Top Chef - S9E9 Postmortem

Getting ready for the plane and furiously downloading files to refer to while high above the Pacific. Saving my thoughts for the Power Rankings, which are on this coming Monday, off the following Monday.

Discuss!

Comments

[garik16]

So much for stand outs - Even the winning team had some solid flaws.

At least the quickfire was fun.

(Also, I hope no one condemns Ed just yet - I suspect his grouchiness was caused to a large degree by sleep exhaustion.)

[Kevin]

That elimination challenge was pretty uncompelling from a food point. And I really hope that marks the end of all-nighter, team-based, texas-themed challenges.

Funny how some contestants are unintentionally filling in the shoes of eliminated chefs:
Ed - harsh remarks towards a teammate (Heather)
Beverly - wild swings (Dakota)
Lindsay - almost invisible (Whitney)

Speaking of Beverly, Gail says some interesting things about her in an interview with EW:

"Beverly is a bit of a kook. I think she’s fascinating and wonderful but I don’t have to work with her. She’s managing to stay in the game, but I think that people find her a bit of a hindrance because she’s sort of all over the place. I actually really like what Chris said about her that “she’s really book smart, but she’s missing a couple chapters.” I can’t vouch for that because I didn’t spend time with her, but I know what he means. She’s got a lot of knowledge, but out in the world she sort of falls apart a little bit. She is a very good cook when she gets her wits about her and she has given us some really good food. You will see as the show progresses she takes a very interesting turn."

[Vega]

why are you all fighting

STOP FIGHTING

JUST BE FRIENDS

[Alvin]

At this point, Paul is #1 with a bullet, and #2 is pretty much whoever is on Paul's team that day. I can't remember a previous season where 2-9 is this much of a jumble/crapshoot (granted I only started watching S5+). Good luck Dom. Honestly, the only truly surprising twist would be Paul going home before the finale.

Is it really boys vs. girls for Restaurant Wars? Sounds like a mismatch to me...but that could just be clever editing by the Elves. I've been fooled before.

[Anon Man]

I think we're approaching the stage where we can just write Paul the check and get on with it. Sara and Ed came out looking pretty poorly last night. The rankings are in my mind approaching #1 and the rest at not #1.

How cool was it that Ty-Lor said he wanted the book more than immunity? I like that guy.

Kevin, nice pick up about Beverly. I've said before I wasn't sold on her as a contender, and that's probably why. Poor organizational skills will eventually kill you in the competition. I liked Ed's comment about how he likes and respects her personally, but not as a chef.

Grayson and Whitney are approaching lawn ornament status. If they hadn't of won, they would have gotten the "Not top sous chef" speech. That said, Grayson was funny operating on no sleep. She's has "loud drunk" written on her, and I mean that in the best way. But, next week looks like a train wreck for the female team so I could see one of them going home.

[Danielle]

I... can't stop thinking about the fact that Fleshbot has highlighted my friend's friends' indie X-rated mag because it includes a photo shoot of Ty-Lör.

[ally]

Anon man, it's Lindsay, the other invisible contestant, not the ousted Whitney...but your point is well taken!

Beverly is more focussed when she's on a slow burn. She has regressed back to the first episodes. What a spaz!

Malibu's paintings? Possibly the worst art ever put on national tv. Ewwwww...

I was really disappointed with the two losing teams. Total fail in the originality department. Mr. Moto's gimmick of beer can chicken as if he invented it. Oh, and Edward, just because it isn't elegant doesn't mean you need to use BOTTLED BBQ sauce and KETCHUP! Dont believe it? Take a gander at the recipe for their team's dishes.

[paula]

Ally, I get the BBQ sauce objection. But just to play devil's advocate, is using ketchup in a recipe really any different from using, say, sriracha or dijon mustard? Ketchup's got a lowlier reputation, sure, but it's a prepared condiment just like those others, and chefs cook with those all the time. Unless, of course, ketchup makes up like 2/3 or the recipe (I didn't look at it).

[Nicole]

Anon Man, I haven't rewatched so I might be mistaken, but I thought Ed said he does respect Beverly as a person AND as a chef, but that there's no denying she's an oddball.

[TxGriff]

I also recall Ed saying that he respects Beverly as a chef and person, but that she's a bit odd.

I've seen some recipes for BBQ sauce that incorporated ketchup...I don't really have an objection to it. Unless, like Paula said, it's a major component.

If you read the TC blogs, it seems like Paul's team didn't have any solid flaws. I think the only criticisms were that the brussel sprouts needed more time, and one judge (Tom?) thought the brisket was a little under-seasoned, but was otherwise very good.

