Top Chef - S7E12 Postmortem

Where have you people been all season?!?

See, now if we'd been seeing more of this, we'd be having a completely different discussion. Though I sure don't envy the judges having to make that call, how great is it to see the regular season end with all five remaining contestants turning out great, distinctive food? But you know, this has pretty much been the theme all season long. Just when you think you have it all figured out...

But as mentioned in the Power Rankings, this is also somewhat typical of the last challenge going into the finals. Everybody who's been dragging is suddenly reenergized and puts their best foot forward. And in that very vein, I was really pleased to see Angelo and Kelly get their mojo back. Something tells me Angelo's going to deal with Singapore a lot better than Kelly (you think?), but I feel like they justified the fact that I let them hang on so high for so long, even if the late charges by Tiffany and Ed could no longer be ignored.

It is, indeed, sad to see Tiffany go. I would think finishing fifth has to be one of the toughest if not the toughest time to go. There's that added feeling of abandonment, being left behind while everybody flits off to a special destination for a wild finale. But for the reasons I've pointed out the past couple of weeks, I'm not disappointed. She's succeeded by remaining steadfastly solid while everybody else flailed around her, and she did the same today. So her elimination means that everybody else finally got their act together all at once and put out those distinctive, memorable dishes that have not been Tiffany's strength. She went down because the competition finally stepped up. And while that's bad for Tiffany, that bodes well for us going into the finals.

Discuss!

Comments

[Bart]

I have to say, I really, really liked this episode. The elimination challenge was really freaking cool, from the visit to the space center, to the video from the astronauts, to having Buzz Aldrin in that KICK-ASS dining room...

I was expecting something much more cheesy and gimmicky, but this turned out to be a very enjoyable challenge. The guests were fantastic, too. I loved this episode.

I was really tickled by how Bourdain called Ripert "Ripper." In fact, that should be Ripert's nickname from now on!

Sad to see Tiffany go, but I can't wait for Singapore. That is going to be amazing. It's one of the top foodie cities of the world, so there should be some good television coming up.

[Dreamboat]

I liked this episode. Five solid creative plates of food!!

I am sad to see the losing chef go home, but I will refrain from saying who it is out of respect to Dom. :)

[Maxx A]

Kelly didn't go home.

I released the breath I'd been holding for the whole hour.

[LynnO]

I'm sorry to see Tiffany go -- I think only she, Ed or Angelo had a chance of winning. Angelo's a bit of a creepy weirdo, but I think he's the only interesting one this season.

[plst]

"I feel Asian inside, 100%"

~Angelo

[Bill]

Great quote from Tom from last week:
"No one wants to be in the weeds but sometimes it's worth it."

[JJH2]

Totally prepared to hate this episode but it was really solid. Honestly it didn't seem like the theme requirements played a huge role in the challenge. When someone indicated it would be hard to deal with all the liquid in Kelly's dish to turn it into astronaut food Tom kind of just shrugged it off with a joke. And that's fine with me, because I don't want the last challenge before the finals to be determined by whose dish freeze dries better.

Even though she hasn't always made the most exciting food, something compels me to root for Kelly and I'm really glad she made the finals. Ripert really seemed to sing the praises of her dish. I am sorry Tiffany is gone though, because she had a great run in the second half and she seems like a bright and positive personality. I was hoping Kevin would stumble and end up going home.

Agree that Bourdain calling Ripert "Ripper" was pretty funny, although overall Bourdain's outsize personality was pretty subdued this appearance. It's a good thing Angelo made a great dish, because I think Bourdain would have ripped him a new one if his ridiculous "I made love to that meat" speech followed a crappy meal.

Overall, very excited to see what the finals will bring.

[Kenny]

So sad to see Tiffany go home (I notice it's already been leaked up above.) And, so glad to have Anthony Bourdain injecting some reality into the commentary.

[bryanD]

Good episode. Angelo and Kelly made it (in order; give or take an Ed; as predicted due to the obvious and the phrenological, respectively---though I will admit that Kelly's boo-hooing 1 minute into the episode had me a bit nervous. Too bad I went on my Skilletdoux rankings strike post-Kenny. Dammit. But check the archives! Angelo, Kelly, 1, 2!).

