chiaros

Speak for yourself. If you turned up on my door berating me for toast without butter in a dish highlighting beets - I would tell you to get lost.

BTW, French cuisine IS NOT THE ONLY CUISINE on this world. Far from it. And it is not even the oldest or the most complex. Look to Asia for those.

Joe Sasto WASN'T. MAKING. FANCY. TOAST. In his own words, as the episode recorded it, he was using the slice of sourdough as "an anchor and an accent". He was concentrating on showcasing the beets. For myself, I would have preferred NOT to have any butter on that sourdough, and instead simply allow the bread slice to "support" the beets and the taste of the beets. Butter would have muddied it. I do find it bizarre that both Gail and that Frenchie person was so FIXATED on the bread needing butter - or something. Well, for that matter the bread DID have something – the beets. ETA: And I would also point out that, for example, crusty bread accompanying a plate of charcuterie, for example (but NOT the only example) does not need butter. The bread is perfectly fine eaten with just the charcuterie, and IMO butter would be a distraction. The charcuterie is the focus. The bread is a support. Similarly, in Joe Sasto's case, the beets were the focus. The bread was a supporting element, which also probably helped to absorb beet juices WITHOUT the butter, and if so helped to highlight the beets. The bread - toast, whatever - was not the focus.

Padma's boobs were barely more covered than last time.

This. Adrienne's dish did not look appetizing and the description of her flavors and combination was a turn-off. Joe S's dish looked far better to me and I wouldn't have cared if the toasted bread (yes, it was lightly toasted) was buttered or not (and in fact I would probably have preferred it unbuttered). I don't understand Gail's and that French person's fixation on needing something like butter on it. It already DID have "something" on it – the beets; and I can almost "taste" the beets and juices soaking into the toast...without being muddied by butter (ick). Agreed. You're not the only one; my sentiments go in this direction too. I would have preferred a Joe vs Joe finale; but now I would like it better if Joe F won next week. And, BTW – Joe Sasto won the most EC challenges (four – episodes 3, 7, 10, 11) than anyone else. In contrast, Adrienne has had only a SINGLE "win" but SIX "lows"; while Joe Flamm has had two "wins" and a single "low". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Chef_(season_15)#Contestant_progress I think Joe S has plenty of finesse when he manages to concentrate. His duck dish at 12,000 ft was an excellent example. Indeed.

That Brother Love said "it's behind the rabbit" (or besides the rabbit) is not in question. Just to be clear: I am asking for clear evidence that Brother Love SAID that the "it's behind the rabbit" answer was in response to ANOTHER question other than where than where the plastic wrap was. "Inferences" or "he must have said that because of this..." is not what I am asking for. It was I who posted that snippet from the sign-on paperwork stating that they had the right to edit how you appeared. But I also pointed out that the editors would have only the material you CHOSE to give them to work with, and that any cheftestant on this show must know by now that any utterance of theirs or any action in any way shape or form if within sight of a camera or microphone would be recorded and would be fair game for the editors. That Brother Love would indicate his limitations from discussing how he was portrayed does not limit his defense of his statements (that "rabbit" thing, for example) being taken out of context. His contract and sign-on agreement prevents him from suing the Magic Elves, as others have pointed out, that's all. So – if he has repudiated his "it's behind the rabbit" as the answer to a different question, I would like very much to see where he did so. Thanks in advance.

Do you have a link to proof of this? Did Brother Love state categorically that the "besides the rabbit" was the answer to a different question? If he did, could you post the link to where he said it? Thanks.

Heh. To me, I tend to associate chicken with cumin (in non-Western European cooking, esp. w/ Indian-influenced cooking) or with garlic, or thyme & parsley; or ginger & scallions in Chinese-influenced cuisines. For me, sage is associated with things like pork in Western-type cuisines.

http://time.com/5170638/matt-hamilton-mustache/ https://twitter.com/corbydickerson/status/966582760319090689/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc^tfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5170638%2Fmatt-hamilton-mustache%2F

John Tesar was also involved, and gave his response to the question. John was raked over the coals for it - but as many folks pointed out, what could he say --- he would be damned if he did and damned if he didn't, simply because he was a white guy - even if his mother had marched in solidarity with Black folks.

Yup.

Like here? :-D And...here's a Padma vs Adrienne's Mum comparison in the cleavage department. ;-) HEH. Well, I would be interested in what posters here say when a male cheftestant or guest or whoever turns up next on TC wearing skin-tight jeans or trousers (or even spandex) with a PROMINENT crotch bulge. :-D

Regarding Mike Voltaggio: some screen shots, with a few of Bryan as well. To me, Mike looks more gaunt than previously - but I wouldn't quite say that he is SICK or conclude just from these pictures that he is on drugs. He has always been a skinny guy. His pics in this season range from, yes, gaunt --- to "normal looking". And compared with Season 6, he does seem less "fleshed out", but that is on a skinny-frame to start with; but people will need to point to specific info on whether he is sick or not rather than rumors. He is also 8 years older. Bryan, OTOH, has put on weight (and padded out from TC6).

;-)

Adrienne may be "finding her voice", as did Shirley Chung during her season - but I think the similarity ends there. Shirley kept dragging her family and her ancestors and her heritage and her this-and-that constantly through everything she did and with great noise and vigor. It was entirely eye-rolling and off-putting IMO. In contrast, Adrienne has not done what Shirley did, but instead lightly touched on her family influences (when she even did so), and instead talked about her own journey. Oh, and Shirley kept simpering to the judges and brown-nosing Tom C every chance she got, pandering to him with sob-stories of how her gramdma or grand-whatever made this-and-that and how she was so thrilled to be able to make this dish while thinking of them. A few times would have been fine, or a light touch with it - but she kept doing this, again and again, with emphasis.

