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Top Chef New York Season 5

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marigold:

Tom Colicchio's Blog:

Foodie Fighters

When I arrived in Rochester for this week's Elimination Challenge and saw the rows of microwaves and toaster ovens, I thought, "They've got to make Thanksgiving dinner in this? This is horrible." (No, contrary to popular belief, I do not have a hand in every Top Chef decision. The other producers are responsible for designing the challenges, the curveballs, and the insanity that ensues.) I couldn't believe it. To make matters worse, the electricity kept cutting out. And then it began to rain. Between the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges, this whole episode was rife with curveballs, and our chefs largely swung and connected. So I want to start right off by acknowledging how well our cheftestants did up in Rochester under really adverse circumstances. For the most part, the food was good; as a whole, they did a really good job. The Elimination Challenge, which was to cook Thanksgiving Dinner for the Foo Fighters and their entourage before their concert in Rochester, presented only two real variables for our chefs to consider: preparing Thanksgiving Dinner, and incorporating the band's likes and dislikes as set forth in their Rider. That rider goes out to anyone who ever prepares food for the Foo Fighters. Our chefs needed only overlap the rider with making Thanksgiving dishes. You might want to know that the Foo Fighters are really into food; bandleader Dave Grohl is an avid Top Chef watcher and was excited to be on the show. After their Grammy appearance last year, in fact, the band celebrated by dining at Craft LA. These guys were great to work with. By the time we showed up, they had been on the road for around three hundred days; their tour was coming to an end. After that long on the road, it's hard to face the holidays without family, and it makes sense that they would probably want something homey, comforting, and familiar. So, in contrast to last week's challenge, here we were looking for our chefs' takes on the most traditional of American meals.

It was entirely up to the band to pick the winning team. There was a lively discussion around that table that didn't make the final edit of the show, and it was a very close call. I myself tried to persuade the guys to pick the other team, since the proteins are the heart of the meal, and both Ariane's turkey and Eugene's pork were great (not to mention the fact that Eugene's decision to create a makeshift grill was brilliant). In my mind, great proteins should have beaten out great desserts, but I was content with the choice, since it enabled us to send home the person who created the overall worst dish of the evening, the S'mores. Folks didn't like Jeff's dessert either: The pumpkin foam didn't work in largest part because Jeff tried to marry pumpkin, which is quintessentially autumnal, with raspberries, which are too bright and summery. Dried fruits such as cranberries or raisins pair well with pumpkin, as do nuts. But that mistake doesn't come close to the S'mores, which were a poor choice both conceptually and for logistical reasons. Richard got hung up on the fact that the rider mentioned the Foo Fighters' love of bananas. Big mistake right there - the team didn't need to address every single element in the rider, and what role have bananas ever played in anyone's Thanksgiving meal? If the rider said they liked Caprese Salad, would you have made that for Thanksgiving? I'm thinking not. And then to make the bananas into S'mores...? Have you ever seen a banana in a S'more? Bananas aside, let's talk about S'mores. They're never made in the home as part of a homey, comforting fall meal; they're made outside, in the summertime, around a campfire. So...why banana S'mores? Not to mention the fact that their execution was destined to fail, since they needed to be fresh and warm to be enjoyed, an impossibility under the circumstances of this challenge. I was mystified by the choice on every level. Radhika's decision to make a vegan stuffing, on the other hand, was an example of a smart choice that incorporated Thanksgiving basics with the specifics of the rider. And everyone, vegan and otherwise, loved the dish. You'll note that there was no one winner this time around. Had there been, my vote would have gone to either Ariane or Eugene (though, of course, they were on the losing team, so never mind). This challenge highlights a point about restaurant cooking that I think is worth mentioning: Jeff kept saying that he thought he had undertaken too many dishes, but this was not his problem. Jeff's issues point to the difference between a chef and a cook. When you're a cook in a restaurant, you cook. When you're a sous-chef, you cook less. And a chef no longer cooks, with good reason. At Craft during dinner service there are four stations on the hotline, and a chef must be walking around, tasting, supervising, trouble-shooting. If s/he is working at one, s/he can't be on top of what's happening at the others. In this competition, Jeff stepped into the role of chef and organized his team so that the team's whole meal cohered. He did a great job as a chef, and, therefore, was most likely distracted and it took his focus and some of his time away from the individual dishes that he was cooking. What he did was certainly good for the group, but not for him personally. And aside from the fact that Richard's S'mores were far worse than Jeff's dessert, Jeff's efforts are probably why we gave him a pass - we recognized what he did for the team and liked the initiative he took. In fact, at the Judges' Table, he took responsibility for what he had done without using it as an excuse. Grant said it well when he said that were he to choose his team, he'd want someone on it like Jeff. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Whether your meal is made in a microwave, a toaster oven or an actual kitchen, for famous musicians or family members, I hope you enjoy it. P.S. Addressing fans' concerns regarding Ariane and Jill last week: Although Padma spit out Ariane's dessert, she is one of four judges, and the others all felt that Jill's dish was worse.

