# Top Chef Season 3



## ironchef (Jun 14, 2007)

Anyone else catch this last night? I must say, they really threw everyone for a loop with both the quickfire and elimination challenges. The right person was voted off however, as in both challenges his food was just horrible in technique and presentation. I don't think that guy Joey from NYC is going to last very long either. My early favorite is Hung who placed in the top 2/3 for both challenges.

Regarding the elimination challenge: that was definitely a tough challenge due to the exotic ingredients and the time constraint. Two hours is not a long time to work with an unfamiliar food because it doesn't really give you a lot of chances to experiment with flavors and especially cooking techniques. Was not too impressed with the first group as they had their choice of proteins and still weren't in the top dishes. The second group had it much, much tougher. If I was in the second group, I probably would've chosen the kangaroo/ostrich and geoduck/eel/abalone as I've worked with those ingredients. I'm actually surprised that no one in the first group chose the abalone. 

Now we'll see what happens but the caliber and overall quality of chefs is much higher than the first two seasons. If they threw this challenge in the first episode for seasons 1 and 2 then half the cast would've failed it in both seasons. And by failing, I mean by not completing the task, not just by their food not tasting good. Ironically, the person who was voted off first in season 1 (the Australian guy) might've done well considering they had so many ingredients from down under.


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## skilletlicker (Jun 14, 2007)

Yeah ic, I agree.  This seems to be a more experienced group overall and they sent home the right person.

As for the ingredients, many of them I'd never even heard of.  Between the geoduck and the black chicken I felt a little like Jessica Simpson asking if this stuff is chicken or fish.

In the preview clips that Hung fellow looked like he was being promoted as the new Marcel.  The chef that ordinary folks tune in to root against.  I wonder if the producers were disappointed that he actually came across as a pretty decent kid.


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## ironchef (Jun 14, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> Yeah ic, I agree. This seems to be a more experienced group overall and they sent home the right person.
> 
> As for the ingredients, many of them I'd never even heard of. Between the geoduck and the black chicken I felt a little like Jessica Simpson asking if this stuff is chicken or fish.
> 
> In the preview clips that Hung fellow looked like he was being promoted as the new Marcel. The chef that ordinary folks tune in to root against. I wonder if the producers were disappointed that he actually came across as a pretty decent kid.


 
He probably will still come across as an *******, but much more different than Marcel. From what I've seen, it comes more from his passion and from not wanting to deal with idiots or people who don't share his passion. It looks like Hung has a much better understanding of food and flavors, whereas Marcel puts too much emphasis on presentation at the expense of what the food will actually taste like.

Marcel was also more about himself than the food. I think maybe Joey is most like Marcel. Very cocky, and more about himself. From what they've shown, his attitude sucks and he's a crybaby. Hey, who cares if you're from NYC? If you can bring it, then bring it. It doesn't matter where you're from. I think he's on the wrong show anyway. He should be on The Soprano's.


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## turtledove (Jun 14, 2007)

Clay definitely was the right one to go. I also agreed with Hung and Tre being the top two. IC, you are very right in saying that about the 2 earlier seasons failing on one account or another if they had either or both challenges to face. I think this season may be a lot better contest. LOL! I was thinking the same thing about Joey!


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## skilletlicker (Jun 14, 2007)

ironchef said:
			
		

> I think maybe Joey is most like Marcel. Very cocky, and more about himself. From what they've shown, his attitude sucks and he's a crybaby. Hey, who cares if you're from NYC? If you can bring it, then bring it. It doesn't matter where you're from. I think he's on the wrong show anyway. He should be on The Soprano's.


Until I read your description above I couldn't place Joey.  The Soprano shtick was all that I remembered about him.


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## mudbug (Jun 14, 2007)

I intend to watch the rerun this weekend sometime.  Can't manage to stay up that late during the week.


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## ChefJune (Jun 14, 2007)

I watched it last night, and I agree Tre and Hung stood out among the chefs for their skills and their style.  The producers seem to be improving the show with each series.  The first episode featured some very different challenges from the earlier shows.  

Hard to believe Clay made the cut in the first place!   He seemed in way over his head.

Did you know Lee Ann from the first show is the "Producing Chef" for this series?  I met her Tuesday evening and she has become quite the glamor girl!


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## mudbug (Jun 14, 2007)

June, remind me which one was Lee Ann.


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## Flourgirl (Jun 14, 2007)

Yes, a much more experienced and knowledgeable cast this season. Will be fun to watch how everything plays out.

And love him or hate him, Anthony Bourdain always makes it interesting.


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## skilletlicker (Jun 14, 2007)

ChefJune said:
			
		

> Did you know Lee Ann from the first show is the "Producing Chef" for this series?  [highlight]I met her Tuesday evening and she has become quite the glamor girl![/highlight]


 Please elaborate ChefJune.  She was not only a favorite of mine from series one but I thought she'd make a great daughter in law.
Mudbug, this is Lee Anne.


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## mudbug (Jun 14, 2007)

thanks, skillet. Oh yeah, I remember her now.  Great smile. I liked her too.  Apparently she's let her hair grow out a bit.


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## Flourgirl (Jun 14, 2007)

I think she (LeAnn) was at the Union Square challenge last night between Ilan and Sam. 

Am I right? So lucky you got to go!


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## ChefJune (Jun 14, 2007)

mudbug said:
			
		

> June, remind me which one was Lee Ann.


Lee Ann Wong, the Asian chef.
the Fan Favorite.


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## ChefJune (Jun 14, 2007)

Flourgirl said:
			
		

> I think she (LeAnn) was at the Union Square challenge last night between Ilan and Sam.
> 
> Am I right? So lucky you got to go!


No, we were both guests at the AIWF Champagne Gala on Tuesday night.


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## turtledove (Jun 15, 2007)

This leads to a 3 part video of a taste test between Hung and Clay.  The Battle is On: Hung vs. Clay, pt.1 - Videos - Bravo TV


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## ironchef (Jun 15, 2007)

turtledove said:
			
		

> This leads to a 3 part video of a taste test between Hung and Clay. The Battle is On: Hung vs. Clay, pt.1 - Videos - Bravo TV


 
Pretty amusing. Unfortunately for Clay, in regards to cooking talent, that score would have been much, much wider. It's underrated as to how hard blind taste testing is. A big part of cooking and eating is that visual aspect. You lose it and the brain will get confused.


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## Caine (Jun 15, 2007)

Tony Bourdain made a derrière of himself, nothing new there, and Padma provided the gratuitous T&A, nothing new there either. 

The guy with the snake didn't know how to cook snake and the guy with the alligator didn't know how to cook alligator (he should have been watching Paula Deen!), no surprise there, and the dude that actually knew what he was doing, won. Now THAT was a total surprise! I also noticed there was no Stephen/Marcel clone for season 3. What's up with that?


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## turtledove (Jun 15, 2007)

Yes, the visual is very important; not sure how many people here have tried blind taste testing. Not as easy as some people can make it look at all.


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## ironchef (Jun 15, 2007)

I guess maybe Bravo felt they needed to give Clay more media exposure since his 15 minutes of fame didn't last very long. Or maybe they were trying to prove that if two people are blindfolded, the competition between the best and worst is much closer.


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## ChefJune (Jun 16, 2007)

ironchef said:
			
		

> I guess maybe Bravo felt they needed to give Clay more media exposure since his 15 minutes of fame didn't last very long. Or maybe they were trying to prove that if two people are blindfolded, the competition between the best and worst is much closer.


...or that after the aired remarks about his father, the sympathy factor would result in some hue and cry to bring him back?  

I haven't had a chance to watch this video, but I'm afraid that at the end Clay is going to look an even bigger fool than he did on episode 1.  Hung is not only talented, he's also a horse's a$$, as he admitted on camera.


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## ironchef (Jun 16, 2007)

ChefJune said:
			
		

> ...or that after the aired remarks about his father, the sympathy factor would result in some hue and cry to bring him back?
> 
> I haven't had a chance to watch this video, but I'm afraid that at the end Clay is going to look an even bigger fool than he did on episode 1. Hung is not only talented, he's also a horse's a$$, as he admitted on camera.


 
Yeah Hung admitted and knows he's an *******. The thing is though, he's confident but I wouldn't consider him cocky (yet), just blunt. Joey on the other hand, is very cocky and very arrogant. 

Also, from what I saw of Hung, he seemed ok to work with in the kitchen. He was interacting with Tre and letting Tre taste all of his dishes as he was preparing them. I think it was partly because Hung saw that Tre is also talented and that Tre knows what he's doing in the kitchen. Hung also mentioned something to that effect about watching and knowing if a person has that ability and aptittude in the kitchen. My impression is that if he sees that a person is capable, he gives them that respect in the kitchen.


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## turtledove (Jun 16, 2007)

I saw that with Tre and Hung; about being able to see someone with true cooking talent too. I have to say that it did impress me somewhat (may have been a tactic, too) with Hung having Tre taste what he was making. So far, Hung has not proved to be the "annoying, arrogant, egotisical sob" that I saw in Marcel and even Stephen.


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## skilletlicker (Jun 20, 2007)

I'm posting this shortly before episode two airs.  This series actually has to do with fine dining cookery, a subject with which I am not qualified to debate the relative merits of the contestants with ironchef, one of our resident fine dining professionals.  However, outside his professional expertise, IC insists that Hung is metaphorically the southern orifice of the digestive system.  Having had considerable personal experience with that claim I believe that young Hung has not yet earned it, and in fact, may not possess the necessary failures of character required for the title.

Here's hoping Hung does not prove me wrong.


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## ironchef (Jun 20, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> I'm posting this shortly before episode two airs. This series actually has to do with fine dining cookery, a subject with which I am not qualified to debate the relative merits of the contestants with ironchef, one of our resident fine dining professionals. However, outside his professional expertise, IC insists that Hung is metaphorically the southern orifice of the digestive system. Having had considerable personal experience with that claim I believe that young Hung has not yet earned it, and in fact, may not possess the necessary failures of character required for the title.
> 
> Here's hoping Hung does not prove me wrong.


 
Hung calls himself an *******. It has nothing to do with my assumption.


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## skilletlicker (Jun 20, 2007)

ironchef said:
			
		

> Hung calls himself an *******. It has nothing to do with my assumption.


Well you have twice now agreed with it.  I'm still rooting for his now, only slightly hidden, integrity.


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## ironchef (Jun 20, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> Well you have twice now agreed with it. I'm still rooting for his now, only slightly hidden, integrity.


 
When people are willing to admit that they are one, they usually are.