Speaking of Paul, I'm surprised his name hasn't come up in the best Asian-emphasis chef discussion. It seems to me that many, if not most, of his dishes have been South East Asian inspired (his bio confirms as much).

[Redpoint]

Alvin, et al, I think Sarah is still solid. One can't knock her from #2 for getting heatstroke.

I admire the way Ty behaved towards Sarah. At least on camera, he supported her and didn't complain.

[Anon Man]

Thanks, I stand corrected. This is what happens when you try to watch the episode with one eye on the tv and the other on the blackberry. But I stand by my observation that poor organizational skills will eventually kill you.

[Redpoint]

I'm rooting for Beverly, and people like her. I find her sweet, humble, smart and genuine. These qualities are a breath of fresh air compared to the ego-centrists. (funny, this season doesnt seem to have much of those) Most of her food looks delicious and creative. Despite what seems like not a lot of sel confidence, she went on this show and is doing fairly well.

[tigerpiper]

Did anyone else think Nathan Myhrvold was a douche? Oh... I grow it in my basement. Oh... I am a world class barbequer.

Basically, he made a ton of money at Microsoft and SELF PUBLISHED an expensive book that noone can buy, certainly not a culinary student or anyone other than a dilletante like him. Oh wait... he did do a stage at a Seattle restaurant.

[Skillet Doux]

"Basically, he made a ton of money at Microsoft and SELF PUBLISHED an expensive book that noone can buy, certainly not a culinary student or anyone other than a dilletante like him."

For your reading pleasure, I shall henceforce refer to myself as a snooty-pants dilettante.

(FWIW, it *is* absurdly expensive... and equally amazing.)

[ally]

Paula, the ingredients are bottled BBQ sauce, ketchup and soy sauce. So yes, it's a main ingredient.

[Keryl]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernist_Cuisine

Check out the list of quotes about his "cookbook."

Assuming the wikigods didn't just make it up, I'm willing to think this might be a seriously worthy addition to the culinary world.

[nomnomnom]

Can someone remind me if the challenge actually required sauces to be made and served? Most Texas BBQ does not come with any sauce at all.

[tigerpiper]

I guess snooty pants was implied... I had a similar dislike to the Dallas progressive dinner hosts, but I rank Myhvold (and other purchasers of his book) 10,000 times higher than them.

[rab01]

I laughed at the "I grow it in my basement" line. I thought he was gently ripping on Chris for presenting Miracle Fruit as if neither of the judges had heard of it before. (I hadn't but then I am not a modernist cookbook author.)

I sympathize with Ed in that situation and thought the JT questioning of their service decisions was unfair. They knew their food would suffer from the choices they had to make but how else were they going to feed the required number of people? I also sympathize with his being grouchy to see a rested looking Sarah return just in time to plate her part of the food for the judges and then disappear again. Of course, she shouldn't feel any guilt or hesitation in getting treatment for heat stroke - or sitting back down again when she feels woozy. But, if I were Ed at that moment, I'd be mentally adding up that she looks way less run-down than I feel and knowing that she has a free pass from elimination.

Two all-nighters in one season? During a heat wave? Can they put a stop to that crap? We're just lucky that neither one knocked out a main contender. Just think back to All-Stars where we lost Jen and Angelo because of idiotic overnight challenges.

[ally]

Nom, of course no one said they have to make sauce.

Ed's part of the team's concept was to make some BBQ brisket Kentucky style. His execution of the sauce was a total copout. He's been phoning it in for group challenges, as have many of them. That's probably why the quick fires tell us a lot more about their styles than the ECs do.

[ally]

Keyrl, thanks for the link. The research they put in to that cookbook seems amazing. I want to be a snooty-pants dilettante too!

[chrish]

I think Tom C often claims there is a clear cut answer to difficult situations (such as having to finish cooking and feed 300 guests after losing 1/3 of our team) when there really isn't. Yes, faced with crappy brisket it may be easy to say you have to focus foremost on getting a quality product. But they could have decided to serve to order and had an essentially unmanageable line. And then upon seeing that, Tom C might say, well, you have to get the food out there, the assignment is to feed 300 guests, you just have to figure out some way to get the food out there.

I also am at least slightly sympathetic to Ed for being pissed off at Sarah's return to only plate her food for the judges. Of course, heatstroke is serious, but if she was well enough to plate for the judges, then she should probably have been well enough to help out in other ways after she came back (not that Ed particularly wanted her around, but she should have been willing to take a "I'll do what you want me to do attitude at that point"). I don't really understand the general friction between Ed and Sarah (although maybe her complaints about him and the cake recipe came after the challenge).

[Lon]

I remember reading about this "book" in Michael Ruhlman's blog when it came out so I was delighted to see the author and learn more about the book. As a photographer, I would buy these volumes simply to delight in the pictures.

In reference to chrish's comments about Sarah and Ed, etc. I have learned to be very careful about forming opinions based on the "cutout" comments inserted into shows like Top Chef. Those are recorded later, sometimes days later, and don't always reflect what the speaker actually was feeling at the time. Sometimes that's good, but sometimes it can be snarky and underhanded.

And always, these things are edited for effect.

[JohnCoctostan]

"I think Tom C often claims there is a clear cut answer to difficult situations (such as having to finish cooking and feed 300 guests after losing 1/3 of our team) when there really isn't."

Totally agree with this (and the rest of your post). The unmanageable line that you mentioned wouldn't have happened in a vacuum, either. People would have started to complain. I'm reminded of the Dim Sum episode from the All Stars season when the judges were horribly embarrassed and upset at how slow the food was coming out.

Of course, Dale T was one of the people responsible for the slow-down and he wound up winning that challenge. So maybe there really *is* a clear-cut answer: ignore the food needs of everyone you're feeding except for the judges.

[Sweet Sue]

As I recall, Sara wanted to help and do her bit when she returned but angry Ed froze her out because she had the temerity to get heat stroke.
"Is she dead?"
He was a jerk-period.

[chrish]

"As I recall, Sara wanted to help and do her bit when she returned but angry Ed froze her out because she had the temerity to get heat stroke."

I think from his perspective, she came back, opportunely and looking very refreshed, to make sure her dish got plated and shown in the best light. Which is not unreasonable to do but if you have enough energy to do that, maybe you have should enough energy to have come back earlier to help more too. He also thought that it was presumptuous of her to try to rearrange things given that she had been away and perhaps he thought she was doing it in a self serving way.

From her perspective, she came back as soon as she could to help and of course wanted to make sure her food was being presented properly. She pointed out things about the setup that didn't make sense to her and that perhaps was unfavorable to presenting her dish (and that perhaps made less sense with three people than two). After the judges left, she gave up on trying to help given that her help was not wanted, and she was surely still suffering effects of heatstroke.

I don't really know which perspective is more right, but am sympathetic to both, and like both contestants to some degree. I hate all nighter challenges. I'm not even sure it's safe to have people cooking on no sleep, especially given the timing and competitive pressures.

[Skillet Doux]

"I'm not even sure it's safe to have people cooking on no sleep, especially given the timing and competitive pressures."

The sight of Ty-Lor working the mandoline after having been up all night made me wince.

[doktarr]

My impression is that the Ed/Sarah thing was ginned up a bit by Bravo. All of Ed's interview comments about Sarah were edited and smashed together. So all we have to go on, really, is that he was rude to her when she got back, which was pretty clear. But he had been grinding all night and I'm willing to believe that she wasn't really contributing meaningfully - I can't say I'd be polite in that spot, either.

[Lou]

I don't think Ed was being particularly unpleasant to Sarah when she tried to jump back in to the fray. The team adapted and developed its internal coping strategy without her so her just jumping in upset the choreography they worked out. A simple "what I can I do?" vs I'm ready for my close up, Chef Collichio made her re-entry seem a little too self serving. I don't think she needed to feel guilty about immediately sitting out again but she could have been more graceful about it.

[Sweet Sue]

We'll have to agree to disagree about Ed; I'm done with him.

[Independent George]

I find it interesting that so many teams got dinged for not putting the chicken in the smoker. I'm a BBQ novice, so I have to ask - is there an additional technical challenge to barbecuing a chicken that caused so many teams to avoid it? Does the fat not render out due to the low temperature? Or does it dry out due to the irregular shape?

[helaine]

Similarly to Anon Man I was somewhat distracted when i watched last night. however, it seemed to me that one of the pre-commercial previews showed Ed sweeping a bunch of chafing dishes to the floor (seeming related to his frustration with the Sarah situation - i think it was after the section where they took her to the hospital). however, i don't remember seeing that in the rest of the actual episode. Does anyone have knowledge? thanks!

[Skillet Doux]

Helaine... It was in the show. A very quick cut... a second or two at most. He didn't sweep them off the table. I believe he added a lid to a stack off to the side of the table and slammed it down a little hard.

[Anon Man]

The sight of Ty-Lor working the mandoline after having been up all night made me wince.

I said the exact same thing to Mrs. Anon Man when I saw that. A healthy fear/respect for a mandoline will keep your fingers attached.

So the book is awesome, Dom? I looked into buying it last night. Based on what I've seen, my impression is that it isn't a cookbook, but rather a book about food.

[helaine]

Thanks Dom. My misinterpretation/misremembering of his behavior shows the dangers of WWD (watching while distracted)!

