Top Chef - S7E7 Postmortem

Okay... the politicians are out in full force. Keep it clean, keep it friendly, keep it on the food... you've been warned!

I'll check in late tonight...

UPDATE : Wow, lots to digest here.

Picked the right time to address parity, apparently. After this week, what previously looked kind of like a top three and a bottom two with a mess of five in the middle now looks like a top one and a bottom one with a mess of seven in the middle. Seriously, has there been a point this season where you got the sense that somebody was going to break away without that person either going silent or crashing down shortly thereafter? This really is anybody's game.

We're at the midpoint of the season, so heroes and villains are starting to emerge. Stephen is now my hero. Won't save him from the basement, but he's still my hero.

I'll figure out what I can on peagate, but my hunch is we're never going to know. Unless something new comes to light, there's only one person who knows for sure, and he certainly won't be motivated to tell the truth. Either he got away with murder or he's been unfairly fingered and you feel horrible for the guy. The judges obviously have no idea. And if the elves know that he did steal the puree, they'd have no motivation to hold onto that information, so I have to conclude they don't know either.

Unless you're a conspiracy theorist and you think the elves stole the puree to manufacture the controversy :-)

(I'm joking, and yet I just know I'm going to regret having written that at some point.)

Rankings next week. In the meantime, discuss!

Comments

[Scott]

The episode isn't over yet, but I am so disgusted by Alex that I had to post. I can't believe the fairies didn't to anything to conclude this problem.

[Bart]

Except for Pea-Gate, by and large, I liked this episode. Creative quickfire challenge, relatively straightforward elimination challenge. I love how Gail had to explain everything to her fellow diners: "Yes, they put salt on steaks" - lol!

On to Pea-Gate. I really hope Alex didn't steal the pea puree, but it sure as hell looks as if it did. Too bad he didn't get caught in the act. I really hope that, if he did steal the pea puree, that some sort of action is taken and he's removed from the show.

Again, beyond Pea-Gate, I liked the episode. But, eesh, Alex is not one of my favorites.

--

I really like Stephen - he's starting to emerge as a likable character. Of course, after his seminar, I thought he was a goner. Glad to see he's around for another week, at least.

[Scott]

I'm hoping Dom could comment on Kenny saying that there was no way Alex could have made that pea puree on the day of service. Being someone that never made pea puree before, could he have made that pea puree? I think it's fairly evident that Alex did not make Pea puree on the first day.

[ecooper2]

Regarding pea-gate, could someone of greater culinary sophistication than myself help me process the circumstantial evidence?

It appears that the following are "facts":

1. Alex did not have a pea puree on the first day, but did on the second.
2. Ed prepared a pea puree on the first day which he could not find on the second.
3. The chefs generally concur that the pea puree Alex used could not have been prepared solely with the time allotted before lunch.
4. There was no other pea puree (or similar item) made by the remaining chefs.

Did I miss something, or barring editorial misleading, Alex is guilty of some serious kitchen crime?

[JJH2]

Hate, hate, hated all of the politicians!!! GAH!!! Art Smith was also more annoying than usual with the "you could feel all the love in this food" nonsense.

But I really liked both of the challenges. I thought the quickfire really allowed a lot of room for creativity and the results seemed pretty tasty overall. I also really love head to head style challenges (which this one technically wasn't), just because I like to see what two different chefs do with the same protein. I thought it was great that the middle of the pack dominated the winner's table.

I don't know what to think about pea-gate... on the one hand, they sure edited Alex to look sneaky as hell. On the other, if he had stolen it, I just can't believe it wouldn't have been caught on film. And also, I just have a really hard time believing that a chef would grab someone else's finished product and just use it. I mean, did he taste it first before he stole it? Isn't that kind of obvious to everyone else? I just don't know.

I really like Kelly, but man, what a total karmic bite in the ass to deny someone salt just so you can oversalt your own food. The irony was definitely not lost on Amanda. Just a bad week for Kelly overall being on the bottom in both challenges.

Overall, another pretty strong episode I think.

[Independent George]

All things considered, I liked both challenges: very straightforward, and the chefs had nobody to blame but themselves for any mistakes.

Tiffany is definitely good. I'm still not sold on, well, anybody, but right now, if I'm rooting for anybody this season, I think it'll be her.

Here's what bothers me about pea-gate: there has to be incontrovertible proof as to whether or not Alex took Ed's puree. Just as the cameras zoomed in dramatically on the pork bellies on the counter in S4, the cameras had to have caught either where Ed left his puree, or whether Alex took it. I hate the suggestion or implication - the evidence is there. Either Alex is a crook, or he's a victim - either way,

I'm about as bothered by Kelly not sharing her salt as I was by Hung cleaning his knives or not sharing intel. That is to say: not at all. Logistics is part of the competition; she had no obligation to share, and I'm actually irritated by Amanda's attitude. To me, refusing to share your own limited supply of salt is less of a sin than not packing any at all. She had no right to expect somebody else to bail her out of her own carelessness.

[Steve F.]

Knew Kevin could flame out. Almost did. Sad about Kelly's eagerness to please. Should have been herself.

Knew Alex was a player. But did the cameras catch what happened to the pea puree? Saw peas soaking in a sink next to Angelo.

Good episode. Solid, no gimmicks, bring your best shot challenges.

[Polybus]

Straight on - this is the weirdest season yet. I thought S2 was weird, but this is a home run. I'm counting on Dom to figure it out. Boring? I think not.

[wolfefan]

Tom's take on pea-gate:

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/tom-colicchio/the-peas-that-split

[Dreamboat]

I don't think we will ever know what happened in pea-gate. The elves only showed enough to create drama. But the fact is that Ed was at the winner's table with Alex and could have questioned him about it. For whatever reason, Ed chose not to and so we will never know.

But now I understand why Ed hates Alex so much...

[Steve F.]

I will compile an average of our rankings and post it before Dom posts his next Monday morning. Here are mine.

1. Angelo
2. Kenny
3. Kelly

Kenny stabilized this week and Kelly fell apart. I expect Kelly to stay true to herself from now on, knowing that it is best for her. Kenny slightly ahead of Kelly because of the Ethiopian challenge next week.

4. Ed
5. Alex
6. Tiffany

This is really 4 - 6...Ed places higher because he is expected to do well in the Ethiopian challenge next week. Alex is slightly over Tiffany because of his one win versus none for her so far (the pea puree notwithstanding).

