about this episode:

1. All the Robin hate is truly appalling. The season started with so much professionalism. It's as if the producer realized that it's getting boring so they threw in some drama. I hated it. I truly feel sorry for Robin that she's getting flack for using cancer. Honestly, what about Ashley invoking sexism? What about Ron and his boat story? I mean come on. While I understand the frustration of Laurine, Eli and Ash's is completely uncalled for. Especially Ash since he's a worse cook than Robin IMO. Her QF dish was simple, homely food. I'm glad she won because michael V did not work towards the spirit of the challenge. Besides, even without immunity, Ron would be the one to go in this challenge. BTW: I'm glad Bryan did dessert, i'm very surprised this season of chefs are not shying away from it. even if it landed him in the bottom three, I respected him for it.

2. I'm a HUGE kevin fan before this episode. He's just so genuine and bubbly and his food looks DELICIOUS. I'm sad he's not higher than Jen on your list since he seems to be both unique, imaginative, and a good chef at the same time. He's multi-faceted, more so than Jen. Perhaps Jen's pedigree makes it so she's higher up, but she hasn't shown her range like Kevin did. AND he's from Georgia, where my previous favorite chef (Blaise) came from. I'm rooting for Kevin all the way.

3. I don't blame Mike Isabella for not knowing Eggs Florentine. I wonder why they threw florentine instead of just benedict. No matter, what Mike made did not look delicious and that bothered me.

4. I kind of feel sorry for Ron. I got the feeling that he didn't understand the challenge and took eli's suggestion of crisping the rice, but took it too far. I think one of the problems is that people always say "oh you know if your food tasted okay, it's fine if you didn't follow the challenge to the bone" that bothers me. it's BECAUSE of the challenge, the food did not taste good. It's kind of hard to judge on taste when you failed the challenge so miserably. it's as if you could just make good food and screw the challenge system. I think judges should just stop saying that.

5. Jen's human in this episode, quite humbling. she seemed genuinely surprised to win and i'm happy for her. she tries hard to win.

6. Ash is my pick to go home next. He seems to just not know how to execute his thoughts.

[jonathan]

"padma said: 'las vegas is the land of temptation and is a constant battle between the angel on your left shoulder [cut to a shot of bryan] and the devil on your right [cut to michael v]. so, for your quickfire challenge we'd like you to make a duo that represents your personal battles, as a chef, between the angels and devils on your shoulders. like the battle between being healthy and clogging your diners' arteries.'

michael voltaggio simply ignored the set-up and made a dish that highlighted ancient vs. modern. it looked great, of course. but it had nothing to do with anything padma asked for.you might not want to eat her food, amj, but there is no way at all that robin's food was not made in the spirit of the challenge. if you want to criticize a chef who ignored that spirit criticize michael v."

----------------------

I completely and respectfully disagree with this. I would say that Michael V encompassed the challenge better than anyone because I believe the key passage missing from many of the chef's offerings, including Robin's, was the phrase "as a chef." I took Michael's offering to display his innate desire to modernize and complicate simple dishes and flavors. If we agree that being devilish is generally more fun than being angelic, then Michael's struggle was between creating a simple and traditional dish with his desire to break out the gadgets and far-reaching interpretations. And from that, I think his quickfire offering had the most depth and insight and was the closest to the condition that the chefs were to highlight their personal battles as chefs. Most of the other chefs, and especially Robin, simply took their personal struggle and put it on the plate. Forgive me, but I don't see the connection between Robin's dish based on her struggles with the effects of cancer and her struggle as a chef. As an individual and with her ability to eat, but not as a chef.

[Lou_NJ]

rab01: I'll stand corrected about the "duo". I still think that duo means just 2 sides of the same thing since she qualified it with healthy v clogging your diners arteries. Interpret something 2 ways - which fork do you pick up. It's subjective (and creative) to choose which way to go with it. Dom does so much and does it well that I don't want to burden him with arbitration on linguistic as well a culinary choices.

[SorchaRei]

The Bravo schedule page confirms what Blais said in his blog: no new episode next week.

[Nicole]

I saw Jen last night! In real life! Well, through the swinging door to the kitchen at 10 Arts, but she was there and it was very cool to know that while watching TC on the TVs in the restaurant.
I'm not a genuine foodie so I don't have much intelligent to say about the experience, except that the octopus appetizer was delicious (if a little salty) and the hanger steak proved that Jen (or her minions) can do steak well.
Gotta say, though, my favorite part of the meal were the soft pretzels with jalapeno jam, dijon mustard, and a cheddar sauce. Mmmm, I could eat them all day.

[Esther]

it's as if you could just make good food and screw the challenge system. I think judges should just stop saying that.

Have there been any cases where the chef made an incredible-tasting, memorable dish, but got sent home because they didn't follow the challenge? I can't think of any, anyway.

Granted, following the challenge helps for winning (otherwise it sounds like the miso dish would've won the cookout). But if a challenge is totally outside your comfort zone, you move on to the next challenge by making food that you know will be good. That's more or less what Jen ended up doing in this episode; even after reading her recipe, I think it barely squeaks by as a "deconstruction," but it tasted good because she assembled it out of components that she knew would taste good.

[aaalex]

jonathan: really great point, but padma did say "personal battle" first. how is responding to your desire to over-complicate food more internal (or more subtle) than responding to your needs as a human being? robin's struggles with the effects of cancer influence how she FEELS about food. her illness has influenced her decisions of what to prepare, her feelings about ingredients. if that doesn't relate to the struggle of a chef, i don't really see what does. i certainly overstated michael v.'s straying from the parameters of the quickfire (your explanation is just great) but i think you're missing the connection between illness and creation.

[Independent George]

Have there been any cases where the chef made an incredible-tasting, memorable dish, but got sent home because they didn't follow the challenge? I can't think of any, anyway.

They didn't get sent home, Antonia and Lisa got dinged for following the letter of the challenge, but not its spirit, in the Sausage-Gate scandal. I remember the judges said the flavors were fine, but took exception to their avoidance of the actual challenge.

[Skillet Doux]

Re: Isabella and Bearnaise, I agree, that didn't show him off as a chef at all, and I believe I've said as much. I was taking issue with the attitude that the Bearnaise episode demonstrated that he can't cook, or that he doesn't know how to make a Bearnaise, or that there was something negative about running with his teammate's perfect contribution, even if it meant going backseat a bit. In the absence of other info, I agree, all that would tell me is that he can be a good line cook. But as mentioned in yesterday's rankings, the guy has done solo dishes that were very well-received. Perhaps not the jaw-dropping reactions that we've gotten from some of the dishes from the top four, but his episode one dish, his snails and his cactus dish all received very high praise and were all solo efforts. It's deeper than the numbers, and I don't like to lean on them, but before Ashley's pot roast just now, do you know how many of the chefs beneath him in this past week's rankings had received top mention for that many solo dishes? None. If you don't think he's got it, you don't think he's got it. It's a matter of subjective opinion. I just don't understand talking about how it's obvious that he can't cook and is riding coattails and should be near the bottom. That makes absolutely no sense to me, and those folks are the ones to whom my comments are directed.

[Skillet Doux]

"Have there been any cases where the chef made an incredible-tasting, memorable dish, but got sent home because they didn't follow the challenge?"

Season one finals. Dave was a dish short.

There are others (not many). I'll find 'em.

[SorchaRei]

re Mike I.: I would like to clarify that I think it's clear he can cook. For me, all along, it's been a question of whether he's also a great chef. I'm afraid that this week, the question remained murky for me -- he made some blunders and cooked food that appears not to have tasted good. His QF was called out as a little too salty. His EC looked and (apparently) tasted mediocre, and it really didn't address the challenge they were presented with.

Whether you agree with the culinary definition of "deconstruct", it's a pretty well-known definition. Mike I. works for Jose Andres, one of the best in the business at that sort of thing. He described the original at the table as having eggs, spinach, and mornay, and then he presented a dish in which at least one of those components was not present. Unlike Ash, he didn't do this at the last minute, because he didn't like how that part came out. He skipped the spinach from the start, replacing it with something that sort of looks like spinach, but tastes nothing like it.

He really seems to have understood "deconstruct" to mean "reimagine", and that suggests to me that when he cooks for Andres, he cooks for Andres without really understanding how and why the dishes are designed as they are.

[rab01]

"There are others (not many). I'll find 'em."

It's hard to be sure since the judges usually also throw in some dislike of the flavor. But, I think that the person who poached shrimp during the Season 3(?) "barbecue" challenge that was really a grilling challenge, lost for poaching more than the flavor of the dish.

[anon man]

In the forgot a dish: Dale in Season 3 forgot one of 16 dishes on the plane, but CJ's brocolini was worse. Howie, season 4(?), didn't do a QF, and while wasn't elliminated for it immediately, but got called out for it at JT and sent home, I believe. In the "not following the rules department" who can forget the fat camp debacle (Season 2, I believe), where they had to pre-establish their recipes for dietary restrictions, but when they didn't work people altered them on the fly or used squeeze bottles of oil, etc., and Tom eventually called off the challenge.

Re whether Michael V. followed the challenge: My first thought was no because it wasn't a duo. But then, I looked at it again, and it salmon two ways in a composed single dish. I think that satisfies the challenge.

[jonathan]

aaalex:

While not remembering the exact reasoning Robin gave for creating the dish she did, but believing she said it was trying to be healthy after having cancer, I just think that she fell into the same middle ground as so many other chefs did and created a dish that reflected their "at-home" struggles with food rather than as a chef. I agree with your point that cancer affects how someone might feel about food but I still don't see how simply creating one healthy dish and one non-healthy dish with little to tie them together other than the apples really fit the challenge. Maybe I just can't get by the my belief that it was supposed to be personal struggles as a chef.

In questions asked to Eli on the bravo site he says that Michael V should have won the challenge and I have to agree with him. Obviously without tasting, I can't be sure, but unless Robin's apple crisp and apple salad duo was out-of-this-world delicious, I would have to agree with Eli that Robin's cancer story played some (not all) role in helping her with the win.

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/burning-questions/eli-explains-his-cancer-comment

Even Kevin, who's probably my favorite on the show because of the class he exhibits, seems to slightly dodge answering the question about Robin's win.

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/burning-questions/kevin-gillespie-second-times-a-charm

[Skillet Doux]

Re: Eliminations due to violating the spirit of the challenge.

It's not always cut and dried. Usually it's a contributing/major factor. But the most obvious eliminations I could find (though I'm largely working off memory) are:

S3E2
For a grilling challenge, Sandee set up a basin on her grill and poached lobster.

S4E6
For a football tailgate challenge, Ryan made panzanella and poached pears.

[Skillet Doux]

"The Bravo schedule page confirms what Blais said in his blog: no new episode next week."

Time to get caught up on some other stuff :-)

[TokenOmnivore]

Because it's just been waiting for someone to say it:

When Jennifer Norris' face turns red, food around her spontaneously deconstructs.

And for all the harping about Ash's cooking and his comments about Robin, kudos to him for helping another chef get her plates out on time. It reminded me of the camaraderie of TC Masters. I don't think he'll make it to the finals, but I'll miss his (mostly) positive energy when he leaves.

[anon man]

Dom, if you're going to mention failure to live up to the spirit, remember the one pot challenge where Arianne used the grill in addition to the pot and won the QF. There was grumbling.

[rab01]

S4 -- Andrew was eliminated for using a non-grain (pine nuts maybe?) and making a box-lunch that wouldn't be filling for the police officers

[Bart]

jonathan: "Obviously without tasting, I can't be sure, but unless Robin's apple crisp and apple salad duo was out-of-this-world delicious, I would have to agree with Eli that Robin's cancer story played some (not all) role in helping her with the win."

I find that so insulting to the judge. Why is it so hard to believe that a simple dish like this was amazing? We saw simple dishes come out better than complex dishes in the past (Fabio's roast chicken comes to mind).

Making a dish more intricate and complex does not automatically means it tastes better than simpler dishes.

I think that Robin really did knock this one out of the park, and the losers (like Eli) just couldn't handle that someone they disliked actually outcooked them, and turn to the cancer as an excuse.

Sort of like the people who watch football and insist that the referees have it in for their team and intentionally call penalties against them.

[Independent George]

jonathan: really great point, but padma did say "personal battle" first. how is responding to your desire to over-complicate food more internal (or more subtle) than responding to your needs as a human being? robin's struggles with the effects of cancer influence how she FEELS about food. her illness has influenced her decisions of what to prepare, her feelings about ingredients. if that doesn't relate to the struggle of a chef, i don't really see what does. i certainly overstated michael v.'s straying from the parameters of the quickfire (your explanation is just great) but i think you're missing the connection between illness and creation.

I didn't want to get back into this debate, and I certainly don't want to defend Eli's comments, but this type argument seems to actually lend credence to Eli's point. By giving Robin credit for the impact of her ordeal on her cooking, then you're essentially ceding the point that the weight of her experiences did indeed influence the judgement.

[Duffy]

Some random thoughts:

On Mike I’s supposedly diminished talents : One of the V Bros – who knows Mike from the real world -- appears to think he has the chops to put him in the top three, along with the other brother and himself – leaving out Kevin and Jen. Could Mike I be putting on an act ? Is he really a dumb as he says? Do you suppose he could be putting us on?? Hmmm.

On poor Robin getting picked on: It looks like this all started with ep1, and the comments there about her never shutting up, and continued in at least two other eps with reference to her constant yakking and distracting everybody. Even Kevin’s graceful blog comments hinted at something more. Perhaps some of the comments lacked tact, but do you suppose Robin earned what she was receiving?

My jaw dropped when Robin called out to Laurine, who was obviously stressed and in the weeds, to fetch her pans from the oven. Wow! In the middle of a timed contest! Where she had immunity!! Talk about appearing clueless -- no wonder Laurine was still steaming later. I suspect that this may not have been the first time Robin had imposed on others for such “favors.”

On “playing the cancer card”: There is no question that surviving cancer is a life-altering experience – but some do look on it as providing a reason or excuse or license forever to avoid or evade what society would otherwise consider to be a matter of personal responsibility or accountability. “You can’t blame me for this, I’m a cancer survivor, you know.” Does any of such apply here? Hmmm.

Only the editors at Bravo know for sure.

[aaalex]

jonathan: you're on extremely shaky ground accusing michelle bernstein of allowing the cancer narrative to AT ALL influence her judgement. there is no indication that this was even vaguely the case, except from eli and he is obviously a sore loser with a chip on his shoulder where robin is concerned. (kevin does not in make much of the cancer narrative except to say that robin's dish must have had qualities of its own, simple or not.) more to the point: the reasoning behind eli's dish was exactly the same as that behind robin's: what is and what is not healthy to you. as an self-described "fat boy", eli's duo of fatty/non-fatty has no more validity than robin's healthy/non-healthy duo. eli's entire bullshit interview was self-serving, self-important and gave every evidence of stupid jealousy (which is exactly what gayle simmons called it.)

also: though your point about michael v was good, it wasn't definitive. the idea that a chef can be in any way divorced from the reality of his or her life is not convincing. choosing to interpret "personal life, as a chef" exclusively as it applies to the "chef within" is narrow. the chefs were asked for "good" and "evil". the decision to cook elaborately or not doesn't remotely constitute a deep moral problem. michael v's choice of salmon preparing techniques can't be considered "good" or "evil". plain and simple is a valid temptation to the chef, as is MG. nothing about good or evil is at stake in the thought behind michael v's quickfire salmon. in the case of robin's dish (and eli's, because the reasoning behind them was similar), the temptation of things that will destroy you plays more exactly into the challenge which padma illustrated by mentioning "clogged arteries".

on the illness and creation front: i don't know why you find it difficult to get that when one had been deeply ill the world changes. for years (well since nietzsche, anyway) the creative role of illness in art has been known or talked about. art is a matter of conception or understanding how to use your materials. in the case of a chef (if you consider chefs artists ... and i do think ferran adria, at least, IS an artist), being told certain things are dangerous, that you will die if you eat too much of x, y or z, fundamentally changes how you approach your material: taste, colour, smell, etc. (interesting aside: dogs can, apparently, be trained to smell cancer. i wonder of, on some level, we can too?). robin has had cancer. as a result, she has had to rethink her relationship to her material, to her life, to her art. the duo she prepared illustrated the dichotomy within: the things she craves but shouldn't have and the things she should. both contained apple and ginger, but cooking one way was "bad" and cooking another was "good". i still think she embodied the challenge on a deeper (more broadly personal) level, that she didn't reduce it only to the chef within. to me, and to michelle bernstein who said as much, that made her quickfire closer in spirit to the spirit of the original challenge.

[aaalex]

duffy: the thing is robin may well be a pain in the ass to deal with. she herself admitted that she was a motor mouth. but she also said that she understands straight talk. if laurine didn't want/didn't have time to pass her the dish, all she had to do was say so ("why you wasting my time, stefan?). jen would have. so, isn't laurine blaming robin for her own lack of determination? although i really liked what i read at laurine's blog, i do think she comes across as two-faced in this episode. if what robin says is true - that she and laurine were friendly, rose in the morning together to do exercise, etc - then robin was asking someone who was her friend (she thought) for something. laurine should have said "no". it's an easy enough word.

yes, the others might have trouble with robin's chatter but, again, why not just say so? jen was able to silence hector in a heartbeat when he was talking in the kitchen during the thunderbirds episode. why should she have trouble telling robin to keep it down?

robin's may be a prickly personality, but she's just nowhere near as difficult as, say, ken from season 1 or spike from season 4 or even stefan from last year. if she's the worst personality they have to deal with, then this season is a walk in the park, personality-wise.

[anon man]

On the Mike I/ Bernaise/ V brothers thing.

I actually got the impression that it went more like this:
MI: It would be cool to do a non-traditional, non-deconstructed bernaise.
BV.: Totally.
MI: I'm not sure how that would work best, I could [various technical discusison].
BV: Well, I have done that and done it [instructions].
MI: Cool. Your fish sounds good.

[Duffy]

aaalex says, "laurine should have said "no". it's an easy enough word."

I disagree. Unfortunately, "no" is not an easy word. For most of us, it is an extremely difficult word. We all get ourselves into the most trouble by not saying "no" when we should - and we know it. Of course, Laurine may be beating herself up for not saying "no" -- and certainly she would have been justified in saying "no." But she didn't -- and is now getting beat up again!

Does this in any way let Robin off the hook for making the outrageous request in the first place? What could Robin have been thinking??? And in her response, Robin takes no responsibility for the inappropriateness of the request at all -- no understanding that Laurine was stressed, under the gun and in trouble, and no empathy for Laurine's position. Robin's response was to unload on Laurine!!

Wow. With friends like this, I would not need enemies.

[mcb]

From Vivre Las Vegas:

MI (interview): I'm working with Bryan. You know, he's working on the trout; I'm working on the bernaise. Bernaise is like a classic egg sauce with clarified butter. It's similar to a hollandaise. I don't want to a traditional bernaise, so I need to reconfigure this sauce.

Cut to kitchen:
BV: My thought doing it deconstructed but making it like warm mayonnaise.
MI: We can...yeah.
BV: Do you agree?
MI: I agree:

MI (interview): Well I've never made this before and Bryan's made it before, so I'm gonna make it with him.

BV (kitchen): And we should just, you know, tarragon, shallot, peppercorn.

----

Unlike Blais who undersells and over delivers, the problem I have with Mike I. is that he oversells and under delivers, which gives me the PERCEPTION that he should be lower, even though his track record deservedly places him at #5. He's worked with some great people, and has this air that he's better than most people, so I expect fabulous things by him that I haven't seen yet, unlike the top four. On the other hand, Ashley has had a few moments that shine, but since she appears more self doubting, those moments have a bigger impact on me. And if Mike I. is putting on an act of playing dumb, then he's only making himself look stupid.

On another topic, does anyone know what Kevin's background is? He has some serious technical chops, and I'm curious to know where he's doing his training.

[doktarr]

I find it a little bit ironic that we're dissecting Mike I's implementation of Bryan's deconstructed Bearnaise, when on the same plate we have Bryan's interpretation of Thomas Keller's fish.

Granted, Bryan didn't have Thomas Keller in the kitchen telling him exactly how to do it. There was much more of a creative element there. But it does raise the question of how much of this is about execution and experience, as opposed to creativity.

[jonathan]

aaalex - i tried to post this earlier but my internet crashed, you would think in this day and age...

Oh and to answer your actual question without going on a tangent, it's not that I think Michael's desire was more internal, but that is more directly affected his cooking. I think that the internal battle between classical and modern interpretations and flavors probably has an effect on every dish he creates, while Robin's struggle just doesn't. Her cancer may have given her a different perspective on life and as a chef but I don't see that that translated onto the plate; it was simply healthy vs. unhealthy and the same as many of the chefs. Think of it this way, have any of Robin's dishes this season highlighted the struggle she portrayed in this quickfire? I would say no. Now, have Michael's? I would say almost every one. And I would go further and say that his success as a chef has been in large part to his ability to harness both sides and create dishes that touch on both philosophies.

and now for your more recent points...

I retract slightly my point about Michelle Bernstein and awarding Robin the victory. I didn't mean to imply that she choose Robin directly because of the cancer story, but only that I believe the "cancer thing" (i'm not being glib , it's just easier to write) played on some level, proably sub-consciously, on Michelle's mind. Again, that's just my conjecture and I fully appreciate I could be completely wrong.

As for the debate on the nature of the challenge, I don't remember Padma using the words "good" and "evil." If certain chefs choose to interpret it that way than that's their choice, but I think Michael went a more sophisticated route. I guess I think Michelle Bernstein fell into the same shallow interpretation of the challenge and that's why I think the cancer story played on her at some level. And in no way would I say Eli deserved to win, but he gave a similar reasoning to Robin yet Robin was the one who embodied the challenge? I don't see it. Even Padma's example about healthy/unhealthy food was about serving it to "customers."

And I'm sorry to harp on it but... a salad and a crisp? Honestly, watching the episode, whose dish would you want set down in front of you?

Great discussion though, guess we might just have to agree to disagree.

[Anne]

150 comments and no one has brought up Penn's off-color joke about the bull testicles? Someone, somewhere, must have screencapped Tom's reactions, which were priceless.

[natmicstef]

I think we are holding this group of chefs to a higher standard, not just in their cooking but in their personalities.. Just an episode or so ago, people were complaining that there weren't any personalities on view...well now we're getting some. I don't think any of them should be vilified for their feelings which so far have been very low key.

[zsparks]

About Ash: He also helped Jen finish plating, even though he must have known she could mop the floor with him. “Re: Ash's potato/parsnip puree” – They ask them to explain, and then the edit makes them look like they’re making excuses. Sometimes they are, of course.

Dave: “I also predicted that Jen was going to nail her lasagna even with all her worrying.” She was in a frantic run because it was possible that her dish might not be the nectar of the gods. She has a different standard for panic other TC crazies.

Toby and Paella: It is a long-standing beef (ha) of mine that Brits insist the correct pronunciation is Claaaahhhhhssss, but then pronounce pasta to rhyme with Shasta. They do this with most foreign "a" sounds, many other common Spanish/Italian words, and other common foreign works. It feels like a deliberate attempt to dis other languages. So thanks, Michelle. Also: “He took a job, for which he was being paid, without bothering to find out the first thing about the show he was appearing on.” I know! That, too!

Bart: I love harshing – I’m going to use it all the time.

On Robin: Boy, this is a lot of pressure on the Dark Lord. I hope he can do his work in a spiritual vacuum.

And about other judges: I just realized we will not be seeing Rippert! At least not until/unless Jen is eliminated.

Dinner tonight: We have deconstructed meat lasagna on the stove, and it looks great (no recipe, though…).

[SorchaRei]

Am I the only person here who has eaten Robin's food?

I totally get how her duo could have been judged to fit the challenge (healthy salad on the angel side and decadent crisp on the devil side). I have been known to order a salad that has fruit in it for my dessert course (there's a great place near me where I generally have the spinach/apricot/candied pecan salad for dessert if it's apricot season so it's on the menu).

Robin makes straight-forward tasty food. Her ingredient combinations are never anything I haven't seen or thought of. Her preparations are never surprising. I've also never eaten anything she made that I didn't find somewhere between good and excellent. The simpler the dish, the better she is at bringing out the taste of the ingredients. The fussier the preparation, the more likely the dish is to be forgettable.

There is no way Robin is a good enough cook or chef to win this whole contest. But I totally get how she could win this one challenge. She presented a nice dichotomy, she did it with simple dishes (which is her strength), and she was able to explain how/why the dishes were angel and devil.

As to the incident where she asked Laurine to grab the pan, this seems like an unfair description of what happened on the show:

And in her response, Robin takes no responsibility for the inappropriateness of the request at all -- no understanding that Laurine was stressed, under the gun and in trouble, and no empathy for Laurine's position. Robin's response was to unload on Laurine!!

Robin: Hey Laruine, will you pull my pancetta out? ((pause)) Sorry I know you're busy too.

Laurine: (in a confessional) So now she's asking to like help her so now I'm ready to kill her.

Robin: Oh you rock. Thank you so much. Oh you've got your own ((beep)) to worry about, honey.

Laurine: Yeh well I'm trying to get these potatoes done.

The next thing we see is Colicchio entering the kitchen. Where is Robin unloading on Laurine?

I see that she does understand that Laurine was stressed and under the gun, and she seems both grateful and to understand that it was a huge favor.

Personally, I think Robin should not have asked (although I'm willing to bet that at this point if she had walked up and asked Laurine to stand aside for a moment so she could get the pancetta out, Luarine would not have cared for that either, as it also would have interrupted her attempts to baby the potatoes through the crisping process). In a busy kitchen if you cannot bring yourself to say "I can't -- gotta keep working these crisps" then you are partly to blame, too, especially when you are currently blocking the over with the pancetta and will have to move aside, no matter who takes the damned stuff out of the oven.

Robin isn't going to win TC. Her EC dish seems to have been fairly icky (not surprising -- she's not a deconstructing kind of chef, and I imagine it takes either an aptitude for this kind of thing or some practice to learn to think about food that way, practice I assure you she does not have. She appears to be a motor mouth who would drive me nuts in short order if I were confined with her 24/7.

I still think she's being treated unfairly in this episode. Don't want to take her stuff out of the oven? Stand aside and let her do it herself. Not impressed by her food? Fair enough -- I'd rather eat Michael V's food, too, in general. But if Michelle Bernstein thought that the apple duo met the challenge and was tasty enough to win, well, I'm prepared to trust that she was right.

As far as I know, not one of the people who think she should not have won actually tasted her dish or any other dish in that QF, except their own.

I often look at the food on this show and wonder why the judging went the way it did, but I don't get to taste it. I sometimes think that the stated reasons for choosing one dish over another don't make sense. I don't suppose that the judging is always perfect. But I see no reason to decide that the people doing the judging are EVER doing less than their best (well, Toby Young aside) or choosing an inferior dish out of sympathy for the chef who cooked it.

On this blog, I've read an explanation of Michael V's dish as angel/devil that makes sense, but what he said to the judges when he presented it didn't do that, and I was left wondering how it was anything other than a duo. This particular challenge required both cooking and storytelling. Otherwise it's just two things on a plate and who knows how or why you connect them with angel and devil?

[Esther]

Season one finals. Dave was a dish short.

Point taken. Not having a dish at all is a bit different from not exemplifying the theme perfectly, though.

Time to get caught up on some other stuff :-)

Dom, does this mean that we shouldn't look for rankings next Monday/Tuesday? I don't mean to put any pressure on you; I just want to know if I should wait until the following week to start my impatient refreshing. ;-)

[Danny]

We seem to forget that at the beginning of the QFC, one of the cheftestants commented that Michelle preferred clean and simple dishes. A real elaborate dish just isn't her thing.

I don't think that asking Laurine to remove the pan was an "outrageous" request since every season, including this one, we have seen many occassions of one chef asking other chefs for help and not just chefs who are all finished but in the heat of battle. Saying, hey would you mind pulling out that pan while you're at the oven is not saying, "would you mind prepping 20 potatoes for me".

One other example of getting dinged for not following the challenge parameters. They were supposed to be making healthy dishes at a Senior Center and one of the cheftestants made a lobster dish and made the bottom 4. What made this unusual was that he had won immunity at the QFC but the judges were so upset with his choice of protein that they felt compelled to haul him into JT and let him have it.

[Shelly]

Wasn't someone in the bottom, if not eliminated, for cooking lobster in a low cholesterol EC? I recall that because they wrongly called lobster a high cholesterol food (assuming it was like other shellfish) when it is not.

Re: Mike I, he's simply not been delivering as I'd expected. Regardless of what Mike V says, by the judges' standards most of his food hasn't been on par with the top four. He's not made decisions about seasoning his food correctly twice, he's not known how to work with, at the very least, the foods in this last challenge and the next (in his own words). Jen gets confused and spins gold from it. He's confused and he puts a mess on his plate. I'm not saying he deserves to be on the bottom. But I do think he does not deserve to be among the best.

[Shelly]

LOL Danny! I guess we were on the same wavelength. Did he have immunity? I can't even remember who it was. But I was outraged that none of them knew what they were talking about, and reamed him on a falsehood. Did they ever acknowledge their mistake?

[SorchaRei]

They did not know what they were talking about when it came to the lobster. However. The chefs were given a list of high cholesterol foods which included lobster, and were told not to use anything on the list.

I suspect that had the chef used it and then, at Judge's Table, said, "Look, I studied nutrition, and lobster is not high cholesterol, here's the numbers . . . " that it would have been a different outcome. What did happen is that the chef used an ingredient he was specifically told not to use, and his reasoning was "Well, you can just eat less".

I saw that one more as a case of the chef deliberately using an ingredient he was forbidden to use, not because he knew that the list was wrong, but just because he knew he could (having immunity).

I think, but am not sure, that this was Malarkey, with lobster in cabage rolls or some such nonsense.

[aaalex]

sorcha rei: thank you so much for your post. i agree, i think, with most everything you wrote and i'm really grateful for the account of robin's food. it gives convincing sense of her merits as a chef. also: too true about the whole asking laurine to pass her pot question.

jonathan: yes maybe we will have to agree to disagree, but i'd just like to add a few things. padma said "las vegas is the land of temptation and is a constant battle between the angel on your left shoulder and the devil on your right." you can't actually have angels and devils without good and evil. angels are a symbol of good, devils of evil. and the challenge was cast as a moral battle between them. intentionally. which is, i think, a major reason robin won. she understood the challenge as the judge (and padma) presented it. michael v. did not. you assume that robin's illness hasn't affected her cooking. to know that, we'd have to have known her food before her cancer and then after her operation. i think it's entirely credible that the woman changed how she looks at cooking, how she thinks about food after her operation. in fact, i'd be pretty surprised if she hadn't. you could say that the cancer narrative was a more convincing account of why the food she made was on the plate. in that sense, the cancer story DID influence the winner: bernstein thought robin had most effectively done what was asked: created a dish that spoke of a battle between one's angels and demons.

your point about michael v is good. michael v is obviously obsessed by all matters of the kitchen. and those questions obviously influence the dishes he cooks. in fact, that may well be why he was incapable of interpreting the challenge as a wayto show a personal struggle between angels and devils. outside of the kitchen, the man probably doesn't have much personality at all. i'm not convinced that makes him more subtle, more worthy or at all the right person to have won this challenge.

independent george: not to drag you into this discussion but there's a huge difference between believing robin won BECAUSE of her cancer story and that robin won because her cancer story was a part of what the judges asked for: a plate on which her angels and demons were at play. the story (a relevant one) certainly influenced the judge's decision. bernstein said as much: robin best exemplified the challenge by putting her angels and demons on the plate. but what's wrong with that? eli's story about fat and no-fat was of the same type. he's a fat boy so his angel is fat-free, his demon is high fat. what would he have thought, had he won, if a fellow chef had said "oh, that prick. he's just trying to get sympathy for being a fat pig. i've got friend who are fat, some of them seriously, and i think it's seriously cheap to use your fatness to get ahead."? whoever said such a thing would have been using the exact "logic" he's using on robin: that she has no right to bring up her personal struggle in the story surrounding her cooking, even when the challenge INVITES the chef to be personal, as this challenge did, pace jonathan.