Thankfully, the requirements of TV food pr0n overrode the tendentiousness of the elimination challenge outline. (I was figuring someone might go home due to exploding polyethylene food packaging mishap. I was joyfully relieved that it was all just pretend astro-food. Hey! NASA got its facetime. Pass the paper bags.)

Though I was never a believer in Tiffany (late earned props aside), I must doff the cap to Ed. His dish looked great. But, of course, now (according to the Next Week On...) Ed reverts back to Ed-gar Hoover again, accusing a fellow chef of being a conscious agent of the communist conspiracy to infiltrate Mayberry to shtup Miss Crump and make Andy sad.

[Steve F.]

Very sad for the one who had the best run this season.

Dom, would her adding the mussels have made a difference?
She usually pulls through. Her one bottom place.

Also don't understand the problem with the frozen mussels. Couldn't she have cooked them the next day during the hour of cooking they had? Microwave defrost them?

Glad that Angelo is back. Whew!

[Nikki L]

As soon as I saw the picture of her dish, I knew it would be her. It seemed to look the least appetizing and freeze drying and reheating rice with sauce on it seems really off to me.

[Anon man]

An episode, finally, where they all produced good food. I was satisfied.
As far as I can recall, the first episode of the season where my "first word = win or go home" wasn't true. d@mn you, elves!!!

Dom has gone from having the magic rankings last season to the anti-rankings this season.

[potty mouth princess]

Crickets from nomx3 whose "spoilers" were...of another continent.

Sorry man, I posted a credible observation in Singapore. I was wary, but the detail this poster put into the quickfire challenge to come (and to who he thinks wins...he could observe but not get on the set) makes him a credible source.

The quickfire will be all sorts of fun and crazy. :)

[timothy]

So does anyone have a good notion as to why Tom gave Angelo stink eye when Angelo said he was making short ribs? Was he just trying to fake him out or test his resolve? Or was that a risky choice for some reason?

[Daniel]

a) Kevin's popped collar was an affront to all that is holy
b) All the food looked good, very little of it looked like it would freeze dry well at all.
c) @timothy - I think Tom was worried that Angelo's ribs would be sweet and would get dinged for the sugar (which they were). That is just a guess.
d) @Steve - You shouldn't freeze mussels - that's why they are always packaged either fresh or canned - if you try to freeze them, they turn to goo once thawed.

Perhaps this is another ding this season - while I recognize that the 'themes' of the challenges seem to usually fall a distant second to how much the judges like the dishes, the themes seem even more irrelevant and arbitrary this season - from freeze-dried food that probably won't to disguised food that really wasn't, to walk-on's by politico's that, however interesting/controversial they might be professionally, had very, very, very little to offer to the show's narrative.

It just occurred to me that we didn't get the palate test this season - always one of my favorites.

Now, at this point in the game, I'm much more interested in the kind of raw skill and tastiness we saw today than strict adherence to theme (which probably would have led to 5 varieties of chili). Earlier in the season, it would have been welcomed and was notable in its absence.

[gilmore]

Watched in a room with limited sound. Will have to watch and listen to the recording I made. Without hearing much, it looked like Tiffany was going home.

@Daniel - I have to agree about the themes/venues/guests took a lot away from this season - as much or more than the evenness/plainness of the chefs.

This weeks food looked great - finally.

[SteveL]

When I first heard Angelo was doing short ribs (coupled with Tom's stink eye) I thought it was because the bone is essentially trash to be thrown away, and I know that each ounce of weight taken up in the space shuttle is extremely expensive. So that's what I thought the look was for, especially given the follow-up question Tom asked about "What parts of the criteria are you taking into consideration?" like he was giving Angelo a hint of what the stink eye was for.

Then I was pretty much confirmed in that theory when they talked about how the rack of lamb bones meant extra waste that you have to get rid of, which is difficult in space. So I thought the short ribs had the same knock, even though they didn't mention it specifically.

But then Angelo won, meaning that either A) a little bone isn't a big deal after all, or B) there was no bone in Angelo's short rib. I tried freeze-framing the pictures of Angelo cooking and I didn't see any obvious bone, so maybe he trimmed it. (Although then is it a true short rib?) The video of Michael Voltaggio cooking the winning recipe clearly shows bone, though... so I'm unclear on what the finished product actually was.

But I believe that concern is what Tom's original skepticism stemmed from.

[bfish]

SteveL -- didn't Angelo ask for boneless short ribs at Whole Foods, or did I imagine this?

[Natalie]

bfish- Angelo did ask for boneless short ribs, and the presentation seemed to be boneless. I think Tom was concerned about the sugar in the glaze.

[timothy]

I guess it's lucky for Angelo that when he makes love to meat he does it boneless and without excessive sweetness. (Sorry. It's just too fun to try to speak Angelese.)

[EdT.]

I think the comment about the bone being trash was aimed at the lamb dish, which Ed offered up.

~EdT.

[Steve F.]

Btw, Dom, brilliant insight on Tiffany.

[Anon Man]

Regarding Ripert and Bourdain. Those two are a hoot together. There's an old version of Bourdain's show where he goes to the French Laundry and brings Ripert, Ruhlman and someone else who's name escapes me at teh moment. Ripert (much younger then), is a laugh-riot.

[JJ]

It's always great to have Bourdain on the show. I especially appreciated his comments about not only the quality of food but also his views on the larger picture, like when he pointed out how well-made but essentially conservative Kelly and (especially) Kevin's food was, compared to the bolder risks of both Ed and Angelo's plates. (I'm glad Ed made it through, but I found the preview annoying when Ed talks about wanting to kick Angelo's butt. Just worry about your own food and doing it well. Can't stand the "Hosea" chip on shoulder syndrome.) I, for one, am okay with Tiffany going home. I loved her laughter and personality, but I was never excited by her food. Wish Bourdain had been around last week to take the contestants to task for making meatball sandwiches and chicken skewers.

[Polybus]

@JJH2 "When someone indicated it would be hard to deal with all the liquid in Kelly's dish to turn it into astronaut food Tom kind of just shrugged it off with a joke."

I'm really glad that they threw out the guidelines they had set up. It seems obvious that both chefs and judges understood that 1) there was no need to get the products into small, manageable units (NASA could grind them up later) and 2) the sweetness and liquid issues didn't really matter. It is surprising that anyone said anything at the service about it being spaceworthy (maybe they duped some of the NASA people into thinking that it was really going to be a space food challenge - but Tom obviously knew that it just didn't matter). Let's face it, no bone will ever go into space. This was purely about good cooking and conceptualizing.

I was hoping for a challenge where they could - and did - really show off their skills. It was an excellent episode, clearly the best of the season.

I felt really bad for Tiffany - she had shown so well toward the end of the season. I have found myself rooting for both her and Kelly, so I was glad to see Kelly really produce a good dish.

I was also glad that Angelo made a comeback. I was expecting a flameout - but then I was also expecting a terrible challenge. The old bait and switch. Anyway, I think Angelo decided before he came on to TC that he was going to use sex as a metaphor for his cooking and he did just that. Now that he's had a chance to watch the show and see how ridiculous he looks, I'm betting that he rethinks that strategy. Maybe I'm just hoping.

I'm just glad we got some great cooking this episode!

[Alvin]

Angelo and Kelly stepped it up this episode. Sad to see Tiffany go, as she was quickly becoming one of my favorites. However, it was apparent that the other 4 had better pure skill and technique.

This finale was made for Angelo. If he doesn't get top two in Singapore for Pete's sake, that's a plain ole' choke job.

[Minette]

What's up with all the pea puree this season?

[Nicole]

I know Dom's rankings from show to show haven't been as eerily on target as last season, but check out Dom's first pre-season post: The final four (Ed, Angelo, Kelly and Kevin) were all in Dom's initial top five. The only chef who he mistakenly predicted would make top five was Stephen, rather than Tiffany. Pretty impressive, I'd say.

[seanchai]

@Anon Man - That was Scott Bryan at the French Laundry, an old chef buddy of Bourdain's from NYC, formerly of Veritas.

