S19.E14: The Final Plate

[cameron]

While I was a fan of Damaar while he was competing on this show; can't understand why he was standing with the chosen sous chefs at the final announcement.

[VintageJ]

17 hours ago, essexjan said:

Yes, that always breaks my heart too. How on earth would someone ever get over finding his best friend hanged? I loved Anthony Bourdain. He was such a badass, he looked like he'd give a woman a really good time, and then take her for the best ramen in the world in a tiny hole in the wall cafe that only he knew about.

Unfair comment because I can only pick one emoji.  Sad 😞 for the first part.  Heart for Anthony.  Loved him. But the 😂 gets it for that last part.  That was gold.

[Totale]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Alt 0233 only works on some computers/keyboards. 

I just Google where someone has used the accents I want and copy/paste the word.  Kobaïa Iss Dëh Hündïn.

We though Demarr might have been there as a backup sous in case somebody got sick.  Didn't they let the chefs bring their own sous from home one year? Or was that another show?

[OlderThanDirt]

Random thoughts: 

I loved Buddha's family nicknames- his father being called Spare Rib because he was so skinny and chubby baby Buddha. I'd love to know what influence being Australian has on his cooking; availability of ingredients,  maybe?

I thought Damarr was there because he was still in Tuscon and they were still trying to maintain a Covid bubble so they couldn't bring everyone back but they like to make it look like a party. I think in the past they might have included family too.  Who was Buddha's family member at the Galveston dinner? 

In the preview for the last episode where they rode in on horses it looked like they were cooking outdoors  and I thought that was so wrong for a finale. Luckily I was wrong. I did want to hear more about that food. 

I thought Buddha started running back to the kitchen because he had so much nervous energy and the others had to follow.

Re: Bourdain. The movie  Roadrunner is excellent. I saw it on an airplane in an aisle seat which may have been a mistake. But the people who saw my tears didn't say anything. 

[cameron]

10 minutes ago, OlderThanDirt said:

Random thoughts: 

I loved Buddha's family nicknames- his father being called Spare Rib because he was so skinny and chubby baby Buddha. I'd love to know what influence being Australian has on his cooking; availability of ingredients,  maybe?

I thought Damarr was there because he was still in Tuscon and they were still trying to maintain a Covid bubble so they couldn't bring everyone back but they like to make it look like a party. I think in the past they might have included family too.  Who was Buddha's family member at the Galveston dinner? 

In the preview for the last episode where they rode in on horses it looked like they were cooking outdoors  and I thought that was so wrong for a finale. Luckily I was wrong. I did want to hear more about that food. 

I thought Buddha started running back to the kitchen because he had so much nervous energy and the others had to follow.

Re: Bourdain. The movie  Roadrunner is excellent. I saw it on an airplane in an aisle seat which may have been a mistake. But the people who saw my tears didn't say anything. 

Buddha's family member was his wife.

[Rai]

I knew Buddha would win, but I still rooted for Evelyn all the same. All three turned out lovely menus though. I like that Sarah did think about zero waste -- until she did that, I didn't actually know what was her point of view. I think Evelyn's downfall was the currymole because it was just a hunk of meat with sauce over it. It needs more fine-tuning. Sarah's dessert and plating for it was probably her finest moment. I will dream of Buddha's lamb dish for a while. And those leaves on his dessert -- I can't lie, they looked technically incredible.

I'm not made of stone, so of course Buddha talking about his dad and then the call at the end were moving moments. But honestly, where Buddha won me over is when he suggested Evelyn call her currymole "Murray." I laughed a lot. Good on yer, Buddha.

I would welcome Evelyn in an all-stars any day. I would welcome Sarah too! She's an agent of chaos, but it turns out man, she can cook. I really don't care if she always seems "on." That's how some people are to cope with nerves and social awkwardness/anxiety. Lord knows I have a few practiced anecdotes at the ready when I need them. It'd be great if every person could say just the right authentic thing at the right time every time, but that's pretty unrealistic.

Normally, I have zero interest in the judges hugging everyone, but they honestly seemed so warm and supportive to all the finalists. It was very sweet to watch. It's been a sweet season. Looking forward to seeing the next asap -- get filming, magical elves!

[seltzer3]

Found it really interesting that all the finalists picked their teammate that during the replication challenge Sarah/Robert, Evelyn/Jo, Jackson/Buddha.  Wonder if Damarr would have picked Monique if he made it to the final. I totally see Sarah picking Robert in a sense of redemption, since her plate sent them both packing.

I do think Buddha deserved to win, but I thought his obsessions with tuiles was excessive.  Some of the dishes kind of worked, but other dishes, it felt like there wasn't really a point to them.  Also, i thought tuiles, were pastry tuiles.  So how is he able to make eggplant or carrot tuiles, and it looked like pastry tuiles?  

I felt that even if Evelyn nailed all of her dishes, she wouldn't have won (and in all honesty she executed her plates pretty well, with some tiny flaws).  I think her dishes just looked a little simple or inside the box (even though her POV is pretty unique).  It also doesn't help that her best dish was her dessert, but that dessert we've seen her make before.  She is definitely a lock for All-Stars.

Even though Sarah's execution wasn't all there.  I find her POV really interesting and like her ideas.  Food waste is a big problem in the restaurant industry.   Being a busboy long time ago, its really jarring how much food you throw away.  She had some interesting concepts, like using the "three sisters" in a dish.  Wish her the best.

[Ms Blue Jay]

49 minutes ago, OlderThanDirt said:

I thought Buddha started running back to the kitchen because he had so much nervous energy and the others had to follow.

I'm sure there was a time limit.

[caitmcg]

19 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

1 hour ago, OlderThanDirt said:

I thought Buddha started running back to the kitchen because he had so much nervous energy and the others had to follow.

I'm sure there was a time limit.

I'm sure the clock didn’t start the moment they turned from the table, though. And when Buddha started to run after the first course, Evelyn and Sarah called out, “Wait, don’t run!” It was only after that they all ran for the building.

[MerBearHou]

Finally had time to watch the Finale.  Oh my gosh, I can't believe how much I teared up when Buddha was named Top Chef.  I loved him all season and believed he was the most talented among this very talented group, but didn't realize how MUCH I was pulling for him.  What a lovely winner.

A few other notes:  

- couldn't get over how poised the big group of judges were at that dining table when there were bees everywhere, including landing on Buddha's arm and on the plates!

- Jackson and Buddha / Evelyn and Jo seem to have such close friendships.  I felt like Sarah included Robert because of how he was eliminated with her early on.  They did not seem as close but certainly worked just fine together.

- when Tom said Buddha was "showing off" in the finale and Padma stuck up for him saying "it's the FINALE - they should show off", I wanted to cheer.  Come on, Tom -- that was absurd to say.

- I hope to see Evelyn again soon.  I absolutely love her.

- I wouldn't mind if I never saw Sarah again.  Apologies to Sarah-fans, but she's a big No from me.  Yes, she can cook quite well, I will agree, but I am tempted to mute the sound when she's speaking.  I don't mute it, but then am subjected to her auto-default retorts that are exhausting, sarcastic remarks.  I cannot think of one time she actually was funny.  And now I will never write about her again.

- it's been a truly wonderful season with some of my new favorite chefs to watch 

Edited June 4, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Rai]

I admit I yelled at the TV a couple times when it came to the sous chefs. I thought it was very nice of Sarah to pick Robert. I completely forgot he won the first challenge and seemed like a genuine contender before they crashed and burned together. I've never been a Jackson fan, and while I get he cooks the kind of fine-dining food Buddha does too, I just would not trust my final meal to someone who owned up to having no sense of taste on his way out the door. I mean, okay, it was amazing how hard he was winning up to that point, so what do I know. Just seemed really risky though.

I loved Jo, but when she was talking about how strong she and Evelyn are together, I yelled out "on the bottom!" They nearly got cut when they were a team, so idk, maybe you two aren't the best team? But they did a lovely job together even if it seemed Evelyn struggled to explain her instructions at times.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I like that they were allowed to pick their own sous chef, and production flew them in.   

[heckkitty]

On 6/2/2022 at 10:30 PM, GaT said:

Once again they made me think I was getting a two hour episode by sticking "Top Chef Family Style" onto regular "Top Chef" There is no way I would ever watch that show, why is it hosted by Meghan Trainor?

To annoy the shit out of people who otherwise might have watched it?

[nokat]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I like that they were allowed to pick their own sous chef, and production flew them in.   

I did too. I'm an old and have no idea about the new emojis..

[pasdetrois]

Perhaps Buddha was chosen because he's the more natural tie-in with Top Chef business - all the financial opportunities/promotions that follow the show. He's in NYC, he's married to an esteemed chef, and he does trendy food. I do feel the season was wired for his win.

I wouldn't order his food. I'd order Evelyn's.

[carrps]

2 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

I wouldn't order his food. I'd order Evelyn's.

I'd order Sara's, too. Both their food looked cravable to eat. And they were more creative and innovative. I can see them both having sustained careers.

[SemiCharmedLife]

12 hours ago, nokat said:

I did too. I'm an old and have no idea about the new emojis..

From the mods:

If you hover over each one it will tell you what it is, but for clarity here are the intended meanings:

Heart = Love

Thumbs Up = Like

Clapping Hands = Applause

Flames = Fire (aka 'That's fire/on fire')

Mind Blown = Awesome/Amazing/Astounding

Primetimer color stripes = Thanks

Wink = Winking

Teddy Bear = Hug

Laugh = same as before

Useful = same as before

[Fukui San]

I feel that Buddha, out of all the high-end, trendy, fancy chefs who have been on this show over the years knew when to dial it back and show something else. His Pasta Amatriciana (?) dish was no frills at all. He wowed with Parker House Rolls. He demonstrated both good basics and a high level of imagination and execution. And I did think he performed the best in the finale. 

[HurricaneVal]

I think the new emojis are fantastic.  However, being inherently lazy, I'm probably going to stick with the heart emoji because it appears to be the default.  Please don't read anything into it when I express "love" when it probably really should be "like" or "applause."  I promise I'm not a creepy stalker with inappropriate emotional attachments.  I'm just lazy...

[nokat]

15 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

I feel that Buddha, out of all the high-end, trendy, fancy chefs who have been on this show over the years knew when to dial it back and show something else. His Pasta Amatriciana (?) dish was no frills at all. He wowed with Parker House Rolls. He demonstrated both good basics and a high level of imagination and execution. And I did think he performed the best in the finale. 

I loved all three of the finalists. I would eat any of their dishes. Buddha put out a lot of just beautiful plates. He deserved the win.

Still I'd probably like to eat Evelyn's food more. This is how I feel about the judges, you just have personal tastes.  Yes, you like to see a pretty presentation, and you want the right balance. 

[AriAu]

On the Pack Your Knives podcast this week (if you don't listen, you should) they interviewed Sarah. Among the things we found out was that she auditioned for the show like 4 years ago and they thought she wasnt quite ready and they actually remembered her and called her back.  We also learned that

Quote

 I felt like Sarah included Robert because of how he was eliminated with her early on.  They did not seem as close but certainly worked just fine together.

in fact, she and Robert were very  close friends from even before the show. They had a little bit of an alliance so when grocery shopping, they would buy for each other...."I'll get the garlic, you get the oranges". She also told us that sometimes they share money-she said she gave Nick some money one time when she had extra and he came up a little short! FYI-Robert made the acorn cake based on her recipe.....which sounded like a real pain. She also felt that the circulator wasnt working quite right...but didnt try to push off the blame. She also said that she and Buddha have become very close since the show ended.

I came away very impressed with her. Got her act together.

Quote

While I was a fan of Damaar while he was competing on this show; can't understand why he was standing with the chosen sous chefs at the final announcement.

Cuz he was in Tucson-it was only a couple days after his elimination.

[blixie]

Quote

but I thought his obsessions with tuiles was excessive.

Ripert said this exact thing, maybe a few less leaves, and more sauce/cake. I think his 90's crack was also about that, but having been to Australia it definitely feels a bit trapped in that era cuisine wise, very cruise ship, like a nicely carved carrot is still just a carrot. I still think Buddha deserved the win, but I still think it was insanely close.

[Morrissey]

Buddha's dishes were absolutely gorgeous. I think if he dares to let go a little of his laser focus on executing techniques and allows for some chaos, he will become one of the great chefs everyone will know and remember. 

I'm very happy that he won, even if I was mostly rooting for Evelyn. Her goat murray did her in. Otherwise I still believe she could have been head to head with Buddha. She was an absolute delight to watch throughout the entire season - both in terms of dishes she put out and personality. 

I almost cried when Gail told her how much she had impressed them. I remember her having an equally sweet moment with Shirley when Brooke won. 

A nice end to a wonderful and enjoyable season! My only criticism is that someone needs to invent taste tv. 

[South]

On 6/4/2022 at 9:24 AM, pasdetrois said:

First time in many years where I've watched every episode. The weirdos and egos drove me away from previous seasons.

I like me a good weirdo.

On 6/4/2022 at 9:05 PM, heckkitty said:

To annoy the shit out of people who otherwise might have watched it?

I was judiciously stuffing my pie-hole with popcorn so it might last well in to the second hour.  

[South]

On 6/4/2022 at 2:27 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I'm sure there was a time limit.

I figured they might have pots simmering-away.  Of course we aren’t aware of time allotments for each course.  

[dleighg]

On 6/3/2022 at 9:00 PM, bravofan27 said:

Broth made from corn husks does not sound great, and I have no idea why Sarah decided to take the no-waste food route.

I've done that-- actually with the silk -- I roast the silk on a rack to toast it somewhat, then cook it in a pressure cooker with the cleaned cobs. It's a nice deep flavor

[nokat]

19 hours ago, Morrissey said:

My only criticism is that someone needs to invent taste tv. 

Yes, I'm practically licking the tv. I want a taste too. Then I'll watch something else and be thankful there isn't smellovision.

[dleighg]

On 6/4/2022 at 1:38 PM, OlderThanDirt said:

I thought Damarr was there because he was still in Tuscon

It just seemed strange because he was the ONLY former contestant there other than the sous chefs. 

Anyway, other thoughts: I always thought miso was fermented soybeans. But Sarah talked about "this miso was made from sourdough bread" and "this miso was made from squash." Any miso experts out there care to elaborate?

When they showed Buddha's main course with (as Padma pointed out) that glossy demi glace, and also showed the picture of Evelyn's goat (with a distinctly NON-glossy sauce that looked extremely unappetizing to me)-- well it was a contrast.

[Bastet]

56 minutes ago, dleighg said:

It just seemed strange because he was the ONLY former contestant there other than the sous chefs. 

Because he was the only former contestant other than the sous chefs who was brought to Tucson (he was the third of the group brought there for the finale, and eliminated in the first round of it). 

[essexjan]

On 6/4/2022 at 4:56 PM, Totale said:

Didn't they let the chefs bring their own sous from home one year? Or was that another show?

That was Top Chef Duels.

[carrps]

2 hours ago, essexjan said:

That was Top Chef Duels.

I could swear they did it on original recipe Top Chef, too. Or maybe the show brought their sous chefs and surprised them?

[South]

On 6/7/2022 at 3:14 PM, Bastet said:

Because he was the only former contestant other than the sous chefs who was brought to Tucson (he was the third of the group brought there for the finale, and eliminated in the first round of it). 

It did seem a bit awkward having him lined up with the others over on the side with no mention of his presence.  

[Rai]

On 6/11/2022 at 12:29 PM, carrps said:

I could swear they did it on original recipe Top Chef, too. Or maybe the show brought their sous chefs and surprised them?

In season 14, Brooke and Shirley chose two chefs each from the lineup of former competitors, and then their third cook help turned out to be their right-hand chefs from their restaurants. Maybe that's what you were thinking of?

[carrps]

23 hours ago, Rai said:

In season 14, Brooke and Shirley chose two chefs each from the lineup of former competitors, and then their third cook help turned out to be their right-hand chefs from their restaurants. Maybe that's what you were thinking of?

Yeah, that's probably it. Thx!