[gdis2002]

Not to be insensitive to heat stroke, but I understand where Ed is coming from. He sacrificed part of his dish (slicing early) so the whole team could get the food out. When she came back for a brief amount of time who wouldn't be pissed? What she should have said was "what can I do to help?", not try and change things around at that point. If Ed really wanted to be a dick the smart thing would have been to do a crappy job with her chicken and focus on his brisket.

Of course, this show is so edited that we probably missed the part of her sincerely apologizing to them.

Also, how awesome is the shameless car advertising?

[Danny]

Regarding Nathan's books - they are selling for $500 on the Barnes and Noble web site and are ranked 46 in sales of all books at BarnesandNoble.com so somebody is buying them (46 seems awfully high. Could it be a mistake or some kind of anomaly or the result of being featured on the show?). They look amazing but I don't think it is the kind of cooking that I can warm up to and I don't have room in my kitchen to stock a chemistry lab. Then there's the whole spouse killing me when he sees the bill for the books thing.

When you read the accomplishments of the man (Tom gives an overview on his blog) I actually thought that he was amazingly down to earth. If anybody could earn the right to be pompous and self-congratulatory it would certainly be him but I didn't get any of that kind of vibe from them.

Having trouble with the season. Few of the chef's are really exciting me. Most seem to be playing it very safe and not using a whole lot of imagination. Cole Slaw and beans for BBQ......how did those two teams ever come up with that idea?

[Skillet Doux]

Anon Man... Even setting aside the stunning photography and the fact that you could know absolutely nothing about cooking and find it gorgeous to page through, it's *shockingly* comprehensive. And after spending some time with it, I'm coming to the conclusion that even if it's absurdly expensive, it isn't absurdly *priced*. I've seen them going for $400, and considering that it's a six volume set, each of which is produce like the highest quality art books and is backed by an exhaustive amount of research, the price actually strikes me as reasonable for what you're buying.

Only complaint... waaaaaaaaaay too many errors in the first edition. So many that I almost attempted to return it with the idea of re-buying a later edition. But it's kind of neat to have the first edition of a landmark cookbook like this. Still frustrating.

[Shelly]

Have you read Nathan Myhrvold's bio? The guy's a true renaissance man. Whatever you think of his food background, he did win the BBQ world championship in Memphis, so I think he was a good choice for both challenges. But yeah, a douche.

Ed's sauce looked like an original one to me. It was Ty-Lor's BBQ sauce that consisted of:

2 ounces ketchup
2 ounces KC materpiece bbq sauce
1 ounce soy sauce

And his rub was a bottled BBQ seasoning. Yech. That's not the Kansas City way.

Ed's sauce:

1 onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped and de seeded
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon raisins
1 can Coca Cola
1 cup whiskey
1 cup coffee
2 ounces dark chocolate
2 tablspoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon sesame oil

That looks good.

I don't think Beverley had cooked baked beans before. She threw dried beans in with a ton of acid, and in too low a pH they just will not get tender no matter how long they cook.

[Sarah L.]

I'm really just surprised that only one person fell out from heat stroke during this challenge. I live in Austin and this past summer when they filmed here was the hottest summer in recorded history. Temps during the day regularly exceeded 100 degrees. I can't imagine being outside AND cooking with fire for a whole day...I could barely be outside for an hour in that heat without feeling woozy! Ed's comments about Sarah and wondering why she didn't "just push through it" were pretty douche-y, but maybe he just didn't get how intense heat like that can be and how serious heat stroke is.

I like Beverly for her entertainment value, I haven't been really wowed by anything she's made, but I nearly jumped through my tv screen when she was so nonchalant about her sauce catching fire. I know she was trying to burn off some of the bourbon (or whatever alcohol was in there), but then she goes and puts the still flaming pot OUTSIDE ON THE GROUND when half of Texas was on fire at the time. I wanted to smack her around a bit, I'll admit.

[dave]

"Did anyone else think Nathan Myhrvold was a douche?"

Myrhvold is a patent troll who is doing some evil stuff in the business world and IP world. Which doesn't disqualify him from appearing as a judge on a cooking show on the Bravo network. But does make me despise him.

[Vncntdl]

Don't have the slightest idea what anyone is upset with Ed for. He had another ridiculous all-night, serve-in-bulk challenge, and on a team with one person with immunity and one person who was MIA for part of the challenge. Why shouldn't he feel stressed and grouchy? If anything, I was more puzzled by Sarah's comments against Ed at the beginning of the episode when he mentioned that Heather won with his recipe. Not sure if the producers left something out, but I found her over-reaction to this strange: on what grounds was he "untrustworthy" based on this? I guess Heather was "trustworthy" b/c she always treated people like crap to their face.

