petermarcus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
petermarcus) wrote2008-11-14 03:51 pm
petermarcus) wrote2008-11-14 03:51 pm
Top Chef 5.1
So Christey was asking me the other day when Top Chef would be back, and I had just looked it up a month or so again and there was no air date set yet. So imagine my surprise yesterday when a foodie blog I read mentioned the first episode on Wednesday...I had completely missed it. Thankfully, Bravo gets a lot of mileage out of the show (and it's sponsors), so I was able to catch it last night. Was anyone else as caught off guard as I was?
So, another sea of unfamiliar faces. They don't look quite as much like each other as last season. They all seem to be solidifying into personalities early like the disdainful Europeans -- Christey and I joked: "How pedantic is the German going to be?" and 15 minutes later he's arguing that a vinaigrette is not an emulsion, but a vinaigrette (BTW -- Stefan may have made an argument than a vinaigrette isn't a derivative of the original mother sauces, but Escoffier and McGee have both considered a vinaigrette to be an emulsion.) Top Chef seems to be going more international, I wonder if last season's New Zealander Mark (who was well liked personally, though perhaps not his cooking) influenced the internationalism.
Similarly, "Team Rainbow" came out early, and seemed to be much friendlier and open than last season's sullen Lisa and Zoe. There were a few chefs proclaiming their culinary ethnicity, from the hardboiled Hawaiian to the milder, and more modern, Italian American. And, for another first, a CIA student straight out of the dorms.
No faux-hawks, though there is some interesting hair (facial and crown), from the notched beard of Danny to the golden locks of Miami Jeff...and a few of the premature-baldness-so-shave-it-all-off guys. Lots of tattoos this season, too.
The quick-fire also gave a surprise -- One winner would get immunity, and one loser would go home without even unpacking their knives in the Top Chef kitchen. I'm curious if this will continue, but 17 chef-testants is a crowd, and they're going to have to get rid of some quickly so the producers can start building up stories and rivalries.
So, on a sunny summer day in The City, 17 chefs went back to the basics. And, many, catching what looked to be a pretty harsh sunburn.
Peel 18 apples without a peeler. Not too much, not too little. At first, I wondered if I could do that (I use peelers a lot), but once I saw a couple chefs work on their apples, I realized they were doing what my Grandfather used to do, and I used to watch him all the time. (Did you see the bandaids on the fingers of Radhika and a couple others during the interviews? I wonder if it was the apples, or the elimination challenge?)
Stefan was the first, scoring immunity for Finland/Germany/EEC. After several other chefs made it safe, it was time to brunoise, which means a really small dice (about 3mm a side is tradition). Again, I was wondering if I could do this without a mandolin, and I'm sure I could, but with Tom and Padma breathing down my neck, racing against six other chefs and a swarm of cameras in my face? And two cups worth of tiny little matchstick-head sized apples? Whew. So, after Tom sent one back for appearances sake, the final four were left (and I can tell already that the tall, spring-loaded bounciness of Carla is going to bug me...).
Lauren, Patrick, Radhika, and Leah are left behind. Now is the jackpot -- make a meal with apples to prove you should be here. A worthy first-episode quick fire, for sure.
Now, this is season 5. These chefs have, most likely, watched other seasons. They know the judges, especially Tom's culinary crankiness. They know that a spectacular failure is better than a safe bet. So, why did two out of the four make a salad? If it's one thing that Tom hates, it's a chef that doesn't cook anything. Patrick's was basically one step away from a Waldorf, and though Lauren technically cooked bacon, it's still something I think I've seen in a plastic container in McDonalds. Pork and scallops, especially under pressure and in the hot sun, definitely made a statement -- though it was cruel of the producers to air Radhika's introduction interview (I don't do just Indian food! I'm not going to be making that stuff!) immediately before she declars her first cooking dish will be a chutney. Tom predictably sent the two proteins on to safety, and when the axe fell, the culinary student got another chance. (Didn't it seem a little uncomfortable with the whole buildup of Lauren's husband serving in Iraq, that Patrick and Lauren were all over each other? Yeah, Patrick hadn't quite come out yet on camera, but still, the handholding and smooching and hugging and arm grabbing and winking seemed a little worrying to her serving husband.)
Next, the remaining 16 pull knives for inspirational neighborhoods of the greater NYC metropolitan axis, and they will compete in pairs in the now redundantly named Elimination Challenge.
The chefs tour the apartment, admire the view, have a celebratory night of alcoholic debauchery, argue the taxonomy of vinegar and oil mixtures, then it's time for the tours in the morning.
The neighborhoods basically fall into ethnic areas: Russian, Indian, Latin, Chinese, Italian, Jamaican. Some chefs luck out and get familiar cuisines, some get something they've never tried.
16 dishes is a lot, and Bravo shot through the cooking, plating, and tasting. There were a few lingering moments -- Padma gushing about Eugene's Indian dish, which seemed to bring back as many childhood memories as Remy's ratatouille. Jeff of the golden hair almost serving a blank plate, and certainly screwing up any plating theme he might have had. Hosea serving what looked to be a beautiful presentation of fish and latke (potato pancakes), each with it's own sauce (and Tom Coliccio's blog mentioned that each latke was also spiced to match its sauce -- a really intricate detail). Stefan, who is immune, swinging for the fences anyway with a beef and lamb duo. Jill's scallops with sauces matching the flag of Jamaica. And, of course, Patrick (noodles are noodles...right?) serving up black gummi-worms, with a fish that doesn't swim within 5000 miles of China, over some nice green bok choy.
Stefan, Eugene, and Leah (a faro faux-risotto with snapper and mushrooms), get the top honors, with Stefan winning the prize, even though he could have sandbagged (as if his Teutonic pride could have let him). Stefan is told that three out of the last four Top Chef winners had won the first elimination challenge, so he's going to be the pacesetter this season -- everything will be either better or worse than Stefan's dishes. So far, the guy has a pretty hefty ego, but that usually works pretty well in this show (Marcel, Hung, Howie, Season 4 Dale). I'm curious if he hadn't won the first two challenges, if he would have complained about an American bias on the part of the judges in this or future episodes. That argument won't fly now.
The bottom two are Ariane and Patrick. Ariane's faro beans were apparently al dente to the point of crunchiness, especially bad as top-3 Leah's faro beans were well complimented. If it's one thing Tom can't stand, it's sloppy technique -- a chef should know how to cook a bean. On the other hand, Patrick had a wimpy entry with no Asian flavor, and bad noodles. After a back and forth with Ariane about being a 20-year chef from New Jersey, but apparently isolationist about it, with Ariane blurting out a wincing comment implying she'd rather learn from a book than experience (another thing Tom can't stand -- cooking out of books rather than hands-on tasting and tinkering), the pair braise in the stew room for a bit, then march back, and Padma gives Patrick the bad news. Yet another thing on Tom's list of culinary annoyances is playing it safe and Patrick, perhaps, had no experience to do anything but.
This looks to be a good season. There weren't too many arguments in the promos for the coming weeks, but there seems to be an episode where Padma nearly does a spit take, which should be an interesting one. Even though there already seems to be a few chefs with "well established personalities", there isn't much tension yet, other than the Europeans vs. Americans thing, which is predictable. There are some chefs who will obviously be sinking quickly, some that are already impressive, and a bunch that we haven't heard a word from yet.
So, another sea of unfamiliar faces. They don't look quite as much like each other as last season. They all seem to be solidifying into personalities early like the disdainful Europeans -- Christey and I joked: "How pedantic is the German going to be?" and 15 minutes later he's arguing that a vinaigrette is not an emulsion, but a vinaigrette (BTW -- Stefan may have made an argument than a vinaigrette isn't a derivative of the original mother sauces, but Escoffier and McGee have both considered a vinaigrette to be an emulsion.) Top Chef seems to be going more international, I wonder if last season's New Zealander Mark (who was well liked personally, though perhaps not his cooking) influenced the internationalism.
Similarly, "Team Rainbow" came out early, and seemed to be much friendlier and open than last season's sullen Lisa and Zoe. There were a few chefs proclaiming their culinary ethnicity, from the hardboiled Hawaiian to the milder, and more modern, Italian American. And, for another first, a CIA student straight out of the dorms.
No faux-hawks, though there is some interesting hair (facial and crown), from the notched beard of Danny to the golden locks of Miami Jeff...and a few of the premature-baldness-so-shave-it-all-off guys. Lots of tattoos this season, too.
The quick-fire also gave a surprise -- One winner would get immunity, and one loser would go home without even unpacking their knives in the Top Chef kitchen. I'm curious if this will continue, but 17 chef-testants is a crowd, and they're going to have to get rid of some quickly so the producers can start building up stories and rivalries.
So, on a sunny summer day in The City, 17 chefs went back to the basics. And, many, catching what looked to be a pretty harsh sunburn.
Peel 18 apples without a peeler. Not too much, not too little. At first, I wondered if I could do that (I use peelers a lot), but once I saw a couple chefs work on their apples, I realized they were doing what my Grandfather used to do, and I used to watch him all the time. (Did you see the bandaids on the fingers of Radhika and a couple others during the interviews? I wonder if it was the apples, or the elimination challenge?)
Stefan was the first, scoring immunity for Finland/Germany/EEC. After several other chefs made it safe, it was time to brunoise, which means a really small dice (about 3mm a side is tradition). Again, I was wondering if I could do this without a mandolin, and I'm sure I could, but with Tom and Padma breathing down my neck, racing against six other chefs and a swarm of cameras in my face? And two cups worth of tiny little matchstick-head sized apples? Whew. So, after Tom sent one back for appearances sake, the final four were left (and I can tell already that the tall, spring-loaded bounciness of Carla is going to bug me...).
Lauren, Patrick, Radhika, and Leah are left behind. Now is the jackpot -- make a meal with apples to prove you should be here. A worthy first-episode quick fire, for sure.
Now, this is season 5. These chefs have, most likely, watched other seasons. They know the judges, especially Tom's culinary crankiness. They know that a spectacular failure is better than a safe bet. So, why did two out of the four make a salad? If it's one thing that Tom hates, it's a chef that doesn't cook anything. Patrick's was basically one step away from a Waldorf, and though Lauren technically cooked bacon, it's still something I think I've seen in a plastic container in McDonalds. Pork and scallops, especially under pressure and in the hot sun, definitely made a statement -- though it was cruel of the producers to air Radhika's introduction interview (I don't do just Indian food! I'm not going to be making that stuff!) immediately before she declars her first cooking dish will be a chutney. Tom predictably sent the two proteins on to safety, and when the axe fell, the culinary student got another chance. (Didn't it seem a little uncomfortable with the whole buildup of Lauren's husband serving in Iraq, that Patrick and Lauren were all over each other? Yeah, Patrick hadn't quite come out yet on camera, but still, the handholding and smooching and hugging and arm grabbing and winking seemed a little worrying to her serving husband.)
Next, the remaining 16 pull knives for inspirational neighborhoods of the greater NYC metropolitan axis, and they will compete in pairs in the now redundantly named Elimination Challenge.
The chefs tour the apartment, admire the view, have a celebratory night of alcoholic debauchery, argue the taxonomy of vinegar and oil mixtures, then it's time for the tours in the morning.
The neighborhoods basically fall into ethnic areas: Russian, Indian, Latin, Chinese, Italian, Jamaican. Some chefs luck out and get familiar cuisines, some get something they've never tried.