7. Kevin
8. Amanda
9. Stephen

Kevin is in the bottom of the pack because I felt that he could have easily gone home tonight instead of Andrea. But truth be told, the bottom of the pack is beginning to merge with the MOTP.

[Joanna]

Is it just me, or has Art Smith lost about 200 lbs since he was on TC Masters? Almost didn't recognize him!

[Maxx A]

If the magical elves wanted to stir up some good old-fashioned controversy with this whole pea-gate thing, they have succeeded. After all, the general theme with this season is politics, and you can't have politics without scandal. Let's just be happy we didn't have a Holeah-like sex scandel instead...

I just hope we got some closure on what really happened with that pea puree. Leaving it open like that will definitely piss off a few people.

All that aside, I'm so freaking grateful Kelly got to stay. I literally felt like I was about to throw up in the last two minutes of the episode. She'll do better next week, just watch and see!

[Kyle]

I think the middle of the pack is starting to blend more with the top rather than the bottom.

1. Angelo
2. Kelly
3. Tiffany
4. Ed
5. Kenny
6. Alex
7. Kevin
8. Amanda
9. Stephen

[gilmore]

Maybe since Ed did not say anything to the judges/producers, nothing will ever be known about the PP.

Agree with JJH2 on politicians and Art Smith. And yes Joanna, maybe Art Smith is doing p90x or insanity. I could do without the media members as well.

Kelly bombed on both challenges. I thought she was a goner as it was a basic error.
Don't blame her for hoarding the salt, but it was irony that she oversalted and Amanda's deconstructed porterhouse was well received, but not top 3.

[Nsam]

@Scott: re. Kenny's assertion that it's impossible that Alex would have had the time to make his own pea puree on the day of service. Personally, I don't know anything about making pea puree, either, but I just watched Michael Voltaggio's video on the Bravo site where he makes the winning dish, and the puree looks quite straightforward. If that's all there is to making it, then Kenny's comment makes me scratch my head.

[Steve F.]

I meant to say that my spots four through six were essentially tied.

Regarding Alex, I know that he's the one everyone loves to hate right now. But I love having him around. There is virtually nothing fun to engage us with an individual chef, except for Alex's outrageous personality. The Angelo/Kenny alpha male contest has dissipated. The Ed/Tiffany flirtation is almost non-existent. The show's about the food. But, man, it helps to have some personality and/or drama in the mix.

[Daniel]

I just thank god that, as Stephen pointed out, that we have that toothpick rule in place protecting us from a tsunami of undue influence from corporate lobbyists.

And Kudos to Andrea for cluing Tiffany's fiance in to the shameless behavior she's been engaging in with Ed...my god...they were almost sitting within 5 feet of one another.

I'm sure Kenny's dishes didn't get mentioned by the judges tonight only because they were wholly intimidated by his extreme alpha-maleness and because his kitchen skills frighten them. It was totally that and not in any way that he just didn't happen to make remarkable food this episode.

In terms of Kelly and the salt...well yeah, she was right - logistics are a part of the competition, and Kelly isn't responsible for covering Amanda's ass. On the other hand, if Kelly thinks that the only edge she has over Amanda is remembering to bring the salt, then she is showing a remarkable lack of confidence in herself. And since Amanda is certainly going to be able to get the salt somewhere else, Kelly's principled stand didn't really carry any weight - it just made her look douchey. I don't think it's fair to compare this to Hung not sharing intel - salt is a pretty generic good in a kitchen - you can get it from anyone. Hung's understanding of the dish was a legitimate edge gleaned from his years of experience and proper preparation. Not sharing salt is petty and silly (assuming you have enough). Not sharing strategy and understanding of a challenge is legitimate - going even further, I'd fault the other chefs on that challenge who asked him. It was inappropriate.

Other than being somewhat disappointed that no one brought a basque feel to the quickfire, which was essentially to make a Pinxchos, and aside from the personalities, it was a very satisfying episode, pea ambiguity notwithstanding.

[tdub]

Great blog, Dom. I don't comment much, but I read every week (even the non-TC entries).

Re: Pea Pureegate. Watching the episode again, I noticed the camera pan down to a pot of peas in water when Angelo cut himself. Was this the camera crew's wink to us? It's around the halfway mark. See for yourselves.

[Skillet Doux]

Tdub... yeah, caught that on the first pass. Could also have been Ed's peas (he ended up using some blanched peas, just not a puree).

I haven't taken a careful look yet. Will do, but I'm sure somebody will beat me to it.

[paula]

Um, did Kelly really think that the very best way to step it up and make a dish that would grab the judges' attention was to add salt?

[Bart]

I just read Tom's blog on pea-gate (yay the meme took off!). It was so obvious the judges had no clue what was going on behind the scenes... and Tom seems pretty pissed that the producers didn't clue him in.

The commenters there are being surprisingly harsh, ripping him and the show apart. I'm not sure where that anger comes from, since Alex's possible theft didn't result in Ed's ouster. If that was the case, then we'd have a major scandal on our hands.

One commenter went so far to suggest, "It did not surprise me that the young senator choose Angelo, they often choose people with NO INTEGRITY" - lol, come on, that guy was there for a grand total of 5 minutes.

The more I think about it, the less likely it seems that Alex stole Ed's pea puree (really, how long does it take to blend peas together?). On the other hand, it's definitely possible he got the idea of doing the puree when talking to Kenny the night before.

[Lou]

if Alex took the pea puree then he has to give the recipe to The Palm so they can replicate the dish for their menu. I'm guessing that there was more to the puree than just putting the peas in a blender so he will either prove or disprove the insinuation.

The editors showing him taking a tumble in the promo for next week may be an indication of their opinion (rather than a slap sick moment). And Tom's comment about a win followed by a loss (ie. Arnold) may be a hint.

[gilmore]

If producers can show that Alex made his own puree and are not, they are destroying Alex's reputation long term.

If Ed left his puree in a cooler or on a shelf, they would have shown it.

With cameras everywhere, they have to know the truth.

@daniel - like your sarcasm and observations.

[Anon man]

FWIW, I didn't think the politicians and journalists were any worse in insipid comments than Art Smith. I even thought Tim Russert's kid snark about their being great leading actor but no supporting cast to be pretty funny. Scarborough's comments about foam in France was absolutely idiotic, however. The politicians, from what I remember were pretty dull, "This is good" and "This is just ok", etc.