[Skillet Doux]

Whether you felt Ed's grouchiness/jerkery was warranted or not given the circumstances, I think it's worth noting that when it came to JT, the edit made it appear that he walked a very delicate line between explaining why he felt he had to preslice the brisket and blaming Sarah for the problems with his dish. A nudge in either direction and he would have had to drift into either throwing her under the bus or not defending himself adequately. There's something to be said for that, I think.

[paula]

Maybe Ty was confused and thought the challenge was to create a sauce using only Arby's condiment packets.

[Bill G]

"Don't have the slightest idea what anyone is upset with Ed for. He had another ridiculous all-night, serve-in-bulk challenge, and on a team with one person with immunity and one person who was MIA for part of the challenge. Why shouldn't he feel stressed and grouchy?"

Because that's when you have to suck it up show why you're the Top Chef.

[chrish]

billg must know the real scoop on nathanm.

[Pepperjack]

What the heck was that bullfrog song by Grayson? So nutty. I keep wanting her to be Stephanie and she ain't. Sigh.

[tigerpiper]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/07/26/138576167/when-patents-attack

Here is a link about alleged Myrhvold patent trolling. I didn't think he was a douche because of this, though, it was not liking the cigar chicken Kale sandwich. Oh wait, that was those other douches, and they were right not to like it.

[nomnomnom]

Some very random comments

-As to smoking the chicken. There is no rule of thumb on this. In fact, people that like BBQ can tend to hate the taste of smoked chicken. Smoke must be applied with a light hand and with the skin off, or else you will not get smoke flavor before it dries out. So the traditional way to cook it is spatchcocked or however you spell that, or the beer can way. You cook it over indirect heat and wait for the skin to get crispy and glaze it and let it cook about 3 minutes more.

-I was shocked to see people bagging their brisket that soon. I thought for sure they would have pot roast comments from the judges, but none of the judges panel had any sophistication for the methods.

-I saw people committing numerous BBQ 101 sins at nearly every phase of the game. Honestly, the all night thing should ONLY have needed to be the brisket on the fire and do the mis for sides. They had plenty of time to do the ribs and birds starting at dawn or later.

-I still don't get the sauce on everything. I assume it was required. I think SL uses sauce so maybe to not have it was deemed some sort of insult?

-Top to bottom the food looked bad, to awful. That's par for the course this season. I'm starting to wonder if the world just doesn't have enough Bravo friendly chefs to bring forth for our amusement.

[Libster]

Just a few comments.

I agree with Paul about Moto Chris being gimmicky during the QF. I've done the whole miracle fruit pill thing. I bought some with my last order from thinkgeek.com and I don't think Moto Chris did enough to elevate that. Starting with a lemon? That is suggested on the package. She should have thought to make a dish that would really utilize the taste change in a unique way.

Bev is too frazzled to work in group challenges. She could really end up on the bottom or a Restaurant wars challenge, but I'm still routing for her.

Paul makes a stumble in the QF but recovers nicely with the ec win. Paul totally saved those two from elimination. I think Grayson was so slap happy and she really showed her green she is with the qf.

I think there are a few of us who agree she knows how to play the strategy game in a lot of ways, like attaching herself to paul. Although she still has a lot of growth to do food wise. How long will playing the game well keep her around?

Okay now that we got the Texas BBQ and steak challenges out of the way can we do something else? A veggie challenge, a fish challenge, anything else?

[nm]

I have had heat stroke, and it's pretty overwhelming. I was not surprised to see Sarah able to show up looking pretty chipper (she was taken to a hospital, right? They would have rehydrated her pretty quickly with an IV), but she wouldn't have been able to do much work or tolerate much heat for a day or so after that. She'd keel right over again. So I don't blame her. I also don't blame Ed for being grouchy, since he'd been up all night, cooking and (probably) worrying.

That said, I was honestly shocked to see all those chefs working out in the hot, hot sun without hats. What sort of idiots are they -- did they not show up in Texas prepared for that?

[Duffy]

These chefs landed in Texas from all over the country in the middle of a record-setting heat wave, cooking outdoors over open fires. No hats, no mandatory breaks, no place where they could cool off and no obvious sign of anything to help with the heat -- extra ice, hydration, sprinklers, etc.

I remember my military training days, and the attention paid to heat risks. Did the chefs here get any kind of orientation on heat stroke, sun stroke, heat exhaustion, proper hydration, etc? Seems Bravo production people should have provided some protection for these competitors

[ally]

Nom, I agree that both the contestants and the judges seemed out of their depth. Smokey chicken isn't good, and I guess the chicken just wasn't seasoned and/or cooked properly, they didn't like it, and didn't really know why. And the contestants aren't really from Texas for the most part, and if they are, aren't BBQ chefs.

