S21.E11: Lay It All on the Table

ProudMary · May 28

Airdate: Wednesday, May 29, 2014

Synopsis:

Quote

A familiar face returns to the competition. Tom cooks up a dish that Kristen and Gail can't resist. The chefs must serve their creations directly on a tabletop to Kristen, Tom, Gail and guest judge Curtis Duffy.

Edited May 30 by ProudMary
To expand details of the synopsis.

Mod-Tigerkatze · May 29

Hi everyone,

before you dive into the discussion of tonight's episode, a quick note that this note from last week's topic applies.

Thank you and happy watching.

susannot · May 30

These chefs have incredible pedigrees. Laura worked at Eleven Madison Park. Danny worked at Alinea and was on the Bocuse D'Or team. Or do I have that reversed? However, I love Michelle saying that she makes comfortable food

bravofan27 · May 30

I liked how they started this episode showing everyone sharpening their knives and talking about their families. I was surprised that Dan tried out 13 times for Top Chef-- wonder if it was just coincidence that he landed the role when they came to Wisconsin.

I wonder if they brought Tom and Gail into the elimination challenge because they were having a hard time finding local people to guest/introduce the elimination challenge. I am also kind of disappointed that after the Native American challenge, and all the talk about how chefs don't use these ingredients, more chefs or challenges are incorporating these foods. I think what would really impress the judges if the chefs made a dish that incorporated ingredients and flavors, cooking styles, they learned in the Native American challenge. In an interview that Kalena gave, she said it was challenging to shop in Wisconsin because they just didn't have the same products available that are available in other parts of the country. I think this super disadvantages Manny and definitely give Dan the edge since he knows what is available and good.

susannot · May 30

BravoFan what kinds of ingredients were not available?

Bastet · May 30

Shouldn't posts be in the Live Chat thread until the episode finishes airing?

bosawks · May 30

I may not ever be able to cook like a Top Chef but I can aspire to meet failure with the dignity of Michelle.

Bastet · May 30

Dammit – I was hoping for a Michelle vs. Savannah finale. I'm going to miss her for several reasons, including that she always makes me laugh; this episode it was telling the others she has "What the hell is this?" written in her notebook about this challenge.

Danny’s table was beautiful. I didn’t like Dan’s as he was composing it, but when I saw the whole thing I really liked the visual. But, like the judges, Laura’s was my favorite -- gorgeous and fun.

Savannah’s came together great, visually. The octopus had me nervous from the moment she said she was going to do it, and indeed that didn’t turn out, but I knew she was safe, so I’m glad they didn’t even mess with putting her in the bottom given how bad Manny and Michelle did.

I was hoping her QF win would save Michelle, but she failed on every level in the EC while Manny had some things that worked.

Oh well.

I’m surprised Dan is allowed to sous vide overnight when it’s an you have X time to cook today and Y time to cook tomorrow challenge.

I love that Savannah only asked Tom questions she didn’t know the answer to in the QF, instead of asking him to confirm something she knows, which would then give everyone else that information too. And that she was the only one who noticed hmm, there are suddenly a bunch of woks in this kitchen.

ProudMary · May 30

I can't believe that Manny is one step away from the finals, when he was thisclose to being PYKAGd many times this season.

I'm very sad that Michelle was eliminated. She was my favorite and the chef whose food I'd most want to eat. I don't disagree with the judges' decision tonight; I just wanted to see her make the finals. 😔

I have not been a big fan of Laura's during this competition, but she seemed to be the clear winner tonight. Her table looked amazing.

bravofan27 · May 30

10 minutes ago, Bastet said:

And that she was the only one who noticed hmm, there are suddenly a bunch of woks in this kitchen.

She also specifically recognized one of the smells as something used for cooking in a wok. So I think that and the woks in the kitchen (she was likely looking for one) made her more sure.

ProudMary · May 30

29 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Shouldn't posts be in the Live Chat thread until the episode finishes airing?

The simple answer is yes, and I do wish people would abide by the old rule.

The problem is that in past seasons, the episode thread was locked until the episode finished running, and the Live Chat thread was opened only during the 60 or 75 minutes the episode was running.

Because this is a green-lit forum as we usually all play well with others here, there are no moderators watching the forum as the show runs. Only moderators have the ability to lock and unlock the threads.

Salacious Kitty · May 30

16 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

The simple answer is yes, and I do wish people would abide by the old rule.

The problem is that in past seasons, the episode thread was locked until the episode finished running, and the Live Chat thread was opened only during the 60 or 75 minutes the episode was running.