[Bart]

natmicstef: Just an episode or so ago, people were complaining that there weren't any personalities on view...well now we're getting some. I don't think any of them should be vilified for their feelings which so far have been very low key.

Well, this wasn't quite what I had in mind (and note - I was one of the people defending Robin in the comments thread). But yeah, that had occurred to me, lol.

I was thinking about it, and I realized that Top Chef Master's is what I wanted. Professionalism in the kitchen, but they also let us know who they are. After watching it, I felt like Chiarello and Bayless would be fun to hang out with; that Anita Lo would be a phenomenal teacher in the kitchen; that I'd like to keep Hubert Keller as a pet (can I, mommy, please?).

Except for the brief Chiarello flare-up with Dale Talde, everyone was extremely gracious, incredibly dedicated chefs. But they also revealed their human sides.

I realize I'm comparing almost two completely different shows, but there you have it.

zsparks: Sweet, a fellow harshing user!

[Independent George]

I'm watching the episode again right now, and I'm struck by the fact that Laurine overcooked a poached fish... How is that even possible? The whole reason I prefer to poach my fish precisely because it's so much harder to overcook; you just bring the poaching liquid to the target internal temperature of the meat you're cooking (140 F for fish). It's like sous vide without the vacuum bags - all you need is a cooking thermometer.

[Jon Olsen]

I am officially bored with the whole Cancergate controversy. Don't care much about Laurine, Eli, OR Robin. Much more interested in what Kevin said and did.

[Shelly]

They did not know what they were talking about when it came to the lobster. However. The chefs were given a list of high cholesterol foods which included lobster, and were told not to use anything on the list.

I don't recall them being given a list. Of course, it's been two years since I saw the episode. But Ted Allen's blog about it says they at judges table were the ones who mistakenly said lobster was high in cholesterol, not that the contestants were told not to use lobster as an ingredient. He also said the dish tasted good and was in the bottom because of that issue.

[Ally]

SorchaRei: Where Robin is unloading on Laurine is on her blog, not on the show. I believe that is what the original comment was referring to.

[Ally]

Oh, and I am suspicious about Mike I being in trouble next week because I believe in the previews Tom says about one of the dishes "tastes like a salt lick".

[SorchaRei]

I don't recall them being given a list.

Lee Anne talked aout the list in her blog. I don't recall seeing it on TV, either, but here's what Lee Anne said:

In any case Brian would've been much better off stuffing the cabbage with tofu or ground turkey, rather than his blatant disregard of the challenge parameters (we had hung a poster in the pantry listing high cholesterol foods to avoid).

[Danny]

SorchaRei, thank you. Shelly and I both thought of this episode at the same time. Since it involved seafood I kept thinking it was Malarkey that did this but wasn't sure until I saw your post. Here I am trapped in a TC trivia game.

[zsparks]

Anne: "150 comments and no one has brought up Penn's off-color joke about the bull testicles? Someone, somewhere, must have screencapped Tom's reactions, which were priceless."

Does anyone not hit on Padma? I'm sure sometimes Tom feels like a member of her entourage.

[Dan V.]

"Oh, and I am suspicious about Mike I being in trouble next week because I believe in the previews Tom says about one of the dishes "tastes like a salt lick"."

This is the saltiest thing I ever tasted, and I once had a big heaping bowl of salt!

[aaalex]

zsparks: yeah, there are some who really don't like padma. emily sprissler, here

http://www.chow.com/stories/10194

talks about padma's cellulite, her caked on make-up and the eight hours it takes her to formulate a thought. maybe she was being catty and mean after getting the knife, but i started to wonder (thinking of hector's "padma is much better looking in real life than on tv') if women think of padma more coldly than a men do.

i don't find padma particularly attractive myself. she makes me think of a gazelle with make-up on. so, i'm a little surprised that so many men seem to find her so hot.

[Dave_P]

Jon Olsen: "I am officially bored with the whole Cancergate controversy. Don't care much about Laurine, Eli, OR Robin. Much more interested in what Kevin said and did."

I'm totally with This. I'm so much more impressed with what Kevin did with his mole and his very eloquent blog than the bottom feeders.

zsparks: "Dave: “I also predicted that Jen was going to nail her lasagna even with all her worrying.” She was in a frantic run because it was possible that her dish might not be the nectar of the gods. She has a different standard for panic other TC crazies."

Dom also touched on why I'm madly in love with Jen--she completely has a different standard of what is acceptable and what is not; what is exceptional and what is merely acceptable. Like I said, I was only worried for a bit, but as soon as she started to pull her stuff together, I knew she'd nail it.

It'll be hard to pick amongst the V-bro's, but I'll be crushed if both Kevin & Jen don't make the finals.

As for helping out in the kitchen, I think everyone lends a hand when possible. Even Hung, who everyone remembers for not sharing his techiques with Dale, helped plate other chefs' dishes. Everyone helps out in the kitchen--it's just what you do. I don't consider it a big deal that Robin asked for a quich assist (and I'm not exactly her biggest fan, ya know), and it was well within Laurine's right to just say, "sorry, in the weeds." I could talk more about her (and others') passive aggressive tendancies, but like I said above, I'd rather talk about the abundant good that's coming out of S6.

--
Dave

[aaalex]

damn. on reconsideration i think that last email i sent was mean-spirited. also, padma may be one of those people who reads everything they can about themselves and i'd hate to think she mistook my gazelle comment for a nasty insult (i just mean that i find her a bewildering combination of graceful and overly artificial. disconcerting, in a word.) so, sorry if i offended.

[Independent George]

aaalex - so you still think you've got a shot with her then, eh? :)

[Jake]

I think it's funny how many of the same people who think so many of the cheftestants are piling on Robin are using similar language to dismiss other contestants -- particularly Mike I and Eli. If your personal feelings are leading you to dismiss these guys (and call them assholes, fat evil dwarves, etc.), why can't their personal feelings influence what they think of Robin?

I also think a lot of the people dumping on Mike I's skills are doing it because they don't like him (as he is presented on the show, anyway). Is that any different?

I do not think that somebody is above reproach just because they had cancer, in the same way that it is not fair to dump on them just because they had cancer. From the contestants' interviews, we hear that Robin mentioned at least three times that she had cancer while introducing her dish. How long do they usually speak for? Is it possible that was a bit over the top? Is it possible that she was trying to garner sympathy by hitting the judges over the head with it? Is it possible that if you already didn't like her, you'd be inclined to believe that's what she was doing? I wasn't there, so I don't know -- but I think to dismiss that possibility out of hand is not fair. I am going to go out on a limb and say that the proportion of people who have or had cancer and are also annoying, or assholes, is exactly the same as the proportion among people without cancer.

One more thing on the drama -- several people invoked sexism in the way people responded to Robin (as compared to Ron), or in the concept that the female guest judge may have been overly swayed by the cancer story. I think that's ridiculous given what we know about the situations. Sexism is a real issue in this country, and I'm sure in the industry as well, but I don't think anyone said, hey, that judge fell for the story because she's a woman, or hey, they don't like Robin because she's a woman. There have been plenty of male chefs who got the same treatment, and I think it's a leap to suggest that some people assume the guest judge was swayed only because she's a woman. Anybody would have been swayed by such a story (and I agree with whoever said that the story was a valid part of the challenge). And if you take what I'm saying as being dismissive as sexism, you're entirely missing my point.

The drama got very little actual airtime, but it's sure getting a lot of airtime here.

Kevin is awesome. Between this week's reaction to Penn and Teller and his reaction to eating dinner with Robuchon and the others, it's a joy to watch someone get so excited about things. Plus, dude can clearly cook, huh?

[kathy from austin]

KIT:

This has probably been said by now, but one should never put a starchy item in a food processor. It gums up the whole thing and renders it inedible. I use a hand mixer for mine, or a masher if a want to less smooth consistency.

[TxGriff]

Ok, the conversation on this blog is getting waaaay too uncomfortable. Lets just all agree that we're watching a reality TV show and therefore seeing various sides of the contestants' cooking and personalities, both good and bad. These are people and they have flaws. We don't have to like what we see, we can all have our own opinions, but if you think your personal bias is going to be offensive to one of the contestants, judges, or someone else on this blog, maybe just keep it to yourself rather than post it here.

