View Date: 12/9/09
Tonight's episode was the finale, and it was set up to be a spectacular show of culinary craftsmanship. Leading up to the episode, the buzz on the web was most people were pulling for Kevin over either Voltaggio brother.
Side note: Those are three very tattooed men cooking tonight.
The final Elimination Challenge: Create a 3 course meal. Course 1: The chefs will receive a box, so each chef has access to the same ingredients. All of the ingredients must be used in this course. Course 2: The chefs could cook anything they wanted using anything they could find in the pantry. Course 3: Dessert. Help arrived in the form of the rest of the season's chefs. The finalists drew knives with the names of the former contestants, and each chef drew two names. One would work with them that day, while the other would work with them the day of the finale.
Note: The finalists combined to win 12 of the 13 elimination challenges.
Michael: Eli (2), Jesse (1)
Bryan: Jennifer (2), Ashley (1)
Kevin: Preeti (1), Ash (2)
The chefs opened their boxes, and seemed rather puzzled as to how to combine the variety of ingredients into a single dish. Also, as the prep day progressed, Kevin grew very frustrated in his sous chef, and was jealous that the other two chefs chose the names of the most recently-eliminated competitors.
The next morning, there was a knock on the door and the chefs were expecting some kind of twist from Padme or Tom. Instead, their mothers walked through the door and provided pep talks and encouragement on the biggest day of the competition.
They get to the restaurant to cook, where they are encountered by Tom. This is where he throws in the twist, that the chefs will now be cooking four dishes. The new first course was to be inspired by their favorite childhood dish. Kevin felt much better than the prep day, particularly because Ash took on a much heavier load than Preeti did the day before. When the chefs come out to the table, they learn that their mothers would also be eating their first course in the company of many world famous restauranteurs. After that, the mothers departed and left the tasting up to the pros.
Listening to the judges' comments, it sounds like each chef took one round a piece, with the “your choice” dish pretty much a toss up. There were only two dishes that I personally didn't hear any negative comments about from the whole meal, and that was Bryan's venison and Kevin's fried chicken skin. All of the other dishes had both positive and negative comments, as was to be expected.
Kevin was eliminated first, and he fully admitted that he just had a bad day. Therefore, it came down to the Voltaggio brothers. My favorite from the very beginning of the season has been Bryan, but in the end it was Michael who won. He received $125000 and the title of Top Chef. They both took it very well, and were proud that it came down to the two of them in the end.
10 words or less: It ended the way it should.
Showing posts with label Top Chef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Chef. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Top Chef
View Date: 12/2/09
Tonight was Part 1 of the finale, and the chefs were no longer in Vegas but had moved to the Napa Valley. In my opinion, this may be the best top 4 in the history of this show, and they definitely deserve to be there. Any of the remaining chefs can win this, so it should be a great competition. The four met up at a train station, but had no idea what was going on until a pregnant Padma got off the train with Michael Chiarello.
Quickfire: For the last quickfire challenge, the chefs had to cook with Napa's main crop, grapes. They were to cook on the train and serve to the judges. This was also a high stakes challenge, the winner of which would receive a Prius. Kevin expressed concern at the beginning due to his tendency toward motion sickness. The train's movement caused problems for all the contestants. They were also concerned because the Napa Valley Wine Train is known for excellent cuisine. The winner of the challenge and the Prius was Michael for using many parts of the grape in his dish.
Elimination: The chefs made their way to Rutherford Hills Winery. They had to cater the winery's annual crush party for 150 people, and each contestant had to prepare two dishes. One had to be vegetarian, while the other had to feature a local protein. Aside from salt and pepper, all ingredients had to be grown locally. The chefs were, as always, crunched on time, and several took some serious risks in their dishes.
The judges were able to find both good and bad in the offerings of each chef, but they still had a decision to make. The winner of the challenge tonight was Bryan, which put him directly through to the finals. Jennifer was sent home, making it an all male finale. Honestly, the decision makes sense. The three guys really stepped it up the second half of the season, while Jen faltered several times.
10 words or less: The three best chefs are definitely moving on.
Tonight was Part 1 of the finale, and the chefs were no longer in Vegas but had moved to the Napa Valley. In my opinion, this may be the best top 4 in the history of this show, and they definitely deserve to be there. Any of the remaining chefs can win this, so it should be a great competition. The four met up at a train station, but had no idea what was going on until a pregnant Padma got off the train with Michael Chiarello.
Quickfire: For the last quickfire challenge, the chefs had to cook with Napa's main crop, grapes. They were to cook on the train and serve to the judges. This was also a high stakes challenge, the winner of which would receive a Prius. Kevin expressed concern at the beginning due to his tendency toward motion sickness. The train's movement caused problems for all the contestants. They were also concerned because the Napa Valley Wine Train is known for excellent cuisine. The winner of the challenge and the Prius was Michael for using many parts of the grape in his dish.
Elimination: The chefs made their way to Rutherford Hills Winery. They had to cater the winery's annual crush party for 150 people, and each contestant had to prepare two dishes. One had to be vegetarian, while the other had to feature a local protein. Aside from salt and pepper, all ingredients had to be grown locally. The chefs were, as always, crunched on time, and several took some serious risks in their dishes.
The judges were able to find both good and bad in the offerings of each chef, but they still had a decision to make. The winner of the challenge tonight was Bryan, which put him directly through to the finals. Jennifer was sent home, making it an all male finale. Honestly, the decision makes sense. The three guys really stepped it up the second half of the season, while Jen faltered several times.
10 words or less: The three best chefs are definitely moving on.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Top Chef
View Date: 11/17/09
The final five chefs were competing in tonight's episode, which was to be the last challenge in Vegas. The four that make it out of this episode would then move on to the finale in
Quickfire Challenge: Gavin Kaysen was the guest judge for this challenge, who had competed in essentially the “cooking Olympics” per Mike. The challengers had to make their own version of his winning dish, which consisted of a protein in a protein in a protein. The winner, while not receiving immunity, would receive a significant advantage for the Elimination Challenge. The chefs had more time than usual to complete this challenge, with 1 ½ hours. Jennifer won the challenge, and really took a step back in the right direction. The two least successful dishes per the guys judge
Elimination Challenge: It was then announced that the chefs would be participating in the Top Chef version the “Cooking Olympics”. The chefs needed to create a dish as regal presentation platter with one protein and and two garnishes, but the garnishes needed to be very intricate. Lamb or salmon were the only protein choices for this challenge. Jennifer received an additional 30 minutes to cook as her reward. Thomas Keller, the only American chef to have two restaurants to simultaneously have 3 Michelin Stars, was a judge for this challenge. Finally, the contestants would be presenting to 12 tasters, and complete the plating from the platter to the individual servings at the table. After shopping, four of the five chefs watched a DVD that was left of the actual competition. Also, Kevin asked Bryan for advice on a cooking technique, and Bryan helped him because sharing information is the true nature of cooking.
Michael is very confident in his abilities, even more so this time because he has participated in cooking competitions before. Tom came back and announced that the winner of this challenge would win $30000, which just added more pressure than the already pressure-cooker levels involved with this dish. The tasters found Kevin's food delicious but simply constructed. They then criticized Michael for a lack of harmony among his dishes, as well as finding a bone in a serving of his fish. Bryan's plating was complemented, but the execution was not the best. The judges felt that Eli's dish was unpleasant, and the lamb was significantly undercooked. Jennifer was up last, but the judges felt it lacked direction and parts were undercooked.
A final surprise was that one chef would be presented with the opportunity to compete with the next American team for the international competition. At the disclosure of that information, the contestants' jaws essentially hit the floor as they realized the true weight of this challenge.
All of the chefs were requested to stand before the judges together tonight. Michael's direction was questioned, while Bryan had to defend his quite rare lamb. Kevin's complexity was questioned, while Jennifer's salmon cooking was investigated. Eli was criticized for the fattiness as well as the done-ness of his lamb.
The winner of tonight's challenge, including the money and the competition spot, was Kevin. He also received the chef coat and reading material to help him prepare for the international stage. Eli was the chef to go tonight, which surprised me a little based on the judges' comments. But in the end, the best four chefs, those that have been consistently best throughout the season, made their way into the finals.
It was an emotional exit, but Eli knew that the four chefs going on were amazing, and he was proud to have made it as far as he did.
Thus, moving on, we have Michael, Bryan, Jennifer, and Kevin. Any of them would be totally deserving of the title of Top Chef. I am so glad it will come down to these guys as the final four. While we have seen some great dishes and I respect the work put forth by the other contestants this season, these four are truly the best this season has to offer.
10 words or less: This is the way it should be.