Because this is a green-lit forum as we usually all play well with others here, there are no moderators watching the forum as the show runs. Only moderators have the ability to lock and unlock the threads.

The old mods put a timer on the threads so they would automatically open/close as desired. Maybe the new mod who set up the live forum doesn't know about that feature?

The Solution · May 30

Dammit! Whose dick did worthless Manny suck?

I haven't watched LCK yet, but I do hope Michelle gets another chance. First Soo (who I wasn't a fan of at first due to the way he came in, but grew to admire due to his talents), and now Michelle? Maybe Top Chef needs to give itself a big re-think before new season.

Salacious Kitty · May 30

LCK is over. Laura re-entered the competition this week. Michelle is, sadly, done.

bravofan27 · May 30

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

The simple answer is yes, and I do wish people would abide by the old rule.

The problem is that in past seasons, the episode thread was locked until the episode finished running, and the Live Chat thread was opened only during the 60 or 75 minutes the episode was running.

Because this is a green-lit forum as we usually all play well with others here, there are no moderators watching the forum as the show runs. Only moderators have the ability to lock and unlock the threads.

Sorry! Didn't realize you had to wait till the episode ended. With my time zone, and the fact the thread was open, I thought it was fair to comment. My bad. :)

Irlandesa · May 30

My heart sank when I saw Michelle's table. She has been a favorite of mine all season and she usually bounces back after a bad week. But even if the components had been executed well, the size just looked like she had hit a point of exhaustion.

18 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

I was surprised that Dan tried out 13 times for Top Chef-- wonder if it was just coincidence that he landed the role when they came to Wisconsin.

Probably not. They seem to like have at least one local in the competition ever since they started moving it around.

18 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

In an interview that Kalena gave, she said it was challenging to shop in Wisconsin because they just didn't have the same products available that are available in other parts of the country. I think this super disadvantages Manny and definitely give Dan the edge since he knows what is available and good.

I think it's Savannah who was shown to have a list of potential Wisconsin-themed challenges, like a fish boil. I bring that up because it's clear she did some research into what the food scene in the state might look like. Kalena complaining that it was hard to shop earns a hefty eye roll from me. It's not like grocery stores not having what a chef wants is new to the series. Chefs have had to pivot quite a lot while shopping over the years.

As for whether it gave Dan an advantage, I'd bet it's small if any. There are plenty of chefs this season with Chicago experience who will also know what's in a season since it's close to Wisconsin, and they often work with Wisconsin farmers/food producers.

18 hours ago, Bastet said:

I’m surprised Dan is allowed to sous vide overnight when it’s an you have X time to cook today and Y time to cook tomorrow challenge.

I did wonder about that. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps there's more flexibility in how the food is stored overnight. For instance, if I were to make jello in a challenge, being able to have it sit in a fridge overnight would be part of the "cooking" process. I wonder if Dan was allowed to keep his stuff in a sous vide machine overnight or create an ad hoc sous vide contraption. The risk about having something cook overnight is you might overdo it so we rarely hear about chefs doing it.

Edited May 30 by Irlandesa

Msample · May 30

Another vote for not giving a chef a pass for “not having stuff available in Wisconsin”. Do some research before you ship out.

Manny can take solace in the fact that at least he didn’t get PYKAG’d from his risotto, like so many past chefs who have succumbed to the sirens call of risotto and been sent packing.

dleighg · May 30

I also was surprised about allowing the sous vide thing. I'm sure all the rules are explained to the chefs, even if we don't know them.

Didn't Danny have all sorts of lines of tape on his table at the very beginning? In the end he just had the "frame". But it was very clever to use the frame for his sauces.

They made a big deal about the whole crew come in simultaneously after Danny had his half hour. But I realized at presentation time that they must have all been staggered by 10 minutes or so for serving. So I guess they had to stand around for awhile.

Michelle's was just atrocious. What on earth was she thinking?

dubstepford wife · May 30

Michelle is a wonderful chef who will go very far in the culinary world. But this was probably the most obvious elimination ever. As Gail said, between her and Manny, it wasn't close, even with his Top Chef kiss-of-death risotto.

I'm sure Dan's food tasted good (hence his being in the top) but I'm kind of over the Jackson Pollock-esque presentations. It's too easy, too obvious, and it's been done before. Savannah's presentation was way cooler. It looked like a banquet for mermaids. It's a shame about her oily tempura and the chewy octopus. Had she nailed them she could have been in the top 3.

