Top Chef - S8E2 Power Rankings

I think I'm getting soft.

You know what? I didn't mind this episode. It featured a kids' snack challenge, a sleepless elimination with odd ingredient restrictions, very little usable information for Power Rankings purposes, and a tween pop sensation. And I didn't mind it. Maybe it's because I'm still basking in the glow of the All-Stars, I dunno. But I probably should have been annoyed by this episode, and I wasn't. Go figure.

A kids' snack challenge is a perfectly legitimate endeavor. And I like that they just set them loose to make chocolate frosted sugar bombs if they wanted. We got preachy with kid nutrition last season. No need to do it again. And the showdown at the museum was kind of unnecessary and contrived, but you know what, who cares? Why not let the guest judge pick two worthy dishes and let the kids have the final say? It's a quickfire, after all.

And I really wasn't bothered by the elimination, either. Lack of sleep, whatever. No sympathy there. And the ingredient restrictions forced them to get creative (or should have forced them to get creative), but they had a well-stocked walk in, they had plenty of time, they didn't have any wacky curveballs -- at least not any that weren't a function of their own misunderstanding of the rules. So while it was a tricky challenge for Team T-Rex in particular, they weren't set up for failure. I see no reason why they shouldn't have been able to put out perfectly delicious food. So even though it wasn't a situation where we were going to get their best shot, where they were more likely to simply survive than thrive, I'm disinclined to be terribly annoyed by it. Give us a nice plated dinner within the next episode or two, and I'm a happy camper.

On the subject of ingredient restrictions, I'm of the opinion that Tiffani's misunderstanding really did put her team at a severe disadvantage. Of course she picked meat. If I'd stopped listening halfway through Tom's instruction (before he said "only"), I would have picked meat too. Not because I believe it's inherently more delicious, but because I hate being limited. But as hard as it is cooking without animal products -- and it's hard -- I think the other way around is a lot harder. And it would have been ten times harder than it was if the elves had imposed a truly hardcore interpretation of the rules and not allowed the chefs the dried spices they did (plants all), but that's where I think it would have crossed the line into out-and-out crippling them, so I appreciated the restraint.

There's not a whole lot of movement in the rankings this week. I don't feel like this episode gave me a lot to sink my teeth into, and continued recipe issues didn't help. Once again, less than half of them made their way to the website. I'm hoping we'll get more to work with next week.

The power rankings are not purely a prediction of who is most likely to win, or an assessment of last episode's dishes, or a reflection of the contestants' historical performance, but rather a nebulous amalgam of all three, combined with a little bit of gut feeling, to provide a relative measure of current awesomeness.

Wins

Top

Bottom

1 Angelo Quickfires 0 0 1 Last Week: 1 Eliminations 2 2 0 Angelo picks up another elimination win and his closest competition in the rankings was on his team, so I don't see any reason to shake things up at the top this week. If I'd had a better sense of who contributed what to the winning dish, that might have changed, but I can't find much in the way of clues as to who did what. And in some ways, I'd feel dirty trying to reorder rankings based on that anyway, since it was a team effort (unless you ask Marcel, of course... more on that momentarily). A little side note, though there's no recipe, I'm really curious about Angelo's QF. He did fried dough with white pepper, Old Bay and cheddar. There's no recipe, but I'd really like to know how that worked, exactly. I'm just having a hard time getting it into my head. Sadly, appears it'll stay that way.

2 Richard Quickfires 1 1 0 Last Week: 2 Eliminations 1 2 0 If I knew for a fact, as I suspect based on his demonstrated affinity for roasted and brûléed bananas, that the banana puree portion of the parfait was Richard's brainchild, combined with Tom's clarification that he might have won last week's elimination if not for the fact that he was DQ'ed, I'd probably kick Richard up to number one. But there's enough uncertainty that I'll leave them be. (Of course, we know Marcel did the plums, roasted banana puree kind of screams Richard and Tandoori maple kind of screams Angelo, but... no, no, don't assume.) Since I suspect it was Richard, I'll write here that it really was a slick little way to imply dairy without using it. They blended roasted bananas with a Jasmine rice, ginger, vanilla and soy milk "horchata" to make what their "faux-gurt," and I can totally see that working. The dish really is well-conceived, and though I bet it plays simply, it's not.

3 Tiffani Quickfires 1 1 1 Last Week: 3 Eliminations 0 0 1 It's a little tough to keep her at number three with two bottom appearances out of four, but I'm looking at the nature of those appearances and I'm not ready to ding her just yet. Though if we get a meatier challenge next week, she's going to have to show very strong just to hold. I'm a little surprised by her use of liquid nitrogen in the QF. At least as far as I've seen, that's never been her style. But the fact that she used something that you wouldn't peg as her style and won with it is a mark in her favor, I think. Yeah, it was one of the frosted sugar bombs, but while there's no recipe, it seems like one of the more intelligently conceived and constructed ones. And hers was the top dish on the bottom team, so I felt like her showing in the elimination didn't really tell us much of anything positive of negative other than she can perfectly cook enough beef tenderloin for 150 people on 45 minutes of sleep. Many impressive Top Chef contestants have failed miserably at just that sort of task, so I don't want to completely discount it. But consider this more of a hold with warning of a drop if she doesn't bust out something awesome pretty soon.

4 Marcel Quickfires 0 0 1 Last Week: 9 Eliminations 1 1 0 I don't like putting Marcel here with such a huge jump so soon, but I'm honestly not sure where else to put him. There's a big messy chunk of contestants beneath him, and I couldn't find a logical spot to put him in the middle of that pack, so it was either just above them or just below them. So I went with just above them since he's coming off a win (even though it seems like his contribution was the fruit... no, no, don't assume). That and his QF looked fun and interesting. Though it didn't get any camera time, the recipe made it online. He did a play on Ants on a Log, compressing his celery, substituting freshly blended apple butter for the peanut butter, and adding dried cherries, apricots, cranberries and toasted panko to the traditional raisins. It could've been just off the bottom, and it could have been just off the top. We'll probably never know. But I liked that it was creative and thoughtful. Less thoughtful was what he had to say about Angelo. Reason to be pissed off? Maybe so. Probably. But accusing the guy of sabotaging his own dish? That kind of... defies logic. If he's trying to figure all the angles, Tom Reagan he's not.

5 Dale T. Quickfires 1 1 0 Last Week: 7 Eliminations 0 1 0 Though I could just as easily have him three spots down, Dale gets a modest bump for putting together an elimination dish that the judges seemed to enjoy quite a bit. Bonus points for realizing the polenta wasn't setting up the way they'd intended and having the serenity to bend like a reed in the wind and go with it rather than fighting it. And as much as I like him, that's the last time I expect to use the word "serenity" in reference to Dale T.

6 Jamie Quickfires 0 0 1 Last Week: 5 Eliminations 0 1 1 I'm not really sure what to do with Jamie this week, but I'm taking consolation in the fact that I don't seem to be alone in that regard. So she's going to hang out in roughly the same spot and I'm going to take the opportunity to talk kitchen injuries. It's true that cooks have a special brand of machismo when it comes to dealing with the punishment their bodies take while making our food. If you've spent any time at all listening to the folks who have spent time in the trenches, you know that little short of Ebola or a severed carotid will keep an experienced line cook down. It's a matter of professional pride, and it kind of looks like Jamie didn't get the memo. I'm not here to judge. Those who have actually spent time on the line can do that. But I do have a doctor for a wife, and while emergency medicine isn't her specialty, she's put in plenty of stitches in her time. I'm paraphrasing (so hopefully I don't embarrass her by getting something wrong), but here's what she had to say. First, she said that the comparison to Fabio's broken finger is BS. Unless it's a compound fracture or badly displaced, they aren't going to do much other than slap a splint on it. And even if it requires some more significant treatment, it's unlikely to be something time-sensitive. Sutures, however, have a small-ish window of time beyond which they're a lot less effective and the wound is less likely to heal. So however bad the cut was or wasn't, a broken finger isn't a fair measuring stick. As for the number of sutures, more doesn't necessarily equal a smaller or less serious cut. A lot depends on the nature of the injury. Added to which, they might very well have used Dermabond -- crazy glue for skin, essentially -- which, depending on the nature of the injury, could drastically cut down the number of sutures needed. Long story short, you can't judge it based purely on the number of sutures. It could have been a mild injury, it could have been very serious. We didn't see it, we just don't know. More relevant, I think, is how her fellow contestants see it. If they get nasty with her because they think she's weak, based on what we've seen from her, I'm not certain that her reaction wouldn't be "screw it" rather than "screw you." We might find out.

7 Dale L. Quickfires 0 1 0 Last Week: 8 Eliminations 0 0 1 Again, Dale L. could just as easily be on the top of this pack as on the bottom. His QF seemed like a cruder version of Tiffani's, but there was something he did on the elimination dish that I really liked. As was pointed out, they had no acid to work with. No vinegar, no citrus. You ever try a hollandaise without the acid? Let's just say it really needs it. So you have your game plan, and then you discover that you have no acid of any kind to work with. What do you do? In Dale's case, you grab the crème fraîche -- an item on the T-Rex side of the walk in that actually has a little natural sourness to it. And then you effectively work it into a "hollandaise." That's understanding flavor fundamentals, thinking on your feet, and executing something that might have been a little tricky. I like that.

8 Casey Quickfires 0 1 0 Last Week: 6 Eliminations 0 0 1 Does Casey deserve a drop? Probably not. It seems like she held down her part of the dish just fine (even though it appears that she had some minor filleting issues with her salmon). But, you know, everybody's close here in the bottom half of the top half. Mike's criticism of her chocolate lasagna was pretty baseless. It was just crepes, layered with chocolate and mascarpone and cut into squares. I'd ordinarily be annoyed by her use of the word "lasagna," but it's for kids... I can appreciate that something that would be pointless on a regular menu might have silly appeal for kids. I know my kid would probably get a kick out of the idea, so I can't knock it. And then she seared salmon. So a couple of people who I thought were a little more interesting this week passed her by. She seems to operate on a pretty even keel, though, and I think that'll help her down the line.

9 Spike Quickfires 1 1 0 Last Week: 13 Eliminations 0 2 0 Damn you, Spike! I don't want to take you seriously, but I have to. You never wow me with your food, but you always seem to do just the right thing at just the right time. I don't think you have a snowball's chance of winning. And I don't want to believe that, under ideal circumstances, you'd make me a better meal than a lot of the chefs I have in front of you. But these aren't ideal circumstances, and based on the first two episodes, you deserve to be higher. A lot higher. But I... I just can't. Not yet. Do it one more time. I dare you. Work your crafty MFer magic this Wednesday, get a little more top mention, and I'll choke back my prejudice and send you into the upper tier. I'll hate myself for it, but I'll do it. And then you'd better keep doing it, because against my better judgment, I'm kind of really enjoying watching you this season. (Damn you, Spike!)

10 Mike Quickfires 0 1 1 Last Week: 10 Eliminations 0 1 0 Mike's another one whose success I'm just not quite ready to believe. I don't know, he just always seems to be at his best when teamed with somebody else. A bottom for his QF dish, and a top for the elimination dish he made with Dale T.? I'm going to punt on him for one more week. Do me a favor, Mike, and do something highly notable this week, preferably by yourself. Good or bad, don't care. Just stand out so I can decide what to do with you.

11 Carla Quickfires 0 0 1 Last Week: 12 Eliminations 0 1 0 Sounds like Carla and Spike made a really nice, creative gazpacho! Too bad I have no idea what was in it *shakes fist*. Carla's QF, BTW, was the other one that didn't get any screen time, but it's also up on the site. She did carrot, ginger and oatmeal cookies with fried carrot chips and chocolate granola clusters. A little sweet, a little savory. Sounds about right. I know I'm not the only one who's noticing that Carla's following the exact same editing trajectory as season five. Just sayin'.

12 Antonia Quickfires 1 1 0 Last Week: 11 Eliminations 0 0 1 Uh-oh. It's only episode two, and Antonia has a technical black mark already. This is like Ron Santo making an error in the third game of the season. I don't want to think it portends anything, given her track record, but it's kind of a frustrating mistake. I'm sympathetic to the notion that the oven was cooking unevenly. But I'm a lot less sympathetic than I could be given the fact that what she and Tiffany made was so simple that they barely had anything to do BUT pay close attention to the oven. And it's something that would be relatively easy to surreptitiously check with a knife point before serving. Also, while a challenge like this with a mystery pantry isn't the easiest time to get highly creative... really? Bacon and cheddar? Ham and cheese? That's all you got? There's no recipe, so perhaps there was more to them, but that's an awfully underwhelming showing. Antonia's better than this. I hope we get to see it. And incidentally, Antonia, I don't know how much sleep you're used to getting, but I'm of the opinion that the only thing worse than no sleep is an hour of sleep. Call me crazy, but I'd have chosen the flashlight tour over the cot.

13 Tre Quickfires 0 1 0 Last Week: 15 Eliminations 0 0 1 Tom's right. Tre really should have been able to save that sauce. Whisk in a little butter, you're good. And incidentally, for all of the times we've heard the judges say that a contestant shouldn't have served something if it wasn't right, I'd love to see somebody actually do it just so we can confirm once and for all that that will immediately get you thrown off (I believe it's happened once before, but we could use some reinforcement so they'll stop saying it). Though I'm actually kind of impressed that Tre nailed the sauce in the first place without any vegetal matter. Well, maybe not impressed, but he did well. Right up until he over-reduced the sauce, that is. I'll say it again, I know Tre has somehow gotten a reputation as one of the more talented non-winning Top Chef alumni, and he might be, but I still can't figure out where he's shown it to us. Don't get me wrong, I hope he does. He'd better do it soon, though.

14 Tiffany Quickfires 0 0 2 Last Week: 14 Eliminations 0 0 1 That goes for Tiffany too, who's now been on the bottom of three of the four challenges so far. I'm keeping her out of the basement because she's shown some game in the past and I'm not quite ready to write that off after two episodes. But like Tre, she needs to get it in gear or she's going to be gone before she even got going.

15 Fabio Quickfires 0 0 1 Last Week: 16 Eliminations 0 1 1 This is exactly the kind of place you'd expect Fabio to do well. He could approach the challenge from a place of comfort (reasonably, I think... I'd eat gnocchi for breakfast!), and he's a guy who can get it done in the kitchen. But despite the fact that his gnocchi were very well received, I can't say this changes my opinion of his chances. And if episodes one and two were reversed, there'd be no question that I'd have him behind Tiffany and Tre. So barring further magic, we'll leave him at the bottom. Incidentally, on the show he complained about having to make gnocchi without butter or eggs, and then there they are in the recipe, stuffed with eggs and parmesan. So who knows what we're looking at. Update : As pointed out below, the best way I can think to explain why I have Fabio so low is that in four challenges, he's made good gnocchi without working on the condimento, and two bad pastas. That doesn't strike me as a strong start for an Italian chef.

16 Stephen Quickfires 0 0 1 Last Week: 17 Eliminations 0 1 1 Ditto Stephen who, like Tiffany, has been on the bottom of three of the four challenges so far. I don't want to take away from him that he seems to have done a lovely job with something that was squarely in his wheelhouse. But he'll have to do a lot more to convince me that he isn't still the weakest link.

17 Jen Quickfires 0 0 1 Last Week: 4 Eliminations 0 0 1 And so we come to Jen. I'm going to go ahead and call that the most memorable exit in the history of the show, though probably not for reasons she would like. It's KILLING me that this recipe isn't on the website. I'm dying to know what she did with it. Now I love braised pork belly. It's one of my favorite things in the world. And while I've heard it suggested that perhaps the judges aren't accustomed to that texture, I don't believe it for a second. And the extended judges' table seems to confirm that they had no issue with the concept, but rather with the execution. So I'm inclined to toss out the notion that they completely misunderstood Jen's dish. Maybe it really just comes down to a difference of opinion. Or maybe Jen has no palate and still somehow managed to smoke most of the field of season six (I don't actually believe that). Or maybe lack of sleep and stew room booze had something to do with it. I don't know. I do find the line, "Welcome to Jen All-Stars" a little disconcerting, as though she decided ahead of time to be 100% right all of the time and never doubt herself no matter what. Who knows, it could have been a conscious decision after seemingly dealing with some significant self-doubt issues at times during season six. And I love that she just came out and said that she cooks for the judges and not for the people. It's smart strategy. Provided the judges like what you cook for them, of course.

So there they are. I'm not happy with them. There are plenty that'll be called out as too high or two low, and the criticism will probably be valid. It's still early and I'm not quite ready to release some feelings about the chefs from their previous seasons just yet. The preseason rankings still figured pretty heavily here. But I hope -- and I think -- that this week's episode will let me put some of that behind.

