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****OFFICIAL**** TOP CHEF THREAD (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter DCThunder
- Start date
bigfun54
Footballguy
True. I was looking way more forward to this than I will admit to my wife. It's a good show despite Rocco's increasing appearances. I know he's got nothing but free time, but man he gets on my nerves. I wish just once he would be judging a dish and say something like, "this tastes like something a junior line cook put out while I was sitting at the table with the hot chicks." I also wish Padme(sp) would just once introduce him and reference "you may know him from the implosion of his self named restaurant witnessed live on this very network." Bourdain's money though. I love whenever he's a judge.
Senor Schmutzig
Footballguy
No Casey this year 
But I'll still watch.
But I'll still watch.
JoeSteeler
Footballguy
No Casey this yearBut I'll still watch.
Casey 
From the season preview it looks like there will be lots of conflict.
Rebirtha
Footballguy
Not Spike, Andrew. 1st week confusions.
culdeus
Footballguy
Nikki is the least likable person so far. And it looks like she has no talent. Couple that with what appears to be another bottom 3 next week and she should be gone soon.
Some of the guys are just hilarious. The Aussie has to be the early favorite right now based on what's been put out.
Some of the guys are just hilarious. The Aussie has to be the early favorite right now based on what's been put out.
scoobygang
Footballguy
I swear that big bald guy is like another Mikey. Has he made one thing yet that the "guy who likes to cook a bit" in your college dorm couldn't have made?
higgins
Footballguy
"I made glorified nachos -- I'm not exactly proud of it."
culdeus
Footballguy
Well he's gone now. Another victim of the "cook one place serve another some time later" problem. Seriously can't you come up with 10 things to pull out of your hat at any time that would either 1)plate up really well to order 2) travel really well 3) adapt to take on any number of proteins
I think the line in the sand for the utter spares in season 3 was lea. From then on the cooks at least had something in their bag at least once a show. I have no idea who this season's lea is. It could be 5 or 6 more of these guys gone before you get to someone that isn't a total waste of space.
I think the line in the sand for the utter spares in season 3 was lea. From then on the cooks at least had something in their bag at least once a show. I have no idea who this season's lea is. It could be 5 or 6 more of these guys gone before you get to someone that isn't a total waste of space.
Cunk
Footballguy
I can't stand Andrew. He's one of those people who over-dramatize everything. "You're going to have to have security drag me out!" Um, it's not your choice whether you leave or not. I want to smack him.
Also you know how, when leaving, he did the "back-to-you-double-peace-sign"? People really do this?
Also you know how, when leaving, he did the "back-to-you-double-peace-sign"? People really do this?
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scoobygang
Footballguy
Last night's episode was pretty uniformly awful, but you could see he was going home the entire time. As soon as he mentioned corndogs I turned to my wife and said, "seriously, he's going to fry ******* corndogs three hours in advance?"Spike was cracking me up. "Hey man, we cook for the people." And apparently what the people want is is mediocre picnic food. Waldorf salad? What, nobody knew how to make a Jello mold?
culdeus
Footballguy
It's good strategy. It's how Howie almost made a run at the final 3. They base some of the decisions on the personalities of the people and the drama they have with others and the camera. He's a lock to stick around till the final 6.
Senor Schmutzig
Footballguy
I really think that Richard is head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to creativity. He isn't over the top with his food gastronomy like Marcel was in Season 2 and really knows how to pair flavors together that may not seem right to the novice foodie (like myself) or the experts, which was evident in tonight's episode.
Blais created the menu at a restaurant that opened about 5 minutes from where I live, at the local municipal airport of all places. While the names of the dishes sounds pedestrian, I am hoping to get there this weekend to see what it's all about.
Elevation Chop House
Recent Review
Blais created the menu at a restaurant that opened about 5 minutes from where I live, at the local municipal airport of all places. While the names of the dishes sounds pedestrian, I am hoping to get there this weekend to see what it's all about.
Elevation Chop House
Recent Review
scoobygang
Footballguy
I expected at least one team to try the obvious and make the timpano from Big Night.
This is so ******* good, I'm going to have to kill you!
I think it's Stephanie's year. She seems to have the knack for presenting well-conceived food that is just executed well. Tom seems to appreciate that, and it can't hurt that they haven't had a woman win yet. I sometimes get the impression that Tom wishes they had picked Tiffany as the Season One winner, and Stephanie reminds me of Tiffany as a chef.
This is so ******* good, I'm going to have to kill you!
I think it's Stephanie's year. She seems to have the knack for presenting well-conceived food that is just executed well. Tom seems to appreciate that, and it can't hurt that they haven't had a woman win yet. I sometimes get the impression that Tom wishes they had picked Tiffany as the Season One winner, and Stephanie reminds me of Tiffany as a chef.
scoobygang
Footballguy
I was evangelizing for Padme on this board several years before Top Chef ever came out. She did a Planet Food special on Spain for Food Network about six years ago. She was achingly hot.So I've tuned in to Top Chef for the 1st time tonight. I demand to know why noone pm'ed me with pics of Padma Lakshmi. Each and every person who posted in this thread is on my #### list.
Rebirtha
Footballguy
This show doesn't always shake out as it should. Trey from last season appeared to be well on his way and was booted in pretty shocking fashion. I'd be shocked if this were the final 3 although I do agree completely that these are the 3 strongest Chefs.
culdeus
Footballguy
Stunning that hack nikki is still on. Just amazing that they knocked off jennifer who seems to have some talent for following the challenge too closely while a team that just totally blew off the challenge lost nobody. Some of this is rigged and I have to think they wanted to keep on the high drama people again like when Howie was allowed to stay on in 3.
The thing is that there are 3-4 really strong people there and the rest are just waiting to get sent off so it doesn't really matter. Pretty sure the top 3-4 are much better than what last season has. 4-10 are iffy though. 10-16 were horrible.
The thing is that there are 3-4 really strong people there and the rest are just waiting to get sent off so it doesn't really matter. Pretty sure the top 3-4 are much better than what last season has. 4-10 are iffy though. 10-16 were horrible.
scoobygang
Footballguy
I don't know. That asparagus dish just didn't look very good. I like asparagus. I like goat cheese. I like orange sauce, I suppose. I don't think I'd like it all together. And the dish looked like it was plated by Mikey.If they were really going for drama, I think they would have kicked Antonia off. She seems pretty innocuous. Jennifer, meanwhile, at the very least is good for one Zoi mention an episode.
saintfool
Dead sexy
I was a little surprised that Jen got the boot. I was sure it was going to be Antonia or Lisa. They screwed the pooch with the sausage and then did shots of tequila while serving/presenting? They got it all wrong. Every bit - food and presentation - of their dish was incorrect. Jen and Antonia's might have sucked but it didn't warrant the axe.
"Polish sausage is nothing I'd EVER think of serving". What a condescending couple of putz-ettes.
higgins
Footballguy
scoobygang
Footballguy
Except Tom liked the dish. If they had featured the chorizo as the main attraction, I don't think they would have merited much more than a casual mention about going off script. Remember, Leah (who was an excellent chef who was trained at Jean-Georges) got axed last year for doing exactly what we're suggesting that Antonia and Lisa should have done. Cooking a polish sausage in beer would have been lazy bar food. Now, of course it's not as if there were only two options. They could have done some type of sausage filled cabbage roll or pieorogi with an alcohol flavored sauce. That's probably what I would have tried. Maybe a sausage stuffed cabbage roll with a vodka sauce.
Sammy3469
Footballguy
I agree....there's plenty of ways to integrate polish sausage into a high end meal, afterall all it really is is some pork, pork fat, and some spices. It's not that hard...all it really showed was a total lack of imagination. The bigger issue was that they didn't know anything about beer (which seems to be a continuing theme this year). I really don't get how these some of these chefs can get to where they are without at least sampling beer at some point especially with the whole microbrew revolution.
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It would seem to me that a classically trained, fine-dining chef, in the French or Italian tradition, wouldn't have much exposure to beer, as both are much more wine based, than beer based. When ever they have those shows about the Culinary Institute of America they don't show anybody getting trained in cooking with beer.There also seem to be a lot of cheftestants who don't want to do anything outside of their comfort zone. Someone was whining about doing pastry because "baking is a science, not an art" like cooking is. And while this might be true, it just sounded very off-putting.
Sammy3469
Footballguy
I know all that, but its still a bit of a cop-out...Daniel Boulud has this show on Mojo where he goes around and cooks in other restaurants kitchen's and hosts a dinner party for 8 of his "friends". Granted he doesn't do a lot with beer and wine is still his wheelhouse, but he's at least knowledgable about the different kinds of it, how to pair it, and if necessary how to use it. Maybe its b/c he's been around, but its not as if beer's this 4-letter word to him.
Tremendous Upside
Footballguy
Comparing the Top Chef contestants to Daniel Boulud might be a bit of a stretch...
Sammy3469
Footballguy
I know, but its not like beer is that complicated of an ingredent. I guess its just the beer snob in me coming out.
Tremendous Upside
Footballguy
Especially when it's sausage and beer...It's not like they had to combine beer and caviar
culdeus
Footballguy
I think leah went off for basically making guacamole right. It's still in the vicinity of "latin". Not quite the same if I'm remembering it. They could have easily done a polish fish sausage or something. Or hell polish vodka sauce and something. Polish anything.
Senor Schmutzig
Footballguy
One? Try closer to 6 last night. There should be a Jennifer/Zoi drinking game, I would have been
all night.
Senor Schmutzig
Footballguy
Ryan: "Do I look like a football fan?"
Yes Ryan, you do. As a matter of fact, you look like a beer-swilling, football loving frat boy. At least a hell of a lot more than I thought Dale looked like the big Bears fan that he was.
As a fellow Bears fan, I'll have to to getting Gale Sayers, Richard Dent and the Fridge on the show last night. I loved Perry's comments about the ribs. He was all about getting to those things as fast as he could.
Yes Ryan, you do. As a matter of fact, you look like a beer-swilling, football loving frat boy. At least a hell of a lot more than I thought Dale looked like the big Bears fan that he was.
As a fellow Bears fan, I'll have to
to getting Gale Sayers, Richard Dent and the Fridge on the show last night. I loved Perry's comments about the ribs. He was all about getting to those things as fast as he could.
culdeus
Footballguy
That was last week's show GB.Ryan: "Do I look like a football fan?"Yes Ryan, you do. As a matter of fact, you look like a beer-swilling, football loving frat boy. At least a hell of a lot more than I thought Dale looked like the big Bears fan that he was.As a fellow Bears fan, I'll have to
Senor Schmutzig
Footballguy
Oh, that's right. I had to watch two episodes last night to catch up. The comments stand.That was last week's show GB.Ryan: "Do I look like a football fan?"Yes Ryan, you do. As a matter of fact, you look like a beer-swilling, football loving frat boy. At least a hell of a lot more than I thought Dale looked like the big Bears fan that he was.As a fellow Bears fan, I'll have toto getting Gale Sayers, Richard Dent and the Fridge on the show last night. I loved Perry's comments about the ribs. He was all about getting to those things as fast as he could.
saintfool
Dead sexy
i have to agree. although, i don't think Mark's dish was the tipping point in his ousting. he just never seemed to get it together. nikki, lisa and spike are soon to be picked off from the herd. the b-boy - andrew - has really grown on me with his approach to the challenges. he's a kind of dark horse candidate to me.
culdeus
Footballguy
It's pretty muchDale/Richard as 1A 1B that much is clearStephanie clearly 3Andrew/Antonia are the unknowns right now. Either could get hot and make a run.The rest are just wasting everyone's time.
Fiddles
Footballguy
agree on andrew and also agree with dale about lisa being a negative #####she sucks
I don't really agree with that. I like Dale, but Richard and Stephanie have been the top two the whole season, with the exception of the last couple of weeks. Stephanie even got the "Blais left scales on the fish, but he's usually pretty good" exemption this week. I'd say Richard and Stephanie are still the ones to beat, with Dale and Andrew in the next tier. I've never been that impressed with Antonia, but put her in tier 3. Then Spike next, just because he doesn't suck as much as Nikki and Lisa.
culdeus
Footballguy
Stephanie has the clearest link to Tom's style in his restaurants though. This gives her an automatic edge. The last couple weeks have been a struggle, but when they get down to the restaurant war weeks she'll sail through. That's probably the following week(s). I would think most of the tricked up challenges to bring out the "home cooks" are over. Also what a joke it was that they said those entrees could be had for $10. Antoina had probably $15 in just chicken alone to plate all those dishes. Not to mention the red bell and other veggies.
Oh, no doubt. No way you get all that stuff for $10 at whole foods. Hell, Antonia's pasta noodles probably cost $3, and chicken isn't THAT cheap. I loved it when they asked Stephanie if she spent her whole budget.
saintfool
Dead sexy
i think they were confined to spending $10 per person. i don't think they made that clear though. there is no way they could feed 3-4 people under that budget with those ingredients. at whole foods. with chicago taxes.Oh, no doubt. No way you get all that stuff for $10 at whole foods. Hell, Antonia's pasta noodles probably cost $3, and chicken isn't THAT cheap. I loved it when they asked Stephanie if she spent her whole budget.
Kraft...
Footballguy
Spot on here, totally agree
Stephanie may have slipped down into Andrew/Antonia territory the last couple weeks but is still a notch above based on past performance IMO.
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krista4
Footballguy
If Richard doesn't win this thing, it will be a travesty of a sham of a mockery of a traveshmockery. Cooking skills 1000x better than anyone, great personality and ability to talk to people, can lead a team like nobody's business, and he GIVES AWAY a win tonight? They'd might as well shut it down now.
