Top Chef 7/18
 

This is the worst episode ever so far.

Quickfire: Use a frozen piecrust. "OMG more desert!" All of the sudden people are cooking rabbits, what the hell is going on?

Elimination: Prepare a meal in 3 hours. Okay guys, now that you're all here, do it in half the time! Wtf, why not just make them start a fire for the stove using sticks or blindfold them? Making it hard via unreasonable circumstances just for the sake of making it hard is really effing stupid.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
Quickfire: Use a frozen piecrust. "OMG more desert!" All of the sudden people are cooking rabbits, what the hell is going on?


[/ QUOTE ]

Pastry dough is just an ingredient. En croute and tarts are classic uses that are not dessert, and some did that. Others did dessert. I liked the idea of the duck lollipop.

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Elimination: Prepare a meal in 3 hours. Okay guys, now that you're all here, do it in half the time!

[/ QUOTE ]

Not so unusual for cooks to have to whip something up. Lia shrugged it off, basically, saying it happens all the time.

The whole point is to see how they adjust and change their plans or plow through. Howie did well, despite Tom's (and the guest judge's) reservations.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is the worst episode ever so far.

Quickfire: Use a frozen piecrust. "OMG more desert!" All of the sudden people are cooking rabbits, what the hell is going on?

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you serious? Pie crust is an extremely versatile ingredient. You can go sweet or savory, or even both. It's a great theme ingredient, if you're a good creative chef.

Joey's dish was awesome. I knew it would win right when I saw it. I can't wait until they post the recipe on the website. I think I'm gonna make it.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Quickfire: Use a frozen piecrust. "OMG more desert!" All of the sudden people are cooking rabbits, what the hell is going on?


[/ QUOTE ]

Pastry dough is just an ingredient. En croute and tarts are classic uses that are not dessert, and some did that. Others did dessert. I liked the idea of the duck lollipop.

[/ QUOTE ]
I understand that it's all fair play. I just think it makes the show less interesting to watch when you have one guy making chocolate mouse and someone else making rabbit, then competing against each other. Obviously in an episode like last week you have multiple courses so you end up with desert vs. beef and the like. Quickfires, however, usually have a unifying theme and I thought this one lacked it since some people's dishes barely used the piecrust at all.

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Elimination: Prepare a meal in 3 hours. Okay guys, now that you're all here, do it in half the time!

[/ QUOTE ]

Not so unusual for cooks to have to whip something up. Lia shrugged it off, basically, saying it happens all the time.

The whole point is to see how they adjust and change their plans or plow through. Howie did well, despite Tom's (and the guest judge's) reservations.

[/ QUOTE ]
I've never worked in a kitchen, so I have no idea if this is common or not. They always impose some sort of restrictions on the dishes (not much money, low cholesterol, etc.) and I just think this is a really lame one. Howie has said that he's not used to cooking under the sort of time constraints that they use on this show, so it's obviously an emphasized point. When you go out and tell them that today they have 3 hours I think it's just stupid to change it after the fact because it can create really unfair situations if one person picked dishes that NEED to cook for more time and others picked dishes where no component can't be rushed.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
Howie did well, despite Tom's (and the guest judge's) reservations.

[/ QUOTE ]

Braised pork for lunch? meh

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

NOOOOOOOOOOO!

Leave Casey and her fine self on the show!

[censored] Bravo demographics of women and gay men

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

I think the polenta and salmon was the worst. That's just nasty.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
Bravo demographics of women and gay men

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"Who do you think is the sexiest judge" poll:
Tom
Gail
Padma

Tom wins. Awesome.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

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I think the polenta and salmon was the worst. That's just nasty.

[/ QUOTE ]

Please be true (and I have generally liked Lia's cooking so far).

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

I WAS RIGHT YO

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

Casey breathes a sigh of relief.

As do we all.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
I WAS RIGHT YO

[/ QUOTE ]

BIG UPS YOURSELF

respect

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

Lea had the sort of "low self esteem girl that would let you throw it in her ass" thing going on. I'll miss her.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
Casey breathes a sigh of relief.

As do we all.

[/ QUOTE ]

I will not rest until I see those titties' coming out party.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Casey breathes a sigh of relief.

As do we all.

[/ QUOTE ]

I will not rest until I see those titties' coming out party.

[/ QUOTE ]

The hot tub clip in the early promos still hasn't been shown . . .

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

Big scarrage on display this week from Padma.

I am really confused as to how this season is going, the first week Hung and Tre looked unstoppable now they are falling towards the bottom. It seems like Hung can do seafood really well and other stuff meh.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

Anyone else getting tired of Hung's indignation at any criticism of his food?

At least Casey admits to a sub par dish and knows when she has f-ed up. Or am I blinded by her breasts and future status as my personal chef?

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Howie did well, despite Tom's (and the guest judge's) reservations.

[/ QUOTE ]

Braised pork for lunch? meh

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I don't care about what time of day things come. Worrying about that is very limiting and has nothing to do with food.

Vietnamese people I know, for instance, have soup at breakfast. Japanese people do this sometimes too.

Getting hung up on what you're "supposed" to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seems silly to me. I'm happy to eat good food anytime. As long as the food fits the time constraints (no soup if I'm on the run on the street, etc.), I'm fine with it.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
NOOOOOOOOOOO!

Leave Casey and her fine self on the show!

[censored] Bravo demographics of women and gay men

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL sexiest chef by viewers, among Gayle, Padma, and Tom, was ... Tom.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I WAS RIGHT YO

[/ QUOTE ]

BIG UPS YOURSELF

respek

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

This was my analysis after 2 episodes:

[ QUOTE ]
Obviously very hard to tell with only 2 episodes in the books, but I thought I'd give it a shot:

<u>Top 4</u>

Hung - clearly very competent

Tre - very odd that he seasoned his dish wrong last night... represents alot of variance to me based on that alone

Joey - alot of this is based on his background. His dishes also seemed above-average. Also (and I think I'm in the minority) I kind of like him.

Casey - I withdraw my opinion from E1 thread, she's the hottest on the show. I think she may be pretty talented also at the very least she's spunky and has confidence. Not getting rattled easily is pretty big, imo.

<u>Middle-Of-The-Pack</u>

Dale - think Dids mentioned he reminds him of Sam from S2. I kind of agree with that in his approach, though nerves might be an issue. Could easily slide in Top 4.

Sarah M (cheesemaker) - seems talented though really have not much info on her (except she had worked with Geoduck before). Also could see her moving up.

Brian (seafood sausage) - eh, his presentation seems sloppy, sorta reminds me of Dave from S1 (guessing flavors are strong and there, execution not the sharpest)

Camille - her restaurant emphasizes simplicity so straightforward execution could keep her around, but she doesn't seem to be that well-rounded.

Sara N (Dids gf) - her bbq dish was pretty whatever imo. Nerves obviously an issue... competent enough but think she's gone soon.

Micah - also represents alot of variance they're portraying her as very talented but a space cadet.

<u>Bottom 3</u>

Lia - her lamb dish from E1 was kind of weak, but she seems to have her head about her, and I think this is pretty key to advancing, hard to tell with her

CJ (tall dude) - bet he does not have the chops to stick around long

Howie - who cuts their meat early? Even I know that will really dry it out. That's retarded I think he might not be very good.

<u>Eliminated</u>

Sandee - kind of robbed last night? I don't know hard to tell, her fake bbq dish sounded delicious to me though.

Clay - wonder why they chose him... just to show that this season's caliber of chef is very high? He definitely felt like a sacrificial lamb type choice.

-Al

[/ QUOTE ]

Looking at that list, Casey has disappointed (primarily due to lack of hot tub scene), and obviously I was way off on Howie.

Also thought Sara N. should've gotten the boot tonight.

Ranking Through 5 Episodes:

<u>Top 4</u>
Tre - always a contender, had momentary bbq stumble, been strong ever since.
Hung - he's gonna be fine.
Joey - do you guys still hate him as much as you did before? I've always been sort of a fan, and he showed something tonight.
Brian - he's surprised me a bit, very strong I'd say overall.

<u>Middle-Of-The-Pack</u>
Howie - he's so due for a meltdown (again), so can't put the guy in Top 4.
Dale - think he's got it in him to pull off a nice comeback, still around despite 2 mediocore showings.
Sarah M (cheesemaker) - who knows, she doesn't suck I guess.

<u>Bottom 3</u>
Casey - only hot chick left plz keep her around.
CJ - he represents alot of variance can't tell, seems talented could make a push up.
Sara N - zzzzzzz so boring.

<u>Eliminated</u>
Lia
Camille
Micah
Sandee
Clay

-Al

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Howie did well, despite Tom's (and the guest judge's) reservations.

[/ QUOTE ]

Braised pork for lunch? meh

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't care about what time of day things come. Worrying about that is very limiting and has nothing to do with food.

Vietnamese people I know, for instance, have soup at breakfast. Japanese people do this sometimes too.

Getting hung up on what you're "supposed" to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seems silly to me. I'm happy to eat good food anytime. As long as the food fits the time constraints (no soup if I'm on the run on the street, etc.), I'm fine with it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't like eating heavy meals in the middle of the day. It screws with my energy and alertness.

Asian noodle soup or raw fish is a much better and healthier breakfast than what Americans and Europeans typically eat.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
Joey - do you guys still hate him as much as you did before? I've always been sort of a fan, and he showed something tonight.

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When he cooks well, he cooks really well, and he's great and likeable. When he doesn't cook well, he's a whiney confrontational prick who blames other people for his failure.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

Kudos to Howie for giving his prize to Joey. Sometimes it's nice to see that happen.

I think Hung could learn alot from that.

b

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
When you go out and tell them that today they have 3 hours I think it's just stupid to change it after the fact because it can create really unfair situations if one person picked dishes that NEED to cook for more time and others picked dishes where no component can't be rushed.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess you and many of the chefs glossed over Tom's initial comments to them about how the cast of the Spanish soap opera is on a tight, unpredictable schedule. In fact, if I recall correctly he made numerous statements to them about this. Of course, all many of them heard was "you will have three hours to prepare."

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

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Brian - he's surprised me a bit, very strong I'd say overall.


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Agreed. He has come out of trouble in the first episode to having a look of being able to go very deep in the competition.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

OT:

I don't think there are threads on this show, but does anyone watch The Next Food Network Star?

It got down to the final two contestants and then it came out that one of them, "JAG" had lied about his background. He said that he graduated from culinary school and served in the marines in Afghanistan.

Turns out he never graduated and has never been to Afghanistan.

This was an awesome big surprise, but it absolutely killed the finale, because now they have to bring back the 3rd place finisher, who obviously isn't going to win unless the original finalist lets out a racial slur or something.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
OT:

I don't think there are threads on this show, but does anyone watch The Next Food Network Star?

It got down to the final two contestants and then it came out that one of them, "JAG" had lied about his background. He said that he graduated from culinary school and served in the marines in Afghanistan.

Turns out he never graduated and has never been to Afghanistan.

This was an awesome big surprise, but it absolutely killed the finale, because now they have to bring back the 3rd place finisher, who obviously isn't going to win unless the original finalist lets out a racial slur or something.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not to participate in the hijack, but...

Remember--thus far, the JUDGES have determined who left.

In the headsup finale, it's the viewers who decide.

Do not be surprised if the Girl Next Door is more appealing to the masses than the Horse Faced Big Boobed Texan.

Food for thought, so to speak.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

Thoughts:

Hung kinda thinks way inside the box on a lot of these challenges and is getting outclassed. He's the only guy who just basically made a pie.

Lia looked kinda saucy with her hair down. I had the impression she was pretty skilled, sad to see her go, but I think she was asking for it.

Sara N's [censored] looked nasty. I just don't think guac and raw fish are things I would like together.

Hated guest judge. I don't mind when they're critical, but be specific.

In general I thought the premise of both challenges was a little lame and boring.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
When you go out and tell them that today they have 3 hours I think it's just stupid to change it after the fact because it can create really unfair situations if one person picked dishes that NEED to cook for more time and others picked dishes where no component can't be rushed.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess you and many of the chefs glossed over Tom's initial comments to them about how the cast of the Spanish soap opera is on a tight, unpredictable schedule. In fact, if I recall correctly he made numerous statements to them about this. Of course, all many of them heard was "you will have three hours to prepare."

[/ QUOTE ]
Nope, I heard it. Obviously it was setup for the "surprise" but it was still lame. When I'm on a tight and unpredictable schedule I don't eat elaborate lunches with 10 different entre options. It just felt very contrived, artificial and pointless.

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

I am not sure they meant to do the time move up. Even during the lunch at the TV show, I thought I heard Tom talking to the cast how they moved their lunch up. It may have not been planned.

C-Dog

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
It just felt very contrived, artificial and pointless.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agree on the first two points, but pointless? What exactly are you arguing? He changed the rules of a game where the time limit was arbitrary to begin with. And it forced the chefs to think on their feet and adjust on the fly. I imagine this is an important skill to have in most restaurant kitchens.

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I understand that it's all fair play. I just think it makes the show less interesting to watch when you have one guy making chocolate mouse and someone else making rabbit, then competing against each other.

[/ QUOTE ]

Also, you think it's less interesting when a very versatile ingredient, allowing for tons of room for creativity, is the focus of a cooking challenge? I guess you haven't noticed this, but many ingredients can go savory or sweet and you see this variety in choice all the time in these challenges. Honestly don't understand your complaint here, either.

Stevie - Actually in my list above Brian should probably be ahead of Joey. I think Tre and Hung are locks for Top 4, with Brian not too far behind.

Can't see any of the women making the Top 4, unless Casey emerges or every future challenge involves cheese and Sarah M starts dominating.

Dids:

[ QUOTE ]
Hung kinda thinks way inside the box on a lot of these challenges and is getting outclassed. He's the only guy who just basically made a pie.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good point - I guess when he's out of his element he just sticks to the basics (which isn't a terrible strategy). Actually, Hung just looked exhausted this episode, maybe he's starting to be affected by this.

-Al

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
When you go out and tell them that today they have 3 hours I think it's just stupid to change it after the fact because it can create really unfair situations if one person picked dishes that NEED to cook for more time and others picked dishes where no component can't be rushed.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess you and many of the chefs glossed over Tom's initial comments to them about how the cast of the Spanish soap opera is on a tight, unpredictable schedule. In fact, if I recall correctly he made numerous statements to them about this. Of course, all many of them heard was "you will have three hours to prepare."

[/ QUOTE ]
Nope, I heard it. Obviously it was setup for the "surprise" but it was still lame. When I'm on a tight and unpredictable schedule I don't eat elaborate lunches with 10 different entre options. It just felt very contrived, artificial and pointless.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is no way that little change wasn't contrived. Gaurantee it was preplanned out. That's the way tv works on these types of shows. The only wildcards are the contestants and even some of them they're predicting their reactions.

But it did make for an interesting situation.

b

Re: Top Chef 7/18
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
When you go out and tell them that today they have 3 hours I think it's just stupid to change it after the fact because it can create really unfair situations if one person picked dishes that NEED to cook for more time and others picked dishes where no component can't be rushed.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess you and many of the chefs glossed over Tom's initial comments to them about how the cast of the Spanish soap opera is on a tight, unpredictable schedule. In fact, if I recall correctly he made numerous statements to them about this. Of course, all many of them heard was "you will have three hours to prepare."

[/ QUOTE ]
Nope, I heard it. Obviously it was setup for the "surprise" but it was still lame. When I'm on a tight and unpredictable schedule I don't eat elaborate lunches with 10 different entre options. It just felt very contrived, artificial and pointless.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is no way that little change wasn't contrived. Gaurantee it was preplanned out. That's the way tv works on these types of shows. The only wildcards are the contestants and even some of them they're predicting their reactions.

But it did make for an interesting situation.

b

[/ QUOTE ]
I can totally understand people disagreeing that it was lame, as that's completely dependent on personal taste. However, I can't understand how anyone thinks the time change wasn't 100% planned.

Whether or not it's a realistic thing that happens I have no idea. It seems weird to me, but multiple people, including those on the show, have implied that it is common, so I certainly will not argue. That doesn't make it any more interesting though. I'm sure that drawing knives to randomly determine what cocktail you will pair your dish with isn't common at all in restaurants, but that makes for a fun challenge to watch. I didn't feel that the time crunch scenario did, but again, I get it if some people do. I just don't get how you can think it was anything but planned.