S17.E02: The Jonathan Gold Standard

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

The chefs honor the late, great Pulitzer-Prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold; using Gold's last guide list, the chefs fan out all over Los Angeles to sample the unique food trucks, mom-and-pop cafes, and ethnic cuisine.

Original air date: March 25, 2020

[NowVoyager]

I have a sinking feeling.... Eric is going home. After the duck issues & Tom's comments, I couldn't concentrate on the rest of the show.

I was moved by people's reactions to Jonathan Gold. Wow, he really touched a lot of people; a sign of a life well-lived.

[Bastet]

Crap - I forgot this was on, so only saw the last twenty minutes and there's no repeat tonight (the hell, Bravo?).  Living in L.A., I wanted to see where they went. 

The little bit of food I saw looked good, but it was just quick little glimpses in that section of the show.  I loved seeing Nini in the top three, but I was pretty sure from the little I saw that Kevin was going to win.

JT was tense; nothing against Angelo, but I don't want Eric or Stephanie to go yet, and without having seen most of the episode, I felt a bit at sea in terms of predicting who they were going to knife.  I was leaning towards it being my gal Stephanie, so I was relieved when it was Angelo.

 

[susannot]

Really enjoyed the episode.  The visits to all the amazing LA restaurants with Jonathan Gold's reviews--original and fantastic.

[BlackberryJam]

I started a re-watch of Angelo’s first season and remembered why I loathed him. The peanut butter mousse school lunch team fiasco, skeeving on Tamesha, giving chefs bad advice. Ugh.

Tuna in an overly sweet broth sounded terrible, but I actually thought Stephanie’s sounded worse. I’m relieved that Angelo went. I don’t want to lose Eric just yet.

[susannot]

I was sorry to see Angelo go but really did not want Eric to go.  I wanted to see more of his West African flavors last season and want to see them now.

[MerBearHou]

I don’t mind Angelo; I really, really like Eric and love his pride for his home continent (though sometimes it doesn’t “fit” into the challenge); I’m neutral on Stephanie and really thought she should have been the one to PYKAG.  Her food sounded like a fail all the way around, whereas Angelo’s tuna tasted good to Padma.  

Though it was cool for them to travel to so many of Jonathan Gold’s favorite restaurants, try the food and meet the owners (and show off the BMW X7s), the chefs didn’t start actually cooking in the kitchen until 23 minutes had passed.  Yep, I glanced at the clock — that surprised me.  

So happy for Kevin’s win.  I had no idea he’d been so sick.  Loved Ruth Reichl telling him he should market his granny’s apple butter.  What a huge compliment!

[buttersister]

Thanks for a Jonathan Gold (z’l) tribute, Show! Nearly 20 years ago, he was a contributor to an online food community—always looked for his posts, what a wonderful man. Anyone unfamiliar with him might read some of his obituaries, whatever columns you can find or Counter intelligence.

i was worried for Stephanie until Ruth said Angelo's tuna had died in vain. Ouch.

Edited March 27, 2020 by buttersister

[roctavia]

Some interesting dishes this week... overall the judges table stuff made sense and I would have been fine with any of the bottom three going.... 

But the main thing I wanted to say is I HATE last chance kitchen!!!!! I mean, at least it makes them do stuff to win their way back, but I still think it's unfair to bring someone back near the end of the competitions without having gone through everything the rest of the competitors did.

[hula-la]

31 minutes ago, susannot said:

I was sorry to see Angelo go but really did not want Eric to go.  I wanted to see more of his West African flavors last season and want to see them now.

I was supposed to be chaperoning a trip to Senegal over Spring Break with my school. I was really looking forward to trying the food that Eric has been talking about.

[Fukui San]

Joe last week and Stephanie this week with the flatbread of doom! Glad to see Stephanie survived.

When I visited LA about a decade ago I took Jonathan Gold's book with me as a guide. I visited a friend who lived near Jitlada and was able to go. Very spicy! Good, but spicy.

Something I remember about Jonathan Gold is that he started as a music writer before he started writing about food. Here he is in 1993 hanging out and writing about Dr. Dre. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/day-of-the-dre-97921/

Has Top Chef done a tribute to Anthony Bourdain since his death? I don't believe so, right?

[AttackTurtle]

So happy for Yukon Cornelius!  I noticed that all of the Las Vegas season chefs did very well in this challenge.   
Stephanie choosing to make Indian is right up there with the idiots who make risotto.  What’s worse, is that she really hadn’t made Indian before.  I like Stephanie, but when she said she was making Indian, I said, “you idiot”.  

[mlp]

2 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

I have a sinking feeling.... Eric is going home.

I don't think he's going to last very long because he's making the same mistake he made last time - cooking for himself instead of the judges.  I totally understand that he wants to educate everyone about African food but a competition where the judges are people who are not used to that kind of food is not the place to do it if you want to win.

I really thought Stephanie was going to be eliminated.  I like her and I'm glad she stayed but the judges didn't seem to like anything about her dish and they said Angelo's tuna was good so I don't know how/why they made their decision.  

[NowVoyager]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Crap - I forgot this was on, so only saw the last twenty minutes and there's no repeat tonight (the hell, Bravo?).  Living in L.A., I wanted to see where they went. 

The little bit of food I saw looked good, but it was just quick little glimpses in that section of the show.  I loved seeing Nini in the top three, but I was pretty sure from the little I saw that Kevin was going to win.

JT was tense; nothing against Angelo, but I don't want Eric or Stephanie to go yet, and without having seen most of the episode, I felt a bit at sea in terms of predicting who they were going to knife.  I was leaning towards it being my gal Stephanie, so I was relieved when it was Angelo.

 

Omigosh, they went to ~30 different restaurants! I jotted down a few: LASA, Mayura, Meals by Genet, Rossoblu, Manuella, Republique, Guerilla Tacos, Providence. 

[NowVoyager]

9 minutes ago, mlp said:

I don't think he's going to last very long because he's making the same mistake he made last time - cooking for himself instead of the judges.  I totally understand that he wants to educate everyone about African food but a competition where the judges are people who are not used to that kind of food is not the place to do it if you want to win.

I really thought Stephanie was going to be eliminated.  I like her and I'm glad she stayed but the judges didn't seem to like anything about her dish and they said Angelo's tuna was good so I don't know how/why they made their decision.  

Hmm... I'll have to think back to last season, but I thought Eric's problem tonight was poor shopping & strategy. When the 1 lady--- (forget her name, from an early season, made good *cold* ceviche last challenge)--- bought up all the duck breasts, he then asked for scallops. I was, like, wait whut!? What about other poultry options? Or pork? Then, cut to the workroom: shady show had his work space right next to hers & she whips out---- some whole ducks! He asked her when she got those & she said right after he left the meat counter. So, apparently he didn't even ask if they had more duck. Rookie mistake.

[GaT]

How did those chefs go to all those restaurants in one day & not throw up? I was getting nauseous just watching them eat, & eat, & eat. 

[Vermicious Knid]

There's a Chengdu Taste in Las Vegas so I checked and it is the same people. It gets really good reviews but I don't think I can hack the spice.

Masa ball soup was a good idea and I'm glad Nini was in the top.

[vb68]

Wow. The comment from Ruth that " that tuna died in vain. It was just a piece of flesh in a sweet broth"  is probably the most direct and bruising slap that I've seen in awhile. It also totally contradicted Padma, who liked the tuna.  I do think Padma was in a minority of one on that. Didn't Gail say she couldn't even taste the tuna?  I thought Angelo was going before that, but there was no doubt at all after a comment that harsh.

I'm so glad this show back on right now. Even though it makes me hungry as hell, it's such a nice respite from everything else going on.

 

[CheetaraThunder]

Even though I could see Kevin’s win come a mile away, I’m am still so happy to see him redeem himself. Continuing to keep my Bryan V vs Kevin Finals alive.

[dleighg]

I wasn't really sorry to see Angelo go-- and wasn't he sort of infamous on his season for doing a LOT of crudos?

And did I see Jen (in her talking head) say it needed more sour, but in real life to Angelo say "more spice would bring it together"? Of course maybe the producers just want us to think Jen is playing unfair.

I hated Brian Malarky's SPLAT of sauce. Why do you WANT to make it look like vomit on a plate?

And is there no immunity for the winner this time around?

[spiderpig]

Visiting Gold's choices was entertaining, but I was particularly interested in Union Station as a venue.  Is it really as clean and bright and beautiful as it looked?  Asking because I've recently heard that Grand Central in NYC has turned into a viper pit since its restoration awhile ago.

Nini's doing surprisingly well.

[Seelouis]

10 hours ago, hula-la said:

I was supposed to be chaperoning a trip to Senegal over Spring Break with my school. I was really looking forward to trying the food that Eric has been talking about.

My daughter was supposed to be going to Senegal over spring break with her school. Any chance it’s the same trip?

 

[SailorGirl]

1 hour ago, spiderpig said:

Nini's doing surprisingly well.

I remember her being very creative in her season -- she got eliminated because she was Front of House during Restaurant Wars, not because of her food. IMHO, she got robbed. She is a very talented chef and I loved that she blended inspiration from all three restaurants to create something new. Certainly Tom was a fan! 

[Yeah No]

I was shocked to see the notice at the very beginning regarding Floyd Cardoz's death on the 25th.  Weirdly, the cause of death was reported by CNN and other news sources as Coronavirus but his Wikipedia page says he tested negative for Coronavirus and instead died of heart disease.  Not sure what to make of that.  He was a well known chef in NYC for his restaurants, Tabla and Paowalla, plus a winner of "Top Chef Masters" in 2011.  I have known of him for close to 20 years and was lucky to eat at Tabla once.  I watched this episode through my tears.

[rehoboth]

I can't get passed scallops and cooked cabbage paired together.  Did Eric replace duck with scallops?  Did he explain the thinking process there?  Every time they came up on the screen, I involuntarily went ewww.

[hula-la]

1 hour ago, Seelouis said:

My daughter was supposed to be going to Senegal over spring break with her school. Any chance it’s the same trip?

 

If it was a French Immersion trip leaving from BC, Canada, then it just might be!  I hope that your daughter is doing ok. I’m sad that we weren’t able to go, and I know that the students must be doubly so.

[AttackTurtle]

I like Eric, but have never been super interested in eating what he’s cooked.  Nini is a dark horse, but she was kind of arrogant in Last Chance Kitchen...which she lost.  
 

I’m hoping that this doesn’t turn out to be a showcase for Brian Voltaggio.  He was runner up in Vegas and on Top Chef Masters.  When Blais won All Stars, it felt kind of like it was a given (I’m not a Blais fan.  His comments always seemed to undermine Stephanie’s win.  Stephanie was every bit as impressive as Blais throughout that season). 
 

That being said, a Volt/Kevin finale would be pretty epic.  

[carrps]

12 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

I have a sinking feeling.... Eric is going home. After the duck issues & Tom's comments, I couldn't concentrate on the rest of the show.

I was moved by people's reactions to Jonathan Gold. Wow, he really touched a lot of people; a sign of a life well-lived.

Quick comment for now: I'm so glad they're honoring Jonathan Gold. There were years and years when the only thing I read in the Food Section was Counter Intelligence. He had a replacement for a while, but he just didn't have the same spirit. Was so sad to hear of his passing ... a few years ago? Did the show mention that there's a movie called City of Gold about him?

[vb68]

19 minutes ago, AttackTurtle said:

I’m hoping that this doesn’t turn out to be a showcase for Brian Voltaggio.  He was runner up in Vegas and on Top Chef Masters.  

I remember that one of the criticisms he got at the end of TC Masters was that he needed to spend some serious time with someone's grandma. I understood perfectly what that meant.

I was thinking of that again and wondering if he's learned anything from that. Judging from his food so far, it's very hard to tell.  Gail said this dish was a real departure for him, so maybe there was more heart in it. I still thought there was a  contrast to Nini's soup and Kevin's granny's apple butter.

[FinnishViewer]

Quote

And is there no immunity for the winner this time around

There was no quickfire this round. So no immunity for the elimination challenge.

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, FinnishViewer said:

There was no quickfire this round. So no immunity for the elimination challenge.

But I'm pretty sure the word "immunity" has not been mentioned for example in the first episode. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I like Angelo so was sad to see him go this early, but his dish did not sound good at all so I can't complain.  It was warranted.

[HurricaneVal]

My biggest takeaway from last night's episode is how sorry I am that I never knew of this Johnathon Gold because it seems he was a pretty great guy.  The emotions each of those restaurant owners displayed was so genuine, and so compelling.  He was obviously well loved, and well respected.

I saw some good looking food last night, at the restaurants and at Union Station.  Sadly, I think the right person went home--well, to LCK.  I really like Eric, but I just don't think he's suited for this competition.  I was good with the winner, though I thought Nini had the edge.  Voltaggio's looked good, and I would have been OK with him winning, except, well, Voltaggio....

[carrps]

3 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Visiting Gold's choices was entertaining, but I was particularly interested in Union Station as a venue.  Is it really as clean and bright and beautiful as it looked? 

Every time I've been there it's looked like that. I love Union Station. I had to laugh when Alhambra was called East L.A. though. It is east of  L.A., but technically it's in San Gabriel Valley. I know because I worked in the San Gabriel Valley for decades. But I guess the groupings had to be a little loosey-goosey.

I really wanted to try Nini's Masa Ball Soup. I love the taste of masa. And I want to try that tumeric fried fish at Jitlada.

I wasn't a big fan of Kevin before (didn't dislike him either), but he seems more relaxed, more in touch with his feelings now. I'm sad it's taken such a serious health problem to loosen him up. I really hope he stays healthy and keeps cooking great food.

[jaybird2]

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I was shocked to see the notice at the very beginning regarding Floyd Cardoz's death on the 25th.  Weirdly, the cause of death was reported by CNN and other news sources as Coronavirus but his Wikipedia page says he tested negative for Coronavirus and instead died of heart disease.  Not sure what to make of that.  He was a well known chef in NYC for his restaurants, Tabla and Paowalla, plus a winner of "Top Chef Masters" in 2011.  I have known of him for close to 20 years and was lucky to eat at Tabla once.  I watched this episode through my tears.

Every article I read, including cnn, said he died from the virus.

 

 

 

 

 

E 

[RebeccatheWriter]

48 minutes ago, carrps said:

I wasn't a big fan of Kevin before (didn't dislike him either), but he seems more relaxed, more in touch with his feelings now. I'm sad it's taken such a serious health problem to loosen him up. I really hope he stays healthy and keeps cooking great food.

I adore Kevin and try to eat at one of his restaurants (when we aren't in quarantine) at least twice a month. I just picked up his garlic potatoes and bacon wrapped meatloaf, as well as a breakfast casserole for home this weekend. I could have stopped on the side of the road and eaten them.

I can't say I was a fan of his during the Vegas season of Top Chef. I liked his cooking, but he was friendly with Eli who I found to be annoying, condescending and rude. He and Mike Isabella were horrible in terms of personality. While Kevin wasn't behaving like them, I did have a bad taste in my mouth that he hung around them. I guess I saw it as him silently agreeing with their treatment of Robin and other women on the show. 

I got to know him a little bit better through his restaurants after he opened one of them near me. He was not at all what I feared he would be and I admire his determination. He was truly near death after his surgery. He had horrible reactions to the pain meds and almost died a few times. His staff absolutely loves him and it shows. 

[jaybird2]

2 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

I like Angelo so was sad to see him go this early, but his dish did not sound good at all so I can't complain.  It was warranted.

I like Angelo also and Bryan V.  I couldn't stand his brother or Mike isabella.   I liked jen her first season..she was much kinder no attitude her first season.  Bryan was also like that.  No so with his brother and mike.

 

 

 

[lh25]

12 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

Hmm... I'll have to think back to last season, but I thought Eric's problem tonight was poor shopping & strategy. When the 1 lady--- (forget her name, from an early season, made good *cold* ceviche last challenge)--- bought up all the duck breasts, he then asked for scallops. I was, like, wait whut!? What about other poultry options? Or pork?

He did what too many chefs do, instead of starting over planning a dish, he tried to make his vision work with ingredients that just didn't.

[seltzer3]

I'm glad Kevin won.  Did not know his backstory at all.  Poor guy, he was about to burst out crying throughout the entire judges table.

That restaurant tour had to be shot over a couple days right?  I mean it looked like each person ate out to 4 different places.  That would be gross to binge out all in one day, and then cook.

[SemiCharmedLife]

17 hours ago, roctavia said:

Some interesting dishes this week... overall the judges table stuff made sense and I would have been fine with any of the bottom three going.... 

But the main thing I wanted to say is I HATE last chance kitchen!!!!! I mean, at least it makes them do stuff to win their way back, but I still think it's unfair to bring someone back near the end of the competitions without having gone through everything the rest of the competitors did.

I really like the idea of Last  Chance Kitchen, particularly since the judges base their decisions on one meal, not the cumulative dishes the chefs have prepared.  If one thing goes wrong, an amazing chef is out of the competition, even though s/he may have more talent than others.  LCK is a way to give one of the chefs another opportunity to fight their way back in the competition. One-on-one face offs is a great deal of pressure, so I don't think they have it easy. Besides, if that chef isn't up to par, they won't make it past the first judge's table. 

[Rai]

5 hours ago, carrps said:

Did the show mention that there's a movie called City of Gold about him?

I don't think they did, but I was delighted to recognize so many restaurants and owners from that documentary. It reinforced just how special their relationships with him really were.

I was dreading it was going to be Stephanie last night, and I want Eric to stick around. So I was relieved it was Angelo, but I don't know how Stephanie survived based on the critiques. I guess Ruth Riechl really had the winning verdict!

[sugarbaker design]

I could've watched the cheftestants visiting Gold's favorite LA eateries all day.  The glorious food, the enthusiasm of the cheftestants, the restauranteurs' heartfelt memories of Gold, it was awesome TV.

[Bastet]

19 hours ago, Bastet said:

Crap - I forgot this was on, so only saw the last twenty minutes and there's no repeat tonight (the hell, Bravo?).  Living in L.A., I wanted to see where they went. 

Quoting myself to say I couldn't wait for a repeat to appear; having read Jonathan Gold in L.A. Weekly and the Times, and followed many of his recommendations, I had to watch this online.

I love Chengdu!  Just looking at the food, I could almost taste and smell the spices from memory.

And, of course, Mariscos Jalisco.  There are so many great taco trucks in L.A., but if I am passing anywhere close to that one, I will drop by every single time.  The shrimp taco and the seafood tostada are divine.

Lasa is really good, too; the beef tartare is delicious, from a cut of beef (flat iron steak) I don't even normally like.

But, let's be real -- all of them I've been to (also Republique and Meals by Genet) are wonderful, and it pains me I can't run out and try those I haven't right now (other than take-out, but I like to dine in the first time trying a new place).  I hope the additional exposure from this show helps these restaurants stay in business. 

It was really nice hearing the chefs talk about Gold's love for food; not only was he a great resource for figuring out where to dine across L.A., he was a joy to read.  "Our" chefs were almost secondary in this episode, I was so caught up in the local chefs and their relationship with him.

Other than the bottom three, I was drooling over the cheftestants' food as usual.  I think I'd have found Stephanie's and Eric's disappointing, but Angelo's I think I'd have put down after one bite -- I suspect the broth would have turned me off eating the tuna, even if I liked it on its own as Padma did.

[xaxat]

I laughed when they showed a shot of Ruth Reichl desperately trying trying to spoon up some of Angelo's sauce that was trying to drip down her chin.

'cause that me.

[Violet Penner]

It’s possible it’s because it’s been a long, emotional/stressful week, but stupid Top Chef made me tear up about three times. From the Floyd tribute at the beginning, to the heartfelt responses of some of the chef/owners at the restaurants, to Kevin’s story and reaction. I was a hot mess. 😭

That said, I’m so grateful this show is back. It’s just what I need right now. 

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, jaybird2 said:

Every article I read, including cnn, said he died from the virus.