Link: http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/blogs/index.php?log=tom_colicchio&article=2008/11/foodie_fighters#breadcrumbs

marigold:

 :lol:

Gail Simmons' Blog:

Gone Fishin'



Editor's Note: OK -- Gail hasn't really gone fishing (that we know of), but she is on her honeymoon!

apskip:
Episode 3 Quickfire was essentially "Be prepared for curveballs". Grant Achatz of Alinea restaurant in Chicago was the Guest Judge.  The apparent task was to take the page number in the Top Chef cookbook (product placement effort #1) and reinvent that recipe. However, about 10 minutes in, Padma told all chefs that the real task was to create a soup out of whatever ingredients they already had. Since there was too little time for them to make their own broth, chefs were providing with an unlimited supply of Swanson's Broth(product placement effort #2). Teams were enthusiastic on the new task. The Quickfire dishes shown were:
 
Leah - chilled white asparagus soup with brioche, tuna, and tapenade
 
Carla - shrimp tomato and coriander soup w/ cucumber and avocado salad
 
Stefan - Thai green curry bisque w/shrimp and scallop dumplings
 
Ariane - diced lamb, eggplant, red pepper and couscous soup
 
Jamie - chick pea soup w/pickled chiles, yoghurt, crispy shallots
 
Daniel - ham and egg soup w/ sauteed mushrooms, corn and cheese
 
Richard - black bean and roasted pasilla pepper soup w/ rice (funky Mexican soup)
 
Fabio - mushroom and asparagus soup w/ seared trout and salmon belly
 
Melissa - Italian Wedding Soup w/ black truffle Parmesan, linguini and chicken
 
The winner is Leah over Jamie and Daniel. This gives her immunity.

Elimination Challenge

Leah has the opportunity to select 6 other chefs to be on her team, which is given the name Team Sexy Pants(they should lose just because of selecting that name). She chooses Stefan, Fabio, Hosea, Jamie, Melissa and Radhika. Presumably those are either the 7 best chefs or some excellent team players in there.
 
There was no loser's group from which to organize the other team. Jeff stepped us as that organizer. The others were Richard, Eugene, Ariane, Carla, Daniel and Alex. The name they adopted, presumably because they had the two oldest females in the competition, was Team Cougar.
 