WARNING : MINOR EPISODE THREE SPOILERS AHEAD

I'm curious to see how the QF works out. It looks like a long-format twist on the prep relay... perhaps not a relay? Seems like kind of a waste of David Chang, so hopefully he sticks around for the elimination. Some others (I'm looking at you, nomnomnom) have done the detective work with the preview videos to break down the teams, and while that's totally fair game here, I don't want to overthink predictions. I feel comfortable assuming that Stephen will be slow, Casey won't be as slow as people think, and Spike will be fast, which might put him on top of yet another challenge (Damn you, Spike!). Wylie Dufresne is in the house and Carla breaks out the liquid nitrogen (oh dear) and talks about making something that could be served at WD-50, so it could be an MG challenge. Then again, the restaurant they take over is Marea, which specialized in Italian seafood, and Tre makes reference to Italian food, so maybe it's an Italian challenge. If it's both, which I'm kind of hoping for since it's a recent subject that's both near and dear, here are some predictions. It'll be far more than the Blais/Marcel slugfest you might expect from an MG challenge. The sleeper here is Tiffani, who has done some really interesting things with Italian. And Fabio, the fellow who lists Italian and MG as his two specialties, won't sniff top mention for the Italian MG challenge. I'm not sure if those are the parameters for this challenge, but if they are, I'm REALLY looking forward to this episode.

Discuss!

Comments

[Danny]

Very thoughtful rankings. I do however think that Jen's "I only care about what the judges think" to be very shortsighted and a quick path to the land of PPYKAG. It's clear that the judges listened to what the diners had to say. The judges even mention in their blogs the diners' reactions to the dishes they were served. I think that if you make something that most of the public dislikes it has to have an impact on the judges' opinions. Obviously when a diner says they don't like a dish because they don't like tomatoes the comment will have little impact. But when the whole table of diners say they dislike a dish as they did with Jen's it confirmed what they judges were already thinking.

I share your Spike dilemma. I can't imagine any scenario in which he makes it to the final 3 but he is being well-received.

I enjoy the prep relay but ultimately it is more about the fun of the event and the competitiveness of the challengers than a predictor as to who is going to be on the top by the end of the season.

I also want to tell you how much I appreciate your comment about Jamie's injuries. A year ago I sliced the top of one of my fingers off with my mandolin. Tons of blood and I got zero stitches due to the nature of the wound but it made it very hard for me to work in the kitchen for several hours. I find the suggestion that chefs will be hacking at their bodies with knives to get out of a challenge to be highly improbable.

On a personal I note, I made the best batch of lasagna last night that I have ever made. All of my guests demanded that I give them some to take home with them. It was a great Christmas present for me!

[bfish]

It's hard to stomach Jamie being this high in your ratings, but I am trusting in "Dom knows best".

[timothy]

I can't argue with the rankings at all, and once again I appreciate the thoughtfulness and the time you put in. Thanks. The All-Star season creates all sorts of ranking dilemmas, at least for me. I find myself wondering if I am judging them on the food (which admittedly I am not tasting) or on the reputations they have cultivated over the years. The further we go in the season, the less reputation will matter. Right now, though, my assumptions about each of them are based a bit on the story each has told me so far. Which of those stories are based on reality and which will be revealed to be fiction as we move along? That question is one of the most interesting aspects of All-Star season. Indignation over Jen's ouster, for example, has a lot to do with the fact that she successfully embodied the story of the tough "girl" who can play hardball with the big "boys." To watch that story implode is disconcerting. I wonder which story implodes this week? My hunch is that it will have something to do with the MG story: right now I have been told that Richard and Marcel are the ones to beat in this arena, but I am not so sure that Angelo and Tiffani won't upend this narrative as well.

[Liz]

As I recall there was a disagreement in season 6 between Kevin and the judges in regard to the texture of his pork belly in the finale with Kevin saying in a later interview "I’m over the braised pork belly and I’m over the crispy pork belly. I prefer the quality of the meat when roasted whole and sliced." The judges didn't like it. Here Jennifer braised the pork belly and they didn't like that either. I wish more detailed information had been provided as to how these preparations differ. I've had pork belly once, roasted. It was very tasty, but I was a little thrown by the sensation of eating so much fat, and it was very soft. I wondered at the time if I would like it better crispy.

[km]

So Dom, too bad none of the Team T-Rex cheftestants read your blog, huh? The carbonara egg, with maybe a few modifications, would have been perfect for this challenge.

[Bart]

Good rankings, as always. I would have Carla and Spike a wee bit higher and Jamie a wee bit lower, but otherwise, I can't really argue too much with what you've got.

I think Tiffani's breaking out the liquid nitrogen is a sign of her Rocky-ness, part of that training and reinvention she underwent since season 1. This could be a good thing.

I am seriously looking forward to this next episode.

[paula]

Great insight, here, Dom, especially on the mystery of the acidless hollandaise. You're right, that was a smart play by Dale L. And I appreciate the medical insight on Jaime's stitches, too (thanks, Mrs. Dom). I still can't shake the feeling with Jaime, though, that she considers some of these challenges--if not the whole competition--beneath her a bit, and therefore she mentally checks out every so often. Somehow I find that I can't actively root for her (even though she makes some great-looking dishes and I do enjoy her deadpan humor). But I'd still like to eat at her restaurant.

[mncharm]

I tend to agree, Dom -- I liked this episode, even if, if the challenges had been described to me without any color, I would have thought it to be a throwaway episode.

Maybe it's just the quality of the chefs?

Fair thought on Jamie. I think I still would have voted her out, but I can't get worked up about it -- the judges' reasoning for booting Jen was perfectly rational. That pork did look terrible.

[Polybus]

Dom, thanks for the nod to "Calvin & Hobbes" with the chocolate frosted sugar bombs!

I've also had to move Spike up. He seems to have matured quite a bit since S4, but he has done so without losing his playfulness. Maybe he'll flame out unexpectedly, but I must say that he is really playing smart this time and I'm beginning to think that he'll go pretty far.

I have lots of agreement with you at the top, but I still have Carla and Tiffany higher because each, during their original season, had a strong kick after a slow start. Clearly, with this group of chefs, I could be wrong, but I'm hoping that they pick it up.

Looking forward to Wednesday! (And thanks, as always!)

[Wangus]

I really do love David Chang, and I hope his role this episode is more than just 'QF watcher'. He made some excellent comments in the finale of last season. The flavors in his recent book are excellent though maybe little over my head, but I think a lot of it relates to the fact that I don't have the background in that cuisine. By the way, Huffington Post had a nice little interview with him not too long ago for those who are interested. (It's not about top chef at all. Just his thoughts on food, food trends, home cooking, the culinary world etc. So no worries about spoilers or anything)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/13/david-chang-momofuko-interview_n_794668.html

[ally]

I'm surprised at your low ranking of Fabio. First, let me say I'm not a fan of his personality or his food. But he did manage to pull off vegetarian gnocchi (his first good gnocchi according to Tom). I thought that this early in the season their latest dish figures in heavily, but instead you seem to be placing him low because of his "chances". Which I also agree with btw. But if I that factors in then I think Jaime should be a lot lower, because I really don't think she cares at all. I totally agree with paula, who I think put her finger on it - she thinks the whole thing is a little beneath her, and she doesn't seem to care. And I think her chances are therefore slim.

The rest of them, I agree that a lot of them could really be anywhere in the middle ten. I can't wait to see if there are just complete upsets virtually every week this season...

[Anon Man]

Spike's a better competitor than he is chef. That's not meant to be an insult. I think Tre is a better chef than he is a competitor. That's also not meant to be an insult.

I'm still pulling for Fabio, but I'm getting the vibe he isn't that well respected by the others. Given Blais's comments awhile back that the cooks quickly devolve into a lord of the flies competitors v. also-rans, that doesn't bode well.

Re the Jamie v. Fabio comparison on medicine. While I've certainly cut myself cooking, my reference point would come from my recreation as an after hours hockey player. I've had my share of stiches and splints. You can play with a cut, and yes the scar is a little worse if you don't take care of it right away, but the pain from playing a broken bone is pretty bad. Sure, there wasn't much else they could do for him, but he was in a lot of pain and he sucked it up. So Jamie would have a bigger scar? Suck it up. That's all. Now, if they told her there was nerve damage or whatever, that's one thing. But a scar: BFD.

[matthew]

Good take on last week's episode. I think, as Timothy mentions, it's tough to be objective with rankings because we are familiar with all of these chefs. I think the rankings are pretty accurate, given what we've seen so far in this season. Nevertheless, the subjective part of me thinks there are a few people that are ranked too high or too low. We'll see how it plays out. Usually the first few episodes are about introducing us to the chefs and eliminating the weak and wounded. With All-Stars, though, each elimination is tough. I'm sure most people expected Stephen to be the first to go, yet we saw Elia and Jen get the boot. This week's double elimination will either make sense or upturn the applecart yet again. So long as it is down with minimal [personal] drama, I'll be happy. (Oh...and Carla remaining, of course.)

Though I hesitate to bring light to something negative about Carla...for the sake of keep the record straight, her scorecard doesn't reflect that she was in the bottom in one quickfire (with Fabio and Jamie).

[Skillet Doux]

Thanks, Matthew... duly corrected. You can rest assured that you only gave her a few extra days with that bottom tally, since it was correct on my spreadsheet and incorrectly transcribed here :-)

[Skillet Doux]

Ally... so in four challenges, Fabio's made good gnocchi without working on the condimento, and he's made two bad pastas. That doesn't strike me as a strong start for an Italian chef.

Come to think of it, I should add that above.

[ally]

You're so right. I guess I should have said that I'm surprised Jaime's ranking is so high, rather than that his is so low, if you're going to consider "chances".

[Liz]

I've never been a Spike fan, but I did enjoy his description of Fabio as a car salesman.

[Skillet Doux]

Ally... Yeah, I probably have Jamie a little high based on performance so far. But I've always liked her food and unless somebody really seems like they're on the precipice, I tend to weigh that a lot more heavily than personal or attitude issues they may or may not have down the line.

[bryanD]

I must defend Marcel for suspecting Angelo of being an Asperger's case with the breakfast plate instructions. While Marcel's yapping to the camera about it stunts my case, Marcel is VERY disinclined to bring up the bad influence of a team mate before the judges. Marcel likes to stand or fall by what he knows he did. If Marcel wants whole plums, Marcel should have his contribution be whole plums, dammit.

Actually, since I don't think Marcel was able to watch Angelo's season, Marcel seems to have "read" Angelo well. Another reason why I am confident Marcel will be in the top 3 with Tiffani.

Dead-on with your Spikulpation. This _team_ season is a ni-i-i-ce fit for Spike apparently. Since he is rather underestimated, Spike might be freer longer to weedle himself (by consensus!) into doing the less demanding/ more familiar _team_ stunts, elements, chores, relay-legs, etc, AND THEN...do them very very well. Spike's Progress is a nice subplot. So is, Stephen's.

My last word on Jamie: Re: scarring. It's only a finger. It might have made her sexy-cooler. "Knife fight on Yonge Street."

[matthew]

Hey Dom. I talked to Carla. She said the gazpacho base was Spike's recipe. Carla did the fruit and vegetable relish, which included diced mangoes, seedless watermelon, celery, as well as chopped mint and parsley. It was garnished with zested limes, halved cherry tomatoes and salt. I'm not sure when, or if, the recipe will be posted.

[subgenre]

I posted late on the postmortem for this episode, so no one responded. I was hoping Dom or any other well-seasoned foodie (punny!) could weigh in on something creative they might've come up with if they were on Team T-Rex. Because the food that the Top Chefs gave us was dull.

[Elise]

I'm pretty pleased to see Marcell in the number four slot. Call it psychic vibes, or just being a fan of team MG, but my feeling is he's going to go a lot deeper this season than anyone expects. (Having said that, he'll now burn out in the next episode...)

[paula]

Subgenre: I can't help but think Blais might have come up with something very clever to play up the T-Rex/dinosaur theme. If you're limited in your ingredients, at least be creative in your presentation.

The fact that they didn't have sausage seems like a big handicap, too. (Didn't someone say when they walked into the kitchen that there was no sausage? Or did I imagine that?)

[Skoolie]

In my personal ratings I still have Blais as number one and as you noted:

the banana idea and had he not DQ'ed you might be tempted to place him first.

I think Blais really wants this, and he's basically been training for it since his season. He's added more skills, recipes, ideas etc to his repertoire.

Where as Angelo just got off his season of some highs and lows, only to miss out on winning possibly due to illness. He's got talent but he's more likely to misstep and fall down hard than Blais.

If Angelo can wow me in the MG challenge then I'll stick him up as Number one. But for now Blais stays in my number one and he has yet to be on the bottom of a challenge.

[JJ]

Good work as usual, Dom. Rankings for the All-Star season are particularly tricky b/c must of us combine our assessment of the chef from their previous appearance on the show (and how far we think they can go based on this assessment) with their output over the first couple of episodes. I'm guessing that a few non-contenders will go further into the season than expected (right now, it's looking most likely to be Spike), but I can't really argue much about the current rankings. I'm guessing though that the fall-out from Jen's ouster combined with Jamie's sometimes poor attitude will probably result in a sooner-than-later departure, and for this reason alone I might place her lower in the rankings, even though I certainly think she belongs in the top 8 out of 16 in terms of talent alone. On the other hand, I definitely have no issues with the five chefs ranked in the bottom on the current list. Hope one or two of them get eliminated tonight, just to allow things to calm down a bit and have everyone (viewers included!) get their bearings.

As a side note: I was much less of a fan of the last episode. Just not crazy about these overly-clever/complicated challenges (form a team and cook 100+ snacks! feed screaming children! sleep on cots! for 45 minutes! cook for dinosaurs!), especially since they often end up tripping up one of the stronger chefs. On a regular season of TC there are enough canon-fodder contestants that it is less-likely that a top contender will get knocked out on such a challenge, but here there is far less wiggle room to "save" anyone. It also came a little too early in the season, before contestants had gotten their "sea legs." I'm crossing my fingers for a better third episode.

[ri]

Off topic, but has anyone seen the ads for Blais's new show on the science channel? It looks sort of interesting following his MG take on classical dishes.

[bryanD]

@ri:

Thanks for the intel. I am now dropping Mister Showbiz down from my #4 to #5. (I knew Blais' hanging out at the Top Chef site for 2 solid years was a bad omen.)

[Skoolie]

For some reason I feel like Mike I. will be doomed the same fate as his season and finish in 7th place.

No real facts behind it, just a gut feeling.

[lamelama22]

The current issue of TV Guide actually explained in detail what the elimination challenge is this week, but I don't know if that's considered a spoiler here? So I won't post it until I'm told it's okay.

[nomnomnom]

Rankings look very solid given what we know so far. This week like I said in the other thread will IMO be the great determining factor for the next month.

I'm also taken back by Dom taking such a hard line on LN2 as a MG ingredient. I thought Dom used it for his dinner he put together? As a guy that sits within walking distance of 4 40 gallon dewars that are filled every day I don't consider it all that "high tech". Maybe I'm just jaded, dunno. To me it's merely a vehicle to get something cold very, very, very fast.

To me MG must be an ingredient that is consumed. LN2 evaporates, it's no more MG than using an oven.

[Skillet Doux]

"I'm also taken back by Dom taking such a hard line on LN2 as a MG ingredient."

Oh, no no no, I'm not the least bit anti-LN2. I'm just surprised to see Tiffani use it since that was never her thing, and I was referencing what happened the last time Carla went MG, that's all.

[Skillet Doux]

Oh, wait, I'm not reading carefully... that's not what you're saying at all.

Regardless of its effect, I think you'd be hard-pressed to demonstrate that LN2 saw much if any use in kitchens before the MG folks got into it. Whether or not you feel it fits the definition (even if MG itself is a total misnomer), it's clearly a part of that crowd's bag of tricks.

As for how you'd classify it, to me LN2 precisely encapsulates the spirit of MG. It's all about utilizing unconventional tools and techniques in the kitchen to find new ways to make food delicious, and being unbound by the dictates of late 19th c. France. That's LN2 all over, even if you feel (I don't) that it's just a fancy and fast way to cool something down.

[redpoint]

Angleo
Richard
Tiffani
Dale T.
Casey
Jamie
Marcel
Dale L.
Mike
Spike

and the rest, just as Dom said it.
I'm not sure why Dom puts Dale L. in front of Casey; she seems pretty solid.

[lamelama22]

Hey Dom if some details are posted in TV Guide would you consider that a spoiler and not want it posted here? Specifically the details are what the guidelines are of the upcoming EC (not who wins or loses or anything like that). Thx.

[nomnomnom]

To me MG is using stuff like Xanthan Gum to make spider farts turn into gastric foam.

LN2 usage doesn't actually "change" anything but the temperature and texture of the food. It's also much harder to quick cool something rather than quick heat something.

People probably don't use it in many kitchens because for what they are doing a blast chiller, or freezer would do the same thing. Richard's mustard ice cream in E1 used LN2 like a hopped up blast chiller. Really, other than the tabasco balls (...which I would point out were never actually used) I can't think of a top chef implementation of LN2 that wasn't thermodynamically motivated. I could however be very mistaken on this.