As for the peas, Tom's take is worth looking at because he notes that Ed wasn't actively accusing Alex. Let's look at it from two point of view of the missing peas and the peas that appeared and note the craptastic production this year. Ed's puree was either 1) left somewhere or 2) stolen. If it were left somewhere, I would have expected a shot of the missing Glad family of products sitting on a shelf or something. Remember we had that happen in the season 2 final and they found a shot of it.

Ok, then on to the peas that appeared. Someone said that someone else saw a blender. Ok, how about a clip from that person? How about a shot of this blender?

This had better not be the last of this. They built this up as a big scandal, and then had a few fleeting shots of things and then it was over. As a plot device with no resolution it sucks, especially for Alex if he's innocent.

I think I am getting extremely bored with this season and the contestants. Maybe the parity was an experiment, maybe an accident. But if it was intentional, they should ditch it for next season - if there is one.

[paula]

Well said, Gilmore.

This is the second time I recall the judges falling all over themselves about the flavor of English peas (remember when Carla made them?). So here's a handy odds-keeping chart for future TC contestants:

English peas = win
scallops = fail
gnocchi = fail
asparagus = win, if Waxman is the guest judge

[nomnomnom]

I figure I have at least one more "Kelly is overrated" follower after last night's performance. She salt cured a porterhouse and put some potatoes and salad on top. Can she just go home yet? There's just no question her best (whatever that may have been) is already out there.

Also should get a few to sign on to Ed as #1, too. The rest should take care of itself in time.

If the judges never found out about the pea thing then there's nothing to suggest he won't stick around.

[Independent George]

I just thank god that, as Stephen pointed out, that we have that toothpick rule in place protecting us from a tsunami of undue influence from corporate lobbyists.

Hey, the congressman was from Illinois. We prefer our bribes in canvas bags with dollar signs printed on the outside.

[Esther]

I actually did enjoy this episode; thought the Quickfire was great, and liked the fact that the Elimination did give contestants the chance to shine. I'm also rather surprised that a Miami chef had no experience with swordfish.

Re: peagate, one quick thing that nobody has mentioned (since I watched the show again to make sure it was right). In the episode, the order of things was as follows:
- In a confessional, Alex says he decided to make pea puree.
- We see Alex in the kitchen with a pot of pea puree.
- Ed freaks out and asks everyone, including Alex.
- Alex says "I'm not using any peas."

So either the elves are being seriously misleading by scrambling the order of footage, or Alex was straight-up lying. And if he was lying, then I'm inclined to dub him guilty. As others have said, though, we'll never know for sure.

(Regarding what Kenny said about time, I didn't take that to mean that making pea puree is a hugely lengthy process -- just that it does take time and care to get it perfectly smooth, and Alex was too busy with other tasks to take that time without prep the day before.)

[Independent George]

Ok, this is a not directly related to the episode, but... does anybody else here generally not fond purees? Maybe I'm overstating... they have their benefits, but I think most of the time, they're used primarily for aesthetics.

Most of the time I see them in restaurants, it's a way to make a plate look pretty without actually adding anything to the dish. It creates the illusion of refinement without any of the actual work. Great, you stuck a root vegetable with an immersion blender and smeared it across my plate. Huzzah.

[timothy]

Okay, after saying this season wasn't fun to watch, I will say that I enjoyed this episode. I like that they were basically just asked to cook, gimmick free. When that happens, stories emerge. Enough has been said about the salt and pea stories. I think there's a Kevin story that is pretty interesting too. Can anyone figure out what kind of chef he is? I have been pretty impressed, overall, and tended to give him the benefit of the doubt when he made mistakes, but now I am not sure which is the real Kevin, the guy who ends on the top or the guy who ends on the bottom? I also think Kelly is a compelling character. I can't agree with those who say she is boring; even though she was on the bottom in the QF, I actually thought watermelon and scallop was a cool idea. I like the way that "tastes in my head." The question she makes me think about is the line between subtle and bland. She seems to see herself as a cook who specializes in subtle flavors and she thinks the judges don't appreciate this. Those who don't like what she's doing seem to think she specializes in boring flavors. I am interested to see whether or not she can bring out the best of subtlety without falling into the traps of blandness. Speaking of the traps of blandness: politicians don't make very good Top Chef judges.Gail, on the other hand, was kind of awesome tonight.

[rab01]

If they had more definitive footage about the peas, I think they would have shown it. The cameras aren't everywhere, particularly when there still so many chefs working within a confined space. But, that they did not manage to get a shot later of the missing puree sitting in a container somewhere is a bit suspicious ...

I think this open controversy is one of the first signs of the show really feeling the loss of Leeanne as culinary producer. If you remember, there were a lot of problems with rules, sabotage, challenge paramaters and arguments without footage during Season 2 before they brought her in to ride herd on the proceedings in the kitchen. It would be great if they could find another former cheftestant competent to fill her role ...

[timothy]

@Independent George: Your comment about purees got me thinking about a Top Chef episode long ago. My memory is straining, but was it Cliff in Season Two who made a lentil puree to top some beef? If I recall correctly, Tom specifically asked him, "Why didn't you serve us lentils and beef? Why puree them?" I think Eric Rippert was a guest judge that night and after he ate the beef with pureed lentils, he said, "Hotel food," which he did not mean as a compliment. So yes, I do wonder why a pureed pea is a good thing and a pureed lentil is a bad thing.

[Bill]

I'm a Morning Joe watcher so I enjoyed seeing Joe and Mika at the table. Chef Tom sent Mika a box of cinnamon rolls on set this morning. Funny since Mika is very into healthy eating, she said she was going to have a talk with Tom.
I think Kelly learned some lessons from this challenge and will bounce back big.
Why does Amanda get so much disrespect? What has she made that has been so bad? She is less experienced and not as refined as some of the others but she seems to put out pretty good food. The panel seemed to enjoy steaks, in fact based on the commentary I was surprised that she wasn't in the top 3.
I think Angelo is running out of ideas.

[Anon Man]

One thing that does bother me about the pea thing is the comment that you can't just whip up pea puree. The recipe Alex (or Ed) used isn't up yet, but I googled a few recipes (I don't especially like peas, so this isn't something I've made before), and its generally a blanche and blend process. Really, he can't do that quickly? Any insights on how long it really takes to make pea puree?