Sorry, I just don't like drama!!

Somone post more good words about Kevin, he is awesome! I will start- I'm going to Atlanta in a couple of months and I'm definitely trying his restaurant. Has anyone been there? Also, who mentioned that they went to 10 Arts recently?? I want to hear more about it!

[jh]

An interview with Kevin pre-TC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zthl3Hevhww

TxGriff- Good thing you're going to Atlanta in a couple of months. Right now it's soaked. And there's also Blais's restaurant flip to visit, complete with Krispy Kreme and foie gras liquid nitrogen milkshakes.

[TxGriff]

jh- Thanks for the suggestion! It will be my first time to Atlanta, so I'm looking forward to it. Flip is definitely on my list to try- I'm only in town for a long weekend, so it will be a busy one.

Re: foie gras liquid nitrogen milkshakes, call me a traditionalist, but I can't wrap my head around that. Then again I'm one of those people who thinks chocolate should be it's own food group...maybe make it a chocolate foie gras shake and I'm in ;-)

[anon man]

Anne & zsparks, While the bull testicles interplay was kind of funny in a teenage boy sort of way, including especially the smirking Tom cut-away, I had this nagging feeling that it was pasted together and not quite honest. Tom's sitting there with his arm's crossed while Penn is still eating, and then the next cut to Tom he's hunched over. Funny, yes, in part because of the editing, so I felt kind of manipulated watching it. (Sorry to go off topic, but I took some production classes in college and bad continuity and a lack of attention to detail bugs the crap out of me.)

[jh]

One more article about the Atlanta chefs:

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/atlanta_s_top_chefs/Content?oid=985013

A tidbit from it:

I asked all three chefs what they did to prepare for the season. Kirshtein says he spent time practicing "Quick Fire" challenges and memorizing recipes. Santiago did some preparing along those same lines, but Gillespie says, “I did absolutely nothing. Sometimes when people study for a test, they overstudy, and they pack their mind full of stuff that they can’t use once they get there. What I did was remember that the key to my success needed to be that every time that I stepped foot in that kitchen, that I cooked food that I believed in and food that I would be proud to serve at my own restaurant.”

[KathyV]

TxGriff, Chocolate IS its own food group.... that's my mantra.

[TxGriff]

Good article about the Atlanta chefs. It makes me miss Hector. I still think he would have rocked the cactus/cookout challenge.

Kathy- glad to know there is another chocoholic around :)

I think my work productivity has decreased greatly since I decided to start posting on here...

[KathyV]

TxGriff: "I think my work productivity has decreased greatly since I decided to start posting on here..."

Since I don't smoke, I don't take smoke breaks at work, I take skilletdoux breaks.

[jse91]

Hey all - I know I am coming late to the party, but I have been away from my computer. I could read but not post, but I would like to add something to the conversation about Robin.

If you watch the following video - part of the bonus footage from episode 1 -
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/videos/dont-record-us

you see Mike I talking trash about Robin from the start. It think it must be the second day.

Now Robin's chatter would drive me stark raving mad. However, that is what precipitates the division. It seems to me that Mike is a bully. He looked at the group and decided Robin was the outsider as the oldest. He decided right away that he would get his bones by bullying her and making fun of her in the group. The stuff he said was way over the line and Jen is right there cracking up at him. It has colored my perception of her from the start and even though she is a great chef, I can't quite bring myself to root for her. So Robin, may be totally annoying, but the roots of the groups dislike were pretty set from the beginning, it seems. That seems to be the reason they were mad at her when their friends went home instead of someone who has the audacity to be old.

[jse91]

not what precipitates the division

[kit]

kathy from austin -

Thanks for the response! I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, because I swore they showed a clip of Ash scooping a whitish puree out of what looks like a food processor container (during the segment when he explains he's not plating his parsnip/potato puree because it's too gummy). Did he really stick his puree in a food processor? And if so, how could he not know about the whole gumminess issue?

[matx]

If anyone is having trouble finding Jen's deconstructed lasagna recipe, here it is:

http://www.bravotv.com/foodies/recipes/deconstructed-flat-iron-steak-mascarpone-beacutechamel-tomato-sauce-and-parmesan-crisp

They didn't use the word "lasagna" in the title...

[aaalex]

jake (and to some extent txgriff): you're right, i guess, but we've been around the neighbourhood twice or three times on this point. as sorcha rei said in one of her posts: the real people are out there and they have our respect. our judgement and words aren't directed at them. they're about the edited/half-fictional chefs we see on top chef, the reality show. as azdahf said, it's pedantic (and unnecessarily time consuming) to insist on "as-edited by top chef" every time you want to say something about them. i suppose, we could all write "robin" or "eli" or "michael i", in quotation marks, but what's the point? it's pretty much accepted that we're not talking about the real people, here. (and i'm one of the one's who complained about the way some were talking about michael i., so my tune has changed.)

also: it's a top chef blog. it's for people who want to talk about matters called up by the show. what? people shouldn't talk about "cancergate" because we're doing it MORE than they did it on the show? people talk about things until the conversation peters out. or someone says "i'm bored by this issue" and the community more or less moves on (or not, depending). the show has managed to call up vivid, uncomfortable (and sometimes prolonged) discussion. that's a sign of it's success.

at the beginning of the season, for obvious reasons, there was a certain anti-michael i. feeling that sometimes felt personal. but since then, the majority of the comments have centered on what is perceived to be his lack of demonstrated conceptual skills. you either think he's relied too heavily on the skill of, say, bryan or you don't. if i read things right, dominic is inclined to accept that he has real skill, whether or not they've been conclusively demonstrated. others, not so much. i don't get the feeling of deep animosity towards him there was at the start of the season when his (at least on the surface) sexism was highlighted by the editors. i don't really understand where your outrage (am i right? you sounded as if you were pissed off) is coming from. again, we're all just talking, here, about a show we all like very much. and the level of conversation at skillet doux is well above that which you get on most other blogs about top chef. (i can't think of another food blog that have delved into jane austen's television habits.)

lovely as it is to talk about kevin, who has been stellar as a contestant, there's not much to say about him other than "he's great" or "i hope he wins" or "i'd love to taste his food". about which, i think, pretty much everybody agrees. (would anyone here really be disappointed if kevin won?) the editors and producers of top chef know that. that's why they've thrown the robin drama, the michael isabella drama, the ashley drama out there. to get people talking, to keep them passionate and above all interested in how the story will play itself out.

if i had my wish, season six would have continued on as it was at the beginning: with the emphasis more firmly on the cooking. i, too, preferred top chef masters and really hope there'll be a top chef masters two. but you can only comment on (or deal with the issues brought up by) the show we're given and the show we're given brings up strong, non-culinary reactions. as far as i think, people should talk about whatever interests them, until dominic calls "time", if things are getting too personal, or until they lose interest and move on.

[jh]

So apparently I'm not going to get any work done today either. There's a series of Top Chef videos called Slice and Dice Showdown hosted by Toby Young (not pretty enough for broadcast TV with his bandage) that pits the contestants against one another in various mini challenges. They're pretty entertaining, including Toby. Here are the links for the first four, if you don't want to navigate through the Bravo website.

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/videos/slice-and-dice-showdown-episode-1
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/videos/slice-and-dice-showdown-episode-2
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/videos/slice-and-dice-showdown-episode-3
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/videos/slice-and-dice-showdown-episode-4

[TxGriff]

aaalex- I think your critism of my comments is a bit unfair. To be clear, I actually agree with your thoughts on the Robin issue. But this is not a "Top Chef blog" as you put it to unload our personal judgements on the contestants- it's a food blog. Yes, this particular thread is about the show. Yes, it is difficult as viewers to separate a chef's personal attributes from the food the produce. And yes, obviously we are all going to have personal opinions about the chefs and their behaviors, and we will discuss them from time to time. But as Dom has said in the past- this is primarily a food blog, and I hope it stays that way. My comments were not directed at anyone in particular, and I certainly was not trying to discredit your thoughts or those whose thoughts are in opposition to yours (which like I said also happen to be my own). Perhaps it was just me, but I can tell from the tone of a few posts that tensions were running a bit high, and I think it's unfortunate that the tensions stem from frustrations about the contests' personal traits rather than the food they produce. When I asked to speak more about Kevin, I mean in particular the food he has produced or what he's produced at his restaurant. That's all I was trying to say.

I'm sorry if my comments offended you, I just hate to see tensions flairing about the produced situations we see on TV.

[anon man]

aaalex, as much as I agree with you, comparing TCM and TC isn't really fair, as they don't live together for 3 weeks. I'm sure if they lived together, they would have some nice B-roll of Tim Love ripping on Hubert's accent after too much tequilla or something. This season is still relatively devoid of drama, and as a result its better for us foodies. I think that in part its because the V brothers, two contenders, seem to hate the nonsense. Did anyone else notice during the Robin fight that Bryan walked into the picture to get a beer or something and looked up and it almosts looked like he saw the camera and immediately decided he didn't want to be anywhere near this and got out of there.

Trying to change the topic a little, I was thinking about doing something like Jen did this weekend. Her dish sounds good, but looked like giant mess. Keep the cheese crips, of course, and the steak. But maybe turn the flat pasta into a small pile of tagliatelle with marinara and put a little bechemel under or over the steak. Any comments?

[TxGriff]

Also, just one more point to add- I don't think this blog should be totally devoid of our personal reactions to the show and what happens on it. For example, while watching TC Masters, I originally had a very negative reaction towards Michael Chiarello's behavior in the infamous "hat you gonna do about it??" episode. But, after thinking more about the show and reading some of the thoughtful comments here, I became more sympathetic towards Chef Chiarello's behavior and saw how it was more appropriate in the situation and for the type of chef that he is.

So, I'm not saying to leave the personal opinions aside at all. But as you yourself noted, people seem to be getting "pissed off" in their posts, and it's about reactions that we are having about our comments on some of the chefs' reactions towards each other! I believe in personal commentary when it's constructive and enlightening about a chef and the decisions they make. When it starts being really negative towards the people on the show, created personalities or not, or towards other people on this blog, it just makes me uncomfortable personally. I hope that clears up what I was trying to say.

[KinderJ]

Anon Man-

My comment is YES.

[Anne]

I'm posting this in the spirit of discussion, not to escalate anything. But since I was the one who brought up what I perceived as a gendered reaction (sexism is a little strong) in Eli, I just want to say, imagine CJ, who had cancer, had made something similar, for similar reasons, and Eric Ripert was the judge. Would Eli ever have said that? Would we be having this conversation?

Of course, CJ could have stepped on Eli, so....

[zsparks]

aalex: "padma may be one of those people who reads everything they can about themselves and i'd hate to think she mistook my gazelle comment..."

Hilarious! We've all got a lot of 'splaining to do, as for all we know, Dom could be my granny and babyarm could Michelle Obama, for all we know.

[zsparks]

Apologies for unproofread post above.

[Danny]

Well said Anne! I couldn't agree more.

[Allen]

I haven't seen a link posted here and thought people might find this interesting, sorry if I missed it already linked to in an earlier comment. The Washington Post had a nice story about Michael Isabella's recent wedding. He sounds like a much nicer guy in the story than he comes across on the show.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091800203.html

[Adam]

Anne,

I think it's unlikely that scenario would elicit those comments, but this has as much to do with Ripert's (perceived) personality as anything else. On the other hand, let's say we replace Eric Ripert with another male chef who seems more empathetic, like, say, Rick Bayless, or even more obviously, Grant Achatz (who had cancer himself). In that scenario, I think it's possible that Eli would think CJ's story was a big part of the reason he won.

My point is that having heartstrings that can be pulled on, while a stereotypically feminine quality, is not an exclusively feminine quality. While it's fair to suspect that some gender stereotyping led Eli towards his conclusion, it's not the only reasonable explanation.

[Lon]

It's Friday night as I write this and I noticed there are 200 comments already. I am out of town and this is the first time I've been able to check results, etc. so I'm not even reading any of the 200 comments.

But just reading the prelude to this week, it should be worth by time when I get back next week.

Wow, it does seem like TC is following Dom's rankings in how chef's get eliminated. Good work.

[zsparks]

Adam - Ripert, unempathetic?

Perhaps he's the woman's Padma.

[Nsam]

Dom, have you been doing anything differently in your recent posts? Because although I can still read everything fine on my PC, on my backup (old) Mac your last couple of posts simply don't show up. The last entry that even shows up is the one with the photos of Mattin and his ceviche at the top.

[Dawn]

Ok, I've been reading this blog for a while now after being referred to it from another top chef blog. It didn't occured to me to click 'About the Author' until today. Then I saw your full name Dom, and I thought 'Gosh, that sounds awfully familiar'. Then I read further down to '...does voice over work for video games' and it clicked in my brain.

OMG, you're GUYBRUSH THREEPWOOD. *flails like a maniac*

As if your awesome power rankings & commentary are not enough, you have to be Guybrush FREAKING Threepwood? It's official, this is THE BEST TOP CHEF BLOG EVER. And I'll happily be your groupie :)

P/S: Jennifer Norris FTW!!!

[Cousin Sam]

I can personally attest that Dom is not anybody's granny. :)

[Skillet Doux]

"Dom, have you been doing anything differently in your recent posts? Because although I can still read everything fine on my PC, on my backup (old) Mac your last couple of posts simply don't show up. The last entry that even shows up is the one with the photos of Mattin and his ceviche at the top."

Haven't changed a thing, Nsam. In case the browser on your Mac is pulling a cached version, try doing a hard refresh. How you do that varies depending on the browser -- and I'm not sure if you use the command key or what on a Mac -- but on a PC you'd usually hit ctrl+F5 for a hard refresh. That forces the browser to reload the most recent version of the page from my server without using any cached content.

I'm afraid that's my best recommendation. The content is definitely up there.

[Bart]

Another way to do a hard refresh is to add a question mark to the end of the URL. So it'd be http://www.skilletdoux.com/?

That'll do the trick too.

[dc]

Mike I is sarcastic snarky. Eli says it like he sees it snarky. With their snarkiest comments normally confined to confessionals for our, viewer, consumption only. I always treat reality confessional as just that, their private thoughts which may not have bearing on their public, real world, persona.

The drama of the season is finally unfolded. Robin didn't seem that bad, other than being incessant chatterer, but every chef is still downing her, even long after the episode taping, so there is real depth to the antipathy.

Knowing about it, it puts into new context Jesse's comments that she feels Robin should have been eliminated for not making proper amuse bouche in French QF. No respect lost there.

And Kevin in his EC winner Bravo.com blog interview was very circumspect in talking his away around the whole Robin drama. Yeah, we know he's friends with Eli, but he still clearly didn't put in one word of defense for Robin or criticism of the whole situation. He pretty much defended the situation as stress induced.

I'm thinking everyone feels Robin is dilettante playing reality TV games, and getting away with it, while they are being oh so serious artisans.

It does make it much richer reality TV, taking it out the realm of plain competition or documentary. I can't say I don't love it. -.-

[paula]

Was out of town all week and just saw the ep last night. 200-plus comments?!!? Yowza.

I don't have anything new to add to the discussion except this: I hate Penn and Teller, thought they added nothing to the show, and kept thinking: How pissed would you be if you got sent home because that little mute magician make yuck faces at your food?

[Nsam]

Thanks Dom, and Bart! I'll figure it out.

[zsparks]

I love that this is apparently the natural reaction. I'll bet you can do a " " search on this exact post and get 10 hits in the blog:

"OMG, you're GUYBRUSH THREEPWOOD. *flails like a maniac*

As if your awesome power rankings & commentary are not enough, you have to be Guybrush FREAKING Threepwood?"

(slinks away, ashamed to still not know what Monkey Island is, and sorry for saying Dom might be her granny)

[Anne]

Oh, no, Dom, Mattin just left a BOX OF NECKERCHIEFS in the apartment. I wonder how many times they had to refilm Mike's confessional before he got it right.

[kit]

In case some of you are too classy to read gossip websites (unlike me :) ), this story was posted on TMZ:

'Top Chef' fan favorite winner Fabio Viviani claims his old business partner quick-fired him for all the wrong reasons -- and now he's suing the guy for everything and the kitchen sink.