It's possible that in that pastry top chef show that someone used it for a novel use perhaps, if they had access to it? I did not watch it closely enough to note this.

[nomnomnom]

The TV Guide stuff comes straight from Bravo so it is fair game. They do sometimes copy edit what Bravo publishes to explain who the guest chef is when Bravo just envisions you knowing off the top of your head who "Chef Bernstien" is etc. etc.

[Wangus]

I think the term 'molecular gastronomy' is an extremely ill-defined phrase, and this leads it to many disagreements as to what is and is not MG. If it's about new and 'unconventional' tools, then how long until a process/technique is no longer MG? If we use LN2 for the next 20 years and it pops up in let's say 25% of restaurants: is it no longer MG? 30%? etc. If it's about high-tech, then what's 'high-tech'? nomnomnom sees LN2 all the time. I used to use agar-agar on a daily basis. These concepts are so limiting.

In it's essence (read: boring technical definition), molecular gastronomy is the science of how food cooks both physically and chemically. In that very broad (and yet somehow very narrow at the same time) essence, people like Alton Brown may be the true 'kings of MG'. It comes down to those who see cooking by the periodic table and those who "eyeball it". But is this really a good separation to make? I don't have the answers, just more questions.

That being said, I have to disagree with the idea that just because LN2 is used only for its thermodynamic properties that it shouldn't be considered 'changing anything'. Temperature is a core (if not THE core) focus of food preparation. Its delivery and execution is critical to cooking. So if a chef uses an uncommon ingredient or tool that rapidly alters or is considerably different than conventional temperature methods, it should definitely be considered as 'changing' the food and considered as MG.

[ally]

As far as I can tell, MG means using equipment, chemicals and techniques commonly found in a chemistry lab. :)

[Brian]

From what I remember, Howie didn't serve a Quickfire from a grocery store aisle in Season Three, but elimination was not a possibility. I also think I read an interview somewhere where CJ said he wanted to leave his broccolini off the plate in the airline challenge, but the producers told him he had to serve it or be disqualified.

High point of Episode Two for me was Tiffani showing self awareness and maturity by revising her attitude from Season One. And Richard has taken a little bit of a beating for supposed arrogance, but I can think of at least two scenes this season in which competitors asked him for help with equipment. Blais jumped right in and helped both times. Good for him.

[vizoroo]

Still going for Blais as #1.

[vizoroo]

Hopefully Bravo will make more recipes available as the competition goes on. I tried looking for some and it was a daunting task. Good Luck Dom.

[lamelama22]

Someone said the TV Guide stuff was fair game so...

The EC is a "Top Chef Masters" bit of crossover, where each of the teams (presumably the same from the quickfire) have to remake/interpret a Top Chef Masters dish in the respective restaurant of that Master, for them. That's why one team is at WD-50 and another at Marea...

Also, not next week, but a future quickfire is baking cookies for Cookie Monster and Elmo (and their handlers) from Sesame Street, which should be simple/fun.

There were some other general tidbits... One I found interesting was that the reason the contestants (I refuse to actually use the not-really-a-word "cheftestants") sweat so much in the kitchens is that the production team does not allow AC or fans to be on b/c they interfere with the sound. That's brutal...

Anyways, hope I didn't piss anybody off...

[ally]

Speaking as the one who caused the controversy ... (boo me)

I only object to getting hints as to who stays and who goes.
Just speaking for myself...

[ally]

btw what precipitated my comments about spoilers was that as I understood it, someone said they thought about posting Elia's comments about getting to know Jen. Before that episode. Luckily they only posted them after the episode. That on top of many spoiler mentions. Anyways, it's not that big of a deal. I'm over myself now.

[Brian]

Also, Howie failed to plate and serve half of a surf and turf challenge in his first episode, but was saved from elimination after quoting a passage of Bourdain's book from memory. That's probably what you were remembering.

[jh]

In reference to the MG discussion:

I forget who said it, maybe it was Wylie Dufresne or Jose Andres, and I'm grossly paraphrasing here, but techniques used in MG are that are unusual and "cutting edge" now, may one day become standard in the kitchen in the future.

For example, I wouldn't been surprised if a blowtorch would have been considered wild and crazy 50 years ago, but now it's relatively standard for that wonderful burnt top on creme brule. What about sous-vide, or gelatin?

My college chemistry teacher once said, "Chemists make the best cooks."

...but I'm not sure if he was referencing meth or food...

[timothy]

Yeah to jh's line of thinking. I am not sure I really think "MG" exists. I mean, I think it is looking at cooking through the lens of the science of it, but it is still cooking, and to be successful, the other aspects of cooking (taste, visual appeal, practicality of one's kitchen, other things) also have to be taken into account. Because I am a graduate student in a fiction writing program, my analogy, though perhaps pretentious, is to how people label certain kinds of storytelling. This story over here gets labeled as post-modern. This one is meta-fiction. This one is lyrical. The classification can be useful as a learning tool, but ultimately a story is a story and it either entertains and entices the reader or it doesn't. Food is food and it tastes good or it doesn't. MG is as meaningful and as meaningless as any other form of occupational jargon.

[paula]

Interesting point about the blowtorch, jh. And Ally, just for the record, I feel the same way about spoilers. Then again, I don't even like reading about what's coming up on the next episode. I've gotten pretty good at skimming before committing to reading a post in full. :)

As for Blais, I think he's always been one to jump in and help other people. I don't think this season marks any kind of change in how he is as a competitor, at least so far.

[Token Omnivore]

Matthew - I'm glad you're posting on this blog. You're not the only Carla fan here.

Dom - As for sleep, we learned the hard way in college that if you get less than two hours of sleep it's easier if you just pull an all-nighter. You'll still be tired but your brain will be in gear.

[matthew]

Thanks Token Omnivore! Carla's a big fan of the blog. She appreciates the support, but takes the good and the bad in stride. She, surprisingly, doesn't have thin skin. I probably take the criticism harder than she does. Very often, she'll read something and say, "You know what? That person is right."

[Danny]

Very thoughtful rankings. I do however think that Jen's "I only care about what the judges think" to be very shortsighted and a quick path to the land of PPYKAG. It's clear that the judges listened to what the diners had to say. The judges even mention in their blogs the diners' reactions to the dishes they were served. I think that if you make something that most of the public dislikes it has to have an impact on the judges' opinions. Obviously when a diner says they don't like a dish because they don't like tomatoes the comment will have little impact. But when the whole table of diners say they dislike a dish as they did with Jen's it confirmed what they judges were already thinking.

I share your Spike dilemma. I can't imagine any scenario in which he makes it to the final 3 but he is being well-received.

I enjoy the prep relay but ultimately it is more about the fun of the event and the competitiveness of the challengers than a predictor as to who is going to be on the top by the end of the season.

I also want to tell you how much I appreciate your comment about Jamie's injuries. A year ago I sliced the top of one of my fingers off with my mandolin. Tons of blood and I got zero stitches due to the nature of the wound but it made it very hard for me to work in the kitchen for several hours. I find the suggestion that chefs will be hacking at their bodies with knives to get out of a challenge to be highly improbable.

On a personal I note, I made the best batch of lasagna last night that I have ever made. All of my guests demanded that I give them some to take home with them. It was a great Christmas present for me!

[bfish]

It's hard to stomach Jamie being this high in your ratings, but I am trusting in "Dom knows best".

[timothy]

I can't argue with the rankings at all, and once again I appreciate the thoughtfulness and the time you put in. Thanks. The All-Star season creates all sorts of ranking dilemmas, at least for me. I find myself wondering if I am judging them on the food (which admittedly I am not tasting) or on the reputations they have cultivated over the years. The further we go in the season, the less reputation will matter. Right now, though, my assumptions about each of them are based a bit on the story each has told me so far. Which of those stories are based on reality and which will be revealed to be fiction as we move along? That question is one of the most interesting aspects of All-Star season. Indignation over Jen's ouster, for example, has a lot to do with the fact that she successfully embodied the story of the tough "girl" who can play hardball with the big "boys." To watch that story implode is disconcerting. I wonder which story implodes this week? My hunch is that it will have something to do with the MG story: right now I have been told that Richard and Marcel are the ones to beat in this arena, but I am not so sure that Angelo and Tiffani won't upend this narrative as well.