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## skilletlicker (Jun 20, 2007)

ironchef said:
			
		

> When people are willing to admit that they are one, they usually are.


I thought you were defending the young man.  I'm back here giving odds that he isn't as bad as you seem to say.


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## ironchef (Jun 20, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> I thought you were defending the young man. I'm back here giving odds that he isn't as bad as you seem to say.


 
You've lost me. Re-read my posts again.


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## ironchef (Jun 21, 2007)

Episode two was...interesting. I thought that there were some surprises, especially in the elimination challenge in regards to their final dishes. Sara N. was probably the most surprising, only because of the clips that Bravo showed of her leading up to the tasting and judging. However, I know someone who told me that she will surprise some people, even though she may fly under the radar. Well I hope so considering she's a Sous Chef at Jean-Georges in NYC. If not, she'll be the first contestant who works at a high-profile restaurant that gets knocked off before the final six. 

Tre is really, really inconsistent. It's kind of mind blowing how in the first four competitions, he has two wins but then he's also been in the bottom 3/4 in the other two. I don't think they've ever had someone who was that hot and cold in such an extreme. And being from Texas and being in the bottom of a BBQ challenge...that would be like Thomas Keller entering a competition with French food being the theme ingredient and being in the bottom...or Wylie Dufresne being in the bottom of a Molecular Gastronomy challenge...

I'm trying really hard to like Howie, but the guy just cannot execute to save his life. He has good concepts, but his technical execution has so far been horrible. First not being able to just put one frog leg on the plate in episode 1, and then pre-cooking the meat (pork tenderloin of all things!  ) and then pre-slicing it?! WTF? You know, you practice what you preach. I hope this isn't how they treat the proteins at his restaurant. At least he told Joey off. I'll give him props for that. 

Speaking of Joey, what in the **** was that dish he made? It looked like crap, his concept was crap. I guess his dish just reflects his attitude and personality. Hopefully he'll be gone soon. One thing I hate is crybabies. Man up or shut up. I mean c'mon, $200 plus 4 hours total prep/cook time and he makes chicken drumsticks and a corn salad. This isn't bush league, you gotta bring your "A" game. 

Didn't think Sandee was going to last until the final 6 or 7 but I was kinda surprised that she was out this soon. I was also surprised by her choice of dish for a BBQ theme. What was she thinking? Pre-poaching and then grilling? Lobster with dates? Dates are something you pair with a strong flavored protein like lamb, quail, etc. I think she was trying to be too overly creative and different and ended up cooking herself into a hole. Lobster would have been fine, but she should have just grilled it and served it sans dates. Plus she's from the South so she's in the same boat as Tre. 

Interesting what Tom said in the previews about seeing who's going to try and play it safe and stay in the middle of the pack until more people are eliminated because I was thinking the same thing while they were cooking during the second elimination challenge. I wondering what I would do? I probably would play it semi-safe. I mean I would still try and put out cutting edge dishes that would fit the theme, but I wouldn't overextend myself and try a combination of flavors that I never did before. I would probably stick to what I know would work but present it so that it would look more high-end. That's something which was missing from the BBQ challenge with a lot of the chefs. If they had just changed up their presentation, or bought another ingredient or two, it would hav elevated their dish that much more.


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## turtledove (Jun 21, 2007)

IC, I think you should be a guest judge on the show!! Really......I agree with all you said above and was thinking along the same lines (albeit in much simpler terms as I know I am not a chef-just a darn good cook). I was thinking it would be Howie or Joey last night before Sandee; but do agree with the reason she was chosen.


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## ironchef (Jun 21, 2007)

> The challenge was really simple -- create an elegant, upscale BBQ. That obviously means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I wouldn’t spend a whole lot of time on the watermelon theme, except that I totally believe Hung when he says that he thought of doing something with watermelon because you’d find watermelon at a BBQ. I don’t believe that he ripped it off of Joey.
> 
> I’m sure that watermelon juice, which has been a very popular ingredient in the past couple of years, is not something that he invented, and I think it’s really foolish for him to even to suggest that someone stole his recipe. It’s dumb. It’s immature. There’s no reason for it. Based on watching the episode, I think he needs to spend a little more time on what he’s cooking rather than what everyone else is doing.
> 
> ...


 
This piece was taken from Tom Colicchio's blog on the Bravo site. LOL!!


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## ironchef (Jun 21, 2007)

NM, it's actually Lia who is the Sous Chef at Jean-George's. I got her and Sara N's restaurants mixed up.


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## carolelaine (Jun 28, 2007)

What did you think about last nights episode?  I thought they made a good choice on who should go.  Based on the reaction of the crowd to her dish, it must have been really bad.  I'm still unclear on who I believe is the most talented of the group.


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## ironchef (Jun 28, 2007)

I think they made the right decision. If someone doesn't have their heart into the competition, they shouldn't be there. It's a little disappointing that Micah had that attitude as they could've had another competitor instead of her, but there's no way to forsee what would've happened. She was way too inconsistent but watching her, she usually put out good food when she was excited about the theme ingredient. However, you can't do that in a competition. Whether or not you like the theme, you still need to put out the best product possible. 

I'm glad Howie finally came though because I've liked the guy since the first episode. The theme for the third episode was both easy and hard. It was easy in the sense that it should've been not very difficult to do an updated version of the dishes, but it was also difficult in that same sense. I mean seriously, how do you improve on fried chicken with mac and cheese with the restraints of the challenge? Lowering the cholestrol and calories in a dish is hard because you're immediately removing things that make it taste good: oil, butter, cheese, etc. Most of the dishes use those components for flavor. It also seemed like many of the chefs were not in it to win this challenge, they just wanted to put out something that would be good and not one of the worst dishes. I think Joey and Hung fell into this category. Joey takes lasagna and does a vegetable lasagna. No imagination whatsoever. Hung does a roast chicken with a crispy chicken skin and basically pasta primavera with parmesan grated on top. A little more imagination that Joey but not by much. But then again, I can't really knock them too hard because there were only a few dishes that I could think of that I would've immediately known what to do with it. Tacos and the Porkchops/applesauce were I think the two easiest. I think what made it harder was that if you didn't grow up eating those dishes, you wouldn't know where to start. If I had gotten chicken and dumplings I wouldn't know what the classic version tasted like. I could do my own version (for the dumplings I would probably make homemade gnocchi) but that would be it. I've also never had chicken a la king or a tuna casserole so I would be lost there as well. 

The last two competitions were pretty dull in the creative aspect, which is a shame because there could've been a lot of creativity involved, especially in episode two. We'll see which chefs raise their game next week.


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## ChefJune (Jun 29, 2007)

IC, I agree with you about Howie.  I was really glad to see him vindicated.

As for Mica, all the places she said she'd lived, I can't imagine she hasn't run into meat loaf before even if that wasn't what it was called.  shoot, what's pate, anyway?  I would have made the best darn turkey meatloaf, full of flavor, and mashed potatoes with chicken stock instead of butter and cream (I do that all the time, anyway).

I have eaten lots of tuna noodle casseroles in my lifetime, but they were never even the least bit _green_    What was with that? Both that and Chicken ala King are kind of gloppy dishes with creamy sauces.  getting rid of the cream would've lightened both of them considerably...

I don't even remember what Tre made, but Hung really turns me off.  He has no humor to him at all.  Both Stephen and Marcel before him were annoying, but their antics were rather humorous (even if that was unintentional). Hung impresses me as being mean-spirited.


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## carolelaine (Jun 29, 2007)

IC hard to imagine not ever having chicken ala king, tuna casserole or chicken and dumplings. Wow. I do not care for Hung either, he comes across as way to thrilled with himself and just plain mean.


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## ironchef (Jul 19, 2007)

Well. After a couple of so-so episodes, this last one was really interesting and intense. First off, I thought that the guest judge was a *****. She was especially critical for someone who is not a chef. Yeah she owns a restaurant blah, blah, blah. Just because you own a restaurant doesn't mean you know **** about food. Often times, it means you know less. 

Very surprised that Lia was gone this early. I thought that Dale and both Saras would be among the next to leave. You don't get to be the Executive Sous Chef at Jean-Georges for nothing. But the caliber of chefs on this show compared to the last two seasons is so much higher so it's only natural that some really talented people will be knocked off sooner than expected. The first two seasons had about 50% dead weight. Once half the cast was elminated, then the competition got serious because they were all real chefs. 

This challenge was difficult because of the theme. Yeah, Latin foods shouldn't be that hard but not when the people you're serving it to is all Latin. If you didn't grow up cooking a lot of Latin flavors it would be hard. You know how something tastes, but to actually cook it to get to that point would be challenging. The key is the background of the people tasting the food. If it's a bunch of chefs or people in the industry, go for the fusion stuff, foams, gelees, whatever. If it's a bunch of people who are not in the industry, keep it simple because their palettes are also simple. That's been the rule of thumb even for the first two seasons as well. The tasters who were not chefs always liked the more simplier preperations. It was the chefs who wanted to be blown away. 

Despite his two wins in the last three elimination challenges, I don't see Howie making it to the final three. Once the challenges start to focus more on upscale and less on simple, he'll be in trouble, as will Joey. Their food is just not complex enough. Although they haven't been stars lately, my prediction for the final three is Tre, Casey, and Hung. That is, if they don't get ousted by a stupid challenge like cooking eggs at the beach using only a campfire.


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## skilletlicker (Jul 19, 2007)

I was a little disappointed that Sara didn't make her tortillas.  I don't know how long the ceviche/guacamole took but the tortillas wouldn't take very long assuming she bought fresh masa.  If she intended to make her own masa, well I wouldn't have a clue how to do that in three hours.

It was good to see Howie out of the doghouse for a change and it was surprising how deeply he and Joey seemed to have buried the hatchet.  Kumbaya ought to have been playing in the background.  What with their new found brotherly love no one is competing for the guy we love to hate.  Hung seemed to be claiming the honor.  He is kind of arrogant but I don't think he has it in him to be as obnoxious as foam guy from last season or wine guy from the one before.

How could Colicchio possibly win the "Who's the sexiest judge" viewer poll?  Even taking into account that Padma and Gail had to split their constituency, I still can't believe it.


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## ChefJune (Jul 19, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> I was a little disappointed that Sara didn't make her tortillas. I don't know how long the ceviche/guacamole took but the tortillas wouldn't take very long assuming she bought fresh masa. If she intended to make her own masa, well I wouldn't have a clue how to do that in three hours.


 you must have missed the part where their cooking time was _shortened_ to 1 1/2 hours.  That's why everyone was running around the kitchen like banshees!