I though this was one of the nicest dishes on the table at the get-together with the folks. Very, very nice. Oooh. I am reminded of the times when I go to a certain place where I live for their Sunday buffet with a main reason being that I can assemble (from the buffet table) and devour a WHOLE PLATE of "Phoenix Claws" (鳳爪), which are usually decent at this place, working my way through munching on the bits and pieces, separating the bones, slurping on and savoring the sauce and the gelatin and the yummy slithery yet crunchy yet soft textures of the skin and tendons; as opposed to having a dim-sum meal where one gets a plate of only 3 or 4 "claws" in sauce on a small plate with the according charge for that plate. There are various other pig trotter dishes that also spring to mind, including ones done with meaty trotters slow-braised in a kind of sweet vinegar (e.g. 八珍甜醋) with spices (cinnamon, cloves, star anise) and other seasonings (one iteration is traditionally done for postpartum mothers to recover from their ordeal and to "invigorate" their strength - according to traditional precepts) which would also fall into this category of SCRUMPTIOUS dishes.

http://www.bryanvoltaggio.com/ You have six restaurants to try to "sample him". :-) I consider it a great pity, though, that his Table 21 has been replaced by that watered-down "Chef's Table". I greatly enjoyed Table 21 several times in years past. It is very curious, though, that their website STILL shows "Table 21" at the bottom, although they haven't had that 21-course Table 21 meal for something like two years.

I was expecting the winner last night to be either Joe Sasto or Adrienne, judging from the plates, the judges comments AND the diners' comments. Adrienne's deconstruction of the gumbo was very, very good. Joe S's play and melding of his father's dishes was excellent too, and the niggle the judges came up with was he cut it too soon and he could have spooned some sauce over it to slow down the drying/curling (although that was also though to "mimic" the curled dried edges of lasagna, a "positive"). Between Carrie's and Joe Flamm's dishes, it seemed Joe F had a slight edge, because of what the judges said was the "layer and layers" in it and the elevated "GRAVY" that he accomplished (Tom also said at the dining table that it "didn't stray too much from Sunday Gravy - uh, which is nice." Heh), but some of the judges thought it needed salt and his Parmesan crisp was not universally adored. Carrie did seem to be having struggles with putting her dish together, and although also still very good her saucing did turn out to be just a tad less wonderful - Tom C mentioned that she could have mixed some of the cooking liquid into the crème fraîche while Mike V pointed out that with Beef Stroganoff, "You take meat and turn it into sauce, and then you take that sauce and put it on noodles. And we didn't have that sauce." But it was stressed at Judges' Table that "there were no losers" and that everybody cooked wonderful dishes.

If one goes back to the "first look at season 15" video clip, plus the "still to come on the season" clip – both available on the Bravo TC website – there is a brief scene of Nancy Silverton making comments at the dining table of what must be the finale meal...and this is immediately followed by a TH of Adrienne being displeased with herself, saying something along the lines of she thought she had found/worked out her taste profile/her way, with a background I don't recall seeing or noticing so far in the season...could it be at the place where the finale is taking place? Hmm, hmm.

http://www.bravotv.com/people/chris-crary

Harold Dieterle called out.

Could you be thinking about Chris Crary? Season 9 (Texas), from Los Angeles (not Miami). He was given some grief for his full-press campaigning for Fan Favorite: https://www.google.com/search?q=chris+crary+campaigning+for+fan+favorite .

What I got from the remarks and reactions was that Joe S's baked items were not what the judges would like to be profiteroles, but neither did they actively *dislike* it. In any case, Joe called them "cherry puffs", and indicated he did not want to actually present them as "profiteroles". The British judge went along and referred to them as "cherry puffs". Adrienne got compliments for her mashup which she called "mountain bread" but Gail also pointed out it was dry - although being smothered in butter compensated. Between Chris's and Carrie's cornbread, I thought Tom C remarked that he didn't think there was much difference between the two when it came to the eating. I think that (IMO) it bears repeating that this wasn't a "baking at high altitude" contest. It was a "create a high-concept, high-end dish at high altitude" contest, where a baking element was mandatory, but was not the only thing that the plates were going to be judged on (far from it), even if it was a difficult component for the cheftestants themselves and which was acknowledged by the judges to be an issue for them to completely satisfy. Yes, Joe wasn't happy when Carrie's dish was being positively described. But neither was Chris. I went and took multiple screenshots of the sequence when Wylie D began describing Carrie's dish to when the cheftestants congratulated her - and neither Chris nor Joe S were pleased before and in the split second after she was announced as the winner. How could they be? Both were in the running for that ten grand. For that matter, if one were fair and looked at the demeanors of all the cheftestants while Carrie's dish was being described - Joe Flamm didn't look thrilled either. Of course Joe S has already expressed his incredulity at her making toast again, and possibly winning - and Joe F agreed. As shown, it seemed to me that Joe S recovered from his disappointment faster than Chris, for that matter, in congratulating and clapping for Carrie. Perhaps it is possible that hatred for a cheftestant might overshadow how others were reacting in one or another situation? But enough. Each of us is entitled to disagree on any and all cheftestants.

Some screenshots of the moments after Carrie's win with fancy toast in the QF. Not sure I would say Joe Sasto had a sour face. In fact, he seemed to beam and smile as much as or even more than Chris did.

Let me also append here a follow-on that I posted elsewhere: And, just for laughs, here's a screenshot of the Elimination Challenge as notated by the show itself: