S01.E06: Tiffani Faison vs. Dale Talde

[FormerMod-a1]

Tiffani Faison (Top Chef Season 1 runner up) vs. Dale Talde (Top Chef Chicago and Top Chef All-Star contestant)

[bosawks]

Ah, two of my favorite prickly chefs.

[cooksdelight]

Tiffani has softened since she got married to her longtime girlfriend. I saw the wedding photos, she looked downright blissful. Dale, I have no idea. I do know that his restaurant seems to have a high turnover, for a while there he was on Facebook begging for people to come to work for him.

[FormerMod-a1]

I was hoping for a Tiffani win, but I'm not upset Dale won.  He seems to have mellowed (finally).  I knew Tiffani had a while ago.  His dessert must have been really good to counter balance "the worst dish of the night", aka his main course.  Sounds like Gale said his app just barely edged out Tiffani's.

[buttersister]

Gale also referred to Dale's and Tiffani's chef "empires." WTF? Does she still work at Food and Wine? Has she absolutely no control over the lines she's given to read??

Poor Wolfgang's face right before Curtis announced the winner: I couldn't tell if he was drunk, asleep on his feet or trying to tamp down his enthusiasm/nausea over the outcome.

Oh Takashi, come back and conquer all.

[cooksdelight]

WTF is right. Tiffani is currently employed as a "meat slinger" at Sweet Cheeks in Boston. Dale has one restaurant, Talde, in Brooklyn and is always asking for people to send him a resume or apply for a job since he seems to have a high turnover. Not dissing either one for their current jobs, but they are far, far from having an empire of any sort.

I subscribe to Food & Wine magazine and Gail's name is nowhere to be found. Dana Cowin is editor-in-chief, and there are a lot of contributors that we see on this show. Gail isn't one of them.

[stillshimpy]

I thought they said that Dale has three restaurants at present, which is hardly an empire, but is at least on its way to being a wee-hamlet-off-the-beaten-path ...in a sleepy little village way.

Well, they are both my favorite redemption stories from Top Chef. By the time I saw Tiffani's season of Top Chef, I'd seen season two first. She was like a Disney Character compared to the second season assault-and-head-shaving crew. It was honestly amusing to me that she passed for a villain in the first season.

Dale was so incredibly troubled when he was on and I disliked him a lot...but he found a hard won peace and has talked about going to anger management in the past. Most people would really cringe away from seeing themselves at Dale's age in his first appearance...Dale was just MUCH worse in that example. Tiffani and Dale both grew up and became likable people, in my eyes, because they both realized they weren't and wanted to change that.

Take notes Blais, who I see will be a freaking judge on the next Top Chef. Oh great. I need to drink more during this series, clearly.

So anyway, I enjoyed the show a lot. I would have been happy with either winner.

[phoenix780]

Tiffani is my all-time favorite, so I'm disappointed she didn't win.  I also saw her season after season 2 (and a bunch of seasons), though, so maybe that impacts my perception.  I never thought she was all that bad.  

 

This was the first of these I actually made it through in one sitting, so that was nice.

[shimarella]

Yes I was happy for both of them. They seem to have come a long way. I prefer the episodes where the competition is strong but the affection and/or respect is also healthy. The dim sum and cocktail challenges looked like fun. The vegan challenge looked stressful if only because Rob Zombie seemed pissed about everything. The mochi PB & J dessert looked yum!

[Lizzing]

I have no dog in the hunt between Dale and Tiffani.  They both seem pretty cool now, and I saw their respective seasons.  But, Good God, Lemon!  (Jack Donaghy voice)....Rob Zombie?!?!  He made Julie Bowen look like a sensible PR judge.  (A) Get a freakin' comb, they can be vegan.  (B) Do not take a crap on THE classic vegan chocolate cake.  It is in many a book and I've made it for years, and I'm not even a vegan. I can't figure out how chocolate cake was beaten down by a PB&J dim sum.  The last time I went for dim sum, we all tried the PB dim sum on a lark, and were all gagging in the parking lot a little while later.