The final five chefs were competing in tonight's episode, which was to be the last challenge in Vegas. The four that make it out of this episode would then move on to the finale in
Quickfire Challenge: Gavin Kaysen was the guest judge for this challenge, who had competed in essentially the “cooking Olympics” per Mike. The challengers had to make their own version of his winning dish, which consisted of a protein in a protein in a protein. The winner, while not receiving immunity, would receive a significant advantage for the Elimination Challenge. The chefs had more time than usual to complete this challenge, with 1 ½ hours. Jennifer won the challenge, and really took a step back in the right direction. The two least successful dishes per the guys judge
Elimination Challenge: It was then announced that the chefs would be participating in the Top Chef version the “Cooking Olympics”. The chefs needed to create a dish as regal presentation platter with one protein and and two garnishes, but the garnishes needed to be very intricate. Lamb or salmon were the only protein choices for this challenge. Jennifer received an additional 30 minutes to cook as her reward. Thomas Keller, the only American chef to have two restaurants to simultaneously have 3 Michelin Stars, was a judge for this challenge. Finally, the contestants would be presenting to 12 tasters, and complete the plating from the platter to the individual servings at the table. After shopping, four of the five chefs watched a DVD that was left of the actual competition. Also, Kevin asked Bryan for advice on a cooking technique, and Bryan helped him because sharing information is the true nature of cooking.
Michael is very confident in his abilities, even more so this time because he has participated in cooking competitions before. Tom came back and announced that the winner of this challenge would win $30000, which just added more pressure than the already pressure-cooker levels involved with this dish. The tasters found Kevin's food delicious but simply constructed. They then criticized Michael for a lack of harmony among his dishes, as well as finding a bone in a serving of his fish. Bryan's plating was complemented, but the execution was not the best. The judges felt that Eli's dish was unpleasant, and the lamb was significantly undercooked. Jennifer was up last, but the judges felt it lacked direction and parts were undercooked.
A final surprise was that one chef would be presented with the opportunity to compete with the next American team for the international competition. At the disclosure of that information, the contestants' jaws essentially hit the floor as they realized the true weight of this challenge.
All of the chefs were requested to stand before the judges together tonight. Michael's direction was questioned, while Bryan had to defend his quite rare lamb. Kevin's complexity was questioned, while Jennifer's salmon cooking was investigated. Eli was criticized for the fattiness as well as the done-ness of his lamb.
The winner of tonight's challenge, including the money and the competition spot, was Kevin. He also received the chef coat and reading material to help him prepare for the international stage. Eli was the chef to go tonight, which surprised me a little based on the judges' comments. But in the end, the best four chefs, those that have been consistently best throughout the season, made their way into the finals.
It was an emotional exit, but Eli knew that the four chefs going on were amazing, and he was proud to have made it as far as he did.
Thus, moving on, we have Michael, Bryan, Jennifer, and Kevin. Any of them would be totally deserving of the title of Top Chef. I am so glad it will come down to these guys as the final four. While we have seen some great dishes and I respect the work put forth by the other contestants this season, these four are truly the best this season has to offer.
10 words or less: This is the way it should be.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Top Chef
View Date: 11/11/09
Quickfire Challenge: The chefs started the day off at a kitchen in the Venetian. Padma then called them and instructed them to prepare room service for herself and Nigella Lawson. Specifically, the chefs were to prepare breakfast in bed for the two ladies, using anything they could find and had 30 minutes to complete the task. Robin and Eli were in the first group to serve. Unfortunately, Michael followed Robin at her workstation and insisted on spending the first 5-10 minutes cleaning up before he started cooking. He then got into a confrontation with Robin during his cooking time, which totally pissed off Robin. Michael and Kevin were in the second round, while Jen and Bryan followed in the third round. The least favorite dishes in this challenge were Bryan and Robin. The favorite dishes included Kevin's and Eli's. The winner of this quickfire was Eli, who would be the only chef from this season whose recipe would be included in the Top Chef Quickfire Cookbook.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs were to create a dish based on a casino, the specific one determined by choosing knives. The chefs were going to be catering to 175 people, and had the day to gain inspiration from their assigned location. Michael chose New York New York, while Jen headed off to Excaliber. Mandalay Bay was to be the source of inspiration for Bryan, and Robin headed off to the Bellaggio. Kevin chose the Mirage and had a great time with the dolphins, which left Eli with Circus Circus.
The favorite dishes of the night belonged to Kevin, Michael, and Bryan, with the winning dish belonging to Michael. For winning, he received a very large bottle of Terlato wine and a trip to the Terlato vineyards in Napa Valley. Obviously, the least favorite dishes of the challenge belonged to Jennifer, Eli, and Robin. In the end, Robin was eliminated, and honestly, it was past time for her to leave.
10 words or less: It's about freakin' time.
Quickfire Challenge: The chefs started the day off at a kitchen in the Venetian. Padma then called them and instructed them to prepare room service for herself and Nigella Lawson. Specifically, the chefs were to prepare breakfast in bed for the two ladies, using anything they could find and had 30 minutes to complete the task. Robin and Eli were in the first group to serve. Unfortunately, Michael followed Robin at her workstation and insisted on spending the first 5-10 minutes cleaning up before he started cooking. He then got into a confrontation with Robin during his cooking time, which totally pissed off Robin. Michael and Kevin were in the second round, while Jen and Bryan followed in the third round. The least favorite dishes in this challenge were Bryan and Robin. The favorite dishes included Kevin's and Eli's. The winner of this quickfire was Eli, who would be the only chef from this season whose recipe would be included in the Top Chef Quickfire Cookbook.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs were to create a dish based on a casino, the specific one determined by choosing knives. The chefs were going to be catering to 175 people, and had the day to gain inspiration from their assigned location. Michael chose New York New York, while Jen headed off to Excaliber. Mandalay Bay was to be the source of inspiration for Bryan, and Robin headed off to the Bellaggio. Kevin chose the Mirage and had a great time with the dolphins, which left Eli with Circus Circus.
The favorite dishes of the night belonged to Kevin, Michael, and Bryan, with the winning dish belonging to Michael. For winning, he received a very large bottle of Terlato wine and a trip to the Terlato vineyards in Napa Valley. Obviously, the least favorite dishes of the challenge belonged to Jennifer, Eli, and Robin. In the end, Robin was eliminated, and honestly, it was past time for her to leave.
10 words or less: It's about freakin' time.
Top Chef: Reunion Dinner
View Date: 11/4/09
Tonight's Top Chef was a little different than before. Several fan favorites from seasons past returned for a dinner and talk.
Fabio (5) hosted a dinner for fellow former cheftestants (with season number in parentheses), Tiffany (1), Harold (1), Marcel (2), Ilan (2), Casey (3), Hung (3), Dale (3), Lisa (4), Richard (4), Stefan (5), and Carla (5). We got to hear a brief summary of what the chefs had been up to since their season, then saw them mingle over drinks.
Fabio then had the chefs gather around and brought out a knife block, having one representative from each season choose a knife. Each season was to prepare a course based on the order of the knife pulled. Each team would also have $500 for shopping. Fabio, being the host, did not participate in the cooking and essentially acted like Tom. It was really nice seeing the chefs relaxed in the kitchen and really doing their thing. The only team that seemed to be a little stressed was Marcel/Ilan, who had issues during their season, and Marcel continued to push buttons.
Season 3 had the first course, and did a trio of seafood. Season 1 made the second course with a scallop dish, but included a very high end wine. Season 2 had the third course with a salt encrusted snapper and a ratatouille. Season 4 prepared corn-fed beef with a corn theme throughout the dish. Season 5 prepared the dessert for the meal. While the chefs ate the delicious meal they had prepared, we got to reminisce about the past.
10 words or less: They need to stop inviting Marcel to these things.
Tonight's Top Chef was a little different than before. Several fan favorites from seasons past returned for a dinner and talk.
Fabio (5) hosted a dinner for fellow former cheftestants (with season number in parentheses), Tiffany (1), Harold (1), Marcel (2), Ilan (2), Casey (3), Hung (3), Dale (3), Lisa (4), Richard (4), Stefan (5), and Carla (5). We got to hear a brief summary of what the chefs had been up to since their season, then saw them mingle over drinks.
Fabio then had the chefs gather around and brought out a knife block, having one representative from each season choose a knife. Each season was to prepare a course based on the order of the knife pulled. Each team would also have $500 for shopping. Fabio, being the host, did not participate in the cooking and essentially acted like Tom. It was really nice seeing the chefs relaxed in the kitchen and really doing their thing. The only team that seemed to be a little stressed was Marcel/Ilan, who had issues during their season, and Marcel continued to push buttons.
Season 3 had the first course, and did a trio of seafood. Season 1 made the second course with a scallop dish, but included a very high end wine. Season 2 had the third course with a salt encrusted snapper and a ratatouille. Season 4 prepared corn-fed beef with a corn theme throughout the dish. Season 5 prepared the dessert for the meal. While the chefs ate the delicious meal they had prepared, we got to reminisce about the past.
