chiaros
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Posts posted by chiaros
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4 minutes ago, Eulipian 5k said:
The "French person"Daniel B.,, Tyler, & the ghost of Julia Child, are clutching their pearls at such sacrilege.
I think every bachelor breakfast I make from now on will bear the name "Fancy Toast!"
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.
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2 hours ago, Blonde Gator said:
Totally agree about Joe S being a good guy, & the toast thing, well...obviously he's not as good at it as Carrie, perhaps in this episode he got the edit to make it look like he was making fun of himself???
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.
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Padma's boobs were barely more covered than last time.
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6 hours ago, MerBearHou said:
I like Adrienne so, so much but because she had to go to Plan B on nearly every aspect, I thought her cauldron dish lacked cohesion, didn’t showcase the cauldron aspect very well, and to me, her dish didn’t look like it would taste good. Flimsy charred pepper and mushy corn pudding in a lettuce wrap? Ugh. Joe Sasto’s dish got dinged and he was eliminated because his bread wasn’t toasted or buttered?? Joe Flamm’s dish was definitely the dish I’d order and eat over and over.
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).
6 hours ago, MerBearHou said:Great decision by Joe Flamm to choose her as his sous. Joe Flamm is so witty and fun — would love to know him.
Joe Sasto grew on me week by week and I came to really like him. His exit was gracious and grateful. I wish him well.
Agreed.
5 hours ago, doLLish said:I think I’m the only one who has very mixed feelings about Adrienne’s journey that makes it very hard for me to root for her to be Top Chef.
She coasted and put out underwhelming dish after underwhelming dish until she got to the final 5 or so. She got to the final five by being just a little less worse than someone else almost every elimination challenge. I’m not a “what have you cooked for me lately” viewer but a journey viewer and sorry to say, as a whole it’s almost insulting if she were to be named Too Chef next week. She has the ability to make great food but only realized that after she coasted to the final five? It’s ridiculous.
My favorite was Chris but I like Joe Flamm and will be rooting for him to win it all next week. He’s had a great journey.
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
2 hours ago, Jextella said:I really appreciate Joe S's cookery, but he does seem to be missing the finesse that Joe F has...
I think Joe S has plenty of finesse when he manages to concentrate. His duck dish at 12,000 ft was an excellent example.
6 hours ago, avecsans said:I actually hated both challenges. If I had to catch a trout, I would still be in the pond. It was too reminiscent of chopping ingredients out of the ice in the Texas season. And it annoyed me that the chefs were doubly handicapped in the elimination challenge: no protein and then having to cook on the cowboy cauldron.
Indeed.
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1 hour ago, LeighLeigh said:
To Chiaros: yes, Brother did indeed say that. I believe that it was on the Top Chef Facebook page in a response to a negative comment someone made. It could also be on Instagram.
I may only have time to search later today or this evening.
That Brother Love said "it's behind the rabbit" (or besides the rabbit) is not in question.
1 hour ago, LeighLeigh said:Quick Instagram search: look at a photo of Brother with both arms out while pointing his fingers dated January 11. He talks about signing paperwork and not being in control of how they portray you.
I will look more tonight.
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.
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21 hours ago, LeighLeigh said:
The editors placed an answer to a different question in its place (beside the rabbit).
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.
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On 2/24/2018 at 4:34 PM, Blonde Gator said:
Thanks, great info! Sage is to chicken as basil is to tomatoes, IMO.
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.
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On 2/23/2018 at 11:30 AM, AriAu said:
...and the Snidely Whiplash mustache...
12 hours ago, Jextella said:...a twirly mustache isn't enough to make me dislike him. I don't see it being much different than a tattoo....although less permanent - which means one more reason to not mind it.
4 hours ago, dleighg said:yeah, I think the twirly mustache is silly, but I don't hate him for it. I've learned to accept lots of tattoos everywhere except the neck and face-- those bug me.
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16 hours ago, Drumpf1737 said:
This show has lost its charm for me.
The hipster-ness. The obvious edits to push us to like/dislike a cheftestant. Michael V looking like a crackhead on my TV.
Also still a little salty over last season's trip to a fucking plantation and the only person to be asked what they're feeling is the lone Black contestant.
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.
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1 hour ago, LeighLeigh said:
Oh, and the food looked better too.
Yup.
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11 hours ago, Yeah No said:
At one point I was afraid that her entire right breast was going to pop out at any moment as all that was left to the imagination was pretty much the nipple!
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
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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).
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43 minutes ago, LennieBriscoe said:
Anyone note that of the Final Four, the 3 Pastas lost? ;-)
;-)
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4 hours ago, Kindred Spirit said:
I was so thrilled that Adrienne won this challenge! I think she's following a path similar to Shirley's, where this show helped her have faith in her voice and her flavors, and took her off the "shadow chef" path.
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.
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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.
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14 hours ago, LeighLeigh said:
I only discovered Top Chef during Manbun's season so my Voltaggio experience is limited. Having said that...where has Bryan Voltaggio been all my life and how do I get more?
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.
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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.