> It was good to see Howie out of the doghouse for a change and it was surprising how deeply he and Joey seemed to have buried the hatchet. Kumbaya ought to have been playing in the background. What with their new found brotherly love no one is competing for the guy we love to hate. Hung seemed to be claiming the honor. He is kind of arrogant but I don't think he has it in him to be as obnoxious as foam guy from last season or wine guy from the one before.


 I found it interesting that Lia WON the challenge last week, and this one they sent her home!  D'you suppose they are trying to whittle down the large number of women in the group?  



> How could Colicchio possibly win the "Who's the sexiest judge" viewer poll? Even taking into account that Padma and Gail had to split their constituency, I still can't believe it.


 I can believe it.  Tom definitely has "it!"  and probably more women than men voted.


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## Robo410 (Jul 19, 2007)

I enjoy the show, but am amazed by some of the lack of thought...
If you don't know a dish or a region, there are ways today to get the info quickly!  Called computers.  So many online sources of info.  Joey had the right idea last night...call the experts at his restaurant and get the recipe!  
But no Knowledge of Latino cuisine, or of American diner standards, or healthy cuisine techniques??? 

As they keep asking, "what were you thinking?"


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## mitmondol (Jul 19, 2007)

carolelaine said:
			
		

> IC hard to imagine not ever having chicken ala king, tuna casserole or chicken and dumplings. Wow. I do not care for Hung either, he comes across as way to thrilled with himself and just plain mean.



I can believe it. I've been living here for 18 years and never had any of those dishes. Heard about them,  but never tried them .

Missed the show, only caught the last few minutes.


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## olehippy (Jul 19, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> no one is competing for the guy we love to hate. Hung seemed to be claiming the honor. He is kind of arrogant but I don't think he has it in him to be as obnoxious as foam guy from last season or wine guy from the one before.
> 
> Agreed!!
> 
> How could Colicchio possibly win the "Who's the sexiest judge" viewer poll? Even taking into account that Padma and Gail had to split their constituency, I still can't believe it.


 
My guess is that more women watch and vote than men.


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## ChefJune (Jul 19, 2007)

mitmondol said:
			
		

> I can believe it. I've been living here for 18 years and never had any of those dishes. Heard about them, but never tried them .
> 
> Missed the show, only caught the last few minutes.


But Adrienne, you're not a _*chef*_ in US.... I can understand that you've never tried them, because the past 18 years, they haven't exactly been the kind of dishes most US folks are eating, and not much seen in restaurants other than diners (maybe) any more.


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## ironchef (Jul 19, 2007)

Robo410 said:
			
		

> I enjoy the show, but am amazed by some of the lack of thought...
> If you don't know a dish or a region, there are ways today to get the info quickly! Called computers. So many online sources of info. Joey had the right idea last night...call the experts at his restaurant and get the recipe!
> But no Knowledge of Latino cuisine, or of American diner standards, or healthy cuisine techniques???
> 
> As they keep asking, "what were you thinking?"


 
The thing is, we don't know if they're even allowed to have online access between the time that the challenge is issued and when they are cooking. In the first season, I know they had access to the internet but I don't remember seeing it in season 2 or so far in season 3. And unless it's just editing, it appears that they go straight to the store as soon as the challenge is issued so they wouldn't have any time regardless. Plus, once you buy your ingredients you're more or less committed to what you were planning to make. 

And from what I saw, Joey didn't call his cooks at the restaurant. He just winged it from watching them and tasting the crew meal.


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## ironchef (Jul 19, 2007)

mitmondol said:
			
		

> I can believe it. I've been living here for 18 years and never had any of those dishes. Heard about them, but never tried them .
> 
> Missed the show, only caught the last few minutes.


 
Yup, it's mainly demographics. Although I may have tried them when I was younger, I certainly don't remember them. I also have no desire to try most of the ones that I've never had. 

The age bracket of most of the chefs are in the 25-30 range. I'm in the same age bracket. While we've eaten many of the comfort foods like taco, sloppy joes, etc., some of them we just didn't grow up eating and if we did, they certainly weren't memorable enough to commit to memory or to keep a part of our repertoire.


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## skilletlicker (Jul 19, 2007)

ironchef said:
			
		

> The thing is, we don't know if they're even allowed to have online access between the time that the challenge is issued and when they are cooking. In the first season, I know they had access to the internet but I don't remember seeing it in season 2 or so far in season 3. And unless it's just editing, it appears that they go straight to the store as soon as the challenge is issued so they wouldn't have any time regardless. Plus, once you buy your ingredients you're more or less committed to what you were planning to make.
> 
> And from what I saw, Joey didn't call his cooks at the restaurant. He just winged it from watching them and tasting the crew meal.


 I think you're right ironchef.  If they had been allowed to do research between the assignment of a challenge and the challenge itself, they wouldn't be able to edit out all evidence of it.

Also, as you say, sometimes very good chefs are at a tremendous disadvantage when the challenge involves things they've barely even tasted, let alone cooked.  I think thats what happened to Sara N. this week.  I think she said that her exposure to latin cuisine was limited to having once had a Mexican-American roommate.

By the way, Chef June, I did get that the time was reduced from 3 to 1 1/2 hours.  My point was her ceviche/guacamole might not have really been very time/labor intensive.  If you know what you're doing, have the masa made, and have access to a tortilla press and a griddle big enough to cook three or four or more at time, then knocking out 20 corn tortillas can be done pretty quickly, even by an amateur like me.  So after seeing her final dish I wondered if a professional cook, experienced with the cuisine, might not have been able to do both in 90 minutes.  On the other hand, if she was going to make masa, not instant, the full three hours wouldn't be enough time unless there is a method I've never heard of.  You see it's so rare that a chef takes on one of the very few tasks that I actually know a little about, that I was disappointed when it didn't happen.


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## carolelaine (Jul 19, 2007)

I think the chicken and dumpling thing is demographics.   Even 25 to 30 year olds around here have had them.  Not my favorite food, but I have tried them.  IC, you are probabally right about the final three, if Casey improves a little.  Does anyone think she looks like Jen. Aniston? This season they really aren't showing as much of the interactions at the hotel as they have before.  It's been more just cooking and that's ok with me.  It keeps me from having feelings about them that interfere with my thoughts on their dish.


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## ironchef (Jul 19, 2007)

I forgot about Brian. I like him because he is always pushing himself. I like how he chose the eel and snake even though he never worked with either, and how he made four tarts and a seafood trio in the other quickfires. The guy is able to do a lot in very little time. The lobster stuffed cabbage was stupid but he does push himself which is I like. I think so far he's the only chef to do that in every challenge.


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## keltin (Jul 19, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> How could Colicchio possibly win the "Who's the sexiest judge" viewer poll? Even taking into account that Padma and Gail had to split their constituency, I still can't believe it.


 
Oh come on now, Tom is “Da’ Man”! LOL.

He’s my favorite judge, and the two women, more often than not, get on my nerves. They have such a pretentious aire about them that I often don’t care what they think. But Tom is far more down to earth, hardcore, and ready for business. He’s obviously very knowledgeable, fair, and knows how to get the job done. 

I would have voted for him, just because I don’t like the other two judges, and I’m a guy! I was happy to see him win.

That being said, I don’t think I would actually like to work FOR Tom, as I imagine he could really tear you a new one if you got on his bad side!


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## mudbug (Jul 19, 2007)

Tom's the real deal.  Padma and Gail are idiots that happen to look good.


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## ironchef (Jul 19, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> I think thats what happened to Sara N. this week. I think she said that her exposure to latin cuisine was limited to having once had a Mexican-American roommate.


 
The smartest thing she did was to buy the pre-made tortillas. Even if the cooking time did not get cut in half, she obviously was not confident that her homemade ones would come out.

Whether or not she used homemade tortillas, her final dish was atrocious, and I think she should've been voted off instead of Lia. Lia had a good concept. Unfortunately for her, she ran into tasters who were obviously only interested in the more traditional dishes from their own background. Even Tom (I think it was Tom) said that her dish probably seemed less flavored only because it was surrounded by dishes that had so much heat. She admitted that she had no background in any Latin foods which is probably why her dish was so mild. I don't think understood the Latin palette. But again, I think her concept was good, it was just bad timing. She's also obviously a better chef than Sara N.

For the record, I would've put out a Latin-fusion dish as well, and not a traditional Latin dish just knowing how discerning the tasters would be. I would never have done something like Arroz con Pollo like Hung because c'mon, that's something that the tasters would've eaten their entire lives and they will KNOW if it's not done right. He had some balls for trying it, but he shouldn't have been surprised when they told him the flavors were off. 

Obviously, Howie played it smart using his knowledge of Cuban cuisine to make a very traditional Cuban dish. Roast Pork with Sour Orange is one of the most traditional and classic Cuban dishes there is. So did Joey with his. Again, they're doing well now, but I stand by my statement that once the competitions focus strictly on upscale--which they will if season 3 follows the same format as the first 2--they won't be around long after.


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## skilletlicker (Jul 19, 2007)

People who don't appreciate Padma enough said:
			
		

> He’s my favorite judge, and the two women, more often than not, get on my nerves.
> 
> Tom's the real deal.  Padma and Gail are idiots that happen to look good.


 The poll was "sexiest" not "most knowledgeable."  I don't have strong opinions about Gail but feel compelled to defend Padma.  It is unfair to compare her to that bald headed guy.  Compared to Mrs. Joel she is incredibly more witty, personable, and  knowledgeable.  I confess to infatuation in spite of being old enough to be her father.  On the other hand, I'm slightly younger than her husband.


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## keltin (Jul 19, 2007)

*About judging...*

When I was watching Top Chef last night, as the episode was going off and the credits were rolling, I saw a bit of quick text get flashed on the screen. It was fast, and I only had time to read a few words (and usually I just ignore it), but I caught enough to make me activate the DVR and rewind it. I paused it and read the whole text.

It said that the decision on who is eliminated and who wins the show is based on BOTH the judge’s opinion AND the producer’s decisions. Ok, maybe I was being naïve, but I never thought the producers had a say in judging the show. I mean, Tom, a seasoned and professional CHEF, could say that such-and-such’s dishes have been HORRIBLE five times straight and they need to go only to get shot down by a Producer that says “No, no, no, that contestant is really popular with the 25-35 demographic and is really pulling in the ratings. Keep them for another show or two while we secure some more advertising”.

I hope that isn’t happening, but I have seen some really strange decisions on the show.......