10 words or less: They need to stop inviting Marcel to these things.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Top Chef
Top Chef
View Date: 10/28/09
Quickfire Challenge: Tonight's guest judge was Paul Bartolotta, a famous Italian chef who is particularly well-known in Vegas. The chefs needed to take a classic TV dinner and reinvent it. However, they had to base their dish particularly on a specific classic TV show. The contestants drew knives to determine which show would be their inspiration. The pairings were as follows:
Kevin: Sopranos
Robin: Sesame Street
Eli: Gilligan's Island
Bryan: MASH
Jennifer: Flinstones
Mike I.: Seinfeld
Michael V.: Cheers
The dishes they used were really cool, and looked like a classic TV dinner tray. Some of the contestants had problems because they had never seen the shows before. The least favorite dishes were Jennifer's and Robin's. The favorite dishes included Kevin's and Bryan's. While both did very well, Kevin won, which surprises me based on the judges' reactions. His dish will be featured in a frozen line coming out by Top Chef.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs took over Tom Collichio's restaurant and his menu. Once the chefs got to the restaurant and started reviewing the steaks, Tom brought in a guest taster for the night, Natalie Portman. She dropped the bomb that, while she's an adventurous meals, she is also a vegetarian. Therefore, a chop house would need to go vegetarian for one night. That changed everyone's meals and all of the dishes needed to be totally rethought. Some of the chefs had a great deal of experience with vegetarian cooking, while others had a really hard time changing concepts at the last minute.
Robin was up first, but she had some problems with time and plating, not getting beans onto all of the plates. The plating was very beautiful, but the seasoning had some balance issues.
Eli was up next, and the judges thought it was a rather tasty dish.
Michael was also pressed for time due mainly to his approach to food being riskier than the other contestants'. The judges really liked the dish, but some were a little put off by the large lumps of banana in his polenta. There were more people tonight to call him Picasso, in that it was very pretty and very good if a little confusing.
Jennifer was nervous and really shaky, which was particularly noticeable when she sauced the individual plates at the table. The tasters considered it not quite substantial enough, and that it would have made a really good side dish.
Mike provided a plate of vegetables that did not have a protein. They liked the colors and the appearance, but decided it could have been executed better.
Bryan was also in a time crunch, and was not able to plate all of his components. There was lots of gutter talk around the table while the judges were describing their opinions of this dish.
Kevin was disappointed in his plating thinking that it looked sloppier than he wanted. The dish was very substantive, and the tasters thought it was a very manly vegetarian meal. Additionally, they felt that this was truly and entree, as it was not a light plate of vegetables.
First up to judge's table were Kevin, Michael, and Eli, who of course had the favorite dishes of the evening. Praise was given all around, then Natalie announced that Kevin was the winner for this challenge. Michael's competitive side was really coming out after coming from judge's table, because he was really not happy about Kevin winning for a “simple” dish. For winning this challenge, he won a suite of GE appliances.
As the least favorite dishes, the judges wanted to see Robin, Jennifer, and Mike. Mike was full of excuses, and still could not answer the judges' questions about why there was no protein on the plate. Robin really shot herself in the foot, because she just wouldn't stop talking. Tom called her on that as a sign of her being all over the map in her cooking. Jennifer was called out on not providing a very substantial dish, but she also really didn't give any excuses for her poor performance. That was a nice change, especially after seeing Mike's and Robin's reactions, but she did seem a bit defeated. In the end, Mike was eliminated from the competition. While the elimination was not a total surprise, I really thought Robin would be going home before Mike. Mike has not yet reached the level of the top competitors, but he did have talent.
10 words or less: When will Robin finally leave?
View Date: 10/28/09
Quickfire Challenge: Tonight's guest judge was Paul Bartolotta, a famous Italian chef who is particularly well-known in Vegas. The chefs needed to take a classic TV dinner and reinvent it. However, they had to base their dish particularly on a specific classic TV show. The contestants drew knives to determine which show would be their inspiration. The pairings were as follows:
Kevin: Sopranos
Robin: Sesame Street
Eli: Gilligan's Island
Bryan: MASH
Jennifer: Flinstones
Mike I.: Seinfeld
Michael V.: Cheers
The dishes they used were really cool, and looked like a classic TV dinner tray. Some of the contestants had problems because they had never seen the shows before. The least favorite dishes were Jennifer's and Robin's. The favorite dishes included Kevin's and Bryan's. While both did very well, Kevin won, which surprises me based on the judges' reactions. His dish will be featured in a frozen line coming out by Top Chef.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs took over Tom Collichio's restaurant and his menu. Once the chefs got to the restaurant and started reviewing the steaks, Tom brought in a guest taster for the night, Natalie Portman. She dropped the bomb that, while she's an adventurous meals, she is also a vegetarian. Therefore, a chop house would need to go vegetarian for one night. That changed everyone's meals and all of the dishes needed to be totally rethought. Some of the chefs had a great deal of experience with vegetarian cooking, while others had a really hard time changing concepts at the last minute.
Robin was up first, but she had some problems with time and plating, not getting beans onto all of the plates. The plating was very beautiful, but the seasoning had some balance issues.
Eli was up next, and the judges thought it was a rather tasty dish.
Michael was also pressed for time due mainly to his approach to food being riskier than the other contestants'. The judges really liked the dish, but some were a little put off by the large lumps of banana in his polenta. There were more people tonight to call him Picasso, in that it was very pretty and very good if a little confusing.
Jennifer was nervous and really shaky, which was particularly noticeable when she sauced the individual plates at the table. The tasters considered it not quite substantial enough, and that it would have made a really good side dish.
Mike provided a plate of vegetables that did not have a protein. They liked the colors and the appearance, but decided it could have been executed better.
Bryan was also in a time crunch, and was not able to plate all of his components. There was lots of gutter talk around the table while the judges were describing their opinions of this dish.
Kevin was disappointed in his plating thinking that it looked sloppier than he wanted. The dish was very substantive, and the tasters thought it was a very manly vegetarian meal. Additionally, they felt that this was truly and entree, as it was not a light plate of vegetables.
First up to judge's table were Kevin, Michael, and Eli, who of course had the favorite dishes of the evening. Praise was given all around, then Natalie announced that Kevin was the winner for this challenge. Michael's competitive side was really coming out after coming from judge's table, because he was really not happy about Kevin winning for a “simple” dish. For winning this challenge, he won a suite of GE appliances.
As the least favorite dishes, the judges wanted to see Robin, Jennifer, and Mike. Mike was full of excuses, and still could not answer the judges' questions about why there was no protein on the plate. Robin really shot herself in the foot, because she just wouldn't stop talking. Tom called her on that as a sign of her being all over the map in her cooking. Jennifer was called out on not providing a very substantial dish, but she also really didn't give any excuses for her poor performance. That was a nice change, especially after seeing Mike's and Robin's reactions, but she did seem a bit defeated. In the end, Mike was eliminated from the competition. While the elimination was not a total surprise, I really thought Robin would be going home before Mike. Mike has not yet reached the level of the top competitors, but he did have talent.
10 words or less: When will Robin finally leave?
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Top Chef
View Date: 10/21/09
Quickfire Challenge: This Quickfire was a high stakes challenge. It was also another first for the show, in that it was a tag team single dish team challenge. Four members were chosen per team, with Jen and Michael V. choosing members for their perspective teams. Each team member was to cook for 10 minutes each, while the other members were blindfolded. No speaking was allowed between team members. Jennifer chose Kevin, Mike I., and Laurine, while Michael chose Bryan, Eli, and Robin. In the end, Jennifer's “red team” won the battle and was awarded $10000 to share between the team members. The twist this time was that, if they felt lucky, they could let the money ride. If they were able to win the Elimination Challenge, each member would receive $10000. The red team decided to let it ride.
Elimination Challenge: This week, the ever-popular Restaurant Wars was upon us. The teams formed in the Quickfire remained the same for Elimination round. This time, they didn't have to decorate their restaurant as they would be using the one already established by the guest judge for the round. However, the person in charge of the front of the house would also be required to make and be responsible for a dish.
Eli worked the front of house for the blue team, and created on of the first courses. Michael prepared both a first and second course. Bryan prepared a second course (entree) and a dessert, while Robin prepared a dessert. While there was some bickering in the kitchen and Michael tried to make everyone obey his commands, things ran relatively smoothly. The comments were generally good from both judges and tasters. The desserts went over famously, which was a nice change of pace for this show. Overall, this was a really good Restaurant Wars restaurant.