[nomnomnom]

Yeah, that's the one comment I don't get in the whole pea thing. Unless he wanted to simmer it down with some stock or booze or something it's a 10 minute deal at the very most. And if Ed did simmer it down with lobster stock I have to think it would have been obvious to any pro there.

[nomnomnom]

And for those that don't watch the previews. Jose Andres will join Marcus S. next week on the international episode.

[Independent George]

I think purees are easy to do, but hard to do well. I don't object to them per se, but most of the time, they're a distraction rather than an integral part of the dish.

To me, a puree is a means of adding the flavor of the vegetable to the main element of the dish without overwhelming it. In some ways, it replaces a pan sauce, only it uses the flavor of the vegetable instead of the main item. For example, if you paired a carrot puree with beef, the idea is to allow the diner to have a taste of carrots with each bite of beef - something that can't easily be done with a slice of carrot next to the meat.

To me, a good puree does two things:

(1) It supplements and complements the natural flavor of the vegetable, adding something to taste without masking of overwhelming the base.
(2) It pairs with the main component of the dish. The whole point is to allow you to taste the puree with each bite of the dish.

When done right, it's wonderful; it makes both the main course and the puree explode in your mouth. Not surprisingly, accomplishing both of those goals is very, very hard to do. Flavors that sound good in your head might not work on the plate. Textures vary wildly due to subtle variations on technique. It requires a lot of refinement and experimentation - you can't just mash something up at the last minute and smear it on a plate.

The overwhelming majority of my experiences with purees fail not just one, but both points. Because purees can come in so many colors, and are very thick liquids that can be 'painted' on a dish, they often get used primarily for aesthetics rather than taste. They often consist entirely of the vegetable, with no additional spice or acid added for flavoring; it's basically baby food. You end up with some brightly colored, mashed vegetables streaked across a plate with no rhyme or reason.

Again - this is not meant as commentary on the quality of Alex/Ed's purees. It's just an observation on an annoying culinary fad.

[Independent George]

I think Angelo is running out of ideas.

So Angelo had a prematu...

I can't finish. Too many jokes for my mind to process at once. Most of them not safe for work.

[nomnomnom]

Rankings after last night

1 Ed. If Contador can win the TDF with no stage wins. Ed can win with no EC wins. Get on the bandwagon now, folks.
2 Tiffany. Consistently solid and has a real handle on things now. Near mortal lock for Montreal at this point.
3 Kevin. Trying to show some range will find him in some bear traps, but I think he's the high/low/high/low finals guy this year.
4 Angelo. Agree that he may be running out of ideas.
5 Alex. I think the pea thing blows over as nothing. Maybe. Still don't see him as a finalist. He's got at least 3 more weeks in him though. The CIA episode looks like a good spot for him to go.
6 Amanda. It should be noted on every plated challenge she's beaten Kelly. The other challenges are her downfall and probably will get her home in between the CIA and NASA episode when they surely do another top caterer challenge (TBD)
7 Kelly. I think she rallies but ultimately fails on the NASA episode at the hands of Anthony Bourdain in 5th place.
8 Kenny. Haven't seen anything out of this guy in several weeks now of any consequence. I think he flexes and takes a leadership role in Restaurant week and goes home right then.
9 Stephen. Goes without saying.

[Anon Man]

BTW, I forgot to mention that I work about 4 blocks from the Palm and eat there a few times a month for lunch. Anyone dare me to go try the winning dish in the next couple days (today is out, btw).

[paula]

That's not much of a dare, Anon Man. But I double-dog dare you to go in and smush a pea onto Alex's caricature.

[Sweet Sue]

Yes, Art Smith has lost about eighty pounds. He was on Oprah to trumpet that fact, last week.
I really didn't like his comment that Kelly "has no palate" because she over salted the porterhouse.
What a sweeping judgment and dismissal of a young chef.
It pains me to say this, but I don't think Art would have insulted a guy like that.
I like Kelly; she 's talented and looks a bit like Meg Tilly.

[Polybus]

This is a major shift for me, except at the very top. Right now, it seems to be Angelo and the 8 dwarfs. Honestly, at this point, I think you could put them in almost any order after Angelo, but based more on recent performances and general mojo, here's my take:

1. Angelo
2. Kenny
3. Tiffany
4. Ed
5. Kelly
6. Alex
7. Kevin
8. Stephen
9. Amanda

Overall, I have moved Kenny back up, as he is generally solid, if not exciting. Tiffany has been coming on strong and Ed seems to be finding his groove, so I moved them up. I was surprised that Kelly allowed petty enmity to crash her dish - and there is little doubt that was what it was. She falls. I think Alex was lucky in this last episode and I do not have confidence in him for the long haul. Tom is right on Peagate - it's best to let it go for a variety of reasons. Kevin is so inconsistent, it's hard to have any faith in him any more.

Like Dom, my preseason included Stephen near the top (based solely on resume) and even though he has not performed up to expectations, I'm bumping him up one, just for the podium humor if nothing else. And I just don't know what to think of Amanda. Like Kevin, she's inconsistent, but her highs are much lower than his and their lows are about even. Isn't chicken cartilage one of the seven deadly sins or something?

[Daniel]

@sweet sue: I don't think it really pains you to say that ;), and saying something so inflammatory demands back-up. If you are going to make an accusation like that, you really need to provide context...and if you can't, you shouldn't make the claim...

[Kenny]

At about 27 minutes in, there is a shot of Alex taking plastic bags which clearly appear to be filled with whole peas, out of an ice chest. When asked about the pea puree, Alex says he used new peas.

Usually when a chef forgets to put something in an ice chest, if that happened to Ed, the camera shows a glimpse of it in the empty kitchen as everyone leaves, with some sort of daunting music to go with it.

Ed probably did not say anything because he may have thought that he left it behind.

My $.02 on peagate.

[Sweet Sue]

Daniel, I don't know what you are talking about. What was so inflammatory about what I said.
Do you believe that women get as much respect as men do in professional kitchens?

[timothy]

Polybus says:"I was surprised that Kelly allowed petty enmity to crash her dish - and there is little doubt that was what it was."

I doubt that's what it was. She had just made watermelon and scallops and the judges didn't like it. Watermelon and scallops is, as I said earlier, an attractive flavor combination as an idea, but it definitely would be well served by salting to balance the sweetness. She was knocked on that dish for not having flavor, and while I can't know what is in her head, it wouldn't surprise me if she made a mental note saying, "add more salt next time." If she had "I need to add more salt" in her head, then Amanda's requests for salt could have annoyed her more than usual. So, the petty enmity could have resulted from her problems about flavor just as much as they could have been a cause of it. Again, it's all speculation and I don't know the woman, but like Sweet Sue I am compelled to defend her from broad accusations of flawed character or professionalism because, you know, it was just salt.

[Anthony]

I don't understand where Kevin and others are getting the ideas that Angelo is making the same dishes over and over. Asia is a big place, he's done Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, etc. Why don't we hear an uproar when a chef only cooks a Western style?

I think the comments by Tim (about adding soy sauce to his crab), Amanda (too much Asian last week) and Kevin (Angelo just making Chinese) are influencing the viewers. Angelo self admittedly over-sauced last week and didn't cook his lobster properly this week. It has nothing to do with him running out of ideas.

[Daniel]

@sweet Sue...

Art said something you didn't like and you immediately accuse him of sexism, while providing no context or support for why you would jump to that conclusion. I find it not only extremely difficult to believe that such a cavalierly expressed condemnation 'pained' you in any way to throw out so casually, or that you have any trouble whatsoever understanding why such an accusation is inflammatory.

In terms of what I believe about women and respect in professional kitchens, that's utterly irrelevant. We aren't talking about 'women' in general. We are talking about 1 woman. We aren't talking about professional kitchens, we are talking about 1 professional chef and his criticism of another chef. And again, if you have any back-up or support for why you think Art is sexist, I'm open to it and all ears.

Barring that back-up or support, I'd caution you need to take a little more responsibility for your words and views. Sometimes, when people say things you don't like it comes from a space of bias. But often it doesn't. When you so easily rush to conclude the former, the only true bias shown is your own.

[Polybus]

Timothy, that was a good point and I hadn't thought of it. I may have been misled by the editing right before that sequence where Kelly said something to the effect that she was totally annoyed at Amanda and that Amanda did not deserve to be there. Not an exact quote as I am going on poor memory alone. But that may have swayed me. Sometimes the elves try to set us up. :)

[ally]

To be fair to Art, I believe he said it makes him think the chef has no palate. Thats different than saying "she has no palate".

[Bill]

"I think the comments by Tim (about adding soy sauce to his crab), Amanda (too much Asian last week) and Kevin (Angelo just making Chinese) are influencing the viewers. Angelo self admittedly over-sauced last week and didn't cook his lobster properly this week. It has nothing to do with him running out of ideas."

My comment about running out of ideas didn't refer Asian-style cooking, it was based on my perception that his plates have a very similar look from challenge to challenge. It frequently looks like the same arrangements with different ingredients. I think a chef could go through the entire competition without departing from what are typically considered Asian flavors.
Regarding Amanda: I'm going to try to make a trip to the restaurant she works at (Water Grill, based on her Bravo bio), the menu looks interesting. She isn't mentioned on the web site so I don't know if she is still there. Before fully condemning her for the cartilage let's remember Richard Blais' salmon debacle. Under these types of pressures anyone can make a mistake, in fact everyone does at some point, most chefs more than one.

[ally]

Um, I left out the seventeen other thoughts that went with what I just said about Art. I just thought he was talking theoretically about what he thinks when he gets such a salty dish, not like personally about Kelly.

[ally]

Speaking of sexism, why is Kelly's boorish behavior a "lack of confidence" but Angelo's is "Big Brother/Survivor strategizing".

[Independent George]

I don't understand where Kevin and others are getting the ideas that Angelo is making the same dishes over and over. Asia is a big place, he's done Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, etc. Why don't we hear an uproar when a chef only cooks a Western style?

Good catch - I remember being irritated last night when I heard it, but forgot about it entirely in the aftermath of peagate. That comment really bothered me about Antonia in S4, and it bothers me now, as well. Nobody ever faulted Fabio for cooking Italian food, so it's annoying to hear Angelo or Dale are faulted for cooking a very diverse array of dishes from an entire continent.

I think there are two factors involved. First, Angelo's the unanimous frontrunner who's already being suspected of gamesmanship; it's petty, but I suppose snipes like that are to be expected.

Second, I think, is a bit of push-back against Asian fusion being a bit of a fad right now. A welcome and healthy fad, in my opinion, but for every smart, interesting fusion restaurant, there are about eight half-assed restaurants run by second-rate talents who nevertheless garner tons of press and praise for being 'bold' and 'creative'. Southeast Asian in particular seems to be very trendy these days - again, a welcome trend in my opinion - but one of the unfortunate consequences is the unintentional denigration of other cuisines. I think it fosters a bit of resentment from chefs who probably serve better food with less recognition, and we might be seeing the result of that.

To take myself as an example, I grew up with fish sauce & ginger, and never tasted brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, or prosciutto until my mid-20s. I wonder if this is why, contra Nom(3x), I generally found Kelly's recipes interesting, and Arnold's rather uninspired.

[Independent George]

Speaking of sexism, why is Kelly's boorish behavior a "lack of confidence" but Angelo's is "Big Brother/Survivor strategizing".

I didn't find Kelly's behavior boorish. I actually equated her actions with Hung's, which I found equally acceptable. They stated up front what they were doing, kept within the spirit of the rules, and made no effort to hide or conceal it.

Angelo's strategery appears more underhanded - the perception is that he was undermining Steven or Tamesha from inside, and that he purposely tanked his dish to get Kenny eliminated. I say 'appears' because it's far from clear that did anything of the sort, but that's the perception.

[TxGriff]

Re: the sexism thing, I didn't take Art's comments to be sexist at all. He received an overly satly dish, and he commented on how it makes him question the chef's palate due to the extreme amount of salt. Seems fair enough to me. I wouldn't have thought any differently about the comment if it had been made about a male chef.

I'm not even going to touch pea-gate.

Did anyone else find Kevin's dismissal of Angelo cooking "Chinese" food a bit odd? Surely he was just trying to make a point and doesn't actually believe all Asian/eastern flavors are "Chinese."

[bryanD]

"The episode isn't over yet, but I am so disgusted by Alex that I had to post. I can't believe the fairies didn't to anything to conclude this problem."
Posted by: Scott

Don't you remember/haven't you read how Life magazine quickly bought the amazing Zapruder film (Dallas11/22/63) and tried to lock it away from public view for 100 years, meanwhile publishing in its pages, cherry-picked still frames Out Of Sequence to support the Single Shooter Theory of the CIA, FBI, and Secret Service, in opposition to what the film actually showed?

Bravo has found itself delving into that same business very early on, scrubbing the web of the once-thriving market in video evidence regarding Season 2 "clippergate" and the all-important sequence of events. Apparently, this is all that remains, but its still pretty damning...Did you know...that Bravo even furnished the personal videocam!)

http://amuse-biatch.blogspot.com/2007/01/view-of-elia-aboumrads-still-grassy.html

BUT BACK to the shoe!
Nomnomnom was correct in being Kellyskeptical. I was wrong.
Salt: mistakes with salt are learned-from early in a life filled with Adding Salt. These mistakes are ALWAYS Memorable, whether the salt is added late or for early seasoning of whipped potatoes or pot roast. How the HELL did she F up everybody's steak with salt??? A real headscratcher. It shows no feel for the base properties in her chemistry set. Really, really weird.
I guess since I can't drop Kelly below 4th place, it must mean I have a crush on her or something.
1.Angelo, 2.Ed, 3.Kenny, 4.Kelly, 5.Alex, 6.Tiffany, 7.Kevin, 8.Amanda, 9.Stephen of Aix-le-Fruit-Platter

PS. The sight of Luke Russert at the big peoples' tasting table is a sign of the End Times.

[Nikki L]

This is just a general observation not related to this particular episode (at home sick with a TC marathon on...) - I think Kenny is very guilty of constantly spreading himself too thin. I've noticed that he is always making duos and trios. I think he's a very talented chef but maybe he needs to cut out some elements of his dish and just cook one very good thing. I'm surprised the judges haven't pointed this out yet because it seems like something they tend to point out.

[BritBrit]

Well say what you will about Art Smith, the one thing that came across loud and clear to me during the announcement of the winner is that that man cannot keep a secret! He was full on STARING at Alex the whole time he was talking about the winning dish. STUH-AIR-ING! As soon as he started talking about the winner I knew Alex had it in the bag. So much for suspense.

[Independent George]

Unless you're a conspiracy theorist and you think the elves stole the puree to manufacture the controversy :-)

I don't know about the elves, but that's definitely the m.o. of gnomes.

1. Steal the puree.
2. ???
3. Profit!

[Anon Man]

@Kenny, so are you saying the video shows that Alex did steal the puree or that he is telling the truth because he used the new peas?

[timothy]

Um. I think now might be a good time to quote Ralph Wiggum:

"My cat's breath smells like cat food."

[Anthony]

the presence of the peas on the video before Angelo slicing his finger makes no sense, the editing is definitely not chronological.

When we are shown the peas boiling in water Alex has already created his pea puree, thus Alex would have no reason to cook more peas. Ed on the other hand has not yet noticed his puree is missing therefore it makes no sense for him to be cooking more peas.

[Daniel]

I agree, as many of you have so astutely pointed out, that there must be tape showing *something* that would help put pea-gate to rest one way or another. And as Gilmore noted, if they have it, they really have a responsibility to show it to clear things up.

I don't think that people ultimately care that much about whether or not they like a chef, but I imagine that they will continue to care about aspersions on their characters. Once the program decided to air the controversy, they took on the responsibility of settling it as well, to the best of their ability. To do less is cruel and unethical.

[ecooper2]

Perhaps I am overestimating the deleterious consequences of pea-gate, but it seems as though this has at least the potential to diminish Top Chef's capacity to attract the talent level which makes the show compelling.

Tom's blog is, of course, correct in remarking that Alex does not win the title of Top Chef as a result of this dubious pea puree nor does Ed find himself eliminated. However, if Alex is indeed innocent, his reputation is sullied markedly as many comments have noted. What makes this frightening is that while any reality show participant willfully acknowledges that their perception in the world can be altered by their performance, these chefs probably assume that risk to be largely based upon whether their food is or is not well-received by judges. This is, at least to some extent, within their control.

Alex, if he is innocent, is receiving an ethical hatchet job which he neither merited, nor had any real capacity to prevent. He cannot disprove allegations which are now ancient history. He could not have avoided the edits which essentially "framed" him. Were I a chef, such a possibility might give me serious pause if my career was advanced enough to make such a risk unwise.

If Alex is guilty, this is moot. However, if he is not, what exactly could he have done differently and/or do hereafter to avoid the scarlet letter he is currently receiving?

[paula]

No worries, everyone. I have a crystal ball. Bravo will miraculously either find some footage or extract a definitive explanation from Ed that will exonerate Alex and settle the controversy. This information, however, will not be revealed until the season-ending reunion show. And it will be teased mercilessly in advance of said reunion show. That way, they can milk the devil edit for all it's worth between now and then but "save" Alex's reputation (and themselves from a defamation of character lawsuit) in the end.

Anyone want to lay odds on this scenario?

[Independent George]

Paula - signs point to yes.

[Anon Man]

@Paula and IG, I concur.

From a preview of next week entirely in my own mind: , but I feel lucky that the pea thing didn't sink me. Tiffany (of course) has clued me in that Alex took my peas." Cut to Alex confessional: "I did not take his F'in peas to buy hookers and blow, and blah blah blah." Cut to confrontation of Ed and Alex: You took my peas! No I didn't! Did too!! (Insert various clips of last week showing Alex walking around with peas.) And.... scene.

Alt director's, er, sponsors', cut: Ed lifts a Glad family of products freezer bag and places it over Alex's head. Alex wrestles loose and slips on Dial soap. As he slips, a bag of pea puree falls out of pants leg.

[dach]

^ Some funny stuff you have up their folks.

I've got to shout some Amanda affection ... lust ... crush. -.- She's really on an upward arc. Who would've ever expected that. Every week Amanda looks increasingly like she belongs, both on the show and in a professional kitchen. And this week's highpoint, she got the better of "ice queen" Kelly (who I like too). Pwnd! What the heck, I like all the womens remaining!