Color me impressed with Laura. I wasn't a fan of hers the first time around, but her entire plate looked delicious, and I love the idea of a ring of phyllo that you break at the table and use to eat ice cream and fruit toppings. It tastes like a sundae, but eats like chips and dip. I love it. Well played, Laura. Well played indeed.

bosawks · May 30

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I think it's Savannah who was shown to have a list of potential Wisconsin-themed challenges, like a fish boil. I bring that up because it's clear she did some research into what the food scene in the state might look like. Kalena complaining that it was hard to shop earns a heart eye roll from me. It's not like grocery stores not having what a chef wants is new to the series. Chefs have had to pivot quite a lot while shopping over the years.

As for whether it gave Dan an advantage, I'd bet it's small if any. There are plenty of chefs this season with Chicago experience who will also know what's in a season since it's close to Wisconsin, and they often work with Wisconsin farmers/food producers.

I find that ridiculous especially from a Chicago chef.

That would be like, when we finally get our Philadelphia season, a NYC chef complaining about how they can't find what they need in Philly.

I was sad for myself when Michelle left but when I saw how sad the remaining chefs were it was a punch to the heart.

tv echo · May 30

Disappointed in the results. Just like I was disappointed in last week's results.

Edited May 30 by tv echo

bravofan27 · May 30

They can use anything in the kitchen, and the sous vide was in the kitchen, along with all the supplies, so it's fair game.

janeyjay · May 30

Oh Michelle. You went out with a whimper, not a bang. But I suspect with your charming smile and infectious personality, we'll be seeing you on the TC past contestants circuit soon, if that's what you would like to do.

Manny's been the recipient of the "Bad But Not As Bad As The Eliminated Chef" Award most of the season. Dude, risotto on a table spread? Really?

I want to do a spin on Laura's dessert table that's within my cooking skills. It was fun, well-conceived and different.

Fukui San · May 30

My thought for this challenge would be to go for whimsy. Make a whole roast duck and lobster surf and turf. plate them standing up like they’re two monsters fighting each other. Make a stir fry island for them to stand on. There’s a Cantonese dish where you make a basket out of fried shredded taro which you put a stir fry into. Do that but turn it upside down so it’s a mountain volcano. Whether it tastes the best, it’d be the most fun.

Forgot to put down the name of the dish: Roduck vs. Lobstra, written in a hoisin sauce script.

Edited May 30 by Fukui San

PhoneCop · May 30

Well, crap. My only consolation is that it was a deserved elimination, even with Manny attempting Top Chef suicide with the risotto. I guess I'm putting most of my chips on Savannah* now; Danny has the best track record of those left, but I just haven't warmed to him for reasons I can't put my finger on. And I was fully behind chefbot Buddha, so it's not like I need a particularly genial personality to root for.

*And now I've surely doomed her. Jeremy's recent appearance reminded me that during his season, I liked six of the F7...and then the seventh person won.

Heathrowe · May 30

I loved Michelle and she seemed happy to go, like she was not feeling the “fun” of the challenges anymore.

I thought Danny’s looked amazing! And I felt like Laura, doing a dessert table last really stood out from the rest. As to not being congratulated, maybe they dislike her but it always seems to me that the person coming back from LCK always wins that episode, like Soo this season. I think she deserved the win, but it’s gotta be frustrating to hand a win to someone who was already eliminated.

tvfanatic13 · May 30

I like Kristen, and have not felt the pain of Padma leaving as much as I thought. But damn, she has no emotion when she PYKAGs the chefs. At least Padma appeared to have felt bad.

sugarbaker design · May 30

6 minutes ago, tvfanatic13 said:

I like Kristen, and have not felt the pain of Padma leaving as much as I thought. But damn, she has no emotion when she PYKAGs the chefs. At least Padma appeared to have felt bad.

There were a couple of times, the double eliminations, in fact, where KK was visibly moved.

Rammchick · May 30

2 hours ago, Fukui San said:

Make a stir fry island for them to stand on. There’s a Cantonese dish where you make a basket out of fried shredded tarp which you put a stir fry into.

Tarp? Or taro?

My inclination would have been to make pictures of flowers or animals. Seafood could have been depicted as a fish with each scale a scallop -- or somesuch.

Irlandesa · May 30

3 hours ago, bosawks said:

I find that ridiculous especially from a Chicago chef.

I looked her up after I read the post to remind myself where she's from. She's a recent Chicago chef, as in after filming Top Chef. Prior to that, it sounds like she worked most in the state of Washington.

jackjill89 · May 30

21 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I looked her up after I read the post to remind myself where she's from. She's a recent Chicago chef, as in after filming Top Chef. Prior to that, it sounds like she worked most in the state of Washington.