Laurine worked the front of the house for the red team, and was responsible for a third course of lamb. This team decided not to make a dessert. Mike I. prepared two cold dishes as the first course. Jen made two fish dishes as the second course, while Kevin made a pork dish and finished Laurine's lamb dish as the third course. The judges were quite disappointed in almost every part of this meal, and the team did not get very favorable responses from the tasters, either. Laurine was very bad at the front of house, and the lamb dish was much rarer than the judges would have liked, mostly from not resting long enough. The pork dish was the best of the bunch, and the cold dishes were OK. The fish dishes were disasters.
Kevin came out of the challenge saying that it was probably the worst cooking of their careers. Mike indicated that if the other team won, they must have done horribly because the red team was awful. In the end, the blue team won, and Michael Voltaggio won. Michael also got to take the $10000 the other team had let ride, which he offered to share with his team. The red team obviously lost the challenge, and Laurine went home for a very poor front of house service and a failed lamb dish.
10 words or less: Only one obvious choice left to go home.
Quickfire Challenge: This Quickfire was a high stakes challenge. It was also another first for the show, in that it was a tag team single dish team challenge. Four members were chosen per team, with Jen and Michael V. choosing members for their perspective teams. Each team member was to cook for 10 minutes each, while the other members were blindfolded. No speaking was allowed between team members. Jennifer chose Kevin, Mike I., and Laurine, while Michael chose Bryan, Eli, and Robin. In the end, Jennifer's “red team” won the battle and was awarded $10000 to share between the team members. The twist this time was that, if they felt lucky, they could let the money ride. If they were able to win the Elimination Challenge, each member would receive $10000. The red team decided to let it ride.
Elimination Challenge: This week, the ever-popular Restaurant Wars was upon us. The teams formed in the Quickfire remained the same for Elimination round. This time, they didn't have to decorate their restaurant as they would be using the one already established by the guest judge for the round. However, the person in charge of the front of the house would also be required to make and be responsible for a dish.
Eli worked the front of house for the blue team, and created on of the first courses. Michael prepared both a first and second course. Bryan prepared a second course (entree) and a dessert, while Robin prepared a dessert. While there was some bickering in the kitchen and Michael tried to make everyone obey his commands, things ran relatively smoothly. The comments were generally good from both judges and tasters. The desserts went over famously, which was a nice change of pace for this show. Overall, this was a really good Restaurant Wars restaurant.
Laurine worked the front of the house for the red team, and was responsible for a third course of lamb. This team decided not to make a dessert. Mike I. prepared two cold dishes as the first course. Jen made two fish dishes as the second course, while Kevin made a pork dish and finished Laurine's lamb dish as the third course. The judges were quite disappointed in almost every part of this meal, and the team did not get very favorable responses from the tasters, either. Laurine was very bad at the front of house, and the lamb dish was much rarer than the judges would have liked, mostly from not resting long enough. The pork dish was the best of the bunch, and the cold dishes were OK. The fish dishes were disasters.
Kevin came out of the challenge saying that it was probably the worst cooking of their careers. Mike indicated that if the other team won, they must have done horribly because the red team was awful. In the end, the blue team won, and Michael Voltaggio won. Michael also got to take the $10000 the other team had let ride, which he offered to share with his team. The red team obviously lost the challenge, and Laurine went home for a very poor front of house service and a failed lamb dish.
10 words or less: Only one obvious choice left to go home.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Top Chef
View Date: 10/14/09
Quickfire Challenge: The guest judge for the challenge is Charlie Palmer, who both Bryan and Michael worked with in the past. He is a master of American cuisine, and several of these chefs are rather intimidated to be cooking for him. The challenge would be based on pairing, but particularly of uncommon ingredients. The challenges have to pair something with Alexia Crunchy Snacks, which are made with real vegetables. The best dish of the day belonged to Eli, whose dish seemed much more complex than the other dishes. The other enjoyable dishes were those of Kevin and Bryan, while those that did not work well were those of Ash, Jen, and Robin.
Elimination Challenge: The next challenge revolved around pork and pinot noir, specifically cooking for a Pigs and Pinot event being hosted by Charlie Palmer. The chefs drew knives to determine which part of the pig they would be cooking. Jen drew a wild card knife where she got to choose which part of the pig she would cook, picking pork belly. The chefs then went over to Charlie's restaurant to learn about and taste various pinot noirs. The chefs then chose one of 9 pinots to pair with their dish. The contestants would be responsible for preparing 150 tasting portions of their dish.
With the four hours given to cook, the tension was high in the kitchen. Additionally, people are getting very frustrated with Robin and it is carrying over to all aspects of the show. We also got to see some brotherly love and competition between the Voltaggio brothers which seemed to unnerve the other chefs a bit. After the event, there were some dishes that were obviously disliked by judges and guests alike. However, there were also many very good dishes, and several guests even expressed their indecision because there were several excellent options.
The favored dishes were no surprise, as they were from the frontrunners this season. We had Jen's pork belly, Bryan's short ribs, Kevin's tenderloin, and Michael's dish. The winner, as chosen by Charlie Palmer, was Kevin, the self-proclaimed pig man. He even showed off his pig tattoo to show just how into these ingredients he was. Of course, they were asked to send in their colleagues Ash, Robin, and Laurine. Robin was called out for not having enough pork on her dish, as well as a weird texture to her sauce. Ash did not develop his flavors enough to go with his wine, and should have made his original dish rather than second guessing himself. Laurine failed in the execution of her dish because she did not make the dish that she was proclaiming in the proper manner, and therefore did not make what she was calling it. In the end, Ash was sent to pack his knives.
10 words or less: Another one bites the dust, and it was a good one.
Quickfire Challenge: The guest judge for the challenge is Charlie Palmer, who both Bryan and Michael worked with in the past. He is a master of American cuisine, and several of these chefs are rather intimidated to be cooking for him. The challenge would be based on pairing, but particularly of uncommon ingredients. The challenges have to pair something with Alexia Crunchy Snacks, which are made with real vegetables. The best dish of the day belonged to Eli, whose dish seemed much more complex than the other dishes. The other enjoyable dishes were those of Kevin and Bryan, while those that did not work well were those of Ash, Jen, and Robin.
Elimination Challenge: The next challenge revolved around pork and pinot noir, specifically cooking for a Pigs and Pinot event being hosted by Charlie Palmer. The chefs drew knives to determine which part of the pig they would be cooking. Jen drew a wild card knife where she got to choose which part of the pig she would cook, picking pork belly. The chefs then went over to Charlie's restaurant to learn about and taste various pinot noirs. The chefs then chose one of 9 pinots to pair with their dish. The contestants would be responsible for preparing 150 tasting portions of their dish.
With the four hours given to cook, the tension was high in the kitchen. Additionally, people are getting very frustrated with Robin and it is carrying over to all aspects of the show. We also got to see some brotherly love and competition between the Voltaggio brothers which seemed to unnerve the other chefs a bit. After the event, there were some dishes that were obviously disliked by judges and guests alike. However, there were also many very good dishes, and several guests even expressed their indecision because there were several excellent options.
The favored dishes were no surprise, as they were from the frontrunners this season. We had Jen's pork belly, Bryan's short ribs, Kevin's tenderloin, and Michael's dish. The winner, as chosen by Charlie Palmer, was Kevin, the self-proclaimed pig man. He even showed off his pig tattoo to show just how into these ingredients he was. Of course, they were asked to send in their colleagues Ash, Robin, and Laurine. Robin was called out for not having enough pork on her dish, as well as a weird texture to her sauce. Ash did not develop his flavors enough to go with his wine, and should have made his original dish rather than second guessing himself. Laurine failed in the execution of her dish because she did not make the dish that she was proclaiming in the proper manner, and therefore did not make what she was calling it. In the end, Ash was sent to pack his knives.
10 words or less: Another one bites the dust, and it was a good one.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Top Chef
View Date: 10/7/09
Quickfire Challenge: Tonight's quickfire was a high stakes quickfire, but the stakes were not identified until after the challenge. The guest judge tonight was Tyler Florence, and the chefs had to base a dish on three words as provided by a slot machine. I believe the words were a color, a flavor, and a region. Kevin won this challenge, and it was revealed that he could either choose $15000 or immunity in the elimination challenge, of which he chose the money. Jennifer had a bit of a bad challenge, which may have partly been because she was sick.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs all head home, and find out that they will be hosting a dinner party for a group of famous chefs and the judges. The famous chefs each had a bag of ingredients, which the contestants would have to use to create, in pairs, a single family-style dish. Additionally, they were to be cooking for only 3 hours in their residence. The pairs include Michael V./Ash, Robin/Mike I., Jennifer/Kevin, Eli/Ashley, and Bryan/Laurine.
The preferred dishes of the evening were Bryan and Laurine's halibut dish, as well as Kevin and Jennifer's beef dish. Kevin and Jennifer's dish won, and Jennifer's tomato gravy earned her the win. Michael V., Ashley, Eli, and Ash were called in for the least favorite dishes for the evening. Ashley was sent home for some very salty gnocchi and some undercooked prawns.
10 words or less: Way too close for Michael V. tonight.
Quickfire Challenge: Tonight's quickfire was a high stakes quickfire, but the stakes were not identified until after the challenge. The guest judge tonight was Tyler Florence, and the chefs had to base a dish on three words as provided by a slot machine. I believe the words were a color, a flavor, and a region. Kevin won this challenge, and it was revealed that he could either choose $15000 or immunity in the elimination challenge, of which he chose the money. Jennifer had a bit of a bad challenge, which may have partly been because she was sick.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs all head home, and find out that they will be hosting a dinner party for a group of famous chefs and the judges. The famous chefs each had a bag of ingredients, which the contestants would have to use to create, in pairs, a single family-style dish. Additionally, they were to be cooking for only 3 hours in their residence. The pairs include Michael V./Ash, Robin/Mike I., Jennifer/Kevin, Eli/Ashley, and Bryan/Laurine.
The preferred dishes of the evening were Bryan and Laurine's halibut dish, as well as Kevin and Jennifer's beef dish. Kevin and Jennifer's dish won, and Jennifer's tomato gravy earned her the win. Michael V., Ashley, Eli, and Ash were called in for the least favorite dishes for the evening. Ashley was sent home for some very salty gnocchi and some undercooked prawns.
10 words or less: Way too close for Michael V. tonight.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Top Chef
View Date: 9/23/09
Quickfire Challenge: Tonight's guest judge is Beard Award winner Michelle Bernstein. The challenge is to make a dish that showcases the angel and devil sides of their cuisine. The winner of the quickfire received immunity in the elimination challenge. Least favorites included Ash, Bryan, and Laurine. Favorites included Michael, Eli, and Robin, with Robin being the ultimate winner. Thus, Robin will not be going home again this week, against many of the other chefs' wishes.
Elimination Challenge: Penn and Teller, the magicians, entered the kitchen explaining the classic ball and cup hiding trick. Because they deconstructed the trick and showed how it was done, the chefs will be deconstructing a classic dish chosen by drawing knives.
The favorites of the night were Ashley's pot roast, Jennifer's meat lasagne, Michael's Caesar salad, and Kevin's chicken mole. Kevin won for truly embracing the essence of deconstruction, and further won a set of Calphalon cookware. The least favorite dishes included Laurine's fish and chips, Ron's paella, and Ash's shepherd's pie. In the end, Ron was sent to pack his knives and go.
10 words or less: Some look hard to beat, even at their weakest.
Quickfire Challenge: Tonight's guest judge is Beard Award winner Michelle Bernstein. The challenge is to make a dish that showcases the angel and devil sides of their cuisine. The winner of the quickfire received immunity in the elimination challenge. Least favorites included Ash, Bryan, and Laurine. Favorites included Michael, Eli, and Robin, with Robin being the ultimate winner. Thus, Robin will not be going home again this week, against many of the other chefs' wishes.
Elimination Challenge: Penn and Teller, the magicians, entered the kitchen explaining the classic ball and cup hiding trick. Because they deconstructed the trick and showed how it was done, the chefs will be deconstructing a classic dish chosen by drawing knives.
The favorites of the night were Ashley's pot roast, Jennifer's meat lasagne, Michael's Caesar salad, and Kevin's chicken mole. Kevin won for truly embracing the essence of deconstruction, and further won a set of Calphalon cookware. The least favorite dishes included Laurine's fish and chips, Ron's paella, and Ash's shepherd's pie. In the end, Ron was sent to pack his knives and go.
10 words or less: Some look hard to beat, even at their weakest.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Top Chef
View Date: 9/16/09
Quickfire Challenge: With Tim Love as the guest judge for this round, the fans chose the ingredient from several odd southwestern ingredients. Cactus was chosen by the fans, which most of the chefs did not have much experience with. Additionally, this was a high stakes quickfire, so the winner received $15000 but no immunity. From the expressions on Chef Love's face, he didn't seem to love anybody's dish, and most of the time seemed to be ready to spit out the food. Mike I. won, which makes sense because he was one of the few chefs who had worked with the ingredient before. Amazingly, Mattin was also in the top group with his cactus pickled in tequila.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs had to prepare a high-end dish outdoors for a group of ranchers. They could prepare any dish of their choosing, and they would spend the night prior to to cooking at the ranch in tents. The chefs then learned that they would be cooking with 4 fire pits, cast iron cookware, and a chuckwagon pantry. To top everything off, we got a good shot of the outhouse. We really got to learn more about the background of the chefs, which we haven't really gotten into as much in previous seasons.
Side note: The poll tonight was a complete no-brainer for me. I would definitely choose the Voltaggio brothers as tent mates. One, Ashley and Mattin are both a little too excited about being there for me. But mostly, I definitely wouldn't mind sleeping between the brothers for a night. Based on the results, it looks like I'm not alone there.
The day of the challenge was described as being as hot as the surface of Venus. Some of the chefs had some serious issues dealing with cooking over an open fire, while others had major issues with the heat. Many of the dishes were below the standards of previous dishes because the chefs seemed nervous about the cooking conditions. We learned that Mattin's dish was the one spit out by Tom in the previews, and the other dishes seemed to be either really bad or pretty darn good.
At Judge's Table, Laurine, Ashley, Michael, and Bryan were named the chefs making the top dishes. Those brothers are going to be damn hard to beat this season. The winner tonight was Bryan's pork loin dish, which leads to his third win in elimination challenges. The bottom dishes were from Robin, Ron, and Mattin. Mattin was the one to be eliminated, and it was the right choice for this challenge.
10 words or less: Don't make the judges physically ill or you will go.
Quickfire Challenge: With Tim Love as the guest judge for this round, the fans chose the ingredient from several odd southwestern ingredients. Cactus was chosen by the fans, which most of the chefs did not have much experience with. Additionally, this was a high stakes quickfire, so the winner received $15000 but no immunity. From the expressions on Chef Love's face, he didn't seem to love anybody's dish, and most of the time seemed to be ready to spit out the food. Mike I. won, which makes sense because he was one of the few chefs who had worked with the ingredient before. Amazingly, Mattin was also in the top group with his cactus pickled in tequila.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs had to prepare a high-end dish outdoors for a group of ranchers. They could prepare any dish of their choosing, and they would spend the night prior to to cooking at the ranch in tents. The chefs then learned that they would be cooking with 4 fire pits, cast iron cookware, and a chuckwagon pantry. To top everything off, we got a good shot of the outhouse. We really got to learn more about the background of the chefs, which we haven't really gotten into as much in previous seasons.
Side note: The poll tonight was a complete no-brainer for me. I would definitely choose the Voltaggio brothers as tent mates. One, Ashley and Mattin are both a little too excited about being there for me. But mostly, I definitely wouldn't mind sleeping between the brothers for a night. Based on the results, it looks like I'm not alone there.
The day of the challenge was described as being as hot as the surface of Venus. Some of the chefs had some serious issues dealing with cooking over an open fire, while others had major issues with the heat. Many of the dishes were below the standards of previous dishes because the chefs seemed nervous about the cooking conditions. We learned that Mattin's dish was the one spit out by Tom in the previews, and the other dishes seemed to be either really bad or pretty darn good.
At Judge's Table, Laurine, Ashley, Michael, and Bryan were named the chefs making the top dishes. Those brothers are going to be damn hard to beat this season. The winner tonight was Bryan's pork loin dish, which leads to his third win in elimination challenges. The bottom dishes were from Robin, Ron, and Mattin. Mattin was the one to be eliminated, and it was the right choice for this challenge.
10 words or less: Don't make the judges physically ill or you will go.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Top Chef
View Date: 9/9/09
Quickfire Challenge: The challenge was to create a dish using escargot (snails) in a unique way. Not only is this a high stakes quickfire, the winner will get immunity and the loser will be eliminated. They had 45 minutes to complete the challenge. The favorites were from Mike I., Kevin, and Jennifer, with the winner being Kevin's. The least favorite dishes were those of Jesse, Ashley, and Robin. Instead of getting eliminated immediately, they got to compete in a cook-off creating an amouse bouche (sic) with anything in the kitchen. Jesse was eliminated, which wasn't altogether surprising because she has been in the bottom often.
Elimination Challenge: All the chefs except Kevin drew knives that contained either French sauces or popular proteins in French cuisine. The chefs were going to be cooking in pairs combining a protein and a sauce, and cooking for very famous French chefs. Kevin didn't have to cook, and he was to join the tasting panel, which was intimidating in and of itself. The chefs got to decide the pairings as a group.