Tiffany is looking really good. Some preseason blogs mentioned her name as a strong contender, she's starting to rise out of MOTP. But Kenny... as she gains mojo, kenny is getting weaker.

I really think Angelo once again shut it down in the EC because he won immunity. $20k plus immunity, that is one sweet high stakes. Usually is is cash or immunity, never both. There didn't seem to be any particular rhyme or reason for the super high stakes... other than impressing the young representative.

Such parity. Seems anyone can be at the top or bottom anytime. No one is safe from bottom consideration. And I include Angelo.

My gut ranks. totally mixed now:
1) angelo
2) tiffany (no bottoms)
3) ed
4) alex (no EC bottoms!)
5) kelly
6) kenny (ouch!)
7) kevin (ouch!)
8) amanda (<3)
9) stephen

[Gilmore]

@Paula - Nice theory. I like it.
@Anon Man - good thing there is not a knife and pots/pans sponsor.
@dach - Yes Alex has no EC Bottoms, but he said he could eat out the pigs bottom during an EC. That counts for two in my book.

[Mark Morgan]

Going back to Kelly's comments in the stew room, about making the mistake of trying to please the judges. Isn't it almost always a mistake to try to change your cooking based on how a guest judge of a Quickfire rates your food? I don't have any idea how much Padma influenced the ranking in the QF this week but I don't find any sense in changing one's cooking based on some random person who won't be there for the EC.

[Anon Man]

Apparently half my scene got cut off, but you get the idea. Although, my fake interview with Alex where he denies taking the puree to trade for hookers and blow, was a highlight...

[Polybus]

@dach double ouch on kenny... how the mighty have fallen.

[bryanD]

Rewatched Top Chef on TIVO just to feel the Pea jag. (I felt left out?) I saw something right off.

Alex is apparently stirring some only PARTIALLY pureed peas at The Palm kitchen. While the pan is tilted away from the camera eye, whole/semi-SPHERE peas can be briefly seen reflected in the inner pan wall that Alex is attending to.

Was Ed's puree completely in a pureed state by end of Day 1 prep? If so, Ed lost his own damn peas. Ed's frazzlement WAS a main storyline of Prep and House.

So this what the Defense says happened:
Day 2 The Palm: Alex slowly heats his fresh peas in that deep crappy pan seen during Angelo's cut finger scene.
Alex LATER transfers cooked peas to the thick all-clad pan that I mentioned seeing him stirring and (MASHING?) HIS peas in, as that thick pan is the logical place for those peas to be.

I think the Complainant (Ed) had a brain fart, finally realized it, and then let the issue drop (for it only to be milked by the producers via editing and leading questions to cheftestants).

Disclaimer: I don't have Hi-Def. And the peas-near-Angelo are only tangential to my Alexbi. I just don't remember a third pea dish and since Ed was pealess, etc. Unimportant.

Someone with Hi-Def check Alex's shallow saucepan.

[jh]

bryanD, I'm not sure if your sleuthing skills are up to snuff. Did you bother to even call Whole Foods in DC to make sure that they actually sell peas?

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

I rest my case.

(I don't have HD, so I can't check for you)

[TxGriff]

Ok, I'm going to chime in re pea gate. If Ed truly thought Alex stole his puree, I think he would have said something either to Alex directly or at JT when it was pretty clear that Alex had the winning dish because of the puree. The fact that Ed didn't saying a single thing about it tells me that either he realized that he had, in fact, lost the puree on his own, or he had enough doubt about the situation to not accuse Alex, knowing he would look like a jackass if he was proved wrong. I keep thinking about the blow up at JT during the school lunch challenge ("well you had no vegetables" "well you used 2 pounds of sugar" "well you used peanut butter" "well you tried to get the kids drunk with your boozy chicken"), and Ed was a vocal participant. So, I don't think he would shy away from saying something at JT if he really felt like there was foul play.

Either way though, Alex's behavoir is questionable. He claims he wasn't aware the Ed was using a puree, yet we have documented evidence that Kenny and Andrea were discussing Ed's dish right in front of Alex the night before. At the very least, I think it's safe to say that he might have "borrowed" the pea puree idea, and started lying to cover his tracks so it didn't seem like he was stealing Ed's idea, especially when Ed's puree showed up missing. I'm not convinced that he stole Ed's actual puree though.

[Polybus]

It was the butler.

[dach]

It popped in my head:

"no salt to spare" Kelly

Like classic Seinfeld restaurant bathroom scene: Elane in a stall without paper, asks her neighbor for one, who insists she "doesn't have a square to spare".

[Magi]

I think Paula has the right scenario, which is disappointing. We know that it's all about the ratings, but I'm not fond of drama for drama's sake. I'd rather see a serious food competition.

There are two reasons I don't think we'll see a resolution before the reunion show, if then. First, Tom's blog makes it clear that the first he learned of this issue was watching this episode. This means it will not be dealt with on any currently taped episode. Also, Andy Cohen tweeted a photo of Alex's picture being hung at the restaurant. If he'd been outed for cheating, this wouldn't have occurred.

This means that Bravo/Magical Elves are either maligning an innocent person or letting a thief get away with it. Neither option is acceptable.

[aaalex]

my comments come late, in part because this is a season that, whatever happens, doesn't drive me to the blog to express my feelings because, well, i don't have strong feelings, really. frankly, i'm more interested in some of the commentary on skillet doux than i am in the show itself despite moments of drama.

nomnomnom: i disagree with your assessment of kenny. he hasn't won any challenges lately, but he has been consistently interesting - save for last week, of course. i thought his lamb with the fig jam bread pudding sounded good and the judges liked it too, but they complained he hadn't provided a "full meal" (ie. no greens. nothing to balance against the protein.) his losing dishes sound more interesting - to me - than kelly's winning omelet.

dominic: the thing about kelly's emu egg omelet ... what was remarkable about that winning omelet was not the omelet but that none of the chefs who had more "interesting" ingredients - foie gras, etc - could come up with anything to beat the omelet. your point that kelly's omelet wasn't as "simple" as advertised doesn't get to the heart of the matter: ie. what's wrong with this group that an emu egg omelet beats a foie gras - or croc - creation? as a collective, they failed utterly with "exotic" proteins. not a great testament to the level of cooking on offer.