Elimination Challenge
The focus of this was the Foo Fighters musical group, who were giving a rock concert in Rochester's Blue Shield Center. They needed to be fed along with 60 others in their entourage (18 of whom are vegetarians) and the 4 judges and they wanted a traditional American Thanksgiving meal. Foo Fighter favorites like chocolate covered bananas and bacon were to be included if possible. The catch was that on arrival the chefs learned that they had only microwave ovens and toaster ovens plus one burner each to cook. The teams developed their menus:
 
TEAM COUGAR MENU
Ariane - Butterball Turkey confit w/ mushroom gravy and cranberries
Alex - macaroni and cheese w/ bacon
Eugene - smoked ham
Daniel - potatoes
Jeff- corn spoonbread stuffing w/figs, cranberries, walnuts and onions
Carla - ? cobbler
Jeff - pumpkin mousse over fresh fruit
Richard - banana S'Mores w/vanilla cream
 
TEAM SEXY PANTS MENU
Leah -  Butterball Turkey w/ gravy
? - Sweet Potatoes
Hosea - Mashed Potatoes
Fabio - Side Salads
Jamie - vegan stuffing
Fabio - pumpkin tiramisu
Hosea - fruit cobbler
Melissa, Stefan, Radhika - they contributed but it was not clear which dishes
 
Although the turkey by Ariane and macaroni and cheese by Alex were clear winners, the vegan stuffing was judged about equal in quality, so the main meal appeared to me to be an edge to Team Cougar. The winning team was Team Sexy Pants, due to their good desserts while Team Cougar faltered there. The chefs on Team Sexy Pants got to see the concert while the losers cleaned up. Team Cougar was bitter about their loss, as they thought they had won. Tom had to ameliorate them by saying that the judging, which was by the foo fighters only, was close.

Ariane, Alex, Eugene and Carla were dismissed from further judging. That left Daniel, Jeff and Richard. Daniel was dismissed because his potatoes were passable. Jeff's two bad dishes plus his leadership were up against Richard's S'Mores. I believe that the leadership efforts, which did distract him from making better food, were the reason why he survived. Richard's lack of gooeyness and chocolateness in the S'Mores resulted in his elimination.

marigold:
An interview with Richard:

Top Chef 5: Conference Call with Richard Sweeney

For Top Chef 5 contestant Richard Sweeney, the third time was the charm for getting on the show in the first place, but the third episode proved to be his downfall. Due to a banana-based s'mores dessert that failed to impress the Foo Fighters or the Top Chef judges, the second member of Team Rainbow was sent packing.

He spoke with us today about his time on the show, what he thinks about the judges and his competitors, and what he would do differently if he could do it all again.

Richard said that there were actually more dishes made and judged than we saw on the episode. Due to the number of diners expected, each team created a lot of different dishes, and the overall judging time was quite long – seven to eight hours – as the judges needed to learn about and give feedback on each dish.

The dishes Richard created but not shown were a mayo-based caprese salad (the rider for the Foos indicated they likes mayo-based salads) and a spiced sweet potato dish. The caprese salad didn't go over well, but the potato dish seemed solid.

He said he knew he was a candidate for the bottom three because of the failure of two of his dishes, but since at least one was successful, he didn't expect to go home. He pointed out that Jeff McInnis's three dishes all received criticism, as did Danny Gagnon's two. He also said that the potatoes weren't just undercooked, they were underseasoned as well. Therefore, Richard said, he still stood by his comment that he thought it should have been Danny sent home, not him. He noted that while his concept might not have worked, his s'mores were all at least executed properly, all being individually bruleed.

Although his banana s'mores got him sent home – and he admits he wouldn't attempt that dessert if he could do it over again – he's actually been playing around with the concept back at his restaurant. “Play” is a word that Richard uses often, appearing to be in person as light-hearted as he generally was in his interviews. His playful approach to food that we saw on Top Chef is similar to what he might do in his restaurant. His customer base is young and curious about food, but might be more apt to take a risk if the new is combined with the familiar, like using lamb in a slider.

But even fun can get boring after a while, and Richard gave us some insight into the occasionally-tedious world that is the extended boozy vacation in the sequester house, post-elimination. He was in the house for about three weeks, and said he and his fellow eliminated chefs created about 30 new recipes for sangria, just trying to come up with a new and interesting way to drink all the wine they had access to. While it was relaxing to have nothing to do but sit by a pool and drink, Richard says they could help but be antsy.

They were allowed cable television, but still no phone or internet without production supervision. Outside trips were also permitted, and while they managed to lie low out in Jersey City, Richard said, folks at the gyms and restaurants they visited eventually noticed how their group continually increased by one new person as more chefs were eliminated.

As to the chefs who are currently still in the competition, Richard says that Stefan Richter seems strong, especially due to his global experience. Fabio has been a little erratic, but Richard thinks he has talent. Fabio Viviani's spherical olives from the “Show Your Craft” episode actually inspired Richard to order some molecular gastronomy equipment, as this application showed Richard a practical and approachable way to include those techniques into his own style. Richard also expressed admiration for Ariane Duarte's performance, especially as her team was rather nervously second-guessing her throughout the cooking time.

Richard also thought that Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi were “pretty cool.” The competition itself didn't give the judges and chefs a lot of opportunity to interact. He noted that he thinks Tom is more reserved during the competition, but was more open afterwards, and Richard thinks that distance is Tom's way of making sure he's voting only on food, not personality. Padma might deliver the rough news at Judges' Table, but Richard notes that after the harsh criticism of the lemon meringue martini, Padma took care to follow up with Ariane to make sure she was doing all right.

While Richard was clearly disappointed to leave so early, he seems to be carrying on with a jovial spirit. You can check out his cooking in person at Confidential in San Diego.

Link: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/top-chef/top-chef-5-conference-call-wit-24941.aspx

marigold:

NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION, DVD, MUSIC AND CONSUMER PRODUCTS GROUP UNVEILS HOLIDAY GIFT LIST 2008

NBC PRESS RELEASE

Games, Calendars, Cookbooks, Action Figures, A Cylon Centurion Robot And Even a Cylon Toaster From Hit Shows On NBC, Bravo, SCI FI and USA Network Top the List For This Year's Holiday Fare

NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group has unveiled its holiday gift list for 2008. This year's offerings include action figures, books, calendars, music and games, as well as DVDs and even a Cylon toaster – all from top shows on NBC, Bravo, SCI FI and USA Network.

The product offerings are part of NBC Universal's Television, Music, DVD and Consumer Products Group, which manages all global licensing and merchandising for NBC Universal's television properties, as well as the NBC Universal television catalog.

Kim Niemi, Senior Vice President of NBC Universal's Television, Music, DVD and Consumer Products Group said, "We are especially pleased to be able to suggest such a great variety of gifts in so many categories and from so many great shows. From Bravo's 'Top Chef,' to NBC Sports to USA Network's 'Monk' and NBC's 'The Office,' there is something for every fan in nearly every price range."

NBC Universal's suggestions for a festive holiday season are as follows:

Games

The "Top Chef" PC game – Fans can enjoy the action of Bravo's "Top Chef" on their own PC with this game from Brighter Minds. Players take on the role of a contestant and test their flair in a variety of challenges – shopping for ingredients and choosing a recipe wisely. Dishes are then judged by hosts Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio. The "Top Chef" game is available at www.bravotv.com.

Books

The "Top Chef" Cookbook – The "Top Chef" Cookbook invites fans of the hit Bravo show into the hottest kitchen on prime time and offers 100 recipes from the first three seasons of the series, as well as behind-the-scenes photos and in-depth discussions with contestants and judges. The "Top Chef" cookbook is available at www.bravotvstore.com

NFL Sunday Night Football Cookbook – Top chefs and NFL players join forces to share some of their favorite recipes for great get-togethers and family meals. John Madden, Emeril Lagasse, Tiki Barber and Bobby Flay are among those featured in the cookbook, which is available at retailers nationwide as well as online at www.nbcsportsstorecom. A portion of the proceeds from the NFL Sunday Night Football Cookbok will benefit NBC Sports' charitable organizations, Feeding America and Taste of the NFL

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