I did think it was kind of humorous that, due to the chefs on the tasting panel, a translator was needed. Robin and Ron started off with a frog legs dish, followed by Mike I. and Bryan cooking trout and bernaise sauce. We then had Eli and Laurine with lobster and sauce Americaine. The fourth course was Mattin and Ashley preparing seared poussin with voulete sauce. Jennifer and Michael V. prepared rabbit with chasseur sauce, which is evidently a woodsman sauce. To finish off the meal, Hector and Ash prepared chateaubriand (beef) with a peppercorn sauce.
The top dishes of the night were those of Bryan/Mike I., and Mike V./Jennifer. Those brothers sure are cleaning up during this competition, and Jennifer has been at the top throughout, particularly in the quickfire challenges. Bryan won the challenge tonight, and his brother did not look particularly pleased about it. Not only did he win, but he also won time working with the guest judge in Vegas for a week. The least favorite dishes were those of Ashley/Mattin and Hector/Ash. Hector was eliminated based on his poor performance with the beef.
10 words or less: Sad to see Hector go, but not a favorite.
Quickfire Challenge: The challenge was to create a dish using escargot (snails) in a unique way. Not only is this a high stakes quickfire, the winner will get immunity and the loser will be eliminated. They had 45 minutes to complete the challenge. The favorites were from Mike I., Kevin, and Jennifer, with the winner being Kevin's. The least favorite dishes were those of Jesse, Ashley, and Robin. Instead of getting eliminated immediately, they got to compete in a cook-off creating an amouse bouche (sic) with anything in the kitchen. Jesse was eliminated, which wasn't altogether surprising because she has been in the bottom often.
Elimination Challenge: All the chefs except Kevin drew knives that contained either French sauces or popular proteins in French cuisine. The chefs were going to be cooking in pairs combining a protein and a sauce, and cooking for very famous French chefs. Kevin didn't have to cook, and he was to join the tasting panel, which was intimidating in and of itself. The chefs got to decide the pairings as a group.
I did think it was kind of humorous that, due to the chefs on the tasting panel, a translator was needed. Robin and Ron started off with a frog legs dish, followed by Mike I. and Bryan cooking trout and bernaise sauce. We then had Eli and Laurine with lobster and sauce Americaine. The fourth course was Mattin and Ashley preparing seared poussin with voulete sauce. Jennifer and Michael V. prepared rabbit with chasseur sauce, which is evidently a woodsman sauce. To finish off the meal, Hector and Ash prepared chateaubriand (beef) with a peppercorn sauce.
The top dishes of the night were those of Bryan/Mike I., and Mike V./Jennifer. Those brothers sure are cleaning up during this competition, and Jennifer has been at the top throughout, particularly in the quickfire challenges. Bryan won the challenge tonight, and his brother did not look particularly pleased about it. Not only did he win, but he also won time working with the guest judge in Vegas for a week. The least favorite dishes were those of Ashley/Mattin and Hector/Ash. Hector was eliminated based on his poor performance with the beef.
10 words or less: Sad to see Hector go, but not a favorite.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Top Chef
View Date: 9/2/09
Chefs: Jennifer C., Laurine, Preeti, Ash, Jesse, Hector, Ashley, Ron, Robin, Mike I., Bryan, Mike V., Mattin, Kevin, Eli
Quickfire Challenge: The guest judge for this challenge was Mark Peel. The chefs were challenged to create an out-of-this-world dish using potatoes. Mark's least favorite dishes were from Eli, Ron, and Jesse. Favorites were Jennifer, Ash, and Ashley. The winner of the Quickfire was Jennifer, who also gains immunity for the elimination challenge. She certainly is racking up the wins.
Elimination Challenge: The special guest brought in to describe the challenge was Colonel Dave Belote. The chefs had to prepare a meal for 300 of the country's finest air force airmen. The chefs all cooked as a single team, but they would not find out their ingredients or cooking apparati until the next day. The group decides that there would be one head chef (Jennifer because of her immunity) and the others would split into pairs to cook together.
After entering the kitchen, they find that they will be working with canned foods, but in a kitchen without pots or burners. There are lots of concerns about cooking time, and cookware in general, but the group seemed to pull it off.
Once again, the guest judge is Mark Peel. The top dishes were Mike/Michael's pork belly and Eli/Kevin's pork and potato salad. The pork belly started as a smoked slab bacon that was then worked up as a pork belly. They also did a Greek shrimp salad. The winner of the challenge was Michael V. with his pork belly. Preeti/Loreen and Mike I. were sent back in as the least favorite dishes. As the judges pointed out, Mike looked downright pissed when brought back to the bottom group. The girls seemed a little confused, but neither really seemed to remember that this was a competition. Tonight, Preeti went home. Of the bottom three, I pretty much understand why she was chosen. I think it was a combination of the bad dish she made tonight, being in the bottom last week, and just not understanding the judges' comments.
10 words or less: Padme's getting really feisty this season.
Chefs: Jennifer C., Laurine, Preeti, Ash, Jesse, Hector, Ashley, Ron, Robin, Mike I., Bryan, Mike V., Mattin, Kevin, Eli
Quickfire Challenge: The guest judge for this challenge was Mark Peel. The chefs were challenged to create an out-of-this-world dish using potatoes. Mark's least favorite dishes were from Eli, Ron, and Jesse. Favorites were Jennifer, Ash, and Ashley. The winner of the Quickfire was Jennifer, who also gains immunity for the elimination challenge. She certainly is racking up the wins.
Elimination Challenge: The special guest brought in to describe the challenge was Colonel Dave Belote. The chefs had to prepare a meal for 300 of the country's finest air force airmen. The chefs all cooked as a single team, but they would not find out their ingredients or cooking apparati until the next day. The group decides that there would be one head chef (Jennifer because of her immunity) and the others would split into pairs to cook together.
After entering the kitchen, they find that they will be working with canned foods, but in a kitchen without pots or burners. There are lots of concerns about cooking time, and cookware in general, but the group seemed to pull it off.
Once again, the guest judge is Mark Peel. The top dishes were Mike/Michael's pork belly and Eli/Kevin's pork and potato salad. The pork belly started as a smoked slab bacon that was then worked up as a pork belly. They also did a Greek shrimp salad. The winner of the challenge was Michael V. with his pork belly. Preeti/Loreen and Mike I. were sent back in as the least favorite dishes. As the judges pointed out, Mike looked downright pissed when brought back to the bottom group. The girls seemed a little confused, but neither really seemed to remember that this was a competition. Tonight, Preeti went home. Of the bottom three, I pretty much understand why she was chosen. I think it was a combination of the bad dish she made tonight, being in the bottom last week, and just not understanding the judges' comments.
10 words or less: Padme's getting really feisty this season.
Top Chef
View Date: 8/31/09
Air Date: 8/26/09
Chefs: Jesse, Eve, Bryan, Kevin, Jennifer C., Ashley, Laurine, Mattin, Michael V., Hector, Preeti, Robin, Mike I., Eli, Ron, Ash
Quickfire Challenge: This was a high stakes challenge, where the winner got not only immunity but also $15000. The chefs approached a craps table and rolled the dice. The number attained was the number of ingredients the chefs had to use to prepare a dish in 30 minutes. Salt, pepper, and oil were the only freebies. Todd English, the guest judge, chose Michael V. as the winner, which made him happy to beat his brother.
Elimination Challenge: This is a battle of the sexes where the girls have to cook for a bachelor party, and the guys have to cook for the bachelorette party. Also, the meals have to be paired with the couple's favorite shots. Todd English was again the guest judge for this challenge. While there were a few chefs did have philosophical issues with this challenge due to them not being able to get married, they put their issues aside and presented a united front. Overall, the guys seemed to get better comments from the judges during the tasting portion, but both seemed to get good reviews from the guests.
Bryan, Hector, Eli, and Michael V. got called in, and were announced to be the winning team as well as the best dishes from the winning team. The challenge came down to the two brothers, but Bryan's sweet and sour macaroon won the day. Obviously, the girls lost, and the judges wanted to see Eve, Preeti, Jesse, and Ashley as the bottom 4. Eve was sent packing her knives for her fairly tasteless shrimp dish.
10 words or less: A little surprised by who was eliminated.
Air Date: 8/26/09
Chefs: Jesse, Eve, Bryan, Kevin, Jennifer C., Ashley, Laurine, Mattin, Michael V., Hector, Preeti, Robin, Mike I., Eli, Ron, Ash
Quickfire Challenge: This was a high stakes challenge, where the winner got not only immunity but also $15000. The chefs approached a craps table and rolled the dice. The number attained was the number of ingredients the chefs had to use to prepare a dish in 30 minutes. Salt, pepper, and oil were the only freebies. Todd English, the guest judge, chose Michael V. as the winner, which made him happy to beat his brother.