the curious thing about stephen ... the other chef who was consistently on the bottom but survived because she was inevitably up against someone who had done slightly worse than her was, of course, the horrid canadian woman from season 4: lisa. stephen seems to be the anti-lisa in that he is as inept as she is in competition and yet he's entirely likable, KNOWS that he's underwhelming and wishes he could do better. lisa actually thought she was good. stephen accepts that he's not done well and remains optimistic. to me, that makes him absolutely characteristic of this season in which the best moments some of the chefs have is during their exit interviews. (this week was no exception: andrea was more interesting and likeable in losing than she was during the competition.)

dominic (again) ... the most surprising thing about last week's ratings was your statement "These guys are mostly putting out good food, which is more than I can say for most of the field in a few seasons." i wasn't sure how to take this when i first read it and i still don't know how. when i think of the last few seasons (seasons 4, 5, and 6), there's only one i think of as, qualitatively, dull as this group and that's the group on season 5. the lows, this season, are pretty low and the highs are only relatively high. of the top three or four here (angelo, kenny, kelly, ed), i can't think of one that would have thrived last season. but maybe what you really meant is "excluding season 6, this crew is as consistent as we've had in a while." i don't have a rosy memory of the spike, antonia, lisa season 4, but i wonder if they were less consistent than this group? season 5 was not culinarily distinguished, for the most part, but hosea, leah, ariane, stefan, fabio, jamie were certainly consistently good (in my memory).

also, dominic, there was another thought of yours that got me thinking. you wrote: "Which got me thinking about how coming up with a good Top Chef cast is basically an impossible task. First off, we don't want to see people who can't cook, so they all have to be good. But not too good, or it doesn't feel like a competition between up-and-comers anymore. And other than a few throwaways, they need to all be of roughly equivalent skill level, or a couple will dominate and ruin any sense of suspense."

i agree that a "good top chef cast" is a difficult animal to train, but the idea that the group needs to be roughly equivalent or "a couple will dominate and ruin any sense of suspense" doesn't seem convincing to me. part of the drama of season 5 was knowing that stefan was culinarily more accomplished than most of the others and then watching the mistakes that came about as his overconfidence killed him. i like the idea of great chefs having to compete against lesser one because the human element - personality, confidence, paranoia - comes into play. in any case, with a great chef, we'd at least get really provocative cooking every once in a while.

in any case, the problem this is year is, as someone above pointed out, that the MOTP and the leaders have melded. this season is a perfect storm of mediocrity. it would be little surprise if angelo, kenny, ed, alex, or kelly were sent off next week and it would be difficult to mourn any of their departures. it just doesn't feel as if any of the chefs are capable of bringing the true surprise, the meal that is, conceptually, beyond us, the dish that you rush out to try because you have an inkling of the delights on offer.

to me (and i'm a foodie) it's just a lousy season.
i'm watching now because, well, the personalities have kicked in. if i can't distinguish between the different styles of cooking, i can at least (at last) care for stephen more than alex. i can feel sympathy for ed and kenny and kevin. this year has become not very different from "america's next top model". the personalities - and our natural human sense of identification with certain types of personality - are more significant that the food being presented.

[bryanD]

"This means that Bravo/Magical Elves are either maligning an innocent person or letting a thief get away with it."---Magi

It would almost be the former were it not for Alex being videotaped with half-pureed peas at about 28 minutes into the episode. Conversely, I say "almost" because a Bad Alex was CRUCIAL to enhance what first whetted the producers' show biz appetites, namely:

A suddenly schizoid Ed catches the attention of the camera crews by manically sallying over and across the kitchen appliances at The Palm, calling out "Shane!", I mean, "Puree!!".

Perceiving the glimmering of sub-plot, the producers reverse-engineer a plausible scenario from the previous nights gigabytes of video food-focused blather in the editing room. All the wrong conclusions are dangled for the inclined viewer's delectation. (Alex's exculpatory mixing scene is suspiciously brief and requires reading a pan like a mirror from an oblique angle. But it IS there. That's the way elves roll!)

"to me (and i'm a foodie) it's just a lousy season."---aaalex

3)Kenny's one man psychodrama is oddly compelling.

2)The use of lavender and vanilla and watermelon in entrees across the seasons: will the madness cease? (Or, from a foodie perspective, How can we employ these more often on more things? maybe.)

1)"Parity" promotes offensive gambits in elimination settings. There is NOT another tomorrow for Top Cheftestants, unlike syndicate parity archetypes NFL, NASCAR, etc. As some have said, its MOTP, where up is liable to go down. Angelo could wage a war of attrition for a bit, but that's it.
So, this season has its charms.

[Steve F.]

Re: Peagate

We'll know the truth as soon as the recipe for Alex's pea puree is published and the judges taste the result.

[Steve F.]

A bit early...but no one's posted since late last night. So because we're at the midway point and because the MOTP is beginning to reveal themselves, one last aggregate of reader rankings prior to Dom's much-awaited analysis and rankings at this significant juncture:

1.6 Angelo

3.2 Ed
3.2 Tiffany

4.4 Kelly
4.6 Kenny
5.2 Alex

6.2 Kevin

7.8 Amanda
8.8 Stephen

It is pretty clear who we think is on the top and on the bottom. We deem five of the chefs MOTP. I personally believe that Kenny and Kelly have learned from their mistakes, i.e., trying too hard to impress, and will stabilize in the top tier. Ed hasn't excited the judges but is solid. Tiffany is the dark horse, a la Carla. Alex is erratic but can impress. Can't wait until we're rid of the bottom three so we can really have a contest to the finish line.

[nomnomnom]

Just FYI. The previews are up and the elimination preview once again completely reveals the quickfire winner if you watch it close enough. It's subtle, but follow this stuff close enough and you tend to pickup on the things the elves leave in when they are sloppy drunk.

The executive summary:

Kevin has India

Tiffany has Mexico and is planning some tamales

Steven has Brazil and seems lost, but appears to have been able to nail down that fatty tri-tip cut in quantities that I have a hard time buying WF would just stock by default.

Angelo from last week seems to have thailand? Something SE Asia. He reached that way on the map in the preview that happened at the end of last episode.

Nobody else gets any meaningful airtime to reveal anything else.

[ally]

not really top chef related, but this made me laugh...

its a compilation of the iron chef "secret ingredient" announcements, and it gets weirder and weirder :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXqY8EZ21-g&feature=player_embedded