16 dishes is a lot, and Bravo shot through the cooking, plating, and tasting. There were a few lingering moments -- Padma gushing about Eugene's Indian dish, which seemed to bring back as many childhood memories as Remy's ratatouille. Jeff of the golden hair almost serving a blank plate, and certainly screwing up any plating theme he might have had. Hosea serving what looked to be a beautiful presentation of fish and latke (potato pancakes), each with it's own sauce (and Tom Coliccio's blog mentioned that each latke was also spiced to match its sauce -- a really intricate detail). Stefan, who is immune, swinging for the fences anyway with a beef and lamb duo. Jill's scallops with sauces matching the flag of Jamaica. And, of course, Patrick (noodles are noodles...right?) serving up black gummi-worms, with a fish that doesn't swim within 5000 miles of China, over some nice green bok choy.
Stefan, Eugene, and Leah (a faro faux-risotto with snapper and mushrooms), get the top honors, with Stefan winning the prize, even though he could have sandbagged (as if his Teutonic pride could have let him). Stefan is told that three out of the last four Top Chef winners had won the first elimination challenge, so he's going to be the pacesetter this season -- everything will be either better or worse than Stefan's dishes. So far, the guy has a pretty hefty ego, but that usually works pretty well in this show (Marcel, Hung, Howie, Season 4 Dale). I'm curious if he hadn't won the first two challenges, if he would have complained about an American bias on the part of the judges in this or future episodes. That argument won't fly now.
The bottom two are Ariane and Patrick. Ariane's faro beans were apparently al dente to the point of crunchiness, especially bad as top-3 Leah's faro beans were well complimented. If it's one thing Tom can't stand, it's sloppy technique -- a chef should know how to cook a bean. On the other hand, Patrick had a wimpy entry with no Asian flavor, and bad noodles. After a back and forth with Ariane about being a 20-year chef from New Jersey, but apparently isolationist about it, with Ariane blurting out a wincing comment implying she'd rather learn from a book than experience (another thing Tom can't stand -- cooking out of books rather than hands-on tasting and tinkering), the pair braise in the stew room for a bit, then march back, and Padma gives Patrick the bad news. Yet another thing on Tom's list of culinary annoyances is playing it safe and Patrick, perhaps, had no experience to do anything but.
This looks to be a good season. There weren't too many arguments in the promos for the coming weeks, but there seems to be an episode where Padma nearly does a spit take, which should be an interesting one. Even though there already seems to be a few chefs with "well established personalities", there isn't much tension yet, other than the Europeans vs. Americans thing, which is predictable. There are some chefs who will obviously be sinking quickly, some that are already impressive, and a bunch that we haven't heard a word from yet.
no subject
no subject
Miami blond Jeff is out of his league, as are Radhika, Carla, Ariane, and possibly Fabio from Italy.
The rest...it's too tough to tell from one episode. Women are half the crew, but they only really touched on the losers this episode. Someone might crack, too, or even get better -- Casey wasn't a factor until halfway through Season 3.
no subject
I noticed the tattoos really quick as the first 2-3 chefs introduced all had full arm sleeves.
I'm surprised at how the closet door wasn't even closed this season. The rainbow team came out swinging right away. One of them was really easy to notice, one was really hard until he spoke, and the last was a toss up except for the fact that she works in San Fran.
I was shocked at the lack of preparing for the elimination challenge. "Oh, there are a lot of these, so I'll just put them all in a pot and win"?? WTF! So if you go to the store around here, you'll see tons of Mac&Cheese and Potato Chips, go put them together for your entry in the "Local Cuisine" catagory??? At least the Hawaiian dude tasted stuff and even said he was going to try and duplicate it. (which he obviously kicked ass at)
Lastly, the shocked response from the judges to the chick's book comment almost made me puke. I didn't hear her right at first but noticed that nobody spoke and just stared at her. If I were her, I'd have just peed and ran away.
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