Elimination Challenge: This is a battle of the sexes where the girls have to cook for a bachelor party, and the guys have to cook for the bachelorette party. Also, the meals have to be paired with the couple's favorite shots. Todd English was again the guest judge for this challenge. While there were a few chefs did have philosophical issues with this challenge due to them not being able to get married, they put their issues aside and presented a united front. Overall, the guys seemed to get better comments from the judges during the tasting portion, but both seemed to get good reviews from the guests.
Bryan, Hector, Eli, and Michael V. got called in, and were announced to be the winning team as well as the best dishes from the winning team. The challenge came down to the two brothers, but Bryan's sweet and sour macaroon won the day. Obviously, the girls lost, and the judges wanted to see Eve, Preeti, Jesse, and Ashley as the bottom 4. Eve was sent packing her knives for her fairly tasteless shrimp dish.
10 words or less: A little surprised by who was eliminated.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Top Chef: Masters (Bravo)
View Date: 8/19/09
Chefs: Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless, and Michael Ciarello
Final Challenge: The chefs need to create a series of dishes based on their lifetimes. The first dish should be based on their first food memory. The second dish should be based on what made them decide to become a chef. The third dish should be based on what they experienced when opening their first restaurant, and the fourth dish was to be based on where their cooking was going in the future. The guest judges for the final meal were Tom, Padme, Gail, and the five previous winners of Top Chef.
One thing that is nice about this season is that the chefs all seem to get along pretty well in the kitchen. I think that is partially due to the fact that they are competing for charity. While they want to do the best for their causes, losing doesn't mean that they won't be able to open a restaurant, etc. Another aspect is that they all have a mutual respect for each other, and can playfully banter because of that respect.
The chefs were thrown a surprise, but it was a very good one for a change. They received video messages of support from their sous-chefs, then the sous-chefs walked into the kitchen to help. This was obviously a great treat for these guys, especially because they don't do much of their own prep work anymore. We also got to see pictures of the chefs from the past, such as when they opened their first restaurants. I must say, all of the chefs look much better now. Like a fine wine, they have improved with age.
Based on the tasters' comments, all of the chefs cooked fantastic spreads that really showed who they were. One thing that must be said about the Masters: they definitely know who they are as chefs. I really like Tom's comment that this meal, with 12 dishes to taste, was an “embarrassment of riches”.
I think the main problem I had with this version of Top Chef was the first few weeks. When they brought in 4 new chefs each week, you couldn't really get to know who they were. But in the masters round, once we got down to 6, the structure of the show changed to be more like the original series, and I started to like it much better. I got to learn a lot more about the chefs, and really started to connect with them.
Rick got 4.5 stars from the diners. Hubert received 4 stars, and Michael got 4.5 stars. From the critics, Michael received 4.5 stars, 3.5 stars, and 4.5 stars, for a grand total of 17 stars. Hubert received 4.5 stars, 4 stars, and 4 stars from the critics, for a total of 16.5 stars. Rick received from the critics 4.5 stars, 4.5 stars, and 4.5 stars. Rick won the entire competition with 18 stars. Each charity received money from the sponsor Lexus for the chef making it to the finale, in addition to the money previously won.
10 words or less: Congratulations for all of the charities.
Chefs: Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless, and Michael Ciarello
Final Challenge: The chefs need to create a series of dishes based on their lifetimes. The first dish should be based on their first food memory. The second dish should be based on what made them decide to become a chef. The third dish should be based on what they experienced when opening their first restaurant, and the fourth dish was to be based on where their cooking was going in the future. The guest judges for the final meal were Tom, Padme, Gail, and the five previous winners of Top Chef.
One thing that is nice about this season is that the chefs all seem to get along pretty well in the kitchen. I think that is partially due to the fact that they are competing for charity. While they want to do the best for their causes, losing doesn't mean that they won't be able to open a restaurant, etc. Another aspect is that they all have a mutual respect for each other, and can playfully banter because of that respect.
The chefs were thrown a surprise, but it was a very good one for a change. They received video messages of support from their sous-chefs, then the sous-chefs walked into the kitchen to help. This was obviously a great treat for these guys, especially because they don't do much of their own prep work anymore. We also got to see pictures of the chefs from the past, such as when they opened their first restaurants. I must say, all of the chefs look much better now. Like a fine wine, they have improved with age.
Based on the tasters' comments, all of the chefs cooked fantastic spreads that really showed who they were. One thing that must be said about the Masters: they definitely know who they are as chefs. I really like Tom's comment that this meal, with 12 dishes to taste, was an “embarrassment of riches”.
I think the main problem I had with this version of Top Chef was the first few weeks. When they brought in 4 new chefs each week, you couldn't really get to know who they were. But in the masters round, once we got down to 6, the structure of the show changed to be more like the original series, and I started to like it much better. I got to learn a lot more about the chefs, and really started to connect with them.
Rick got 4.5 stars from the diners. Hubert received 4 stars, and Michael got 4.5 stars. From the critics, Michael received 4.5 stars, 3.5 stars, and 4.5 stars, for a grand total of 17 stars. Hubert received 4.5 stars, 4 stars, and 4 stars from the critics, for a total of 16.5 stars. Rick received from the critics 4.5 stars, 4.5 stars, and 4.5 stars. Rick won the entire competition with 18 stars. Each charity received money from the sponsor Lexus for the chef making it to the finale, in addition to the money previously won.
10 words or less: Congratulations for all of the charities.
Top Chef
View Date: 8/19/09
Tonight is the first episode of the sixth season of Top Chef, based in Las Vegas this year. There are award winners, executive chefs, and even a pair of brothers featured this season. To put it mildly, I am really glad to have the original series back.
Chefs: Kevin Gillespie, Preeti Mistry, Ron Duprat, Eve Aronoff, Mattin Noblia, Eli Kirstchen, Ash Fulk, Jesse Sandlin, Jennifer Zavala, Jennifer Carroll, Bryan Voltaggio, Michael Voltaggio, Mike Isabella, Ashley Merriman, Laurine Wickett, Hector Santiago, Robin Leventhal
Quickfire Challenge: The chefs split into teams of 4 to compete in the Mise en Place challenge. I did think the showgirls showing up in the middle of the kitchen. Robin picked a gold chip, which spared her from competing as well as gave her immunity in the elimination challenge. They got to use ingredients that are very popular in Vegas for the relay, rather than the standard items used in seasons past. The relay tonight consists of shucking 15 clams, peel 30 prawns, clean 5 lobsters, and break down 2 chops. The blue team won the challenge, but the individual members then have to compete in a cook-off for $15,000. Robin was given the opportunity to trade in her immunity to compete for the money, but she chose not to. The chefs had to make a dish in 30 minutes using the ingredient they competed with in the relay. The winner was Jen's clam ceviche.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs had to create a dish based on a vice they have. They had to compete against the other members of their relay team. Robin got to choose which team she competed with/against, and she chose the blue team. The judges, thankfully, are Tom, Gail, Padme, and the guest judge Wolfgang Puck. The best dishes were Mike (not the brother), Jennifer (the blond), Ron, and Kevin. Kevin's arctic char dish won overall. The worst dishes of the night were Hector (who deep-fried a steak), Eve (bland sauce and poorly cooked seafood), Jen (clunky rellenos), and Jesse (overcooked chicken breast). The overall least favorite dish of the night was Jen's chili relleno.
10 words or less: Looking forward to a great season.
Tonight is the first episode of the sixth season of Top Chef, based in Las Vegas this year. There are award winners, executive chefs, and even a pair of brothers featured this season. To put it mildly, I am really glad to have the original series back.
Chefs: Kevin Gillespie, Preeti Mistry, Ron Duprat, Eve Aronoff, Mattin Noblia, Eli Kirstchen, Ash Fulk, Jesse Sandlin, Jennifer Zavala, Jennifer Carroll, Bryan Voltaggio, Michael Voltaggio, Mike Isabella, Ashley Merriman, Laurine Wickett, Hector Santiago, Robin Leventhal
Quickfire Challenge: The chefs split into teams of 4 to compete in the Mise en Place challenge. I did think the showgirls showing up in the middle of the kitchen. Robin picked a gold chip, which spared her from competing as well as gave her immunity in the elimination challenge. They got to use ingredients that are very popular in Vegas for the relay, rather than the standard items used in seasons past. The relay tonight consists of shucking 15 clams, peel 30 prawns, clean 5 lobsters, and break down 2 chops. The blue team won the challenge, but the individual members then have to compete in a cook-off for $15,000. Robin was given the opportunity to trade in her immunity to compete for the money, but she chose not to. The chefs had to make a dish in 30 minutes using the ingredient they competed with in the relay. The winner was Jen's clam ceviche.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs had to create a dish based on a vice they have. They had to compete against the other members of their relay team. Robin got to choose which team she competed with/against, and she chose the blue team. The judges, thankfully, are Tom, Gail, Padme, and the guest judge Wolfgang Puck. The best dishes were Mike (not the brother), Jennifer (the blond), Ron, and Kevin. Kevin's arctic char dish won overall. The worst dishes of the night were Hector (who deep-fried a steak), Eve (bland sauce and poorly cooked seafood), Jen (clunky rellenos), and Jesse (overcooked chicken breast). The overall least favorite dish of the night was Jen's chili relleno.
10 words or less: Looking forward to a great season.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Top Chef: Masters (Bravo)
View Date: 8/12/09
Chefs: Anita Lo, Michael Chiarello, Rick Bayless, and Hubert Keller
Quickfire Challenge: For the final quickfire challenge of the season, they resurrected the blindfolded taste test. Out of 20, Hubert got 5 correct, Rick got 6 right, Anita got 6 correct also, and Michael got 7 right.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs need to cook a buffet meal for 200 people. This time, they get to pick 3 souz chefs from former contestants after briefly interviewing them (2 minutes each). Michael, having won the quickfire challenge, got first pick. The picks were as follows:
Michael: Fabio, CJ, Brian*
Anita: Jamie*, Dale, Ilan
Rick: Richard, Alex, Betty*
Hubert: Elia, Antonia, Spike*
Of course, there is always a twist. In the middle of cooking on challenge day, one of the souz chefs need to be cut from each team. The former contestant indicated by the * shows the person eliminated from each team.
Rick and Hubert had the two highest scores tonight, so they will be moving on to the final challenge. Hubert won with almost perfect numbers from the judges in addition to a very high score from the tasters, which is good because he had the lowest score coming off of the quickfire challenge. Michael just barely squeaked by, so Anita was eliminated. She ran into quite a few problems during the elimination challenge, so this is not very surprising.
10 words or less: Next week is the finale. Yay!
Chefs: Anita Lo, Michael Chiarello, Rick Bayless, and Hubert Keller
Quickfire Challenge: For the final quickfire challenge of the season, they resurrected the blindfolded taste test. Out of 20, Hubert got 5 correct, Rick got 6 right, Anita got 6 correct also, and Michael got 7 right.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs need to cook a buffet meal for 200 people. This time, they get to pick 3 souz chefs from former contestants after briefly interviewing them (2 minutes each). Michael, having won the quickfire challenge, got first pick. The picks were as follows:
Michael: Fabio, CJ, Brian*
Anita: Jamie*, Dale, Ilan
Rick: Richard, Alex, Betty*
Hubert: Elia, Antonia, Spike*
Of course, there is always a twist. In the middle of cooking on challenge day, one of the souz chefs need to be cut from each team. The former contestant indicated by the * shows the person eliminated from each team.
Rick and Hubert had the two highest scores tonight, so they will be moving on to the final challenge. Hubert won with almost perfect numbers from the judges in addition to a very high score from the tasters, which is good because he had the lowest score coming off of the quickfire challenge. Michael just barely squeaked by, so Anita was eliminated. She ran into quite a few problems during the elimination challenge, so this is not very surprising.
10 words or less: Next week is the finale. Yay!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Top Chef: Masters (Bravo)
View Date: 8/5/09
Chefs: Michael Chiarello, Art Smith, Anita Lo, Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless
Quickfire Challenge: The challenge today is all about burgers. The chefs need to create a gormet burger with a side dish. The judges for this challenge include former contestant Spike (who also owns a burger joint), Morgan Spurlock the documentarian, and the owner of the a DC burger joint beloved by the first lady. Michael and Rick tied with 4 stars a piece.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs had to prepare a vegan lunch for actress Zooey Deschanel and her friends following her dietary restrictions. As mentioned above, she is a vegan, but is also gluten intolerant and does not eat soy. Each chef is responsible for one course, which the chefs get to divide amongst themselves. Michael Chiarello won this challenge with a quinoa pasta dish that opened the eyes of the vegans present. The chef eliminated today was Art Smith due to a poor showing on a vegan dessert.
10 words or less: Beautiful cooking, but looking forward to Masters being over.
Chefs: Michael Chiarello, Art Smith, Anita Lo, Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless
Quickfire Challenge: The challenge today is all about burgers. The chefs need to create a gormet burger with a side dish. The judges for this challenge include former contestant Spike (who also owns a burger joint), Morgan Spurlock the documentarian, and the owner of the a DC burger joint beloved by the first lady. Michael and Rick tied with 4 stars a piece.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs had to prepare a vegan lunch for actress Zooey Deschanel and her friends following her dietary restrictions. As mentioned above, she is a vegan, but is also gluten intolerant and does not eat soy. Each chef is responsible for one course, which the chefs get to divide amongst themselves. Michael Chiarello won this challenge with a quinoa pasta dish that opened the eyes of the vegans present. The chef eliminated today was Art Smith due to a poor showing on a vegan dessert.
10 words or less: Beautiful cooking, but looking forward to Masters being over.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Top Chef: Masters (Bravo)
View Date: 7/29/09
Chefs: Rick Bayless, Michael Chiarello, Art Smith, Anita Lo, Hubert Keller, and Suzanne Tracht
Tonight is the champion's round, with the previous winners back to compete for the big reward for their charities.
Quickfire Challenge: Working in teams of three, the chefs competed in the classic and always a favorite Mise en Place relay race. And Tom Choliccio was the guest judge/referee. The chefs on the winning team will get an advantage going in to the next round. Each team needs to open 15 oysters, chop 5 onions, butcher 4 chickens, and finally separate 5 eggs and wisk them by hand until they will stay upside-down in the bowl for 5 seconds. This is particularly tough because these chefs generally haven't prepared ingredients en masse like this in years. The team of Rick, Anita, and Hubert won the challenge.
In-Between Challenge: The chefs had to cook their signature dish for presenting to the other chefs, supposedly so they could learn more about each other.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs now have to recreate and reimagine another chef's signature dish. Hubert got to pick first because he went twice for the winning team in the relay race. Whoever he picked, that chef would have to recreate his dish. The other chefs had to draw knives to determine which dish they would be making. Hubert and Anita were paired, Art and Suzanne, and Rick and Michael. The special diners tonight are former TCM competitors. Rick and Anita had the high scores tonight, and Anita won overall with 24 of 25 stars. Suzanne went home by half a star due to some cold and overdone fish.
10 words or less: I think it's only 4 more weeks of this.
Chefs: Rick Bayless, Michael Chiarello, Art Smith, Anita Lo, Hubert Keller, and Suzanne Tracht
Tonight is the champion's round, with the previous winners back to compete for the big reward for their charities.
Quickfire Challenge: Working in teams of three, the chefs competed in the classic and always a favorite Mise en Place relay race. And Tom Choliccio was the guest judge/referee. The chefs on the winning team will get an advantage going in to the next round. Each team needs to open 15 oysters, chop 5 onions, butcher 4 chickens, and finally separate 5 eggs and wisk them by hand until they will stay upside-down in the bowl for 5 seconds. This is particularly tough because these chefs generally haven't prepared ingredients en masse like this in years. The team of Rick, Anita, and Hubert won the challenge.
In-Between Challenge: The chefs had to cook their signature dish for presenting to the other chefs, supposedly so they could learn more about each other.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs now have to recreate and reimagine another chef's signature dish. Hubert got to pick first because he went twice for the winning team in the relay race. Whoever he picked, that chef would have to recreate his dish. The other chefs had to draw knives to determine which dish they would be making. Hubert and Anita were paired, Art and Suzanne, and Rick and Michael. The special diners tonight are former TCM competitors. Rick and Anita had the high scores tonight, and Anita won overall with 24 of 25 stars. Suzanne went home by half a star due to some cold and overdone fish.
10 words or less: I think it's only 4 more weeks of this.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Top Chef: Masters (Bravo)
View Date: 7/22/09
Competitors: Jonathan Waxman, Roy Yamaguchi, Art Smith, Michael Cimarusti
Quickfire Challenge: The chefs need to cook the best meal they can using $20 and only one aisle of the grocery store, which corresponds to the number on the knife they chose. Michael won this challenge with his chocolate parfait.
Elimination Challenge: The challenge is to create a dish using 7 items from a mystery box prepared by a rival chef and made for culinary students. Art Smith won the challenge with a Southern fried chicken dish and is the last chef to move on to the champions round.
10 words or less: Looking forward to this being over.
Competitors: Jonathan Waxman, Roy Yamaguchi, Art Smith, Michael Cimarusti
Quickfire Challenge: The chefs need to cook the best meal they can using $20 and only one aisle of the grocery store, which corresponds to the number on the knife they chose. Michael won this challenge with his chocolate parfait.
Elimination Challenge: The challenge is to create a dish using 7 items from a mystery box prepared by a rival chef and made for culinary students. Art Smith won the challenge with a Southern fried chicken dish and is the last chef to move on to the champions round.
10 words or less: Looking forward to this being over.
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