[nomnomnom]

Don't feel too bad for Tiffany. She made 20k, got a trip, and her restaurant is booming right now.

I think she made out just fine.

Will be sad to see her not there, but I get the feeling they will make the finals much more regional flavor wise this time. She would potentially have struggled there.

Easily the most memorable episode to date this season. I didn't think they had anything like this in them.

[klg]

Does anyone know why they can't have crispy/crunchy food in outerspace? Is it because of stray crumbs floating about?

[Ranhorn]

Boy, that NASA food scientist was a big goose, wasn't she?

Sad for Tiffany. Would prefer her over Kevin.

Bourdain was disapointing-- too tame and not enough air time. Lost opportunity.

Angelo wins going away. Which is also disapointing, as he is quite clearly a strange creep

[bryanD]

"She [Tiffany] would potentially have struggled there."---nomnomnom

I keep thinking of Bourdain's soliloquy to that mild chicken and rice dish at Singapore's Maxwell Road hawker station (on his TV show). Amongst Singapore's vast aggregation of localized foreign ingredients and foodways fit for every palate (I've heard reported), I think Tiffiny might have shone in Singapore. It's Kelly who has been called out for having smokers' tastebuds syndrome. I wish to see her in the finals, but it is her I will be nervous for. But really, with all those thousands of condiments to synchronize the ingredients, I see the next elimination based on Worst of the Best.

Also, here's hoping Angelo isn't overcome with performance anxiety. (Also, that he has traded-up from Tony Robbins to Joseph Murphy.)

[Anon Man]

@seanchai, Thanks. I found the video on YouTube, its a fun watch. Ripert's comment about beet sorbet is really funny.

@Ranhorn, I'm (kind of) ashamed to admit it, but we started calling her "Jaws", ala Moonraker. I know, I'm infantile.

Is anyone else unable to use the Bravo website - at all?

[Cousin Sam]

klg: "Does anyone know why they can't have crispy/crunchy food in outerspace? Is it because of stray crumbs floating about?"

Sounded to me like cripsy/crunchiness doesn't hold up in the freeze-dry process. Didn't someone remark that Kevin's onion rings would never hold up in space?

I thought Kelly was a goner when she got the " I miss my husband edit in the beginning. Damn those elves! ;)

[nomnomnom]

Season 8 is going to be an all-star cast.

And other blogs are saying the results of the finals are totally out in the open so be careful out there folks.

[nomnomnom]

Season 8 cast:

Marcel Vigneron
Richard Blais
Fabio Viviani
Stephen Asprinio
Spike Mendelsohn
Michael Isabella
Dale Talde
Tiffani Faison
Jamie Lauren
Tre Wilcox

Apparently Bravo posted the finals result on their website. Oops.

[Skillet Doux]

Nom... they posted the result? Hilarious. And given how poorly the site is run, totally inevitable at some point, I suppose.

I couldn't be more stoked about season 8... but I'll be avoiding news for the next two weeks :-)

[Polybus]

heh heh maybe that's why the site was down - they were pulling stuff off...

[Nicole]

@bryanD: I'm glad you mentioned "smoker's tastebuds"--that's a phrase I've never heard before, and I've never seen a discussion of this, but every time I see them smoking (and there were lots of smokers this season, it seems) I wonder about how that affects their palate. Anyone have further light to shed on this? Could one assume that most chefs would prefer not to smoke, but that if they do, it's because it's a habit they picked up young and can't drop? It seems it would be a shame if some of these folks could do even better without the tobacco.

In other news, I'm so excited they're going to Singapore! I grew up there, and I miss the food more than anything! Looks like one of the challenges is a hawker center (street food) event--could be crazy fun. And I agree that some of the less global chefs could have issues here, especially Kelly. But, there is a wide variety of influences and flavors to play with--almost anything in the broader Asian spectrum, from India to Japan, as well as Western. Oh to be back there!

[Daniel]

@cousin & klg - it was me, and you are both correct - when you rehydrate, crunchy tends to go out the window, and one of the reasons freeze-drying/reconstituting is such a favored technique is that it can be done in a completely enclosed fashion which precludes free-floating crumbs (another big reason being the weight of water).