[GaT]

An OK episode, I didn't care about who won (this seems to be the norm for me on this show), so whatever. I'm just happy that they managed to make it through an entire episode without Wolfgang Puck making a gross sex remark.

[cooksdelight]

I thought they said that Dale has three restaurants at present

You're right, I had to do some Googling, but found that he and his two partners have Thistle Hill and another place in Park Slope. Which I've never heard of either, so that's my mistake. But I agree with you, it's not an empire. Especially if you have two financial investors who depend on you to make money. Hope he's not stretching himself too thin, what with his penchant for punching the wall when he's stressed.

[TrueBlue]

Tiffani is currently employed as a "meat slinger" at Sweet Cheeks in Boston

I believe Tiffani is the chef/owner at Sweet Cheeks Q.  While that doesn't constitute an empire, it isn't "employed as a meat slinger" either.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

WTF is right. Tiffani is currently employed as a "meat slinger" at Sweet Cheeks in Boston. Dale has one restaurant, Talde, in Brooklyn and is always asking for people to send him a resume or apply for a job since he seems to have a high turnover. Not dissing either one for their current jobs, but they are far, far from having an empire of any sort.

I subscribe to Food & Wine magazine and Gail's name is nowhere to be found. Dana Cowin is editor-in-chief, and there are a lot of contributors that we see on this show. Gail isn't one of them.

 

I was going to say the same thing as trueblue.  She owns and operates Sweet Cheeks, which is very highly regarded here in Boston.  That makes her a little more than just a "meat slinger."  It doesn't give her an empire yet, but she isn't a failure, by any means.

[cooksdelight]

I was going by what she has on her Facebook page as where she is employed and what she does.

[stillshimpy]

I agree the guy was an ass, cooksdelight, but he did directly address punching walls last night as something he changed about himself. I don't know if he's doing it through medicinal methods a la his socks, or the counseling he went to. Anyway, I see so few people trying to changes themselves for the better, so I give them both a lot of credit. They both saw who they were on TV and realized, "I really don't like that person, wow, is that who I am?" and both changed.

Dale's been on twice as the worst version of himself. The first time I could not stand the man. I mean, I found him intolerable. Then he was a sous chef on Top Chef Masters, and I kid you not, he seemed to be trying to start an actual fistfight with Michael Chiarello and he damn near succeeded, in one of the only cute and humble talking heads Chiarello gave he talked about calling forth his personal Yoda...the voice of his wife telling him not to punch that guy in the face. Apparently that was one of Dale's tipping points too, just seeing himself be that horrible.

Anyway, by the time All Stars rolled around he'd gone to Anger Management and it seemed like he'd enacted a legitimate change. Marcel got drunk as a Laird and tried to start something with Dale, who declined, calmly. Here it seems that he has managed to enact a lasting change within himself.

I guess one of the reasons I've liked Tiffani and Dale since they realized they didn't want to spend their lives being that angry is that neither has ever claimed "It was the editing!" They've both said something akin to "it was me and I did suck at the time...so I figured out how to get better".

Next week it appears we have the unapologetic Jenn Carroll to look forward to and I promise you, you'll not see a defense of her by me. In fact, next week looks weird because at best I feel sorry for Jenn and I don't even remember Keysha.

ETA:

I was going by what she has on her Facebook page as where she is employed and what she does.

The show had the correct information on for both at the very beginning. Tiffani has done fine by most standards and she's happy with her life. I agree the show overstated the status of both and for some reason it sounded even more aggrandized in Curtis rather flat voice. Who knew the word "Empire" would sound like it should be accompanied by a heavenly host of trumpets or something? But whereas neither is ruling a culinary Empire, they've both done pretty well.

