S19.E11: Family Vacation

[LennieBriscoe]

What type of pasta did Buddha use with his Amatriciana sauce? TYIA! 

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, sharifa70 said:

Ashleigh has been barely skating by for a lot of this season.

I had a double-take when she said she had "a lot of components in her dish." I mean you KNOW you're cooking in a small, crowded kitchen. Why on earth would you set yourself up like that? And yeah, calling it paella and then using an heirloom rice (which I think is much stronger in flavor, and chewier) is a bad idea.

[SemiCharmedLife]

5 hours ago, oldCJ said:

I think not knowing how to slice fish or sear ahi properly is a bigger fail for a chef at their level than undercooking squid on a grill. But when a judge spits out your food, a pykag is coming.

I guess this could be said for all three of the chefs in the bottom, but especially for the raw squid:  why aren't the chefs tasting their food?  Ashley said she could have easily left the squid off the dish and still have a full, well rounded dish, so why didn't she?  Did she not taste it and find it lacking, as the judges did?  Nick acknowledged his pasta was overcooked, so he was tasting the food, but sent it anyway.  Sarah plated family style with the sauce to the side, but I wonder if she tasted her ahi to see how the texture was?

[MsMalin]

I would imagine raw squid is very difficult to digest.

[Sd601]

I found this episode really interesting in that we learned a bit about the contestants families, but we still know very little about their backgrounds. The past few seasons of TC have really been good and competition focused, rather than much background or personal issues. And I like that. In fact, I didn’t know that sweet little Monique is a married mom of two little boys (with one on the way, I just saw on Instagram). I don’t remember her mentioning her kids ever. Maybe when we get down to final 3 or 4, we get their backstories and home life. I appreciate drama is kept out if it—it’s about the cooking. I’m always just surprised the contestants don’t mention it. Even Buddha didn’t mention his until a couple episodes ago.

[dleighg]

17 minutes ago, Sd601 said:

And I like that. In fact, I didn’t know that sweet little Monique is a married mom of two little boys (with one on the way, I just saw on Instagram)

Wow, so we didn't get the seemingly obligatory "I really want to win this to show my kids that they can be and do anything they want!"

How refreshing!

[carrps]

Don't hold me to it, because I have an aging memory...but I think Monique mentioned her kids when she went into LCK. But it wasn't a big deal.

[Morrissey]

I hate when contestants come back and immediately fail AGAIN. Too bad that Ashleigh didn't taste her dish.

[bravofan27]

On 5/12/2022 at 9:31 PM, Thumper said:

Who was the female guest judge?  I missed that and I don’t recognize her.

She was on Top Chef before-- Adrienne Cheatham from CO. I think she was a runner up.

I don't like Sarah and her dead-pan humor. She isn't funny and it makes it seem like she isn't taking it too seriously. Time and place for self-deprecating humor. 

I am glad Ashleigh left. I was getting annoyed at her pissy faces and lack of personality. Her mom was like eating her food and Ashleigh was just sort of begging her to like it. Mom knows.

Buddha and his wife were adorable. 

1 hour ago, Morrissey said:

I hate when contestants come back and immediately fail AGAIN. Too bad that Ashleigh didn't taste her dish.

They must be limited on ingredients because they hardly ever taste anything or redo anything.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I understand why the family members and some others were dressed for hot weather, they turn the fans and air conditioning off for filming.   I bet the judges, and guest judges, and visitors were miserable during the day.  

I couldn't find an explanation of the type of pasta Buddha used, but I bet he'll post it on his social media. Check out his Instagram, or contact him on his restaurant website, and I'm sure he'll tell you about the dish.  

I still can't believe they kept trying to film until the lightning was very close. 

Edited May 15, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[catrice2]

On 5/13/2022 at 3:49 PM, Chicago Redshirt said:

We now have had Dawn and Shota guest judge on TC, but not Gabe the actual winner from their season who was caught up in controversy over sexual harassment. I wonder if TC is just going to pretend like he's not holding the title of TC.

Maybe they're saving him for the final

[Chyromaniac]

8 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

What type of pasta did Buddha use with his Amatriciana sauce? TYIA! 

Definitely a tube pasta- based on the shape, it was probably rigatoni.  Looking up the dish, it seems to be served most with spaghetti or bucatini- but rigatoni is not unheard of.  Otherwise, Amatriciana may seem comparatively simple- but I think the results bear out the effort to get that dish exactly right.  

 I thought this was a lovely episode overall.  Galveston seems really pretty, and I appreciated the second hand sightseeing opportunity.  When family is around I always secretly root for an “everything’s good so no one goes home” decision- but I can see how tough squid would be hard to overcome.  In general though this has been a great season, and a quality batch of chefs.

[Colleenna]

7 hours ago, dleighg said:

Wow, so we didn't get the seemingly obligatory "I really want to win this to show my kids that they can be and do anything they want!"

How refreshing!

Been  watching  Spring Baking  Championship,  have we? 😄

ETA: My heart ached for Damarr,  that he was unable to have family there. 

Edited May 15, 2022 by Colleenna
Additional information

[emmawoodhouse]

1 hour ago, catrice2 said:

Maybe they're saving him for the final

My bet is that we don't see him at all. And that's fine by me; I'd rather scandal-free Shota grace my screen.

[Vermicious Knid]

They didn't mention it on the show but Galveston is well known for being destroyed in the hurricane of 1900.

[bravofan27]

Galveston is nicknamed, "The City Under the Sea."

Those seafood towers were AMAZING. It pained me to watch, because I wanted to be eating them SOOOO BAD! Everything looked delicious.

Buddha's pasta gave me a bit of pause, but I thought it was smart of him to make something so different from everyone else. 

Ashleigh's "paella" rice looked disgusting. And shredded lettuce on a grill? Yuck. It was nothing close to paella, where the rice is made in a pan over an open fire. She should have cooked the squid and everything else with the rice and left that nasty shredded lettuce off all together.

Buddha said he was making pasta amatriciana and he looked like he used rigatoni  pasta to me. 

It made me laugh how Nick is already spending all his Top Chef winning money... at the chocolate shop. Wait till the check clears, bro!

When Padma shrugged and looked bored when Buddha talked about his love for  his wife-- that was funny. At least Adrienne and Gail smiled!

 

 

Edited May 15, 2022 by bravofan27

[whinewithwine]

7 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

but Galveston is well known for being destroyed in the hurricane of 1900.

Between 6,000 and 12,000 people were lost.  The book, Isaac's Storm, is a fascinating account of the deadliest hurricane in history.

[Domenicholas]

Wasn't Galveston also hit hard by a hurricane a couple of years ago?

Also, I remember when Monique was on the show that she talked about feeling reduced to the role of Mom after she became one, and she wanted to regain her passion for her role as Chef as well.

[mlp]

6 hours ago, whinewithwine said:

The book, Isaac's Storm, is a fascinating account of the deadliest hurricane in history.

Absolutely.  Every book Erik Larson has written is well-researched and very interesting.  I was lucky enough to be 20 feet away from him at a lecture he gave a few years ago.  He's just as interesting in person.  I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the history of Galveston.

[whinewithwine]

5 hours ago, Domenicholas said:

Wasn't Galveston also hit hard by a hurricane a couple of years ago?

You might be thinking about Harvey or Ike before that.  My first experience with a hurricane was Carla in 1961...I was 10 years old...)

I was on the fence between Buddha and Evelyn,  but now totally Evelyn.   Food looks great, sweet with her Dad, and my hometown.

Edited May 15, 2022 by whinewithwine
Got mixed up.

[Rammchick]

On 5/14/2022 at 5:19 PM, bravofan27 said:

I don't like Sarah and her dead-pan humor. She isn't funny and it makes it seem like she isn't taking it too seriously. Time and place for self-deprecating humor. 

Some people make jokes to deal with stress.  I tend to do that, so I understand Sarah.

[MaggieG]

They didn't show him much, but I thought Evelyn's dad was adorable.