You might be wondering why the water weight would be an issue, since obviously the water must be there to reconstitute it. The answer to that is the water they use to reconstitute the food (and drink and such) is formed as a byproduct of the fuel burning.

Bourdain was definitely tame, but I actually appreciated it. I thought he was doing his best to make it about the food rather than about his wit, and I thought it showed a great deal of class. Similarly, he appeared to be completely sober, which showcased a side of him I hadn't seen before and enjoyed.

Tiffany might not have been my favorite contestant, but her execution was routinely excellent, and while her techniques might not have been particularly sophisticated, nor her dishes particularly creative, she appeared to have a particularly deft hand at balancing and creating flavor. That she came so far, and did so well says a lot about the nature of this competition.

I really cannot wait until next season - it should be absolutely off the hook. God, I really hope Marcel has learned to be a little less reactive - I like him so much, but the poor bastard really, really makes things so much worse for himself.

[Polybus]

I hate to enter any discussion of smoking, but I will admit that I smoke a certain small number of cigarettes per day - and I do so because I enjoy it. Maybe I have a poor palate, but if so then I certainly don't feel it. In fact, I'd have to say that I think it is fairly easy to cleanse the palate and be able to taste flavors easily.

[DF]

Definitely the best episode of a lackluster season.

I'm excited about Season 8, which I hope will be Richard's revenge. I'm a little surprised not to see Kevin from last season on the all-stars. Hard for me to believe he wasn't asked.

[DF]

This is bizarre. As soon as I wrote this post, in comes a story about none other than aforementioned Kevin: http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2010/09/the_top_chef_all_stars_crew_fi.html?e=grubstreet--20100902

[Anon Man]

@DF, I would warn people to not click on that link if they want no information whatsoever about this season. Two of the current cast members (well, actually one, because the other is Tiffany) are listed there.

[MiniMonkey]

Does anyone know if there's somewhere online where I can stream Top Chef seasons 1-4 without having to pay $1-2 per episode?! I didn't start watching until season 5, and with the upcoming season's contestants, I'd really like to go back and watch the early seasons I missed first.

I would just rent the DVDs from Netflix, but seasons 1-4 aren't even available on DVD yet.

[nomnomnom]

Torrent sites have full seasons, but I'm not sure how that fits in with your world view.

[Lon]

MiniMonkey: Bravo often shows old episodes of Top Chef. For example, Wednesday morning they showed most of Season 3.

I missed all of Season 1, but they showed almost all the episodes just before Season 2 started. And I've noticed them on again.

My one comment about this week's episode is an old one for me: I think who is judging makes a huge difference in who wins. Replace Bourdain with Art Smith, for example, and Ed may not have placed as strongly as he did. Replace Rippert with Gail Simmons and Kelly may not have done as well.

Good food is good food, to be sure. But when judges are "splitting hairs" personal preferences make a difference.

[Independent George]

I finally got to watch an episode without spoiling myself by coming here!

It's sad to see Tiffany go, but I trust the judges made the right decision. I was rooting for her, and I suspect she gets fan favorite.

I love the idea of S8 being an 'All-Star' season; I would just replace Stephen and Spike with LeAnn and Dale L. I'm surprised Marcel has anything to do with the show anymore considering how much grief it's given him. I really look forward to seeing Richard and Tiffany F cook again.

[paula]

Finally watched last night's episode. And I'll admit it: I'm seriously BUMMED Tiffany got bumped. Maybe she deserved it for this particular challenge, but she's been the only consistently likeable personality this season and as I recall she hadn't flamed out on a single challenge, unlike both Kevin and Kelly. Crap.

Loved Bourdain on this, though. He's fully aware of his reputation, and while he poked fun at himself (and the Ripper--ha!), he wasn't intent on spitting out one-liners to make it all about him (cough--Toby!--cough)

[Naomi]

Tom's blog is finally up
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-7/blogs/tom-colicchio/freeze-dried-feasts

[Duffy]

With the one true sparkling personality riding off with her sack of frozen mussels, what now??

Angelo is a creep. Making sensuous love to his beef as he cooks it?? Yuck! I don't care how good it tastes, I don't want to eat it.

That leaves Kevin, the blunderer, and Ed, the arrogant jerk. Yuck again.

White bread and plain vanilla and Go Kelly Go!

[Steve F.]

Tom backed up Dom's statement about Tiffany's cooking. He said in his blog that her food was not as sophisticated as the others and that that was the reason her time was up. It had nothing to do with the mussels.

[bryanD]

"I wonder about how that [smoking] affects their palate."---Nicole

I'm no expert, but I smoke, so I am an expert.
Smoking effects flavor perception when the flavors are emulsed in a creamy medium. That's my experience.
Otherwise? It's debatable. I say not that much. Notice the "that".
PS. I'm a "pepper monkey". Coincidence???

[paula]

Not to be too much of a whiner, but while I had the same thought Dom did--Where have you guys been all season?!--for me it wasn't accompanied by a sigh of relief; it was frustration. As in, ok, NOW I'm supposed to care about you/be impressed by you? Too little too late.

And while ultimately, the fact that the judges didn't really bother to judge based on the parameters of the challenge meant we got to see/celebrate great dishes, that's an irritant, too. It's just sloppy and lazy on the part of the producers--let's call it a NASA challenge so we can book Buzz Aldren, but the chefs can do whatever they want, really. It's too inconsistent.

One positive, though: The editing this time wasn't flat-out deceitful. So there's that.

[Al M.]

For me, the thing that has been missing all season is chefs point-of-view. Based solely on the on-air episodes, do you have any idea what kind of food these chefs like to cook? Or what you could expect at their restaurant? I sure don't.

In previous seasons, the best and most interesting chefs were always trying to reconcile the challenge rules with their food point-of-view. This season we never see that because none of them seem to have a point-of-view. And in the end, this is why viewers like me don't care about any of them or their food.

Can we skip the finale and go straight to the all-stars please?

[Bart]

Al - Nooo, I really want to see the finale. If nothing else, it's freaking Singapore!

Be interesting to see how Angelo "I'm 100% Asian inside" and Kevin "he needs to stop cooking Asian food" will cope with the environment. I haven't seen Kelly or Ed bust out that much Asian food, or am I just being totally inattentive?

In any case, I wonder how much the theme of the location will trip up the cheftestants in the penultimate episode. The last episode usually sees the contestants being turned loose, but the penultimate celebrates the locale.

[TxGriff]

Bart- considering how Kelly had no idea what ingredients were in Kung Pao, I think your assessment is correct.

Ed did have China for the diplomats challenge, so I think he's somewhat familiar with the flavors, espeically since all Asian food is Chinese according to Kevin :).

[ally]

Duffy, sorry but Kelly was the "this is my dish" salt-hoarder, so in my opinion she is no prize either.

Creepy, Sleazy, Grumpy and Whiney. Who to root for?

[Megan H.]

Re: This episode - I, too, am sorry to see Tiffany go. From a pure personality standpoint, she was really easy to root for. She also seemed like one of the less manipulated (by the elves) people on. Apparently unlike most others, I am starting to warm up to Angelo. Usually people who put up that much bravado are either A) totally narcissistic or B) have very low self-esteem. With Angelo, it seems more and more like its the latter, which kinda just makes me want to give him a hug.

Re: Next season - sounds interesting, and I'll be curious to see if they change the format at all (somewhere between regular TC and Masters?). Can you image Tiffany F. and Marcel in the same house?!? A lot of drama potential there.

[HF]

It's easy to poke fun from the comfort of one's own couch (and anonymously, too) but I get a huge kick out of all the stupid stuff the chefs get caught saying on camera...

Kevin: "It's time to cook now."
What were you doing the rest of the time?

"Quail could go with red wine... or white wine."
...or yak's milk or the Sears catalog or jungle fever or...

Tiffany: "I have a wine guy... is what I call him."
Tomato, tomahto, sommelier, wine guy.

"Beaumont, we have a problem."
Um... ok...

Kelly: "Someone's going to have to outcook me in order to send me home".
No way!!! I thought it was pistols at dawn!

