Top Chef - S7E8 Postmortem

Awwwwwwww.

In truth, this was a challenge that really could have tripped somebody up in cheap fashion, so I'm actually quite glad it knocked off the guy who, much as I like him, was well overdue. Spares us all from feeling that somebody got hosed.

And Tiffany! That's what we were looking for! Picking up steam, picking up steam, and then BAM... double win.

I'm feeling it... the rankings are... almost... sort of... maybe ready to take shape? Could it be?

Gotta ponder this for a while... discuss!

Comments

[Brody]

Season seems to be picking up a bit, though it's almost flying by. Can't believe we're already approaching Restaurant Wars.

Designation of Alex as the midseason villain on the basis of...being a bit spastic and maybe maybe maybe (but probably not) taking a pea puree that didn't have any effect on Ed seems a bit desperate on the part of the editors.

[dach]

Good challenges to test the breadth of knowledge of a "top chef", and some ability to think on their feet.

Tiffany passes both QF and EC (with immunity) tests with flying colors. She did luck into choosing Mexico, her ethnic food of choice.

More Amanda affection with her redeem arc. You realize Amanda's food has never been criticized on flavor.

I'm very excited for RW. Everyone remaining demonstrated they belong in a top professional kitchen. From the preview it looks like Kelly is one team leader, Angelo is the other team leader, and Angelo's team is in the weeds. Kelly looks like she ran her team well, like during cafeteria challenege. Angelo is not having any fun with his team. I wonder if the editing is far too obvious, and it can't be how it looks.

[Duffy]

Wow...Deep trouble in my area. Bravo transmission problems; picture,but no sound at all on tonight's first TWO runs of TC8. One more at midnight. Cable folks said it was a broadcast problem, with no idea on when it would be repaired. If it doesn't get fixed by midnight, I am stuck until one of the DOZEN or so reruns later this week... Phooie...

[bryanD]

Despite the senseless elimination challenge parameters, tonight's episode was a happy one for what it portends for the rest of the season: inter-season comparisons aside, this year's remaining 8, post-Stephen, are now the most competitive 8 in Top Chef history. With the exception of Arnold, the right people have been shuffled off efficiently in due time. Alex and Amanda and Kevin are each capable of upsetting the competition. I foresee good teevee ahead---and next week's Restaurant Wars looks like a real doozy. (I wonder if offscreen yellee is Alex. I got $5.) BTW Samuelsson was a superb presence over this episode. And still no Toby Young. Good episode; very good season.

[Vega]

Bryan - that's cause Toby Young isn't on Top Chef any longer.

[Janet]

Yay for Tiffany! Her tamales looked delicious. Stephen really drew the short straw, getting stuck with the country no one wanted. He may have been outclassed in the kitchen, but he held his own in personality and confidence. His exit was gracious and classy.

Next week looks like fun (for us).

[Scott]

I think the right person left,

BUT OH MY AT THE PREVIEWS FOR RESTAURANT WAR. Could this be the worst restaurant war of all time?

Also, does anybody else find that Tom looks extremely irritable this season? IT also seems that the chefs are making a lot of rookie mistakes, which may lead Tom to get annoyed. Also, Angelo and Kenny have disappeared. At first, I thought Angelo was pulling a Hung where he just did good enough until the end, but the look of disappointment on his face tells me that he really thinks he should be winning. Kenny on the other hand seems to always be doing too much. This is "top chef" not "top chef, two-ways." Still rooting for Kelly!

[Daniel]

I hated Toby Young with the (relative)fire of 1000 suns. Judges' table is far more pleasant without his presence.

Stephen was a very nice guy, but aside from a quickfire, I just can't think of anything he put out that wasn't marred by serious execution or conception errors. The man has a solid resume, I wonder what the problem was for him. Perhaps, like Arnold, he spends more time managing and less time cooking, but then just didn't have Arnold's good judgment?

There are things I've come to like about Amanda...I'm starting to think that this competition just might be coming several years too early for her. Perhaps once she has a few more years of grunt work under her belt, she'd be better (and more consistent) on execution.

Dom, they start filming Canadian Top Chef this sunday, and it's supposed to be out on TV in the spring - any plans to cover it in this blog?

[Skillet Doux]

Daniel... I can barely keep up with Top Chef Prime these days. I think that and Masters is about all I can handle :-)

[timothy]

Okay, I too am starting to come around on this season. Tiffany is emerging as a compelling character. I would really like to eat her food, though I don't have a sense of what her dominant style is. If someone said "Okay Tiffany: cook your signature food," I am not sure what she would deliver. Chances are, though, it would be delicious. This could be another season for a female Top Chef. I am interested to see who Dom puts on the bottom. Now that Stephen is gone, it's no longer clear to me. Though Alex won last week, could he be the weakest link now?

[gilmore]

Watched this episode on the run and may have missed something.

Did the Japanese ambassador say that Angelo's dish would be found in the finest restaurants in Japan?

Did the Chinese ambassador say great things about Ed's duck? Maybe the duck is supposed to be fatty.

Why did they not get the opinions from each of the ambassadors? Clearly, each of the judges has expertise in some of the represented countries' foods. But not all. I recall watching the Japanese Iron Chef, some of the dishes looked and sounded horrible, but were loved by the judges. This is not Benihana. If Angelo served whale blubber, how could the judges judge properly, unless they heard the opinion of the Japanese ambassador?

Dom's rankings prove supreme once again. Now it gets tough with such inconsistent uneven performances. Seems like there are a lot of chefs who are up one week, down the next.

[Bart]

I liked this episode. I think they addressed peagate as well as they could have, and I think the way Ed and Alex explained it should provide some closure. If Ed really believed Alex took it, he would have said so during the episode.

Man, Kevin's up, Kevin's down, Kevin's up, Kevin's down.

@timothy - I agree, Tiffany is definitely emerging as a likable character. Finally we're starting to get someone to root for.

After this week, I think Kenny has to go down at least two spots, to make way for Tiffany (EC winner) and Kelly (EC finalist). Kevin should also go up a few bumps. Can't really see Ed going down that far, despite his appearance in the basement.

Hmm:

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

What's really remarkable is that I don't think any of these cheftestants are bottom-dwellars. I don't feel comfortable having any of them taking the #8 spot. It's unfair to Amanda, who has shown she can cook well.

Maybe the 6th place should be tied among the bottom three.

[paula]

I think it was actually the AUSTRIAN embassador who was praising the Japanese food, which I found hilarious.

The edit made it obvious that Kevin was going to pull through with flying colors, but I was still really glad (pleasantly surprised) to see it. I've always liked Tiffany so I was psyched to see her kick ass. And, like others, I've been keeping an eye on Amanda. She's better than she's been getting credit for.

[Amanda P.]

My husband and I both believe that the restaurant where Tiffany currently works needs to add the following menu item: Tiffany's Ten Thousand Dollar Tamale. It doesn't matter what type of restaurant she works it - it needs to be done. :)

Otherwise, I agree, this is the first episode this season where I didn't spend most of my time actively disliking everyone on screen.

Stephen for fan favorite?

[dach]

I would take all ambassador statements with a big grain of salt. They are diplomats, diplomats are diplomatic. They are representing their entire country on camera. It was funny that the only negative diplomat clip was Scandinavian, calling Stephen's meat $5 street foot. The way he said it was so sterotypical depressed Scandinavian dour.

Angelo didn't do bad, but I'm wondering if judges are getting tired of Anglo flavor profile. But his sashimi did look a bit limp on camera. I know the judges are tired of Kenny's busy duos and trios.

OTOH, it is hard for me to be too hard against Kenny and Angelo. Both of them hurt themselves by being TOO familiar, and thus too literal, with the ethnic food they made to authentic flavors. But judging rewarded ethnic INSPIRED food, which required creativity and chef's personal taste in the food come out. Properly so, and it evened the field. Most telling was that Kevin, entirely unfamiliar with Indian (why? there is a large Indian community in NJ!) came close to winning.

[timothy]

@AmandaP: I was thinking too that there is a real chance that Stephen wins fan favorite. I doubt the FF has ever come from someone eliminated this far back and there is a lot of time left for someone else, like Tiffany, to grow on the fans, but it is definitely a possibility. If you think about it, Stephen accomplished something really rare. He could have easily been something of a reality TV joke. From the beginning he was weak as a contestant. He managed, though, to prove that it really is not all about whether or not you win or lose, but it is about how you play the game. I mean, that is such a cliche I can't even believed I just typed it, but he really, truly embodied that philosophy. He played the game as someone happy to be there. He took it seriously enough to convince us that he was trying his best, but he never took it so seriously that it became more important that just being a good guy. I give the guy credit and I will miss him on the show.

[Anon Man]

You know, as much as we have complained about no Leann this season, I think the overall quality of the editing is in the (plastic-wrapped) toilet. First words of the episode: Tiffany: I need a win. And a win you shall have. Now, admittedly, I don't watch the show for the drama, but really, let's try harder.

I'm sure this is another editing issue, but on the one hand, the praise Kevin for his "inspired-by" approach, but then downplay Angelo because it isn't authentic enough. I understand the differences/critique of Angelo's dish, but it seems like an inconsistent standard. But, what tight competition. I don't recall them saying anything bad about Kenny's EC dish, and he didn't make the top 3. Yowzah.