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## keltin (Jul 19, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> The poll was "sexiest" not "most knowledgeable." I don't have strong opinions about Gail but feel compelled to defend Padma. It is unfair to compare her to that bald headed guy. Compared to Mrs. Joel she is incredibly more witty, personable, and knowledgeable. I confess to infatuation in spite of being old enough to be her father. On the other hand, I'm slightly younger than her husband.


 
I see your point, but knowledge is sexy! 

Besides, true beauty and sex appeal is only 10% exterior, the majority of one’s ultimate appeal is what is inside and how you carry yourself......and Tom has got that to spare. The girls are nice eye candy, but the wrapper is empty.

Really, what is the use of being around a drop dead gorgeous super model if you can't stand for him/her to open his/her mouth?????


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## skilletlicker (Jul 19, 2007)

ironchef said:
			
		

> The smartest thing she did was to buy the pre-made tortillas. Even if the cooking time did not get cut in half, she obviously was not confident that her homemade ones would come out.
> 
> Whether or not she used homemade tortillas, her final dish was atrocious, and I think she should've been voted off instead of Lia.
> . . .


I'm not sure even the pre-made tortillas were served.  Either way, the homemade would not have improved her lot.  She did seem at sea in earlier episodes as well, almost lucking into successful dishes.


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## ironchef (Jul 19, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> I'm not sure even the pre-made tortillas were served. Either way, the homemade would not have improved her lot. She did seem at sea in earlier episodes as well, almost lucking into successful dishes.


 
She used the pre-made ones. She fried them and made them into chips to use with the avocado "ceviche". Tom told her that she basically made chips and dip.


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## ironchef (Jul 19, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> It said that the decision on who is eliminated and who wins the show is based on BOTH the judge’s opinion AND the producer’s decisions.


 
That's been in the credits since season 1. In his blog, Tom has said that while the producers do have input, a lot more is weighted on the results of the current challenge and the tasting/execution. That's pretty much how Lia can have the best dish on one episode, and then be voted off in the next. Of course Tom is employed by Bravo for this show so he could be just saying that to blow smoke up everyone's ***, but knowing what I know about him as a chef, I don't think he would continue to do the show if his knowledge and decisions would be undermined in that manner.


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## skilletlicker (Jul 19, 2007)

keltin said:
			
		

> I see your point, but knowledge is sexy!



Only in the *mind* of the beholder.  Alan Greenspan has encyclopedic knowledge of macro-economic fiscal management but he doesn't float my boat one bit.  His wife, Andrea Mitchell, in the right light, discussing geopolitics, well thats a different matter.


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## keltin (Jul 19, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> Only in the *mind* of the beholder. Alan Greenspan has encyclopedic knowledge of macro-economic fiscal management but he doesn't float my boat one bit. His wife, Andrea Mitchell, in the right light, discussing geopolitics, well thats a different matter.


 
True! What a way to poke a hole in my POV! 

LOL!  

Einstein was amazing, but I’m not all that passionate about quantum physics…….it is interesting………but food is a bit more sexy. The beholder is always the determining factor. Thanks for the reality check!


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## keltin (Jul 19, 2007)

skilletlicker said:
			
		

> Only in the *mind* of the beholder. Alan Greenspan has encyclopedic knowledge of macro-economic fiscal management but he doesn't float my boat one bit. His wife, Andrea Mitchell, in the right light, discussing geopolitics, well thats a different matter.


 
Heh.....I just checked your profile, and your B'Day is one day after mine. I'm August 26. How goes it fellow Virgo?


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## mitmondol (Jul 19, 2007)

ChefJune said:
			
		

> But Adrienne, you're not a _*chef*_ in US.... I can understand that you've never tried them, because the past 18 years, they haven't exactly been the kind of dishes most US folks are eating, and not much seen in restaurants other than diners (maybe) any more.



You are right June.


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## ChefJune (Jul 20, 2007)

mudbug said:
			
		

> ... Padma and Gail are idiots that happen to look good.


 Oh, I don't think they are.  I'm not sure what Padma's credentials are for the job of judge on Top Chef, foodwise, but she's no dummy.  and Gail, as I understand, is held in high esteem at F&W.


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## ironchef (Jul 26, 2007)

Anyone see the episode they aired this past Wednesday? They clarified that the chefs do not have access to the internet, telephones, television, etc. So if anyone is still wondering why they don't have anything to refer to during specific challeges (i.e. Latin recipes for the Latin foods challenge), that question has been answered.


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## carolelaine (Jul 26, 2007)

I watched it.  I thought that it was kind of interesting. I almost felt like they apologized for chosing Ilan in a subtle way.  The pretend judging with the steak and eggs was at 4:30 in the morning was funny.


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## IronSides (Jul 26, 2007)

i absolutely love this series!! i have missed the first few episodes of season 3 but hope a marathon will come on soon


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## ironchef (Aug 3, 2007)

Well, interesting episode this past week. Although I knew that Joey was not going to be around for much longer, I'll admit that I was surprised when he was selected instead of Sara M. After thinking about it, I suppose that the reason Sara was not voted off was because she encountered the same problem as Hung: an extremely stubborn, bullheaded partner. This was the first episode where Hung was actually pretty reserved up until the end at the judges table. I think the frustration of working with Joey finally boiled over and he did what I think anyone would do in that situation: defer the blame. I think even though the judges might've thought that Hung should've spoken up more, they knew how Joey was and that no matter what, he wouldn't have listened to Hung anyway. Because Howie is the same way, I think that in itself saved Sara M. I think it came down to which of the two (Howie and Joey) executed their dish more poorly and which of the two mishandled the challenge. And in the end, it was Joey. However, I've changed my view of Howie and I hope he's voted off fairly soon. I was pulling for him because I thought that he was genuinely a nice guy. My guess for the next episode is either Howie or one of the two Saras will go. 

The quickfire was lame. C'mon, oatmeal? Tomato paste? WTF kind of ingredients is that for chefs? Break out the harissa, horchata, piquillo peppers, and cantal cheese. Ok, maybe not that hard, but harder then the stuff they used. That was lame. 

Watching the elimination challenge, some of the decisions that the chefs made were rather strange. Howie and Sara's selection of shrimp was very strange because anyone who's worked with shrimp knows that the texture of shrimp is severly compromised when shrimp is cooked from a frozen state. It basically turns to mush and it was a poor choice. I thought that Casey and Dale's choice of pesto was very good because pesto is one of those things that can go from cold to hot without losing to much. Their use of meatballs was pretty clever. The first thing that I thought of was chicken, and then sausage. Meatballs never crossed my mind. It was funny hearing Howie dis Sara's wanting to use the rainbow fusilli, then watching his pal Joey select it. Hung was on the right track by wanting to use a thicker pasta like penne. I'll bet Joey is kicking himself in the *** because if he had listened to Hung during the challenge, he probably would still be cooking. CJ and Tre's dish was very impressive. I didn't really know what to make out of CJ yet since he hasn't really stood out except for that one quickfire challenge with Alfred Portale. I was quick to write him off since he was a private chef but he's shown some talent and some creativity. My top three is still Hung, Tre, and Casey. I still feel that Hung will be the one to beat though. 

For the record, and this was before they went to the grocery store, the pasta that I would've done if competing would've been penne, ziti, or rigatoni with pesto, italian sausage, prosciutto, sun dried tomato, kalamatta olives, and feta cheese.


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## ChefJune (Aug 3, 2007)

I liked Tre and CJ's dish the best, but I don't think I would have chosen chicken because of the"dry" factor.  

IC, have you ever frozen feta?  It turns into something kinda like cottage cheese.  ICK!  

I foresee Hung going long before Padma wants him to....


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## ironchef (Aug 3, 2007)

ChefJune said:
			
		

> I liked Tre and CJ's dish the best, but I don't think I would have chosen chicken because of the"dry" factor.
> 
> IC, have you ever frozen feta? It turns into something kinda like cottage cheese. ICK!
> 
> I foresee Hung going long before Padma wants him to....


 
Depends on the feta I think. The lower quality fetas actually freeze ok. It's the good quality ones that don't. Plus, when it melts, it doesn't really matter. 

The only way I see Hung not making the top 3 or 4 is if he really screws up. The past two seasons have shown that no matter what,  it all comes down to talent and he and Tre are arguably the most talented. I remember something that I think Harold wrote in one of his blogs, was that they key was that you had to survive all of the bulls*** challenges during the middle of the season. Many of those challenges don't demonstrate your ability as a chef, but have to do with luck, and other factors. If you can get through that and survive till the stretch, then it gets better because everyone you work with at that point will be at least pretty good, you'll start working with great ingredients again, and you can focus on putting out great food instead of just trying to survive the challenge.


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## cjs (Aug 4, 2007)

"instead of just trying to survive the challenge. " - this is the feeling I'm getting each week - no one is trying to shine and do his/her best! Just surviving should not win this.


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## ironchef (Aug 4, 2007)

cjs said:
			
		

> "instead of just trying to survive the challenge. " - this is the feeling I'm getting each week - no one is trying to shine and do his/her best! Just surviving should not win this.


 
I think as the cast gets smaller and when they start using really good products (like in the exotic surf 'n turf challenge) again, we'll start to see more of the creativity come out. But that's what I liked about Marcel, Steven, and Lee Ann. Even when they were given a subpar product to work with, they still tried to push the limits on it.


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## mitmondol (Aug 5, 2007)

I think we , who only watch a compressed something (?!) have no clue really about these people.
Also, all that they are put up doing is not really fair.
I, for one, don't think I have a clear view of their abilities at all.
Do you?
Besides, the tasks they were given are not exactly the ones I would judge a chef's knowledge by.
The whole thing is mainly for serving the general public I think, not for showing real chefs,doing real tasks.
But, what do you want from "reality shows">??!


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## ironchef (Aug 5, 2007)

mitmondol said:
			
		

> I think we , who only watch a compressed something (?!) have no clue really about these people.
> Also, all that they are put up doing is not really fair.
> I, for one, don't think I have a clear view of their abilities at all.
> Do you?
> ...


 
I think that it depends on who is watching the show. The general public focuses on the drama, emotion, by what the chefs say about each other, what the tasters say, etc. Because the cooking skill level of the general public is not at the same level or not done in the same environment, it's hard for a homecook to watch everyone in action and know who has it and who doesn't. It's easier to focus on the drama. People in the restaurant industry, and those with professional cooking experience can watch the chefs and have a good idea of of their skill levels, food knowledge, palate, etc. For example, this is why the general public (going by the viewer polls on the Bravo website) loved Betty in season two and hated Marcel. They could identify with Betty. Betty cooked what most people can cook. She generally had a sunny disposition. All of that couldn't change the fact that Marcel could outcook her hungover, blindfolded, and with one hand tied behind his back. I have a very clear view of the abilities and how I would stack up to them in a cook off. I think that I could take Joey, Clay, both Saras, Micah, Howie, or Camille without too much of a problem. Lia, Sandee, CJ, Brian, or Dale would be a good challenge, and I would probably lose against Tre, Casey, or Hung. In season one, I think that I could outcook anyone except for Harold, Tiffani, Lee Ann, or Steven. In season two, anyone except for Sam, Cliff, or Marcel. 

The thing is, the challenges do test a chef's knowledge and creativity because it forces them to really stretch themselves and put out a good product with both time and ingredient restraints. The food that they put out is an extension of themselves. The competition in this season is much higher that the previous two. For example, if Lia was on either of the first two seasons, she probably would've made it to at least the top 6 or 7. In season three she was the 5th out of 15 people to go. When they announce the quickfire and elimination challenges, I always mentally create a dish that I would do in that situation. Almost every professional cook or chef that I know loves this show.


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## ironchef (Aug 9, 2007)

Dude. Howie. You are a ginormous pr*ck and you can't even cook. Didn't you learn from Hung and Casey? If you're going to cook a traditional dish in a location where it is extremely popular, you BETTER make sure that it's **** good. BTW, I looked up some reviews on Howie's restaurant "The Food Gang" in Miami. Pretty much most of them say that it sucks. Maybe he serves too many pork dishes? And what in the **** is up with him and pork? I mean Brian only does seafood, but at least he varies it up with fish, lobster, etc. Howie only does pork. Dude, where's the beef? Shouldn't he be docked points for cannibalism? 

It was no surprise that Sara N. was voted off. She's been living on borrowed time anyway. I knew from little clips that she wasn't the fastest (and how in the **** did she not know that habeneros are the hottest pepper on the planet? Homecooks in Tumbleweedville, CA know that!), but this episode and last weeks frozen Rocco-meal episode really showed that. I don't think I could prep slower than her if I tried. Even if the challenge didn't throw her for a loop, she wouldn't have been around that much longer anyway. She looked pretty hot though, as did Casey. Too bad Camille wasn't around for this one. 

So, down to the final 8. Dale's been impressive of late, but I'm sticking to my final four of Hung, Tre, Casey, and Brian. Unless of course, Hung does another one of his cauliflower and fried tempura batter ice cream experiments. As long as he does it in the quickfire he's safe. Just don't do one of those crazy dishes in the elimination challenge. Dude, we all know you're a d.amn good cook. You were the Exec Sous Chef at one of the best restaurants in Vegas, if not the entire country. What the heck are you doing? Be cutting edge, be high end, but cook to your audience.


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## college_cook (Aug 9, 2007)

I like Hung because he's adventurous with his ideas, and it doesn't seem like he's afraid to fail.  Tre seems like a really solid cook in every aspect from composing a dish to technique.  I thought his cheesy grits with bacon wrapped shrimp was a stroke of genius, and he definitely let common sense dictate his decision.  After drinking all night, what could be better than comfort food AND bacon?

I do disagree about Sara being eliminated though.  Granted, she was slow, and did let her emotions get in the way, but I think that comes with her age.  She's only 25.  Those things aside, I think she makes some very solid and sensible food.  I think Howie should have gone.  I thought it would be clear by now that he simply brings the team down and lets his teammates take the blame for his own inadequacies.  His cuban sucked, and he didn't have anything to say about it; all he could do was play the blame game, and it seems like that's what He's been doing all along.  I really didn't like the way he took leadership of the team and dictated what they should all do, and then leave them hanging.  If you're going to be a take charge type of leader, then you need to stick with that attitude throughout the challenge- you can't just boss everyone around and expect great results.  I hope Howie goes next, because then we'll be able to see through all of his BS and see people get eliminated because they deserve to be, because everyone else out-cooked them, not beause Howie drug them down.


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## ironchef (Aug 10, 2007)

I have a feeling that Howie will be the next to go. Next week's episode is another team challenge (the infamous "run your own restaurant" challenge). No one wants Howie on their team, and it wouldn't be surprising if they left him out to dry.


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## BrazenAmateur (Aug 10, 2007)

ironchef said:
			
		

> Shouldn't he be docked points for cannibalism?



I LOL'd



			
				ironchef said:
			
		

> She looked pretty hot though



+1



			
				ironchef said:
			
		

> Dude, we all know you're a d.amn good cook. You were the Exec Sous Chef at one of the best restaurants in Vegas, if not the entire country. What the heck are you doing? Be cutting edge, be high end, but cook to your audience.



I completely agree, Hung and Tre should be alternating victory in every other challenge.

I sincerely hope sweaty Howie goes home this week so he can go back to cooking in his apparently subpar restaurant.  I think they only kept him on because he adds drama and thus ratings.  

They need to bring Steingarten on as a guest judge, even though he's not a chef, it'd still be amusing.  Bring back Dufresne again too, he was a judge in that group on Season 2, but just bring him back by himself, he's a riot.


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## carolelaine (Aug 10, 2007)

I loved that episode.  Wonder why Howie is still in the race.  I'm sure his personalty helps with ratings, there need to be a jerk each season.  Loved the cheese grits, shrimp and bacon-that's what I would have wanted if I'd been there.


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## ironchef (Aug 10, 2007)

carolelaine said:
			
		

> I loved that episode. Wonder why Howie is still in the race. I'm sure his personalty helps with ratings, there need to be a jerk each season. Loved the cheese grits, shrimp and bacon-that's what I would have wanted if I'd been there.


 
For the most part, Howie has played it smart. After the first couple of episodes where he was on the chopping block, he's played it very safe making very simple food. But that's what he's about so despite his personality, his food was fine because thus far, most of the people he's been catering to has been those with fairly simple palates. That's not to say his food wasn't good, because he did have two hits with this Cuban style Braised Pork with Mojo and Pork tenderloin with the apple and fennel slaw, and a couple of good dishes in the quickfires (like his ceviche). But in every one of those challenges, he was on his own. Now that they're doing the team challenges (and the history in this show is that there will be a lot more to come), his weakness of not being a team player is exposed so unless he does a drastic change, his time will be up. The funny thing is that for all of Hung's egomanical antics, he's actually a very good team player. What pisses me off about Howie is that he's always preaching about leadership, and stepping up but whenever he's on a team, he does the exact opposite. That just shows that the guy is all talk and full of ****.


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## ironchef (Aug 20, 2007)

If anyone wants a really, and I do mean REALLY entertaining read of each Top Chef episode dating back to season 2, check out this guy's blog:

FipitTypes TV - Recaps, Gossip, and Trash Talk

He gives them all nicknames, so if you're not sure who he's referring to, you may have to read the first entry for each season.


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## carolelaine (Aug 24, 2007)

So what were your feelings on Trey leaving?  I was disappointed, I thought he was very good, except maybe not in this challenge.  His smoked potatoes and bread pudding must have been bad.  He had more than his share of tasks for that team.  Maybe they should have divided the responsibilities evenly in order to assure a better outcome.


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## ironchef (Aug 24, 2007)

carolelaine said:


> So what were your feelings on Trey leaving? I was disappointed, I thought he was very good, except maybe not in this challenge. His smoked potatoes and bread pudding must have been bad. He had more than his share of tasks for that team. Maybe they should have divided the responsibilities evenly in order to assure a better outcome.


 
Tre unfortunately took too many tasks upon himself and this contributed to his getting eliminated. It didn't help that their team dynamic was horrible. CJ just cannot cut it in a real kitchen environment. There's a reason why he's a personal chef and not a restaurant chef and this episode showed it. Casey is just horribly slow, even though she is talented and has a good palate. I don't think I could cut onions slower than her if I tried. I think if they had switched around Brian and CJ they would've put out better food and they would've had a better chance of winning as Brian is clearly faster and better in the kitchen than CJ. Tre also admittedly was too relaxed and overconfident. You know, I really think that the whole team thought that the other team would self-destruct due to internal conflict from Howie, and all they had to do was show up and put out a decent product. In the end, it was Tre's responsibility to make sure that the food was top notch and he didn't do that. I only remember the scallop as being good. Everything else (the pudding, filet, lobster, monkfish) all had problems. That's a lot of dishes right there. 

Team Quatre really stepped it up, both in the quickfire and the elimination. Holy crap is Hung fast. And so is Sara M. which I didn't see before. She mowed through those onions. Sara M. really impressed me by her work in the kitchen in this past episode as the executive chef. I didn't really care for her up until this point but this past episode made me look at her in a whole new light. She made sure that all of the dishes that went out were good (and they were, there were no complaints by the judges about any dish at all as far as I can remember) and she made sure that food was cooked over if it wasn't done to her liking. I mean she was checking over everything, unlike Tre, and it showed. Like I said, wow. I was very impressed. She was exactly how an executive chef should be. I was also impressed by Dale's ability to run the front, AND put out a dish in the back. Brian only did the front for the other team. I had to laugh when Dale told Stephen from season 1 to cut down on spending too much time talking to the guests at the table. Stephen's reaction to that was priceless. 

Howie was able to swallow his pride (somewhat). It was funny when Sara told him twice to cook the lamb more (which was raw, not rare). I thought it was even more funny that Howie needed a thermometer to tell the doneness of the lamb. As a professional chef, that is a sure signal of "hack". For a homecook? That's fine. But for someone with that much restaurant experience, that's kinda sad. I mean, I can tell the doneness of almost any meat just by feel, and so can most professional cooks/chefs with comparable experience. 

They definitely (and even Sara acknowledged it) had an advantage with Hung in their kitchen. The guy is unbelievably fast and I'm sure he was helping to prep and cook every single dish that came out of that kitchen because he was able to do so, unlike many of his fellow competitors. I mean, I consider myself pretty fast but holy **** is Hung quick. 

Funniest quote of the night:

Dale (to Hung): "Sara and Joey are on table 7."

Hung: "Who's Sara and Joey?"

Dale: "You know, from the show (or something like that)"

Hung (without breaking concentration in what he's doing): "Oh, nice."

Alright with only 7 left and with Tre gone, my adjusted top three: Hung, Brian, Dale. Hung is still the favorite to take it all.