SL BBQ does indeed have sauce, and is exceptional when given a nice, cancer-inducing char. Yum!

I stand corrected about Ed's sauce. I still think he phones it in on group challenges. Mostly I'm annoyed with him because he really needs a haircut. :)

Clearly, all but Paul were pretty terrible, and I agree with whoever said he should just get the title now. Unless there is a huge turnaround in the later, individual challenges, this whole season is going to be pretty lame.

I felt let down after this episode, as I have with all of them except the last episode. They should just do three quick fires each time and we might see interesting food.

[EdT.]

"...and no obvious sign of anything to help with the heat -- extra ice, hydration, sprinklers, etc."

Gail Simmons addresses this in her latest blog interview over on the Bravo site. In sort: yes, they did several things to help with the heat.

~EdT.

[EdT.]

Just FTR, "real" BBQ chicken is IMO pretty God-awful stuff. Too often, it is dry and overcooked on the outside, and "red" to the point of being "Hell's Kitchen RAW" on the inside near the bones. Cooking it "beer can" style, which keeps the meat moist and cooks it from both sides at the same time.

~EdT.

[Krazikarl]

I don't really mind Myhrvold acting like he was the smartest guy in the room.

The guy went to college at 14, had his PhD in physics from Princeton by his early 20s, and worked with Stephen Hawkins at Cambridge on combining quantum mechanics with general relativity in astrophysical environments. Then he left science and made a billion dollars or so in Silicon Valley.

On top of that he has his cooking stuff, he is an award winning photographer, and does random scientific stuff like going on paleontology expeditions.

My guess is that given he does all that, that he has no idea how to deal with people (kids who go to college at 14 usually end up this way), especially since I doubt he has that much time for socializing given all the stuff he does. So I think that he is more awkward than douchey.

[Lon]

At first I thought the idea of the Last Chance Kitchen on web page based videos was pretty lame.

At this point in the show, I think it's the best feature this season.

I was hoping Restuarant Wars would redemn this season, but the previews don't look promising.

[rab01]

EdT - Thanks for pointing me to Gail's blog but this doesn't really qualify as helping them much with the heat:

"Obviously we take care of our chefs. There were medics on hand. There was lots of cold water. There was support if they needed it. We’re not leaving them out there to die in the desert."

All she's saying is that production had water for them to drink and their usual medics -- big whoop. There is plenty of equipment around that allows people to lower their core body temperatures. Hell, they could've just rented some from one of the Texas football teams. NFL training camps have taught us that just having water around isn't enough to prevent fatalities from heat prostration.

[Steve]

Amazing that none of the cheftestants said, "Whatever you might think of Nathan Mhyrvold, I'll bet he'd be amazed at how much room there is in this Toyota Tundra."

I get nice smoke on my beer can chicken with wood chips on a gas grill, so I wonder where Chris J went wrong.

[foodonmychin]

entertaining that someone named 'sweet sue' only has angry things to say about edward.

At least try to put yourself in his position first. If you were a group of 2 trying to feed 300 and then your other person comes in trying to assert her force of will changing what you are doing, on 0 hours of sleep, I don't know how frustration amid sleeplessness doesnt bubble to the top.

Anyways, at least we have documented proof of edward complimenting other chefs.

Still waiting for sarah to say anything nice about anybody. She has been quick to throw teammates under the bus, and always has her best 'itch' face on.

she is clearly skilled, and its entertaining to see lindsay the lackey as the only person who likes her at all. watch 'tribute dinner' at the beginning when padma tells them they are going to austin, they are all celebrating and no one wants to high five her. classic.

at least ty-lor was there to play peacemaker, that dude is a quality human being.

[Sweet Sue]

"Sweet Sue" is sardonic half the time.
Sara was up all night also and had heat stroke which can kill and kill quickly, so spare me and put yourself in her position.
But we agree on Ty-lor, he's a class act.

[Sweet Sue]

Posted by: rab01 | January 5, 2012 at 08:12 PM
Amazing that none of the cheftestants said, "Whatever you might think of Nathan Mhyrvold, I'll bet he'd be amazed at how much room there is in this Toyota Tundra

That's hilarious!

[Pepperjack]

That's cause Nathan Myyrvold invented the Toyota Tundra.

Does Skunk Baxter cook? Maybe we can get him on the show next...

[attheapollo]

I, too, have a problem with Chris J.'s QF and agree wholeheartedly with Paul Qui. Anyone could have made 2/3 of it! Literally anyone with functioning limbs! "The world's first sugar-free soda"? Puh-lease. So over his gimmicks. I completely understand Myhrvold's comment about growing the taste-bud pill in his basement. Chris J. made it sound like he invented it along with the other Chris J. originals, diet soda and beer can chicken.