Looking forward to RW, looks like it could be more like Hell's Kitchen than the quality of food we've come to expect. Although, based on the previews I would take money on a certain person going home (which I'll keep to myself).

And, one little nit: Kevin said Marcus was "known for" Ethiopia and East Asian food. Um, not really. I know he's on this kick to get back to his heritage, but when I think of him, I think Aquavit, and Sweden. That's what he's really "known" for, IMHO.

[Anon Man]

Oh, one other thing on the judging. After claiming, repeatedly that "inspired by" the standard, it looks like the most authenic dish won. Just saying.

[nomnomnom]

On first glance I thought the matchup looked like a mismatch of some degree

Angelo Alex Ed Tiffany

vs

Kevin Kenny Kelly(FOH) Amanda

I've been calling Kenny's departure on RW for some time. I strongly think Kenny will take the front role on this and get sent home. This is punctuated by Kelly taking FOH. The last 5 or so seasons you either get sent for FOH or for the Lead role.

I assume Dom won't drop Kenny 7 spots, but he is absolutely set up here to fail.

The way I see things.

1. Tiffany - Drivers seat now
2. Angelo - Solid not spectacular again
3. Kevin - The crew here seems to be coming around on this guy
small drop
4. Ed - Shaky week. And got a shaky review of his place in NYC.
5. Kelly - Had this one set up on a silver platter, but still executed it.
Dropoff
6. Amanda - Slowly gaining momentum
7. Alex - Villian edit in overdrive
8. Kenny - Out after next week. Hasn't really shown up in a month now. Won't be missed.

[Polybus]

Really good episode. Tiffany seems to get stronger every week.

Going into each episode, the major question for me is becoming: which Kevin will show up? Good Kevin or Bad Kevin? It plays hell with the rankings. Here's how I see it as of now:

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

Interesting tidbit related strictly to this little community: I can now tell a nomnomnom post without even reading the name underneath.

[paula]

Polybus: Hee. Me too. You're a little smug, NomX3, but we love you anyway.
Anon Man: Hee again on the toilet comment. I agree, the editing sucks this year. Not just in how they set up the winners and losers, but random things like obvious cutting-and-splicing of things people are saying. There was a weird one last night with Ed, talking about being on the bottom, and then there's a jarring splice to him saying "with Alex."

[Kyle]

It was awesome to see Tiffany kick ass this week. I've been rooting for her since the school lunch showdown. Now that she's got 2 wins under her belt, her track record looks great (I still think of it as 3 wins since she had a top breakfast on the 3-course challenge). She's been in the top for ECs as much as she's been in the middle, and hasn't been in the bottom at all yet.

[Polybus]

I agree on the editing - the elvish almost had me convinced that Alex was going home, but my distrust kicked in during the commercial break and I was ready for the natural result. This is why I no longer watch previews. I am now also at the point of ignoring prognostications based on previews. It's more fun for me to just let the show unfold.

[Skillet Doux]

"I am now also at the point of ignoring prognostications based on previews. It's more fun for me to just let the show unfold."

Me too. If I could write 'em without reading 'em, I would :-)

[timothy]

Yeah, at the risk of jumping into something that probably should be left alone, I am going to offer my definition of "smug" as it applies to a nomnomnom post. And I add the sincere disclaimer that I like a nomnomnom post. There is insight there. That said, this is one way of talking about Kenny: "Won't be missed." This is another way of talking about Kenny: "I won't miss him." The first seems smug because it assumes everyone thinks as the speaker thinks. I, for one, would miss Kenny if he gets eliminated. I like Kenny as he is portrayed here. He makes for good food television.

[Polybus]

Dom, frankly I do not consider your comments as prognostication based on the previews. Yes, you comment, for example, "it looks like this may be happening based on the preview" but I've never seen a comment of yours along the lines of "Kevin will be eliminated this week based on the preview." There is a real difference between these two kinds of statements. As to your having to read these prognostications, I do understand that you have to and I appreciate your restraint.

I think that many people no longer read Dom's preamble to the Power Rankings, but I keep his words close to heart:

"...there's a lot of sneaky intel out there, but I'm endeavoring to keep this blog a spoiler-free zone. This isn't just for the readers, but for me, too -- I don't want to know what happens! As such, anything that's already been broadcast or has been posted on the official Bravo site is fair game for discussion. I will, for example, discuss the preview of next week's show at the end of the post."

And a great job you have done!

[vizoroo]

It was time for Stephen to leave. Time may be coming for Tiffany and Kevin and much to my surprise Kenny seems to be in a swan dive and Angelo's early dominance has not held up. The two front runners are no more.

RW could be very interesting.

[Skillet Doux]

"t was time for Stephen to leave. Time may be coming for Tiffany and Kevin..."

