Bobby's Triple Threat - General Discussion

[MyMaui]

I'm out now.  This season is just awful.  I hope they fix things if there is a season three.   Mix up the Triple Threat.  Brooke has been around long enough on shows move her off.  I'm sure that's unpopular.  Add a new person to Michael and Tiffany.

[Mellowyellow]

I’m still enjoying this season other than the one Jose Garces episode with that dodgy judge.

Loooooove Adrienne judging!!!!!! She was a quiet one on top chef but I’ve enjoyed her judging immensely. She’s also pretty natural on camera which is interesting since she was never loud on top chef. She has this ease about her that I like. Interesting enough but mellow at the same time.

Loooooove Brooke! I’m the oddball that finds Brooke endearing. She’s got this very serious, semi stressed vibe to go along with her insane talent so I feel like I know where she’s coming from. I missed her terribly in ToC!!!! They cannot replace her!!!!

 

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Mellowyellow said:

Loooooove Adrienne judging!!!!!! She was a quiet one on top chef but I’ve enjoyed her judging immensely. She’s also pretty natural on camera which is interesting since she was never loud on top chef. She has this ease about her that I like. Interesting enough but mellow at the same time.

Loooooove Brooke! I’m the oddball that finds Brooke endearing. She’s got this very serious, semi stressed vibe to go along with her insane talent so I feel like I know where she’s coming from. I missed her terribly in ToC!!!! They cannot replace her!!!!

I couldn’t agree more about Adrienne and Brooke — I enjoy both of them every single time.  Their low-key, articulate, knowledgeable way of speaking really appeals to me.  I love their personalities and they’re both crazy talented.  

[Bastet]

I have so much of this show to catch up on, but I'm still reading here and I love Brooke -- I've had her food several times, so I know what a great chef she is, and I've watched her on Top Chef, Tournament of Champions, and now this show, so also know from afar how insanely talented a "cheftestant" she is.  She has perhaps the perfect mind for competitive cooking, and competing twice each on TC and ToC - shows where some of the best go against some of the best - and winning one time on each and coming in second the other time is a remarkable feat.  Michael Voltaggio is certainly no slouch himself, as a chef or competitor, and he's said he won't go up against her again after losing to her three (I think) times in a row.  So I like that they're teaming up on this show.  (And I loved Tiffany on TC as well, so this is totally my jam.)

Adrienne was one of my TC favorites, so I look forward to getting to see her judge an episode of this.

[SophiaD]

That was an enjoyable episode.  Brooke wasn't the only one to be irritated by Kelvin's comments.  I was like, "Dude, could you be any more condescending?"  i was glad that she won and I like her, too.

I'm enjoying the format.  I like the three Titans, how they comment knowledgeably on how the cooking is going.  I like that the stakes are somewhat high - $25,000 isn't nothing.  I also like that the judges are, for the most part, seasoned professionals.  

Bobby also looks as if he's enjoying himself.  He's earned it!  

[candall]

There have been enough episodes now for the guest chef to know how to pick which Titan for each round.

 

In Round One, Bobby chooses ingredients more or less related to the guest's cooking style, so there's an advantage and you want to use it when you're going against Voltaggio.   (The best of the three, edging out Brooke for risky creativity, IMHO.)

 

In Round Three, you get to whip out your own ingredients, you've practiced what you're going to prepare--which is the only dish you have to cook--and the double point system can make up for whatever shortfall you have from the previous rounds.  Save Tiffany for that round.  (Tiffany's good, but she's not as experienced as Brooke or Voltaggio.)

 

That leaves Brooke for Round Two.

 

.

[Ellee]

Missed Brooke vs Byron.  What happened?

[Grizzly]

1 hour ago, Ellee said:

Missed Brooke vs Byron.  What happened?

Brooke got a 19 and Byron got a 16 so titans won.

Came on here to say I am so tired of the long, drawn out opening. We know who the titans are and where they come from. Them seeing the TT is just silly.

[SophiaD]

12 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Came on here to say I am so tired of the long, drawn out opening. We know who the titans are and where they come from. Them seeing the TT is just silly.

I think that's for the casual viewer who may have stumbled on the show, but it definitely gets repetitive.

I was glad Brooke pulled it out.  Bryon being upset with her that she replaced him (on Top Chef, I think?) was really kind of silly.  She didn't have anything to do with his being voted out.  Also, the backseat driving from the other two Titans was endearing, but I can see how it might have been a bit annoying in the moment.  Brooke handled it better than I would have.

I thought the judging was off, though, in favor of the challenger.  I agree with Michael that you can't say something is the best use of the ingredients that you've seen thus far and then vote it down.  And Tiffany was so upset at her very low score, which I didn't think she deserved.  

Nice camaraderie between the Titans. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by SophiaD

[Grizzly]

Michael's score was brought down by his other dish. I was surprised at Tiffany's score. It was pretty easy to guess who cooked which pair of dishes in all the rounds.

[schnauzergirl]

3 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Michael's score was brought down by his other dish. I was surprised at Tiffany's score. It was pretty easy to guess who cooked which pair of dishes in all the rounds.

I haven't watched this yet, but do want to comment on the judges guessing who cooked what.  At least at this level, the chef world seems pretty small and since the judges know who the Titans are, it wouldn't be too hard to check out their signature dishes, favorite use of ingredients, etc.  I remember one show (not this one) where a judge said a dish "looked just like Alex" and he was right.  

[candall]

I'd say 9 out of 10 times, it's easy to figure out who made what.  10 out of 10 by the last round.  I think any judge with half a brain should be able to skew either the guest or "The Titans!"  into the win, if so desired.

All this blind judging they're so proud of is ridiculous, with the two competitors standing just over the shoulder of the judge, muttering "oh, come on" under their breath.

[schnauzergirl]

I certainly agree with Michael.  How can "the best thing I've eaten all night" come in second?  Bryon's comment about Brooke replacing him on TC was childish and she shut it down beautifully.  

Edited October 5, 2023 by schnauzergirl

[Ellee]

So, KBC won.  Hope I get to read your opinions. 
 

Shota next week. 

[Guest]

I liked this one. Kelsey is such a sweetheart (from what I've seen - didn't see her on Top Chef) and they all know each other well, so it had a real friendly vibe with less posturing. Like Kelsey and Brooke giving each other commiserating "eek" looks as the guest judge was critiquing their dishes, and just generally vibing with Tiffany throughout. I liked the guest judge, too. He really seemed happy to be there.

[MerBearHou]

I have always liked Kelsey.  I think when Tiffany decided to not fry the catfish and just sear it with seasonings, her fish was not going to be as tasty as KBC's Southern fried catfish.  Tiffany didn't want to fry because Kelsey was, but with catfish, I just think that's a bad idea.  I would never, ever, ever order catfish that way, no matter how much it was seasoned by a chef like Tiffany.

Okra -- I'm with Michael -- yuckkkkkk.

[Salacious Kitty]

Yet Michael still won his round. That guy can cook anything well. 

I wonder if Kelsey ever found her diamond? 

[Guinnessgirl]

Kelsey did find it after the round.  It was under one of the shelving units.

[Chit Chat]

6 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I have always liked Kelsey.  I think when Tiffany decided to not fry the catfish and just sear it with seasonings, her fish was not going to be as tasty as KBC's Southern fried catfish.

I tuned in to watch our hometown chef, Kelsey.  I'm glad that she won!  I was surprised that she put the crispy catfish on top of the vegetables, therefore making it a little big soggy in that spot (isn't that what the judge complained of?)  That seems like a rookie mistake!  Tiffany's fish looked delicious, and I would like to try it that way, but I don't know of anybody who eats catfish cooked that way.  It's always fried around here!  However, salmon would probably be good prepared that way.  

[candall]

A year into keto, I'm able to confirm that catfish can be very tasty--satisfyingly crispy, meaty and rich--when broiled with spices and butter.  Still not as good as fried, though!  <sigh>

 

I wondered what Kelsey was thinking, piling all that green papaya salad on top of her fried catfish fillet.  No way in the world that wasn't going to get a little soggy.  Maybe she was counting on her dish being presented first?

[Grizzly]

Shota was as adorable as you'd expect. I think he has a crush on Brooke. The judging gave some of the lowest scores we've seen. Hard to know if it was fair.

[Salacious Kitty]

Congratulations to Shota! Love him. But that judge's scoring was whack. Brooke got a 13 for slightly underseasoned fish, but an otherwise stellar dish? WTAF? Tiff gets a 5 in her round? Michael's one dish must have been out of this world delicious to save the second dish and earn an 8. That was the only decent score all night.