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On 2/21/2018 at 6:48 PM, LeighLeigh said:
Regarding the final two: now I believe that it is it Adrienne and Joe Sasto (although I really want it to be a Joe-Joe finale).
Online, I found a short video of the first few minutes of the next episode. Adrienne is saying that she is proud of herself for improving since governor's mansion. She said that she is getting better and better...but so is Sasto.
I believe that this particular talking head was one taken from the finale and placed here. Otherwise, I believe that she would have mentioned the other contestants.
Originally, I thought that the Joex2 dinner at Spiaggio the day before the finale was related to the final of two - like a rematch. Now, I just think that Joe Flamm invited the other Joe to his home turf before everything changes the next day when the winner is announced ( JoeStache). I love Joe Flamm.
This plus the Instagram follows of the finale judges plus the dead boring Instagram feeds from these two- it all adds up to Adrienne and Joe S. in the final two.
(Besides, who else's tortellini would be called luminescent?)
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.
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11 hours ago, jaybird2 said:
yes! he's the one! thanks. i definitely thought he was from miami. he but was good looking but not much of a chef.
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Harold Dieterle called out.
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1 hour ago, jaybird2 said:
there was chef from miami who actively campaigned for votes and won. can't remember his name or season. it was back in the day when andy did reunions. they all joked about.
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 .
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13 hours ago, Blonde Gator said:
I'm not sure they were "failed". Every baked dish was remarked upon as being "obviously baked at high altitude". The profiteroles were said to be the same, a bit "crunchy". Joe Flamm's biscuits were tasty, but "more of a crumble".
So I think the chefs were all somewhat equal, they did an okay job with what they baked, but it was apparent equally that no one was proficient at high altitude baking. IOW, a wash.
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.
17 hours ago, Norma Desmond said:I beg to differ
When Carrie's dish was being complimented and right after her win was announced
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.
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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.
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13 hours ago, chiaros said:
Regarding the comments about the "baked element" on each cheftestant's plate: It seems to me that it wasn't the MAIN challenge of the EC, insofar as the parameters of the challenge was. It may have become the main challenge for the chefs themselves, but it was merely one element - albeit a required one - on each of their plates. Everything else that was on the plate, to make it a "high-concept, high-end" dish still needed to be there - taste, presentation, concept, balance, etc etc.
Here's a verbatim transcript of what was said or "thought" (by the cheftestants) when the EC was outlined for them:
Padma: For your elimination challenge, you must create a high-concept, high-end dish to serve in the highest restaurant in North America.
Tom: Alpino Vino sits atop Golden Hills in the heart of the San Juan Mountains at 12,000 feet.
Wylie: Cooking at altitude is no joke. Everything from boiling water to baking is going to be a lot more difficult than what you’re used to.
Padma: Each chef will be required to have a baked element on your plate. You’ll also be judged by James Beard Award-winning chef Paul Liebrandt.
Joe S: (Voice-over) Oh man. Baking at altitude was going to be tough enough, but cooking for Wylie Dufresne and Paul Liebrandt…This is a doozy.
Padma: Today you’ll have the rest of the day to experiment at home.
Adrienne: (Voice-over)Yes!
Wylie: Normally on Top Chef you don’t get the opportunity to test recipes ahead of time. So use your time wisely, and have some fun.
Padma: All right, chefs. We’ll see you at the top.
The episode as aired did indeed show the cheftestants doing a lot of test-baking --- but, again, that was because it became a big challenge for them. But all the other aspects were just as important for their final plate, with far more components that ALL ALSO needed to be there, and needed to be cooked suitably at high altitude. Wylie Dufresne reminded them, when they were being charged with the EC, that everything (my bolding) is more difficult at high altitude, not just baking. Paul Liebrandt, when he was dispensing tips, also reminded Chris that frying will take longer. Joes Sasto was asking about what temperature water boils. And so on.
Let me also append here a follow-on that I posted elsewhere:
QuoteAs I also mentioned elsewhere here and others have also commented on, Joes Sasto's dish as a whole was so wonderful and the duck and sauces so good that the baked element was more-or-less shrugged off by the judges. Again, this wasn't a "Baking At High Altitude" contest; it was a "Make a High-concept, High-end Dish at Altitude" contest.
As for the judges asking the cheftestants about how their baking went for them – it seems to me that they were asking because they were aware that the baking-thing was a struggle for them, but – again– it was just ONE element on the plate, even if it was a required one.
IIn fact, insofar as Chris's plate was concerned, he did not seem to have fully fulfilled the EC challenge of making a "high-end dish", and appeared to have also failed at FRYING AT HIGH ALTITUDES (his quail), another component of "cooking at high altitude". (Again, this was much more than just baking – after all, his corn bread came out very good indeed, and if it were just a baking contest, his dish should have scored high marks.) By comparison, Joe Sasto accomplished his frying of his duck – at high altitude – perfectly, according to the judges. And that was a big part of the equation.
And, just for laughs, here's a screenshot of the Elimination Challenge as notated by the show itself:
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S15.E13: A Little Place Called Aspen
in Top Chef
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.