It's not like they had them shopping at a family grocery store in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. It was Milwaukee and Madison.

kirklandia · May 30

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

I looked her up after I read the post to remind myself where she's from. She's a recent Chicago chef, as in after filming Top Chef. Prior to that, it sounds like she worked most in the state of Washington.

I imagine when she arrived in Chicago, she bemoaned the lack of ingredients from Washington. Like our fabulous fresh seafood!

GiandujaPie · May 30

Laura's table did look the most appetizing along with the fun and whimsy of the baklava ring. I imagine that this challenge was the most difficult for those who are not strong in the visual arts which Michelle admitted was not where her strength was.

As for Kaleena, I thought she'd be stronger in the quickfire challenges as she was successful on the Food Network competition shows she was on which appear to require being able to think quickly on your feet with surprise ingredients and being able to do them fast.

seltzer3 · May 31

Yeah, I had a feeling that Michelle was going to go halfway in the episode. She seems to be a very literal chef, and all the challenges that were more artful/abstract (chaos cuisine) she struggled with.

It also seemed like Michelle, wasn't designing as she was going along. Danny was really smart, with the tape and measuring dimensions to make his food fit the dimensions. But Michelle, didn't realize her dimensions were off because she did 90% of her time on the cooking. Yeah it really sucks she went against her BBQ roots, because a BBQ tableside design could be pretty amazing if done properly (like a roasted meat/brisket in the center, and the sprinkle the sides around.).

Still thought Manny should have went. Risotto on a table just sounded like a terrible idea from the start.

Laura's was amazing. That table looked stunning. The chewy ice cream was smart, I was worried that the ice cream would melt. And the baklava rings really tied everything together.

I'm actually surprised no one went the filipino route, of doing an inspired Kamayan. Tableside food on banana leafs. Although I guess Savannah's was kind of like that.

bravofan27 · May 31

I don't know if people saw this new article about how Kaleena opted out of doing LCK again because she wanted to prioritize her mental health. Personally, I think she was embarrassed. As executive chef on kitchen wars, she tried super hard to make it seem like everyone was this team and working together, when the whole time, everyone just side eyed her. There was so little engagement from anyone with Kaleena. It was like a completely silent kitchen with Danny, Soo, and Laura looking miserable and tortured.

No one seems remotely worried about getting sick. All those chefs eating off the same table seemed really gross. It's not a preschool sensory table (which are also gross).

Edited May 31 by bravofan27

MerBearHou · May 31

I just had the chance to watch tonight. Sad to say bye to Michelle but oh my, it was so clearly the right PYKAG.

So why did Laura answer the judges that she’d never done anything like this before when earlier in the episode she said they’d done it at Eleven Madison Park? She said she’d never imagine in her life she’d ever do anything like it, but she had. She even described the blank paper they would lay on the tables on which they’d put the ingredients. And the guest judge made kind of a big deal about her creativity doing this for the very first time. Seemed not quite honest to me.

Edited May 31 by MerBearHou

gorgy · May 31

19 hours ago, janeyjay said:

Manny's been the recipient of the "Bad But Not As Bad As The Eliminated Chef" Award most of the season. Dude, risotto on a table spread? Really?

I believe that's called The Wendy Pepper Award

nitrofishblue · May 31

Manny is still there because he always manages to be in the middle, not the top and not the bottom. To be honest I wish he was gone. He has shown little to me.

seltzer3 · May 31

Also don't play charades, 20 questions, hot/cold or any other type of game with Manny on your team.

Michelle: Is there a protein?
Dan: Is the protein a seafood?
Manny: Is it a porridge?

Everyone: "Manny WTF?!

potatoradio · May 31

21 hours ago, kirklandia said:

I imagine when she arrived in Chicago, she bemoaned the lack of ingredients from Washington. Like our fabulous fresh seafood!

Oh, hey now! I'm the first to drool over the idea of fresh ocean seafood, mainly crab, but Chicago is on Lake Michigan, which has plenty of fresh catch fish of the day options. Even if they look a little strange from their annual St. Paddy's Day green glow up water. ;)

I gag at the thought of eating straight off a table from a shared pile of food. If I want to relive my kindergarten finger painting days, I'll do that separately from a "fine dining" experience, thanks.

Savannah somehow gives me a cross vibe of Leah Cohen and Sara Bradley. Neither of whom I liked and their immaculately conceived love child isn't really making me root for her, even though I give her all the props for playing the game well and her food does sound tasty.

Sigh. Another one I really did root for gone in favor of the sucky, boring and whining Manny. Since my hopes of a Michelle, Raskika and Soo finale are long gone, I'm strictly a KK fan watcher now*.

Oh, and Gail's wardrobe? Why did you dress her in that hideous bridesmaid get up? With a bow that was visible from Jupiter? Was that really necessary? Really?

*KK = Kristen Kish. I'm watching for the host at this point, not rooting for any of the contestants.

Edited May 31 by potatoradio
Clarity. Not the Bachelor kind.

dgpolo · May 31

1 hour ago, nitrofishblue said:

Manny is still there because he always manages to be in the middle, not the top and not the bottom.

Manny has been in the bottom 4 times, in the middle 4 times, won the first elimination challenge and was in the top for the second. So he's been getting progressively worse.

AriAu · May 31

Quote

In an interview that Kalena gave, she said it was challenging to shop in Wisconsin because they just didn't have the same products available that are available in other parts of the country. I think this super disadvantages Manny and definitely give Dan the edge since he knows what is available and good.

This season was taped in late summer/early fall in Wisconsin, a part of America's heartland. There is no shortage of fresh, I mean REALLY fresh, produce since that is harvest time. Sure, there may not be any fresh uni like in San Diego, but this is WISCONSIN. Ridiculous point to make.

I hate these "artistic" challenges, especially this late in the season. Give them some parameters, but to complain about Michelle not using enough of the table is not judging them on the right things, especially this late in the game. On the other hand, the fact she undercooked her biscuit etc.... that is fair game, yet somehow I cant believe it was worse than Manny's, who managed again to not "out-run the bear...only out run you".

So Laura won for making a "sundae bar"....ok. Dan and Danny's seemed better and more technically strong, but again, we don't get to taste them.

Where is the finale taking place? Did I miss that?

Edited May 31 by AriAu

Suzn · May 31

I hate these gimmicks. Eating off the table is gross and unsanitary and nearly as bad as last season, licking off plates.

This has nothing to do with good food or in fact attractive food. It's just an attention-getter and plays to those who are pretentious, as a chef or diner.

I picked Michelle as a likely winner from the first so to see her lose over this ridiculous challenge is sickening.

I feel sorry for Manny, but he is so out of his depth and has been from nearly the beginning. I wouldn't mind him bringing Mexican techniques or ingredients into the challenges, but he just flat cooks Mexican dishes with no indication of broadening what he cooks.

carrps · May 31

2 hours ago, potatoradio said:

Savannah somehow gives me a cross vibe of Leah Cohen and Sara Bradley.

I really disliked those two (although Sara grew on me in the international season), but I don't get the same vibe from Savannah at all. I think she's just smart -- not shifty.

2 hours ago, potatoradio said:

I'm strictly a KK fan watcher now

Who???

As for fresh fish, I've discovered that I'm not much of a fresh water fish fan. I'd never thought about it much, because generally I like seafood a lot and always have. But a few times, I've really not liked it. Turns out it was fresh water fish all those times.

dleighg · May 31

KK=Kristen Kish

MartyQui · May 31

Re Michelle's biscuits...why didn't she cut them into rounds before she cooked them? They would have cooked faster and she could have fit them into her mosaic idea, sort of. Or at least cut them into squares. Part of the charm of a biscuit is the edges.

mlp · May 31

I hated seeing Michelle go but I can't argue with the decision. She should have wowed them with some kind of BBQ spread. I think she had the idea that her table had to be "artistic" which isn't her style and let that get into her head.

I keep seeing promos for fan favorite but I can't find it on the Bravo site. I must be missing something obvious.

dleighg · May 31

4 hours ago, Suzn said:

I picked Michelle as a likely winner from the first so to see her lose over this ridiculous challenge is sickening.

I totally agree that eating off the table is ... off-putting to me. But I think Michelle failed on so many levels here. Not just the non-plating. When you get this far in the competition, relying on "comfort-food-plating" isn't going to cut it. It doesn't mean she doesn't make good food- it's just that they are looking for something extra.

Bastet · May 31

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I keep seeing promos for fan favorite but I can't find it on the Bravo site. I must be missing something obvious.

Here

dgpolo · May 31

7 hours ago, dgpolo said:

Manny has been in the bottom 4 times

btw, no one else has been in the bottom more than twice. (at least until eliminated)

(Data from Wikipedia)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Chef:_Wisconsin#Contestant_progress

Edited May 31 by dgpolo
add info

Sign In

S21.E11: Lay It All on the Table

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment