Top Chef - S6E13 Postmortem

Okay, I take it back. I dug that elimination just fine.

I'm sure there will be much gnashing of teeth from some quarters, but the three I wanted to see in the finale are in the finale. I love that the spunk returned in full force, but if I had to pick one of the four to axe before this challenge, I'd have picked Jennifer.

Did I just hear Michael Chiarello say that he'd never had chevre and basil together? I must've misheard.

In general, what a pleasure it is to see everybody rocking. I mean, the judges clearly got ultrapicky because they had to. But it also seems clear that there wasn't a clunker in the house. I imagine it makes for a tough decision, but it sure is fun to see.

Gotta scoot... you guys talk.

Discuss!

Comments

[Steve]

I felt real bad for Jennifer. But it appears that her food was the shakiest overall. Not that anyone's food was bad, period.

[yurd]

Blech. Editors actually fooled me into thinking the unthinkable - that Michael could go.

She'll always be Jennifer Norris to me.

[Shelly]

I honestly thought Kevin was going home for his beef and was really worried. I couldn't not understand what happened there until I read Tom's blog. It was irritating, how different what he described happening was from what we were shown on TV. It's one thing to build suspense; it's another to make the judges look like idiots the editing doesn't back up their choices. I assumed after the discussion of the dishes that either Jen or Bryan would win.

It was beautiful watching their cooking though. The food at that farmer's market looked so delicious!

[Duffy]

Shoot. Not thinking, I accidentally opened this blog at 9:42 p.m. Mountain time. Dom, your have become the absolute spoiler!

We get our feed off the 10:00 p.m. PST Pacific Coast airing, which means the show here doesn't air until 11:00 p.m. MST

[KinderJ]

One of my very favorite episodes of top chef ever. Seriously. A really good meal is one that moves you, that makes you laugh with delight. This is the very first time that has happened to me watching food on TV. I was frankly staggered.

About the Chevre and Basil thing, yeah, I heard that too. I looked at my wife and we both were clearly thinking 'Really? First time? Really? How..."

I don't care for see food, but with the exception of the scallops, there was not a dish served tonight I would not have been delighted to pay good money for. It reminded me of one of the best meals of my life, at Cragie on Main here in Cambridge. The entire show, Quickfire and Elimination, was so full of life and the joy of food. It made me very happy, and, in some odd way, very proud of the chefs. Just the feeling that these guys are the culinary future of America is really reassuring. Inspiring even. When a guy like Mike V. says that seasonal, farm fresh local ingredients are really going to change the way he cooks in the future, you gotta have hope. Remember that this guy was the king of the MG people for this season, and has been ragging on Kevin for the last few episodes. Sure, his notion of 'simple' is wildly at odds with the rest of the world, but I still loved his final products. All their final products.

If the final episode is anything like as good as this one, I will be very, very pleased.

And I may just sign up for the 'Kevin's Beard' facebook support group. Damn fine mountain man beard there. Must be preserved.

[Skillet Doux]

Duffy... I'm no more of a spoiler than the Bravo site! C'mon, the postmortem thread has gone up at about 11:15 PM EST every episode for the past two seasons :-)

[KinderJ]

My shame is total: see food (sea food). Begin operation 'hide under a rock'. Activate!

[Cousin Sam]

I didn't quite believe it when I read it in Tom's blog, but scrolling back through all the stats I'm kind of amazed that no one but these four ever won an elimination challenge. Wow.

I'm fine with Jennifer going - she's been on the bubble for a long time. SHe really does beat up on herself too much though.

I really hope Kevin takes it. 1) because I really like his styly of cooking and the way he performs. 2) after all their sibling rivalry I think it would serve both the Voltaggios right for them to come out dead even to each other.

[KinderJ]

And Brian was never up for elimination. That may be a first in TC history. Can anyone confirm? Either way, they put up a hell of a run.

[Micah]

Fun episode. The right three made it. Jen, truly sorry to see you go.

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You were warned.

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Did anyone else see that Padma was looking straight ahead in the finale promo? I think that might mean that she was looking at Bryan. I don't know, and could certainly be wrong, but I sure wish I hadn't noticed that. (Kevin's my first choice, but I wouldn't mind Bryan winning. Michael's an interesting chef, and I'd be happy to try his food, but I'd be less excited about his victory for (apparent) personality reasons.)

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[òste e còc]

Did Michael successfully cook/peel 75-or-150 63degree eggs within his 5 hour limit? Even if he did(n't) I would very much like to wear Gail’s swollen bosom like a pair of oversized novelty sunglasses.

[janet]

Micah, I noticed that as well, and came to the same conclusion you did. That would make me very happy. I'd honestly be very happy as well for Kevin to take the title, but feel he's gotten such rave accolades already throughout the season (along with some pretty fab prizes) that, in a sense, he's won already regardless if he takes the final title. Mostly, I'd like Bryan to be able to stick it in Michael's face.

[Joe S]

I am very happy that my Bravo HD comes in on the east coast feed - I don't think I could remain spoiler free the entire evening.

I have nothing insightful to add, other than I cannot wait for the finale...

[Will Allen]

I was not surprised to see Jen go, especially after the judge's table comments, with chefs present, in which both of her dishes received critical remarks, whereas the others only had one of their dishes come in for criticism. That said, it seems as if the food was on such a high level that the judges were jumping through hoops to have one chef come under criticism for both dishes. I mean, they all remarked about how much they loved the "duckiness" of Jen's duck, and they then later criticize her because she admits that her original plan was to use the wood burning cooktop? You either really liked what she fed you, or you didn't. That said, it seemed as right to send her packing as it would have anyone else. These people can all really cook.

Along those same lines, I was initially surprised and a little worried that Kevin was trying to cook brisket for 150 people in five hours. If there is one thing I've learned about brisket, it is that there are real risks in trying to hurry it. Of course, Kevin has forgotten more about cooking brisket that I will ever know, so he was quite aware of what the issues are, and had decided to deliberately go in that direction, in part due to the soft bed of polenta the brisket would be resting on. It seems to me that Kevin simply has a different view of what brisket necessarily must be. Finally, I was a bit surprised by Tom's critique of the brisket's "tinny" flavor. That sure sounds to me like someone who expects thoroughly cooked grass fed beef to taste like thoroughly cooked corn fed beef. I don't know if I'd have venison if Tom was coming for dinner.

[gilmore]

Will - my thoughts exactly - Jen's two dishes both missed a little, while Kevin and Michael had one standout each.

Still a little surprised at Jen's leaving as they also bragged on her using the entire duck.

I initially thought that Kevin would go - a carrot and beet salad??? Salads (pasta salad) are not conducive to winning. But that salad blew the judges away.

The finals should be great.

[garik16]

So i didn't see the preview, are the chefs getting an assistant for prep this time?

The last 2 years, in the first part of the finale, former chefs returned, and then pro chefs helped prep during hte finale.

I wonder if we'll see some former contestants return, and if they do help prep, i'd lay odds that Jen would be the first one picked.

[Duffy]

Dom sez -- "C'mon, the postmortem thread has gone up at about 11:15 PM EST every episode for the past two seasons :-)"

And I knew that -- Actually, I was going to check to see if there were any fresh comments on the ratings blog that went up this morning, in preparation to settling in for the west coast airing of the finale at 11 my time (MST), and just wasn't thinking. Saw Jen's pic and immediately blamed you. :-P

On another thought -- there is no question but that these are the best chefs and the strongest group of competitors we have ever seen, and I am truly looking forward to watching the finale next week. But for future series, do you think maybe these guys are too good?

One of the announced objectives of TC is to get a chef started -- but these four chefs are already accomplished in their careers.

Not only that but the four horsemen completely dominated TC from the very beginning. The rest of the pack essentially had no chance. Although Jen appeared to give us a scare, according to Tom's blogs she was never in any danger of going home. There were some very fine chefs in the bunch that got lost along the way.

Would the show be stronger, and maybe more fun to watch, if the chefs were a little greener? More in the range of sous chefs and line cooks -- chef d'cuisine wannabes -- then accomplished chefs who had already arrived?

Flawless cookery is great to strive for, but disasters are a lot more fun to watch.

[paula]

That episode rocked. I'll take well-matched amazing cookery over green-chef disasters any day.

My favorite part, though, was when Bryan said, "Mike and I of course want each other to stay," followed by Mike saying, essentially, "I don't give a crap if Bryan goes home."

[Angie]

If previously eliminated chefs do return as assistants for the finale, does that mean we'll be seeing Jen, Eli, and Robin (!) ?

Can you picture the drama if Mike V. is teamed with Robin for the finals ? Wow !

[Bart]

This was a great episode. I love that everybody came to Judge's table thinking, "I rocked my dish tonight. I'm very pleased with it."

If everyone rocked their dish and Bryan came out on top, this bodes well for him for the finale. I'd like to see Bryan or Kevin win. Sorry, Mike. I don't think you're Top Chef.

Final rankings, for me:

1. Kevin
2. Bryan
3. Mike

Sad to see Jennifer go. Would have liked it if she made it to the finale, but it's a tough crowd this year. Any other year (last year especially) she would have been the clear favorite. But that she was able to stand out even in this crowd speaks very well to her cooking abilities.

[Independent George]

That said, it seems as if the food was on such a high level that the judges were jumping through hoops to have one chef come under criticism for both dishes. I mean, they all remarked about how much they loved the "duckiness" of Jen's duck, and they then later criticize her because she admits that her original plan was to use the wood burning cooktop? You either really liked what she fed you, or you didn't. That said, it seemed as right to send her packing as it would have anyone else. These people can all really cook.

Agree completely. The S4 pre-finale still remains my favorite (Pig! Malta! Steph's Sainthood!), but the level of execution this season has been nothing short of astounding. I think the Colicchio himself said at JT that nobody really did anything badly, and that for all their nitpicking, every dish was still excellent.

My favorite thing about this episode was the introduction of two words I'm now looking for excuses to use: "Duckiness" and "Toothsome".

[meorav]

Most vegetarians would not consider eggs as vegetarian. Since he did not follow the competition rules, Michael V should have been disqualified on that basis. Shame on the judges for not calling him on it.

[Skillet Doux]

"Most vegetarians would not consider eggs as vegetarian. Since he did not follow the competition rules, Michael V should have been disqualified on that basis. Shame on the judges for not calling him on it."

Two things.

First, on what basis do you speak for "most vegetarians"? I haven't seen any statistical surveys of what vegetarians consider "vegetarian", have you? It's my own personal anecdotal experience -- most likely as statistically insignificant as yours -- that most self-described vegetarians eat both cheese and eggs. Are you suggesting that most vegetarians don't eat cake? Or mayonnaise? Or fresh pasta? Or meringue? Or Hollandaise sauce? Charlie Trotter is particularly noteworthy as one of the earliest four-star chefs to offer vegetarian menus, a practice he maintains and is regularly praised for to this day, and his current vegetable menu includes brioche and creme caramel, both of which utilize eggs. In fact, during the vegetarian challenge a few episodes back, some of the judges themselves wondered why nobody made fresh pasta that would have included -- of course -- eggs.

Secondly, though it isn't shown on the show, Lee Anne has said that the contestants receive sheets that carefully detail the rules of the challenge before they start cooking. I wouldn't assume that the chefs weren't told quite specifically what could and could not constitute "vegetarian" for the purposes of that challenge. They might not have, but my point is that you can't assume he wasn't explicitly told that eggs were just fine.

It seems to me that the question of whether eggs are widely considered part of a vegetarian diet is, at best, an open question. It's one thing to disagree, but I don't see how you have any basis whatsoever to cast shame upon the judges for their call in that regard. If anything, it seems to me that they're on more solid footing than you are.

[anon man]

Dom, well put. I am not a vegetarian, and have not undertaken any surveys of vegetarians, but my first thought on Michael's egg dish was that it was a bit of a cop out. It might have been legal, but I just thought it seemed like a failure in creativity. The dish looked good, but it seemed like an odd choice to base a vegetarian dish around an egg.

My two thoughts during the episode:

1. I need to find a recipe other than a stock where I can use carrot leaves/tops. That seemed to blow everyone away.

2. Ok, I get that this isn't supposed to be about the challenge prizes, but, really, a car for a 30 minute train meal and a handshake for catering 300 portions? Wow.

[Mann of Sandd]

FWIW, my wife last night was also surprised when eggs were being used for a vegetarian dish. I didn't see a problem with it, but then again I'm a staunch meatatarian.

Also, regarding the basil and chevre....I thought that Chiarello was commenting more on the combination of mushrooms and chevre than the basil....thought the basil just kind of added that element to tie that all together. But I could certainly be mistaken.

Great episode

[Jon Olsen]

Like òste e còc I was ...distracted...by Gail. I remarked to my wife that of course she would say that, it's clear she's used to her briskets being extra soft. KACHOW!

Great episode. I knew Michael had the quickfire the minute he served up the grapevine kabobs—talk about knowing your judge!

[paula]

Using an egg as a centerpiece for a vegetarian challenge seemed perfectly appropriate to me. All the vegetarians I know eat eggs--eggs are not meat, nothing is killed when you eat an egg, and they're a great, hearty source of protein. Not eating eggs is a vegan thing. This wasn't a vegan challenge. So...non-issue, right?

[Shelly]

There are 2 main different kinds of vegetarians. There are lacto-ovo vegetarians who eat eggs and milk products, then lacto vegetarians who omit eggs but eat milk products. Then the vegans of course omit both. Since the type wasn't specified, I think Mike was perfectly within his rights to choose either kind.

[TokenOmnivore]

meorav: In my neck of the woods, vegetarians that don't eat any animal products will explicitly call themselves vegans. The rest will call themselves vegetarians. The friends that move back and forth for health reasons let us know what's ok for them by saying if they're currently vegan or not. So if it was just a "vegetarian" meal, I would certainly be looking towards eggs and cheese for protein.

I was actually happy with Mike for including the eggs for protein. Especially after the earlier vegan challenge that brought up more side dishes than entrees. For me, a good vegetarian meal is one where I don't jones for a cheeseburger when it's over.

[Anne]

I love for the I've-been-chopped photo that while some put on sad poses or goofy poses, Jen's is, basically: I will cut you.

[Independent George]

My only regret is that Hector's beard is no longer around to duel with Kevin's beard.

Nice video on the awful Bravo site.

[Michael Morowitz]

If Kevin knew that his brisket was stringy and a bit tough, why not slice it against the grain? It seems like a good way to preserve the flavor of the beef in the dish without giving someone long, tough strings of meat floss.

Is there something I'm missing here? Unless it was edited out, I'm surprised that the judges didn't bring that option up.

[babyarm]

Glad I wasn't the only one upset about the QF prize vs. the EC prize. Seems horribly out of balance to have nothing for EC. When Blais got his car it was for EC win, right?

What is the cash and stuff prize count at this point?

Kevin has I think, 30k in cash, and kitchen set.
MikeV has some cash and a car
Bryan has a small amount of cash (like 2500)
Jen made it out with about $15k right? And a trip too?

I do think Mike was wrong for making the egg the centerpiece of the dish. Nobody else bent the challenge in that way. Whatever kind of vegeterian you want to call it at that point is pointless. The vegetable portion of the dish was seemingly as poorly executed as the egg portion. I'm curious to know what happens if you drop poach an egg in a circulator like that. The whole presentation seems strange to me.

It does seem like the editing vs. blogs are so far off that it didn't matter much. They were straining to provide some level of drama when there was little to be had.

There's also no indication that they will reincarnate the chefs of episodes past or master chefs to help out this next show. This seems odd both from a Bravo cross-promotional perspective for TC:M, and just from past history of how this is typically handled.

[Bart]

meorav: I have plenty of vegetarian friends who eat eggs, cheese, drink milk, eat fish. They just don't eat pork, meat or chicken.

Vegans abstain from eggs.

[Dave_P]

Fantastic episode. I hated seeing Jen go, but I would've hated seeing anyone go home at this point, and really, this makes for the most compelling final three. Tom's blog makes it very clear that Jen had the biggest flaw out of the four.

My biggest beef w/the ep was the Prius for the QF (very cool), and nothing for the EC (hella lame!). Seriously?

I thought Kevin would pull out the EC win w/the mad praise for every component of his dish except for the "toothsome" beef, but I guess if Tom doesn't like the main protein, you're sorta screwed. Nice in-your-face moment against Michael for Kevin's 2 (main) ingredient veg dish getting heaped with praises.

Next week's episode sets up to be like the greatest TC ever, but the trailers make it sound like at least one chef messes up badly. Hopefully, that's just more creative editing.

--
Dave

[babyarm]

Nah, they have helpers. If you watch the TV preview you can catch what looks like possibly Eli and probably Jen also in the kitchen but it's so hard to say for sure.

There's definitely a blonde woman in the kitchen with them, but hair color is lighter than Jen's. Hard to say. If it's not Jen then it might be Jamie. There's a third unidentified character with a military type haircut as well milling about in one frame.

Stay tuned for more riveting preview analysis.

[rab01]

"I knew Michael had the quickfire the minute he served up the grapevine kabobs—talk about knowing your judge!"

The editors of this show are damn good. They gave us a little clip of Mike saying that he watched Top Chef Masters. Then Mike features the grapevines and it then dawns that Chiarello featured burning grapevines in his Finale meal. Well played.

"If previously eliminated chefs do return as assistants for the finale, does that mean we'll be seeing Jen, Eli, and Robin (!)?"

I kind of doubt we'll see Jen cooking again. If it's 3 eliminated cast members, I guess it would be Eli, Robin and Mike I. In S3, the last time they brought back eliminated chefs for the Final Meal, Brian Malarkey joined the diners instead.

[Adam]

òste e còc = laugh out loud.

Dom often comments about how cool it would be to have raw footage of judges table, but this was the first time I really wished we had raw footage of the discussion between the four chefs that happened at the same time.

[paula]

Gail's blog says that Jen is without question the best female chef TC has ever had. I bet Stephanie will be thrilled to read that.

Anne: LOL. Jennifer Norris *will* cut a bitch.

[babyarm]

Upon further review I'm making my official guess to be:

Cindy Pawlcyn (70% certainty)
Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson 50% (haircut based mainly)

Then it's so hard to figure the last guy. He's super tall and bigger. Tossup between Graham Elliot Bowles and someone else.

I'm real torn on whether one of the guys is Eli or not, but the girl doesn't look like anyone that's ever been on the regular show. I mean if it's Eli then it would follow logically the other two are current contestants, obviously. It's one of the hardest things to pull out of the previews in some time.

And now in a strange twist Bravo pulled the video from the website. I wonder if they are editing it down or something to remove those people? Why?

[babyarm]

This "padma looks" thing is blowing up now. That's probably why they pulled the video. Talk about adding gasoline to the fire.

[Dawn]

Anne, so true. Thanks for making me laugh.

I'm too sad to comment further, I need some time to process this. :(

[timothy]

Put me in the camp that was pleased to see Mike V. make an egg the centerpiece of his vegetarian dish. Whether or not eggs "count" depends upon how much one hears the word "vegetable" in "vegetarian", I suppose, but I started thinking about that old trope about how if you want to see quickly whether or not someone can cook, give him or her an egg. I thought of the real-time egg cooking scene in the movie "Big Night" and I also remembered somewhat randomly that the very first challenge on the pre-TC cooking show on PBS with Ming Tsai and Todd English was a ten minute egg challenge. I love to cook, am occasionally decent at it, but I have trouble with eggs. So I was thrilled to see Mike feature an egg in a non-breakfast dish. I can't explain why, but it made me admire his sense of food. By the way, did anyone notice that when the party guest told Mike he was a genius, he didn't laugh it off at all? He seemed to say, "Thank you for noticing." It reminded me of the scene in Broadcast News when someone asks Holly Hunter's character what it is like to be smarter than everyone else in the world and she says, "it's hard."

[paula]

I love that scene! "It must be nice to be smarter than everyone else in the room." "No, it's AWFUL!"

But what makes that scene so great is that she's right--she is smarter than most everyone around her. Her "flaw" is that she knows it. Much like Mike, I guess.

[Naomi]

timothy, one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies :-)

"It must be nice to always believe you know better, to always think you're the smartest person in the room."

"No. It's awful."

[Naomi]

Interesting comments about the "Padma look". I can't remember which season it was but I recall knowing who would win Project Runway based on where Heidi was looking during the previews. I hate that.

Great episode last night. I always prefer when people do well. I liked what Kevin had to say early in the episode about them not wanting each other to do poorly but still wanting to win. And isn't that the way you'd want to win? I'd much rather win against people who did their absolute best than against someone who royally screwed up.

Going into last night's episode, like many others here, I knew I'd be happy with any of the 3 making it through but was still very sad when Jen was eliminated. (Watching her cry made me cry but then again, I'm only 13 days postpartum LOL)

Everything has already been said about the egg/vegetarian thing but I wanted to add that vegetarian friends of ours actually carry their own hard-boiled eggs with them when they eat at non-veggie friend's homes (like ours) to add protein to any vegetable dish.

[Megan H.]

Who would have guessed about the uproar for an egg in a vegetarian dish? Long time vegetarian, and *love* egg dishes - so satisfying! I agree that the term "vegetarian" in general usage includes the use of dairy and eggs (although not fish! >.<)

Rooting for Kevin all the way, with Bryan in a close second. Michael is getting the closest to the "villain" edit at this point....has a villain ever won?

[anon man]

@timothy,

Ok, you convinced me. The egg was a fine centerpiece for the dish and was not a failing in creativity. Previous comment retracted. (My comments about the disparity of prizes and the use of carrot tops remain, however.)

[rab01]

"has a villain ever won?"

In Bravo's eyes, yes -- Hung. In my eyes, yes -- Ilan.

Want to add just one other take on the great Brian/Mike juxtaposition where Brian says, in effect, "of course, I hope my brother makes it through and then I beat him" but Mike says something like "I'm hoping to win so I'm fine with Brian losing now." I think that Mike is actually paying Brian kind of a complement in that clip. He's saying that "I think that my brother is the best chef here so I'd prefer it if he lost now rather than having to compete head-to-head with him for a full meal."

[TxGriff]

I agree with rab01- Mike is inadvertently giving Bryan a compliment (in a prickly, brotherly rivalry sort of way) when he says he would be fine with him going home. He sees Bryan as his strongest competition, so the sooner he goes home, the better. I guess he doesn't see Kevin as strong competition because he can make Kevin's food on his day off, ya know ;-)

[Karen]

I really loved last night's episode. Favorite parts: Chiarello telling Jen he wanted to steal her dish from the QF, and Mike winning the QF. He just perfectly interpreted what was wanted in that challenge and nailed it. And although I will get booed out of here, I was rather pleased that Kevin didn't win anything last night. I still think he will take the title, but I was pleased that Mike and Brian got their wins in as well. And since no one else has mentioned it. Mike smiles! Mike jokes around! Mike laughs!

[mncharm]

I doubt it was the only consideration, but I wonder if Kevin denying at JT that he wouldn't have necessarily changed anything with the brisket dish if he had 24 hours to cook it hurt him. That was just silly of him to say, I think he knew it, and Tom called him on it.

All in all, another killer episode. Best catering challenge, in terms of the dishes produced?

[Karen]

mncharm: Especially since we saw him say in the kitchen that whether it was tender or not, he was sending it out!

[timothy]

Paula and Naomi, thanks for providing the exact quote from Broadcast News. I was writing it as I remember, and I haven't seen the movie in awhile. I agree that Holly Hunter's character was somewhat entitled to say it, and I think Mike is entitled to think of himself as a genius. I am not sure I think of him that way...I don't have access to enough information...but I kind of think it's okay that he sees himself as a food savant. It is really hard for me to dislike him. He is cocky, brash, sometimes mean, and full of himself. But he makes food I want to eat, and he is obviously creative. I wouldn't be upset at all if he wins. I think that's what I like most about this season: I will not be upset at all no matter which of the three win.

[Lon]

I hate to say this because I've been a Kevin supporter from the first, but it seems to be that he cooks to his own standards, but not always what the judges want. That might prove his undoing in the finale.

Based on this week's episode, I might swap Kevin and Bryan in the rankings because Bryan has a stronger incentive to win at this point. As one person said, Kevin has already won.

I want to laud Padma's performance this show as one of her better shows. Sometimes I think her multi-language talents cause her to be "tone-deaf" in English in that she uses the wrong inflection and/or emphasis on some words. Dom or someone else who "talks" professionally may want to respond to my statement.

I also want to say that anytime Gail Simmons is one of the judges I enjoy the night much more. Her ability to command language and thought improves the overall experience. Sometimes she's not as knowledgable as some of the chefs, but then I wouldn't expect her to be. She zeroes in to salient points and uses expressive language. I always gain much from her comments during the show and the followup blogs. Far, far better than Toby.

I'm going to be really curious who Top Chef finds to replace Padma as host. It almost certainly will be a woman. I know some people have been critical of Padma as a judge, but it must be hard to find a woman who knows about food, is TV ready and who already doesn't have some kind of show.

And my final comment relates to judges this year. Is it my imagination or did we see a lot of Food Network personalities this season?

[Dan]

I'm interested in everyone's thoughts on Colicchio's blog comments on salt. All these chefs seem way too detail oriented and competent to not have tasted their food many times as they were going along. So what does one make of his comments that Jennifer's dishes were way too salty?

I've also gotten the general impression over the years that Colicchio likes his food on the salty side, so maybe she was trying to overcompensate?

[JJ]

Duffy: sorry, no. The show is called Top Chef, not Top Sous Chef. I find it thrilling that the four top contestants each rocked their final challenge and that the judges had to really scrutinize the finished product to decide who to send home. There are a lot of shows that emphasize middling talent and food catastrophes (Hell's Kitchen, for one, Chopped, for another). Why would one want more of the same from Top Chef?

[Naomi]

Chiarello seemed to make some kind of distinction between her table salt as opposed to a different salt and that it takes longer to melt and is therefore easier to oversalt because if you taste it right after you add the salt, you might be inclined to add more. Am I getting that even remotely right?

And in her extended exit interview she said something like "maybe if I'd used Kosher salt..." which causes me to think I'm on the right track. Perhaps the Kosher salt would have been detectable right away and therefore she wouldn't have been inclined to add more after tasting?

[Naomi]

Edit: Chiarello seemed to make some kind of distinction between her using table salt

[Polybus]

I agree with the comment stating that Hung won with a "villain" edit, but I still think his win was probably the right call. I was much more disappointed in Ilan's win, even though Marcel had the "villain" edit for that season. Just my opinion.

My personal favorite edit was in S4, where Lisa says in an interview that she is "all smiles" followed by a cut where you can tell that she is trying to smile, but it comes across as a gigantic frown. (Her eyes are smiling, but she just can't get her mouth to turn up at the corners.)

One more note. If Bravo doesn't get tee shirts printed up with Kevin's quote "I didn't get fat by accident" then I will. I love that line!

[Danny]

Polybus, I remember that moment well too. It reminds me of an episode of The Big Bang Theory where Jim Parson's Sheldon attempts to smile and the resulting smile terrified everyone.

I had mixed feelings about Mike V's dish being so much about the egg. I was a vegetarian for three years and ate eggs and dairy so I had no problems with the ingredient. Still, I think that Mike V was hurt with the judges by not featuring vegetables more prominently.

Everyone has talked about the food on this episode very eloquently so I do want to make a non-food related comment. Padma's hair. Yikes. Bravo has just ordered another season of Shear Genius so it seems fair to bring up .

[Naomi]

I'm with Danny. Hated the bangs. Especially hated them with the dominatrix look she was sporting at JT.

[minettegirl]

Naomi: Chef Chiarello was talking about a "finishing salt", versus table salt, which, as he said, takes a few minutes to melt onto the finished dish. Finishing salt is added at the end, and can be grey salt, pink salt, or any other number of salts from a variety of regions.

[jonathan]

@Lon

Replacement for Padma? Easy, Gail. Nicer and more intelligent about food. And then I'd love to see them bring the rest of the contestant chefs closer to the level of the better chefs this season, maybe around the level of Eli, Ashley, even Hector (who really just made a poor poor mistake), and fill the third rotating judge slot with one of the judges from the Masters edition. Done and done.

[Naomi]

minettegirl: Thanks!!!

[Independent George]

I still think Richard Blais is the natural choice for the 4th judge. He's got the credentials both as a chef and a former contestant, he's intelligent, articulate, and poised on camera.

[babyarm]

Plus Blais has a sense of humor. "Captain Crunch: because well, it's seasonal..." bests any line this season so far.

I guess Toby didn't make the trip for the final episodes. If only Tim Allen could be the MC for a season. He does a decent enough job on Chopped.

They are going to start shooting the next season fairly soon so I'd expect some sort of announcement at the reunion show maybe?

I will not be disappointed in any winner (Although I'm afraid that winner is out in the open at this point). I have to think Kevin might struggle in putting a whole meal together. I don't seem to recall a pastry coming from him all season, and his what I would call "brute force" methods might not hold up over several courses. Now Hosea won with that strategy (no pastry), but I wouldn't be shocked to see that approach banned this time around.

[Skillet Doux]

Babyarm...

While the prospect of a Binford power tool challenge is, indeed, compelling, I'm pretty sure Ted Allen would be a more appropriate host :-)

(sorry)

[TxGriff]

I'm not too worried about Kevin making dessert. Lets not forget he just made one this episode and it received fairly high praise, the only criticism being that it wasn't "grapey" enough. I think all of the final 3 are well-rounded and strong chefs, I'm sure they all know how to make a decent dessert.

Plus, after 6 seasons of the show, you would think that the contestants would know to come into the comptetion with at least 2-3 dessert recipes memorized. Especially if they made it to the finale.

[anon man]

About desserts: Bryan's black and white chocolate thing (which he tried to kind of do on the show and got crushed bottomed for it), was voted one of the top 10 desserts in DC area by the WaPo, so look out for him.

@babyarm,

Technically the seasonal cap't crunch comment wasn't in a season, but the reunion special. Still a good line though. In terms of memorable lines from seasons, "I'm not your bitch, bitch", is still numero uno.

[jh]

I remember that there was some apprehension speculating Kevin's downfall the Portman vegetarian challenge, but then we find out he forgoes meat during Lent. For all we know, Kevin moonlights as a pastry chef.

[jh]

While "I'm not your bitch, bitch" is the gem of season one, the best line of season 4 has to be "You won the fucking bronze medal. Congratulations."

[Anne]

Ash's "Oh, I forgot to add FLAVOR!" is pretty up there.

[paula]

Six words: Monkey ass in an empty clamshell.

[hayamyma]

Gail's blog suggests she too was a member of the Jennifer Norris team: "Had this been any other season, I am sure she would have smoked them all (then sliced and served them to us in the most elegant fashion)." To rephrase: What does Jennifer Norris do after she smokes the competition? She slices and serves it. While I cannot complain about the final three (go Kevin!), I will really miss Jen. Tom and Gail paid her well-deserved compliments, and I'm glad performing on Top Chef has inspired her to continue learning and growing as a chef.

[Pants McCracky]

One completely unserious question: could anyone who considers eggs "vegetarian" tell me exactly what type of plant eggs grow on? ;)

[SorchaRei]

You know, I find it curious that people are smacking on Mike for the egg in his vegetarian dish when no one seems to care that both Bryan and Jen used goat cheese. Since all three dishes were accepted by the judges, I think we can assume that the rules were that "vegetarian" was short for "ovo-lacto vegetarian".

[Anne]

Hostess cupcakes don't grow on plants, doesn't stop me from eating them!

[paula]

I'm pretty sure only one person was smacking on Mike for the egg. Everyone else agrees it was legitimate for the challenge.

[rab01]

I also think it highly unlikely that Brian's pasta dough did not include eggs.

[Pants McCracky]

The answer I was looking for was "eggplant," but oh well!

OK seriously...I was annoyed by the so-called "vegetarian" dishes that included eggs and dairy, purely for anal, hair-splitting reasons. But I dismissed that annoyance in this context because (a) as ridiculously wrong as it is, the fact is that "vegetarian" is commonly used as a catch-all term for "non-actual-land-animal-muscle-tissue"; and (b) I assumed lacto-ovo was at some point stated as OK for this challenge. Plus, Tom said nothing about it when the subject of eggs came up. So I think it was fine, especially considering that the show is about as far from vegetarian-oriented as a food show can get!

I just think it's funny how broadly people apply the term "vegetarian." I mean, seriously, folks. The word is VEGEtarian, not vegeggmilktarian. Do people really tuck into a plate of scrambled eggs with melted cheese and say, "those were some damn good vegetables!" I've seen many people call themselves vegetarians and in the same breath mention eating FISH. Fish. Is. Not. A. Vegetable.

Of course, these definitions (pescatarian, lacto-ovo, etc.) aren't hard and fast. Vegans argue constantly over what true veganism is. So it is what it is. But I find the common use of these terms amusing.

[Independent George]

This whole vegetarian debate is way above my head. All I know is that, like Kevin, I'm awesome.

[seanchai]

Did anybody else think Chiarello was going out of his way to be the nice-guy, classy judge after his less than flattering edit in Top Chef Masters?

[Danny]

Pants, these are all legitimate questions. One of the things that I noticed the three years I was a vegetarian is that some of the most unhealthy people I knew were my vegetarian friends. For them, being a vegetarian meant eating mounds of pasta, rice and cheese. On the other end were my friends who were vegetarians and looked like stick figures and they subsisted on tofu and poorly cooked mung beans. What most people don't get is that being a healthy vegetarian takes some work (also true for non-vegetarians). You can be a vegetarian and only eat Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (two boxes - throw away the second box's macaroni) or you can be serious about it and balance protein with carbs and other stuff. Vegetarians can be as careless or as serious about food quality and health issues as meat eaters can be.

[SorchaRei]

Did anybody else think Chiarello was going out of his way to be the nice-guy, classy judge after his less than flattering edit in Top Chef Masters?

I didn't think it was in response to the edit so much as an expression of his now knowing just what it feels like to stand on the other side of the Judge's (or Critic's) Table.

[Angie]

Chiarello did come across as exceptionally nice in this episode. Perhaps it was the editing, pehaps secondary to his "Masters" experience.

Speaking of "Masters", why not consider Kelly Choi as a Padma replacement? She knows the shows format, presumably is under contract, and (if you follow her on Twitter) seems to be into increasing her knowledge of cuisines .

[Natalie]

mncharm, I actually disagree about Kevin being silly by brazening out his "toothsome" brisket. It's one of those Judges Table double-binds. If he had said yes, they probably would have nailed him with a "why did you do it this way, then?" They might all be 99% sure that he's bullshitting, but if he never breaks, some doubt remains.

[Cheryl]

separate but related topic...Blais' other blog..not top chef related but cute..especially for anyone with kids
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/baby_steps/Content?oid=1188316

[Jon Olsen]

Hey I'm pro choice, so I would consider eating eggs to be a non issue for vegetarians.

[mncharm]

I hear that, Natalie. No dbout one one of the trickiest parts of JT is balancing "defending your dish" with honesty about where it may have failed or where there was room for improvement.

My theory is that the judges know Kevin well enough to know that he knew that brisket was a bit tough (that was a well-constructed sentence, I know). I think an acknowledgment of the obvous -- "of course, if I had 24 hours to do it, I would have used 23 to slow-cook this bad boy" -- may have been beneficial.

[gilmore]

mncharm - more of the knot the judges tie - If Kevin had said "of course, if I had 24 hours to do it, I would have used 23 to slow-cook this bad boy" they would have asked him why did he select that cut of meat when he knew of the five hour time delay,

Kevin pulled off a win in the air force base challenge by quick cooking a traditionally slow cooking meat in the pork. I guess the brisket did not do the same for him.

Is what Kevin served like the latin ropa vieja? The two times I had it, it was never as tender as a sliced brisket. Is it how it is cut? Would Kevin been better off describing it as ropa vieja?

[Will Allen]

I was just so surprised that Kevin, especially given his family's background in barbeque competition, would choose to brisket in five hours, that I actually ended up thinking his explanation was sincere. I mean, there is absolutely no way that he could have not expected a "toothsome" (grass-fed, at that!) brisket, given the time to cook it. I'd have loved to try it, to judge the results for myself.

[kit]

Lee Anne is back!

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/lee-anne-wong/the-pinnacle

LOTS of interesting tidbits in there, and for the small discussion above about how to replace Padma (didn't know she was leaving!), I am much more worried about what the show will be like without Lee Anne. Especially when she says: "The debate I think [Tom] and I battle with the production sometimes is whether it's a cooking show or a reality show first. There was almost always debate about this during casting." Can you imagine if Tom were also leaving? *shudder* I wonder if they'll be able to ever top this season...

[kit]

Lee Anne is back!

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/lee-anne-wong/the-pinnacle

LOTS of interesting tidbits in there, and for the small discussion above about how to replace Padma (didn't know she was leaving!), I am much more worried about what the show will be like without Lee Anne. Especially when she says: "The debate I think [Tom] and I battle with the production sometimes is whether it's a cooking show or a reality show first. There was almost always debate about this during casting." Can you imagine if Tom were also leaving? *shudder* I wonder if they'll be able to ever top this season...

[dc]

Very happy with top 3.

The JT editing made the elimination seem much closer than the judges blogs tell it. But even then I was satisfied with Jen being least of the best -- whether tiebreak because of past performance or because she really isn't as creative, though she is as technically masterful as the other 3.

Kevin I get a warm fuzzy feeling, but I give no love, partially personal reaction against the overflow gush of love he gets from judges and posters. He's pleasant, familiar, sellable, easy to understand and enjoy, like a Thomas Kincaid painting. I was impressed he does successfully incorporate innovative twists -- pumpkin pollenta, carrot stalk puree... nice.

I really dig Michael artistry for his broad skillset and mastery of multiple ethnic style, as well as a brazen innovator. He is the 'artiste' that wildly push beyond all convention. Like, WTH was that soup that he made? Unlike everyone else's creations, I can't even fathom how it tasted, having no frame of reference to even start ... But it certainly was successful. He is like Dr. Frankenstein of chefs, bringing to life what townsfolks feel should not be.

Bryan is actually pretty similar to Kevin in food philosophy. The are both big local food source practitioners. They differ in that Kevin is more southern regional, Bryan is mainstream urban American, but both are technically excellent, and put "safe" innovations and twists to their food; "safe" when compared to Michael.

When Michael calls out competitors as "safe", the way he creates paradigm breaking fusion combos he can call out pretty much every chef in the world out as playing it safe compared to himself.

[Will Allen]

Sheesh, easy to enjoy, like a Thomas Kincaid painting?! That's almost like saying a dish was warm and fragrant, like a fresh pile of dung! There's damning with faint praise, and then there is flinging to the lowest depths of Satan's chambers, with metaphorical weapons of mass destruction!

[paula]

Will, you just posted my exact sentiment. Good lord, no.

[Shelly]

LeeAnn's blog was pretty interesting, especially the bits about Mike and Eli during the Bocuse d'Or competition. I had no idea Mike was that sick, and it's to his credit. You can't help but wonder though what he would have done had he been at his best.

What she said about Eli serving though - he probably lost it right there.

[mncharm]

gilmore, again, point taken -- but I point to this in Gail's blog as to why Kevin should have just bit the bullet this time:

"But the brisket was clearly undercooked and tougher than even he could argue it should be. That’s the thing about Kevin: He is so articulate and passionate about his food that he could make any flaw sound intentional. His knowledge, cooking methods and explanations are so interesting that it is easy to be swayed by them. In this case, however, we were not convinced."

[mncharm]

dc -- love the artist comparisons, nearly as good as sports comparisons. So far, we have:

Kevin = Thomas Kincaid (ha!)
Michael V. = Picasso

[jse91]

Has it been announced that Padma is leaving? I just heard she was pregnant.

[Will Allen]

I really have come to the conclusion that Michael is my culinary competition equivalent to Jerry Jones; whichever outcome torments Michael the most is the outcome I desire the most. A Bryan victory may be just the thing!

[gilmore]

Good analogy Will. Jerry Jones' face would melt into the saute pan if he was ever cooking.

Good question - which is worse - losing to your brother or losing to the guy who cooks what you cook on your day off?

[Will Allen]

I suspect Michael has enough crazy stuff going on in his head to make the former much worse for him.

[Lon]

Padma leaving as host was announced early in the season, even before it became apparent she was pregnant. Maybe that status will change. One never knows.

Yes, I think LeeAnn's presence will be missed more than Padma's as the growth in quality of the challenges, etc. was probably a direct result of her influence. In her blog this week she talks about how the show has improved over the years, gaining stature in the food community. Always a good read because there's so much we don't see in the final video.

Season 7 with so many changes ahead will show whether Top Chef can continue the high quality reached this season. Here is wishing them well.

[Karen]

Mike is like an extreme sports athlete. Yeah, he could do it the regular way, but where's the fun, excitement and challenge in that? Sounds to me that's the way he feels about cooking. When he's at home, he cooks like Kevin, but when he is being his creative best, he wants to push the envelope. That's what does it for him. And really, if he cooks like Kevin does on his day off, then kudos to him for not changing his cooking style on the show.

[kit]

I did some minor googling to figure out this Padma leaving thing, and found this from the summer, which says despite the rumors (in relation to her possible sitcom) she won't be leaving:

http://www.bravofan.com/padma-lakshmi-will-not-be-leaving-top-chef/

Anyone see anything more recent or definitive? And anyone know what Lee Anne plans to do next with her career? (Maybe pull a Ted Allen and start her own show! Ok just pure conjecture, or really wishful thinking ;) )

[babyarm]

There's a big difference in "not leaving" and "only have a supporting role". I believe when she first announced departure it was to be only for one season. I mean they shoot this thing in 3 weeks and based on the timeframe they look to be running they might start shooting S7 right after TCM2 which I think is starting right away.

There's no news on the baby, or due date, but a ?Feb? shooting for S7 might have her in a tight spot for the full time MC role. If she's only to have a supporting role I'd assume that would mean pop in for a show or two. The shooting schedule for her has to be GRUELING and even worse than the contestants. I'd bet she's popping off 18 hour days like candy during the run.

[babyarm]

Yeah, looks like the contestants gather the week after new years according to some early info out there for S7E1. I would be beyond unrealistic for Padma to participate in that in any meaningful way.

[Skillet Doux]

"The shooting schedule for her has to be GRUELING and even worse than the contestants."

Not to suggest that a shooting schedule like hers wouldn't be hard on a pregnant woman (heck, just about everything is hard when you're pregnant... not that I speak from personal experience), but how do you figure her schedule is more grueling than the contestants? Take a typical quickfire/elimination cycle. Padma and the chefs are both on their feet for the intro and judging, but while they're running around the kitchen and standing over the stove, she's relaxing in the trailer. Then she heads back to wherever she spends her evenings (I've no doubt it's far swankier than the chef dorm), while they often go out shopping, then back to the house to obsess over what they'll be cooking the next day. While Padma, I've no doubt, sleeps in a nice hotel room, the contestants are sharing bedrooms and bathrooms in a place that -- while fairly nice the past few seasons -- is essentially a glorified dormitory. The next day, Padma's often nowhere to be seen until dinner, or perhaps she shoots a short intro before going off to relax somewhere while they spend multiple hours cooking. While they're finishing their dishes and serving, she's (usually) seated and eating dinner. Padma sits in a chair while grilling chefs who are still on their feet, then while she sits with the other judges and discusses the day's dishes (for what is, admittedly, often a long time), the chefs are in the stew room, on folding chairs or a concrete floor, wondering if they're the next to go.

Acknowledging that shooting something like this is hard on everybody, with the exception of Tom (because he's not around for the quickfires), the part-time judges and some of the earlier contestants to get booted, it seems to me that Padma should have one of the easier schedules -- behind most of the contestants and, as is always the case in production, all of the crew. And far easier than a lot of women who work full days on their feet right up until they pop (including my wife, though her ten hour days on her feet were interspersed with some desk days... and she had it easier than many).

There's much speculation here, but I'm sure you take my point.

[Duffy]

Anybody know or seen anything on who is going to replace Le Ann Wong? Brian Malarky has been doing those clips on cooking modified versions of the winner's recipes -- does this mean anything?

[Polybus]

Karen says, "And really, if he [Michael V.] cooks like Kevin does on his day off, then kudos to him for not changing his cooking style on the show."

I don't think that Mike was saying that he cooks incredibly complex home-style flavors on his day off. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think he equates Kevin's cooking to boiling a hot dog (okay, that was over-the-top, but I was trying to make a point). I do not think that he understands Kevin's cooking and I think that he disrespects Kevin as a chef.

Also, I thought he was truly arrogant, if not outright disrespectful of Gavin Kaysen, when he said that he could make a better ballotine in 24 hours than Kaysen's Bocuse D'or dish, which took months to perfect.

I think Michael V. is a really creative chef - I'd love to taste his food - but I sure wouldn't want to be his brother.

[SorchaRei]

I do not think that he understands Kevin's cooking and I think that he disrespects Kevin as a chef.

I agree with this. As was made clear in the discussion between Kevin and Bryan in the stew room the time Mike V. was on the bottom, they don't taste one another's food. I think Mike V. looks at what Kevin does, sees how simple it is on the face of it, and can't understand that there is carrot and beet salad and then there is carrot and beet salad that causes the judges to use words like "sublime".

Kevin has demonstrated over and over again that it's not thoughtless simplicity he's producing. I think that the quintessential Kevin moment for me this season was when he put hazelnuts in his pate for the Pigs and Pinot challenge, because he'd been to that vineyard and knows that they have hazelnut trees in with the grapes. Well that, and that the bacon jam with the 42 steps to create a condiment in a Quickfire. It's not "simple cooking" in the way that phrase is normally understood.

Mike's ego won't let him see that, but in fairness, if he hasn't eaten these simple-looking dishes, how could he know? Until this week, wasn't "salad is always a mistake" a known truth about this show? And then Kevin produced something sublime, and that's all forgotten. So you add lack of data to his enormous arrogance, and it would surprise me if he weren't dissing Kevin's food.

Still, it's the main reason I won't be happy with a Mike V. win: it would confirm his prejudices and slam the brakes on what looks like the beginning of a new cooking awareness (see: his comments about local seasonal ingredients). I think it will be much better for him and his own growth in the long run if he is beaten by Kevin (or even by Bryan). It's for similar reasons that I think the best thing that could have happened to Tiffani in S1 was to lose to Harold.

In fact, despite his incredible creativity and mastery of difficult techniques, I see something immature in Mike V's cooking, largely related to how he relates to the ingredients. He's showing signs of moving away from a place of dazzling technical expertise and towards a more nuanced understanding of ingredients where he uses his techniques in the service of his food. There are two quite mature chefs in the game at this point, and I want one of them to win.

Which is not to say I will begrudge the win to Mike if he cooks the best meal in the next episode. I just think it would be better for him to lose and grow from that than to have his own opinion of himself confirmed by the outcome of this contest.

[babyarm]

"but how do you figure her schedule is more grueling than the contestants?"

Easy. She's probably in show meetings in the downtime, not putting up her high heels. She's got makeup and wardrobe to do before each QF, each EC, and each JT. She probably runs down the reads, the schedule and her shots for the day frequently. These all take tons of time in TV land if they don't want to have to do a zillion takes on a tight schedule. Especially when her talent is at least somewhat (if not entirely) image focused.

It may not be as stressful as the contestants, but it certainly consumes as much, if not more time in the day. This to me would be insane to do less than a month postpartum which is what we are up to with the schedule they are on at the moment.

[natmicstef]

There is an addendum to Tom's blog on Bravo where he states that Michael asked the producers for permission to use eggs in his vegetarian dish.

And not talking about food; did not like Padma's bangs and was Gail wearing false eye-lashes?

[Danny]

Babyarm, I have performed some on TV and have performed in literally thousands of shows and people have no idea how much work is involved. What Padma does is very difficult and time-consuming. And I truly respect the integrity of the judges. They could easily take 20 minutes to make their rulings if they didn't care. But we know that they typically take 6 hours+ and that's because they very much care.

Sorcha, I completely agree with you. I get the point of MG and I get that it involves lots of technique. But doesn't non-MG cooking involve just as much technique in order to create something fabulous? It's easy to say, hey look at my liquid nitrogen tank and xanthanam gum - wow what technique I have. It thinks it a lot harder to take four or five natural ingredients and making something extraordinary.

One other thing about Michael V. He says that he doesn't care what I as a diner want to eat. I should be there to eat what he wants to make. Spoken like a true employee. As an owner, you can bet that Kevin thinks long and hard about what his customers what to eat.

[Will Allen]

Yep, you nailed it, Danny. One has to have the arrogance that comes when one has no skin in the game to discount the customer's desires. Nothing like a monthly lease or mortgage payment, along with some vendors' bills, not to mention making payroll for people who in turn need to keep a roof over their families' heads, to put one on to The Path of Enlightenment.

Maybe Mikey someday will have to make frantic phone calls some Thursday afternoon, to every last friend or acquaintance with two nickels, in order to stave off looking a waitstaff in the eye, and explaining why their checks bounced. Then he will be a Michael.

[Bart]

Re: Michael's arrogance and not catering to his customers - it's stuff that's been pointed out all season long. I remember saying that Michael is le artiste - he puts the food on the plate and you need to be grateful for it. Kevin is a chef, he understands that the customer's enjoyment is key here.

In China, martial arts experts tend to be showy and flashy, showing off all their moves and acrobatics. But martial arts masters are very quiet, and very reserved. They don't need to show off their skills. Michael's got talents and isn't afraid to show you. Kevin doesn't need to be flashy - he lets his skill speak for itself.

[TxGriff]

I have to agree with Danny, Bart and several others. When Mike says he makes Kevin's food on his day off, he is seriously undermining what Kevin is actually accomplishing. Jen had some interesting thoughts about Kevin's cooking in a recent interview (she actually said she considered him to be her strongest competition, including Michael and Bryan):

"Kevin’s food has soul to it. It has passion to it. When you taste it, or when you look at it on the plate, it may look [as if] there’s only one or two elements there but he has so much going into it. There are so many more complex flavors [that] you don’t really know until he comes and explains everything to you — and then you realize there was so much work put into his dish."

http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/12/03/top-chefs-jen-one-grain-of-salt-sent-me-home/

Of course, I think Michael's comment was taken out of context and in the midst of a competition where he is fatigued and frustrated to be losing despite his best efforts. All three of our finalists are amazingly talented, lets not diminish the talents of one to celebrate the accomplishments of another.

[timothy]

I want to stick ip for Mike V. just a bit. I agree with the general idea that he is arrogant and that he misunderstands Kevin's food. But I think it is overly simplistic to say he is all MG flash and no soul. There were two comments of his that really struck me the last episode. At one point they were all talking about the judges' lack of consensus and he said something along the lines of "that's food. It's interpretation." At another point he said this round was the first that was hard to judge because previous to now "there was shite on the table." Taken together those comments show me that he knows there is a difference between good and bad work, but that once you get to the highest level of performance, good and bad disappears; there is just interpretation of various types of good. That to me is really how artists think. There is bad poetry, for example, and good poetry, but when you start comparing three successful but wildly different poets, you are not talking about good versus bad as much as you are talking about different visions. I think Mike really is an artist and I think he recognizes that the other finalists are also. Like many artists he is somewhat insufferable. But he is also good. I think I am actually pulling for him to win.

[timothy]

Oops. Of course I want to stick up for him, not stick ip for him.

[Will Allen]

Well, Michael is a lot of things, but dumb ain't one of them, and you'd have to be exceedingly thick to spend as much time cooking at close quarters with the likes of Kevin, then spend several weeks reflecting on the experience, and still be dismissive of Kevin's work. I do sense that Michael has grown somewhat, and that is an attractive quality in a person, sometimes very much so. Eli comes to mind.

[kit]

Was googling around, and came across this review of the Schwan's frozen dinners:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1940692,00.html

Lee Anne has a quote in there that I'm sure sums up alot of people's sentiments. The article also mentions that there's Top Chef branded wine (by the Terlato Group, shocker). I'm not really sure why they're called "Quickfire Wines." The only aspect of this I'm really surprised about is I somehow watched that entire episode without realizing this product existed, which is so not-Top-Cheffy.

http://quickfirewines.com/index.php

[Chris W]

In re: people criticizing Mike V it sure seems like people are confusing what they wish a person would be like with what a person SHOULD be like...especially when we're talking about an industry wherein image, arrogance, and pretension is very closely linked with success.

[Independent George]

In re: people criticizing Mike V it sure seems like people are confusing what they wish a person would be like with what a person SHOULD be like...especially when we're talking about an industry wherein image, arrogance, and pretension is very closely linked with success.

A fair point... except TC (and TCM) is rife with examples of successful chefs decidedly not linked with arrogance and pretension. In fact, that's exactly what so many of us here loved so much about TCM.

[jh]

I agree with Chris W. The situations between TC and TCM are totally different with the format and behind the scenes. The TCM are already well established, and they went on the show for charity (and maybe some self promotion) with a less hectic schedule, while TC contestants are trying to establish themselves and put in a pressure cooker. I think most of the TCM are also better at handling their public image since they've had to deal with it longer and have more life experience, and I would not be surprised if many of them were described as arrogant in the past. Look at the difference between Chiarello's persona between TCM and TC? Is it the edit or did he take a look at how he was presented during TCM? It's also been previously mentioned that "any good chef will be considered an asshole by at least someone they've worked with." I think that the "ideal classy" chef is more the exception than the norm. Don't forget how Blais, a much beloved chef, and often praised on this blog for his wonderful behavior, was also chastised here when people thought he acted like a jerk on TCM.

[SorchaRei]

In re: people criticizing Mike V it sure seems like people are confusing what they wish a person would be like with what a person SHOULD be like...especially when we're talking about an industry wherein image, arrogance, and pretension is very closely linked with success.

I don't spend any time with Mike V. I don't care if he's a nice guy. But I believe he'd be a better chef if he dialed down the blind arrogance a couple notches. His comments in this episode that he hadn't ever really cared about the local or seasonal character of ingredients as important in the same way, but he had learned something, are a good example. That remark showed him looking beyond his current skill set to think about how he could get better. Dismissing food you haven't tasted based on your own prejudices, on the other hand, leaves your mind closed and you cannot grow in a profession that involves so much thought if your mind is closed to other ways of doing things than the ones you already know.

[Chris W]

I'm mostly talking about his "I don't cater to the customer's whims" comment.

[Chris W]

@Independent George: I wouldn't dispute that there are plenty of chefs out there who AREN'T arrogant or pretentious. Just disputing the presumption that lack of arrogance or pretension is somehow superior to its opposite.

[Will Allen]

Exactly. Arrogance is not a concern because it is distasteful, but because it too often is an impediment to learning, and there are damned few people, if any, in any art, craft, or endeavor, who wouldn't be served well by learning something new.

[mill]

With the skill set Michael Voltaggio possesses I doubt he has any problems learning new things. I would say his skill set is broader than Kevin's. Kevin on the other hand might not know a lot of things Michael do, but his are more refined in what he does know.

In the TV dinner QF Kevin won and his Sopranos dish was going to be a Schwan frozen dinner. In the same episode (Natalie's dinner), which I just rewatched, I don't see how they could complain about the size of Jennifer's portions. I mean only Kevin's seemed to be of any sizeable difference.

Well I am rooting for Michael V.

[Naomi]

Is it Wednesday yet?

[Steve]

As much as I want Michael to win, because Bryan and Kevin have their own restaurants already, I think the competition is now between the other two. It is clear that Michael's technique is not yet fine tuned enough to avoid major mistakes. He is the most ambitious and, without a restaurant of his own, I was rooting for him.

[Steve]

Perhaps I should have said Michael is the most adventurous.

In the contest between Kevin and Bryan, I would say it is a tie right now. Kevin's incredible flavors versus Bryan's great flavors and creativity.

[Jon Olsen]

Oh man you stepped in it now. It's one thing to "react to the gushing." It's quite another to bring Thomas Kincaid into this. Come on, dc, that's low.

I am also skeptical that Michael is Picasso. I think there's maybe one culinary Picasso out there and it's another Spaniard in Ferrán Adria.

For now, let's say these men are artists, but I'm not ready to pin a definitive genre or metaphorical label on them.

[Anne]

Whoever does the menu for Noodles and Company. That's Thomas Kincaid.

[Steve]

Response to SPOILER ALERT:

Padma is essentially sitting right across from Kevin in the video clip where we can tell who is sitting and standing in which position.

Yes, she is looking ahead when she tells the winner he is Top Chef...but you don't know whether anyone changed positions from the time of describing their dishes and answering questions to when the announcement is made, and when each of those shots were taken prior to Padma's announcement.

[timothy]

I was looking back over some of the previous comments (perhaps I have too much free time on my hands?) and I saw the one comparing Mike V to Jerry Jones. I don't buy that at all. Jerry can't play; Mike can. If I had to compare him to someone affiliated with the Dallas Cowboys, I would compare Michael Voltaggio to Michael Irvin. Each is extremely skilled. Each is arrogant to a fault. Each is pretty good looking. And each could easily be pictured getting busted in a motel room with cocaine and hookers. The comparison holds up pretty well.

[twelden]

Long time lurker, first time contributor. Let me start by saying thanks to Dom for all of his hard work in maintaining this blog, as well as to all of the regulars who make it so that I enjoy my regular visits here almost as much as watching Top Chef itself.

I wanted to chime in on the whole Kevin/Mike V. debate. Count me in the camp of people who have found Mike V’s dismissive attitude towards Kevin’s food this season annoying and off-putting. Which isn’t to say I don’t want to try Mike V’s food or don’t respect him as a chef – I do in both cases. But, the underlying conceit of Mike V’s attitude – that “complex” is always better than “simple” – rings hollow for me. If Mike V. and Kevin were writers, Mike V might be Fitzgerald to Kevin’s Hemingway, or Thomas Pynchon to Raymond Carver. (I’m not actually saying that Mike V. or Kevin are the Fitzgerald or Hemingway of the chef world – its just an analogy). Fitzgerald and Pynchon are know for dense, complex language and breathtaking rhetorical and intellectual flourishes. Hemingway and Carver are known for simple language and sentence structure, rendered with economy and precision. While individual readers may have their style preference, it is difficult to argue that one style of writing is inherently superior to, or more difficult than, the other. Nor is it necessarily true that beautifully rendered “complex” language is always better than beautifully rendered “simple” language. Each carries its own emotional resonance, and the skill inherent in writing a minimalist short story is equally as admirable as the skill necessary to write a paragraph-long sentence. The same seems true of food – the skill inherent in making a “simple” carrot and beet salad that makes the judges gush seems equally as admirable as the skill inherent in making a "complex" or "novel" turnip soup with foie gras terrine. Its been frustrating that, as talented as he is and as much as he seems to appreciate food, Mike V seems to so easily dismiss skill sets different than his own. (An aside: on an imaginary literary reality show, would Fitzgerald have said of Hemingway: “He writes sentences that I write on my day off!”?)

That said, there were a couple of moments from this episode that seemed to show a more humble Mike V. First, at Judge’s Table, when being grilled by Gail about the lingering bitterness of the turnip soup once the foie gras terrine was finished, Mike acknowledged that he ended up with extra terrine because he had been so worried about running out of food. Obviously, even the “arrogant” Mike V is plagued with enough doubt that he can make miscalculations, to his detriment. Second, in the stew room, I thought Mike V’s laughter at Kevin’s explanation of the meaning of “toothsome” showed another side of Mike, and perhaps even a growing respect for Kevin, that had not come through in the “arrogant” edit Mike V has received to date. Still, I have to admit a visceral satisfaction when Tom C acknowledged at JT (with Mike V standing right there) that Kevin had been criticized for cooking “simple” food, and that such criticism was BS. (OK, maybe I’m paraphrasing Tom just a bit).

Two quick comments/questions on the whole “Padma is leaving” issue. The link posted by kit seems to indicate that Padma is not leaving, and I actually read the “will only have a supporting role” comment mentioned by babyarm as referring to the sitcom Padma is developing for NBC, not to Top Chef. For those who have posted that its been announced Padma is leaving, it would be helpful to have a link to the announcement, if only to put this issue to rest.

Also, to the point that a pregnant (or post-partum) Padma could probably not handle the filming schedule allegedly set to begin soon, my impression/understanding has always been that TC films in late-spring/early-summer, or at least during the hot months, not in February. Hence, the various references throughout the TC seasons to non-seasonal dishes and challenges (clam chowder from this year and Thanksgiving in summer from last year come to mind, and I seem to recall this issue coming up in some context in Season 2 RW, but could be wrong on that). Perhaps those of you who seem to know more about the logistics of how the show is filmed could enlighten us about the timing. All in all, I’m pretty content with TC right now, and would just as soon not see a significant change for fear it would ruin the on-air dynamic.

My apologies for the super-long initial post – perhaps too much lurking left me with “skillet doux fever” and a burning need to post.

[Naomi]

Welcome, twelden, I really enjoyed your post.

[Antha]

Just defending Padma's bangs.

Bangs are a perfect pregnant hairstyle. The style looks good with straight hair, so there is less time spent curling and adding volume. It brings the focus up to her face to put less emphasis on a growing belly.

I guess it's just me but I think bangs on a pretty woman are damn sexy.

[babyarm]

twelden> Season 7 starts shooting in roughly one month from today. This is from straight from bravo's PR release. They are compressing the schedule more and more to put out one of these every 7 months now. And from what I gather TCM2 is shooting right now, or is already finished, but nothing official is out yet on that I can find.

They have been trending towards placing a roughly 5 month gap from end to beginning so airtime for TC7 should be early May. TCM2 should lead into that starting in early March running for 2 months. So 2 and a half months of rest time for everyone....

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

I think it's possible there could be a backlash to Steph/Hosea in this episode. In both those seasons the most "Craft-y" (as it were) chef won out. Dom alluded to this in the very first power ranking of the year and placed Kevin 1st as a result.

There could be a weariness of what I'd classify "Upscale Traditional American" that Tom puts out, and maybe he's ready to recognize the way fine dining is shifting. I'm also not very good with the faces at the final table. I rely on my wife to ID people that do not have bios from TCM or have never been on PBS or FN before. I do think much is placed on their input too so the background they bring is important.

It does seem based on the new videos that Bryan did do a pastry, and it's unclear whether Kevin did. So the debate could spin right back to what constitutes a complete meal once again.

[Cheryl]

current review of Kevin's Atlanta restaurant:
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/kevin_gillespie_fires_up_woodfire_grill/Content?oid=1224343

[Lon]

After being away from the site for a few days, I was glad to see the notes about Padma not leaving. While she's not among my most favorite people, I would miss her when she's gone. As one story said, TC should not mess with a winning format.

If you have not read the review of Kevin's Atlanta restaurant, I found it compelling. It explains, to me anyway, why Kevin's food looks simple but tastes so great: i.e. everything is cooked to perfection. But, once your taste is elevated, it finds the surprise he buries inside that kicks you to the mountain top. Excellent explanation.

One more comment, re Michael V. Often insecurity causes a person to be more critical and harsh than necessary. True confidence does not need to be critical of others, true confidence recognizes a responsibility to help others succeed.

[hayamyma]

Thanks Cheryl for the great review. I thought the critic did an excellent job of describing what makes Kevin's food special, and how his culinary vision imbues his cooking. (I really liked the idea of Kevin taking his food in a "Southern" direction.) I suspect that may have been why Jen considered him a rival to equal the Voltaggio brothers and what will hopefully inspire her to find her own signature style.

[Esther]

Coming in very late this week, since I wasn't able to see the ep until today. Two comments:

1) On the egg debate: as someone who has both been a vegetarian and dated multiple vegetarians, I have almost always seen people use it to mean "will eat foods that don't involve animals dying" -- so eggs are okay but fish isn't. Remember, at Natalie Portman's vegetarian dinner, the blogs also revealed that eggs were allowed. More interesting to me is the fact that people here criticized him for not focusing on the vegetables. I had quite the opposite reaction. For vegetarians, it's incredibly frustrating when "vegetarian dish" never includes good sources of protein. By integrating an egg, Michael made it a dish that could satisfy a vegetarian eater, not just work as a nice side for the meat dish. (That said, I am sympathetic to the critique that he should've used smaller eggs if the tasting portions were that small!)

2) I don't think anyone here has commented on Kevin's carrot top puree. This year, in the excitement of growing my first vegetable garden, I served guests a carrot-green salad -- only to learn later that they have mild to serious levels of toxins (link). The tasting portions that any single person had were probably safe, but I was a bit uncomfortable that the show never mentioned this concern, for the sake of viewers who might imitate Kevin.

[Bart]

Cheryl - That's a wonderful review of the Woodfire Grill, and of Gillespie's style of cooking. Very heartened to read the bit about him still actually cooking (much in the same way as Harold Dieterle still cooks in the kitchen).

I've told several friends that I want to go to Atlanta just for the food - and I want to go to the Woodfire Grill first of all.

Thanks for sharing the link

[paula]

"An aside: on an imaginary literary reality show, would Fitzgerald have said of Hemingway: 'He writes sentences that I write on my day off!'?"

I love this. The football analogies go right over my head...but this I can relate to. ;)

[rab01]

Esther -- I was fascinated by that article you linked about carrot tops. Thanks! The scientist with whom the author spoke did not, however, say that carrot-greens themselves were toxic, just that there are toxins in the leaves of a lot of plants like carrots. The best I could tell from googling is that actual carrot tops are not toxic. I'm not a botanist so I don't know the real answer but it seemed when googling that the one NY Times article on gardening was the source for almost every "carrot-greens are toxic" post I saw.