S17.E13: Parma

[zibnchy]

I went back and rewatched the last 15 or so minutes of the episode. The first time I watched I was so anxious about who was PYKAGing that I missed some of the finer details. 

The two women  rock. I love them both. If I had to choose I would go with Team Melissa BUT Stephanie is awesome. Regardless of how she finishes, her performance will likely be a huge boost for her career. Hope they finish 1st and 2nd.

I'm no Bryan fan. Not once have I been excited about his food. To me he is just another bland, blond man. But he seems like a fundamentally decent guy and, I suspect, he was under a huge amount of pressure (family and financial) to succeed.

OK so, wow, Kevin was a giant turd here. He had to be able to see that Bryan was gutted (I actually think Bryan was trying very hard not to tear up on camera ) and he went in for the kill. There was really no excuse for his behavior, except that Kevin is a bag of dicks. If you freeze frame on the judges right after Kevin's "soulful" comment, you can actually see the light (finally) go out in Tom's eyes. Padma kinda looks like she's imagining what she could do with Kevin's knives before he packs them to go. And Gail just looks disappointed and sad. (I like Gail and do not want her to be disappointed and sad.)

He didn't see it coming. I enjoyed his PYKAG even more than the first one earlier this season.

Edit to add one more thing: Did Kevin really hug (and give a little pep talk to) Bryan on the way out and completely ignore the two women who had just kicked his ass in this competition? I already dislike him but that was a WTF moment. Could have been editing I guess.

 

Edited June 13, 2020 by zibnchy

[nokat]

On Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 8:02 PM, Bastet said:

Stephanie and Melissa kicked ass!  And I fucking loved watching the guys’ “wait, what, the chicks rather than us?” reaction when they were announced as the top two.  Yep.

^^^^So much yes to this.
 

[nokat]

On Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 8:25 PM, dbell1 said:

Stephanie has been impressive. The private chef that bloomed is a great story. Of all the food they’ve shown, I’d eat hers first. Would it kill these people to give her a win?

Watching her gain confidence, make amazing food, enjoy her first trip to Italy and then be in the top two has been probably the best Top Chef I've watched.
 

[LBS]

47 minutes ago, nokat said:

Watching her gain confidence, make amazing food, enjoy her first trip to Italy and then be in the top two has been probably the best Top Chef I've watched.

100%!  It’s been so gratifying to watch her grow in spirit and strength.  I loved her and Melissa hugging at the end.  I feel that Melissa really wants her to be there and is rooting for her despite being the competition.  I also really like Melissa and Bryan.   This is going to be a tough finale because I like all of them!  I usually have one I’m so-so on but with these three, I’m happy if anyone of them wins. 
 
side note:  my parents and me had a bet going from the beginning on who would win.  We each had to pick 2 strong contestants and a dark horse. Loser buys dinner next time we can all see each other .  (March... seems like 7 years ago and probably won’t be able to see them until July)  We all had Gregory. My dad had Bryan V and Nini.   I had Eric and Karen as my other two.  My mom had Eric and Stephanie!  So I’m invested in both now.  Literally. 

[BrainyBlonde]

Wow. Bryan V. might want to rethink his friendship with Kevin because a friend would not twist the knife in you after you've been verbally stabbed and are bleeding out. I honestly had a very hard time watching that whole bit with Padma telling Bryan all of these revered Italian chefs thought his dish had no soul followed by Kevin stepping forward to say that he put all of his heart and soul into his dishes as his defense for why he dumped so much cheese on his first dish, then overcooked his pork and treated his prosciutto as an afterthought. Your friend is standing there, trying to hold back tears, you jerk! I get that this is a competition, but that was just unnecessarily thoughtless and cruel. Kevin could have tooted his own horn without throwing Bryan under the bus, then backing up over him. UGH So glad the judges finally cut Kevin loose as he's bugged me for a variety of reasons all season and I think that final dick move shows that his character is seriously lacking.

Like everyone else, I adore all three finalists and will be delighted for whichever chef wins. Bravo to all of them! I do sort of wish that Bryan had won the EC last week and Stephanie had won this week because it would have meant so much to both of them and it would make this finale seem more evenly matched. As things stand now, I feel like Melissa has this in the bag unless Lee Anne royally screws up as her sous.

Speaking of the sous chefs in the finale, I think all three of them are more likely to be hindrances than a help. The show couldn't have given the finalists any worse options. I'm surprised they don't all say, "I'm good on my own. Thanks anyway." I know Gregory couldn't assist anyone because of his back being out, but I would have brought back Eric, Nini, and Jenn Carroll as they've all had moments of brilliance on the show and are very hard workers.

Since we saw Bryan talking to his brother via video while in the kitchen during the finale, it seems that each chef will be allowed some outside help. It'll be interesting to see who Stephanie and Melissa choose to call.

[Ashforth]

20 hours ago, backgroundnoise said:

I really wonder what Brian's cheese foam tasted like.  It did not look appetizing, but I often think that about his food.  Have foams become classics?  The dish did not look that appetizing even after they mixed the foam with the pasta.

I think foams were a fad whose wow factor is long gone. They're no longer innovative, that's for sure. Maybe a frico of the parmesan could have helped Bryan's texture problem.

I was heartily amused when Kevin made his long, long journey around the table to make reach after intrusive reach to heap massive amounts of his soul Kraft grated Parmesan cheese onto each dish. Tom's attempts to keep from bursting into laughter were hilarious, Padma looked annoyed, and the rest of the judges seemed be wondering wtf is happening? It was Top Chef gold.

Edited June 13, 2020 by Ashforth

[CatWarmer]

I live on the west coast with the delayed broadcast so sometimes peek at the boards while the show is on to spoil myself if I get worried about a chef.  I did that this week and was so happy and relieved to see that Kevin was going.  I was then able to really enjoy the show and think nyah nyah Kevin on his attitude.  Won’t need to do that next week since I’ll be happy with any winner.

[biakbiak]

On 6/11/2020 at 8:25 PM, dbell1 said:

The private chef that bloomed is a great story. Of all the food they’ve shown, I’d eat hers first. Would it kill these people to give her a win?

Though I do think the private chef thing is a little blown up, yes she is currently doing private cheffing but she has spent years working in kitchens. She is bffs with Kristen Kish and they met when they were working together under Barbara Lynch.

[mlp]

3 hours ago, BrainyBlonde said:

Wow. Bryan V. might want to rethink his friendship with Kevin because a friend would not twist the knife in you after you've been verbally stabbed and are bleeding out. I honestly had a very hard time watching that whole bit with Padma telling Bryan all of these revered Italian chefs thought his dish had no soul followed by Kevin stepping forward to say that he put all of his heart and soul into his dishes as his defense for why he dumped so much cheese on his first dish, then overcooked his pork and treated his prosciutto as an afterthought. Your friend is standing there, trying to hold back tears, you jerk! I get that this is a competition, but that was just unnecessarily thoughtless and cruel. Kevin could have tooted his own horn without throwing Bryan under the bus, then backing up over him. UGH So glad the judges finally cut Kevin loose as he's bugged me for a variety of reasons all season and I think that final dick move shows that his character is seriously lacking.

Agreed.  I've seen Kevin's sister on FB praising him and blaming all the negative comments people have made on, of course, editing.  Some impressions can be created that way certainly but the above scenario happened as we saw it.  No editing necessary.

[Yeah No]

On 6/12/2020 at 9:37 AM, sugarbaker design said:

Right, and so have I.  But as Brian mentioned several times, he is a proud Italian-American chef competing in a cooking competition in Italy.  To not have the intellectual curiosity to learn Italian (like Padma) is reflective of his workmanlike attitude and his lack of soul and passion.

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion.  Brian is an introvert, so his passion is directed inward and can easily be misinterpreted as not being there.  The criticism of the dish IMO was harsh.  I think the Italian judges were extremely unforgiving given that these were probably all excellent dishes, but they overdid it for the TV drama value to justify their criticisms.  Plus if anyone's ever watched the Italian "MasterChef", Joe Bastianich and all the judges on that are especially brutal.  So maybe it's a cultural thing, too.

Plus, I'd bet my bank account that the Voltaggio brothers are only Italian on their father's side, and growing up with their divorced mom In Maryland, which isn't exactly like NY in terms of Italian neighborhoods and culture, didn't get as much exposure to their Italian heritage.  They are likely 3rd or 4th generation Italian American anyway.  I'm a 3rd generation half-Italian myself so I know.  I was close to my Italian relatives but none of them spoke Italian at home so I never learned it.  My mother knew it but she knew 3 languages.  I studied Spanish in school because they didn't offer Italian.  Growing up in NYC I learned as much about Italian American culture from going to the Italian neighborhoods and being around a lot of Italian Americans as I learned at home.  Not sure that's as possible in Maryland.

Also, Bryan doesn't strike me as being particularly intellectual, but I don't think he has to be to be a great chef.  In interviews he admits to being more of the hunting/fishing type than anything else.

This is a photo of the brothers kissing their mom, Sharon (probably taken several years ago), and she doesn't look Italian to me:

Edited June 13, 2020 by Yeah No

[VintageJ]

4 hours ago, BrainyBlonde said:

Speaking of the sous chefs in the finale, I think all three of them are more likely to be hindrances than a help. The show couldn't have given the finalists any worse options. I'm surprised they don't all say, "I'm good on my own. Thanks anyway." I know Gregory couldn't assist anyone because of his back being out, but I would have brought back Eric, Nini, and Jenn Carroll as they've all had moments of brilliance on the show and are very hard workers.

I’m not so sure.  Brian was great in Restaurant Wars.  He knew exactly how to step back and he was a great asset.  I think he will be fine.

LeeAnn, she gets frazzled easily and in the preview, Melissa notes that she has opinions.  Can’t remember exactly what she said.  

And I think Kevin will be fine with Bryan.  He will want Bryan to win So unless he overcooks something, I think he will be fine.  

I think LeeAnn might be the weak link due to time management issues. 

[Quilt Fairy]

It's too bad they don't do what I remember from a TC Masters finale, which is bring in a sous chef from their own restaurant that they're used to working with. 

[TVbitch]

^^ I just binged the current season of TC Canada and in that finale they did the same thing. 

[wlk68]

26 minutes ago, VintageJ said:

I’m not so sure.  Brian was great in Restaurant Wars.  He knew exactly how to step back and he was a great asset.  I think he will be fine.

LeeAnn, she gets frazzled easily and in the preview, Melissa notes that she has opinions.  Can’t remember exactly what she said.  

And I think Kevin will be fine with Bryan.  He will want Bryan to win So unless he overcooks something, I think he will be fine.  

I think LeeAnn might be the weak link due to time management issues. 

I'm curious to see how Malarkey does in the sous role. This is a man whose brain goes a million miles an hour and in multiple directions pretty much all the time. Malarkey is also a bit of a showman and likes to be the center of attention.  Will he be able to buckle down and focus on executing Stephanie's vision? Or will he try to add his own touch to her dishes?

[zibnchy]

I'm thrilled that neither of the women have to deal with Kevin as sous chef. I'm not suggesting he would sabotage anyone but he could have a shit attitude. I'd like to think he wouldn't have a shit attitude but, well, we've met Kevin so I wouldn't put it past him. He and Bryan are, or were, friends so it should be fine. Especially if there are meatballs on the menu.

 

[biakbiak]

37 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

It's too bad they don't do what I remember from a TC Masters finale, which is bring in a sous chef from their own restaurant that they're used to working with. 

In this case only Brian would have one, neither Melissa or Stephanie are working in restaurants and haven’t for a bit.

Edited June 13, 2020 by biakbiak

[xtwheeler]

On 6/11/2020 at 8:36 PM, avecsans said:

People change, but Kevin seemed like a different person this time around. Whether it’s due to his bout with cancer, a good Las Vegas edit, or something else entirely, I don’t know. But man, what a pompous prat.  I think Tom’s opinion of Kevin went down when he spooned the cheese on the diners’ plates like he was at the freaking Olive Garden.

At least at the Olive Garden they ask you first, and you can tell them when to stop. Kevin just dropped a huge parmigiana bomb with no finesse or really even any reason.

On 6/12/2020 at 11:40 AM, backgroundnoise said:

I really wonder what Brian's cheese foam tasted like.  It did not look appetizing, but I often think that about his food.  Have foams become classics?  The dish did not look that appetizing even after they mixed the foam with the pasta.  I am curious about what makes a dish soulless, though.   Too plain or weird looking?

I wish I could remember which chef referred to foam as "cat spit" because (1) accurate AF; and (2) I think of that EVERY time I see a chef deploy one. Foam is over. Stop trying to make foam happen.

20 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

I can understand why some food seems to lack passion or soul and I think it’s a valid criticism, especially of a high level chef. I can’t explain what it’s like to eat soulless food, but it’s ...like eating something where I like all the ingredients and in theory, it should be delicious, but somehow isn’t. 

I would describe it as akin to eating food that has no salt in it. Salt's main culinary role is to make foods taste more intensely like themselves (think of a perfectly ripe tomato still warm from the garden with a little salt sprinkled on it OMG). I think there is a similar quality to food made with passion/heart/soul. Somehow the food just tastes more intensely like itself. I'm sure someday we'll discover that nostalgia or passion heightens your tastebuds so making food you love is truly more delicious or something, but I do believe it is a real thing.

19 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

When the guest judge told Bryan that the P-R has salt crystals in it and by foaming it he eliminated those crystals, I thought, "That's a technical error which he probably only made because it's the first time he's made this dish and won't make again." 

I was absolutely shocked by this comment, because it is totally factually incorrect. The crystals in parmigiano and indeed in many cheeses are one of two substances, tyrosine (a protein) crystals or calcium lactate. I mean, calcium lactate is *A* salt, but it is not culinary/table salt (sodium chloride) (and I do not believe he was being Mr. Chemistry and pointing out A salt had formed). Tyrosine crystals are the interior crunchy white crystals, and the calcium lactate can be exterior or interior.  The only "salt" salt would be on the exterior of a washed-rind cheese. Thank you for coming to my Cheese Ted Talk.

Oh, yeah. As much as I really, really do like Bryan, I was disappointed when Melissa's name was called (thus meaning one of the boys was going home) and Bryan reacted with obvious disappointment and something like an "oh man!" and looking at Kevin. I understand his reaction and I know that he wanted to be there with his best friend and one of them was going home, but it was pretty ugly not to congratulate Stephanie (next to whom he was standing) before acknowledging to Kevin that one of them was going home. I'm not going to stop liking him, but it was a disappointing moment.

I honestly don't know who to root for.  A Stephanie win would shock everyone out of their shoes, so I think I'm rooting for Stephanie.

BTW, it was mentioned above, and keeps coming up in some context or another each year, and it really bugs me. I don't think Tom has a male-chef bias (if anything I think the SHOW may have, but not Tom personally). I say this in part because of how vocal and supportive Tom has been about #metoo particularly in kitchens (which are toxically anti-woman for the most part). Tom was one of the first chefs to come out condemning sexism in the industry, and this was before Batali, Besh, Chiarello, etc. had been accused and resigned (and I think Batali is still facing criminal charges). Tom has been out front (admitting his mistakes having a toxic kitchen in the past) in his industry on the topic. The fact that he and the late Anthony Bourdain (I can't type his name without tearing up) have both been advocates for women in the industry really warms my heart.

Tom's open letter on sexism in the kitchen can be found here: https://medium.com/@tcolicchio/an-open-letter-to-male-chefs-742ca722e8f2

My favorite part: 

"Let’s start with this: Assessing a woman as a body, rather than as a person with a mind, character, and talent, denies the full measure of her humanity. It’s wrong and it demeans us all.  Real men don’t need to be told this." PREACH IT TOM.

 

[dleighg]

8 minutes ago, xtwheeler said:

I was absolutely shocked by this comment, because it is totally factually incorrect. The crystals in parmigiano and indeed in many cheeses are one of two substances, tyrosine (a protein) crystals or calcium lactate. I mean, calcium lactate is *A* salt, but it is not culinary/table salt (sodium chloride) (and I do not believe he was being Mr. Chemistry and pointing out A salt had formed). Tyrosine crystals are the interior crunchy white crystals, and the calcium lactate can be exterior or interior.  The only "salt" salt would be on the exterior of a washed-rind cheese. Thank you for coming to my Cheese Ted Talk.

thank you for writing this. The first time I experienced these crystals was in a cheese course in Rome, with a serving of Fiore Di Sardegna. I made it a point to look up the science. We LOVED that cheese. 

[carrps]

1 minute ago, dleighg said:

thank you for writing this. The first time I experienced these crystals was in a cheese course in Rome, with a serving of Fiore Di Sardegna. I made it a point to look up the science. We LOVED that cheese. 

Is that Fire of Sardinia?

 

ETA: Reminds me of Francesca Fiore.

Edited June 13, 2020 by carrps

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, carrps said:

Is that Fire of Sardinia?

Flower

[carrps]

1 minute ago, dleighg said:

Flower

Ah. My Italian is very rudimentary. Thx!

[amarante]

FWIW, closed captions wrote “sniffles” while Bryan was reacting to the soulless comment. 

[Ellee]

I love the three and want them all to make it impossible for the judges to decide. 

[TVbitch]

1 hour ago, amarante said:

FWIW, closed captions wrote “sniffles” while Bryan was reacting to the soulless comment. 

CC can be unintentionally hilarious sometimes. He looked pained and teary to me but there were no sniffles. 

[theatremouse]

6 hours ago, mlp said:

Agreed.  I've seen Kevin's sister on FB praising him and blaming all the negative comments people have made on, of course, editing.  Some impressions can be created that way certainly but the above scenario happened as we saw it.  No editing necessary.

I might be misremembering but I think there were cuts between when Padma said the "souless" thing to Bryan and when Kevin said the "soulful" thing about himself. I'm not a fan of Kevin and was glad he got the boot, but we don't have any way of knowing the sequence actually happened in the order it was presented (or that an hour didn't pass between the two moments). The way that comment landed as so obviously in contrast the previous critique was very smart work from an editor.

[nokat]

3 hours ago, xtwheeler said:

The only "salt" salt would be on the exterior of a washed-rind cheese. Thank you for coming to my Cheese Ted Talk.

I loved this, and I'll go to your TED talk.
 

[nokat]

3 hours ago, xtwheeler said:

I don't think Tom has a male-chef bias (if anything I think the SHOW may have, but not Tom personally)

There is definitely a bias in the industry, but I've been wondering if women and men have a very different preference for certain tastes. I know there is a very difference within a family.
 

[xtwheeler]

15 minutes ago, nokat said:

There is definitely a bias in the industry, but I've been wondering if women and men have a very different preference for certain tastes. I know there is a very difference within a family.
 

You're absolutely right about the industry. It is one of the most toxically sexist work environments in the world, on top of all the other problematic things going on there (the completely out of control substance abuse, the belief that abuse produces better results, the punishing hours head chefs impose because "that's how I did it," and the notion that the good chefs are the bad boys--the binge drinking, smoking, drug use, and dishing out abuse types. Thomas Keller whispers in his kitchen.  Bradley Ogden's kitchen is quiet and well-organized enough in the middle of dinner service on a Saturday that he gave me a full walking tour that took about 20 minutes. There IS another way to chef.

There's almost always a "fiery bad boy" in each Top Chef season, though it seems like they usually leave early, between being so busy acting like a bad boy they forget to cook well within time, and Tom's distaste for that style chef.

In the shallow end for a second, Bryan is still adorable to me (his instagram is great -- he posed with the chitarra he used last episode on his timeline), and Tom remains the hottest thing to ever come out of Elizabeth, NJ, only made hotter by his activism.

[nokat]

I don't like the drama, just show me the food and where to go.

It really is that, right. 

 

Edited June 14, 2020 by nokat

[Lois Sandborne]

14 hours ago, zibnchy said:

 

I'm no Bryan fan. Not once have I been excited about his food. To me he is just another bland, blond man. But he seems like a fundamentally decent guy and, I suspect, he was under a huge amount of pressure (family and financial) to succeed.

I really like Bryan. I think he got off to a good start with me during his original season, because he was set off against his brother,  who really did annoy me. He solidified that good opinion, especially this season, making a lot of good-looking, interesting-sounding food that appeals to me because I rarely get the chance to dine finely, and I enjoy thinking about things made with his level of precision and care. But I can't argue with bland, blonde man. In my living room, I couldn't argue with the two Italian chefs who were dragging him. "No soul" is kind of an unkind reduction of everything they knocked him for (, Padma). In saying that he flattened the flavors and his dishes didn't show passion for the ingredients, they were echoing thoughts I've had about him. That he seems super committed and devoted to making good food, he loves food history and learning about ingredients and hearing stories about food, about people's relationships to food, but I don't know that he loves food, like loves eating it and making it for its own  sake. I have no idea what his Sunday morning pancakes look like, is what I'm saying.

However, I'm still a fan. When they snuck in the shot of him lovingly spraying that whipped parmesan onto the plates, I laughed out loud and said, "Never change, Bryan."

Meanwhile, shout out to Stephanie for again highlighting vegetables without being asked, and apparently making them sing. If she'd won over Melissa last week as she should have, I would've felt better about her losing again this week. Nothing against Melissa, though; the yuzu and parmesan broth sounded delicious.

I feel like I've seen their Parma guide, Chef Lorenzo, on TV before, but I couldn't place him. However, part of me believes Tom didn't ride along with them because of the hot young superstar chef being the authority figure. I don't need any precedents cited; I'm just gonna go with my gut on this one.

I am pretty excited for the finale. I didn't think I could be after Gregory's elimination, but thinking about a final four with him in it, I couldn't imagine being happy with losing anyone this week. And after learning more about his back problems, maybe the judges unwittingly did us all a roundabout favor letting him exit when he did. So I am looking forward to this Final 3. I say it a lot out of stoicism, but this time I really will be happy no matter who wins. It doesn't hurt that even if Kevin will be in the mix, he'll be muted.

[rhygirl720]

22 hours ago, VintageJ said:

As Kevin was leaving, it sounded like he said to Bryan, “Don’t make so much of winning this thing ... have a good time, okay.”. Sounds like Bryan is very stressed and pressed to win and Kevin is trying to tell him to relax and enjoy the journey and I agree. 

If Kevin actually said this then maybe he should have taken his own advice and not gutted his friend! Soulless indeed! 

Italy for the win...absolutely stunning !

Melissa is just on fire! Her food looked amazing and I believe this is her competition to lose .Hopefully Leanne doesn't get in the way. She is unflappable. The way she handled her broth mishap...totally Zen.

Yay for Stephanie. I was so impressed with her food and truthfully feel she is peaking and coming into her own and it's just really nice to see . Unfortunately she will have to deal with Malarky! 

That judges table was hard to watch. I mean Bryan was just so obviously on the edge. I've been saying all along that his food seems dated and this meal was about the same. I'm hoping his brother helps him out here. Kevin owes him so he better show out!

Kevin well his edit has been not great so I wasn't thinking he was going to win...but his meal was not too impressive. From the extra cheese and the overdone pork...it was a comedy of errors. I mean I sat there and cringed and was like what are you thinking! 

 

[Norma Desmond]

Aw! I was crushed to see Kevin eliminated, but I figured he was a goner when Tom said he mistreated the pork. I know a lot of people root for Stephanie, but, in my opinion, she is not on the same level as the others and should have been eliminated one of the multiple times she was in the bottom.

My dream top 3 were Kevin, Bryan and Gregory, so...  go Bryan! Though I think Melissa will win. She has been consistently good and she seems o cook the kind of food that other chefs like. She truly is a force to be reckoned with and, on the shallow side, she is so so cute. I would totally date her, and I 'm a straight gal.

[JenMcSnark]

6 hours ago, xtwheeler said:

I was absolutely shocked by this comment, because it is totally factually incorrect. The crystals in parmigiano and indeed in many cheeses are one of two substances, tyrosine (a protein) crystals or calcium lactate. I mean, calcium lactate is *A* salt, but it is not culinary/table salt (sodium chloride) (and I do not believe he was being Mr. Chemistry and pointing out A salt had formed). Tyrosine crystals are the interior crunchy white crystals, and the calcium lactate can be exterior or interior.  The only "salt" salt would be on the exterior of a washed-rind cheese. Thank you for coming to my Cheese Ted Talk.

 

 

Thank you for explaining this.  But I think his point still stands (at least in my experience).  I absolutely love buying very aged cheeses (Parmigiano and Gouda mostly) and those amazing crystals are a big part of the reason.  It's like a burst of flavor and texture having a party in my mouth.

I love Bryan.  But foaming the cheese did really take away from some of it's "soul".  

But I personally didn't find the lacking love and passion or soul comment(s) to be at all helpful (because it's such a subjective thing).   And I thought it interesting that I recently read an article regarding Bryan that mentioned he has a macaroni and cheese with a foam on the menu and the Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse which he owns and runs with Michael. 

It's obviously something he put some heart and soul into and wasn't just an afterthought and the few comments I found were very positive.

 

Edited June 14, 2020 by JenMcSnark
typo

[Rahul]

This was such a great episode for so many reasons! First and foremost, there was food and travel porn in Parma, Italy. Second, the ladies came out on top without breaking a sweat. Third, there were many memorable quirky moments throughout the episode. Finally, the arrogant, insufferable, plantation-extolling misogynist Kevin was told to PYKAG! 

I was worried when Melissa's raft broke, but she was able to bounce back with such seeming ease and grace even though it would take 45 minutes to redo. It was really incredible. I'm also absolute awe at the works of art Melissa's dishes all turn out to be. She is immensely artistic with such an eye for plating. This competition is certainly hers to lose.  

My homegirl Stephanie made a fresh pasta dish that made Padma's face flash with ecstasy while she murmured a very enthusiastic "Mmmmm." I'm a staunch and lifelong vegetarian who has never sampled any porcine products, but the appearance of that plate along with Padma's reaction made me very curious about trying Stephanie's primi, along with that stuffed cabbage everyone was raving about.

I wouldn't mind any of the remaining contestants winning but I would be overjoyed if Stephanie took the title. She's gone from a contestant I really liked during her initial season to an absolute favorite of all time. I don't remember when I was this invested in a contestant winning TC, perhaps because I really love Stephanie as a person and feel we'd hit it off as great friends. 

Stephanie is so humble and self-deprecating, and shows genuine shock whenever she places in the top which I find incredibly endearing. She is coming into her own as a kickass chef amongst these other immense talents. Seeing Stephanie's ascending trajectory as well as her sheer delight exploring Italy for the first time has been immensely rewarding to watch. Moreover, Stephanie never fails to deliver one laugh out loud moment each episode. This week it was while they were shopping for ingredients at La Prosciutteria and bewildered by the Italian text. Stephanie comes upon a display case which she walks up closer to inspect and then realizes,"It's cat food. Crushed it!" LOL

There were other humorous moments sprinkled throughout the episode, namely centered around Kevin. I cannot believe he chose to clobber his dish with a heaping spoon of parmigiano, and pre-grated at that. If Kevin had glanced around room, he would have noticed the horrified faces as he was about to embark upon his hamfisted error. I don't know if finishing a dish like that is a distinctly American practice, but it certainly seemed to be a cardinal sin in that dining room. A chef of Kevin's caliber should have realized this. Tom could barely contain his laughter at the this gaffe!

Kevin was similarly clueless during Judge's Table when he doubled down on his declaration that the pork was cooked to his liking, even when Padma kept widening her eyes and raising her eyebrows (though nary a wrinkle on her forehead).

[Rahul]

On 6/12/2020 at 1:28 AM, Quilt Fairy said:

I thought Tom looked uncomfortable among all the Michelin starred chefs. He was doing a "turtle trying to retreat into his shell" thing, more than once. 

I noticed Tom was uncomfortable around that group of lauded Italian chefs as well which is usual for him, as he is typically very self-assured as head chef of the series. He might be a tad intimidated by all the Michelin stars around him as he has none.

Moreover, Padma who is unabashedly Indian, has been conversing in fluent and inflected Italian while Tom has yet to utter one convincing sentence in the language of his ancestors. She really has been showing him up, and I cannot help but get a kick out of it as an Indian-American.

On 6/13/2020 at 12:28 AM, TzuShih said:

ALSO....I thought it was only this one chef at the table who criticized Bryan's dishes as "lacking soul and passion."  But Padma passed on the info to Bryan as tho many of the chefs felt this way.  (We have no real way of knowing since we only see the edited version.)  But...whatever...I think it wounded Bryan to the core.  Which is why Kevin's comment seemed so heartless.)

At least two different Italian chefs were very vocally critical of Bryan's dishes. One chef called his primi "completely devoid of any love or passion" (compounded by the dreaded thud sound effect), while another stated his secondi had good technique but no soul. A third chef criticized Bryan's pesto and said it was out of place in the dish while others nodded in agreement.

[Yeah No]

17 hours ago, zibnchy said:

I'm no Bryan fan. Not once have I been excited about his food. To me he is just another bland, blond man. But he seems like a fundamentally decent guy and, I suspect, he was under a huge amount of pressure (family and financial) to succeed.

I can accept your opinion about his food (which I don't share), but what does Bryan's hair color have to do with him being bland?  Are blonde men bland?  What is the insinuation?

Also, the appearance of the food is often no indication of the flavor.  The most refined and sophisticated food I ever ate (Eric Ripert's at Le Bernardin) was often very simple and even boring looking but had very subtly nuanced flavors all through.

22 minutes ago, Rahul said:

Moreover, Padma who is unabashedly Indian, has been conversing in fluent and inflected Italian while Tom has yet to utter one convincing sentence in the language of his ancestors. She really has been showing him up, and I cannot help but get a kick out of it as an Indian-American.

I don't know why an Indian American speaking Italian should show any Italian American up.  Would they show any Indian American up if they spoke their native Indian language?  These are all Americans, why should it matter?  Most Italian Americans past a certain generation don't speak Italian.  I can vouch first hand that a lot of it is from resistance because our families wanted us to be proud Americans first and speak English.  Speaking "the mother tongue" was not American enough for them so they didn't encourage us to learn it.  So for me it's no mark against Tom or Bryan if they don't speak Italian.

Edited June 14, 2020 by Yeah No

[Yeah No]

On 6/12/2020 at 1:54 PM, snarktini said:

I get the "soul" criticism. About 10 years ago I ate at Le Bernardin and walked away feeling like all the food lacked soul. It was technical and beautiful, but nothing was memorable or craveable. I grew up in a traveling foodie family, I remember meals we ate 30-40 years ago, yet I can't tell you a single thing I ate at LB. Sad, because I love watching Eric Ripert.

Really?  I've eaten there many times and all experiences were incredible, especially when a rich friend brought me and hubbie there for the 11 course tasting menu with wine pairings.  That was 5 years ago and we still talk about it often, referring to it as the closest thing to an "out of body food experience" as we would probably ever have.  It was head and tails above any meal we've had in any other fine famous chef owned restaurant in NY, and that includes many places.  I remember the food reducing me to tears - It brought me to emotional places beyond words - back to my childhood, everywhere.  It was just mind blowing and the best meal of my entire life.

On 6/12/2020 at 6:23 PM, akr said:

I thought Padma passed on the critique about not cooking with soul as gently as she could, & while it was obviously painful to hear, it gives Bryan the chance to look deep & course correct. I think he's been in his head a little too much & it's holding him back.

I agree.  I think Bryan suffers from a lack of confidence, probably feeling like he lives in the shadow of his brother, who beat him in his first season.  I feel for him and know he's worth more than that.  I hope he can get past it and stop letting it hold him back.  I hate to say that the way the judges have been acting hasn't helped.  I feel like the fact that his style of cooking is not the trendiest one is making them devalue it in their criticisms and he is taking that to heart.  It really isn't fair.  The food bashing based on what's trendy and "in" is ridiculous.  Good food is just good food.  They should stop being ageist food snobs.  I remember that even Eric Ripert when he was with Tony Bourdain acted a little hurt by the knowledge that he is now considered an "old man" and his food is "dated", which I think is absolutely horrible because Eric is a total sweetheart and his food is some of the most AMAZING in the world.  Bryan shouldn't be forced to feel that way either.

On 6/13/2020 at 12:28 AM, TzuShih said:

ALSO....I thought it was only this one chef at the table who criticized Bryan's dishes as "lacking soul and passion."  But Padma passed on the info to Bryan as tho many of the chefs felt this way.  (We have no real way of knowing since we only see the edited version.)  But...whatever...I think it wounded Bryan to the core.  Which is why Kevin's comment seemed so heartless.)

That's true, I remember thinking that myself - that it was only that ONE Italian chef that made those comments about his food lacking soul and passion and then Padma might have made that a bigger deal at judges table.  I don't doubt that Bryan has been way too in his head and not producing his best stuff, but that criticism seemed a little OTT and over dramatic to me.

That said, I obviously am rooting for Bryan but like most people here I like Melissa and Stephanie and wouldn't mind if either one of them won.

[Pilotman]

16 hours ago, xtwheeler said:

Oh, yeah. As much as I really, really do like Bryan, I was disappointed when Melissa's name was called (thus meaning one of the boys was going home) and Bryan reacted with obvious disappointment and something like an "oh man!" and looking at Kevin. I understand his reaction and I know that he wanted to be there with his best friend and one of them was going home, but it was pretty ugly not to congratulate Stephanie (next to whom he was standing) before acknowledging to Kevin that one of them was going home. I'm not going to stop liking him, but it was a disappointing moment.
 

 

I have been replaying that moment and I see a different reaction. When they announce Melissa's name, the shot includes her and Kevin. Then it cuts to Stephanie and Bryan when they say Stephanie was also on top. After they mention Stephanie's name, you see Bryan with a smile saying good job to Melissa and you hear her say thank you in the background. He then goes back to his serious face. Then as the judges further interact with Stephanie, he turns to her with a smile. While true he did not extend the same congrats to Stephanie as he did with Melissa, I do not take it as a slight as the judges were still interacting with Stephanie about their reaction to making it to the finale.

As with everyone, that no soul comment was just harsh. The guest judges feedback to Bryan was by far more constructive than Padma( probably the producers in her ear telling her to say it) telling him the other chefs comments. Obviously it is editing, but man here you are talking about how you love the heritage behind Italian food and going to play it up in your dish to then get told your food has no soul? Gut wrenching.....

I couldn't be happier with who is in the finale. First time where I don't mind who ends up winning because all three people just seem to be wonderful people and their skill set are top notch. I am a bit biased towards Bryan because Volt is among my favorite restaurants( and I can't wait until it reopens) and his dishes are just delicious. The squid bolognese that he made earlier this season is really good and my favorite there. I was so disappointed when they removed it from the menu for a period there. Yeah his style is more traditional and doesn't appear to be innovative or as exciting as Melissa's. But that is fine. As someone above said, good food is good food. While his style hasn't handed him as many wins this season, it is what got him to the finale. With the exception of this past episode, Bryan was ever on the bottom due to circumstance of the team he was on was on the bottom and not a matter of a bad dish. I guess you can argue there was the art challenge as well where the pork was cut too thin that caused a misbalance, but even the judges recognized in the deliberations that both bottom teams dishes were good dishes and not bad food.

The innovative styles can be a boom or bust for a chef on this show. It can lead to wins, but it can also lead to a PYKAG if you mess it up. Look at the risk Stephanie took when she cooked the prosciutto even after being told not to. If she screwed it up, that may have been enough for her to be the one sent home instead of Kevin. It worked out and I am glad it did because I have loved seeing her progression this season. Early on yeah I had her marked for an eventual exit, but as the season went on her dishes got better and see her confidence rise. I think it is at times she lets who she is cooking against phase her. You can see it on the preview for the finale of where she worries that she plated too simple compared to Bryan and Melissa. She falls victim to being star struck and lets self doubt get in. If she can keep it out, she has the skill to win this thing.

Each style has their place and being innovative shouldn't be the sole reason why a chef should win. If the classical style dish has better flavor over the innovative, then the classic style should win. That is why I am still a bit miffed over Melissa winning the last challenge over Bryan. But again... That may have been editing and we didn't get to see any criticism of Bryan's dish in order to throw us off on who would win. Because if Bryan's dish had no major flaws, it should have been the winner because Melissa's had the flaw of the salami despite it being innovative. But I can totally understand if an innovative dish is nailed compared to a great classical style dish, why the innovative dish would win. I think that is what it will take for Bryan to win Top Chef. Melissa pushed the innovative too far and has that flaw that tilts the favor to Bryan or Stephanie( I am putting Stephanie here simply due to her comments in the preview about going too simple).

Either way I would be happy with any of the three due to no personality traits that want to make you wish for them to lose or any serious flaws in their cooking skills.

Kevin's comments to Bryan about try to enjoy it and have fun and won't worry so much about winning is something that stands out to me though. Obviously the theme with Bryan this season is finally winning and not coming in second place for a third time. I do wonder if he is pushing himself harder than necessary which is what lead him to this episodes low. We obviously don't see all the interactions out of the kitchen, but Kevin's comments may have been a window into the conversations those two were having through the season.

Edited June 14, 2020 by Pilotman

[Cotypubby]

Again someone here calls Kevin "misogynist." Why!? Can someone detail what scenes from this season paint him as a misogynist? Because I have seen nothing whatsoever for him to deserve that term. I feel like people have created this false narrative around Kevin being this vile racist, woman-hating pig because they need to have a "villain" to root against, and are trying to read into every little movement he makes to find things that aren't there. "OMG he shook hands with Bryan. That means he hates women!" "He glanced at a man but not at a woman, misogynist!"

[Yeah No]

Just now, Cotypubby said:

Again someone here calls Kevin "misogynist." Why!? Can someone detail what scenes from this season paint him as a misogynist? Because I have seen nothing whatsoever for him to deserve that term. I feel like people have created this false narrative around Kevin being this vile racist, woman-hating pig because they need to have a "villain" to root against, and are trying to read into every little movement he makes to find things that aren't there. "OMG he shook hands with Bryan. That means he hates women!" "He glanced at a man but not at a woman, misogynist!"

Thank you.  While I don't like Kevin and think he's a bit of a snot I haven't read any misogyny into him whatsoever and think that's a bit of a stretch to conclude.  However, when he showed insensitivity in romancing "plantation cooking", though, it made me wonder about him.  I don't think it means he's a racist, but perhaps he just needs to realize the implications of what plantations represent to African Americans (most aware people) before he waxes sentimental about anything associated with them.   I think he should have framed the food differently as traditional southern food but made no reference to plantations, that's all I'm saying.

[buttersister]

Quote

unless Lee Anne royally screws up as her sous.

Ah, my fear. Because when you can't control your time management, that's a flaw that has nothing to do with showboating (looking at you, Malarkey) or overcooking pork because that's "how you like It" (Kev). Malarkey is too self-aware of his TV image (I hope) to screw with Stephanie's chances in the finals. And I still say Kevin will be going all out (so he can take credit for Bryan's win).

Soul. Heart. Love. Sigh. Imo, cooking with love means you sweat all the details, coax as much from the ingredients as possible, amp up flavors that are rich in savoriness (umami), and use techniques that improve flavor, texture and mouthfeel. Same with soul and heart. Nostalgia? Customer brings that to the table. Atmosphere? Can add to the feeling. Still means that your food is connecting with a customer because of technique, method, ingredients---technical stuff, not magic. At the end, the effect is magical (been there, tasted that)! 

I think it's why Tom used to scoff at Carla Hall's "cooking with love" comments and has since rethought that it's a way to describe the desired effect.

Oh, and watching Tom giggle at Kevin's parm performance and seeing his love for Kev fly away during Judges' Table was redemption (for me, for his Kevin boosting all season). Watching the looong parm dump made me wonder if he was hoping Bryan's dish would suffer from sitting there. 

[meowmommy]

15 hours ago, Yeah No said:

So for me it's no mark against Tom or Bryan if they don't speak Italian.

And I'm not sure why Bryan was supposed to have Italian phrases at the ready, seeing as none of them knew before the previous episode that they were even going to Italy.

As I watched them on the food tour, I was thinking that for the chefs who lose, they'd at least go home with these amazing memories of a free trip to Italy, a unique food tour, and a meal cooked for them by a world class chef.

I would think normally that Melissa would be the favorite, but having LeeAnne as her sous might drag her down.  And LeeAnne won't have anyone to blame this time when she screws up.  Whatever advantage she once could claim by having been part of the Top Chef staff seems to have long left her.

[Ellee]

I’m seriously hoping that this finale is truly based on the food that is prepared and not any drama due to who is assisting the chefs.   
 

The focus should be only on Bryan, Melissa and Stephanie.   The other three’s role is simply to be in the background and executing to the best of their ability for their chef.   If they can’t do that then they shouldn’t be there. 
 

Go, Bryan, Melissa and Stephanie!

[VintageJ]

11 hours ago, Pilotman said:

Kevin's comments to Bryan about try to enjoy it and have fun and won't worry so much about winning is something that stands out to me though. Obviously the theme with Bryan this season is finally winning and not coming in second place for a third time. I do wonder if he is pushing himself harder than necessary which is what lead him to this episodes low. We obviously don't see all the interactions out of the kitchen, but Kevin's comments may have been a window into the conversations those two were having through the season.

That’s exactly what I was thinking when he said that.  

[Ashforth]

A number of the chefs have commented that the food reflects the emotions of the chef (most recently that I can think of are Malarkey and Stephanie). If you're happy and feeling good about your choices, the food tastes better. If you're feeling pressured and worried, the food tastes worse. If you're Melissa, apparently your zen makes the food taste good regardless of the obstacles that might have made you feel pressured and worried.

So I think Kevin's exit advice to Bryan V was good: don't think about winning. Bryan has seemed anxious and focused on trying to win for most of this season, and my wish for him is that he can just let go and cook what he loves without giving a damn about the outcome.

Edited June 15, 2020 by Ashforth

[Ashforth]

8 hours ago, buttersister said:

Watching the looong parm dump

This made me picture (in spoiler mode for those with weak stomachs) 

Spoiler

Kevin on the toilet, reading his tattered copy of Gone With the Wind while taking a huge, stinky shit and longing for the olden days.

 

[BlackberryJam]

I rewatched from plating to the end. That circling the table, dumping on parm was terrible. As someone upthread said, Olive Garden waiters do it better. They ask first and then grate fresh.

This wasn't mentioned, but when describing his dish, Kevin has to state the the age and style of the parm. Something like, "a 15 year red cow, blah blah" parm-reg. I was like, "Whatever dude, you all cut your cheese from the same fucking wheel and I'm sure the chefs at the table knew. Kevin totally douched it up after returning from LCK. I mean, the restaurant reminiscent of a plantation was one thing, but he came back certain he was going to win. His talking heads were, "These are the last three chefs I have to face before I win" whereas Stephanie said things like, "I am just honored to be here with such talent." 

Kevin needed someone to drop a mound of finely grated humble cheese on top his ego beans and arrogance raviolo. 

At least three of the table chefs said Bryan's food lacked soul/passion while the others nodded vigorously in agreement. The guest judge gave Bryan some good advice about his pesto, which frankly sounded gross. I am not a pesto fan though. 

[suebee12]

1 hour ago, BlackberryJam said:

Kevin needed someone to drop a mound of finely grated humble cheese on top his ego beans and arrogance raviolo. 

This is so true and I love how you stated it!!!!!!

[Ohiopirate02]

Another douchy Kevin moment from this episode, how he explained he was going to make the extra special Italian dish Pasta e fagioli.  His delivery of this just cracked me up.  He wanted to act like this was one of those special dishes very few Americans have heard of instead of one of the most basic Italian soups.  

[MaggieG]

I've seen a lot of comments about Stephanie's cabbage and I agree, it looked and sounded delicious but hot damn, if I didn't want to jump through the tv to get my hands on her pasta dish! Padma's "mmmm" made me super jealous!