Shota's scoring was equally inconsistent. I honestly thought Brooke won that round based on his comments, yet Shota won by 3 points? Color me confused. 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Salacious Kitty

[schnauzergirl]

I don't blame Tiffany for being -- her word -- "offended" by getting a 5 and Brooke's 13 was a shocker.  

Edited October 19, 2023 by schnauzergirl

[roseslg]

I would be offended by the 5 too. I think it reinforces the judging should really be done blind.

[Katie W]

So glad Shota won because I love him and feel like he hardly ever wins in these cooking competitions. I also love how respectful he is for those that have come before him and it speaks highly of him that so many of them have mentored him through the years. BTW his Terayaki sauce is super yummy! Shipping price is crazy high on his website but it ships free on Amazon. 

So I was really thrown by how harsh the judge was this week so I looked him up.  Was suprised to discover that he's a chef here in Minneapolis and I've eaten at his restaraunt.  It took a crazy long time to get a reservation at his restaraunt and I have to say; I wasn't too impressed when I ate there.  It was good but there are far better restaraunts here in the Twin Cities.  Let's just say he wouldn't like my score if I graded my meal based on his strict point system! 

 

[FormerMod-a1]

Which restaurant in Mpls?

[Katie W]

On 10/19/2023 at 4:45 PM, aquarian1 said:

Which restaurant in Mpls?

Spoon and Stable. 

[Grizzly]

Damn, what did Rashida ever do to Cliff Crooks? Or does Cliff want to keep being a judge on Beat Bobby Flay? It always amazes me that a chef who has no experience with an ingredient outcooks someone who uses it everyday. Something just thrown together, I'm not sure if I should shake my head in disbelief or bow it in awe.

[MerBearHou]

I’ve never seen Rashida before but she was a delight.  

I actually liked Cliff Crooks and his comments and didn’t think he was overly harsh in his comments compared to how I’ve felt from some other judges this season.  His scores were so low for Rashida but I didn’t disagree with his scores for Brooke and Tiffany.  And major WoW for Michael getting a 20 — and with conch which he was so unfamiliar with.  Well-done, MV.

Everyone was loose and funny in moments tonight — they enjoy each other and have an easy rapport and friendship, it seems.  Bobby was especially relaxed and his brief reactions to the camera were funny, I thought.  Chuckled at Michael calling the Microwave a “Mike-Ro-Wave” named after himself, and Brooke groaning at the Dad-joke.  It was an enjoyable show.  

Rashida handled the loss with grace — those low scores had to sting.

[Salacious Kitty]

And that's why nobody else saves Michael for the final round. He's on another planet amazing. 

Poor Rashida. Cliff really savaged her. A 12???? That's a low D. Ouch.

[schnauzergirl]

Wow, that was brutal.  Has anyone else's score ever been that low?  I can't believe a chef of Rashida's caliber would receive such low marks.  I like Cliff and understand that in many cases, a judge's personal preferences for how an igredient is used come into play.  In spite of her obvious disappointment and disagreement with the judging, Rashida handled herself with dignity.  As for Michael's 20 -- that, too, is Wow!  I was also happy Tiffany's score was so high; she's had some tough judging throughout this series.  

Edited October 26, 2023 by schnauzergirl

[MyMaui]

I'm a fan of Cliff and love when he is on tv but I thought his judging was way off with the scores. They were ridiculously low for her.  To hear Bobby praising her and her food (wish I could taste) and then see this was odd.  Cliff knew who cooked what dishes right away especially at the end.  While I love Michael a score of 20?  I hope Cliff isn't back as a judge because this was ridiculous.  I do not believe her food reflected those scores.  I hope Bobby brings her back for a rematch.  

Fix this mess with the judging/scores if you should have a season 3

[candall]

They ABSOLUTELY need to do some tweaking with the judging system.  It's almost embarrassing now, in its lack of transparency.

I think it would be a better show to have Bobby and the judge sitting with the finished dishes while all the contestants are in another space watching the remarks on video.  Then they could groan and protest to their heart's content and the judge wouldn't be predisposed to gin up one side or the other.  Send the judge out, bring the chefs back and give them the scores.  How hard is that?

It would increase the fairness of the judging exponentially.

 

The other thing I didn't like was when that wacky judge on the Shota episode deducted points because he thought the dish would be better if it were "spicier" and Shota subsequently pointed out that he'd prepared a classic Japanese dish that isn't supposed to be spicy.

[MerBearHou]

I have no doubt that the judge could hear Rashida’s little groans and comments — she may have tried to be quiet, but she wasn’t that far from Cliff.  I enjoy the show but they have GOT to fix the judging setup.  

Edited October 30, 2023 by MerBearHou

[Ellee]

I agree about fixing the judging.  In actuality though it’s no different than Beat Bobby Flay.  Or all the competitions I guess really. 🤷‍♂️

[Gramto6]

4 hours ago, Ellee said:

I agree about fixing the judging.  In actuality though it’s no different than Beat Bobby Flay.  Or all the competitions I guess really. 🤷‍♂️

Actually Beat Bobby Flay is a bit different. The first round is judged by the friends Bobby brings in. The winning round where Bobby competes is judged by 3 chef/judges that don't know Bobby's competitor.  They taste the food blind and choose the winner. Of course most know Bobby's style so there is that...but at least they are truly blind tasting.

[Salacious Kitty]

32 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

Actually Beat Bobby Flay is a bit different. The first round is judged by the friends Bobby brings in. The winning round where Bobby competes is judged by 3 chef/judges that don't know Bobby's competitor.  They taste the food blind and choose the winner. Of course most know Bobby's style so there is that...but at least they are truly blind tasting.

I've noticed that Bobby brings in a lot of repeating judges on BBF. If there's Fresno chilies or crispy rice, guarantee the dish is Bobby's. 

Judging on this show needs to be done with the competitors out of the room until the scoring is revealed, a model like Tournament of Champions. 

[Gramto6]

Agree totally re Bobby's Triple Threat. Judging needs to be changed and the competitors need to be out of the room.

Yes, on BBF the first round judges are often the same judges over and over, though they are not judging Bobby but the two competitors. When it comes to the 2nd round the 3 judges are not very often repeated and they are doing a blind tasting of the food, though Bobby and competitor are standing right there. They have not watched to my knowledge the previous round. But yes, having Bobby and competitor in another room would help here too.

Edited October 30, 2023 by Gramto6
typo

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Judging on this show needs to be done with the competitors out of the room until the scoring is revealed, a model like Tournament of Champions. 

Yep.  ToC is truly blind judging*, in that the judges don't even know who's competing in the tournament, never mind any given round, while obviously the judge on this show knows who the Titans are. 

(*And, it's no coincidence this blind-as-blind judging can be has resulted in four of four [so far] tournaments being won by women, which is not the case on other shows with similar caliber - and even some of the very same - chefs competing, e.g. Top Chef.)

But they still wouldn't know which Titan competed in each round (well, at least for the first, but the second they'd know it was one of two, and the third they'd know), nor who the challenger is.  If producers don't want to build another fancy set for the Titans and challenger to move to while Bobby and the judge do their thing, fine, but they could set up something relatively cheap and easy for filming the two competing cheftestants each round as they watch the judge's reaction to their dishes via video feed.  On ToC, it's just two trailers.  On Alex vs. America, the contestants don't see the judges' reactions, but they're filmed sitting around outside while they wait, during which they give their thoughts on how it went. 

It's very easy to get the cheftestants off stage during judging, and they need to do it.  That they're instead standing there within earshot of the judge, who hears them sigh, groan, etc. is ridiculous and a real blight on an otherwise great show.

[mlp]

4 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

When it comes to the 2nd round the 3 judges are not very often repeated and they are doing a blind tasting of the food, though Bobby and competitor are standing right there.

I have read that the round 2 judges actually taste the dishes backstage away from the competitors and what we see is really just them giving their verdict.  I have no idea if that's actually the case but it would explain how they can make rather comprehensive comments after taking one bite.

[Ellee]

I have to say that I always thought the judging on BBF was fake. Lol still watched the show.  What @mlp says though makes sense.

 It could be the same with this show.      It makes sense that BF’s judging manner be the same on the both of his shows.  

[candall]

11 hours ago, Ellee said:

I have to say that I always thought the judging on BBF was fake. Lol still watched the show.  What @mlp says though makes sense.

 It could be the same with this show.      It makes sense that BF’s judging manner be the same on the both of his shows.  

 

He's sure willing to lose 8% of each show's run-time (not counting commercials) to unnecessary and repetitive opening folderol.  

I can reliably FF through four minutes of Batsignal nonsense and pink frothy cocktails before the competitor chef comes through the door.

[Katie W]

20 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

I've noticed that Bobby brings in a lot of repeating judges on BBF. If there's Fresno chilies or crispy rice, guarantee the dish is Bobby's. 

Judging on this show needs to be done with the competitors out of the room until the scoring is revealed, a model like Tournament of Champions. 

Yes Bobby defintely has a "tell" to most of his dishes. For a long time he added pomegrante seeds to every dish. I believe one of his things at the moment is now honey. 

This is why TOC is my favorite cooking competition show now.  The judges have no clue who's competing and it gets ride of any bias they may have towards certain judges. I find it very telling that chefs who normally win everything on cooking competition shows struggle on this show where the judging is TRULY blind. And the fact that all the winners have been female I think really sells that. 

[Bastet]

I stalled out upon learning Scott Conant was up next in the rotation and he won, and instead of just skipping that episode I moved onto other shows.  After watching the new Bobby Flay episodes this weekend, I figured I should come back to this.  I have to say if I didn't know he was an asshole, I'd have liked him based on his comportment in his episode, so it wound up being watchable.

I sort-of watched all of them, but I was in bed and dozing off and on, so I have to go back and watch them in full.  While eating (my wildly inferior) lunch today, I watched the Jose Garces episode, and don't share the outrage that Brooke won the final round.  I wasn't expecting it (nor was she), and I totally understand his sour grapes, but I don't think it's totally out there -- the judge loved both dishes, but Brooke's was the one she wanted to immediately order another one of (and found her use of the achiote more creative), so she scored it higher than his.  Almost all the judges have listed "craveability" - wanting more of it - as one of their criteria, many of them listing it first.  It's a <shrug> for me -- not how I'd have scored them through my TV screen, and I think he should have won, but I didn't eat the food, obviously, and I just don't find it something so outlandish it gets my dander up.  (Especially because he lost in truly blind judging on ToC to a chef nowhere near as talented and experienced as Brooke, so it's not like he's a force of nature.)

Next up is Mei Lin, who I really liked on Top Chef and ToC, and I completely slept through that one last night, but unfortunately I have to get back to work.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Bastet

[Bastet]

Stephanie is my favorite Top Chef winner of all time, so having her judge Mei's episode made it even better.  I figured even if the Titans won in the end, Mei would feel great about beating Michael, but, wow, she killed it in that final round to win the whole thing.  I am not surprise the Titans said her food in that round is the best they've ever gone up against.  I have never come across anything like that celery and herb stew, and now I want a bowl of it.

I laughed at Tiffany declaring she's never going up against Mei again, because it reminded me of Michael saying he's never going up against Brooke again (they've gone head to head four times, and she won every time).

[Bastet]

Today's lunch was accompanied by the episode with this guy Kelvin I've never heard of/seen before (of course it's possible I saw his episode of BBF and just don't remember him, as there have been a lot of episodes of that show!) and Michael cracked me up -- he always dresses casually on this, but in this one he was in sweats it's entirely possible he rolled out of bed in.

It also makes me laugh whenever Bobby/the Titans make fun of his affection for the microwave.

I don't like beans, so I didn't want any of the first round dishes, but other than the dish with egg yolk, I wanted to devour all the sausage and peppers dishes.  His arepa in the final round sounded delicious, but so did Tiffany's dish and hers had the bonus of being pretty much perfect visually; his must have been even more scrumptious than it seemed through the TV for them to have received the same score.

I really liked Adrienne on Top Chef, and she has stood out to me as a good judge in the things I've seen her do since, so I was not surprised to hear Brooke say she's judged alongside her several times and always agreed with her take on things.

[Bastet]

I only vaguely recognized Byron (and only when he had his glasses on) and after he mentioned Top Chef I had to look up what season he was on -- the Portland season, when they were in a big COVID bubble.  That was a great group of people who got on very well, but I couldn't remember anything he'd done or cooked.  And I did not understand his Brooke beef, since she was one of the guest judges (because of the bubble, they had a small group of guest judges they rotated through), not a contestant. 

Checking the thread for the episode in which he was eliminated, by far the most common sentiment in those posts was "Very nice guy, but made mostly forgettable food, so it was time" so now I don't feel weird about not remembering.  But checking the thread for the one where Brooke "filled in" for him (as she accurately refuted to his bizarre "took over my spot" characterization) to refresh my memory, he's off his nut waiting all this time to "pick a bone" with her over that -- his elimination left them with an uneven number of contestants, and the next Quickfire (not an elimination challenge) required them to work in pairs, so Brooke was brought in to partner with one contestant (and, of course, she was not a judge that time).  What did he want her to do?  Demand that Byron be brought back instead?

I liked him not just wanting to rep for Costa Rican food, but for all the immigrants who make up so much of the restaurant industry (I believe he's a Dreamer immigrant), and he made great food, but he turned me off with that oddness in such a way I was relieved when Brooke blew him out of the water in the third round. 

I laughed a lot in this one:  At Michael's wardrobe again, as now he's donned a sweatshirt with holes in it, at the way he said "I'm the only boy" about being called "the bad boy" of the group, and at him clapping when it was announced Byron only got 16 points (he'd have needed 18 to win), then realizing no one else was clapping.  I also got a chuckle at Brooke yelling at the Titans to stop yelling at her, even though I understood their clock anxiety.

[OnMatchPoint]

I love the three chef titans and love cooking competitions, so I keep occasionally watching an episode presuming it will click for me. It hasn’t. I’m not sure why I don’t care for this show. 

[Bastet]

Both chefs competing in any first round have the challenge of not knowing who they're cooking for, but that's rarely been as significant as when Kelsey was one of those two, as I don't think she and Michael Lomonaco could have more different palates if they tried.  His menus are like his wardrobe -- 100% old school.  On point and expensive old school, but old school, so you have to cook accordingly.

I liked her on Top Chef and, while I don't like southern cuisine anywhere near as much as she does, I was glad to see someone win with it after so many seasons.  She can keep her lima bean Hoppin' John all to herself, though; I hate beans.  I grew up eating catfish once or twice a year, because that's when we'd visit my great uncle at his cabin, take his boat out on the river delta, catch them, come back and cook them.  The couple of times I had it in a restaurant, I didn't like it, and with those days in the distant past I have long since lost my taste for it.  I'd try hers if handed to me, of course, but lima beans, no thanks.  (I liked Bobby and Michael talking about how they don't like them, with Michael saying but with Kelsey and Tiffany in the kitchen we're about to see the two greatest lima bean preparations in all of food.)

I'd like her papaya salad, though.  I know she said she was being mindful to let the dressing drip off before she put it on the crispy fish, but with that much of it and the dish having to sit before the judge gets to it, that seemed an unnecessary risk.  Obviously it didn't hurt her much, though; the judge noted it, but still gave her 19 points. 

Tiffany's catfish I'd try, too, since it's Tiffany, but other family members lived closer and went out on the boat far more often, and I never heard of anyone doing anything with the catch other than frying it; as much as anyone liked it fresh caught, we still wanted to mask it a bit with some breading and grease.  But the judge liked it, so maybe I'm missing out.

As a meaningless aside, does Kesley have a wedding ring for every year she's been married or something?  They're halfway to her knuckle.  I had already noticed them before half of them went flying.  I don't remember seeing that when she was on Top Chef.

[mlp]

23 hours ago, OnMatchPoint said:

..........love cooking competitions, so I keep occasionally watching an episode presuming it will click for me. It hasn’t. I’m not sure why I don’t care for this show. 

Me too.  I've watched most of the episodes but I can't get into it either.  I'm sure that part of it is that I can't stand Brooke.  She's clearly very good at what she does and she seems to be well-respected for her abilities but I think she's a poor sport.  She's smug when she wins and indignant or tearful when she doesn't. 

My other problem with it is the judging and scoring.  One judge has all the power and IMO can manipulate the scores if he/she chooses.  I think most of them have a pretty good idea whose dish they are tasting based on knowledge and experience.

I don't like catfish either Bastet.  I'm not a fussy eater but I grew up back east on haddock and halibut and catfish just seems mushy and tastes of dirt.  I've lived in the Midwest for decades where it's very popular and I still don't care for it.  But I LOVE lima beans.