Ed- "We're done serving... and we're heading to the Judges' Table!"
Thank you, that's cleared it all up for me.

I learn new food terms all the time from T.C. Wagyu? Barigoule?

Other than the Beaumont thing, someone needs to explain to me why Tony says "But sirloin?" as if he was being asked to eat mud. What the hell is wrong with sirloin?

[HF]

Ok, Beaumont is Tiffany's home town... still not finding it funny.

[TxGriff]

HF-

Tiffay was referring to "Houston, we have a problem" but subsituted Beaumont since that is where she is from. Doesn't make the comment any less cheesy, or explain her obession with Beaumont (I've been there...can't say there is much to write home about) but there you have it. I think the sirloin comment was was a question about serving something rather pedestrian at this point in the competition, not a question of flavor. Perhaps siloin has the reputation of being the boneless, skinless chicken breast of the bovine world (Dom?).

[Anon Man]

It may have been coincidence, but that she referenced the "Houston, we have a problem" quote while at the NASA challenge, was pretty funny/clever, IMHO.

@TXGriff: Sirloin. Yawn. I like sirloin. I eat sirloin. I also eat and like boness skinless chicken breasts from time to time. But, nothing I cook with either of them is going to blow anyone away for creativity.

As for the all-stars, I'm assuming Marcel has grown up a fair amount since Season 2; he was very young. I'm actually shocked to see Steven "Winsor Knot" A. on the list. The last time we saw him on special, he peed down his own leg and admitted that he wasn't a chef anymore, but a restraunter. Not to take anything away from the guy, but if isn't actively cooking any longer, he'll get crushed.

[HF]

Thanks for agreeing the comment was cheesy, TxGriff (I did get the reference).

@Anon Man, I can't agree with you. Chicken, beef, they're food staples. Why would using one or the other inhibit creativity? Isn't that like saying "But really, ORANGES???!?" Or is it because I hadn't heard of Wagyu beef that I'll never get sirloin's pedestrianess, uh, pedestrianessnous, er, pedestrianocity, gah, blandness? I thought that in addition to being one of the leaner/healthier steaks it was also one of the tastiest.

I'm house sitting for a friend tonight so I won't have computer access. I'll check back for a response later;^)

[Anon Man]

Yes, chicken and beef are staples. Fabio roasted a chicken and became a folk hero. I love roasting chickens. Its not that difficult, but there is still a fair amount of room for creativity and people respond to roast chicken postively because its such a wonderful thing. Similarly, people love beef, especially big thick steaks like porterhouses and the like.

Sirloin, though, is kind of blah. Not a lot of beefy flavor. I could put some spices on it and make it taste good, but it won't have that same meat flavor that I would get from other cuts. Hence TXGriff's comparison to B-S chicken breasts. Sure, you can season them and make them taste fine, but you won't impress anyone with the chicken flavor from them. So, when cooking to impress (and win a cooking competition), choosing sirloin is an odd choice, when I'm sure Whole Paycheck had an ample selection of other choices.

[timothy]

And, you know, not to be snarky, but imagine that they had followed Stephen's advice a month or so ago and served a fresh fruit platter. The judges probably would have said, "But really, ORANGES?!???" and they would have been justified. Not that there's anything wrong with oranges. It's all connected to context.

[nomnomnom]

I can't imagine any reason to order Sirloin or Filet. Both are vastly overpriced for their flavor+tenderness. Sirloin is damn near a roast and priced like a prime cut. It's got a cool name, that I can recognize. Filet is just the BSCB of the cow.

[bfish]

Since some of you are discussing the attributes of various kinds of steak, what do you recommend? It has to be available at a regular grocery store or membership club; I don't live near a Whole Foods or any other upscale/trendy grocers. I've never liked filet and actively avoid it due to blandness, and do like bones and fat. Please help me out steak experts!

[timothy]

I am no expert, but I like ribeye. It's got bone, fat, texture, flavor, good sized cut, and easy enough to prepare. Truly, I am no expert, but I like to eat.

[ri]

Hangersteak, Ribeye, Strip, Flatiron in that order.

