S19.E08: Restaurant Wars

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

The chefs are put to the ultimate test; they have to build restaurants from the ground up; "Top Chef's" signature challenge levels up yet again, requiring the chefs to satisfy their VIP counter and a dining room full of guests.

Original air date: April 21, 2022

[Bastet]

Last week I thought Buddha a bit rude in the way he criticized Jae’s dish (especially since he had immunity, so he was in no danger from her flaws), so I’m not surprised to learn this week she’d rather not work with him again.  But I respect him saying the other three on his team are great chefs of southern cuisine, so he should do FOH and just one dish, even though that’s a risk since FOH has sent a lot of good chefs home.

No Nem’s menu sounded more like my thing than Matriarc’s, but when Matriarc’s food came out, I wanted to eat it all.  The green gumbo looked delicious!  They killed it with the concept, service, and food.  Clear winners.  I’m so happy for Ashleigh getting a big win like that.

I really wanted that sausage course at No Nem.  I’d have enjoyed the whole meal – I'll take Tom's word for it the flaws were mostly minor, and they're RW losers with a really good restaurant – but that's the dish that jumped out at me.

Jackson was a total dolt not going to greet the judges when they arrived – even some random diner knew that.  And then he didn’t introduce the dishes.  This guy’s been doing FOH at his own restaurant for a year and a half, and doesn’t do any better than that?!  And all the half-assed ideas were his, and his one dish was just okay.  I can’t believe they even pretended to discuss who should go home. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Bastet

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved Matriarc's food, and the attitude of all of the chefs was wonderful.   Ashleigh was such a great leader and chef.    I really loved looking at the Parker House rolls, when the judges rave about something like that, then I know I've missed a good dish.  

Matriac got lucky with the Salmon Tartar (spelling?) course being so late, but apparently it tasted wonderful.   However, after No Nem screwed up so badly, mostly Jackson, the judges forgot anything that the Matriarc team did slowly.   

However, Jackson not telling his team that his sense of taste is reduced, and he can't smell the food was a total dick move when he's giving his opinion on the taste and seasoning of dishes for the other chefs.     He sabotaged his team with his opinions about the taste and seasoning, his Front of House sucked, and his dish didn't sound good at all.   When the diners tell you you're screwing up, then you're screwing up.   I bet when the judges heard about what he told the other chefs, they were livid.    I would have been seriously upset if someone else was send home because Jackson lied about the taste of other chef's dishes.    His idea of sending two courses together was horrible.   I'm so glad that Evelyn, Jae, and Luke made it to next week.  

I'm just glad that Luke didn't get sent home.     I'm so happy to see Jae gaining confidence and doing so well.   

No Nem's dessert looked hideous.    I hope no one broke a tooth trying to take a bite out of it.  

Edited April 22, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Lamb18]

I'd been impressed with Jackson up to this episode, but he definitely was not a good team player. Hadn't he ever watched RW before?

[MerBearHou]

Well, damn.  Jackson is one of my two favorites so I was sorry to see him go, but there was no doubt about it — he blew it tonight.  I thought Buddha was a smooth, comfortable, informative, super FOH.  To me, he was the difference maker in the tone of their restaurant.  

Edited April 22, 2022 by MerBearHou

[FormerMod-a1]

Even if Luke had been the one to go home, I wouldn't blame Jackson.  As they said they were ALL tasting the dishes, and no one else apparently had any other feedback.  That said, Jackson was really lacking in the front of house stuff.  I, too, can't believe he didn't greet the judges as soon as he saw them.  He was trying to make sure the wait staff knew he was helping, but they weren't taking feedback from the other guests.  So, not to be crude, but screw them (the other guests, that is), lol.  Or, ignore them while the judges are there - let the wait staff take care of the other patrons. 

[Nordly Beaumont]

OMG, not only was the "Welcome Judges" sign cheesy, it reminded me of all the times I have addressed an envelope and my writing went crooked like that. I throw the envelope away and do it again. Couldn't they at least tried again and straightened out the lettering?

I honestly thought Jackson would be in the finals. But I'm glad Luke didn't go. Jackson had no business offering advice on his seasoning!

 

 

[LBS]

I just want a meme/gif/whatever the kids are calling it of Buddha with a cup of tea smirking  ‘plot twist’ when Jackson told everyone of his Covid.  I laughed so hard! I actually liked Jackson and while I do think his team seized on that to blame him for losing at the moment, I do think they all realized they were a cohesive loss the next day because they all seem like reasonable humans.  The Matriarc restaurant was just miles ahead.  I’m rooting for everyone on that team to make it to final five!  Demarr I want to go the end with Buddha.  

Edited April 22, 2022 by LBS

[rhofmovalley]

I was kind of with Tom when he said Luke only had one thing to do and he didn't execute it well, but then Jackson didn't really succeed at any of the numerous things he did. He seemed awkward and uncomfortable when he was trying to interact with the guests. I'm also not impressed that he told Luke his fish was over seasoned when he couldn't even taste it. Although Luke needs to trust his own palate more.

I honestly don't have any idea who's going to win this.

[The Solution]

At the beginning of the show, I was disheartened at the thought of any of these chefs going home, but the judges clearly made the right choice tonight.

I was so happy to see Ashleigh win this one. Not only does it speak well of her and her efforts, but it speaks well of her teammates who encouraged her and played to her strengths. Damarr and Buddha both heard that their dishes were the best of their kind ever in Restaurant Wars or just plain ever, and Nick's oxtail dish just looked and sounded out of this world. And clearly so did Ashleigh's gumbo and salmon tartare. It speaks well to their confidence as chefs and their quality as human beings.

No Nem's dishes all sounded good and I would have loved to eat all of them, except maybe the dessert, but the FOH service was bad and cheesy. I'm glad the judges recognized that Jae and Evelyn did a great job with their elements. I think Jae is kind of a dark horse. The idea to send out two dishes that were unrelated at once was not wise either. Everyone has a bad day, and this was clearly Jackson's. I'm sad to see him go, even if it was well-deserved.

[Nordly Beaumont]

Was this the most competent wait staff we've seen? No server drama! I liked that the young woman with two toned hair took it upon herself to greet the judges. But when Gayle asked "how do we eat this?" the young woman didn't reply. Which makes me think no one went over the menu with them. Jackson must have known he was in trouble when Gayle asked him to"rewind" and tell them who made which dish. Has he never seen Restaurant Wars? You MUST introduce the dishes! It just doesn't make sense not to.

[dgpolo]

I think it helped that Nick? knew right away that if he picked Damarr and Ashleigh they had a strong Southern food dynamic, adding Buddha helped seal the deal though they didn't know that at the time. (btw, didn't Buddha's criticism of Jae last week echo what the judges said about her dish? that she had too many things on the plate etc.)

The other team really didn't seem to have a strong concept in mind and it looked like every time Jackson came up with some of his half-assed ideas, the welcome note, serving both dishes at once at the beginning, etc. Evelyn should have shut him down. She was the one nominally in charge, she should have said no to the note, told him to get over to the judges etc. I don't know what Jackson was thinking this week.

I also thought that the judges compliment for Jae was a bit odd, does she -want- to be known as a chef that makes good condiments?

[Nilknarf]

I was not surprised by the outcome and the correct chef went home. Jackson seemed to be phoning it in - especially as FOH. When one of the wait staff blew by a patron who was calling out, and Jackson acted like that was hilarious I figured it was all over for him 

[vibeology]

In every other challenge in this competition you present your food to the judges with a little story and description. Why would Jackson think that suddenly didn't apply here? Just watching him lose it for the team in slow motion was unbearable. And at the end of the service when Evelyn had to prompt him to present his own dessert? I was done.

Then deciding to reveal his covid symptoms after he fucked over his team? He was lucky that no one was really mad.

[Quilt Fairy]

30 minutes ago, vibeology said:

Just watching him lose it for the team in slow motion was unbearable.

Yes, I turned it off halfway through the 2nd team's service.  You don't have to be a TC superfan to know one elemental truth:  In Restaurant Wars, you schmooze the judges, big time. 

[heckkitty]

I’m kind of bummed, because I’ve grown to like him, but I could absolutely tell Jackson was getting eliminated, & it was completely deserved. 

[Jodithgrace]

I’ve never seen a front runner so thoroughly shoot himself in the foot as Jackson did tonight. I’ve been rooting for him, especially since he seemed to be compensating for his loss of taste/smell so brilliantly. But tonight? That was just awful. 
Chefs have botched FOH for lots of reasons, usually because their team is in the weeds, or because they don’t have the expertise. But Jackson just kind of…blew it off? So weird.
And then his belated midnight confession. I heard him telling one of the diners about his condition, and then saying that he didn’t tell the judges because he didn’t want to be sent home. I mean, he does know this is all televised, right? 
 

Restaurant wars always stresses me out for some reason. I just hate it when things go wrong, it feeds into my entertaining anxieties. But at least both restaurants were at least pretty good, despite the unfortunate quirks of Jackson’s team’s. 
 

Deserving winners, all around.  

 

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Were there no menus?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?  I am HORRIFIED that Jackson's team refused to tell the chefs what they were eating.  HORRIFIED.  And I'm Asian and I eat that kind of food almost every day and yet I'M HORRIFIED.  What the fuck?  I have so many food intolerances and allergies.  I'm so glad that Buddha introduced each dish and explained what the judges were eating but that's STANDARD. BEHAVIOUR.  Who goes to a restaurant and doesn't know what they're eating?  There's a restaurant here in my city that gives everyone the experience of blind eating.  It's pitch black, and you can't see.  And you eat your food that way.  That's what Jackson's team's horror show reminded me of.  I would have refused to eat.  There's just no way.

Everyone at home gets to know what the judges are eating, but the judges don't?  What an insane experiment. 

I love Buddha.  Him saying "Plot twist!" and giggling holding a drink.  Hahahaha.

I watched Restaurant Wars last season and there were definitely menus.  I feel extremely sure of this.  Also, they were told what they were eating.  

Wow, I can't believe they axed Jackson and not Luke.  Jackson is always hovering around the top and Luke straight up admitted he doesn't know how to cook this type of food and Evelyn had to help him.  Jackson's made one mistake that I can think of so far.  One!   

Edited April 22, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, dgpolo said:

I also thought that the judges compliment for Jae was a bit odd, does she -want- to be known as a chef that makes good condiments?

There's no way it's not positive that they crowned her the master of sauces this week.

[sharifa70]

Jackson’s FOH stressed me out so much. When Gail made him stop and explain the dishes I knew he was out. Too bad; I had been impressed with him up until now and like many others here, he was in my top three. 

The time to come clean about his taste and smell issues was before RW and he pretty much lost my goodwill with that. Badly done, Jackson. Badly done. I’m glad he was the one who suffered from that.

[SemiCharmedLife]

1 hour ago, Jodithgrace said:

Restaurant wars always stresses me out for some reason. I just hate it when things go wrong, it feeds into my entertaining anxieties. But at least both restaurants were at least pretty good, despite the unfortunate quirks of Jackson’s team’s. 
 

Deserving winners, all around.  

 

 

After all these years, I reached the same conclusion about Restaurant Wars.  I wasn't looking forward to it (never am) and everything about it stresses me out.  Maybe it's because everyone is so tense, it's a team competition, a lot usually goes wrong, or someone undeserving often gets chopped.  It's a shame Jackson made so many poor decisions regarding the restaurant concepts and FOH, because he has been doing so well up to now.  I really feel it was Luke's time to go, but Jackson made more mistakes (including critiquing Luke's dish when he has a limited sense of taste/smell- bad form).

Team Matriarc really brought it home tonight!

[Fukui San]

We've seen worse service in Restaurant Wars history, when the server was rude or absent from everyone. Here everyone could see Jackson schmoozing with the diners, but just not with the judges. I understand the instinct not to be overbearing to the judges, but the bare minimum is to be there to explain the dishes. Very strange, and I couldn't see it coming when the judges were at Matriarc. What we saw of Jackson in the first half of service he was engaged and responsive. He just made disastrous choices with regards to serving the judges.

My modest proposal for Restaurant Wars is that it shouldn't be at this stage when there are 6 or 8 chefs left. It should be the Finale challenge, the reward for getting to the end. That way we're seeing the vision of the Finale chefs' restaurants and not the odd melange that is the typical Restaurant Wars restaurant. Of course this will never happen. 

Edit: Also, it was mind blowing that Jackson and Buddha were two of the last three chefs selected. Weird when the choosing chefs chose for compatibility over their performance so far.

Edited April 22, 2022 by Fukui San

[vb68]

Yeah, I kept asking myself when I saw Jackson preforming FOH, if you can even call what he did FOH, has he NEVER seen this before? WTF is he doing? Honestly if I didn't know better, it almost looked like he was trying sabotage the challenge. It was that off.  Is this the first time the judges ate food without somebody introducing courses? I can't think of another time.

I'm glad he was eliminated even though i had liked him up to now. Him telling his team after losing that he had no sense of taste was a total dick move. I  actually expected some serious fireworks from both the contestants and the judges.

Ashleigh's green gumbo looked yummy. But I still think Buddha deserved the win.  His FOH was impeccable and for Tom to say he made the best bread ever on TC is really something. I think he's way out in front of everyone, but they are trying not to make it too obvious.

On the other hand, I don't see how Luke lasts too much longer. He seems a bit lost out there.

So glad Jae finally got to do her style of cooking. She was like a different person this episode full of confidence. But did she say she had fun with the Jurassic Park challenge? It didn't look like that to me.

3 hours ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

OMG, not only was the "Welcome Judges" sign cheesy, it reminded me of all the times I have addressed an envelope and my writing went crooked like that.

It reminded me of an elementary school luncheon I attended and the kids made welcome notes. It worked for third graders. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by vb68

[buttersister]

I can't recall a winning team that flawless--from the food to the teamwork. I was worried for Ashleigh in the very beginning when she was talking about a salad and then the salmon was so slow in coming, but it turned out fine and her gumbo was a triumph. Nick knew his oxtail marmalade. Demarr pivoted on that carrot cake brilliantly and Buddha, Buddha, the student of TC, we'll see you in the final. 

Bye, Jackson. The self-sabotage was remarkable.

[VintageJ]

38 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

Jackson’s FOH stressed me out so much. When Gail made him stop and explain the dishes I knew he was out. Too bad; I had been impressed with him up until now and like many others here, he was in my top three. 

The time to come clean about his taste and smell issues was before RW and he pretty much lost my goodwill with that. Badly done, Jackson. Badly done. I’m glad he was the one who suffered from that.

Thank you! I was mostly neutral on Jackson but figured he would make Top 3.  But you put it perfectly.  My goodwill is gone.  Didn’t like that.  I like Luke so i’m glad he did not go home.

I cannot believe that Jackson purposely ignored the judges even after a customer pointed out that he should greet them.   It was so weird. He deserved to pack his knives and go.  Has he never watched Top Chef and restaurant wars? You know the drill.  You greet the judges, you come up and present the dishes. At the very least, you present your own dish.  When Mama Gail has to call you to the table …

His confession in the stew room seemed very … passive aggressive.  Not sure if those are the words I’m looking for here.  I can’t explain it for some reason. It was like, “oops, sorry I didn’t tell you that I couldn’t really taste your food when you were asking my opinion, even though we’re teammates and there is $40,000 on the line.” Might have been nice to know.  But I see you.

Very happy for Matriarc.  I like all the chefs but Demarr is my favorite and I’m so happy for them   Happy that Ashley got a win.  The entire team rocked it.  

[VintageJ]

30 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

My modest proposal for Restaurant Wars is that it shouldn't be at this stage when there are 6 or 8 chefs left. It should be the Finale challenge, the reward for getting to the end. That way we're seeing the vision of the Finale chefs' restaurants and not the odd melange that is the typical Restaurant Wars restaurant. Of course this will never happen. 

What a great idea!  Even if it were just one season like an All Star season. 

[Toothbrush]

I normally despise RW but enjoyed this one. Matriarc did an amazing job, and I wanted to taste everything except for Ashleigh’s salmon tartare (don’t like salmon). 
Jackson looks like a co-worker of mine, but tonight he acted like him too with the self-sabotage caused by not seeing the forest for the trees. His confession in the stew room rubbed me the wrong way. When I had Covid my senses of taste & smell returned within  my 10-day quarantine period, so I feel bad that his is still gone/weak after almost a month. Still, it was bad form. 
 

5 hours ago, LBS said:

I just want a meme/gif/whatever the kids are calling it of Buddha with a cup of tea smirking  ‘plot twist’ when Jackson told everyone of his Covid.  I laughed so hard! Demarr I want to go the end with Buddha.  

We rewound ‘plot twist’ twice lol I think the final 3 will be Buddah, Dmarr, & Evelyn. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Toothbrush
An apostrophe is not a comma

[hookedontv]

That “Welcome Judges” handwritten note was the cheapest and most cringeworthy idea ever! Apparently Jackson felt it replaced an in-person greeting of the judges? 

[DEL901]

I was surprised at the timing of Jackson’s confession.  I know he was sure he was going home, but if it had been Luke…he just shot himself in the foot because Luke of someone on the team would have spilled to the judges.   That said, he deserved to go just for his terrible FOH.  And his dessert…he has to go out and tell people they should eat it with their hands because the crust was so hard.  

[Mountainair]

Ashleigh lost me when she said people don’t come to Asheville to eat. I live here and we have such a great restaurant scene! Amazing food here! In fact she used to work at one of the top restaurants in the area under a James Beard nominated head chef. I have no clue why she left but she only does little pop ups out of a food truck now and it seems to be only once a few months that she does them. 

[susannot]

Well that was a surprise.  I was sure Luke was going after Tom's snide little remark about Copenhagen.  Apparently Noma, the world famous Copenhagen restaurant where Luke was a sous-chef, doesn't use copious amounts of salt in its food.

[PhoneCop]

Well, that's the kind of single-challenge flameout rarely seen in a longtime frontrunner. And Jackson's worst sins had nothing to do with his COVID-induced handicaps, so that was doubly unexpected. 

Loved that Buddha said that he isn't Southern but he's repping the Southern Hemisphere. I'm still expecting the last ones standing will be some combination of him, Damarr, and Evelyn, but after Jackson's sudden implosion and Ashleigh and Saucier Supreme Jae both picking up redemption points, maybe all bets are off.

[lgprimes]

I honestly wonder if the producers whispered on the judges’ ears not to eliminate Luke. They (or at least Jackson) could have had a lawsuit in their hands.

 In any case Jackson was SO awful at FOH that he was the right choice to go, in my opinion.

Edited April 22, 2022 by lgprimes
Typo

[Madding crowd]

Jackson is heading to Last Chance Kitchen so we may not have seen the last of him. I couldn’t understand his lack of contact with the judges or writing the cheesy note. I also thought the semi family style way they were serving seemed confusing and the dishes looked like they were oddly paired.

I admit I’m not the biggest Gail fan because she sometimes seems joyless to me, but I noticed she talks more than Tom and Padma now. Are the two of them getting tired of the show?  I thought it was an interesting episode and I’m glad they didn’t do the fake out they sometimes do where you think one team is awful but it turns out to be a minor blip.

[Lamb18]

I was reading these posts when I looked out the window and saw a turkey walking down the middle of the street!

[dgpolo]

8 hours ago, buttersister said:

I can't recall a winning team that flawless--from the food to the teamwork. I was worried for Ashleigh in the very beginning when she was talking about a salad and then the salmon was so slow in coming

I was wondering a bit about that. Was there a reason Ashleigh couldn't help Damarr plater -her- salmon? it seemed like she was looking for something to do to appear 'busy' to the judges while they were waiting, could she not have plated for a minute or two?

 

1 hour ago, Madding crowd said:

and I’m glad they didn’t do the fake out they sometimes do where you think one team is awful but it turns out to be a minor blip.

they sort of did this with the salmon, lots of clips of the judges talking about the time it was taking to get the next course, saying they were going to have more bread since it was taking so long, clips of Buddha saying he needed x more plates of salmon etc. It didn't last long but it was enough to be a small fake-out.

[Ellee]

I have to watch again.

I’m a big fan of watching Top Chef Family Style. I thought I saw Kahlil and Willie enjoying one of the restaurants.  I kind of hope so. 

[sharifa70]

On 4/21/2022 at 10:49 PM, buttersister said:

 

I can't recall a winning team that flawless--from the food to the teamwork.

 

I think the Portland RW with Shota’s team was pretty wonderful as well.

I’m so annoyed with Jackson that I really want his LCK battle to be nothing but a Hell’s Kitchen-style blind taste test. Let’s see him fake his way through that!

Edited April 23, 2022 by sharifa70

[khyber]

I must have/make that carrot cake.  Are the recipes on line anywhere?

[dleighg]

9 hours ago, vb68 said:

Ashleigh's green gumbo looked yummy. But I still think Buddha deserved the win.

I agree. And I gave Ashleigh a side-eye when she took all the credit for the salmon tartare that Buddha practically had to beg her to keep on the menu when she wanted to do just a SALAD for pete's sake.

They made a point of showing them going to the graphic designers with their concepts, but as far as I can tell the signage for each restaurant used exactly the same design!

Buddha was great as FOH but he seriously needed an UNTUCKit™ shirt. He looked very sloppy from the back with his shirt hanging below his jacket.

Did anyone see how they made the pani puri shells?

I thought Gail's joke about Thailand via Copenhagen was funny!

 

Edited April 22, 2022 by dleighg

[jpgr]

The other really strange thing to me about Jackson's flameout was that he had been good at playing the game so far, making what he wanted but having a good story to tie it into the assigned task.

Unless they had explicitly been told that the diners were voting, then he knew that it was entirely up to the judges. Therefore, schmooze the heck out of the judges! Cater to them, explain everything to make it sound extra-special, emphasize your contributions to the team, whatever it takes to curry favor (pun intended).

In real life, I don't like overly attentive wait staff but this is not real life so I honestly don't know what he was thinking unless he finally grew tired of hiding his lack of taste.

[AriAu]

A few random thoughts:

1. Tom seemed to be outvoted again...is this a meta nod to all the complaining on this board and other sources that his decision rules the day??

2. Was Matriarc the best Restaurant Wars performance or only that they were the most well oiled machine? I seem to recall a few seasons back that Tom and Padma said it was the best RW performance ever. I think it was Charleston....but don't recall.

3. I hate that they have to pick decor, linen, flatware etc.....just a waste of time and something that takes more than a moment's thought. I am glad that the judges didn't comment on it or have it affect the decision....or at least as we saw. 

4. Buddha must be really, really annoying, because as they were picking teams I was shocked he didn't go 1st, then 2nd etc. Jae was stupid not to pick him and Nick got very lucky he was still around.....and was willing to do front of house and make the best bread based on Tom and Padma. And this cuisine isnt his sweet spot but he still made great food. I'll be shocked if he's not there at the end and with his high end skills, he will be a force in a  Finale. By the way, just goes to show FOH can be great without having Fabio's personality (the gold standard for TC RW), smarmy as it may be...and I love Fabio and his restaurants in Chicago.

5. Is Luke the worst chefestant (not the worst chef since you dont get the position of sous at the best restaurant in the world if you are anything less than a GREAT chef) to make it this far-maybe Robin in the Vegas season. Lisa Fernandez in Chicago? Talk about not out-running the bear.

Quote

Well, that's the kind of single-challenge flameout rarely seen in a longtime frontrunner. And Jackson's worst sins had nothing to do with his COVID-induced handicaps, so that was doubly unexpected

Certainly the most avoidable single challenge flameout. Kristen Kish getting knifed  by Josie is still #1, but that was not avoidable-she had Josie as a teammate! He just made terrible decisions as FOH-he intentionally chose to focus on the guests and not the judges-not sure what he was thinking-was it COVID fog. How does he not introduce the dishes and how they are intended to be eaten is all on him. He doesn't need to suck up or spend all his time there while "Rome is burning", but how do you not great them with wine etc.... Inconceivable. Loved how Gail kept grabbing him and basically asking him to do his job in the nicest/Gailest way possible.

6. The product placement is getting very heavy handed-not just the touchless Mastercard (still makes me nervous, but I am old so what do I know), but Padma didnt just order wine, she ordered "Terlato Pinot Grigio".

7. I get that she was Exec Chef on the winning team, but not sure how Ashleigh was the winner. That gumbo must have been incredible.

8. Why the hell did Jackson decide to share the news about his lack of taste then.....kind of a dick move. "I am going to keep quiet about it until I am about to get eliminated...and after one of my teammates got told his dish was under-seasoned after asking me (and admittedly the other teammates) for taste advice."

 

[Toothbrush]

4 minutes ago, dleighg said:

 

They made a point of showing them going to the graphic designers with their concepts, but as far as I can tell the signage for each restaurant used exactly the same design

 

And the signs were so basic!

[dleighg]

3 minutes ago, AriAu said:

The product placement is getting very heavy handed-not just the touchless Mastercard (still makes me nervous, but I am old so what do I know), but Padma didnt just order wine, she ordered "Terlato Pinot Grigio".

 

And don't forget the heavy-handed show of them using all the features of the car, like the voice controlled GPS and turning down the volume on the phone! The instructions to the chefs on making sure that happened must have resulted in some eye-rolling :) 

5 minutes ago, AriAu said:

Why the hell did Jackson decide to share the news about his lack of taste then.....kind of a dick move. "I am going to keep quiet about it until I am about to get eliminated...and after one of my teammates got told his dish was under-seasoned after asking me (and admittedly the other teammates) for taste advice."

it was probably just as well he was eliminated, as the other chefs would have had their figurative knives out for him anyway.

[dleighg]

9 minutes ago, dleighg said:

And don't forget the heavy-handed show of them using all the features of the car, like the voice controlled GPS and turning down the volume on the phone!

and if you missed it, just tune into LCK where you get another reminder of how awesome the car is!

[MerBearHou]

10 hours ago, vb68 said:

Ashleigh's green gumbo looked yummy. But I still think Buddha deserved the win.  His FOH was impeccable and for Tom to say he made the best bread ever on TC is really something. I think he's way out in front of everyone, but they are trying not to make it too obvious.

Same here.  I fully expected Buddha to win the week.  Yes, Ashleigh's food was delicious and she led the kitchen just fine, but Buddha's FOH and stellar Parker House rolls and butter were truly impactful on the overall Matriarc experience and their impressive Restaurant Wars.

[CrazyInAlabama]

2 hours ago, Ellee said:

I have to watch again.

I’m a big fan of watching Top Chef Family Style. I thought I saw Kahlil and Willie enjoying one of the restaurants.  I kind of hope so. 

Yes, they were shown in one of the restaurants.  

[Rai]

I'm really happy Ashleigh got the win, although I would've pegged Damarr for the win given how much focus the judges put on him when he was on the line and that dessert. Still, if that gumbo was that good, and her expediting meant all the dishes were at the proper level of seasoning (cough, other team), then it makes sense she was the winner. The judges also noted how calm and well-oiled the line was, which is the direct responsibility of the expediter/executive chef. They got to see her leadership in action, and they loved her food. That's enough justification for me!

Still, Buddha did a great job with FOH. Nick chose his team members well, and the whole concept came together pretty organically. It's interesting that Nick was content to take a backseat role and that Tom didn't come for him on that. Perhaps if they had been the losing team, that point would've come up, like on season 15 when Chris picked the team and then had Claudette be the executive chef. I've been rooting for Nick though, and it was great to see him come through with such a focused dish that sounded incredible. For Buddha, "ham butter" is something that could go VERY wrong, but it sounds like he had the right deftness to make it savory, not gross.

I've been irrationally annoyed by Jackson, so I don't mind him going. I just don't know why Evelyn (one of my faves!) didn't talk him out of serving two courses at once or his other bright ideas. It's easy to pin Luke's terrible seasoning on Jackson, but there was a whole team involved. Evelyn didn't attend to the seasoning and cohesion of the dishes as much as she could've. I'm glad Jae is back on the upswing though. Still, if I was forced to pick a top three now, it'd be Evelyn, Buddha, and Damarr. Still, since Jackson was doing great until he took on a role he was WHOLLY unsuited for, I suppose anything could still happen.

[dleighg]

I like Damarr (and would love to know what exactly is "carrot caramel") but he has a very strange mannerism of always sort of pointing his head down and then raising his eyes up from that position. 

[Seelouis]

16 minutes ago, Rai said:

Nick chose his team members well, and the whole concept came together pretty organically. It's interesting that Nick was content to take a backseat role and that Tom didn't come for him on that. Perhaps if they had been the losing team, that point would've come up, like on season 15 when Chris picked the team and then had Claudette be the executive chef..

I don’t remember if this was the case in season 15, but I don’t think it would have been fair to expect Nick to be executive chef just because he happened to randomly draw a numbered knife.