Since Tiffany is coming off a double win, has the second-fewest bottom appearances and is one of only two remaining contestants who has never been on the chopping block, I presume you meant Amanda?

[Anon Man]

So, nom3, why is Tiffany "in the Driver's seat". The top to bottom swings this year have been brutal. Arnold won, and then was gone. Alex won, and then was on the bottom. Same stuff could happen to her. With the exception of Amanda, none of the chefs would shock me if they are in the finals at this point.

[Ali]

@Daniel - Something about Amanda has always rubbed me the wrong way, but it's fairly clear, even from the beginning, that the chick can cook. Her food French may be a little stilted, but her cooking seems about good for someone her age who's quite good in the kitchen. And that may sound like a veiled insult, but it's not. She's good, and I agree that this show has come too early for her. In a few years, with a little more experience (experience cooking, experience with more exotic spices and other ingredients, etc.), she could be a phenomenal chef. Until then, she's just a good cook who's rubbing me the wrong way without proving any kick-ass, Hung-level awesomeness for me to look the other way at a personality I don't particularly like.

I'm personally rooting for Kenny to go, at the moment. If I never see another duo/trio/whatever again, it'd still be too soon (and just to be clear, I hate when restaurants do it, too). A duo/trio/whatever should be a way to really experience a particular ingredient in truly unique ways, and I just don't think Kenny's thinking along those lines! Also, his alpha-male, I'm-the-best thinking is driving me insane.

(Then again, with some previous seasons, I was all "don't sous vide/deconstruct/whatever without purpose," and I'm all "don't do a duo/trio/whatever without purpose." Maybe the problem is me, certainly that last issue about Kenny's personality is a problem with me and my perceptions.)

@Dom - so glad your family is better so that we have your power rankings back. One of the best parts of watching Top Chef, in my opinion, and really, with this season, I'd say that I'm watching Top Chef to understand the power rankings. Last season followed by Top Chef Masters has ruined me for this season, which is objectively not terrible but comparably bad.

[Lon]

As some have said, this episode made me feel like the show finally got its sea legs and we're headed for smoother sailing, down the home stretch, to mix a bunch of metaphors.

If I had to offer odds right now on the four finalists (or three if that's what it ends up being), I wouldn't be able to establish them. Kelly and Tiffany appear to be consistently the strongest, but Amanda could surprise. Kenny and Kevin have been disappointing lately, but they could get lucky and fix something super. To me it's shaping up like season 5 where Hosea came out of nowhere to win.

The only two I wouldn't offer odds on as finalists are Ed and Alex, but I'm not to sure on them.

Restaurant Wars will really give us a good read on the finalists, I hope.

[hayamyma]

Tom's blog addresses the inspired/authentic issue in judging. He gives a well-deserved shout-out to Keven for knowing he needed to roast his spices to fully release their flavor. He then says this about Kelly's more traditional Italian dish, nothing that Kelly accomplished her execution challenge: "It’s when you try to do an authentic dish and don’t pull off the cooking that you’re not pulling off the authenticity." He also has more to say about Peagate.

[Scott]

Is Tiffany following the Carla arc? Anonymous for half the season, starts winning, shows some serious chops, ends up in the finale.

[rab01]

Does anyone else get the sense that Angelo is only cooking dishes that he has prepared before? All of the other constestants have had to adapt to constraints and try something outside their respective comfort zones.

This is a sign of the benefit he gains from his broad experience and is good strategy -- cook what you know works -- but leads to fewer chances for creativity and sheer eureka moments on TV. I also think it might be why I am not excited to root for him.

[Steve F.]

Opposed to what others have said, I find that this episode only tosses everyone around and wipes away much of the definition we had from previous episodes. With the exception of Angelo, I think that it's anyone's guess who will go next.

Up and down, brilliant and tragic: Amanda, Kevin and (finally) Alex (first time in the bottom, and nearly kicked off)

Solid, unremarkable: Ed

Alternates between solid and brilliant, stabilized after string of disasters: Kelly and Kenny.

On a run, hitting her stride, previously only solid but unremarkable food: Tiffany

How does one predict who's most likely to go next? It's a crap shoot, partly illuminated by the challenges (partly, because who would have thought Kevin would've placed in the EC after admitting he knows nothing about Indian cooking? Or that Kenny and Ed (who had knowledge of Ethiopian) would be beaten by Tiffany and Amanda (who didn't)).

Aside from Angelo (and perhaps Kenny and Kelly), anyone can make a fatal mistake or even be mediocre and leave in the coming weeks.

[Steve F.]

PS. After rereading my post, I decided that Alex should have his own category.

Generally solid or better ECs (only one bad one), flashes of brilliance, erratic: Alex.

[Bart]

Yeah, I don't envy Dom's task coming up this weekend. I honestly don't think there's a front-runner or a cellar dweller. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Dom just threw up his hands and said,

"Tied for the 1st spot are: Angelo, Kelly and Tiffany.

Tied for the second spot: Everybody else.

Discuss."

[nomnomnom]

I also get the feeling Angelo has a pretty good backlog of things to cook from. He seems to be a consultant on the side so he probably has a pretty wide menu range. I think his ethiopian background came from consulting as well.

Tiffany to me seems to be surging at the right time, but remember back when teams were picking sides the first time Tiffany was the most sought after chef there. Warrants mentioning.

I did actually have some "intel" on Tiffany. She is from Dallas and did and interview in the paper and said she cooked for Pelosi. Pelosi is on the next episode so I knew she'd last as long as the Pelosi episode. I've tried to be somewhat restrained in cheerleading for her for that, plus my wife didn't much care for her restaurant. It is getting lots of buzz now for what it's worth.

People that can cook fish well can go far. It takes far less time to cook fish, and this allows for additional prep.

If you guys are upset about no Lee Ann right now what is going to be the outcry if the nasa episode (freeze dry meal to eat in space) decides who goes to the finals? I liked LeeAnn's setups, but her blog had more insight than anything we get now. That's what is really missing.

One other random thought. What if you placed Mike Isabella, or Eli in this season. Where would they stack up?

[wolfefan]

FYI - chat with Stephen coming up at 3 pm Eastern time

http://live.washingtonpost.com/top-chef-0805.html

[Kyle]

I think Mike and Eli would pretty much fit right in with the 2nd tier (everyone but the top 3).

[dach]

I don't think last season Mike I or Eli where ever in danger at the bottom (yeah MikeI threw together a lame shrimp salad for the Air Force, when he spent most of his time helping MikeV win,) until after RW, when there was just no breathing space left from absolute dominance of the top 4. Only then did MikeI had brain fart making his sad looking vegetarian dish for Portman, and Eli later made baffling weird peanut white chocolate popcorn soup.

So other than Tiffany and Angelo who have no bottoms, Mike and Eli were way more consistent than this season's cast, but the also had to contend with 4 horsemen who could do no wrong, and often put out top level signature dish quality food. So if Eli and Mike where on this season I would put them squarely above everyone other than Tiffany and Angelo -- possibly even as good as Tiffany and Angelo.

[bryanD]

"I'm personally rooting for Kenny to go, at the moment."---ali

Me?, I pretend you ask; definitely Ed. (He's psyching himself out severely. He makes Kenny seem as serene as the Dalai Lama. Also, Ed putting the culinary equivalent of ass's ears on his own father at the Mount Vernon grill challenge rubbed me the wrong way. And he's gone into (apparently) permanent Glowering Mode, with "Alex-Alex" as his excuse. He's beginning to remind me of that other persecuted and long-suffering chubby chef, Mike Isabella, Mister Agita Mezzogiorno 2009. Only not nearly as personable. Ed is literally going to grind his teeth down several mils if he lasts much longer . Good teevee.

PS. I wonder if Tiffany used lard in her tamale recipe.

[Polybus]

Speaking of tamales... (well, this is a little off topic and I needed a segue, so that was my backdoor in).

I really wish that TC would come do their finale in Santa Fe some time. I'd love to see three or four great chefs making green or red chile sauce New Mexico style. There are hundreds of recipes for red chile (some using red wine, some chocolate, some with exotic spices, some with baffling combinations), but they are mostly incredible. The green is a little more straight-forward, but no less enjoyable.

My favorite eatery here starts their carne adovada early in the morning, slow cooking huge amounts of pork. Several hours in, they begin the red chile, chopping and blending the chilis, and adding their own special spices. About six hours later, the pork is drained, chopped (it falls apart basically), and is added to the chile, where it slow cooks overnight in a huge pot. It is ready the next morning. I eat mine burrito style, but the chef just sits down with a bowl and eats the whole thing straight. Although hot enough to start your nose running, the flavor shines through like a miracle and leaves you with a glow that lasts the rest of the day.

I'm not a foodie, but the cuisine of the Southwest, and especially New Mexico, is way overlooked in favor of what the public generically calls "Mexican". Tom might have a hard time here, but I bet Padma would like it! And I'm sure Dom understands!

[Bill]

Polybus, what is that favorite Santa Fe eatery?

[bryanD]

"PS. I wonder if Tiffany used lard in her tamale recipe."---me

D'uh. Consulted Top Chef site. Plus (I forgot!): c-h-i-c-k-e-n tamales. Basically prepared as chicken salad (boiled chicken). That being said (and despite my automatic beef tamale predilection), Tiffany's recipe is "bright" and thus astute regarding judging expectations. Smart girl.

"Tom might have a hard time here"--Polybus

Are you by chance referring to the aversion of so many famous NY/NJ chefs to anything hotter than a purple onion? If so, I know! (Conant on Chopped cracks me up!)

[Anon man]

@BryanD, I love chicken tamales. I think its become a comfort food. When I was in law school, there were a couple of women who would sell chicken tamales at my BART stop. Man, some of them were tasty, and only a buck. (Some were also not so good.) It was like home cooking on a student budget, and so now when I see a hole in the wall with what looks to be a decent tamale following, I MUST try it.

Also, I would add that as a native San Diegan, a lot of what passes in this country as "Mexican food" isn't. Some is other Latin food folded in, some is Americanized versions of the food, and the SW/Mexican confusion discussed above. I do enjoy New Mexican or "Southwest" cuisine, but when I'm back in the homeland, its straight from airport to my favorite Tacqueria.

[Polybus]

BART... boy that brings back some memories...

Bill, that eatery is the Tecalote Cafe on Cerrillos.

As for Tom, it's just that I've noticed over the years on TC that he doesn't seem to care for food that really gets up and goes, heat-wise. People who are not used to authentic SW cuisine seem to lose their palate at a certain level of heat and thus miss the flavor. And, in fairness, I must admit that most people require a certain... acclimatization. Many restaurants here post warnings to tourists. The State Question here, if there was one, would be "Red or green?" the final question any waiter or waitress asks the customer.

[Bart]

All this talk about BART is tingling my ears

[ally]

bryanD: I may be missing something but there is no actual recipe for the tamale in the Top Chef version, just the toppings. So the lard question is not resolved as far as I can tell. Its disappointing because the preparation of the tamale itself impressed Tom (you can really taste the husk!)

[Polybus]

Ally: I don't know how Tiffany made her dough, but a simple recipe I know of calls for 2 cups of lard. It is whipped until it reaches a nice fluffiness, then gradually combined with your masa harina dough. Lard is available at Whole Foods (at least here) and Tiffany is from Texas, so I'm betting she used the real stuff. As far as the taste goes, you should always be able to taste the husk unless the tamale is covered in sauce, then not so much.

Anon Man: For a brief time in the 1970's, I lived on the Navajo Rez and an old woman used to go around the neighborhood selling her home-made pork tamales, $5 for a dozen. What a great deal!

I give Tiffany great props for making this deconstruction and knocking it out of the park!

[vizoroo]

"It was time for Stephen to leave.

Sorry, Anon man, my thoughts were faster than my fingers. What I meant to say: Their time AT THE TOP may be coming for Tiffany and Kevin..."

IMHO Amanda and Alex are on the bottom now that Stephen is gone.

[bryanD]

bryanD: I may be missing something but there is no actual recipe for the tamale in the Top Chef version, just the toppings.---ally

Michael Voltaggio video-demos Tiffany's tamales at the TC site.

"So the lard question is not resolved as far as I can tell."--ally

MV (and I assume Tiffany) used a masa mix which MV intimated MIGHT have lard in it. That sounds right, but MV was rather jejeune about if it really did or didn't. Such core Mex recipe apathy prompted my early "I wonder if Tiffany *dared* bring lard inside TC kitchen".

To buttress my perhaps flawed suspicions regarding food prejudice, Voltaggio (just for the hell of it) poured olive oil in with the tomatillos for use as an emulsifier instead of something more neutral/appropriate-tasting such as regular old name brand vegetable oil. I doubt Tiffany appreciates her TC souvenir recipe being dissed so casually in an official demo. Michael Voltaggio: kitchen philanthropist.

[ally]

Tamales - my sister in law, who's Mexican American makes fantastic tamales and yes with masa and lard :) I do believe they are pork, certainly with some red chile involved. A lasting image in my mind is years ago at Christmas time, my niece and nephew at ages about 5 and 3 running around in 70 degree West Texas winter weather, fists full of corn husks, munching on tamales.

[princessJAY]

I am just mad that Chinese food is among the last options picked, that the contestants would rather go for cuisine styles they were completely unfamiliar with, rather than try Chinese...UGH!

Then again, it's virtually impossible to find decent Chinese food in the DC area, so maybe this is just an apposite situation, after all.

[Skillet Doux]

I dunno, princessJAY... Chinese is so technically sophisticated, it's easy to make a big miss of it. I can see why it would be an intimidating choice.

And there's some good Chinese in the DC area... some good options in Rockville, as I recall, and Grace Garden in Odenton, though that's a bit of a haul.