[AriAu]

Quote

We now have had Dawn and Shota guest judge on TC, but not Gabe the actual winner from their season who was caught up in controversy over sexual harassment. I wonder if TC is just going to pretend like he's not holding the title of TC.

I'm sure that is the plan-pretend like it never happened. Don't even recall any repeats, altho I bet they will show it along with the other finales like they usually do-after all they keep showing Mike Isabella in All Stars.

Gabe won fair and square, and I am glad they showed the season rather than depriving the other worthy cheftestants of their exposure, but it will go away quickly and quietly.

[pasdetrois]

On 5/14/2022 at 11:30 PM, Colleenna said:

ETA: My heart ached for Damarr,  that he was unable to have family there. 

I'm plumb crazy about Damarr. The low gravelly voice, the humming...

[dleighg]

23 hours ago, Domenicholas said:

Also, I remember when Monique was on the show that she talked about feeling reduced to the role of Mom after she became one, and she wanted to regain her passion for her role as Chef as well

I do remember that now; but I like that comment, as it's the opposite of "I'm doing this for my kids." It's "I'm doing it for ME! My kids don't define me!"

[MerBearHou]

34 minutes ago, pasdetrois said:

I'm plumb crazy about Damarr. The low gravelly voice, the humming...

Oh, I am too!!!

[NowVoyager]

On 5/13/2022 at 12:50 AM, Phebemarie said:

This is the second week in a row that Spectrum messed up and didn’t record Top Chef.  All we got were the last 15 minutes.  Boo.

Have you tried the Bravo app?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I have Spectrum, and my DVR recorded just fine.   I bet it's a local system problem.     My Spectrum usually messes up, or resets without warning, after we've had a big lightning storm.    Or when they're upgrading the sytems.   I really wish they would do work in the middle of the night, not when I'm trying to watch something. 

[h2ogirl]

On 5/13/2022 at 1:49 PM, Chicago Redshirt said:

We now have had Dawn and Shota guest judge on TC, but not Gabe the actual winner from their season who was caught up in controversy over sexual harassment. I wonder if TC is just going to pretend like he's not holding the title of TC.

I hope so. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

6 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

I'm plumb crazy about Damarr. The low gravelly voice, the humming...

I went by Virtue (the restaurant where he works/worked) on Sunday and was thinking about trying to see if he was there (you can see the folks in the kitchen from the restaurant space). I went inside but then checked myself after the host was like "can I help you" because I was like "that might be crossing the line from stannish to stalkerish."

Erick Williams has apparently been doing an e-mail campaign to get people to vote Damarr for fan favorite. I haven't ever voted for fan favorite during the umpteen years I've watched TC, but I may break that now.

Also, Erick advertised in his e-mail stream that he was hosting a 5-course dinner with Kwame's food. $150 plus tip is a little outside my normal price range but maybe someone can get tempted.

[grandmabegum]

I found Buddha completely adorable just perching on the top bunk while awaiting judging.

[dleighg]

speaking of the bunk bed (sort of), they billed this (to start) as a "family reunion" at a nice VRBO. Did anyone actually SLEEP there? Or was this a one day (and not even night) rental? Or was it just the guests who got to sleep there over dinner and the contestants went back to their hotel? 

I wonder about odd things, I know.

[grandmabegum]

I sort of imagine that after Judge's Table they got the contestants out and moved the loved ones back in. They're away from home so you'd have to put them up somewhere. Could be vice versa. Or I could even imagine having crew members stay the night there.

Clearly it's product placement like that ice cream, but I'd imagine if you have it you'd use it.

[sugarbaker design]

On 5/14/2022 at 4:02 PM, Sd601 said:

I didn’t know that sweet little Monique is a married mom of two little boys (with one on the way, I just saw on Instagram). I don’t remember her mentioning her kids ever.

That is why I love this show.  I don't need to hear (cue the violins) the struggle of one being separated from their adorable little tykes.  I don't need any of that sentimental claptrap.  This is a cooking competition show.  If you can't be separated then stay the fuck home.

 

 

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

I'm plumb crazy about Damarr. The low gravelly voice, the humming...

My honest reaction during the episode is that I would very much like to be his plus one. To anything.

[Colleenna]

21 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

That is why I love this show.  I don't need to hear (cue the violins) the struggle of one being separated from their adorable little tykes.  I don't need any of that sentimental claptrap.  This is a cooking competition show.  If you can't be separated then stay the fuck home.

 

 

I watched the  Spring Baking Championship,  and when it got to the final four, one of the finalists decided that he was done with missing his family and walked away from the competition.  

[Suzn]

2 hours ago, Colleenna said:

I watched the  Spring Baking Championship,  and when it got to the final four, one of the finalists decided that he was done with missing his family and walked away from the competition.  

As I understood it, that wasn't the real reason he walked out.  It had more to do with the kind of melodrama and personal stories and gimmicks that Top Chef has had minimal amounts of in recent seasons.

[carrps]

4 hours ago, Colleenna said:

I watched the  Spring Baking Championship,  and when it got to the final four, one of the finalists decided that he was done with missing his family and walked away from the competition.  

 

1 hour ago, Suzn said:

As I understood it, that wasn't the real reason he walked out.  It had more to do with the kind of melodrama and personal stories and gimmicks that Top Chef has had minimal amounts of in recent seasons.

Yeah, I thought it was because of that completely STUPID and LAME way they were going to eliminate the last cook before the final final. And that goofy Molly brought out freaking sprinkles as her "family tradition." I was yelling at my TV when I noticed the guy remove his apron and shake hands with the other guy and leave. I applauded him. Not enough of a prize to balance out your dignity.

[Captain Asshat]

All I want to say is, when this season is over, I am going to visit one of Evelyn's farmers market locations. I don't think she's created anything that I haven't wanted to eat, and I can't wait to try something she's planned and cooked on her own timeline. 

I love that they were in Galveston. It's such an underrated coastal town, with plenty of history, and some of the most amazing fresh seafood! As soon as I saw the interior of the "ice cream place," I yelled "La King's!" Seriously, that place has all the best ice cream, milkshakes, and candy! I gained 5 lbs just watching that scene.

Finally, all I could think about, as everyone was gathered outside on the ground floor, was, "I hope someone sprayed for mosquitos." Along the Gulf Coast, especially behind the grassy dunes, lurk the biggest, King Kong, bloodthirsty, painfully biting mosquitos you'll ever encounter.

[dleighg]

4 minutes ago, Captain Asshat said:

Along the Gulf Coast, especially behind the grassy dunes, lurk the biggest, King Kong, bloodthirsty, painfully biting mosquitos you'll ever encounter

Galveston sound great.... until then LOL :) (I'm a Jersey shore girl, and the worst we get is maybe some biting flies a day or two per month)

[Captain Asshat]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

Galveston sound great.... until then LOL :) (I'm a Jersey shore girl, and the worst we get is maybe some biting flies a day or two per month)

If you are on the beach, they don’t bother you much at all. It’s behind the dunes where you might have an issue. So you sit up on the deck, and from dusk until noon, you pull out the citronella. You can also get some spray that repels mosquitos without turning the parking pad and the deck into a biohazard. lol 

[sharifa70]

21 hours ago, Captain Asshat said:

If you are on the beach, they don’t bother you much at all. It’s behind the dunes where you might have an issue. So you sit up on the deck, and from dusk until noon, you pull out the citronella. You can also get some spray that repels mosquitos without turning the parking pad and the deck into a biohazard. lol 

Ahhh, mosquitos. As a former Alaska resident, I literally feel your pain. The most popular summer perfume when I was a kid was Deep Woods Off, and every morning when the kids would go out to play, up and down the street you could see us standing outside in our yards, covering our faces with our hands as we turned slowly, rotisserie-style, while our moms sprayed us up and down. Repeat at lunchtime. 

I’ve never been a Sarah fan, though her LCK streak was impressive. I really hope she doesn’t upset my top four of Buddha, Nick, Evelyn, and Damarr (in no particular order). I’m starting to feel like Grover in “The Monster at the End of This Book.” Don’t. Watch. Anymore! I don’t want anyone cut! 