Moving on: just caught the sneak previews for Restaurant Wars. Let's just say there will likely be a fleet of buses suitable for throwing people underneath.

[Libster]

Yes, I thought if you are going to go with a miracle fruit pill you need to go for it and do something so out of the box and crazy. It's a shame.

Glad to see them keep the original edit with Moto Chris going last because the pill there would be no other order to put him in.

[Bart]

Finally got to watch the episode last night. It was interesting, but what to make of Ty-Lor? He pulls out something restrained and beautiful in the quickfire, and then messes up meat. Again.

Get him off the grill.

Paul's definitely running away from the pack. Will this be a Secretariat-esque runaway, or will he eventually stumble? Can the others even approach him? If anyone can, my money's on: Sarah, Ed and Ty-Lor.

[Joanna]

@Libster, that was my first thought too. I went to a miracle berry party a year ago and I remember the effects lasting a while - at least, longer than I imagine a quickfire judging session to be. I'm glad everyone involved was aware enough of it to put him last so the judges' palates weren't ruined for the other dishes.

And with that said, I am so over Chris J. Not that I was ever really... under him. But all we've seen from him is gimmick, gimmick, gimmick. I was mildly intrigued by his deconstructed cheesecake, and I wonder if he could have done just that (and actually made it sweet) while skipping the miracle berry entirely. I keep comparing him to Richard Blais, who also used gimmicks, but he used them thoughtfully, and his number one priority was always making food that tasted good. Whereas Chris J - or should I just call him Chris now? - is using gimmicks for the sake of gimmicks. Dude, we are not impressed.

[foodonmychin]

Sarah has clashed with Chris C (chili cookoff), Keith (Shrimp Fiasco), Edward (Most Recently)

No one else has clashed with chefs as much as her(except for maybe heather). Can we agree on that as well?

As far as putting myself in Sarahs position, if I had heat stroke and then came back to just serve the judges, I would feel grateful to my teammates that they carried me through the entire elimination challenge, not trying to force my will into how things should be served.

[foodonmychin]

Sarah has clashed with Chris C(Chili Cookoff), Keith (Shrimp Fiasco), Ed (BBQ).

Ed has clashed with...just sarah.

Sarah has argued the most this season, with the exception of heather. So in that vein, Edward comes out on the better side of the cloth.

As far as putting myself in Sarahs position, if I were her I would be grateful that the rest of my team carried me for the entire challenge while I dealt with my illness, and when I came back to help serve I would have tried to assimilate, not assert. Is that fair?

[Gary]

"NFL training camps have taught us that just having water around isn't enough to prevent fatalities from heat prostration."

Are you actually comparing the rigors of an NFL training camp...to cooking? Let's not get carried away here; Sarah didn't take care of herself in the heat and THAT is why she broke down in the heat. I never understood why crying medic gave chefs free passes in this competition. Jamie deserved to go home and Sarah kind of does as well.

[aaalex]

kind of interesting looking back, before restaurant wars, on the predictions for this year. it's been a strange season, difficult to handicap.

dom's top three:

1. Paul
2. Sarah
3. Chris J

bottom 3:

14. Ty-lor
15. Richie
16. Grayson

with the exception of the low rating of Ty-lor, who's been a surprise and who, aside from his troubles with meat, has been a revelation. i thought his watermelon was lovely in its apparent simplicity but actual complication. (more demonstrative of skill than chris j ... i agreed with paul that chris j's QF was more about the gimmick than cooking. also, paul has been very generous and low key. i was kind of surprised he made the criticism.)

ty-lor is pretty easy to like. i'd like to see a finale with paul, ty-lor, beverly and/or nyesha. i'm not a sarah fan, but if i were betting i'd have to bet sarah would make it before beverly and maybe even ty-lor.

so, realistically speaking: the pre-season rating was really good (again).

on ed: i thought he was right, 100% right. if you go down injured, stay down once the others have worked out a routine. or, if you have to butt back in, let it be with COMPLETE deference to those who've been forced to work without you. you don't lose points for getting heat stroke. you lose them for
a. coming back before you should have
b. getting in the way of the other two when you did come back. (that is, forcing the other two to accommodate you.)
also, sarah's point about saying "x" to heather's face was, for me, bogus. what? everyone has to actually BE like heather - that is confrontational - before their opinions are valid? you mean only boors get to be thought "honest" or "forthright"? honesty has nothing to do with approach. it has to do with the message: did heather use ed's cake recipe? if so, ed was both truthful AND honest.

on myhrvold: for my 2 cents: not a douche, not at all. a man who has been lost in some pretty heady worlds, the kind of kid at high school who is in the chess club, after class physics group, and on the lunchtime radio station. a nerd but a remarkable and adventurous one. i've seen people like that put down enough more than enough for one lifetime. so, he's lacking in social skills? what of it? there are plenty of "douches" who haven't a modicum of adventurousness, dedication, or genuine curiosity. he wasn't disrespectful of anyone. he wasn't haughty, as far as i could tell, and his comments were to the point and trustworthy. where do you get "douche" from that? unless of course you prefer your humans to be without aspirations.

