S17.E11: Michael's Santa Monica

[Fukui San]

Wouldn't Malarkey-related shenanigans just be more Malarkey by definition?

[LennieBriscoe]

That would be no food service at all, during the pandemic.

1 minute ago, Fukui San said:

Wouldn't Malarkey-related shenanigans just be more Malarkey by definition?

I was toying with that, but "malarkey" is more like "ah, baloney!" as opposed to the more nefarious "shenanigans"! IMO!

[BlackberryJam]

I checked out that “misplaced plates” thing and think it was a genuine mistake. The other diners were getting the same foods. I’m certain there was a bit of chat with another table of diners talking about the croquette and something else. There was at least one prior judge at a table that I recognized. 

In addition, when Malarky got back to the kitchen, Kevin was slicing and plating more of his food to go out even though he’d already served. So those plates were going to other tables. Malarky said something along the lines of “the best portions” going to other diners instead of to the judges. 

If it had been production shenanigans, I doubt Padma would have been so quick to jump in and assure Malarky that this wasn’t going to effect judging. If it was produced drama, they would have let him stew for a few. 

Edit: And why didn’t Malarky use a different vessel? One that was designed for a duo that should not be mixed?

Edited May 29, 2020 by BlackberryJam

[wlk68]

2 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I noticed he was the only chef actively taking notes during their dinner.  He probably could have done any of the dishes well.

Upon rewatching the episode, I noticed that Gregory had his notebook out on the table as well. If you blink, you miss it. 

Add me to the Champagne Padma Fan Club. 🙂  

[CatWarmer]

23 minutes ago, wlk68 said:

Upon rewatching the episode, I noticed that Gregory had his notebook out on the table as well. If you blink, you miss it. 

Add me to the Champagne Padma Fan Club. 🙂  

And Malarkey seemed to be writing on a notebook on his lap.

[backgroundnoise]

I don't think Malarkey's serving was producer manipulation.  I just think the waiter(s) assigned to deliver to that side of the judges' table screwed up.

However, LCK?  I would have bet my next paycheck before anyone cooked, that 1) Kevin would ultimately win whoever he cooked against, and 2) the order of judging would go, "Kevin wins.  Kevin loses.  Kevin wins.", again regardless of who he cooked against and what they made.  Top Chef is probably the only competition show, besides The Great British Baking Show, where I normally think it's above producer manipulation (sob stories not withstanding), but for some reason I just don't buy that LCK.

Like some others, I've also cooled on Kevin this season.  I think it's the whiff of entitlement I get from him.

I will miss Malarkey's snide facial expressions, I must admit.  During the QF, I was right there with him in being rather disgusted with Kevin's blatant ignoring the rules and the judges blatantly ignoring it too.    Kevin should have squashed his own meatballs and served it that way.

Edited May 29, 2020 by backgroundnoise

[Lovecat]

13 minutes ago, backgroundnoise said:

I will miss Malarkey's snide facial expressions, I must admit.  During the QF, I was right there with him in being rather disgusted with Kevin's blatant ignoring the rules and the judges blatantly ignoring it too.    Kevin should have squashed his own meatballs and served it that way.

Or...made smaller meatballs?  Yeah, I didn't like the blatant bending of the challenge parameters.

In other news, I love Jonathan Waxman (aka Jedi Master).  He is just delightful 🙂

[Ashforth]

3 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I noticed he was the only chef actively taking notes during their dinner.  He probably could have done any of the dishes well.

I saw all of the chefs taking notes during the dinner.

[cameron]

14 hours ago, ProudMary said:

I didn't think it would be possible, but I actually felt bad for Malarkey. I can't blame him for freaking out that his plates didn't make it to the judges' table. How come Gail got a plate? Then the judges told him that the fact that the plates never made it to them made no difference in the way they judged him. That's crazy. How could one plate provide enough of each component to feed all four? Did each of the judges actually get to taste the components that supposedly didn't work together? If this truly was producer shenanigans, shame on them for doing something like this in the lead-up to the finale.

It was quite surprising that there are five cheftestants going to the finale. I doubt I'm the only viewer who was expecting the final four to be Bryan, Kevin, Melissa and Gregory. That they decided to take five judges to Italy and that Stephanie is a finalist, is a great bonus. She has been cooking brilliantly the past couple of episodes.

From the shallow end of the pool: Roy Yamaguchi is extremely attractive! I've eaten at one of his restaurants, and it was one of my favorite dining experiences, but I don't remember ever having seen him before. I'd say that Eric Ripert is still #1 on my "Sexy Chefs" list, but Roy just made his way to my #2 slot. 

On to Tuscany!

 

Totally agree about Roy.  He gets better lucking as he ages (in his early to mid 60's now).

[carrps]

4 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Yes, that episode involved Anthony Bourdain as the guest judge and CJ going home for his broccolini. 

As soon as I saw the broccolini, I said "Oh, no! That's what got CJ eliminated!" But Gregory is no CJ (thank og).

I've never eaten at Michael's, though it's on my bucket list. Weird. I even live on the West Side (not SM though). My sister ate there a billion years ago. She couldn't remember what she ate, but she remembered it as being exceptionally good. Then, when they served Roy's dish, she said she's pretty sure that's what she had. I certainly hope they make it through the mess we're in now.

Servergate: Interestingly, I noticed that one of the servers was from RW. I'd probably have never noticed, but my sister and I watch the show together on dvr, and we pause the show to comment nearly every minute -- honestly, it takes us 2 or 3 times longer than runtime to see the whole thing and that's with zapping the commercials -- and we happened to pause on one server. He had a particular look, so that's why I recognized him. Seems weird that they'd bring in a different waitstaff for this show.

Heh, poor country boy Kevin who always flies first class. And that it was said with such attitude is what got me. Now we know why his ol' grandma made schmancy hors d'ouevres.

[Bastet]

11 hours ago, Ashforth said:

I thought it was interesting that Michael and the judges commented that the restaurant has apparently remained sort of frozen in time in the '80's. Or at least that was my takeaway. Maybe they were only talking about the small kitchen space.

No, you were right the first time, that the whole place still* feels a bit frozen in time, but the food keeps evolving.  At one point in the episode - I think as the cheftestants were walking into the restaurant - there was a chyron quoting the headline of Jonathon Gold's 2017 review:  Michael’s in Santa Monica still looks like 1979, but it tastes very 2017.

*Apparently; I haven't been there since well before the minor redecoration in 2017, but based on Gold's review and the comments last night, "still" is accurate.

9 hours ago, dleighg said:

I kind of smirked at the QF, with the whole "airline food has come a long way." Like it's now a purchased box of cheese and crackers on any flight shorter than 6 hours!

Not in first class.  And that was hopefully the context of Kevin saying that's how he's always flown - that because he has actually had a lot of good food on flights, he has plenty of examples to draw from and knows what to make.

But then, in a challenge that didn't actually impose all the necessary parameters for airline food, he blatantly flouted one of the few they did and sent out a dish where the meatballs were higher than the bowl.  Because they could be squished down.  So squish them!  Oh, they wouldn't look good?  Then make them smaller to begin with so the dish complies with the rules of the challenge.

He's been rather frustrating this season, and I don't remember that about him from his first run.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Bastet

[dleighg]

4 minutes ago, Bastet said:

But then, in a challenge that didn't actually impose all the necessary parameters for airline food,

Yeah that was a big miss for me-- I mean how do these things taste after being heated in a hot box? (Stephanie's fish I'm looking at you). I agree that things with some sort of sauce or gravy are going to fare much better.

[Fukui San]

27 minutes ago, dleighg said:

Yeah that was a big miss for me-- I mean how do these things taste after being heated in a hot box? (Stephanie's fish I'm looking at you). I agree that things with some sort of sauce or gravy are going to fare much better.

Last time they did airplane food in a challenge, they made the point that taste buds are deadened a bit in elevation, which wasn't mentioned this time.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

Not to defend Kevin, because I don't particularly like him and I thought his comment was tone-deaf at best, but he didn't say the words "plantation food." He talked about wanting to preserve the culinary heritage of the "Plantation South," which could definitely be considered worse but is also slightly different than talking about "plantation food."  I actually can't believe he used that term in any case, and it's interesting to me that the producers kept the comments in.

 

[Brookside]

6 hours ago, Ashforth said:

 

Airplane food: a few seasons back, there was a real challenge involving creating airplane meals and the cheftestants did have to take into account the containers, the reheating method, ease of eating, etc. If I recall correctly, the service actually took place on a flight. Like some others, I have a steadily decreasing tolerance for Kevin. I disliked his arrogant attitude about fitting his meal into the prescribed container and disliked even more that his lack of meeting the challenge was dismissed by Waxman and Padma (who may have been too drunk to really notice).

 

😢

"Big flavours, fatty meats - this is what I think of as California cuisine."

Kevin's bizarro California.

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, Brookside said:

"Big flavours, fatty meats - this is what I think of as California cuisine."

 

oh yeah-- that was another one! 

[Brookside]

Sorry Stephanie, but no-one on an aeroplane wants reheated, overcooked fish.  En papillote or not, it's still going to fill that enclosed steel bullet with the smell of cat food for the rest of the flight.

[hilaryvm]

Top Chef has always been one of my favorite reality shows, and I'm not a "this show is dead to me, I'm never watching again!" person, but this episode left a seriously bad taste in my mouth.

I knew as soon as Tom said Kevin had to beat two, that no matter the food, Kevin would win the first and lose the second to up the "suspense."  I also don't think there was any change Kevin wasn't coming back from LCK.  I think the only way it could be fair is if the judging was blind.

Then the plates with Malarkey.  I've always been a fan even if he is a bit much.  Luckily he had already finished cooking since the judges not getting all their plates clearly threw him.  Also, presumably there are a set number of diners, right?  How in the world are they short 2 - 3 plates?  The plates that went to another table, where did their food end up?

I hope Melissa, Gregory, or Stephanie win.  I have nothing against Brian V., but there also nothing super interesting (to me).  He's like vanilla ice cream.  It's fine, but inot my favorite.  However, it's starting to look like Kevin has it in the bag.  I hope I'm wrong.  Like others, I liked him on his season (although I was super happy Stephanie won that season) but I've liked him less and less the more he's on.

[carrps]

1 minute ago, hilaryvm said:

However, it's starting to look like Kevin has it in the bag.  I hope I'm wrong.  Like others, I liked him on his season (although I was super happy Stephanie won that season) but I've liked him less and less the more he's on.

Michael Voltaggio won Kevin's first season.

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, Brookside said:

"Big flavours, fatty meats - this is what I think of as California cuisine."

Kevin's bizarro California.

Our jaws dropped.

We also squealed:  "Broccolini!  The cursed vegetable of the airline challenge!"

[mlp]

18 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I’m OK with the folks going to Italy except I would switch Malarkey for Kevin.  I’m just cranky about Kevin in general.  Even the way Kevin talks is getting on my nerves.

I have never been a big fan of Kevin and I've liked him less and less as this season has gone on.  I see by the numerous comments to similar effect that I'm not alone.  I feel like Tom really, really wants Kevin to win.  If he does, I'm going to be disappointed.  

I'm very happy that Stephanie made it to the finals.  She always comes across as genuine - no putting on airs.  

I enjoyed seeing Sang Yoon again.  I loved him when he was on Top Chef Masters.  I also enjoyed seeing Hunter Lewis.  I like his editorial column in Food & Wine and it was nice to see him "in person."

[susannot]

3 hours ago, cameron said:

Totally agree about Roy.  He gets better lucking as he ages (in his early to mid 60's now).

Also agree!!  I ate my last two birthday meals at his restaurant in the Ko Olina area of Oahu.  The restaurant is beautiful and his food is spectacular.

[Cotypubby]

8 hours ago, zibnchy said:

When Kevin had to choose 3 of the 5 chefs to cook (in LCK) against he first chose the two white men and finally the third man, Gregory. This tells me that he either 1) doesn't consider the women to be a threat to him or 2.) he figured he'd lose and wanted to lose to a man and not an icky girl. (Actually I think both are true.) I think he couldn't handle the idea of possibly being eliminated by a girl chef.

Kevin lost me with the plantation food episode but I was also thrown by his "we always traveled first class because grandpa was an executive" blather.

Eh, I think that's rather unfair and baseless. If he had chosen two women and Gregory, the complaint would then be that he picked women because he thinks they are weak and could beat them. No matter who he chose, people would complain.

Yes, he was a bit tone deaf with the whole plantation thing (but remember Eric was just as bad with his slavery-themed shackles-on-the-wall concept.) But I have seen nothing from him that makes me think he a misogynist who doesn't want to lose to "an icky girl."

I also don't see why people are so offended that he said he flew first class. The challenge was obviously to create food that would be served in first class, Padma & John were sitting in first class seats...

I think people just don't like him, and are latching onto any small thing they can to justify their dislike.

And don't most executive chefs have sous chefs and others under them who do a lot of the prep work and chopping? Again, why is it bad that Kevin said he has people who do that when that's standard?

[snarktini]

17 hours ago, Fukui San said:

I think Tom over the years has articulated the folly of doing duos and trios. You're essentially competing against yourself and if one part is better than the other, the judges will ask "Well, why even do the bad part?" The mixing thing is a bit of a new issue. Sometimes people do things "wrong".  But if they don't taste good together why plate them together?

I never knew about this restaurant in which dozens of big names wandered in and out, Zelig like.

Everyone knows a duo is dangerous on TC, for all the reasons you list. But for me the error was knowing the duo halves wouldn't taste good together! A good duo at least complements. So when he said the fruit was clashing badly with the truffles (which, together, yuck), still deciding to put them one forkful apart was stupid. If the truffle was a required element, then he shouldn't have gotten so hung up on the fruit to begin with.

So weird you said Zelig. That was an answer on Jeopardy this week and I have never heard of that character or heard it used in this way. Now I have!

17 hours ago, ProudMary said:

I didn't think it would be possible, but I actually felt bad for Malarkey. I can't blame him for freaking out that his plates didn't make it to the judges' table. How come Gail got a plate? Then the judges told him that the fact that the plates never made it to them made no difference in the way they judged him. That's crazy. How could one plate provide enough of each component to feed all four?

There were only some plates missing. I would have said maybe half? My question is, if everyone in the restaurant got plates -- which I think they did -- weren't there a few plates leftover? Did some tables get extras?

6 hours ago, FinnishViewer said:

I think Kevin picked Malarkey because he was sure he was going to beat Malarkey. He picked Bryan because he wanted to go head to head with him and this might have been the last chance to do that. Gregory volunteered to be the third opponent.

Kevin also described Jenn Carroll as the queen of seafood and picked her to be in his team in the first episode.So, no, I don't see  him being some chauvinist pig.

Agreed. Kevin hasn't come across well at a number of points this season, but don't think his choices here were sexist.

5 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

I checked out that “misplaced plates” thing and think it was a genuine mistake.

Edit: And why didn’t Malarky use a different vessel? One that was designed for a duo that should not be mixed?

Yeah I 100% think it was a mistake. I truly do not believe they would directly sandbag a single contestant like that.

Yes on the divided dish as well. My guess is the average restaurant doesn't have those, but something with a divider would at least indicate they shouldn't be mixed. However as I said, I still think it would have been dumb to have clashing dishes presented together.

[dleighg]

3 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

And don't most executive chefs have sous chefs and others under them who do a lot of the prep work and chopping? Again, why is it bad that Kevin said he has people who do that when that's standard?

I think it's more they way he said it. Other chefs say similar things, but more in the line of "man, I haven't had to chop onions for years!" His comment was a bit more obnoxious. Of course we all judge comments based on our preconceived biases.

[Fostersmom]

3 hours ago, backgroundnoise said:

I don't think Malarkey's serving was producer manipulation.  I just think the waiter(s) assigned to deliver to that side of the judges' table screwed up.

However, LCK?  I would have bet my next paycheck before anyone cooked, that 1) Kevin would ultimately win whoever he cooked against, and 2) the order of judging would go, "Kevin wins.  Kevin loses.  Kevin wins.", again regardless of who he cooked against and what they made.  Top Chef is probably the only competition show, besides The Great British Baking Show, where I normally think it's above producer manipulation (sob stories not withstanding), but for some reason I just don't buy that LCK.

Like some others, I've also cooled on Kevin this season.  I think it's the whiff of entitlement I get from him.

I will miss Malarkey's snide facial expressions, I must admit.  During the QF, I was right there with him in being rather disgusted with Kevin's blatant ignoring the rules and the judges blatantly ignoring it too.    Kevin should have squashed his own meatballs and served it that way.

I think Marlarkey was over the whole show when Kevin walked back in and the QF really set his mind that he was done. We saw Malarkey pounding something thinner and then cutting his pork chop down to make it fit, noting all the juices would run out. Then, well look at that, it's A-OK for Kevin just to ignore the size rule and the judges laughed it off. 

23 minutes ago, hilaryvm said:

Top Chef has always been one of my favorite reality shows, and I'm not a "this show is dead to me, I'm never watching again!" person, but this episode left a seriously bad taste in my mouth.

I knew as soon as Tom said Kevin had to beat two, that no matter the food, Kevin would win the first and lose the second to up the "suspense."  I also don't think there was any change Kevin wasn't coming back from LCK.  I think the only way it could be fair is if the judging was blind.

Then the plates with Malarkey.  I've always been a fan even if he is a bit much.  Luckily he had already finished cooking since the judges not getting all their plates clearly threw him.  Also, presumably there are a set number of diners, right?  How in the world are they short 2 - 3 plates?  The plates that went to another table, where did their food end up?

I hope Melissa, Gregory, or Stephanie win.  I have nothing against Brian V., but there also nothing super interesting (to me).  He's like vanilla ice cream.  It's fine, but inot my favorite.  However, it's starting to look like Kevin has it in the bag.  I hope I'm wrong.  Like others, I liked him on his season (although I was super happy Stephanie won that season) but I've liked him less and less the more he's on.

This whole season has left me cold. Too many second chances for people who really don't deserve them. I don't know what Tom's infatuation with Kevin is, but it's obvious. And that's as obnoxious as Kevin is. 

Malarkey was completely thrown by the missing dishes. I have a feeling he would have given them instructions on how to eat the duo if he wasn't so flustered and they all actually had dishes. I don't think it would have made a difference on how it tasted, but he would have been more confident in his outcome. Combine the EC and the QF, and it was pretty clear Malarkey didn't have any more fucks to give, especially since he seems to be the most successful person there, except for Tom. As Malarkey as Malarkey is, he's extremely successful at what he does, and was ready to go home and be done with TC, at least for now. 

[snarktini]

45 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

We saw Malarkey pounding something thinner and then cutting his pork chop down to make it fit, noting all the juices would run out. Then, well look at that, it's A-OK for Kevin just to ignore the size rule and the judges laughed it off. 

Worth noting that Kevin didn't actually win the QF and I'd bet money that one of the reasons was that he didn't fulfill the challenge parameters. (That said, I'd bet the bigger reason was that Melissa's was just better!) So, they really liked his dish but he not rewarded with a win. However, I wish the judges had verbalized that. If they didn't take that into consideration, it's definitely bullshit.

Not sure why Malarkey didn't cut his pork thinner to begin with, rather than getting it all nice and caramelized and THEN having to cut it down. Not that anything would have saved uncuttably tough pork. (Though Champagne Padma was probably exaggerating for effect.)

Edited May 29, 2020 by snarktini

[albarino]

Scratched my head at Gregory's broccoli rabe as either a salad or an appetizer.  It was neither; it was a side dish but he got a pass on that.

Also scratched my head at "airlines food is now good."  Nope.  MY husband and I have enough frequent flyer miles with AA that we only fly first class. Sorry, Jonathan Waxman, the food isn't all that great.

BTW, we've eaten at his Adele's restaurant in Nashville a couple of times and the food was great.  We've eaten at Tom's restaurant off of the East River (River Park?) and we thought it was also great.  Interesting to know Jonathan was an AA consultant.  

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, hilaryvm said:

Then the plates with Malarkey.  I've always been a fan even if he is a bit much.  Luckily he had already finished cooking since the judges not getting all their plates clearly threw him.  Also, presumably there are a set number of diners, right?  How in the world are they short 2 - 3 plates?  The plates that went to another table, where did their food end up?

I assume the plates went to the wrong table at the specific time the judges were meant to be served. Everyone might be getting the same food, but all the plates are not going out at the same moment; the courses are being timed, and especially so for the judges and their guests. So at the time the judges are meant to be tasting and evaluating on camera, another table is digging into a few of their plates rather than when they were actually scheduled to be served their own.

[biakbiak]

I have grown from indifference to actively disliking Kevin.

3 hours ago, eleanorofaquitaine said:

Not to defend Kevin, because I don't particularly like him and I thought his comment was tone-deaf at best, but he didn't say the words "plantation food." He talked about wanting to preserve the culinary heritage of the "Plantation South," which could definitely be considered worse but is also slightly different than talking about "plantation food."  I actually can't believe he used that term in any case, and it's interesting to me that the producers kept the comments in.

 

The fact that he used that phrasing in a challenge where his competitor’s concept was all about the slave trade says a lot about Kevin and none of it good.

[Miss chi chi]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

I have never been a big fan of Kevin and I've liked him less and less as this season has gone on.  I see by the numerous comments to similar effect that I'm not alone.  I feel like Tom really, really wants Kevin to win.  If he does, I'm going to be disappointed.  

 

Padma is also on record saying that Kevin is one of her favorites. I think Kevin has to blatantly screw this up to not win.

I stated unthread why Kevin has gone from one of my favorites, to my least of the chefs remaining. 

This feels a little like the redemtion for Richard Blais all stars. Stephanie kicked his butt in their original season and I hate that he tried to steal that win from her.

I'm also bored with the thought of two southern chefs in a row winning Top Chef.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Miss chi chi

[Ashforth]

4 hours ago, carrps said:

Heh, poor country boy Kevin who always flies first class. And that it was said with such attitude is what got me. Now we know why his ol' grandma made schmancy hors d'ouevres.

I know, right?

8 hours ago, AnnaBaptist said:

The producers also purposely assign them food budgets at Whole Foods that would make it impossible for them to serve large entrees. They don't want to see a lot of food go to waste, and the small portions are so attractively displayed. 

I didn't get that tiny portions were part of the assignment; I think it's more that they reflect 2020 style, which will someday be as outdated as 1980's style. I haven't seen the show pay any particular attention to food conservation.

1 hour ago, Cotypubby said:

Yes, he was a bit tone deaf with the whole plantation thing (but remember Eric was just as bad with his slavery-themed shackles-on-the-wall concept.) 

No, I do not agree with this at all. Eric (as heavy-handed as I found him) is about food as a (hopefully delicious) political statement to keep the exploitation and suppression of slaves from Africa front of mind, and showing respect by trying to make West African food more accessible. This resonates with me more than ever given current events.

Kevin was like, "good times at the Plantation! Let's do a shot, Grandma!"

59 minutes ago, albarino said:

Also scratched my head at "airlines food is now good."  Nope.  MY husband and I have enough frequent flyer miles with AA that we only fly first class. Sorry, Jonathan Waxman, the food isn't all that great.

I'm an infrequent flyer and a Southwest Airlines gal (ducks) so when I had the chance to fly Jet Blue on a business trip, the "cheese plate" that was available for purchase seemed super high end, LOL (it was three different processed cheeses with crackers and maybe nuts?)

I have never flown first class but it sounds nice.

[albarino]

8 minutes ago, Ashforth said:

I have never flown first class but it sounds nice

Nope, only roomier. Every flight begins and ends at the same time. 🙂. I only brought this up because I fly on AA and the premise was meals are really good.  Seriously, everything is fine.  Let's have a QF for fun, not for real.    

[Irlandesa]

13 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I think Malarkey just miscounted, and I don't think the wait staff did anything wrong.  

I think if Malarkey miscounted and everyone actually had all their plates, that would have been pointed out. The fact that everyone reiterated he wouldn't be judged for the mixup is a pretty clear sign there was a mixup.

 

[dmeets]

That whiny bitch seriously seemed to think one of his beautiful plates going to a commoner at another table is what got him eliminated. Who the hell puts two dishes on a plate that they know would taste like crap together? Did he have a palate cleanser meant to be taken between halves of the plate? Also, I lost count of the number of eye rolls he made before and after the QF. Hope the door hit you on the way out, jackass.

Thank goodness he’s gone, now I can root for anyone but Kevin (who’s totally gonna win).

Edited May 30, 2020 by dmeets

[StrictTime]

4 hours ago, albarino said:

 

Also scratched my head at "airlines food is now good."  Nope.  MY husband and I have enough frequent flyer miles with AA that we only fly first class. Sorry, Jonathan Waxman, the food isn't all that great.

I have to agree. We fly first on AA frequently and will almost always skip the food service, because it’s flat-out gross. I’ll only eat a cheese plate (if there are any left by the time the attendant gets to me; seems like everyone only wants the cheese plate lol).

[suebee12]

I don't fly often and usually buy the $5 box deal...better than peanuts at least! But my son flies quite frequently because of conferences he attends(missed out on Ecuador this summer) and his favorite meals have been on Turkish Air. Lots of choices and they have snacks that one can go back and get when you want one. He brought me home the menus and they sure sounded great! Anyone fly Turkish Air?

[rozen]

Food on international flights is surprisingly good, especially the curries. I thought Melissa's idea was very smart, easy to reheat and eat in your seat. She's finishing strong, I'm excited to see what she puts together in Italy!

Also was cheering for Stephanie for not letting nervousness keep her from blowing the socks off so many well-known chefs! I bet a bunch of wealthy people will keep her booked up for the foreseeable future. I like how she doesn't play off how excited she is about getting international travel prizes. 

Padma slamming down that little snack container and slurring "what's your favorite nut?" to Waxman made me crack up so hard.

Gregory's gotten the wind up about presenting to people he's a big fan of twice in a row. I hope he chills a bit before the finale, which will almost assuredly have an even more star-studded final table.

Edited May 30, 2020 by rozen

[MVFrostsMyPie]

No offense to him, but I'm going to be extremely disappointed if Chef "Country Captain" Kevin wins. Preference is for Gregory to win it all, with Melissa or Stephanie coming close. 

I feel like I really bothered sticking with TC this season because, coronapocalypse, but I am reminded of how half the reason I stopped watching the last few seasons is because Padma really rubs me the wrong way. Like I still don't get why she gets to judge chefs and her criticism never seems constructive. Also, queue major eye roll with "have any of you been to Italy (like *I* have a million times? In business class?)?"

Edited May 30, 2020 by MVFrostsMyPie

[Fukui San]

Rewatching the episode. Kudos to the editors for slyly including the comment about Brian Voltaggio's dish "There were two sauces on the plate and they worked very well together" as a prelude to Malarkey's meltdown over diners mixing together two sauces WHICH WERE ACTUALLY TOUCHING EACH OTHER ON THE PLATE.

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Everyone might be getting the same food, but all the plates are not going out at the same moment; the courses are being timed, and especially so for the judges and their guests. So at the time the judges are meant to be tasting and evaluating on camera, another table is digging into a few of their plates rather than when they were actually scheduled to be served their own.

All the dishes were plated at the same time. The difference in timing was the limited waitstaff, so they had to go back into the kitchen and get dishes after they served some tables. You can see them continue to serve as the judges are eating. 

[Bastet]

27 minutes ago, rozen said:

Also was cheering for Stephanie for not letting nervousness keep her from blowing the socks off so many well-known chefs!

It seems that the longer she has endured against chefs with stronger credentials (whether on paper and/or in her mind), the more confident she has become, which has led to her not just holding her own but coming out on top, or a close second, in recent challenges.  However it ultimately turns out (I don't expect her to win the whole thing, but for a while I'd have figured she'd go out one, two, or three rounds earlier than this, so I'm not counting anyone out at this point), I hope that confidence holds in the finals, and I'm really glad she's earned a place there; she's one of my favorite people in all of TC, and she's shown all-star chefs don't have to all come from the same career path.

[dewelar]

I didn't get the chance to watch until tonight, but I noticed something about the elimination challenge: Melissa, who picked first, won. Gregory and Malarkey, who picked next-to-last and last, finished next-to-last and last. How often does that happen, I wonder?

To be frank, and I know this will be an unpopular sentiment: I will miss Malarkey greatly, as I need as much joy as I can get right now, quality of cooking be damned since, after all, I can't taste it anyway 😞 . I may even skip the finale.

[ShawnaLanne]

5 hours ago, Ashforth said:

I know, right?

I didn't get that tiny portions were part of the assignment; I think it's more that they reflect 2020 style, which will someday be as outdated as 1980's style. I haven't seen the show pay any particular attention to food conservation.

No, I do not agree with this at all. Eric (as heavy-handed as I found him) is about food as a (hopefully delicious) political statement to keep the exploitation and suppression of slaves from Africa front of mind, and showing respect by trying to make West African food more accessible. This resonates with me more than ever given current events.

Kevin was like, "good times at the Plantation! Let's do a shot, Grandma!"

I'm an infrequent flyer and a Southwest Airlines gal (ducks) so when I had the chance to fly Jet Blue on a business trip, the "cheese plate" that was available for purchase seemed super high end, LOL (it was three different processed cheeses with crackers and maybe nuts?)

I have never flown first class but it sounds nice.

I got bumped up once, better service, lots more room, better access to a bathroom and warm towels to clean my hands. It's different.

[Kindred Spirit]

I have to admit, I do suspect shenanigans with Malarkey's plates. The servers know what the timer represents! The plates that the chefs are slaving over are intended for the judges, and only the judges! Why would those particular servings go anywhere other than the most significant table in the place? Especially because this wasn't a Restaurant Wars situation, with tables ordering. Every diner may be getting the same course, but the ones the cheftestants touch go out first, and to the most important table. I refuse to believe that either the professional servers who work at Michael's, full time, or actors hired to staff the night of filming would make such a mistake. Particularly when they got it right for every other course!

I certainly like Brian enough to wish that he hadn't been upset and thrown off like that. What a terrible disadvantage! Even if the judges claimed that he wasn't penalized in their estimation, he didn't seem to feel the same about his food as he did before the "mishap". And I agree that Padma doesn't seem to be kindly disposed towards Mr. Malarkey. Which he bears like a champ! I don't think I could be so gracious in the face of such scorn. 

On a side note, I enjoy Malarkey's food. I lived in San Diego, and have had the privilege of dining at a couple of his restaurants. They're fun places to eat, in the sense that the atmosphere is well-chosen and designed to encourage a good time, and the food's delicious.

Looks like I'm the last person wholeheartedly rooting for Kevin, which is fine. I still think his food looks wonderful, and would love to try it, though my chances of doing so are slim, since I live in LA. He does seem less sunny than he was in Las Vegas, but he's gone through a lot since then, so I'm not surprised. I guess I'm still bitter that Kevin lost to the arrogant and unpleasant Michael Voltaggio, whom I never liked. The contempt in which the younger Voltaggio brother held Kevin and his food always rankled.

At any rate, this should be a great finale. I'm thrilled that both Melissa and Stephanie are doing so well at just the right time! I'm not surprised that Gregory made it to the end–he's been a strong competitor throughout. Bryan's struggle to get to Italy actually has been a revelation, since he hardly put a foot wrong, his first time competing, and on Top Chef Masters. The hard part will be seeing who gets eliminated.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Kindred Spirit said:

didn't seem to feel the same about his food as he did before the "mishap".

That’s because he is a child who was having a tantrum. He put two dishes on the same plate, that were touching and then admitted that mixing them would be gross, that is beyond stupid. Also, for someone who insisted that he had a very specific way it should be eaten from light to heavy he didn’t tell the diners that. 

I have no problem believing that it didn’t make a difference in judging all these people regularly share dishes.

Edited May 30, 2020 by biakbiak

[Vermicious Knid]

I think the last time I was served an actual meal on a flight was on British Air back in the late 90s. It was pretty good though. This puts me in mind of the gag on Airplane! where people are getting sick from the food. "They had a choice of chicken or steak." "Yes I remember, I had the fish."

Tom liked Kevin's bacon jam so much he started using it at one of his restaurants. I believe this is the one and only time a judge has taken an idea from a cheftestant.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

3 hours ago, suebee12 said:

I don't fly often and usually buy the $5 box deal...better than peanuts at least! But my son flies quite frequently because of conferences he attends(missed out on Ecuador this summer) and his favorite meals have been on Turkish Air. Lots of choices and they have snacks that one can go back and get when you want one. He brought me home the menus and they sure sounded great! Anyone fly Turkish Air?

Yes! I flew on Turkish Air a few years ago and it was probably the most pleasant flight I've ever been on (the only thing I would complain about is that they seem to like their planes to be on the toastier side, even if you open up the air valve to blast cool air at you). We got actual silverware and a custom menu with different choices for entree and dessert (I seriously kept the menu as a souvenir). And this was just in regular economy class (I've never flown first class, unlike Country Captain Kevin). And the food, dare I say, was not just edible, but even flavorful. 

[caitmcg]

4 hours ago, biakbiak said:

All the dishes were plated at the same time. The difference in timing was the limited waitstaff, so they had to go back into the kitchen and get dishes after they served some tables. You can see them continue to serve as the judges are eating. 

The judges’ dishes were all plated at the same time, but not the dishes for the whole room. Melissa and Malsrkey were the last two to present their dishes to the judges, and when they return to the kitchen and he talks about how mad he is about the plate mixup, he’s right next to Kevin, who’s slicing and plating duck, then we see Stephanie finishing plates that are lined up on the pass. 

[Ashforth]

6 hours ago, dewelar said:

To be frank, and I know this will be an unpopular sentiment: I will miss Malarkey greatly, as I need as much joy as I can get right now, quality of cooking be damned since, after all, I can't taste it anyway 😞 . I may even skip the finale.

Scoot over, honey, I'll sit with you. But you have to stay for the finale.