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Offline apskip

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #25 on: December 08, 2011, 04:56:47 PM »
TC9, Ep. 4

This episode featured James Beard Award winning chef and owner of Fearing’s of Dallas, Dean Fearing. The focus was on sauces and each of the 13 remaining chefs was assigned by knife draw to this master sauce:

Espagnole (veal or beef stock plus tomato paste, roux, and aromatic vegetables) –
Hollandaise (egg yolks, oil; just before it is served add lemon juice and a little cold water) –
Bechamel (stirring cold milk or cream into a butter-flour mixture called a roux with onion and cloves ) -
Tomate (tomato, chopped garlic cloves, red or white wine, beef or veal stock
Veloute (chicken, veal, or fish stock thickened with white or pale roux)-

Their assignment was to make a variation of their master sauce in 90 minutes. The sauces created were:

Espagnole
Beverly - Sauce w/ Charred Shallots w/ Pepper Corn, Sake, Red Wine, Crab Maki Roll w/ Rib-Eye
Chris J. - Onion Soup w/ Butter Onion Puree
Paul - Quail w/ Pickled and Roasted Honshimeji Mushrooms, Garlic Scapes

Hollandaise
Grayson - Scallop, Charred Corn Sauce w/ Paprika, Corn Ravioli, Blueberry Balsamic Reduction
Lindsay - Charred Scallion w/ Soft Boiled Egg, Creamy Polenta, Pickled Herbs
TyLor - Hollandaise, Ahi Tuna, Bok Choy w/ Sugar Snap Peas

Bechamel
Dakota - Béchamel Infused w/ Peach, Truffle + Lemon Crab + Mushroom Duxelle, Seared Scallop
Edward - Cauliflower Milk Béchamel w/ Poached Red Snapper, Crab, Fried Oyster
Heather - Gruyere Croquette w/ Chinese 5 Spice, Apple Ginger Compote + Asian Slaw

Tomate
Nyesha - Tomate Sauce w/ Coconut and Ras El Hanout Braised Lentils
Whitney - Poached Shrimp, Fennel Pillau, Sauteed Okra, Pancetta

Veloute
Chris C. - Halibut over Mussels, Andouille, Hajimachi Mushrooms, Veloute w/ Mussels, Lemon Puree
Sarah - Shrimp Poached in Veloute, Braised Fennel + Leeks, Bread Crumbs + Fresh Herbs w/ Tarragon + Fennel Tops

Fearing had questions for several chefs on whether had had used a roux or clarified butter. It appeared that he did not like the answers he received. Dean apparently likes sauces thickened with classic roux.

The results of this were that these chefs had inferior sauces: Dakota, Nyesha, Beverly.
The best sauces were by Grayson, Chris J. and Paul. Grayson was the winner and received immunity for the Elimination Challenge.

Elimination Challenge
The group was to cater the Cattle Baron’s Baron, a fund-raising event for the American Cancer Society held at the South Fork Ranch for 200 guests. The chefs had to team up to do 4 courses, plan for 30 minutes, spend $4000 in 30 minutes at Whole Foods, prep in the Top Chef Kitchen at Le Cordon Bleu School in Dallas 3 hours, then cook the next day for 3 more hours at the South Fork kitchen. All steaks were to be served medium rare. The winner would get a 2012 Toyota Venza SUV, quite a valuable prize.

The courses and chefs responsible were:
#1 Soup – Dakota, Beverly, Sarah
#2 Rib-Eye Steak in a Salad –Chris J, Edward, Paul
#3 Sirloin Steak – TyLor, Whitney, Chris C, Nyesha
#4 Dessert – Heather, Lindsay, Grayson

Due to the fact that Heather and Lindsay finished the cake (similar to the Quinceanera cake) during the prep period, they became expeditors responsible for the overall flow and timing of the other courses. TyLor was assigned to work outside in the 112 degree heat at the grill to mark 200 steaks after stabbing his hand and requiring stitches in a local emergency room overnight.  Heather and Lindsay were to time the firing of them for finishing in the oven. This did not go well and many steaks were fired too early and cold when served. Whitney’s potato gratin was also a bit cold.
The actual dishes served at the Cattle Baron’s Ball were:
Course 1 - Tomato-Watermelon Gazpacho, Poached Shrimp, Avocado Mousse
Course 2 - New York Strip Carpaccio, Pistachio Vinaigrette, Mushroom “Bacon”, Red Onion Jam
Course 3 - Grilled Rib Eye, Creamy Potato Gratin, Braised Greens, Thyme Jus
Course 4 - “Right Side Up” Texas Peach Cake, Whipped Mascarpone, Pecan Streusel

The overall response from the judges was that “we expected a lot more from 13 chefs.” One major problem was the lack of coordination on the steaks and another was Whitney’s cold and undercooked potato gratin.

The winner’s group was Chris J., Nyesha and Heather. Heather got the nod and the Venza because her cake was just that special. The loser’s group was TyLor, Whitney and Chris C. Whitney was sent home for her undercooked potato gratin.

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #26 on: December 08, 2011, 04:57:38 PM »
Last Chance Kitchen, Ep. 4

This competition was Whitney vs. Chuy. Tom assigned them lean meat to make a classic American burger. Whitney got elk and Chuy got ostrich. They had what appeared to be 30 minutes to crate and cook. Chuy had to start over on his aioli because his first one broke. A new feature this week was that the past Last Chance Kitchen losers were present to comment and give advice to both chefs. Keith was particularly vocal, while Richie and Andrew were less so. The final composition of the burgers served was:

Chuy – ostrich and ground pork burger (meaning bun, tomato, lettuce) with fresno chili aioli on top and cheddar cheese and bacon on the bottom, onion straws
Whitney – elk with ground pork burger, fried tomato, garlic, shallots, fried egg, black pepper aioli
Tom asked the observers their opinions. Keith said Whitney’s had more flavor. Tom agreed and Whitney was the winner. 


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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #27 on: December 15, 2011, 04:42:16 PM »
TC9, Ep. 5

This episode utilizes Tim Love, owner/chef of Lonesome Dove Bistro and a Top Chef Masters 1 competitor. The Quickfire was to use various brands of Don Julio Tequila to create a dish. One wonders how much of a fee for product placement top Chef got from Don Julio. Here are the tequilas used and the dishes created:

Beverly - Reposado  w/Cold-Smoked Green Tea Oyster
Chris C. - Blanco w/Raw Oyster, Tequila Tapioca Pearl and Sea Salt Air 
Chris J. - Blanco w/Pan-Seared Chicken + Lime Vinaigrette
Dakota - 1942 w/Lamb + Medjool Date Pistou
Edward - Anejo w/Bok Choy Lettuce Wrap + Lamb
Grayson – Anejo w/Sesame Cod + Tequila Brown Sugar Glaze
Heather - Reposado w/Mango Avocado Salad + Rock Shrimp
Lindsay - Anejo w/ Salmon + Fennel Puree, Brown Butter Sauce
Nyesha - Anejo w/Beer Battered Soft-shell Crab + Fennel Salad, Basil Passion Fruit Vinaigrette
Paul - Fried Chicken, Yellow Curry, Watermelon, Fish Sauce
Sarah – Blanco w/ Fennel Risotto + Glazed Scallops
Ty-Lor - 1942 w/ Steamed Clams in Thai Style Fish Caramel Sauce

Tim Love judged the worst dishes to be those of Heather (shrimp not properly cooked), Chris J. (chicken dry) and Sarah (risotto not a good clean dish). The best were those of Chris C., Lindsay and Ty-Lor. The prize was $5,000 although there was no immunity (for reasons which will be evident later this episode). The winner was Ty-Lor, who felt redeemed from a bottom end finish the prior episode.

ELIMINATION CHALLENGE
Tim Love invited the chefs to cook a game dinner for some of his friends who are game-oriented chefs. These pairings were done by some osmosis not evident to the viewer:
Ty-Lor/Edward – Quail for Vinny Ditolo, Los Angeles
Heather/Beverly – Duck; based on the very different work styles of these chefs this was not a match made in heaven; I expected fireworks; for John Currence of Oxford MS
Chris C./Lindsay – Boar for Jon Shook of Los Angeles
Dakota/Nyesha – Venison; Dakota claimed that she has cooked venison “thousands of times” for Bryan Caswell? of Houston
Grayson/Chris J. – Elk for Tim Love of Dallas
Sarah/Paul – Squab for Anita Low of New York City

Each pair of chefs would create and cook one course of a 6 course game dinner. Teams started by spending $200 in 30 minutes at Whole Foods. They then had 3 hours to cook at Le Cordon Bleu. The next morning they cooked again on a staggered 90 minute basis at Tim Love’s Lonesome Dove Bistro. Their creations were as follows:

Beverly/Heather - Five-Spice Duck Breast w/ Creamy Polenta and Pickled Cherries
Lindsay/Chris C. - Roasted Wild Boar w/ Kohlrabi Slaw, Farro Fried Rice
Nyesha/Dakota - Roasted Rack of Venison w/ Kobocha Squash, Beet Gratin
Ty-Lor/Edward - Sorghum Quail w/ Pickled Cherries, Eggplant
Chris J./Grayson - Juniper Roasted Elk w/ Sweet Potato and Bouquet of Citrus Greens
Sarah/Paul - Squab Breast and Sausage w/ Nectarine Pickled

The chefs had to cook enough to handle not only the guest judges and 3 regular judges (Hugh, Padma and Tom), but also all of the other 10 competing chefs.

The guest judges and regular judges picked the winning team, which was Ty-Lor (a double win) and Edward. The competing chefs had 15 minutes to select 3 teams for potential elimination. Padma had made it clear that this was a double elimination episode, so 2 chefs would be leaving. Those selections were:

Beverly/Heather – the total dish was “not together”; no surprise there
Dakota/Nyesha – they knew that Dakota had cooked rare venison when it was supposed to be medium rare; would they walk the plank?
Grayson/Chris J. – no reason given, but they were under the gun to pick some team
Tom stated later that he felt that these were the right 3 teams to be in the figurative hot seat. He also stated that the venison was undercooked.

Heather did not wish to be judged as a team with someone who she clearly despised based on work ethic and style (during the cooking period Beverly had again attempted to hog all the stovetop space until Heather ordered her to cut it out). To me showing disunity before the judges was pure folly, but Heather did not care. She went ahead and lambasted Beverly to make the judges know that Heather might feel responsibility for some of the errors made, but she only wanted to go down by herself. Tom stated to the other judges once the teams had gone back to the stew room that they should judge on the quality of the food they ate and not on the personality conflicts of the chefs.

We came to the final phase of Judges’ Table. Beverly and Heather were criticized heavily for the disunity of their team reflecting in the disunity of the dish they presented.
Nyesha and Dakota were criticized for the undercooked venison once again. Grayson and Chris go off with minor criticism, reflecting no doubt the reality that calling half of the group as Losers was a poor idea to begin with.

Dakota/Nyesha were eliminated. I felt that was the right decision from the end of the eating period.

Next episode Top Chef 9 moves again to Austin.

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #28 on: December 15, 2011, 05:04:19 PM »
Last Chance Kitchen, Ep. 5

This involves a 3-way contest between Nyesha, Dakota and Whitney. The challenge was to use cactus as a main ingredient and use only a wok for 30 minutes cooking. Nyesha is going Asian with her dish. Here are the dishes prepared and presented:

Whitney – cactus +m chicken fried rice w/ sriracha and soy sauce
Nyesha – Asian style scallops, prickly pear garnish, cilantro, Thai basil
Dakota – shrimp tostada w/ watermelon, prickly pear shooter

Tom sampled and made his decision. He then invited the 4 previously eliminated chefs (all male) to sample and comment. They all had fairly equivocal comments. Tom stated that his favorite dish was Nyesha’s. As she had pretty much caused Nyesha’s elimination, Dakota was very pleased Nyesha was getting another chance.

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #29 on: December 22, 2011, 03:40:21 PM »
Top Chef 9, Ep. 6

Padma started this episode with a “pack your bags; we’re moving on to Austin,” the third and last of the host cities for TC9. When the 10 remaining chefs arrived they checked into the Cattle Baton Suite at the Driskill Hotel. Then they went to the cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts where Tom Colicchio was waiting. The challenge was simple and a bit flaky: respond to avant garde Twitter technology by showing your adaptability. Tam and Padma read incoming Tweets from a selected group of Top Chef fans (who presumably were not told what was happening) and they picked a few ideas for use by the chefs. The first idea was to showcase bacon, the second was to add in hash (usually not a good combination with pork) and the third was to pick any ingredient and give it to another chef to use in his/her dish. Edward was given sriracha sauce and he was not thrilled about that. They had 45 minutes to cook.

The judging was by Tom and Padma for $10,000 but no immunity. Here were the dishes prepared and presented:

Beverly-Crispy Pork Belly w/Corn, Bell Pepper, Habanero, Potato Hash (pressure cooked)
Chris C. - Bacon-Wrapped Monkfish w/ Potato, Leek, Bacon Hash
Chris J. - Corn Pure w/ Bacon, Potato Hash, Seared Scallop
Edward - Potato Hash w/ Bacon and Soft Shell Crab Deglazed in Sriracha
Grayson - Shrimp Puff w/ Crispy Bacon Hash Cake
Heather - Smoked Paprika Quail w/ Bacon Jam, Leek Hash
Lindsay - Crispy Soft Shell Crab, Sweet Corn and Bacon Fat Hash, Pickled Okra
Paul – Bacon Fat, Crispy Bacon, Blackberries, Chorizo, Mushroom Hash
Sarah - Pork Sausage Stuffed Cabbage and Spinach w/ Browned Butter
Ty-Lor – Maple-Glazed Bacon w/ Bacon and Kale Hash

The Losers’ Group consisted of Grayson (not enough bacon), Chris J. (salty) and Ed (burned hash and too bitter). The Winners’ Group was Beverly, Sarah and Paul. Paul won the $10,000, giving him a total of $30,000 in 6 episodes. Not too shabby for him!

Elimination Challenge
The Elimination Challenge started when the chefs were relaxing at a bar and the pianist introduced Patti LaBelle (now, what would she be doing with her famous voice singing for maybe 30 people in a bar in Austin?). Nobody seemed to catch on until Padma came out from behind the curtain and announced that Patti is a cookbook author and would be a Guest Judge along with 2 of her friends. The task was for each chef to identify their culinary inspiration and create a menu to honor that individual (this type of challenge usually comes later in a top Chef season).  The chefs had the usual 30 minutes and $200 to shop for their meal preparation. Then they had 2 hours to cook.

Here is what they chose:
Beverly - - Korean Braised Short Rib w/ Edamame Scallion Puree, Hon Shimeji Mushrooms
Chris C. - Sockeye Salmon w/ Confit Potato and Brown Sugar Carrot Puree
Chris J. - Lemon-Pepper Steak w/ Baked Potato, Vegetables
Edward - Modern Bibimbap (the only vegetarian dish) w/ Lemon-Chili Sauce
Grayson - Grilled Rib Eye Steak (12oz., what was she thinking?) w/ German Potato Salad, Grilled Vegetables
Heather - Beef Stroganoff w/ Herb Spaetzle, Roasted Wild Mushrooms
Lindsay - Trout Spanakopita w/ Crispy Leeks and Rainbow Trout Roe
Paul - Quail Adobo and Ginger Rice w/ Green Mango Salsa
Sarah - Burrata Stuffed Squash Blossom w/ Bacon, Zucchini Hash
Ty-Lor – Duck Fat-Fried Chicken Tender w/ Pickled Peaches 

The judges made several comments while dining on staggered groups of 2 meals:
Chris J. – salmon albumen (which he knew was a problem but could not fix) disgusting
Chris C. – steak overcooked, far too much dill
Grayson – cut of meat was stringy, not tasty
Heather – dumplings dried out, meat grisly
Edward – Emeril loved his bibimbap
Lindsay – Emeril and Padma said the roe was great
Sarah – good dish
Ty-Lor – very good dish

The first 3 called in were Heather, Chris C. and Grayson. It appeared to me that, unlike the usual practice and to keep the chefs off balance, this would be the Losers’ Group. It was. Grayson was criticized for trying to copy her father’s recipe too closely and not adapting it to a generation later. Chris C. overseared his steak, so the judges were critical. Heather also overcooked her dumplings and her stroganoff was difficult to eat, as she had not used a pressure cooker to tenderize it and was only braising it.

The Winners’ Group was Beverly, Sarah and Edward. Emeril praised Beverly for “showing lots of technique.” Sarah was praised for her beautiful and tasty dish. Edward was praised for another beautiful dish with particularly tasty mushrooms.  Sarah got the nod from the judges.

When the Judges’ Table came back to the Losers’ Group, the phrase “lack of imagination” was tagged onto Grayson. The negatives about Chris C. did not appear to be serious enough for him to be eliminated. Both Heather and Grayson were in trouble as a result of their selection of cuts of meat. Heather was the one eliminated.


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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #30 on: December 22, 2011, 03:41:09 PM »
Last Chance Kitchen Ep. 6

This battle was Heather vs. Nyesha. The tasks were to utilize frying, injecting and foaming in a half-hour in the preparation of one dish. The dishes prepared were:

Heather – fried Gulf shrimp w/ smoked paprika and porcini mushroom foam

Nyesha – brown butter foam and beignet injected w/ caramel sauce

Tom said they were both good, but Heather overcooked her shrimp and so the win went again to Nyesha. The “peanut gallery” did not have much impact on this one.

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #31 on: January 07, 2012, 09:50:52 PM »
TC9, Ep. 7

The Guest Judge was Nathan Myhrvold, author of the $625 6 volume 52 pound cookbook Modernist Cuisine. He was Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer and he is the founder of the globally respected “Intellectual Ventures” think tank. The Quickfire was for the chefs to create the best modernist cuisine dish in 30 minutes. The winner would get the cookbook plus immunity.  The dishes created and presented were:

Beverly - Curry Whipped Cream, Flash Steamed Clams and Mussels, Mango Chili, Cucumber, Radish
Chris C. – risotto foam, scallops, brown butter dust
Chris J. - Miracle Berry, Lemon Deconstructed Cheesecake, Lemon/Lime Spritzer
Edward - Compressed Watermelon with Brunoise of Radish, Salmon Belly Sashimi, and Orange Pulp
Grayson - trout sashimi with dill caviar, pickled watermelon, cucumber and radish
Lindsay – marinated baby octopus with sea beans and togarashi
Paul - endive salad with egg yolk
Sarah - Breakfast Raviolo, Pancetta, and Egg Yolk
Ty-Lor - watermelon with vanilla bean honey, saffron, and salted olive oil powder

Myhrvold rated as worst dishes Paul (insufficient depth of flavor), Beverly and Grayson (too simple). The best were Ty-Lor (a watermelon with tapioca maltodextrin), Beverly and Chris J. (an intense flavor bean that turned the following lemon flavor into tangerine flavor). The winner of immunity and the cookbook was Ty-Lor.

Elimination Challenge
These teams were created by chefs banding together:
RED – Ty-Lor, Ed, Sarah
WHITE – Chris C., Chris J., Beverly
BLUE – Grayson, Paul, Whitney
The task was to cook plates for 300 guests at the Salt Lick Restaurant consisting of beef brisket BBQ, pork ribs BBQ and chicken BBQ plus 2 side dishes. Each team had $1000 at Whole Foods and $1000 at Restaurant Depot (primarily for meat) to buy in 30 minutes at each place. The teams were given a demonstration of the inside BBQ pit of the Salt Lick by its owner, but they were actually cooking all night and the next morning outside in the broiling Texas heat at the Onion Creek outside BBQ pits. Tom Colicchio came by to tell them that the winning team would get $15,000 to split. The mentality of Top Chef producers to force chefs to show that they can “do whatever it takes” may be misplaced when no sleep and heat prostration become critical. It backfired when Sarah got heat prostration and had to be taken away by an EMT to a local hospital, to return only as the judges arrived for sampling the RED team’s plate.

The RED team was using Ty-Lor’s Kansas City-style dry rub. The WHITE team used Chris J.’s beer can style chicken and Dr. Pepper in the ribs. The BLUE team was using Asian spices on its BBQ. Will that sell in Texas?

The plates actually created were:
RED – Texas chicken, Kansas City Style Pork Ribs, Smoked Brisket, Poppy Seed Cole Slaw, Pinto Beans
WHITE – Smoked Brisket with Spiced Barbeque Sauce, Sweet N Sticky Pork Ribs with Dr. Pepper Glaze, Pit Roasted Beer Can Chicken, Coleslaw and Bourbon Baked Beans
BLUE - Smoked Brisket with Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Curry BBQ Chicken, Caramel Miso Pork Rib, Watermelon Salad and Nouc Mam

Comments from the judges while eating were:
BLUE – ribs excellent, cilantro watermelon great
WHITE – salty, chewy
RED – ribs chewy, brisket flavor really good

The BLUE team was judged the winner for doing a first-class job of cooking and seasoning the meats.

Comments by the judges at JUDGES TABLE were:
WHITE – too salty due to Chris C. marinades and sauces for all the meats, meat cooking by Chris J. not done correctly, a number of mistakes made by Beverly, including cole slaw that was neither acidic enough nor original enough, beans undercooked and chicken skin not crisp enough
RED – ribs chewy, Sarah’s chicken poorly done, Ty-Lor and Ed did not get it done, partly a result of his decision to slice his meat too early

In the final analysis, the judges believed that there were plenty of mistakes for each and every one of these 6. Ty-Lor was immune or he might have been eliminated. The worst was judged to be Chris C.


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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #32 on: January 08, 2012, 02:15:10 PM »
LAST-CHANCE KITCHEN, Ep. 7

This was Chris Crary versus Nyesha. There were given the classic gas station ingredient challenge with 15 minutes and $20 to buy and 30 minutes to cook. Nyesha ‘s dish was:
Beer-glazed smoked,  sausage w/pork rind  twill, chili cheese sauce
Chris – togarashi spiced tomato soup, spiced pork rinds, grilled cheese w/ fried ham, pickle

Tom judged Nyesha the 3-time winner, so she stayed alive.

Offline spauline

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #33 on: January 10, 2012, 10:57:01 PM »
Top Chef has really taken quite a huge recognition with being able to come up with big names for the culinary industry but seems to have lost quite its touch in terms of audience turnover.  I think that the drama some shows are able to bring out though nothing really contributing to the show is enough to sway viewers to other shows.  I am talking about Hell's Kitchen and though it attacks the topic differently has taken some ranks higher.

Offline apskip

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #34 on: January 11, 2012, 11:27:04 AM »
spauline,

I looked into this and Top Chef despite its Emmy Award has sunk to about 2 million viewers last week. The most recent Hell's Kitchen, which was a finale, got 5.85 million.


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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #35 on: January 12, 2012, 08:56:10 PM »
Hell's Kitchen is the most ridiculous reality competition show that I've seen

The fact that you can be on the winning team and still get eliminated solely because the head (only) judge felt like it/doesn't like you is completely ludicrous.  There is no rhyme or reason to the structure of the eliminations.

If I wanted to watch someone pick and choose who stays in such a way, I'd watch the Bachelor (which I don't)

Back on topic of Top Chef, I loved this week's episode, especially due to the elimination

Overall, however I feel like this season has been kinda blah... No more team tasks please!

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #36 on: January 13, 2012, 10:08:12 AM »
Hell's Kitchen is the most ridiculous reality competition show that I've seen

The fact that you can be on the winning team and still get eliminated solely because the head (only) judge felt like it/doesn't like you is completely ludicrous.  There is no rhyme or reason to the structure of the eliminations.

If I wanted to watch someone pick and choose who stays in such a way, I'd watch the Bachelor (which I don't)

Back on topic of Top Chef, I loved this week's episode, especially due to the elimination

Overall, however I feel like this season has been kinda blah... No more team tasks please!

DavidJunior,

Your comment is mostly about Hell's Kitchen, so I will deal with that first:
Yes, Gordon Ramsay is the only judge of anything significant on HK (although he does sometimes bring in celebrity judges for the challenges). This has the potential to be arbitrary. However, please cite me a few instances in 9 seasons of Hell's Kitchen where a truly bad elimination was made.

For Top Chef Ty-Lor had been winning some Quick-Fires and Elimination Challenges, so I did not expect that he would be next out. I agree with you on team tasks, as they do put some chefs at a disadvantage since frequently they still have to create at least one dish and depend on another chef to cook it.

For those interested in more information on both series, I can recommend these books(both available through www.amazon.com):
Chef Wars: Hell's Kitchen
Chef Wars: Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, Top Chef-Just Desserts

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #37 on: January 13, 2012, 02:04:33 PM »
Okay, none of the eliminations were bad necessarily... I just get annoyed as a viewer that you could be on the winning team and still go home.  If the competitor was truly that bad they would screw it up for their team eventually and then you could boot them, or wait until it gets to be more of an individual competition, so you can get rid of them when they start floundering there.

I don't know, I just like it to be more structured and by the books.  The show is just too free-flowing in the elimination department for me to truly enjoy it  :duno:

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #38 on: January 15, 2012, 08:13:27 PM »
I've been behind but catching up. I've enjoyed watching this season because it's been filmed in Texas and especially San Antonio and Austin. I need to watch Restaurant Wars and then I'll be all caught up.  :tup: 
The choices we make dictate the life we lead.

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #39 on: January 17, 2012, 09:25:54 PM »
Top Chef 9, Ep. 8

There was no Quickfire, as this episode was to create your own pop-up restaurant. The teams were the 4 male chefs versus the 4 female chefs. The ultimate goal was Restaurant Wars, to create a 3 course meal for 100. Many steps were required first. Menus were created and the restaurant named (The Canteen for the men and Half Bushel for the women). There were 2 teams of 4 each and they sent a subset to Whole Foods with $4000 to be spent in 1 hour and another to Sur La Table to buy furniture and fixtures with $7500. The furniture and fixtures had to be delivered and the individual designated by each team (Edward and Lindsay) as Front of the House had to oversee the process of turning the former dining room of the Palme D’Or into their dining room. Making it presentable was completed just in time. The men cooked first and the women dined, then they swapped roles. I want to note that both Edward and Lindsay still had responsibility for one menu item even though they could not actually cook it, requiring delegation to someone else. Teams were having the kitchen at quite separate times, with the opportunity to eat their competition’s food.

Beverly - Braised Short Rib over Thai Basil Potato Puree, Appleslaw, Kimchi
Grayson +Lindsay - Crispy Skin Pork Belly w/Green Apple, Sweet Potato Puree, red curry
Grayson +Lindsay - Summer Peach Salad w/ Pickled Shallots, Bacon Vinaigrette, Candied Pistachios
Lindsay - Grilled Halibut with Spanish Chorizo, Fennel and Sherry Salad
Sarah - Mozzarella Filled Arancino (Risotto equivalent), Celery Salad
Sarah - Hazelnut Creme Italian Doughnuts with Banana Sugar Glaze
Grayson – Schaum Torte with Vanilla Meringue and Champagne Berries

Chris J. - Cracker Jack Ice Cream, Cherries and Frozen Peanut Butter
Edward - Almond Joy Cake w/ Malted Chocolate Mousse, in Banana Coconut Puree
Paul - Ham and Pork Pate w/ Mushrooms, Braised Mustard Seeds, Duck Fat Coated Crostini
Paul - Crispy Skin Pork Belly w/Green Apple, Sweet Potato Puree

Ty-Lor - Thai Style Crab and Shrimp Salad with Caramel Fish Sauce and Peanuts
Paul and Ty - Poached Salmon Warm Tomato Water, Clams, Mushrooms, Tomatillo Jam

I don’t quite see how Lindsay will have a hand in 3 dishes plus act as Front of the house, but she didn’t ask me. During the male kitchen stint, the question of who would expedite came up, but it was never resolved satisfactorily. Lindsay tried to cheat back in the kitchen, but this resulted in poor communications from the dining room. Sarah speared to be personally attacking Beverly in the dish selection process and during cooking.

The men had better service, but the women better food. They won and Beverly was the individual winner of a 3 Liter bottle of a gourmet wine plus a trip for 2 to Napa Valley to personally check out vineyards. One of the men will be going home.

The judges (Tom, Hugh, Padma, Emeril) found plenty to criticize from each of the men’s dishes:
Ty-Lor – major seasoning issues
Chris J. – his dessert was a mess
Edward – stayed out of trouble doing a good job as Front of House
Paul – greasy brioche
So that left the judges with no alternative but to eliminate Ty-Lor.


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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #40 on: January 17, 2012, 09:26:53 PM »
Last-Chance Kitchen Ep. 8

The challenge was to utilize a sous-chef to cook a pastry in 30 minutes. Nyesha chose Heather as her sous chef. Ty-Lor went with Chris Crary. The dishes created were:
Nyesha – Coconut and Lime Tart with Coconut Crème Fraiche Mousse and Caramel Sauce
Ty-Lor - Puff Pastry with Park Chocolate Mascarpone Cream, Vanilla Bean Rum Cherries and Caramel Sauce

Tom found mistakes in the mascarpone, so he awarded her fourth consecutive victory to Nyesha.

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #41 on: January 20, 2012, 08:29:31 AM »
Top Chef 9, Ep. 9

One thing I believed would happen before this episode finished was the elimination of a female chef to even the male/female ratio at 3 to 3.

The Quickfire used as Guest Judge the venerable Eric Ripert. It was a difficult challenge that tested the chefs’ abilities to make quick decisions. A fast-moving conveyor belt delivered a constantly changing array of ingredients. Eric Ripert stated that there was a basic tradeoff, since the best ingredients would arrive relatively late and delaying cooking may not be the best approach. Some chefs “waited for it” and some did not. The chefs had 30 minutes to select and cook. Each chef had to use 3 ingredients to make a sophisticated dish:

Beverly – Sockeye Salmon, tofu, curried Rice Krispies
Chris J. – Lobster, Foie Gras, vanilla
Edward - Sauerkraut, Shrimp, Black Truffle, macadamia nuts
Grayson – Dover Sole, Goldfish, grapefruit
Lindsay – fish, clams, pernod
Paul – mussels, bitter melon, saffron
Sarah – Soft-Shell Crabs, Cottage Cheese, artichokes

Beverly – Glazed Sockeye Salmon and Black Eyed-Peas, without the Rice Krispies left off due to the clock
Chris J. - Butter Poached Lobster with Foie Gras
Edward – Sauerkraut Soup, Shrimp with Shaved Truffle
Grayson – Butter Poached Dover Sole w/ Goldfish, Rosemary
Lindsay – Bouillabaisse in Fennel-Pernod Broth
Paul – Mussels in Ginger + Bitter Melon Broth
Sarah – Fried Soft-Shell Crab w/ Cottage Cheese Sauce

Ripert rated these dishes in the Worst category: Chris J. (it did not come together), Grayson, Paul. He rated as Best before her disqualification for a rules violation Beverly’s dish. That meant that between Lindsay and Sarah Lindsay was the winner of immunity for the Elimination Challenge.

Elimination Challenge
The task was a gothic feast for a dark queen demanding indulgence and risk taking. The chefs had 2 hours to create one dish out of a 7 course menu for a dark Queen, specifically the only being played by actress Charlize Theron in the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. She arrived to be another Guest Judge with Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, Emeril Lagasse and Eric Ripert. The chefs felt totally inspired cooing for an A-list actress who is also a foodie.

Each chef went to Whole Foods to spend $250 in 30 minutes. Paul’s dish started with 14 components even though he lost 2 during the cooking process. The dishes created and presented were:
Beverly – Seared Halibut with Red Curry Coulis and Forbidden Rice
Chris J. - Poisoned Apple and Cherry Pie
Edward – Tuna Tartare w/ Black Garlic Ponzu, Asian Pear Vinaigrette
Grayson – Black Chicken w/ Beets, Quail Egg, Foie Gras
Lindsay – Seared Scallop over "Witch’s Stew” (short ribs), Dragon Beans
Paul – "enchanted forest" of foie gras, bacon, beets, strawberries and pickled jalapenos, plus a bloody handprint on the middle of the plate
Sarah – Amarone (red wine) Risotto w/spiced Lamb Heart

The comments of the diners were really positive for all chefs:
Edward – sauce excellent, tartare very good, perfect manifestation of good vs. evil
Paul – beautiful and scary
Beverly – forbidden rice great, fish cooked perfectly
Lindsay – scallops were perfection
Sarah – flavorful
Grayson – vinegar for beets perfect
Chris J. – center of his pie was perfectly cooked but moist
So all the chefs had dishes that were way above average in quality. Who would win and who would lose? Paul’s dish was judged to be best, so he won a trip for 2 to the premier of Snow White and the Huntsman. Lindsay, Edward and Chris J. were all excused for exemplary performance. The group of just really good performances was Beverly, Sarah and Grayson. In spite of being told that her rice was perfect and her fish perfect, Beverly’s dish had sticky sauces. Sarah’s risotto was overcooked. Grayson had greens oversalted and with foie gras disconnected from the rest of the dish. Beverly was eliminated.

Did you notice that this takes the male to female chef ratio to 3:3 as I expected.



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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #42 on: January 20, 2012, 08:30:11 AM »
Last Chance Kitchen Ep. 9

This pitted reigning champion Nyesha against Beverly. The challenge started off as a simple “go get all your ingredients and cooking implements in one pass because you will not get another chance” with black drum as the fish to cook in 30- minutes. Tom asked the peanut gallery of fully eliminated chefs (most of whom had lost to Nyesha) who they thought would win and it appeared unanimous for Nyesha. Both Nyesha and Beverly expressed self-confidence. However, a short time after starting Tom called for a twist, to have each chef switch stations, leaving everything behind. So Beverly was cooking with Nyesha’s original ingredients and Nyesha with Beverly’s. These are the dishes created and presented:

Beverly – seared black drum w/ oranges, fennel, black olives

Nyesha – seared black drum w/ julienne of tri-pepper, slaw, pineapple chutney

Tom asked Nyesha if Beverly’s finished dish was “what Nyesha had had in mine?” She replied no. Tom stated that the pineapple chutney was superb. However, Nyesha’s dish was slightly underseasoned. Victory went to Beverly.


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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #43 on: January 21, 2012, 03:19:23 PM »
Was personally a little sad that Beverly got eliminated, although she was pretty inconsistent and a little haphazard

And I was really sad to see her beat Nyesha, I wanted to see her make it back in the competition, but as they always say, pride comes before the fall, and Nyesha was a little over-confident going into this last chance kitchen

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #44 on: January 21, 2012, 03:50:19 PM »
I haven't liked the way Beverly has been treated, there's been no respect for her at all. Every year there is someone who is disregarded and not given a voice, this was/is her year. I know the answer is to speak up and make your self heard. Right! Never happens. I am surprised that she beat Nyesha in the Last Chance challenge.

I've been trying to figure out why this season hasn't been as good for me. It's not the quality of the chefs, I think it's because so many of the scenes are in dark places, like the Driskill hotel and some of the other dining rooms, not to mention the last challenge. I also felt bad for them having to cook out doors because we not only had a major drought but 100º + heat when this was filmed.
The choices we make dictate the life we lead.


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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #45 on: January 22, 2012, 03:38:12 PM »
It's time for me to make a fearless prediction on the outcome of Top Chef 9. Let's start with who I expect the next two eliminees to be. That would be Grayson and Chris Jones. The next tier eliminated is likely to be Edward and Sarah. That leaves the two fighting for the title as Lindsay and Paul. It will be Paul with a clearcut victory. I have actually felt that he would win for about the last 6 episodes.

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #46 on: January 26, 2012, 04:55:16 PM »
TC9, Ep. 9

There are 6 chefs remaining, so they are paired up with an unstated logic (or maybe just as they were standing next to each other) for a Quickfire with a $10,000 per team prize. Cat Cora was the Guest Judge, probably to allow Bravo product placement on a new “Around the World in 80 Plates” series with her and Curtis Stone starting in May 2012. The Quickfire task was for a pair in 40 minutes to shell, devein and butterfly 2 pounds of shrimp, create and roll out 1 pound of fettucine and cut a reasonable portion of corn kernels off a bushel full of ears. A team could not move on to cooking until they finished all the mise en place tasks. The quickest team was not able to start cooking until only 10 minutes left. All teams attempted to rest their pasta dough before rolling and cutting the fettucine.

The dishes created were:
Edward and Paul – Fettuccine w/ Corn, Zucchini Flowers, Chanterelle Mushrooms,  Parmesan (but no required shrimp)
Chris J. and Grayson – Fettuccine, Toasted Corn, Poached Shrimp, Chili, Bacon, Rosemary
Lindsay and Sarah – Fettuccine w/ Corn Milk, Shrimp, Tarragon, Parsley

Paul distracted himself with frills and failed to get the shrimp onto the plate, so that team was disqualified. Chris and Grayson were the winners, very possibly because Cat Cora did not like the overuse of tarragon by Lindsay and Sarah.

ELIMINATION CHALLENGE
Padma explained that there was a Healthy Choice outdoor Block Party event for 200 contributors to the San Antonio Food Bank that was to focus on the company name, healthy choices and have an end product that was light and low calorie but still fully tasty. The pairs were split into competing duos, with the one in each duo with the most “customer” votes sent to the winning group. The prize of $15,000 would be given to the best dish from the 3 winners. Each duo had to agree on the overall concept that would guide both their dishes. Those were:

Edward and Paul – BBQ spare ribs with Asian pickled vegetables
Chris J. and Grayson – chicken sandwich with cups of fresh fruit, including watermelon
Lindsay and Sarah – meatballs and vegetable salad

From that point, the competitor mode took over. Each individual had $600 and 40 minutes to shop at the Broadway Market. Lindsay went with lamb and veal for her meatballs while Sarah went with turkey. Chris went with tofu emulsion instead of mayonnaise. Edward substituted for ketchup a kimchi/chipotle blend. Grayson elected to make each serving to order, which slowed down her service a great deal but led to better freshness and probably also flavor. Lindsay substituted chickpea flour for regular flour. Teams had 2.5 hours to cook and then an additional 45 minutes to set up.

The key elements of the actual dishes prepared were:
Edward – Open Face Kalbi w/ short ribs, Kimchi Chipotle Puree, Pickled Cucumber, and Daikon on a steamed bun
Paul – Korean BBQ Kalbi w/ turkey ribs and eggplant, white peach kimchi, ssam

Chris J. – Chicken Salad Sandwich with Tofu emulsion “Mayo,” Red Lettuce, Watermelon Fruit Salad, pineapple-watermelon smoothie, chopped fruit
Grayson – Chicken Salad Sandwich w/ Arugula, Pickled Red Onion, Feta Watermelon Salad w/ Pumpkin Seeds

Lindsay – lamb + veal Mediterranean meatball w/ Greek lemon yogurt, Greek salad of quinoa, black-eyed peas, Grenache vinaigrette
Sarah – Calabrese-style turkey meatball and summer vegetable salad

The panel of judges deciding was Cat Cora, Padma, Tom and Emeril. Dana Cowin joined to sample comment only. Ryan Scott from Top Chef 4 was there representing Healthy Choice and he sampled and commented too.

The commentary from the judges’ sampling was:
Edward – dry
Paul – “absolutely brilliant” (how do you beat that?) and very tasty
Grayson – serving to order a great idea; flavor limited
Chris J. – watermelon salad tasty
Lindsay – original, tasty
Sarah – healthy, good sauce

The close pairing was between Lindsay and Sarah. Lindsay won that pairing to be considered by the judges against Paul and Grayson. It was Paul by a mile, winning $15,000. That left the other 3 chefs to be considered for elimination from the losers’ group. Comments on them were:

Ed – short rib fat was trimmed off and that was the best part; tough; chewy
Chris – should have made it to order to be competitive
Sarah – salad inconsistent (Tom liked it, Dana did not)

It was clear from the tone of the comments that Sarah would be safe from elimination. The decision was between Chris and Edward. Chris was judged less worthy, with the overview that he scurried around with great ideas but failed in his execution.


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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #47 on: January 26, 2012, 04:56:10 PM »
LAST CHANCE KITCHEN, Ep. 9

This was Beverly versus Chris J. Each had a cook a meal from all of the ingredients contained in a first mystery box, then a second one and finally a third one. Those ingredients were:
Lamb
Pine Nuts
Parsnips
Cinnamon
Marshmallows
Orange
Apple
Celery
Radicchio
Parsley
White anchovy

Chris made grilled lamb with sweet puree, pine nuts, apple, radicchio salad, pancetta

Beverly made grilled lamb chops w/ parsnips, curry, radicchio, white anchovy vinaigrette

Tom had the usual nice things to say about both dishes. He named Beverly the winner and said that the winner of the next Last Chance Kitchen battle will go directly back into the main field.

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #48 on: January 26, 2012, 05:17:23 PM »
There is a competition of selected former Top Chef competitors with a $25,000 prize. The competitors were:

Sara Nguyen, TC3, 9th place
Casey Thompson, TC3 3rd place (still the easiest-to-look-at competitor in all Top Chef seasons combined)
Tre Wilcox   , TC3 8th place
Ryan Scott   , TC4 11th place

You can watch this at http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-9/top-chef-healthy-showdown. The first and second episodes are there and the string of episodes 3, 4 and 5 will just automatically load afterward.
The first episode was a Quickfire with one elimination. the second episode was Elimination Challenge cooking followed by 3 minutes of faux on-camera explanation of how to make that dish, with another elimination. Episode 3 was the finale cooking. Episodes 4 and 5 were the discussion of that.

I will tell you that the winner of $25,000 plus being awarded the position of Healthy Choice Ambassador (which was obvious if you observed TC9, Episode 9) was Ryan 

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Re: Top Chef 9
« Reply #49 on: February 02, 2012, 06:50:31 PM »
TC9, Ep. 10

The Guest Judge for this episode was Pee-Wee Herman, who really qualifies as a foodie
. His favorite food is pancakes, so that was what the chefs had to cook. They had 20 minutes to wow him and chose these dishes for a $5000 prize:

Edward - Pancake bits w/ raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, bacon, bruleed marshmallows, chocolate shavings.
Grayson - Ricotta buttermilk pancakes w/ peach compote, blackberry, basil, lemon zest carafe of syrup
Lindsay – Ricotta pancake w/ lemon, cardamom, brown butter syrup, crème fraiche, macaron almond, anise cookies
Paul – Rolled pancake w/ berries, black pepper, champagne Dipping Dots
Sarah - Confetti pancakes w/ blackberry sauce, cocoa nibs, vanilla whipped cream

The winner of the Quickfire and its prize was Edward.

ELIMINATION CHALLENGE

This is a strange and difficult one. The chefs had to find and buy with $100 ingredients and then cook a family-style meal for Pee-Wee and the judges, but they have to bike around town finding those ingredients and borrowing kitchens for prep space. Only one chef can use any kitchen at one time. 3 hours were provided for self-transport, buying ingredients, negotiating with a place to cook and actually cooking there.

Paul chose a Belgian-Thai bistro. Ed went to a bed-and-breakfast. Grayson went to the Mexican restaurant Rosario’s. Lindsay needed additional ingredients so she left Mad Hatters, the site of her cooking, to get them; in the interim Sarah found that place and claimed it. Lindsay had to find Frank’s Hog Stand. The dishes created for serving at The Alamo were:

Edward - Chicken + Grits, Raw Corn, Kale Salad w/ Red-Eye Gravy
Grayson - Egg, Spinach & Gorgonzola Stuffed Chicken & Butternut Squash
Lindsay – Stuffed Zucchini w/ Braised Beef Cheeks, Rice, Goat Cheese
Paul – Roasted Chicken, Red Curry Gastrique, Summer Salad w/ Basil Blossom Oil
Sarah - Summer Vegetable Egg Salad w/ Chicken Skin Vinaigrette

Comments on the dishes were:
Lindsay – great flavor
Paul – beautiful, a little sweet, not perfectly balanced
Grayson – huge portion and high fat didn’t fit “health” concept; tomatoes and butternut squash not good combination
Sarah – underseasoned, too much vinaigrette
Edward – poaching chicken in beef fat a mistake; rubbery; undercooked

Based on the Judges’ Table discussion, you would conclude that Edward would be eliminated but, as frequently the case, you would be wrong. Top Chef producers delight in misleading
by withholding information.

Lindsay won and Paul was safe. That left the elimination decision between Grayson, Sarah and Edward. Grayson was eliminated. Tom admitted to the 4 remaining chefs that a 5th would be joining them from “a parallel competition.”