[KinderJ]

Liked the QF, EC was terrible. But freaking Paul, at $35K in winnings? What a monster competitor. He and Ty-Lor are definitely bringing an air of congenial classyness to the competition. Paul is a stronger chef, and I have my doubts about how long Ty-Lor can keep himself in the game. Still, its good to see hardworking, courteous people in a stressful, miserable environment.

[Kathy from Austin]

I'm all in for Paul. Yes, partially--OK, a lot--because he is from here in Austin. But also, he appears to be a quality person with true leadership skills. He's a top notch chef; he is no drama and no gimmicks. He uses creative flavors that work and surprise the judges.

Equally important is that you can tell that the other chefs truly respect him. There was no question amongst those on the blue team that they were going to follow Paul's lead. No debate at all, really. And I also seem to note (check me on this) that when they allow the chefs to choose their teams many gravitate to Paul.

I am now in fear of Paul having a hiccup and exiting early. That would be truly tragic.

[Alamos Road]

Why, when you're a person down and having to serve 300, and Tom asks "are you guys OK with that?", do you say "Sure, Tom! No sweat!" Why don't you say "No, we're not OK with that. This is your stupid challenge, so you find us another pair of hands or work the line with us. Otherwise we're going to have to pre-slice the brisket or hold up service, and we're not taking the fall for either one of those."

Why, when you're told to judge your fellow contestants, do you not say "No. Not gonna do it. Not my job, and you're just trying to sow ill-will among the contestants for the sake of manufactured drama."

Sarah's defense of Heather is her Chicago boosterism showing. When she's not being Texan, she likes to be a Chicagoan. I'm liking Ed more and more.

[Kathy from Austin]

@ Alamo Road, I recall during the first season Mike gave them a lot of lip and talk back during Judges table. It was NOT a good strategy. The Chefs have presumably watched previous seasons and are much more humble at JT than they were in earlier episodes. Your points are correct, but probably not the best tack to take for future close calls during elimination.

[Bart]

@Alamos Road: Why don't you say "No, we're not OK with that. This is your stupid challenge, so you find us another pair of hands or work the line with us. Otherwise we're going to have to pre-slice the brisket or hold up service, and we're not taking the fall for either one of those."

lol... "No, we're not okay with that, Tom. As a matter of fact, why don't you and Padma give us a hand? You can slice the damn brisket yourself." *drops knife like a rapper dropping a mic, walks away*

[Kathy from Austin]

FWIW, here is the Uchi menu. I can tell you that we are slaves to the Hama Chili (2x per visit), the Uchiviche, Hot Rock Wagyu beef (2x), machi cure, and blue fin tuna. Unfortunately, we have been unable to get out of here for less that $200, even with young daughter (14) and me alone sitting at the sushi bar.

For his birthday, my 19-year old always asks for a visit to Uchi/Uchiko with his friends. Amazing food, have never had a bad meal at either location.

uchiaustin.com/images/menu/uchiperm.pdf

[Kathy from Austin]

If/when the show gets to showcase individual tastes (read: seafood not brisket) I predict Paul will really catch his stride. If he doesn't have a really, really bad day I think we ain't seen nothing yet (in Texas parlance) as it relates to Paul's true strengths.

[Ben Flesh]

Here's the best explanation for Ty-lor's performance I've seen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/dining/simon-doonans-eating-guide-for-gay-and-straight.html?pagewanted=all

Ty-lor, despite his Midwestern upbringing and overall "daddy" appearance, appears to be more comfortable cooking gay food (watermelon with powdered olive oil) than he is with straight food (steak and bbq).

[aaalex]

uhmm ... there are a lot of "big boned" gay guys. (ever heard of bears?) the whole premiss of that article is either tongue in cheek or useless, a way for a vaguely clever guy to make money.

[ally]

I didn't know Rick Santorum has changed his name and has decided to troll blogs with gay- baiting.

[Skillet Doux]

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET*

Hokay, folks... let me say that:

A) That article is one of the stupidest things I've read in recent memory.

B) Let's give this one a rest and move on, please... thanks!

Giving myself the last word is kind of lame, I know. But hey, it's my blog :-)