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## ironchef (Aug 24, 2007)

I would also like to add that CJ is a piece of ****. After saying earlier that despite only having one of his balls due to cancer, he still has more balls than the rest of the competition, he clearly showed in this episode that he literally, and figureatively, has less balls than everyone else. After winning the quickfire and picking his team, he relinquished all leadership and decision making and when push came to shove, threw Tre under the bus and even Brian in part I. And he couldn't even make his ONE dish perfect. Chef Zarkanian called him out on it too, when he pointedly told CJ that he should be supporting his chef. To me, if you're not supporting someone at the judges table you weren't supporting them in the kitchen, meaning you weren't concerned about putting out the best product. 

You know, I wonder if Team April pulled a "Weakest Link" strategy. On that show, whenever there was three people left and they had to vote someone off, the smartest person ALWAYS was voted off by the two weaker ones because it would give them a better chance to win in the final round. I wonder if they all privately conferred (without Tre) that since Tre was one of the strongest competitors left, if they boned the challenge from the food aspect, maybe they would all have a better chance of winning because Tre would be gone since as the exec. chef, the food would have been his responsibility. Who knows? But it kind of seemed that way when no one was willing to take some of the blame along with Tre. They all seemd content to let Tre take all the heat for their bad cooking.


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## mitmondol (Aug 24, 2007)

I liked Tre, but he became a disappointment the last time. Spying on the other team, then he came off too confident (can do bread pudding in my dream) and after it came out bad, he kinda said , well ,that I thought was the easiest dessert to make.(so, can you make it in your dream or what?!)
They were right to let him go.
His menu choices were a mistake and were not done well. On top of that he didn't bring the team together at all. I don't care how many dishes he made, that was his fault too, not an excuse!

I'm sorry he's gone, wanted to see him and Hung in the final.

Casey should go!!
I don't believe in her cooking abilities, at least nothing she made impressed.I think she should have been let go already and not  only because of her dull knife at the qf challenge (at least that's what Tom said at the bravo site), though it's hard to believe someone would go into a challenge like that!

Sara was great! Didn't care for her before, but she showed now what she is about!
AND her food was great too they said.I will look at her with more respect from now on, but still, don't think she is a top chef..

Like Hung a lot. Don't care if he is (or seems to be) arrogant at times.
He can cook, has imagination and guts, fast and has the fire in him. He also proved to be a team player.

Dale is fun I think, but don't see him as TC.
The rest of them?
Let them go!

I think Hung is the only one in this bunch who comes remotely close to TC title, so I hope he will get it.


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## ChefJune (Aug 24, 2007)

I disagree with you about x-ing Tre. Made NO sense at all when the whole team was sub par. I think that CJ, who was _supposed_ to be the team leader, and abdicated his responsibility altogether.... well, hes who I would have sent home. OTOH, who knows what the producers are thinking. They DO have a say in who stays and who goes.

Hung seems to have cooking ability, but so far has shown absolutely no leadership capabilities. And I don't like his personality. He reminds me of Marcel in a bad way. 

I think I like Brian to win, now that Tre's gone.


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## mitmondol (Aug 25, 2007)

You're right June, haven't seen any leadership from Hung, yet.
Have you seen that in Brian? 
Honestly, Tre being out, I don't see anybody being qualified fore the title in everything.
So, I vote for Hung, because at least he will cook well, he will come up with ideas,yes, I can see him making mistakes too.
But I see that a lot more in the rest of them and WITHOUT his drive.
I don't have to like him as a person to vote for him.
Yes, I did like Tre as a person, so it's too bad he's gone.


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## carolelaine (Sep 6, 2007)

Thoughts on last nights episode?  I thought Casey came off in a very good light.  Smart not to serve the mousse course.  Hung was odd, what about his smurf village?  I have to agree that Howie's dish did look like dog poop.  Sad, he seemed to be trying to mend his evil ways.


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## college_cook (Sep 6, 2007)

I definitely agree that Casey did well last night, and also that Hung seemed to be having a very off day.  I DO disagree with the negative comments about his cucumber salmon-mousse canape' however.  Sure its been done, and been done alot, but that's because it's a great little canape'.  IMO, most of the great food we eat today is classical in origin, or a modern adaptation of it.  Sure, he even said it wasn't the best thing he could have done, but with a budget of $50 for 60 people, he could have done FAR worse, especially in the realm of the overdone.  At least he didn't serve his food on bread, like nearly EVER other contestant, he kept it very light, and he got a lot of compliments from the guests.


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## Mylegsbig (Sep 7, 2007)

"Sure, he even said it wasn't the best thing he could have done, but with a budget of $50 for 60 people, he could have done FAR worse"

Not the point mate.  By now the judges know how good Hung is, and they knew for a fact he was trying to take the easy way out.  Hung is my fav on the show, but he has been playing it too safe.  And chef collichio knows it.




Honestly i don't think it's fair to compare Hung to Marcel or Steven(whatever his name was from season1, the wine taster)

Hung IMO is a better Chef, but too cautious.

Also, Hung is not so cocky and self-involved...he comes off to me as straight up confident.  Dont get me wrong, ridiculously confident, but he doesnt go out of his way to be conniving or to talk as much trash as steven or marcell.

He comes across like just straight up thinks he's got what it takes.

Also, hearing him talk doesnt remind me of using a cheese grater on myself.

He is funny, and cool.  And he gives people props.  He has never made me want to bash his head in.  Steven and Marcell did repeatedly.

Hung is the man and i want him to win.

I was so dissapointed they sent Trey(sp) home.  I thought he was top 3 for sure.

So stupid they keep those 2 girls on there and send home Trey.  You know it's rigged.  They think their ratings will plummet if it is men only on the show.  For a FACT.

This is clearly illustrated by the fact that 39% voted the women were the best chefs remaining... LMAO!  Seriously.  Even my wife started laughing when she saw that.  Some people are just silly.  Look past gender and race and just try and determine who is the best chef.  How could 39% of the voters possibly think those two girls are better than Hung, CJ, Malarkey, etc...seriously, give me a break.

What kind of a person just calls in and votes for a person that happens to be the same gender as them?

Completely mindless.


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## buckytom (Sep 7, 2007)

i just started watching this season, and am almost caught up. i still have the last 2 weeks to watch on tape.
i like the idea that they play mini-marathons every week so you can see previous episodes, if you've missed one.

i started out not liking hung, but he's grown on me. my money's on him, or sara.


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## kitchenelf (Sep 7, 2007)

I think Sara will be in the top two - I wouldn't be surprised if it was with the tall guy.  I think Sara out-performed Hung by a landslide last night.


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## ChefJune (Sep 7, 2007)

kitchenelf said:


> I think Sara will be in the top two - I wouldn't be surprised if it was with the tall guy. I think Sara out-performed Hung by a landslide last night.


I sure hope CJ is NOT in the Top 2.  I think he sold Tre down the river.


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## college_cook (Sep 7, 2007)

If there's 1 person remaining right now that I really think doesn't deserve to be there, it's CJ.  IMO, he's done the least amount of impressive dishes out of anyone left.  I think Casey and Sara def. have a better shot than he does.

Right now you've got the following people remaining: Hung, Casey, Sara, CJ, Brian, and Dale.

Hung- I think everyone's standout favorite by a longshot.  He's got 2 quickfire wins, and has come close to an elimination win here and there.  Always a stand-up guy, and a team player, and not aggressive or a jerk in any way.

Dale-  2 quickfire wins, and has also come very close to a an elimination win.  I think most of hi shortcomings have come from his willingness to accommodate his team members.  I think he has a lot of great ideas that for some reason or another don't always come to fruition.

CJ-  1 Quifire and 1 Elimination win.  Does the guy have talent?  Yes.  Can he put out good food?  Of course.  But he's a Private Chef, and I really think it shows.  He's VERY slow, and I think with the more intense free-for-all that's coming up, he won't be able to rely on team members to keep him afloat.  Even if he does by some chance make it to the top 2, he doesn't have the energy to really make some magic in the kitchen under any kind of time restraint.

Casey- 2 elimination wins, and 2 quickfire wins.  I've liked Casey to make it to the Top 4 from the very beginning.  She's got skills, and great potential I think.  She's not afraid to take risks, which I really admire in a Chef and think it's a great quality to have.  However, since this is a competition, noone is going to watch her back for her and ground her if her ideas go too far astray.  The only reason she won't face off against Hung in the Final challenge is if her decision-making gets the best of her.

Sara- 1 Elimination and 1 Quickfire.  She's got skills, and she showed it in the quickfire challenge in Round 2 of Restaurant Wars.  I think that she limits herself unnecesarily though.  She try to make something healthier, or something different, which I admire, but I don't believe that's where her strengths are.  More often than not, I think she plays to her weaknesses, and that's why I pick her to go home next week.

Brian- 1 Eliminatioin and 3 quickfires.  I really like this guy for Top 4 right now.  I think he's done great food, he's quick, and he knows what he's doing in the kitchen.  I think he suffers from being too quick sometimes, or maybe more accurate to say he;s too quick in his decisions.  He might not make the best leader, as shown in last episode, but I really respect his attitude towards the judges about being called a weak leader-  He wasn't their exec. chef, and they weren't his sous chefs or his line cooks as he said.  I liek the he was mindful enough to consider them as his contemporaries.


My Top 4- Hung, Casey, Brian, Dale.

My Original Top 4- Hung, Tre, Casey, Dale.


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## ironchef (Sep 7, 2007)

CC, nice synopsis and I agree with most of what you said. As much as I disliked Howie, I was really, really, REALLY hoping that CJ was the one to go last week. He won't be around for much longer now that there are less contestants and each chef will be called upon to do more in the ensuing challenges. This season is unique to the past two seasons in that not all of the most talented chefs will make it to the top four or top five. 

I think that they should've made the winner of the quickfire in the "Restaurant Wars" challenge the Executive chef. If you're a "Top Chef", that's what it is all about. If you look at the past two seasons, the winners of that challenge (Lee Ann and Sam) worked their butts off (even though ironically, each never made it to the top 3, both were arguably among the top two from each season). CJ should've been made to do the task and not have been able to choose someone else. I mean being able to choose your team is one thing. But you're given the chance to show your stuff in prime time, you take it and run with it. CJ copped out AGAIN. The show is not "Top Sous Chef". CJ takes on as little responsibility as possible because he is clearly out of his league. So he can make a good dish here or there. So what. There are thousands of professional cooks and even homecooks who can do the same thing. Looks like he really does have less balls, both figureatively and litterally.

I like Brian, but I think he's been skating on thin ice lately. He hasn't cooked anything in like a month. This past week he did a raw ahi poke, in the restaurant wars he didn't cook anything (although I suspect he did the raw oyster amuse in part I), and in the episode before that he did a raw bar. I mean dude, I love raw seafood too but WTF? 