Edited May 19, 2022 by sharifa70

[VintageJ]

On 5/19/2022 at 9:32 AM, sharifa70 said:

ve never been a Sarah fan, though her LCK streak was impressive. I really hope she doesn’t upset my top four of Buddha, Nick, Evelyn, and Damarr (in no particular order). I’m starting to feel like Grover in “The Monster at the End of This Book.” Don’t. Watch. Anymore! I don’t want anyone cut! 

I felt the same way.  And OMG, I LOVE reading that book to kids.  I’m so dramatic with hand gestures and I yell (and make some of them jump) when they turn the page.  DON’T TURN THE PAGE!

[dgpolo]

1 hour ago, VintageJ said:

On 5/19/2022 at 8:32 AM, sharifa70 said:

I’m starting to feel like Grover in “The Monster at the End of This Book.” Don’t. Watch. Anymore! I don’t want anyone cut! 

I felt the same way.  And OMG, I LOVE reading that book to kids.  I’m so dramatic with hand gestures and I yell (and make some of them jump) when they turn the page.  DON’T TURN THE PAGE!

My brother used to read it in Grover's voice! Such fun.

When it came down to it I realized that I would rather Nick stay than Damarr. I think Nick was almost overlooked, like people listing the chefs would come up short and say, who is the other one? for Nick? Then they suddenly realized he was winning a bunch of QFs and winning some serious money. I really hope all this exposure helps him out professionally and he becomes even more know for his food than before.

Of the chefs left I'm rooting for Buddha.

[sharifa70]

5 hours ago, VintageJ said:

And OMG, I LOVE reading that book to kids.  I’m so dramatic with hand gestures and I yell (and make some of them jump) when they turn the page.  DON’T TURN THE PAGE!

Ha! When I was little I didn’t like being read to (I preferred to do the reading), but I loved when my dad read this. He would get super dramatic and pretend to struggle more and more with turning each page. 

[SemiCharmedLife]

On 5/19/2022 at 6:32 AM, sharifa70 said:

 

I’ve never been a Sarah fan, though her LCK streak was impressive. I really hope she doesn’t upset my top four of Buddha, Nick, Evelyn, and Damarr (in no particular order). I’m starting to feel like Grover in “The Monster at the End of This Book.” Don’t. Watch. Anymore! I don’t want anyone cut! 

I'm going to chime in, too, about "The Monster at the End of This Book."  I must have read it at least 100 times to my sister when she was small.  It was such fun to read!  I guess that book made a lasting impression on many of us!

[BluBarbi98]

On 5/13/2022 at 1:39 AM, Chicago Redshirt said:

I think/hope Sarah is Dead Woman Walking because I think Last Chance Kitchen should be abolished. In either case, it seems like it's Evelyn and Buddha for sure in the finals and then a question of whether Damarr beats Nick or vice versa.  

I like Last Chance Kitchen but would respect it more if it became a contest for a lesser prize. As it is, I don't think it's fair that chefs can use this as a way back into the competition after competing in one simpler challenge than what the chefs are doing on the main show. Just from a rest perspective they're going to have an advantage over the chefs that have been in the main competition from the beginning. 

[BluBarbi98]

On 5/13/2022 at 1:28 PM, sugarbaker design said:

NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour dedicated a whole episode to TC's evolution from bad reality TV to excellent reality TV.  They credited Padma's influence as a producer for much of the change (like not casting complete assholes, promoting diverse casts and keeping the focus on the food).

I'm going to have to find this show & episode. I love the evolution of the show and I've been a fan for years! 

[sugarbaker design]

46 minutes ago, BluBarbi98 said:

I'm going to have to find this show & episode. I love the evolution of the show and I've been a fan for years! 

Here you go!

[marybennet]

Gotta Love Pop Culture Happy Hour!  They are so thoughtful about everything, while having a good time thinking.  I really appreciated them and their account of Top Chef.