Edited September 11, 2014 by stillshimpy

[cooksdelight]

Thanks stillshimpy, I missed the very beginning due to scheduling conflicts being off by 15 minutes. Your assessments of both of them are spot on. :)

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I guess one of the reasons I've liked Tiffani and Dale since they realized they didn't want to spend their lives being that angry is that neither has ever claimed "It was the editing!" They've both said something akin to "it was me and I did suck at the time...so I figured out how to get better".

 

 

I know someone who knows Tiffani (I know, I know) and this person said that she thought Tiffani really learned a lot about herself in watching season 1 of Top Chef, and thus changed for the better. I will say, she has a uniformly good reputation around Boston.  (I also suspect that Tiffani may have picked up some bad habits from her mentor, Todd English, that she corrected after watching herself and the way she was presented in season 1).

[stillshimpy]

missed the very beginning due to scheduling conflicts being off by 15 minutes.

Heh, yeah and it's not like anyone would willingly watch this show in real time, because we'd all need a lot of counseling after the commercials. I see them when I fast-forward through the ads (I give the DVR a fifteen minute head start) and HOLY CROW. It's like a parade of the maladjusted. Better to lose a chunk of the show than be exposed to some of that stuff for long.

But if you get a chance, check it out, because there's some super nice wedding pictures of Tiffani and her wife. She's so happy in them the emotion is palpable. It's not often the show has something genuinely moving on and they elicited "Aw!" over here. Happy humans.

ETA: Oh before I forget, my husband chimed in after Tiffani's "that was then" clip (which was after the kid food challenge when Tom told her she had a lousy attitude) with "When Tom Collichio is telling you have an attitude problem there's more than a little irony at play." Yea, verily.

Edited September 11, 2014 by stillshimpy

[cooksdelight]

Oh, I've seen her wedding pictures. Beautiful couple!! And it looked like a lovely ceremony as well. 

[Julia]

Apparently that was one of Dale's tipping points too, just seeing himself be that horrible.

 

Oh, not right away, at least. He went on the Bravo website afterwards and was a miserable little shit about it:

 

Looking back, I cannot see myself handling it in a different way. When confronted by this 'Master' chef, I took his comments and tone to be insulting. Had this situation taken place with, for example Joel Robuchon, Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller, Alain Ducasse, I know I would react differently, as I have had nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for these great chefs.

So, while I'm pleased for Dale that he was smart enough to realize that he was failing to get investors without some kind of highly-publicized personal epiphany, I wouldn't put money on the reformed Dale being around much when his hipster investors aren't on the premises. Park Slope is way too affluent a neighborhood for popular and high-profile restaurants to be unable to keep staff.

Edited September 11, 2014 by Julia

[Madding crowd]

As a vegetarian since I was 8 years old, I'm always thrilled to see veggie challenges. I probably would have liked Dale's more, because I don't like anything that tastes like meat. Of course he needed to do something more with the tofu to make it have flavor.

As far as the desserts, flour less chocolate cake has been around forever and there was no surprise in the dish. Dale's Mochi had a surprise filing which sounded yummy to me. I agree Rob was pushing his evil look for Tv.

[FormerMod-a1]

I don't think Tiffani's tasted like meat, just that it had a "meaty" texture, and that was the requirement for that course.  They all seemed to love it, and thought Dale's tofu was the worst of the night.   (Which doesn't mean it was "bad", of course).  

[LuciaMia]

I'm surprised Carla Hall hasn't been on yet; she's a pretty persistent tv presence.  She was on 'The Taste' last week.

[Nutjob]

Carla probably hasn't been on because she has her gig on The Chew.  She kind of doesn't need Top Chef anymore, especially since it'd be a time commitment she probably couldn't make. (I love her dearly, too.)

 

OK, so I'm a metalhead, and loved the idea of the guest judges and the challenge. But Rob Zombie? Geez, dude... lighten up! I've seen him do tons of interviews before and he usually is a lot cheekier and much less grumpy. Gads. I love Scott Ian, though--met him a few times, and he's pretty much like you see him on t.v.  Smart guy, too, so I loved his comment to Francis about them having the "smart metalheads" on. Gary seemed like he didn't know what to say. Heh.

 

I absolutely despised Tiffani during her season, but I feel she's redeemed herself quite well in her appearances since. I like her and root for her now. Dale? Not so much.

[Madding crowd]

To me, a meaty texture is just as unappealing as a meaty taste. I guess people who are newly vegetarian might miss the texture of meat, but for those of us who don't like or miss meat, it isn't a consideration. I also have heard many people describe mushroom dishes as tasting like meat. I'm sure Tiffani's dish was good, but I would rather have the challenge be named a protein dish rather than a "meat substitute" dish which almost always means something that looks and tastes like meat or in this case seafood.

My vegetarian friends and I look for dishes with protein, but never seek out "meat like" dishes although I assume people who like meat and are vegetarians for other reasons may do so. Again, nothing against the chefs, just the nature of the show assuming everyone wants or misses meat.

[FormerMod-a1]

I understand what you're saying, but the requirement for the 2nd dish of the challenge was to create a dish with a meaty texture.  He even said he wanted it to feel like he was biting into meat.

[3jt]

I HATED Tiffani during her season- but have to say really enjoyed her last night.  I thought that the idea for the challenge was good- it's nice to see what seasoned chefs can do with restrictions on ingredients that they would normally use (meat in this case). Rob Zombie was a complete and total asshat to both of the chefs.  I can't stand it when someone decides to restrict their own diet and then make nasty comments about chefs not cooking for them.  If it's such a big problem asshole then open your own restaurant and serve only vegan food.  Others have done it- quit tying to make others feel inferior for not having an extensive vegan menu!

[sunrisepink]

Where can I view Tiffani's wedding pictures?

[JTMacc99]

I liked this episode! I really thought I would end up going through the motions of watching it, but instead I got engaged when Dale brought out his challenge and then got in the weeds.  Heh. There isn't a whole lot I like about the Duel format, but I have been highly entertained when somebody doesn't crush his or her own challenge.

 

I like Rob Zombie and am not shocked he was the guy we saw in this episode. He has never been overly concerned about the way he expresses his opinions, and apparently he feels very strongly about food.

[Pepper Mostly]

I am an unabashed Tiffani fan and squee'd when i saw that she was on Duels! But WTF...... she didn't win? neck and neck for apps, blew Dale's entree out of the water, and only lost the dessert round? I suspect that the outcomes are pre determined--just like the "votes" in the challenge rounds. I've only seen the show a few times, but does each voting segment go--one vote to one competitor, one to the other, and then the final "tie breaker"? Geez, show. We've been watching reality teevee for 20 years now. Try and keep up. I am so NOT on the edge of my seat, I am lunging for the remote to fast forward through this snoozefest.

 

And I agree, Rob Zombie acted like an ungracious ass. "salads and sides" he mutters contemptuously. Dude. She has a BARBECUE restaurant. Meat-o-Rama. And why didn't he want to even try her cake? Cake is popular. People love cake. He acted like she put down a plate of earthworms or something. Sheesh.

[FormerMod-a1]

Reading this in the recap reminded me that I wanted to comment on it.

... Scott Ian's analogy about taste profiles and guitar notes is beyond forced...

 

The one thing I loved about that moment?  Curtis' barely contained eye-roll at listening to it.  

[Rambler]

I suspect that the outcomes are pre determined--just like the "votes" in the challenge rounds. I've only seen the show a few times, but does each voting segment go--one vote to one competitor, one to the other, and then the final "tie breaker"? Geez, show. We've been watching reality teevee for 20 years now. Try and keep up. I am so NOT on the edge of my seat, I am lunging for the remote to fast forward through this snoozefest.

 

In the Marcel vs Blais burger battle, both Gail and Wolfgang first announced that they were voting for Marcel giving him the win. Curtis then said that for the record he would have voted for Richard, so they don’t always do the tie breaker thing. A couple of other times they have announced the first two votes for one chef and then don’t say how the third judge voted, which I take it to mean that it was a clean sweep, but they don’t want to overly embarrass the losing chef.

[anonymiss]

This was satisfying--two entertaining, talented chefs. I love Dale's style of cooking and am so glad he won and has evolved personally as well. Tiffani's thai starter was tantalizing from my screen. I LOVE that they showcased vegan fare. Dale has/had a vegan gf so he should have had a leg up. 

 

Francis Lam was another lovely sight, especially in contrast to that brute Curtis.

Edited September 12, 2014 by anonymiss

[mlp]

 

I subscribe to Food & Wine magazine and Gail's name is nowhere to be found.

 

It's there but not where you'd expect to find it.  She's listed as a Special Projects Manager under Marketing.  And way down that list too.

[Decider]

Where can I view Tiffani's wedding pictures?

 

sunrisepink, they don't appear to be online anywhere, so it looks like you'd have to watch the episode to see them.

[The Solution]

Wow, I've always kind of despised Dale in previous seasons, but I actually liked him in this episode. I was dreading this episode (not as much as CJ/Stefan or God forbid The Hobbit/Art Smith) but ended up really enjoying it. I thought it was a difficult challenge and both chefs came up with interesting approaches to the challenge.

 

However, Rob Zombie? Lighten up, dude. If you want people to take you seriously at absolutely anything, I hate to tell you but that ship sailed long long ago. Embrace the joke that you are.

[bosawks]

When I saw that Rob Zombie was the guest judge I turned to my friend and said that the odds of Tiffani winning just changed to a million to one..........

[sunrisepink]

sunrisepink, they don't appear to be online anywhere, so it looks like you'd have to watch the episode to see them.

 

Oh ok, I did see those, I thought everyone was talking about others they saw online.

 

When I saw that Rob Zombie was the guest judge I turned to my friend and said that the odds of Tiffani winning just changed to a million to one..........

 

Does he have something against women?

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I understand what you're saying, but the requirement for the 2nd dish of the challenge was to create a dish with a meaty texture.  He even said he wanted it to feel like he was biting into meat.

It was even a little beyond that - he said : “Much like the murder and mayhem in my films I would like something that seems like it’s meat, but it’s fake.”  This would seem to me to bring us clearly into old school Loma Linda/Worthington territory.  http://www.worthingtonfoods.com/canned.aspx  Seriously I was wondering if Rob would have been happier if one of them had just opened up a can of Chik or Skallops or Stake, any of which would have been a better fake meat than char siu tofu.  But of course they both had to go all High End on him and prepare something fresh. 

 

Do not take a crap on THE classic vegan chocolate cake.  It is in many a book and I've made it for years, and I'm not even a vegan.

I know what you mean but I also think this is exactly why he was disappointed in the cake.  I'd bet it's the dessert he almost always gets  from non-vegans and he's sick of it.  If you go look at the Tour Rider section at The Smoking Gun a lot of acts specifically say that they will NOT accept lasagne as the vegetarian/vegan option for much the same reason - if they don't eliminate it as an option up front they will never be served any other vegetarian option. 

Edited September 12, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[FormerMod-a1]

He didn't diss it for being chocolate cake though.  He said he doesn't like soft texture (?) and I don't think he even tried it.  Or just one bite.  And to be fair to Tiffani, she did more that just plain cake.  She had the coconut meringue and something else with it.  I got the impression it was good, Gail had positive things to say about it.  That said, it sounds like Dale's dessert was extremely good, so even taking Rob's critique out, Dale would have still won that round.

[leighdear]

The one overriding thing this episode made me feel was a serious need for Chinese dumplings.  I had them for lunch, and they were sublime.....

 

I'm now feeling the need to break out my bamboo steamer and make some myself.  Shrimp dumplings, I think.   I've got a killer recipe I haven't made in a while.

 

This show definitely inspires me!

[Happytobehere]

There were moments of watching this when Dale held his head at a certain angle where he looked liked an Asian Mike Isabella. I know its awful, but I don't mean it as an insult, it is simply observational. I liked Dale in his season, and I like Dale now, so I'm glad he won,

[backbiter]

And I agree, Rob Zombie acted like an ungracious ass. "salads and sides" he mutters contemptuously. Dude. She has a BARBECUE restaurant. Meat-o-Rama. And why didn't he want to even try her cake? Cake is popular. People love cake. He acted like she put down a plate of earthworms or something. Sheesh.

 

Rob actually loves earthworms. They live in his hair and feed off the leftover food stuck in his beard.

[Wings]

It was even a little beyond that - he said : “Much like the murder and mayhem in my films I would like something that seems like it’s meat, but it’s fake.”  This would seem to me to bring us clearly into old school Loma Linda/Worthington territory.  http://www.worthingtonfoods.com/canned.aspx  Seriously I was wondering if Rob would have been happier if one of them had just opened up a can of Chik or Skallops or Stake, any of which would have been a better fake meat than char siu tofu.  But of course they both had to go all High End on him and prepare something fresh. 

I know what you mean but I also think this is exactly why he was disappointed in the cake.  I'd bet it's the dessert he almost always gets  from non-vegans and he's sick of it.  If you go look at the Tour Rider section at The Smoking Gun a lot of acts specifically say that they will NOT accept lasagne as the vegetarian/vegan option for much the same reason - if they don't eliminate it as an option up front they will never be served any other vegetarian option. 

 

The first strike against Tiffany and perhaps a deciding factor was telling them she had vegan choices on her menu, sides and salads!  He had just said that he was sick of only being offered side dishes as the only vegan choices in restaurants.  Tiffany did not hear this but she should know.  Vegetarians are very vocal about the kiss off dishes restaurants serve.  

[taragel]

I'm bummed Tiffani didn't win just because we go to Sweet Cheeks all the time, and it's AMAZING. (Seems particularly cruel to give a "meat slinger" a vegetarian main challenge though.) I thought Rob Zombie was a jerk. 

 

And no one showed nearly enough love for her mini-biscuits. The ones at the restaurant, which are enormous at about 3 or 4 x the size of those, really are the best biscuits in the world. 

[Kromm]

Only just saw this.

Based at least on what we saw (since we can't taste), it seems like Tiffani got robbed. I don't care what you do with it, grilled asparagus shouldn't top drunken noodles on a stick, and her second course wasn't just a little bit better than Dale's, but infinitely better. I can see his dessert as better, but was it SO much better than what she did that it weighed the same as the difference between her second course and his?

If the guests got to vote, I wonder if Rob Zombie made the difference. He clearly seemed to resent that Tiffani and her BBQ restaurant only served Vegan side dishes.

When I saw that Rob Zombie was the guest judge I turned to my friend and said that the odds of Tiffani winning just changed to a million to one..........

Is he misogynist-y?

[bosawks]

Only as much as the next schlock horror movie maven..........

[Kromm]

Only as much as the next schlock horror movie maven..........

So... a ton.

[stillshimpy]

Yeah, Rob Zombie essentially acted like the Vegan other people who don't eat meat end up being treated as. When you tell someone "I don't eat meat" and they get that wary "Fuck. Here comes the lecture, from this joyless, shaming ass who is doing this to have an excuse to be self-righteous" look? It's because of overly contemptuous Vegans like Zombie. So thanks a lot, Rob Zombie, for sticking the rest of the non-meat eaters in to the slot where we have to do damage control for how thoroughly unpleasant Vegans like you are.

I do eat fish, so I'm sure he'd disdain me with great energy and flourish and really? The feeling is mutual. Also, there's no reason to eschew personal grooming to further alienate everyone you meet there, dude.

Anyway, poor Tiffani walked into that one face first.