[Liz]

As I recall there was a disagreement in season 6 between Kevin and the judges in regard to the texture of his pork belly in the finale with Kevin saying in a later interview "I’m over the braised pork belly and I’m over the crispy pork belly. I prefer the quality of the meat when roasted whole and sliced." The judges didn't like it. Here Jennifer braised the pork belly and they didn't like that either. I wish more detailed information had been provided as to how these preparations differ. I've had pork belly once, roasted. It was very tasty, but I was a little thrown by the sensation of eating so much fat, and it was very soft. I wondered at the time if I would like it better crispy.

[km]

So Dom, too bad none of the Team T-Rex cheftestants read your blog, huh? The carbonara egg, with maybe a few modifications, would have been perfect for this challenge.

[Bart]

Good rankings, as always. I would have Carla and Spike a wee bit higher and Jamie a wee bit lower, but otherwise, I can't really argue too much with what you've got.

I think Tiffani's breaking out the liquid nitrogen is a sign of her Rocky-ness, part of that training and reinvention she underwent since season 1. This could be a good thing.

I am seriously looking forward to this next episode.

[paula]

Great insight, here, Dom, especially on the mystery of the acidless hollandaise. You're right, that was a smart play by Dale L. And I appreciate the medical insight on Jaime's stitches, too (thanks, Mrs. Dom). I still can't shake the feeling with Jaime, though, that she considers some of these challenges--if not the whole competition--beneath her a bit, and therefore she mentally checks out every so often. Somehow I find that I can't actively root for her (even though she makes some great-looking dishes and I do enjoy her deadpan humor). But I'd still like to eat at her restaurant.

[mncharm]

I tend to agree, Dom -- I liked this episode, even if, if the challenges had been described to me without any color, I would have thought it to be a throwaway episode.

Maybe it's just the quality of the chefs?

Fair thought on Jamie. I think I still would have voted her out, but I can't get worked up about it -- the judges' reasoning for booting Jen was perfectly rational. That pork did look terrible.

[Polybus]

Dom, thanks for the nod to "Calvin & Hobbes" with the chocolate frosted sugar bombs!

I've also had to move Spike up. He seems to have matured quite a bit since S4, but he has done so without losing his playfulness. Maybe he'll flame out unexpectedly, but I must say that he is really playing smart this time and I'm beginning to think that he'll go pretty far.

I have lots of agreement with you at the top, but I still have Carla and Tiffany higher because each, during their original season, had a strong kick after a slow start. Clearly, with this group of chefs, I could be wrong, but I'm hoping that they pick it up.

Looking forward to Wednesday! (And thanks, as always!)

[Wangus]

I really do love David Chang, and I hope his role this episode is more than just 'QF watcher'. He made some excellent comments in the finale of last season. The flavors in his recent book are excellent though maybe little over my head, but I think a lot of it relates to the fact that I don't have the background in that cuisine. By the way, Huffington Post had a nice little interview with him not too long ago for those who are interested. (It's not about top chef at all. Just his thoughts on food, food trends, home cooking, the culinary world etc. So no worries about spoilers or anything)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/13/david-chang-momofuko-interview_n_794668.html

[ally]

I'm surprised at your low ranking of Fabio. First, let me say I'm not a fan of his personality or his food. But he did manage to pull off vegetarian gnocchi (his first good gnocchi according to Tom). I thought that this early in the season their latest dish figures in heavily, but instead you seem to be placing him low because of his "chances". Which I also agree with btw. But if I that factors in then I think Jaime should be a lot lower, because I really don't think she cares at all. I totally agree with paula, who I think put her finger on it - she thinks the whole thing is a little beneath her, and she doesn't seem to care. And I think her chances are therefore slim.

The rest of them, I agree that a lot of them could really be anywhere in the middle ten. I can't wait to see if there are just complete upsets virtually every week this season...

[Anon Man]

Spike's a better competitor than he is chef. That's not meant to be an insult. I think Tre is a better chef than he is a competitor. That's also not meant to be an insult.

I'm still pulling for Fabio, but I'm getting the vibe he isn't that well respected by the others. Given Blais's comments awhile back that the cooks quickly devolve into a lord of the flies competitors v. also-rans, that doesn't bode well.

Re the Jamie v. Fabio comparison on medicine. While I've certainly cut myself cooking, my reference point would come from my recreation as an after hours hockey player. I've had my share of stiches and splints. You can play with a cut, and yes the scar is a little worse if you don't take care of it right away, but the pain from playing a broken bone is pretty bad. Sure, there wasn't much else they could do for him, but he was in a lot of pain and he sucked it up. So Jamie would have a bigger scar? Suck it up. That's all. Now, if they told her there was nerve damage or whatever, that's one thing. But a scar: BFD.

[matthew]

Good take on last week's episode. I think, as Timothy mentions, it's tough to be objective with rankings because we are familiar with all of these chefs. I think the rankings are pretty accurate, given what we've seen so far in this season. Nevertheless, the subjective part of me thinks there are a few people that are ranked too high or too low. We'll see how it plays out. Usually the first few episodes are about introducing us to the chefs and eliminating the weak and wounded. With All-Stars, though, each elimination is tough. I'm sure most people expected Stephen to be the first to go, yet we saw Elia and Jen get the boot. This week's double elimination will either make sense or upturn the applecart yet again. So long as it is down with minimal [personal] drama, I'll be happy. (Oh...and Carla remaining, of course.)

Though I hesitate to bring light to something negative about Carla...for the sake of keep the record straight, her scorecard doesn't reflect that she was in the bottom in one quickfire (with Fabio and Jamie).

[Skillet Doux]

Thanks, Matthew... duly corrected. You can rest assured that you only gave her a few extra days with that bottom tally, since it was correct on my spreadsheet and incorrectly transcribed here :-)

[Skillet Doux]

Ally... so in four challenges, Fabio's made good gnocchi without working on the condimento, and he's made two bad pastas. That doesn't strike me as a strong start for an Italian chef.

Come to think of it, I should add that above.

[ally]

You're so right. I guess I should have said that I'm surprised Jaime's ranking is so high, rather than that his is so low, if you're going to consider "chances".

[Liz]

I've never been a Spike fan, but I did enjoy his description of Fabio as a car salesman.

[Skillet Doux]

Ally... Yeah, I probably have Jamie a little high based on performance so far. But I've always liked her food and unless somebody really seems like they're on the precipice, I tend to weigh that a lot more heavily than personal or attitude issues they may or may not have down the line.

[bryanD]

I must defend Marcel for suspecting Angelo of being an Asperger's case with the breakfast plate instructions. While Marcel's yapping to the camera about it stunts my case, Marcel is VERY disinclined to bring up the bad influence of a team mate before the judges. Marcel likes to stand or fall by what he knows he did. If Marcel wants whole plums, Marcel should have his contribution be whole plums, dammit.

Actually, since I don't think Marcel was able to watch Angelo's season, Marcel seems to have "read" Angelo well. Another reason why I am confident Marcel will be in the top 3 with Tiffani.

Dead-on with your Spikulpation. This _team_ season is a ni-i-i-ce fit for Spike apparently. Since he is rather underestimated, Spike might be freer longer to weedle himself (by consensus!) into doing the less demanding/ more familiar _team_ stunts, elements, chores, relay-legs, etc, AND THEN...do them very very well. Spike's Progress is a nice subplot. So is, Stephen's.

My last word on Jamie: Re: scarring. It's only a finger. It might have made her sexy-cooler. "Knife fight on Yonge Street."

[matthew]

Hey Dom. I talked to Carla. She said the gazpacho base was Spike's recipe. Carla did the fruit and vegetable relish, which included diced mangoes, seedless watermelon, celery, as well as chopped mint and parsley. It was garnished with zested limes, halved cherry tomatoes and salt. I'm not sure when, or if, the recipe will be posted.

[subgenre]

I posted late on the postmortem for this episode, so no one responded. I was hoping Dom or any other well-seasoned foodie (punny!) could weigh in on something creative they might've come up with if they were on Team T-Rex. Because the food that the Top Chefs gave us was dull.

[Elise]

I'm pretty pleased to see Marcell in the number four slot. Call it psychic vibes, or just being a fan of team MG, but my feeling is he's going to go a lot deeper this season than anyone expects. (Having said that, he'll now burn out in the next episode...)

[paula]

Subgenre: I can't help but think Blais might have come up with something very clever to play up the T-Rex/dinosaur theme. If you're limited in your ingredients, at least be creative in your presentation.

The fact that they didn't have sausage seems like a big handicap, too. (Didn't someone say when they walked into the kitchen that there was no sausage? Or did I imagine that?)

[Skoolie]

In my personal ratings I still have Blais as number one and as you noted:

the banana idea and had he not DQ'ed you might be tempted to place him first.

