S21.E11: Lay It All on the Table

[Ancaster]

22 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

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). 

"This new article"?  Do you have a link?

[carrps]

6 hours ago, dleighg said:

KK=Kristen Kish

Duh. Thank you!

[Bastet]

32 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

"This new article"?  Do you have a link?

This one posted in the Media thread a few weeks ago isn't new, so likely not the one being referred to, but it covers the same topic.

[Tango64]

I was excited to hear Michelle say she was making biscuits and how she works in the butter with her fingers, as you should (or shortening). Biscuit-loving Southern guy here.

But then she pulled out a pan that looked like a brown sheet cake. She served little cubes of it and Tom said they were like a sponge.

Did something happen and she pivoted? Cause those weren’t biscuits. 

[bravofan27]

3 hours ago, Ancaster said:

"This new article"?  Do you have a link?

https://foodsided.com/posts/chef-kaleena-bliss-mental-health-conversation-top-chef-season-21-interview-01hxfd1dm4k7

[Cheyanne11]

Another challenge I didn't care for.  Eating straight off a table looks so gross to me. 

Sad to see Michelle go--she was my fave.

[dleighg]

Savanah (I think?) did the seafood extravaganza? She had a huge pile of seaweed there. I wonder where she got that. I saw her buying little packets. I know they swell up, but she might have spent some $ on enough to make that pile. 

[ML89]

Was that blue tape special food tape or just painter’s tape because, yeah, I want to eat food that gets into tape residue…

I thought table food was out or at least an older trend but I will give props to Laura on her win, it looked fantastic.  I’m sorry Michelle is going out on basically a gimmick challenge. 

Edited June 2 by ML89
typo

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, ML89 said:

Was that blue tape special food tape or just painter’s tape because, yeah, I want to eat food that gets into tape residue…

I thought table food was out or at least an older trend but I will give props to Laura on e]her win, it looked fantastic.  I’m sorry Michelle is going out on basically a gimmick challenge. 

I have heard of "clean removal" tape which means no residue is left behind but I'm not sure it's food safe.  Although I have heard of food safe tape, I just don't have any example to give you.

I thought table food was an older trend too and it did feel gimmicky to me here, but I did appreciate how it made the chefs have to think creatively about their presentations.  I didn't think it looked that unsanitary, at least not the way it was served here on basically a tray that was brought to the table.  If it had been served on the table itself I'd have felt differently.  The judges looked like they knew how to avoid the areas that had already been touched.  Of course when Kristin smeared and smashed all that food between those "puffins" that didn't look too sanitary to me.  Or appetizing, really.

I was sorry to see Michelle go too but it seemed like her philosophical attitude about leaving came from her realization that she was fast becoming out of her depth with the rest of the competition.  Except for Manny of course.  Why he's still there is a mystery but I guess every season there has to be that one contestant that seems to evade PYKAG just because someone else happened to bomb worse than them.  If he doesn't go home next week.....!!!!!

Talk about a dark horse, I didn't give Laura a second's glance until she came back from LCK and then produced this stunning dessert.  Finding out she had roots at Eleven Madison Park made me respect her all the more.  She could take this whole season at this rate.

It's beginning to look to me like Laura, Danny and Dan could end up being in the final 3.  While I'm not especially crazy about any of them I wouldn't be unhappy with that either.

[Tango64]

55 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Of course when Kristin smeared and smashed all that food between those "puffins" that didn't look too sanitary to me.  Or appetizing, really.

I found that surprising and off putting. It wasn’t a “feed the toddlers and watch them make a gross mess with their food” challenge. It sort of disrespected the chef’s food. 

Edited June 2 by Tango64

[SemiCharmedLife]

5 hours ago, ML89 said:

Was that blue tape special food tape or just painter’s tape because, yeah, I want to eat food that gets into tape residue…

I thought table food was out or at least an older trend but I will give props to Laura on e]her win, it looked fantastic.  I’m sorry Michelle is going out on basically a gimmick challenge. 

I'm not sure about the tape, but I did notice that Manny had also sectioned off his table using the tape, and then didn't go that route.  Putting all that tape down probably cost him valuable time, which he was short of in the end.

[BullInChina]

I have yet to see this episode because I buy Top Chef through YouTube and for some reason it hasn't appeared yet. *sigh* stupid technology

[seacliffsal]

Sigh.  I know the show likes to follow 'trends'-i.e. chaos cuisine earlier in the season, but I must be a traditionalist as I like the idea and use of dishes.  Idon't think it's appealing to slide food across the table (or, draw little doodles in sauces on the table [like the heart Kristen drew in the sauce at one point]).  None of it looked especially appealing to me.  

Oh, and Laura can lose me with her 'we did this at a fabulous restaurant I once worked at' until she was asked if she had experience with this and she was like 'no...'  Actually, she skirted the question by stating that she did not expect a challenge like this, so technically she didn't lie, but she did redirect the question/focus.

So, for now, I will go sit at my table for one for an unpopular opinion (but I will have a plate on that table...).

[Rai]

I liked the challenge. It was something new for the show. It isn't a new trend, considering the Alinea reference, but it certainly isn't widespread. That said, a crawfish boil is exactly a table plating experience, so it would've been great had any of the chefs gone in that direction (Michelle).

It's hard for me to justify Manny's continued scraping by at this point, but he's really cute, so I'm happy he's still on my TV. It's looking more and more like Dan and Danny for the top, for sure, but Savannah has been heating up at exactly the right time, so she might surprise me! (And I finally learned her name!) Laura does have big dark horse energy now, too. To bring in that old cliche, it's anyone's game now (except Manny's).

That said, because it's reality TV, I predict Manny does make it to the top after a better chef has a ROTTEN week, and the audience will be FURIOUS. And I'll understand that.

[bravofan27]

Regardless of whether Michelle takes it all, I have a feeling we will be seeing her often on TC and other shows. She just has the sweetest personality and great smile. I'm glad she and Savannah are bonding.

Manny's ask about porridge was bizarre. He clearly wasn't following the line of questions and answers, or understanding what was going on. I think he just said a food. When it was his turn, he was taken aback.

I think Kristen was trying to get the "messy" get dirty thing message about eating off the table in a group, when she picked up all that filling and put it between her puffins. However, when she hastily grabbed everything, took a huge bite, and then threw it down, I was kind of embarrassed for her. Like, Girl, are you okay?

IMO, the only way I would want to eat food off a table with a bunch of other people if it was a finger food or bite-sized thing, like with sushi were everyone takes a piece with chopsticks (not touching the plate) and tips into their own little thing of soy. Or like a charcuterie board. I saw the judges using forks and knifes and going back in with the same forks and knives and we should know better about food safety and cross contamination how fast stuff spreads. I actually liked Michelle's mosaic because it made me think of how sushi is often served-- bite sized pick up pieces, and when the one guest judge said, "I feel like I have to pick it up and put it over here like it's my own plate, I was like, YEAH, cuz Michelle is trying to not be grossed out and facilitate all you getting mono. 

[Fukui San]

The one cuisine that is designed to be eaten off of a table that I can think of is Ethiopian food if you know how to make their spongy Wat bread. Maybe that could have been a good path to think about for inspiration. Or maybe a modified version using freshly pressed tortillas? Imagine if you could make tortillas in different colors as your base.  

[buttersister]

Quote

when she hastily grabbed everything, took a huge bite, and then threw itdown, I was kind of embarrassed for her. Like, Girl, are you okay?

I think she was going for a mic drop. And missing.

Ethiopian veg combo platter = so good and so missed. I should try a delivery for one!

[MsJamieDornan]

13 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

I think Kristen was trying to get the "messy" get dirty thing message about eating off the table in a group, when she picked up all that filling and put it between her puffins. However, when she hastily grabbed everything, took a huge bite, and then threw it down, I was kind of embarrassed for her.

And then said "someone's got to do it." No, really, you didnt have to.

[Rammchick]

21 hours ago, Rai said:

I liked the challenge. It was something new for the show. It isn't a new trend, considering the Alinea reference, but it certainly isn't widespread. That said, a crawfish boil is exactly a table plating experience, so it would've been great had any of the chefs gone in that direction (Michelle).

Crab boil or clam bake too -- all those things are put on brown paper on a table but people don't eat on the table generally, they take things and put it on their own plates.

Re: Alinea.  I think that's where this started, that's the way they serve dessert, or used to.  I spent a lot of the episode wondering what this had to do with Wisconsin.

[bravofan27]

Not to be a grinchface, but it takes 5 days to make injera since it needs to ferment. And the sauces/fillings are all curries and stews, which take a ton of time to make and also are very messy. Everything would run together, so I don't think Ethiopian would work for many reasons. 

[caitmcg]

6 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

Not to be a grinchface, but it takes 5 days to make injera since it needs to ferment. And the sauces/fillings are all curries and stews, which take a ton of time to make and also are very messy. Everything would run together, so I don't think Ethiopian would work for many reasons. 

Also, Ethiopian dishes aren't served directly on the table, they're arranged on a round of injera which sits on something, with more injera served alongside with which to grab and eat bites of food. The point is a communally served meal (much like hot pot, say) rather than to avoid a serving vessel.

[bravofan27]

2 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Also, Ethiopian dishes aren't served directly on the table, they're arranged on a round of injera which sits on something, with more injera served alongside with which to grab and eat bites of food. The point is a communally served meal (much like hot pot, say) rather than to avoid a serving vessel.

Knowing what assholes gail and tom are, they would probably insist on eating it with a fork and knife so they could do their little food surgery on each tiny morsel of food, which would defeat the fun and special part about eating Ethiopian food and look like prissy colonizers. 

 

[HappyDancex2]

I still don’t get Laura saying that she did similar challenges before but then didn’t cop to it when asked in front of the judges.  Curtis Duffy brought it up on how impressive that was.  
 

I really don’t think it was much different than Grant Achatz’s dessert table.  Smaller dry ice element and just substituted the “crunchy closer” with phyllo.  It’s at least the formula per set of the dish.  The sauces and swirls, dots and splots are just flavor choices.  I’m actually surprised none of the judges made a point of the similarities.  Either it’s been too long since the Alinea OG debut and they forgot or they were so thankful to have something pretty to eat.  Even Grant changed up the dessert a bit with the fruit.  For their service they rolled out a big rubber looking mat so it was quite sanitary.

i really enjoyed watching Michelle cook.  Her final mosaic was tortured and this challenge wasn’t in her wheelhouse, nor under pressure did it allow her to be out of her head and do something free.  As a challenge I found it interesting to watch but I feel terrible for her.  It’s like asking a mathematician to go on stage and play the harp with the instructions….” Don’t worry just plunk away…you’ll be great!!!”