I guess I'll stick to my final three of Hung, Brian, and Dale although Sara M. has come on strong the past couple of episodes. Please, oh please let CJ be gone next week. Then there will be no "The Next Food Network Star" contestests left.


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## ChefJune (Sep 9, 2007)

CC -- interesting observations.. altho I diagree with your assessment of Casey.  _NOONE_ who cannot chop an onion should even be in the competition to start with, imho.  I think the producers are taken with the similarity in her looks to Jennifer Aniston.


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## Chef_Jimmy (Sep 9, 2007)

I was very unhappy top see Tre go. Dale and Hung are good and think they could possibly be the final 2. 

Sara really has turned it on in the last few episodes.

I like brian, But all he does is raw seafood. 

Colicchio DOES NOT like chefs that are not flexible! Even last season, he questioned whether or not Ilan could cook anything other than spanish food


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## mercyteapot (Sep 9, 2007)

One of the things that has been different this year is that all of the remaining contestants have been in real danger of being eliminated at least once.  It was pretty obvious in Season 1 that Harold, Tiffany and Lee Anne were going to be strong contenders (Dave was the real wild card, though).  Last season, I expected Sam to win, but still felt that Ilan and Marcelle would be in the top 4.  I probably expected Cliff to make it farther than Elia, but then, he wasn't eliminated based on his skills, so that doesn't count.

This season, I have no idea who will be in the final 4.  I wouldn't be surprised to see any of the remaining contestants eliminated or to see any of them win the competition.  That said, I did say to my husband on Wednesday night that I'd be nervous if Casey started talking about how tight she was with me, because the night she said it about Leah, Leah was eliminated and the night she said it about Tre, there he went....


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## college_cook (Sep 9, 2007)

ChefJune said:


> CC -- interesting observations.. altho I diagree with your assessment of Casey.  _NOONE_ who cannot chop an onion should even be in the competition to start with, imho.  I think the producers are taken with the similarity in her looks to Jennifer Aniston.




I don't think she looks at all like Jennifer Aniston, and as a big fan of Jennifer Aniston, I think I'd know

In Casey's defense, she did KNOW how to chop the onion, she just did it very very slowly.  It's hard to dismiss her since she runs once of the most successful restaurants in Texas.  She's hit or miss, but I think she's top 4 material.


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## ChefJune (Sep 10, 2007)

So I went to her bio and it said she's the Executive Chef of Shinsei Restaurant "one of the most successful in the state."  What the heck does that mean?  According to whom? 

Tre is sous of truly one of the most successful restaurants in the state... ABACUS!  

and who owns the restaurant and made HER Exec when she can't chop an onion.  Sorry, but professional cooks.... every line cook I ever saw... chops an onion faster than Casey!  and nerves are no excuse.  That's a task all chefs can do literally in their sleep.


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## buckytom (Sep 10, 2007)

heck, i can chop an onion finer and faster than that.

are we being fooled by the producers and editors? is she the technical fall guy/girl for the time being?

and jennifer anniston? no way. her look is far too waspy. jen ain't a wasp by any stretch, even after rhinoplasty. 

meow. 

does anyone (outside of those who wish to think of thmselves elite) actually use restaurant reviews as a guide?


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## ironchef (Sep 10, 2007)

In Colicchio's blog on the Bravo site, he said that Casey's knives were blunted because of chopping on the stainless steel counters in the roach coaches. That's why she ended up using her serrated knife instead of her chefs knife to dice the onions. I'm assuming that one of the rules of the quickfire was that each chef needed to use their own blades and could not use each other's. Still, that doesn't excuse her from not keeping her knives sharp.


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## buckytom (Sep 10, 2007)

did she at least steel her knives, on or off camera? even i do that before most onions. i smell a rat.


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## ironchef (Sep 10, 2007)

Who knows...but if I knew that my knives would be affected from cutting on less than ideal surfaces, and I also knew that I would be going into the kitchen the next day or the day after, I would've taken my stone to my knives at the first chance I'd have gotten. 

Casey was also the Sous Chef at Dean Fearing's The Mansion on Turtle Creek. Fearing and his wife are part owners of Shinsei and there must have been some reason why they chose Casey to head the kitchen there. 

All of the contestants this season have been up and down, but I think that's due to the level of competition more than anything. If you look at the past seasons, it was rare to see Harold, Lee Ann, Marcel, Sam, Cliff, etc. in the bottom 3 of any competition because you had so many hacks like Mia, Candace, and whoever else was there but are not worth mentioning. Because there is so little disparity among most of the contestants this season, it's anyone's game from week to week.


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## ChefJune (Sep 10, 2007)

ironchef said:


> In Colicchio's blog on the Bravo site, he said that Casey's knives were blunted because of chopping on the stainless steel counters in the roach coaches. That's why she ended up using her serrated knife instead of her chefs knife to dice the onions. I'm assuming that one of the rules of the quickfire was that each chef needed to use their own blades and could not use each other's. Still, that doesn't excuse her from not keeping her knives sharp.


Certainly doesn't!  Talk about inexcusable!


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## LEFSElover (Sep 10, 2007)

My feeling is no clue who's going to win.  don't particularly like Hung, he is overly confident to me, in a bad way, seems to pop off when it's not a good time.
No one else really seems all that incredible in the kitchen except for Trey {?} that is now booted.
I watch it just because it makes for good tv.


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## mercyteapot (Sep 10, 2007)

I do agree with whoever mentioned Sara bringing it on in the past couple of weeks.  She could be this season's dark horse- in the early episodes, she didn't stand out at all.


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## Chef_Jimmy (Sep 10, 2007)

You don't see chef's sharpening knives....heck, you dont see alot. They squeze 10 hours into 1 hour


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## mercyteapot (Sep 13, 2007)

What was CJ thinking, serving that broccolini?  It looked disgusting, and to read Anthony Bourdain's blog, it was even worse up close.  Why didn't he just leave it off the tray?  There certainly have been enough precedents with the judges saying "if it's that bad, it shouldn't even go out".  He may have survived to see another week if he had just followed that advice.  I don't know, though... mint and halibut are also a pretty nasty sounding combination.


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## carolelaine (Sep 13, 2007)

It's pretty bad when they tell you your dish is the worst in 3 years.  I pretty much expected that he would go next because he just isn't as good as the others.  Hung is probabally a good chef but what a person.  Why wouldn't you help someone if you were doing nothing and why say you didn't break a bottle when everyone saw you do it?


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## mercyteapot (Sep 13, 2007)

carolelaine said:


> It's pretty bad when they tell you your dish is the worst in 3 years.  I pretty much expected that he would go next because he just isn't as good as the others.  Hung is probabally a good chef but what a person.  Why wouldn't you help someone if you were doing nothing and why say you didn't break a bottle when everyone saw you do it?



IMO, Hung is very immature.  He has made several childish comments over the course of the show.  And to continue to insist "I didn't come here to make friends" or "I don't care what people think about me" when that isn't even in question (such as when he was denying spilling that oil), to me, makes you look very foolish.  And to not have taken responsibility for cleaning that oil up is almost worse than denying he spilled it in the first place.  

He is fortunate that Casey isn't equally immature or she could have just told him to do it himself when he asked her for help serving.  I was glad that she won last night, even though I have to agree with some of the flight attendants who said that cauliflower is best avoided in close quarters.


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## ironchef (Sep 13, 2007)

This was a rare episode lately in that the right person actually was eliminated. CJ was living on borrowed time anyway. Like I said before, once they start going back to individual and not group competitions, CJ will be packing his knives and taking his one testicle back to Cali. Plus, the guy chose halibut. How in the **** are you going to take a fish that has almost no fat content and think that it will re-heat well without becoming dry. How do you take a vegetable that is notorious for not only being bitter, but very easy to overcook and use that in a side. And, you used a mint sauce for both. Bad decisions across the board and you make it very easy for the judges. 

Brian. WTF. I have completely lost faith in you. How do you pre-cook frozen, mushy lobster, and then expect to taste good after you re-heat it again for at least 10 minutes??? And you work at a seafood restaurant that's one of the better ones (although that's not saying much) in San Diego? Dude, you could tell even before you cooked it the first time that the lobster was poor quality. Pork is your friend. You add some bacon and some bacon fat to that Peruvian potato hash and you would've had a good dish. You showed a lot of potential in the first half of the season, but looks like you've almost completely unravelled. 

Sara. You know you ****ed up and you know you were lucky to escape. You admitted that your cous cous was an afterthought (hint, hint: some pre-packed flavored butter would've done wonders) and it didn't even go with the flavors of the salmon. You can do better than that. 

Dale. Nice dish, just don't ever become a math teacher. You're still in my top 3. Ease off the pepper though man. You've already made several judges cringe (even Padma) by the amount of heat in your food. You're the new Dave aka the "Peppermonkey". And we all know you have more in common with Dave than just the heavy hand with the heat. 

Casey. You were in my top 3 before, then you weren't, well, now you're back in. Very, very ballsy move using veal. I would've never attempted that. Very ballsy move using cauliflower. I probably wouldn't have attempted that either. 

Hung. You're still the man even though you break more **** in one episode than I do in a year. But we all know you don't do that at Guy Savoy or else you would've been out on the street a looooong time ago. And nice dish even though you probably had some environmental people watching, up in arms over the choice of fish. But hey, they should blame Continental for having it in the first place. 

In all, that was a good challenge. My new top three is Hung, Dale, and Casey, back again after re-taking Brian's spot. Unless they do a ceviche challenge, Mr. Malarkey will be out the next episode which looks like they'll be focusing on French cuisine at the FCI. So far, from what I've seen, Brian has shown no knowledge or background of French cuisine so I can really see him struggling with this challenge. 

Assuming I didn't win the quickfire, I probably would've chosen salmon or the next fattiest fish after Hung scooped up the Chilean Sea bass. Without knowing what else Continental had in their kitchen (but it looked like they were pretty well stocked), I probably would've done a miso-sesame glazed salmon with wasabi mashed potatoes and braised bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and carrots. The salmon would've marinated for an hour, then seared off on high heat for just one minute on each side to get a crust, then placed in the fridge, and packed with some of the reserved marinade as the sauce. At 10 minutes, covered, and cooked at 350 F from a relatively cold temp, it should come out at about medium. Mashed potatoes re-heat well and the vegetables would've been quickly blanced (except for the mushrooms) and placed in a liquid of chicken stock, soy sauce, ginger, and rice wine vinegar. Everything would take no more than the minimum of 10 minutes in the airline's oven would've hopefully come out great.