I think Blais really wants this, and he's basically been training for it since his season. He's added more skills, recipes, ideas etc to his repertoire.

Where as Angelo just got off his season of some highs and lows, only to miss out on winning possibly due to illness. He's got talent but he's more likely to misstep and fall down hard than Blais.

If Angelo can wow me in the MG challenge then I'll stick him up as Number one. But for now Blais stays in my number one and he has yet to be on the bottom of a challenge.

[JJ]

Good work as usual, Dom. Rankings for the All-Star season are particularly tricky b/c must of us combine our assessment of the chef from their previous appearance on the show (and how far we think they can go based on this assessment) with their output over the first couple of episodes. I'm guessing that a few non-contenders will go further into the season than expected (right now, it's looking most likely to be Spike), but I can't really argue much about the current rankings. I'm guessing though that the fall-out from Jen's ouster combined with Jamie's sometimes poor attitude will probably result in a sooner-than-later departure, and for this reason alone I might place her lower in the rankings, even though I certainly think she belongs in the top 8 out of 16 in terms of talent alone. On the other hand, I definitely have no issues with the five chefs ranked in the bottom on the current list. Hope one or two of them get eliminated tonight, just to allow things to calm down a bit and have everyone (viewers included!) get their bearings.

As a side note: I was much less of a fan of the last episode. Just not crazy about these overly-clever/complicated challenges (form a team and cook 100+ snacks! feed screaming children! sleep on cots! for 45 minutes! cook for dinosaurs!), especially since they often end up tripping up one of the stronger chefs. On a regular season of TC there are enough canon-fodder contestants that it is less-likely that a top contender will get knocked out on such a challenge, but here there is far less wiggle room to "save" anyone. It also came a little too early in the season, before contestants had gotten their "sea legs." I'm crossing my fingers for a better third episode.

[ri]

Off topic, but has anyone seen the ads for Blais's new show on the science channel? It looks sort of interesting following his MG take on classical dishes.

[bryanD]

@ri:

Thanks for the intel. I am now dropping Mister Showbiz down from my #4 to #5. (I knew Blais' hanging out at the Top Chef site for 2 solid years was a bad omen.)

[Skoolie]

For some reason I feel like Mike I. will be doomed the same fate as his season and finish in 7th place.

No real facts behind it, just a gut feeling.

[lamelama22]

The current issue of TV Guide actually explained in detail what the elimination challenge is this week, but I don't know if that's considered a spoiler here? So I won't post it until I'm told it's okay.

[nomnomnom]

Rankings look very solid given what we know so far. This week like I said in the other thread will IMO be the great determining factor for the next month.

I'm also taken back by Dom taking such a hard line on LN2 as a MG ingredient. I thought Dom used it for his dinner he put together? As a guy that sits within walking distance of 4 40 gallon dewars that are filled every day I don't consider it all that "high tech". Maybe I'm just jaded, dunno. To me it's merely a vehicle to get something cold very, very, very fast.

To me MG must be an ingredient that is consumed. LN2 evaporates, it's no more MG than using an oven.

[Skillet Doux]

"I'm also taken back by Dom taking such a hard line on LN2 as a MG ingredient."

Oh, no no no, I'm not the least bit anti-LN2. I'm just surprised to see Tiffani use it since that was never her thing, and I was referencing what happened the last time Carla went MG, that's all.

[Skillet Doux]

Oh, wait, I'm not reading carefully... that's not what you're saying at all.

Regardless of its effect, I think you'd be hard-pressed to demonstrate that LN2 saw much if any use in kitchens before the MG folks got into it. Whether or not you feel it fits the definition (even if MG itself is a total misnomer), it's clearly a part of that crowd's bag of tricks.

As for how you'd classify it, to me LN2 precisely encapsulates the spirit of MG. It's all about utilizing unconventional tools and techniques in the kitchen to find new ways to make food delicious, and being unbound by the dictates of late 19th c. France. That's LN2 all over, even if you feel (I don't) that it's just a fancy and fast way to cool something down.

[redpoint]

Angleo
Richard
Tiffani
Dale T.
Casey
Jamie
Marcel
Dale L.
Mike
Spike

and the rest, just as Dom said it.
I'm not sure why Dom puts Dale L. in front of Casey; she seems pretty solid.

[lamelama22]

Hey Dom if some details are posted in TV Guide would you consider that a spoiler and not want it posted here? Specifically the details are what the guidelines are of the upcoming EC (not who wins or loses or anything like that). Thx.

[nomnomnom]

To me MG is using stuff like Xanthan Gum to make spider farts turn into gastric foam.

LN2 usage doesn't actually "change" anything but the temperature and texture of the food. It's also much harder to quick cool something rather than quick heat something.

People probably don't use it in many kitchens because for what they are doing a blast chiller, or freezer would do the same thing. Richard's mustard ice cream in E1 used LN2 like a hopped up blast chiller. Really, other than the tabasco balls (...which I would point out were never actually used) I can't think of a top chef implementation of LN2 that wasn't thermodynamically motivated. I could however be very mistaken on this.

It's possible that in that pastry top chef show that someone used it for a novel use perhaps, if they had access to it? I did not watch it closely enough to note this.

[nomnomnom]

The TV Guide stuff comes straight from Bravo so it is fair game. They do sometimes copy edit what Bravo publishes to explain who the guest chef is when Bravo just envisions you knowing off the top of your head who "Chef Bernstien" is etc. etc.

[Wangus]

I think the term 'molecular gastronomy' is an extremely ill-defined phrase, and this leads it to many disagreements as to what is and is not MG. If it's about new and 'unconventional' tools, then how long until a process/technique is no longer MG? If we use LN2 for the next 20 years and it pops up in let's say 25% of restaurants: is it no longer MG? 30%? etc. If it's about high-tech, then what's 'high-tech'? nomnomnom sees LN2 all the time. I used to use agar-agar on a daily basis. These concepts are so limiting.

In it's essence (read: boring technical definition), molecular gastronomy is the science of how food cooks both physically and chemically. In that very broad (and yet somehow very narrow at the same time) essence, people like Alton Brown may be the true 'kings of MG'. It comes down to those who see cooking by the periodic table and those who "eyeball it". But is this really a good separation to make? I don't have the answers, just more questions.

That being said, I have to disagree with the idea that just because LN2 is used only for its thermodynamic properties that it shouldn't be considered 'changing anything'. Temperature is a core (if not THE core) focus of food preparation. Its delivery and execution is critical to cooking. So if a chef uses an uncommon ingredient or tool that rapidly alters or is considerably different than conventional temperature methods, it should definitely be considered as 'changing' the food and considered as MG.

[ally]

As far as I can tell, MG means using equipment, chemicals and techniques commonly found in a chemistry lab. :)

[Brian]

From what I remember, Howie didn't serve a Quickfire from a grocery store aisle in Season Three, but elimination was not a possibility. I also think I read an interview somewhere where CJ said he wanted to leave his broccolini off the plate in the airline challenge, but the producers told him he had to serve it or be disqualified.

High point of Episode Two for me was Tiffani showing self awareness and maturity by revising her attitude from Season One. And Richard has taken a little bit of a beating for supposed arrogance, but I can think of at least two scenes this season in which competitors asked him for help with equipment. Blais jumped right in and helped both times. Good for him.

[vizoroo]

Still going for Blais as #1.

[vizoroo]

Hopefully Bravo will make more recipes available as the competition goes on. I tried looking for some and it was a daunting task. Good Luck Dom.

[lamelama22]

Someone said the TV Guide stuff was fair game so...

The EC is a "Top Chef Masters" bit of crossover, where each of the teams (presumably the same from the quickfire) have to remake/interpret a Top Chef Masters dish in the respective restaurant of that Master, for them. That's why one team is at WD-50 and another at Marea...

Also, not next week, but a future quickfire is baking cookies for Cookie Monster and Elmo (and their handlers) from Sesame Street, which should be simple/fun.

There were some other general tidbits... One I found interesting was that the reason the contestants (I refuse to actually use the not-really-a-word "cheftestants") sweat so much in the kitchens is that the production team does not allow AC or fans to be on b/c they interfere with the sound. That's brutal...

Anyways, hope I didn't piss anybody off...

[ally]

Speaking as the one who caused the controversy ... (boo me)

I only object to getting hints as to who stays and who goes.
Just speaking for myself...

[ally]

btw what precipitated my comments about spoilers was that as I understood it, someone said they thought about posting Elia's comments about getting to know Jen. Before that episode. Luckily they only posted them after the episode. That on top of many spoiler mentions. Anyways, it's not that big of a deal. I'm over myself now.