Hanger is harder to find just because there is only one per cow but is quite tender and delicious when you can find it.

Ribeye is well - everyone knows ribeye. Bone in keeps it from drying out.

Strip - same deal as ribeye.

Flatiron is a newer cut and is pretty affordable and has a good flavor. I like it for a lot of things.

[HF]

Everyone, thanks for the input.

@bfish...
http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/meats/beef/best-value-steak-cuts.asp
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=chef+discuss+best+steak+cuts&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=5673716d440c1f33
http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/2010/02/09/chefs-look-into-cheaper-beef-cuts/

BTW, for his burgers, Eric Ripert uses sirloin :^)...
http://helenair.com/lifestyles/article_be6b81e2-8411-11df-bf3c-001cc4c002e0.html

[Duffy]

ally said: "...sorry but Kelly was the 'this is my dish' salt-hoarder..."

Yeah, I remember that. Wasn't Kelly ticked off at Amanda for something else? And overreacted maybe? Seems in other circumstances, she has been more than helpful and sharing.

I do agree with the sobriquets: "Creepy, Sleazy, Grumpy and Whiny." Perfect!

So, albeit holding my nose, I still say, "Go Whiny Go.!

[bryanD]

@HF: Your "the nibbler/beef/best buy" link was excellent. The embedded beef glossary in the middle of that page put it over the top. Bookmark City.

@nomnomnom: Since it doesn't impinge (or even *hint* at impinging) on this season's TC, I found your Season 8 casting intel welcome and cheering. (I tend to avoid the Bravo site unless well-lubricated)

I typed a whole rundown but it turned out sorta rude toward some persons named Fabio, so I scrapped it and replaced it with an ultra-positive Top 3 forecast. (in order:)

Tiffiny, Marcel, Blaise poor Blaise

[bfish]

Many thanks! All of you folks are so kind to offer your knowledge and suggestions. I agree with bryanD about the nibble.com review -- it's very informative and helpful (special thanks for the links, HF).

bryanD, now you've made me intensely curious about what you have to say about prospective participants in Season 8. (Fabio was not a favorite of mine although I did think he was funny when he talked about cutting off his pinky finger, so no hurt feelings here if you are critical!)

[bryanD]

"bryanD, now you've made me intensely curious about what you have to say about prospective participants in Season 8."---bfish

Oh, it wasn't THAT good. It was just a riff. (Also, I didn't save-to-text. Plus "type"-ing was a very loose usage of the word by me)

"Fabio was not a favorite of mine although I did think he was funny when he talked about cutting off his pinky finger.."---bfish

Fabio's is essentially a good guy. (And No, he's "not a favorite" of anyone.) Like the good-hearted, clueless, VERY entertaining Stephen the Sommelier, Fabio is a strategic casting decision. Nothing wrong with that...provided he hits the road early. But therein lies the crux. The pesky Elves are corporate beings, and Fabio is a "talent"-hire of more than one corporation (:Bravo-extracurricular and Bertolli and ??.)

Without casting aspersions (Blaise also works for Bravo), I find that Fabio's inclusion as an All-Star is unwarranted and smells of a brand-building exercise or campaign, not to mention a conflict of interest based on "real" world rules. Fabio being a clown and mascot/stereotype will be Mission Accomplished for "Fabio". Not the worst thing in the world. BUT!..Does an "All-Star" cast need to have ringers in it? Ringers who are tied to vested interests?...Nevermind.

On the positive side of this (requested!)negativity: Fabio (without the Team-Euro/ Stefan*** crutch) has demonstrated himself to be more than a little thin-skinned, which should be good for laughs.

***Where IS Stefan??? Also, where is Ilia(sp) from the Ilan season? (that backstabbing Mexican girl? Say what you will, that girl could cook!)

All those opinions aside, season 8 looks to be fantastic.
And please don't ask me what I think of Dale. I will be banned.

[ATL_Paul]

Everyone seems to think that the judges disregarded the challenge parameters but forget about the editing elves - maybe that discussion was OFF camera and they did consider it - after all, the dish that would freeze dry the easiest won and the one that would have been the hardest lost - coincidence?