[princessJAY]

Lol, Odenton would be a bit out of my usual way (30 miles+), although I am known to travel 50 miles for a good meal.

Yes, there are a few decent Chinese restaurants in the area that make good, homey meals, but I have yet to encounter anything sophisticated or truly amazing. I think I've been to most of the places that people have heard of and have good things to say about -- to me, these were mostly average or slightly above-average, or maybe had a few good dishes with the unmemorable everything else. (Versus, say, the number of excellent places in NYC that I went in on mere impulse, without any prior research.)

It saddens me (and my stomach). DC area is EXCELLENT for Korean food, Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese (just had the amazing 10-course meal at Makoto yesterday and can still savor its delicious, delicous salmon melting in my mouth like butter...!!) Being Chinese, I just wish Chinese food could be better represented in general ;)

On another note, while it's true some Chinese food is technically sophisticated and difficult to make -- there are so many variety to choose from, depending on region (the 4 or 8 great traditions, plus regional variations), haute or street. I think that given its variety, a chef could really pick whatever style s/he is comfortable with and still make a decent go at it... ;)

[gilmore]

princessJAY - they CAN make a decent go at it and impress the Chinese ambassador but fail to impress the more knowledgeable judges.

[jh]

Completely off topic, but I felt the need to share. James Oseland, TCM judge and editor-in-chief of Saveur, listed his 5 foods that he's ashamed to love.

1. Dr. Pepper
2. BBQ potato chips
3. McDonald's Filet-o-Fish sandwiches
4. Hershey milk chocolate bars
5. Swiss Miss creamy vanilla pudding cups

I can imagine him eating his Mickey D's sandwich with a knife and fork.

The original article:
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/08/04/55-saveur-editor-in-chief-james-oseland/?hpt=Sbin

[Independent George]

Mandatory game-show post: It worked out properly, but Tiffany should have been granted 1st pick as a reward for winning the QF, and not by drawing knives. The rest of the contestants should have been assigned countries randomly rather than having an order assigned. It's an unfair advantage to the top draws.

I haven't been a fan of Amanda, but I'm always impressed when chefs admit to their mistakes rather than lash out defensively. Stephen's always been classy, but I have to give credit to Amanda for recognizing her mistakes immediately after serving. It was genuine humility, rather than the all-too-common play for sympathy. I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.

I wouldn't normally be impressed by Kelly's carpaccio but for the fact that she explicitly changed directions when she learned of the cooking parameters. Planning/logistics is often underappreciated in TC, and she seems to have mastered that skill (as seen in the cafeteria & farm challenges). I'm curious to see if that carries over to RW; I thought that would be an advantage for Jennifer last season, before she shockingly abdicated the role during the challenge.

[Independent George]

One further point - why is Alex considered the villain, while Ed's crass and needless "I used to bang his girlfriend"/"He has no technique" escapes commentary?

[Anon Man]

Moving from San Francisco to the DC area, the loss of 1) any Mexican and 2) passable Chinese. (Yes, SF is better for Honduran than Mexican, but there's a few decent places.) I've found a few OK, and only ok, Chinese places here. Mark's Duck House for Duck is decent, and the back-page/traditional menu at Szechwan Pavilion has some high notes, but I need decent dim sum. I have not made the trek to Grace Garden, but the fish noodles look awesome. If/when I'm out in that area, I'll stop by. Sent a colleague who lives in Columbia, and he loved it.

4 days until I'm eating good Mexican in San Diego.

[Steve F.]

Best dim sum in the area can be found at China Garden in Rosslyn and Tony Cheng's at Gallery Place.

Whereabouts in the DC area are you?

[Polybus]

Having lived for 18 years in San Francisco, four of them in Chinatown, I had the joy of experiencing some of the best Asian cuisine in America. Then I moved to Santa Fe - and as much as I love New Mexican cuisine - the Asian food here is... well... I just can't say how bad it is. I live in that little world where... when I go back to San Francisco, I revel in Asian cuisine... but after a few days I start to crave green chile... I get back to Santa Fe and after a few days I start to crave dim sum. It's a win/no win situation.

[timothy]

Polybus: I can definitely relate. I recently moved to Tucson from Honolulu. For the first six days I was here in Tucson, I ate Mexican food three meals a day. I loved it and had been deprived in Honolulu where you just can't get a good taco (in my opinion). Then after six days I started craving sushi...and kalbi...and thai curry...and unagi...and manapua...even spam musubi. I went back to Hawaii in July and gorged on everything but Mexican food. Now I'm in Tucson for the foreseeable future. The part of me that likes Asian food is going to have to hibernate for a while, but I'm getting all the Mexican food I can. So anyway, I relate to your situation.