Fabio and a guy named Jacopo Falleni are going after Michael Takeda -- because they claim Michael promised them handsome rewards for helping him start a restaurant in 2006 ... but never got squat.

In the lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in Ventura County, Fabio and Jacopo say they worked 130-140 hours a week for six months getting Cafe Firenze off the ground -- and were promised 15% ownership of the joint and $4,000 a month for their hard work.

And there's this: Fabio claims he's the reason the place got popular ... because after his stint on "Top Chef," business skyrocketed from a half-million dollars a year to nearly $4 million.

In the lawsuit, the fellas claim Takeda chickened out when it came to paying them the 4k a month and never acknowledged their 15% ownership.

They are suing for unspecified damages.

Apparently, Michael Takeda is his father-in-law.

http://www.tmz.com/2009/09/27/top-chef-fabio-viviani-lawsuit/

[Cousin Sam]

I was skeptical since TMZ was the only one to pick up the story and the Cafe Firenze website lists them both as partners in their bios, but according to the Superior Court of Ventura County it is indeed true. What a shame.

http://www.ventura.courts.ca.gov/vent_frameset_puba.htm

[Cousin Sam]

oops, that link doesn't actually take you to the search results...

Case Type: Breach of Contract/Warranty Case Status: Pending
Judicial Officer: Location: Simi Valley

Participants

Name Filing Document Role Attorney Filed By
Falleni, Jacopo Complaint Plaintiff MATTHEWS, E Viviani, Fabio; Falleni, Jacopo
Nera LLC, Oliva Complaint Defendant Viviani, Fabio; Falleni, Jacopo
Takeda, Michael Complaint Defendant Viviani, Fabio; Falleni, Jacopo
Viviani, Fabio Complaint Plaintiff MATTHEWS, E Viviani, Fabio; Falleni, Jacopo

ROA # Entry
1 Complaint filed by Viviani, Fabio; Falleni, Jacopo on 09/25/2009.
Filed by:Viviani, Fabio(Plaintiff); Falleni, Jacopo(Plaintiff)
Refers to:Takeda, Michael(Defendant); Nera LLC, Oliva(Defendant)

2 Civil Case Cover Sheet filed by Viviani, Fabio; Falleni, Jacopo on 09/25/2009.

3 Declaration for Court Assignment filed by Viviani, Fabio; Falleni, Jacopo on 09/25/2009.

4 Case assigned to Department S5.

[Naomi]

I've been meaning to remark on how funny it is that last week we were commenting on the fact that noone has done scallops and this week we get 3 people doing scallops in the quickfire - and not only that, all 3 of them did scallops "two ways"; essentially giving us a total of 6 scallop dishes.

From famine to feast....funny.

[doktarr]

Adam - Ripert, unempathetic?

Perhaps he's the woman's Padma.

I said he doesn't seem empathetic. He seems like a nice guy. But he seems particularly focused on the food itself. Perhaps it's his focus on technique, or maybe I'm being biased by the french accent - I dunno. But it's hard to imagine anyone accusing him of giving a dish recognition for the story that went along with it, as opposed to for the dish itself.

I don't think that's a bad thing.

[Naomi]

While we wait for Dom, Lee Anne has stayed true to her word and is catching up on the season. She's now got several posts up:
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/lee-anne-wong

[gilmore]

Having withdrawals Dom....Will the new power rankings be posted Monday morning or afternoon? Must......have........power........rankings.......

[babyarm]

Interesting that Bravo has leaked details of lots of the upcoming episodes to tv guide. That's not normal for them. And it's still reported that they have not filmed the finale.

Next episode is fairly evident from previews. Apparently the people at the table are people from Macy's.

Following that will be an all Pork EC with Charlie Palmer at his place in Mandalay.

RW will be 4 on 4 again at RM in Mandalay.

Following that will be guest Natalie Portman at craftsteak for the EC.

[The Last Stop]

Yes, I noticed the Charlie Palmer thing too. Seems a little odd, since Bryan was (I believe) sous at Aureole and ec at Charlie Palmer steak. And Michael won a Michelin star with the guy! So it seems that he and the brothers are a bit familiar. We'll see, I guess.

On the topic of the Voltaggios, does anyone know where/when Hung worked under Michael? Dom, I know you mentioned that in one of the first few power rankings. And it was in Michael's video on the Bravo website. But I can't for the life of me find any record of Hung and Michael working in the same restaurant. It doesn't even seem like they've been in the same city in the last few years. Anyone know what's up?

[kit]

The Last Stop -

Here you go :)

http://losangeles.grubstreet.com/2009/08/scouting_report_michael_voltag.html

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/blogs/top-chef/2009/aug/18/emtop-chefem-countdown-day-1-brotherly-love/

[paula]

I love Lee Ann's blog with all the detail on the behind-the-scenes stuff. Wouldn't that be a kick-ass job? Hard, yes, but so damn cool. Anyway, this entry in particular is worth a read. More insight on Mike I's bearnaise sauce, plus details on the prep work that's done for the chefs, etc.

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/lee-anne-wong/culinary-gods-and-unicorns

[Karen]

Looking at the preview videos, looks like we are treated to even more of the Robin-hate. I hope they don't dwell on it too much. Yes, Mike I., we know you don't like Robin and resent having to work with her. Get over it and cook (preferably without griping the whole time). The only way we can escape it is if Robin gets the PPYKAG. I guess Bravo can't help themselves when it comes to drama.

[babyarm]

Well the reason Padma will "unlikely host" TCS7 has been revealed, and as expected she's pregnant. Good for her. Apparently it was a struggle to get to that point.

[Independent George]

Well the reason Padma will "unlikely host" TCS7 has been revealed, and as expected she's pregnant. Good for her. Apparently it was a struggle to get to that point.

I think you're missing out on the creative possibilities for a quickfire challenge: catering to the random cravings of a pregnant Padma. Contestants will be woken at 3:30 AM and have 20 minutes to create something that is light, sweet, crispy, tart, salty, hearty, and nutritious out of the Top Chef pantry. Then they have to do it again thirty minutes later.

[Duffy]

Boy, are we getting desperate. I even watched Symon beat up on the culinary students -- for the third time! TC breaks for one lousy week -- Dom off doing something "important" -- and how many of us, after checking this thing every couple of hours, plowed through the pages past the 225 previous posts to glom onto Independent George's latest!!! LOL

[Naomi]

and how many of us, after checking this thing every couple of hours, plowed through the pages past the 225 previous posts to glom onto Independent George's latest

:::raises hand:::

[Bart]

Is anybody else here extremely depressed about the news of Gourmet magazine's closing? :(

[Karen]

You there, Dom? It's bad enough going without TC for 2 weeks, but when we have to go without you as well, it's just cruel. I don't care if you post something about Oreo cookies, just please post! (Although if you could find it in your heart to post the PRs, that would be delightful.)

[Naomi]

Anyone else spending more time refreshing Skillet Doux than working?

[Karen]

Absolutely! I am addicted to this blog, so I'm suffering badly right now.

[Independent George]

Anyone else spending more time refreshing Skillet Doux than working?

Yep - so it's a good thing I really don't have a lot to do at work right now, too.

Oh, wait...

[babyarm]

Naomi > Gourmet was good. Have their "big yellow cookbook", but really Cooks Illustrated has far surpassed it in the feature areas and provides value in print that you can't get online. Gourmet just couldn't keep up when most of it's content just isn't needed offline. It's not clear if they will maintain an online presence.

Cooking Light has passed it in just sheer volume of recipes, hell every one of those has as many dishes as a celeb chef cookbook. And you know what...It's got some seriously good stuff in there. I believe that may be the most subscribed to magazine in the US now, or something like that.

[paula]

Food + Wine is my favorite of all of them. (And yes, they have Top Chef to thank for nudging me into my subscription.) The recipes in there are really terrific, and the wine info is great, too. It's extremely well done.

[Naomi]

Did you all see Dom's update. Looks like I can stop refreshing for the day and begin again in the morning ;-)

Off to be productive now...

[Dreamboat]

An article in the AJC about Kevin and his restaurant

http://www.accessatlanta.com/atlanta-restaurants-food/atlanta-top-chef-contestant-147620.html