[Brian]

Also, Howie failed to plate and serve half of a surf and turf challenge in his first episode, but was saved from elimination after quoting a passage of Bourdain's book from memory. That's probably what you were remembering.

[jh]

In reference to the MG discussion:

I forget who said it, maybe it was Wylie Dufresne or Jose Andres, and I'm grossly paraphrasing here, but techniques used in MG are that are unusual and "cutting edge" now, may one day become standard in the kitchen in the future.

For example, I wouldn't been surprised if a blowtorch would have been considered wild and crazy 50 years ago, but now it's relatively standard for that wonderful burnt top on creme brule. What about sous-vide, or gelatin?

My college chemistry teacher once said, "Chemists make the best cooks."

...but I'm not sure if he was referencing meth or food...

[timothy]

Yeah to jh's line of thinking. I am not sure I really think "MG" exists. I mean, I think it is looking at cooking through the lens of the science of it, but it is still cooking, and to be successful, the other aspects of cooking (taste, visual appeal, practicality of one's kitchen, other things) also have to be taken into account. Because I am a graduate student in a fiction writing program, my analogy, though perhaps pretentious, is to how people label certain kinds of storytelling. This story over here gets labeled as post-modern. This one is meta-fiction. This one is lyrical. The classification can be useful as a learning tool, but ultimately a story is a story and it either entertains and entices the reader or it doesn't. Food is food and it tastes good or it doesn't. MG is as meaningful and as meaningless as any other form of occupational jargon.

[paula]

Interesting point about the blowtorch, jh. And Ally, just for the record, I feel the same way about spoilers. Then again, I don't even like reading about what's coming up on the next episode. I've gotten pretty good at skimming before committing to reading a post in full. :)

As for Blais, I think he's always been one to jump in and help other people. I don't think this season marks any kind of change in how he is as a competitor, at least so far.

[Token Omnivore]

Matthew - I'm glad you're posting on this blog. You're not the only Carla fan here.

Dom - As for sleep, we learned the hard way in college that if you get less than two hours of sleep it's easier if you just pull an all-nighter. You'll still be tired but your brain will be in gear.

[matthew]

Thanks Token Omnivore! Carla's a big fan of the blog. She appreciates the support, but takes the good and the bad in stride. She, surprisingly, doesn't have thin skin. I probably take the criticism harder than she does. Very often, she'll read something and say, "You know what? That person is right."

[Skillet Doux]

"She said the gazpacho base was Spike's recipe. Carla did the fruit and vegetable relish, which included diced mangoes, seedless watermelon, celery, as well as chopped mint and parsley. It was garnished with zested limes, halved cherry tomatoes and salt."

Missed this the first time around... thanks, Matthew! See, this is the kind of stuff that I would have loved to know. This recipe thing is killing me.

[aaalex]

timothy: your analogy to fiction is good but it misses an essential point: technique means one thing to the reader and quite another to the writer. some people - borges, john barth, david foster wallace, at times - are able to use meta-fictional techniques very well. a story/essay like borges' "pierre menard, author of don quixote" is playful, profound and entertaining. but many of those who USE borgesian techniques are inept, they come across as bad imitators and bad imitators call into question not only themselves but also the models. i mean, there are people who hate borges because they've read bad imitators of borges. writers need to learn not only HOW to use certain techniques but also IF their visions are suited to those techniques.

same with MG: a chef needs to both master a technique and understand if the technique furthers or hampers his/her vision. for the eater, the technique is only interesting if you've actually liked the food. otherwise, it's an annoyance. but for the chef, the story is much more complicated: if i use foams, can i bring anything new to it or will i just seem like an achatz wannabe? what's the best way to incorporate some of these techniques into my cooking? can i go half-way or do i have to go all the way? when you watch top chef, you're watching artists, or wannabe artists, deal with a set of technical ethods that is relatively new. so, for the artist/chef MG definitely exists and is at times a problem (both practical and philosophical) to be dealt with.

[doktarr]

Dom, I tend to agree with you that most of the twists and turns of this episode weren't that bad. I thought the episode was painful at times simply because you could see the sleep-deprived death spiral coming from a ways away, and it's no fun watching one of your favorites go down.

The only thing that bothered me was the quickfire judging. Not only was the tiebreaker at the top inevitably "which one has more sugar", but the decider of which two could be on the top was Joe Jonas. And maybe he has a fantastic palate, but I have my doubts.

Also, has nobody mentioned that you snuck in a Miller's Crossing reference? Or did everyone just miss it?

[Bob]

The Jen ouster has been discussed to death, but not sure any other blogger has pointed out that she was the only one that was solely responsible for a dish last episode, since Jamie was on medical leave. So, for example, if the judges determined the frittata-trio was the worst dish overall, how could they choose between Tiffany and Antonia to send off?

Or, how to account for the fact that it took three great chefs to make a seemingly simple parfait? Even Blais was concerned about it.

Somehow they need to be more explicit when describing the challenges that each cook should have some aspect of the dish they are specifically responsible for - like Tre's sauce. Or eliminate team competitions altogether, since "working nice" is not really a criteria they use any more (since S1 or S2) and it's become more of a cooking competition.

Anyway, just saying that it was somehow "easier" to send Jen off.

BTW, Tom confirmed in his blog that after he gives the 30-second explanation of the challenge, the producers then come on and provide a much more detailed explanation, off-camera, of course.

Dom - Tre is highly regarded not just by bloggers, but also his fellow chefs. I think one of the brothers V mentioned that they can suss the field in week one - they just "know" - and several have posted positive comments on Tre in the past (sort of the flip-side to many chefs in S5 claiming Ariane was had lasted well beyond her "expected departure date").

BTW (2) - Absinthe received a significant UPGRADE by the SF restaurant reviewer after Jamie left.

[Bart]

aaalex: "what's the best way to incorporate some of these techniques into my cooking? can i go half-way or do i have to go all the way? when you watch top chef, you're watching artists, or wannabe artists, deal with a set of technical methods that is relatively new. so, for the artist/chef MG definitely exists and is at times a problem (both practical and philosophical) to be dealt with."

To reinforce your point... I think what's important is how the chef approaches it. If the chef says, "I'm going to emulate Achatz" then that person is setting themselves up for failure.

What Tiffani did was apply a technique to her own vision. She used MG not for the sake of using it, but as a tool in which she could execute her vision of a snack.

That's clever.

[bryanD]

"The EC is a "Top Chef Masters" bit of crossover, where each of the teams (presumably the same from the quickfire) have to remake/interpret a Top Chef Masters dish in the respective restaurant of that Master, for them."---lamelama2

It seems the ECs this season are designed convoluted enough to provide an alibi for the expelled contestants so as not to be too soul-crushing an experience for them. (Like a game of Chutes and Ladders) This season we might truly, more than ever, be reliant on the judges to interpret what the hell we just saw or didn't see but would have were we there. Oh well. It's still good, no such thing as Perfect, etc.

"I forget who said it, maybe it was Wylie Dufresne or Jose Andres, and I'm grossly paraphrasing here, but techniques used in MG are that are unusual and "cutting edge" now, may one day become standard in the kitchen in the future."---jh

My main beef with hardcore MG is that it is graded on a curve. A certain tolerance is allowed for misfires made of foods in which misfires would be intolerable to any chef not of the hardcore MG faith.
Case in point: Food&Wine (apx 5 months ago) mini half-page review of an Achatz(sp) tasting menu of 10-13 courses. The review was very positive of this expensive fare despite 3 course being admittedly bad. Somewhere the taste imperative takes a backseat to high concept or other, even stranger goals. I suspect the distancing of the more talented MG chefs (Andres) from the term "MG" means there are too many mad doctors muffing things up.

[Skillet Doux]

"Also, has nobody mentioned that you snuck in a Miller's Crossing reference? Or did everyone just miss it?"

Bless you, doktarr, you're the only one.

[Polybus]

headsmack

[timothy]

aaalex: Yeah. Makes sense. I think I meant something more simple than how it came across. I just meant that in dining, all that matters is the quality of the eating experience and in reading all that matters is the quality of the reading experience. I don't care that much about who gets labeled as what kind of technician. Just show me the product and let me consume it.

[Anon man]

facepalm on the missed reference. Round of drinks on me for doktarr.

T-1. I'm not sold on Jamie, Dom. Her food is ok interesting, but nothing I would fly home (I'm from SoCal) to eat....

[Skillet Doux]

"Her food is ... nothing I would fly home (I'm from SoCal) to eat."

No argument there, Anon Man. But there are precious few Top Chef contestants about whom I'd say that.