[bryanD]

"One further point - why is Alex considered the villain, while Ed's crass and needless "I used to bang his girlfriend"/"He has no technique" escapes commentary?"
Posted by: Independent George

I mentioned earlier (in so many words) that Ed's paranoia is turning him into a J Edgar Hoover character("weak"-father issues, delusions of grandeur, outward-directed paranoia and persecution complex). He's even trying to turn Tiffany into his version of Clyde Tolson. Them against the world! (I foresee Tiffany letting out some slack on that rope soon. ALOT of slack. REAL soon.)
Alex? He has become Ed's bete noire ever since ED(!) forgot the bechemel sauce on Alex's breakfast recipe at the Hilton menu challenge. Ed has been trying to turn tables in a hard way ever since, to catch back up with his own "narrative" of *Dumb Alex".
And of course, like during the late, senile stage of Director Hoover's long career, Ed loses his own damn pea puree despite himself being in reality an organizational genius who made his the night before. Despite film of Alex's own fresh-to-puree Day2 pea demonstration, The World believes in Iconic Director J.Ed's version of events. For a while.

As for Ed's "banging" resume, etc. I think even Ed has to wince over that commentary. *Yes, Ed! We believe you! You like girls and have had sex with drunk ones! 2 points for you! Bon Voyageee! Here's a cookie for the road! Don't let the door hit ye!*

Reminder: there a THREE (3) of these types still extant(woo-hoo!): Ed, Kevin, and Kenny. Though in fairness, Kenny has some chops and is not *clinical*. He just hates Angelo in a Cowboys-Redskins kind of way.

[Polybus]

Amen!

[Bart]

I like all of this food talk. I feel fortunate to live in Jersey City - Little India isn't far from me, many wonderful restaurants are in Jersey City and Hoboken...and of course, world class cuisine only literally minutes away from me across the river, in NYC.

[Anon Man]

@Steve F., I'm on the McLean/Arlington line, so Rosslyn is doable. Gallery Place during Caps season is also doable. Sundays only, or lunch everyday?

[timothy]

@Bart: That's the first time I have ever read the sentence, "I feel fortunate to live in Jersey City." I am kidding. I actually would love to live somewhere where it was easy to find both good Indian food and a good corn beef sandwich.

[Steve F.]

@Anon Man:

China Garden serves dim sum brunch on the weekends. You must arrive early for the first seating; otherwise, there can be a long wait.

Tony Cheng's serves dim sum all the time, to order on weekdays, carts only on weekends.

Enjoy!

[Steve F.]

@Anon Man:

PS. When did you move to DC? I am surprised you have not found these places already.

[Anon Man]

@Steve F.: 13 years ago. After many very bad experiences with the Chinese food around here, I frankly stopped looking. To be fair, there are some good Thai and Vietnamese restaurants out here, which aren't as common in NorCal, so I tend to eat more of that around here. There are some extremely bad Chinese places in DC. Some of them are very popular, somehow.

I'll try to give C.G. a try. Low tolerance for long waits, though.

As Top Chef sort of noted a little bit last week, there is good etnic food in DC, its just that Chinese and Mexican aren't among them. Ethiopian, Persian, Peruvian, SE Asia (Thai and VietNam, mostly), and European cuisines can actually be very good. So, I stick with those mostly, and buy a plane ticket when I need Mexican or Chinese.

[Steve F.]

@Anon Man:

The Chinese here does usually leave a lot to be desired. On the other hand, some of the Chinese food in San Francisco have become stale when I've revisited. I think laziness is seeping in since the cuisine is so popular.

You won't regret China Garden for dim sum. Usually very good. Get there 15-30 minutes before they open to get in with the first wave and get the freshest food.

I'm only here during Top Chef season. Do you have a Facebook account? I'd love to hear what your experience is.

[BritBrit]

All this talk of Dim Sum is making me seriously rethink my plans for this weekend. Thank goodness that 1) San Francisco is but a 30 minute drive away and 2) my boyfriend's birthday serves as a welcome excuse for me to eat my body weights worth of Yank Sing Siu Mye.

[Gilmore]

But none of you can get the fried food I get here in Mississippi.

[Steve F.]

Can't wait for Dom's rankings...wonder if he will just toss four (Angelo, Kelly, Kenny and Tiffany) into spot 1 and four (Alex, Ed, Amanda and Kevin) into spot 5.

Yay, Restaurant Wars!!!!

[princessJAY]

Not to rain on anyone's parade ;) but China Garden dim sum is one of those well-reputed DC places that dashed my hopes... what ought to have been crispy ain't crispy, what out to have been chewy is mushy instead.

but, you may have a better experience. here's hoping you hit on a good batch when you do go to try it out.

However, I highly recommend Makoto and Thai-Xing for unique dining experiences ;]