I know, which is why that Wikipedia entry was weird.  I just went to check it again and it has been changed to reflect his correct cause of death being from Covid-19.  It's just strange to me that anyone would have entered it so specifically wrong.

11 hours ago, jaybird2 said:

I like Angelo also and Bryan V.  I couldn't stand his brother or Mike isabella.   I liked jen her first season..she was much kinder no attitude her first season.  Bryan was also like that.  No so with his brother and mike.

I agree with you all around.  Jen got a reputation for being all sass and attitude for the way she acted after her elimination from her All Stars season of TC.  As I recall at the time it was widely seen as inappropriate, especially coming from someone that worked for Eric Ripert.  Not sure if I recall correctly but don't think she was exactly gracious after her first season elimination either.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Yeah No

[jaybird2]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I know, which is why that Wikipedia entry was weird.  I just went to check it again and it has been changed to reflect his correct cause of death being from Covid-19.  It's just strange to me that anyone would have entered it so specifically wrong.

I agree with you all around.  Jen got a reputation for being all sass and attitude for the way she acted after her elimination from her All Stars season of TC.  As I recall at the time it was widely seen as inappropriate, especially coming from someone that worked for Eric Ripert.  Not sure if I recall correctly but don't think she was exactly gracious after her first season elimination either.

It was mainly because her association with Eric Ripert that I was taken aback with her attitude in the All Stars.  I don't remember her attitude after her first elimination.  It would be interesting if the ptb showed them in split screen.  I was totally shocked and wanted to slap her silly and snatch her bald headed!  I really want to like her mainly because she is the most  'normal' looking person.  No tats, piercings or strange hair color!  I know, I know I'm so judgmental and a 'boomer'. 

Edited March 28, 2020 by jaybird2

[JTMacc99]

I still find myself liking so many of these people and even remembering how much I liked ones I forgot about. Like Nini. She’s fun and creative and likable.

Las Vegas was my all time favorite season and Kevin my all time favorite chef. I will be sad when he gets eliminated this time (unless he wins, which is a tall order with this group), but am happy that he’s doing well to start and can take that away from this experience. 
 

Speaking of Kevin, his dish was a perfect representation of what they were supposed to do with this challenge and the exact opposite if the losing dish. His dish didn’t look like much, kind of like the way some of those restaurants in strip malls didn’t look like much on the outside, but it was delicious and you want more after you try it. Just like those strip mall. restaurants. 
 

I thought that the best criticism of the week was “these [bottom 3] chefs forgot that food is supposed to be delicious.”  
 

I remember a lot of these people being very good at remembering that, and almost all of them getting eliminated because they got lost in their heads trying to make ingredients fit a challenge. Like what Eric did this week. 

[Yeah No]

21 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

I like Angelo so was sad to see him go this early, but his dish did not sound good at all so I can't complain.  It was warranted.

I know.  It was like deja vu all over again.  I feel like he's done this to himself before.  It almost feels like he has some kind of pathological need to sabotage himself.  I know he's better than that.

[seltzer3]

10 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I know, which is why that Wikipedia entry was weird.  I just went to check it again and it has been changed to reflect his correct cause of death being from Covid-19.  It's just strange to me that anyone would have entered it so specifically wrong.

I agree with you all around.  Jen got a reputation for being all sass and attitude for the way she acted after her elimination from her All Stars season of TC.  As I recall at the time it was widely seen as inappropriate, especially coming from someone that worked for Eric Ripert.  Not sure if I recall correctly but don't think she was exactly gracious after her first season elimination either.

From what I remembered Jen was really gracious in her first season's elimination.  The weird thing was that Jen was super self-critical of herself in the first season.  She was quite perfectionist, and would beat herself up over the smallest error.  I remember there was one elimination round, (I think it was the desconstructive elimination challenge), where Jen was convinced she was going home because she made "tons of mistakes", and ended up in the top 4.

So when she had her meltdown in All-stars it was really shocking to see her so defensive and hostile to the judges.  It felt I was watching a completely different person.   I was like whoa, who are you, and what did you do to Jen?

Edited March 28, 2020 by seltzer3