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## ChefJune (Sep 13, 2007)

ironchef said:


> In all, that was a good challenge. My new top three is Hung, Dale, and Casey, back again after re-taking Brian's spot. Unless they do a ceviche challenge, Mr. Malarkey will be out the next episode which looks like they'll be focusing on French cuisine at the FCI. So far, from what I've seen, Brian has shown no knowledge or background of French cuisine so I can really see him struggling with this challenge.


 I think Casey is likely to have trouble with the FCI challenge, as well. Unless she just showed poor judgment in using that serrated knife to chop onions.  But come ON!  NO chef would ever use a serrated knife to chop anything unless they were on a desert island with only that for a utensil. Who goes home may well depend upon whose knife skills are the worst. But you're right, Brian does not have formal training, so I wonder if he ever learned good ones...



> Assuming I didn't win the quickfire, I probably would've chosen salmon or the next fattiest fish after Hung scooped up the Chilean Sea bass. Without knowing what else Continental had in their kitchen (but it looked like they were pretty well stocked), I probably would've done a miso-sesame glazed salmon with wasabi mashed potatoes and braised bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and carrots. The salmon would've marinated for an hour, then seared off on high heat for just one minute on each side to get a crust, then placed in the fridge, and packed with some of the reserved marinade as the sauce. At 10 minutes, covered, and cooked at 350 F from a relatively cold temp, it should come out at about medium. Mashed potatoes re-heat well and the vegetables would've been quickly blanced (except for the mushrooms) and placed in a liquid of chicken stock, soy sauce, ginger, and rice wine vinegar. Everything would take no more than the minimum of 10 minutes in the airline's oven would've hopefully come out great.


Your choice of what you would've done is very similar to what I thought while watching that show.  I wouldn't have done Chilean Sea Bass in the first place because of the sustainability issue, but salmon was the first thing I said!  The beef dishes could have been done better, tho, I thought.


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## carolelaine (Sep 14, 2007)

Ironchef-Why don't you try out for Top Chef.  It would be great to see someone on there who has provided so many interesting posts.  I am sure everyone would be rooting for you.


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## ironchef (Sep 14, 2007)

carolelaine said:


> Ironchef-Why don't you try out for Top Chef. It would be great to see someone on there who has provided so many interesting posts. I am sure everyone would be rooting for you.


 
I submitted videos for seasons 2 and 3. Hopefully they'll do a Top Chef Honolulu eventually and I'll apply again.


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## Fisher's Mom (Sep 14, 2007)

So cool, IC. Have you put copies of your videos on YouTube?


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## ironchef (Sep 14, 2007)

Fisher's Mom said:


> So cool, IC. Have you put copies of your videos on YouTube?


 
**** no.


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## carolelaine (Sep 20, 2007)

Last nights episode was about Hung,the good and the bad, I thought.  He did a great job with the quickfire challenge and Casey stayed right behind him in both challenges.  She surprised me in a way by being able to recreate the sea bass as well as she did.  If Top Chef has anything to do with an ability to deal with others in the kitchen as well as cooking, then maybe she will win.  I hope so. Right now I don't see Brian or Dale winning.


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## mercyteapot (Sep 20, 2007)

In Seasons 1 and 2, the relationship of the sous chefs to the finalists played huge roles in the ultimate success of the victor.  I think if it comes down to Casey and Hung in the finals, Hung is going to regret his "I don't care what anyone thinks about me" proclamations and wish he had been a little more of a team player (although I definitely thought it was odd that anyone would've expected him to share his method for recreating the seabass.)


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## ChefJune (Sep 21, 2007)

> (although I definitely thought it was odd that anyone would've expected him to share his method for recreating the seabass.)


I dont think they expected him to, but it's a lead pipe cinch he wasn't going to share information if they _didn't_ ask!


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## ironchef (Sep 24, 2007)

Finally saw this episode tonight. Tivo'd it but didn't have time to watch it. Wow. Those were some pretty hard challenges man. Just looking at Brian's dish, I really didn't think he would advance. Man that dish looked like ****. I mean I think my daughter could've plated that better than he did. But, it tasted good which is the most important thing. 

From talking to people and reading the blogs on Bravo, Hung is the professional cooks choice to win. The reason is that he is the only one on that show (Tre included), who you know will kick your *** in most of the technical aspects in a professional kitchen. He's the only one that you know will blow you away because he's so fast and his knife skills are so good. He's the only one that will do stuff that you wouldn't dare try given that same situation. He's the only one that you would actually fear going up against in a cook off. He's the only one that makes you say, "Holy ****!" when you're watching the show.


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## ChefJune (Sep 24, 2007)

> He's the only one that will do stuff that you wouldn't dare try given that same situation


but only he _DOESN'T_ do that stuff.  He has played it safe the entire show.  EVERY episode.  He does nothing edgy, risky...  even tho you KNOW not only could he, but that he would nail it.

For that reason alone, I think he doesn't deserve the title.  A Top Chef takes risks.  So far he hasn't.


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## carolelaine (Sep 27, 2007)

Last night was not really a surprise except that they are taking 3 instead of 2 to the finals. I was impressed by Dale, but he may have had an advantage as game was his specialty.


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## ChefJune (Sep 27, 2007)

carolelaine said:


> Last night was not really a surprise except that they are taking 3 instead of 2 to the finals. I was impressed by Dale, but he may have had an advantage as game was his specialty.


 
or he may be the proverbial "dark horse!"

We'll have to wait until next week.


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## mercyteapot (Sep 27, 2007)

I think that Casey should count her lucky stars that they decided to take 3 instead of 2, because I don't see any way they could've avoided eliminating her last night otherwise.  You have to hand it to Dale, he brought it when it counted.  It should be a really interesting final!


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## Mylegsbig (Sep 27, 2007)

Hung all the way.  Remember that french cuisine episode where he said "I believe that in this next competition i will demoralize my opponents"

And then you hear the people saying "Man... Hung is going to kill it."

LOL!

Hung is surely cocky, but he is a technical master, and cool as a cucumber.


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## Renee Attili (Oct 4, 2007)

Well, THe final episode was pretty good last night. 
I was really hoping Dale would win but, it was Hung all the way.
I will tell you I would love to have tasted Hungs duck and Dales scallop dish and lamb dish.
They looked like they were DELICIOUS!!!


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## carolelaine (Oct 4, 2007)

I would have liked for Dale to win also, but Hung is quite a  chef.  I would have loved to have tasted any one of those dishes, but the lamb looked incredible.


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## college_cook (Oct 4, 2007)

Hung deserved it.  He may not have as much or the same type of passion as Casey or Dale did, but he's a far better cook than either of them, if for nothing else than his supreme consistency and their lack thereof.

I was VERY impressed by Dale's duck-fat poached lamb- it's a genius idea and once you hear it, it immediately makes sense and you wonder, "Why don't people make this dish all the time?"  However, his lobster/curry I thought was questionable from the get-go, since curry is so strong.  Sure enough, it was the curry that brought that dish down.  Hung duck was incredible as well.  I never would have thought to sous-vide duck because when I think of duck I think of crispy skin.  Obviously you don't need the skin if Todd English calls your duck dish Michelin-3 Star caliber.

Here's what I think it came down to: while Casey's errors were more glaring, I think she and Dale lost for the exact same reason, and that is inconsistency.  Dale had 2 knockouts and one complete flop.  Casey really flopped the pork belly, flopped what would have been a great scallop dish.  Hung's hamachi and duck were great, and his others were really good.  I do wish he would have gone a little over the top with dessert though.  He def. played it safe there, and his reasoning was that he wanted to prove he oculd do dessert.  Obviously he can, but he should have really gone all out, with plating and garnish if nothing else.  Just show that you have some skill in patiserrie.


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## ironchef (Oct 5, 2007)

CC, nice synopsis. Now I don't have to type out anything that you did, I can just add in my thoughts.

I believe that Hung is the most passionate out of all the chefs, no matter what anyone thinks. It's that passion that drives him to perfection whether it's in his knife skills, or in perfectly cooking every single piece of food that he comes across. He doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeves like the others do, but that does not mean that he is less passionate. Passion and love is what makes a person reach for perfection. Michael Jordan is a great example of that. 

On one hand, you look at Hung's dessert when compared to Casey and Dale's surprise dishes and it's easy to say that he played it safe. On the other hand, he went completely out of his comfort zone, and even made a dessert that many people can't even make at sea level, much less 11,000 feet---on the spur of the moment no less. But beyond that, he showed an understanding of a meal progression that Casey and Dale did not in the menus. Menus aren't just about throwing out your best dishes in random order. There's an art and a method involved. Hung's progression of raw hamachi, to lightly poached shrimp, to duck, and to dessert showed that he understands that. 

To me, the highlight of the evening was when Tom told Hung that Todd English thought that his duck was worthy to serve in a three-star Michelin restaurant. For anyone that does not know the significance of that, I'd suggest you do some research on the web. For any cook or chef, that could be one of the highest compliments to ever receive. 

Anyway, that was a great season and the food prepared in the finale was definitely a cut above the first two seasons. Hung, you are the man and you proved it from the first episode. I hope I get to taste your food one day.


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## BBQ Mikey (Oct 12, 2007)

That was a pretty good season but I 100 percent agree about the inconsistancy of the other two chefs.  Dale was somewhat consistant cooking the food well and being creative, in some cases too much so.  Still had some rad ideas, like the huckleberry/blackberry sauce.

Casey I really think was moreso inconsistant, at one point the only thing that kept her on the show was a light smokey sauce on absolutely raw elk. I would have voted her off right there, but thats just me.

Hung was by far the most consistant, and he was also very creative, but all of his ideas made sense and none of his dishes seemed out of place (except for his cereal quickfire...).

All in all fun to watch indeed.


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## ChefJune (Oct 12, 2007)

It _was_ more fun to watch than Season 2, by a long shot!

However, imho, because of the way they scored each episode completely separately, they eliminated the only two chefs who compared with Hung in ability (and possibly creativity) -- Lia and Tre -- very early in the competition, leaving Hung to compete, largely, with himself.  

I would have loved to see the show with Hung, Lia and Tre as the final three!


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## ironchef (Oct 12, 2007)

Note to producers (and no offense to anyone out there), but please make a sticky to yourselves and do not bring on any more caterers (Mia, Micah, etc.) or private chefs (CJ, Brian from season 1) to compete. Thank you.


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