S12.E07: Restaurant Wars

[Tara Ariano]

The fan-favorite "Restaurant Wars" challenge unfolds. Here, the culinarians must open their own pop-up eateries. In the all-encompassing test, they must create menus and restaurant decor and train the staff. Appearing: Barbara Lynch; Kristen Kish; and Stephanie Cmar.

[Bastet]

Appearing: Barbara Lynch; Kristen Kish; and Stephanie Cmar.

 

Sold!

[cooksdelight]

YAY!!! Can't wait!!

[Julia]

I really, really hope they let Kristin give advice to the teams.

[MangoFed]

Kristen's advice for RW would be interesting, given how she exited.

[Lillybee]

Kristen fell on her sword because of Josie.

[Bastet]

When Katsuji showed his ass talking about Katie as if she's not good at anything, I hoped her dish would be his balls, deep-fried.  Yes, she has been one of the weakest chefs of those remaining, but she has turned in highly-praised food more than once, and he has been inconsistent himself. 

 

WTF either way, but was Mei trying to say -- in the talking head when she said she wanted to step into the role of EC (even though when asked if she wanted to do it, she merely repeated the question and never answered it) -- with we all know women are better line cooks?  Better line cooks than executive chefs?  Or better line cooks than their male counterparts? 

 

I like the name and concept of Magellan, an around-the-world study of spices.  But I don't think the menu did it justice.  The Four Pigs menu seemed much more cohesive.  And they certainly had better leadership and worked together better.

 

Katie should give a clear direction to KeriAnn - I want the servers bringing me tickets for their tables, or I want a runner bringing them to me - having seen that KeriAnn wasn't doing a good job of training the servers.  Both were in over their heads, and it just snowballed. 

 

At the end of the day, it's an individual competition -- one person will go home for this challenge, and one person will ultimately win the whole thing.  But RW is a team competition in that one team will come out on top and not have any of its members up for elimination no matter what.  So to sit back and encourage someone who isn't the best choice for EC to go ahead and do it because you're counting on her going down and letting you slide under the radar may be good strategy, but it doesn't impress me.

 

Adam has a great personality for front of the house when things are going well, but I think he'd be manic in the weeds.

 

I could watch Kristen and Stephanie every week, so I wanted to actually hear from them.  Stephanie will likely forever have my favorite response to learning it was Restaurant Wars day -- "I should have taken some Pepto."

 

Adam's clams looked really tasty, but Mei's toast didn't look appetizing.  Otherwise, everything looked pretty good, with nothing making me want to reach through the TV and help myself like the Thanksgiving feast did. 

 

KeriAnn's dish was just a bad concept, between pre-making the crepes (the hell?!) and then making a filling that can't be spread.  But someone needed to tell her it wasn't going to work as intended and get some input on fixing it, rather than surprising her with it.  I'm glad Tom reacted the same way, because that was a real head scratcher for me.  And Katie needed to give her a straight answer when she asked what happened.  Although it's ultimately her call, Katsuji kept talking about it as Katie's idea, when it seemed to me it was Gregory's.

 

I think KeriAnn was the right call, but I always think it sucks to go out for front of the house.  And to wonder if she might have been able to stick around had her dish gone out as intended.  I think going out midway through the competition is commensurate with her skills, and, again, that it made sense under these specific circumstances, but I do feel for her, too.

 

On a random note, if Tom thinks something is salty, it must be like the ocean.  Also, the editors can miss me with that lingering shot up KeriAnn's legs.

[avecsans]

I won't miss Kerriann but I thought Katie should have been eliminated. She was clearly over her head running the kitchen. Pretty shrewd of Gregory and Katsuji to let her take over so that they could lay low, although I was disappointed that Gregory didn't run the kitchen. Has Katie cooked a protein even once? I remember beets, salad and dessert.

People, especially Adam, really need to stop patting Doug on the head like a child and calling him "little man." He's not tall. Who cares?

Edited December 4, 2014 by avecsans

[backgroundnoise]

If you were Kari Ann, wouldn't you check the first servings of the dessert before they went out?  It sounded like she didn't know they heated it up until nearly the end. 

 

The gray team were a joy to watch.

 

Adam has a great personality for front of the house when things are going well, but I think he'd be manic in the weeds.

I don't know about that.  He reacted pretty well to the missing clam shells.  Looked for a bit, then just got out the spares and started over.  Maybe Doug was a calming influence, though.

Edited December 4, 2014 by backgroundnoise

[twilightzone]

Kari Ann has been skating on thin ice.  Her time was coming.  She was never going to win.  This was hardly a shock elim like Kristen Kish. 

[ShadowSixx]

Yay Dougie for winning, he and Adam did a superb job in running the restaurant. I'm always on the fence with Adam cause episodes I like him and episodes I don't, he's always up and down with me lol. I was so in fear that Doug's team was going to lose because the editing in the beginning made it seem like they were gonna lose but they didn't so I was happy and was rooting for Doug's team to win restaurant wars.

 

Katsuji is always talking shit about people and it's really annoying, he's being more annoying than Hat Douche guy (forgot his name just like that). He really needs to STFU cause he's working my last nerves.

 

KeriAnn goodness me was she awful, she didn't have the staff trained correctly, they were coming back to the kitchen and one was trying to give an order to Doug. I knew it was a mistake to pre-make her crepes, I knew what she was trying to do with serving it cold but even I knew it wouldn't turn out well. It's always the front of the house person on the losing team that ends up going home during restaurant wars because they have to trust someone else with their dish. If I was front of the house, my dish would have to be as simple as simple can be just from the fact you're working front of the house and can't see how your dish is going to turn out.

 

Katie was just as bad, couldn't keep the team together as Gregory was the only one who did good but stayed behind the scenes like he wanted and I say well done by him to stay in the background. Katie changing the dessert to a hockey puck could have surely sent her out the door, but since KeriAnn was such a fuck up it was a hard choice.

[Bastet]

He reacted pretty well to the missing clam shells.  Looked for a bit, then just got out the spares and started over.  Maybe Doug was a calming influence, though.

 

That definitely read to me as Doug snapping him out of it (and I'd need to throw a fit for a minute before regrouping, so I'm not critical of Adam's initial reaction, just that he kept on instead of getting started on the next batch of clams until Doug took charge).  Had a disaster occurred when Adam was out front by himself, I think he would have got in his own way.

[msburg]

I was disappointed in both Gregory and Katsuji, and their attitudes determined the team performance.  Looking out for number one ensured they were safe, but doomed the team.  At least Gregory was a little more subtle, though still a bit cowardly.  I lost respect for him today.  Recalling past seasons when the strongest chefs embraced the executive chef role, Gregory now pales in comparison.

 

Katsuji was just an ass from the get go.  The commentary about the "little guy" Doug, his admitting that he could help Kerri Ann but wouldn't, and his passive aggressive crap with Katie makes me root for him to go down in a fiery blaze sooner instead of later. 

 

Katie and Melissa should be very worried about a sudden death quickfire next episode.

[Bastet]

I think it's interesting that Katie and Melissa drew the knives allowing them to choose teams, because they probably would have been among the last picked had others been selecting teams. 

[Julia]

I'm not sure what Keri Ann thought anyone should have done. It doesn't matter if you wanted your dessert to be served cold if your filling is solid at room temperature. In a perfect world Katie would have asked her how to fix it. On the other hand, Katie was fighting to keep the kitchen from going under because of Keri Ann's mismanagement, and Keri Ann was apparently too busy to greet the VIP table as it is. I honestly thought they were telegraphing Katie going home, and I wasn't too happy about it.

Also, up to this point I really didn't see what the Katsuji hate was about, but boy howdy, was he a CJ in this episode.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Julia

[Lopethina]

Katsuji should have been told to "unload his cart and go" after his behavior in the warehouse store, playing bumper carts and trying to trip up Doug. He's insufferable.

[CherryMalotte]

I'm no Keriann fan, but I would have sent Katie home.  She was a mess.  She wasn't a strong enough leader for her team at all.  

[turbogirlnyc]

Keri Ann's time was limited. That said, part of me wanted Katie to pack her knives and go. When the teams were forming and Keri Ann was told she'd be on the orange team, Katie's facial expression was so uncalled for. Yes, Keri Ann was weak but Katie's not much better herself. And then we get Katie's talking head right after expressing her "concern" about Keri Ann being on her team. Well Katie, you were way out of your league as well. Terrible executive chef. Katie's sudden self-importance grated tonight. Mainly in the form of facial expressions.

 

I've lost respect for many of my favorites tonight. Gregory going the "safe" route, Mei (although not a favorite of mine) saying women make better line cooks, Katsuji refusing to help Keri Ann, etc. What ass holes these people are being. Sadly, I'm done with this show. Or at least this season.

Edited December 4, 2014 by turbogirlnyc

[HappyDancex2]

Gregory has lost his mojo. How quickly they cower.

Katie's voice was very Teaching Kindergarten. If there is a problem spell it out and solve it...stop trying to smile and pacify through it. Ugh.

It was nice to see a team work so well through RW. Refreshing. Nice tip on the nitro butter too.

Glad to see Doug do well. I know its Katsuji's brand of humor with the short jokes but since he's no tall guy himself, it makes sense that he's so condescending. He's as ass. He buried himself with the whole "I could make the crepes to order but I do volunteer? Nooooooo". Whatever.

Padma so entitled. " it's been a long time since I had to fight for a table." Eye roll. I know it's shocking Padma but the fake servers cast for this episode are actors and might not know who you are.

The judges always love a cardamom splashed dessert. And not too sweet.

The ocd helped the team win but the fact that he did that 2 finger lick and smooth down eyebrow gesture....twice this episode was downright....strange. But he had otherwise great energy and real attention to detail. I guess when you watch/work with the best with his pedigree it helps out. Adam has a lot of experience and it showed tonight. He ran circles around KeriAnns non training and Katie's pop up restaurant kumbaya style.

[GaT]

For a Restaurant Wars episode, this was pretty boring. It was obvious the whole time which team would win.

 

I forgot all about Last Chance Kitchen, too bad it's coming back next week, I didn't miss it.

Edited December 4, 2014 by GaT

[RealityGal]

KeriAnn = self promoting until the very end.  I've been on one cruise in my life, but I specifically remember there being a massive amount of food, and I remember it being a very small menu, but I don't remember it being particularly high quality food.  I imagine that has changed over the years, but I would also imagine that it depends on the cruise line.  My parents took the maiden voyage on the Queen Mary 2.  The food they had was likely spectacular, but its not the same on every cruise ship.  And by the way Keri Ann, the awards Barbara Lynch has, those are the ones you brag about, not "Best Young Chef that ever held a Henkels knife in the middle of aisle three at a local Whole Foods."

 

I'm not sure between her and Katie who should have gone home.  It seems like KeriAnn was selected for front of the house, perhaps because no one really thinks she is that great a chef, which may be why she was picked dead last.  I also think she probably was extolling her virtues, awards and vast experience front of house and so everyone felt good.  Additionally, it seemed like the team went with a "worldwide cuisine" idea instead of something else because KeriAnn wanted to do a french dessert.  The original idea seemed to be something more Asian inspired which would have tied the menu together, but KeriAnn said she wanted to do something french so the concept had to change to allow for the fact that she either didn't have or didn't want to do an Asian inspired dish/dessert.

 

On the other hand, I didn't like how Katie seemed perfectly fine to let Katsuji take the blame for changing KeriAnn's dish.  Katie was the executive chef, so ultimately the choice came down to her.  I do think they should have at least told KeriAnn that they were going to change her dish around.  I also think that Katie was on notice early on that KeriAnn didn't seem to know what she was doing with the servers, and so she should have stepped in there.  I think its what separates someone like Mei, from someone like Katie.  I think had Mei been EC and she heard KeriAnn's initial conversation with the servers she would have taken control, Katie seemed to hear it, realize it was a problem, but sort of ignored it.

 

 And I feel for KeriAnn, it sounds like she let Katsuji pick heels for her, and as a woman obsessed with stilettos myself, I understand wanting to wear heels.  But it seemed like such a massive disadvanage when having to run around.  I don't think she should have worn sneakers per se, but maybe a pair of nice ballet flats or a very short heel (even though I despise short heels)

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I actually think Katie is a strong chef when it comes to her cooking. In terms of some of the individuals who are left, she has wins (does she have more than Katsuji? I think she might. And probably with Adam, as well).  That being said, I don't think she was a strong leader and yes, she should have immediately stepped up to say, "I was the executive chef, Keri Ann's dish wasn't working, and I made an executive decision in order to make sure we had a dessert."  All of THAT being said, I was generally annoyed with Katsuji's entire attitude, and I suspect it is going to come back to bite him.

 

Ultimately, though, I thought Keri Ann was the right one to go.  I think Colicchio basically had the right read on what happened - she was in over her head when it came to FOH, and her dish could not be executed as she envisioned it, so Katie had to do something to address it.  A mousse should not be so solid it can't be spread when cooled down, so I can't imagine what Keri Ann did to it to make it so. I suspect that the dish just wasn't that good, even if it was served exactly how she wanted it.

Edited December 4, 2014 by eleanorofaquitaine

[Wings]

The front of the house person never goes home if they do a good job, it overrides their dish.  Every contestant should do some research with past chefs to find where things usually break down or the biggest trouble spots.  Re watch past Restaurant Wars, too.  

 

They should have called Keriann to the kitchen the minute they saw her desert was a failure.  Better to pin it on her than to try and save it.  In the end it was her poor job not the food though.  Fabio was the best front of the house ever, no surprise there. 

 

Katsuji is a sour puss, out next please.   

 

My favorites are Don, Mei and Melissa.  

 

None of the dishes, in general, appealed to me.  I usually find something to drool over but not this time.  Well, maybe the Brussels sprouts. 

[LennieBriscoe]

I think Katsuji's "attitude" kicked in when he was overlooked for EC. Then he became all "Fine; I'll just do my thing."

 

Either Plain Jane or Dithering Blonde could have gone home to suit me.

 

Who makes crepes the day before? Who doesn't train the runners/servers? Who doesn't greet the JUDGES?!

 

But then, what EC doesn't understand that the term means "one who executes"?

 

 

[RealityGal]

I'm still rooting for Gregory - I understand why he wanted to fade into the background after being in the bottom.  I like that he took on two dishes, and while I can't remember what was wrong with the first of his two dishes, his second dish looked really tasty.  

 

Is it a RW rule that every chef has to have a dish?  Even front of house?  I know that the front of house chef has always put out a dish, but I wonder if its mandatory?  I just wonder if in the future the chefs wouldn't be better off sort of having a chef who wasn't front of house have a backup ready to go.  Gregory had time to do two dishes, so would they have been able to put Katsuji or Katie in charge of doing a backup dessert in case KeriAnn's went south?  I mean, from what everyone on this board has said, and Katsuji pre-made crepes were not going to work, so it might have been nice to have a backup ready to go.

[Primetimer]

What time is it when a 16th-century explorer battles four pigs? It's time for Restaurant Wars on Top Chef: Boston!

Read the story

[KnittingOwl]

Wow, Katsuji is really getting on my nerves. He's such an ass...who cares if Doug is short? He did a fantastic job as EC. I was really impressed with how he was able to calm Adam down and get him focused on fixing the clam dish instead of agonizing over what happened to the old ones.

Magellan literally going down in flames might have been better for them.

[Calamity Jane]

Padma says at the beginning of the episode that every chef must have a dish, so yes, head of house must also produce one.

ETA - I mean, front of house.  :-)

Edited December 4, 2014 by Calamity Jane

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I think that in earlier seasons, FOH did not have to do a dish but they changed that.  Still, Keri Ann's idea for a dessert was a bad one from the get go, even if she wasn't FOH.  Why do a made-to-order dish like crepes?  Melissa's idea of doing a cobbler was much smarter because you can do the biscuits the day before and then heat up the berries the day of and not lose flavor. 

 

Personally, Katie should have nixed Keri Ann's idea from the start, IMO - the rest of the chefs were doing Asian-inspired dishes, and Katie - as executive chef - should have pushed Keri Ann to develop something that would have complemented an Asian menu.  From beginning to end, they were too chaotic, and IMO it started with the menu planning.  Even though there are things I like about Katie, she was a weak leader, down to the fact that she seemed to be pushed into being executive chef.

[RealityGal]

Padma says at the beginning of the episode that every chef must have a dish, so yes, head of house must also produce one.

ETA - I mean, front of house.  :-)

I see - thanks.  I truly didn't know.  

[RealityGal]

I think that in earlier seasons, FOH did not have to do a dish but they changed that.  Still, Keri Ann's idea for a dessert was a bad one from the get go, even if she wasn't FOH.  Why do a made-to-order dish like crepes?  Melissa's idea of doing a cobbler was much smarter because you can do the biscuits the day before and then heat up the berries the day of and not lose flavor. 

 

Personally, Katie should have nixed Keri Ann's idea from the start, IMO - the rest of the chefs were doing Asian-inspired dishes, and Katie - as executive chef - should have pushed Keri Ann to develop something that would have complemented an Asian menu.  From beginning to end, they were too chaotic, and IMO it started with the menu planning.  Even though there are things I like about Katie, she was a weak leader, down to the fact that she seemed to be pushed into being executive chef.

I realize that KeriAnn is the "best young chef that watched the Blair Witch Project 2", but I get the impression she  doesn't have as wide a repertoire as the other chefs.  So, I think she may not have had anything that could have gone with an Asian inspired menu.  Which is why they suddenly made it global.

 

I'm not a cook, but I vaguely remember someone doing a sticky rice/mango/some sort of nut dessert that sounded deliciously out of this world and not too hard to make.  Maybe that would have been too simple, but I would think you might have some excuse for a simple dish if you're FOH.

[VintageJ]

I think KeriAnn had a good idea to do something that would not need to be fussed with when she was FOH but obviously they're was a problem with her portion of the execution when they could not handle the crepes and had to make an adjustment. If I was FOH I'd do a great soup that could basically be done the night before and develop flavor overnight. The next morning, just start it simmering while you do your thing. The only thing BoH would have to do is spoon it out, garnish or last minute prep and let it fly. It could be served at any point on the menu.

I meant to say there was a problem. Autocorrect. Sigh.

[backgroundnoise]

I really enjoyed watching how the different dynamics played out between the teams.  Mei and Melissa took the same roles as Gregory and Katsuji, but with a completely different attitude.  They wanted the team to succeed, and were very supportive of EC and FOH. Gregory and Katsuji, OTOH, didn't care about the team, just themselves and that contributed nearly as much to team's poor performance as Katie and Kari Ann.

 

I have to admit that I more often than not post on this forum to snark, but today I can't say enough good things about team gray.  They were like a well-orchestrated dance routine!  Bravo.

[Lamb18]

I was disappointed in both Gregory and Katsuji, and their attitudes determined the team performance.  Looking out for number one ensured they were safe, but doomed the team.  At least Gregory was a little more subtle, though still a bit cowardly.  I lost respect for him today.  Recalling past seasons when the strongest chefs embraced the executive chef role, Gregory now pales in comparison.

I agree--I thought Gregory was cowardly, too, in this episode.  Of the four he seemed to have the most restaurant experience and would have been best for executive chef.  He (and Katsuji) took the limited viewpoint of saving themselves instead focusing on how to make the team succeed.  If the team succeeds, all are safe.  Picking the team does not automatically equal being executive chef - the best person qualified should have done it.  When I think of past restaurant wars exec chefs who really stepped up - Stephane, Michael Voltaggio, Paul Q., Kristin, even Nick from last season . . .

 

Although Katie made Keriann's dish worse, I think Keriann deserved to go for choosing to make a dessert that would not succeed.  She should have chosen something that was meant to be served cold or at room temp and that could be stored overnight without damage, instead of something like crepes.  Cold and soggy is not appetizing.  I'm not sure if they had the equipment or storage facilities, but ice cream or sherbet with something baked, like cookies/biscotti would have been good. All the work would have been done earlier.

 

Yeah, Katsuji is a jerk.

[ShadowSixx]

Fabio was the best front of the house ever, no surprise there. 

 

 

IDK because last year Travis did an excellent job as front of the house and gave Fabio a run for his money and Travis doesn't have Fabio's natural charisma.

[Wings]

IDK because last year Travis did an excellent job as front of the house and gave Fabio a run for his money and Travis doesn't have Fabio's natural charisma.

 

 

I am drawing a total blank on Travis.  Off to google and refresh my memory. 

 

ETA:  I recognize face but that is about all.  :>)  I will take your word that he did a fabulous job! 

Edited December 4, 2014 by wings707

[potatoradio]

Note to future contestants - if you ever find yourself on an "older" team, do NOT say you will do well because of your experience. The magical elves adore skewering older contestants as fools for daring to say that, maybe, age could be an advantage (see also, project runway).  

 

Hmmm...yeah, crepes made the day before served cold with a rock hard blob of crud in the middle? yum! I know...why not make waffles and pancakes the night before, too? Think of the efficiency! Katsuji may have been an arse, but he was right about that. 

 

"Are you tired? You look it." Um...screw you, Padma. Isn't part of being on this show sleep deprivation? 

[Julia]

One of the dishes was crostini with chopped chicken liver on them. It's not impossible to make a low maintenance dish where most of the work was done ahead of time. If Keri Ann was married to her cold ganache thingie she could have put it between two cookies and served it with some kind of tarted up whipped cream and a shooter of espresso with booze in it for Padma.

[HappyDancex2]

Well keriann must have this Reheated Crepes thing in her reportoire because she didn't seem concerned. I had no idea nor wanting notion that it would work. If I have to reheat crepes then I'm picking something else. She also could have just said I don't have any Asian dessert but I can do something Asian for an app so someone else take dessert. She magellaned her ass out of there in those ridiculous heels!

On rewatch it actually seemed like the edit pointed to Gregory being the first one to say to reheat KeriAnns mess.

[elzin]

I'm having trouble deciding if the judges chose wisely or not. It's hard as a viewer of 40+ minutes to really see what the real problem was vs what was edited to be that way.  Now, Kerri Ann's exit has been looming for ages.  It's no surprise she was going to go soon. But did she really deserve to go for a dish she really didn't make? Or was the fact that her dish was un-do-able reason enough? Was it really that bad or was that like primo soccer-like injury faking? I felt that Katsuji was full of drama with that and did not get a high level on my sincerity meter.  If the actual service was a nightmare, is that the FOH's fault entirely? Where does it fall to the servers, where does the Exec Chef pop in? 

 

So yeah, I'm not Kristin-outraged at her PYKAG, but I felt that she might have been unfairly singled out and eliminated for things that were out of her control.  Even if it was a good PYKAG, it was terrible teamwork.  "Hey K, your dessert isn't working. We had to change it." How can she do proper FOH when they don't even communicate with her?

[laprin]

Gregory lost points with me last night. He completely punked out on leading the team. I understand that being on the bottom last week scared him, but he could have staged a real comeback by acting as the executive chef.  Katsuji was talking a lot of smack in tonight's TH segments - especially to be another one that punked out. 

Very impressed with Adam and Doug. 

[backgroundnoise]

I think it would have been hilarious if her team had served Kari's dish as it was--a day-old crepe with a scoop of hard mousse on it.

[TiffanyNichelle]

I'm not that mad that KeriAnn went home though Katie could have also. She stood there while Katsuji sort of twisted in the wind over changing the dish when she should have spoken up. And if you're going to change the dish then she should have told KeriAnn as soon as they decided that. Then again why didn't KeriAnn realize there was something wrong with her dish before the judges were being served? She should have checked her dessert early on to make sure it was going right instead of just blindly trusting the other chefs to follow her vision. Adam personally served the VIP table, why didn't KeriAnn? She would have then noticed something was different. The VIP table ate at her restaurant first before the judges. Also the judges mentioned they didn't see her on the floor that much but she said she was too busy to be in the kitchen. So she wasn't on the floor and she wasn't in the kitchen, where the hell was she?

 

Really not impressed with Katsuji or Gregory for their behavior. What happened to the Gregory during the Revolutionary Battles challenge who was all "I would have told Aaron not to make that dish." Now he's just going to sit back and put his head down? 

[RealityGal]

Gregory lost points with me last night. He completely punked out on leading the team. I understand that being on the bottom last week scared him, but he could have staged a real comeback by acting as the executive chef.  Katsuji was talking a lot of smack in tonight's TH segments - especially to be another one that punked out. 

Very impressed with Adam and Doug. 

It could have scared him and shaken him a lot.  He has pretty much been top dog throughout the competition thus far.  He hasn't really been super arrogant about it, but he may be questioning his own ability after being in the bottom.  From where I sit, it would be silly because his dish was basically good, just a little flawed, but if he is a perfectionist and used to being on top, who knows, this soon after the shake up he may have just wanted to focus on redeeming himself by putting out the best food possible.

 

Add to that that it appears the EC has to manage and bears some responsibility for all the dishes thats kind of rough.  Especially with that team.  Katie and Katsuji are very hit or miss.  Katie has made some great dishes, but she has also put out some stinkers.  The same with Katsuji -- and Katsuji also seems like he can be tough to work with.  As for KeriAnn, she has been more misses than hits I think, and I also get the sense that she may be prone to over-embellishing and over-stating.  She said she would be great at FOH because she, at 22, had opened up her own restaurant on a cruise ship.  Even if thats not the most identical experience, if she opened her own restaurant on land, sea or on a Zepplin she should have known how to train waitstaff, or at least if she needed a runner.  So, I don't know.

 

I think old Gregory, the one who put his hand up and said that Aaron wouldn't have gotten away with whatever, would have had the confidence to take on being EC.  I think for this challenge, Gregory maybe just wanted to assure himself that he could still put out great food.  I think his doubts may have him in his own head too much, because his dishes looked good, but not as good as some of his other stuff.

 

I hope he snaps out of it soon, because I'm still rooting for him.

[phoenix780]

I think KeriAnn was the right one to go.  Front of house was a mess, she didn't seem to really train or motivate the servers the way Adam did, her dish would have required saving no matter where she was, and I don't know if I fault the team in the back for not seeking her out to ask her opinion because apparently she was off hiding somewhere- the judges mentioned she didn't seem to be around out front, she clearly wasn't monitoring things in the back.  As Tom noted, she could have stopped it after the first ones went out but she seemed completely unaware it was happening until the judges, as though she only really paid attention at that point.  

Katie still should have been upfront with her when she asked, though, imho.  

 

I agree that the episode was a little boring for Restaurant Wars, despite one of the best performances I can remember (especially since they had to decorate this year...I don't remember that being a consistent thing in recent years).  They shouldn't have spoiled the dessert change in the previews because I spent the night just waiting for them to get to that point.

 

I'm not thrilled they're giving people an opportunity to come back, either on the show or through LCK, because after this episode I was thinking they were finally down to a core group of competent people with nobody who really irritated me.  There's nobody, other than maybe the chef from Boston, I'd want back.  And her exit was one filled with relief so I'm not sure she'll really try to return.  So, the previews kind of stomped out the good feelings I was having about the season.

 

Why can't the twist be that when you lose you lose?

 

About Gregory (and Mei) not stepping up-  I don't really blame anyone for taking a backseat.  The judges emphasize that they judge dish-by-dish not cumulatively, so it's not like it's a boost to your reputation in a way that can save you.  Maybe being EC should come with some kind of benefit, like cash or another prize, or immunity in the next challenge.  Otherwise...it's a lot of risk with no clear benefit within the competition (it's pride, bragging rights, or looking good to the viewing audience- none of which helps you win).

Edited December 4, 2014 by phoenix780

[Pepper Mostly]

I have never liked Katsuji and now he is dead to me. What a nasty unpleasant little man. Its not hilariously funny to take shots at people; if you're going to skewer your competition, be witty.

 

I'm so pleased for Dougie, I hope he wins it all. I've loved him since the Museum of Science party. He's always thoughtful and I love the combinations he comes up with.

 

Not sad to see Keriann go, I'm sure she's a very good chef but some people are just not cut out for competition, at least on reality TV. And weighing in on Gregory, I had no issue with him not volunteering to be EC. If he had I'm sure there would have been objections to him hogging all the screentime :-). Let him hang back for a bit, doesn't bother me. If only Katsuji would do the same.

 

Padma is such a bitch she's like a cartoon character.

[TheNewJanBrady]

I think Mei was being sarcastic. I did a double-take at first, but I think she was saying that to explain why she was passed over for EC—because that's what other people think of women chefs.

 

And I also don't blame her or Gregory for not stepping up. Like Phoenix780 said, EC and FOH are kind of thankless roles; seems you do better in Restaurant Wars by being a strong team player and cooking a stellar dish than by trying to prove something.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I'm having trouble deciding if the judges chose wisely or not. It's hard as a viewer of 40+ minutes to really see what the real problem was vs what was edited to be that way.  Now, Kerri Ann's exit has been looming for ages.  It's no surprise she was going to go soon. But did she really deserve to go for a dish she really didn't make? Or was the fact that her dish was un-do-able reason enough? Was it really that bad or was that like primo soccer-like injury faking? I felt that Katsuji was full of drama with that and did not get a high level on my sincerity meter.  If the actual service was a nightmare, is that the FOH's fault entirely? Where does it fall to the servers, where does the Exec Chef pop in? 

 

So yeah, I'm not Kristin-outraged at her PYKAG, but I felt that she might have been unfairly singled out and eliminated for things that were out of her control.  Even if it was a good PYKAG, it was terrible teamwork.  "Hey K, your dessert isn't working. We had to change it." How can she do proper FOH when they don't even communicate with her?

 

See, I don't agree that she was singled out for things that were out of her control.  She had total control over training the servers and creating a system for FOH, and she failed at that.  She also had total control over making a dish that would have been easier to serve given the constraint she had as being FOH, and she failed at that.  It seems to me that the judges rightly knifed her for the bad decisions she made, not because she was unjustly singled out.

 

Now, I can also make an argument for Katie being knifed, but my sense is that Katie's dish - while not wonderful - was not actively offensive to the judges.  And yes, I know, they changed the dish at the last minute but to be fair to Katie, Katsuji, and Gregory, they kind of had to because they couldn't assemble the dish the way Keri Ann said she wanted it assembled.  The "mousse" was not spreading at room temperature, which means that their choices were to send nothing or to do something that could at least allow them to present a dish.  Either way, it was going to be bad for Keri Ann.  And since she failed at FOH, too, it makes sense that she was the one to go.

 

I think Mei was being sarcastic. I did a double-take at first, but I think she was saying that to explain why she was passed over for EC—because that's what other people think of women chefs.

 

 

I agree that Mei was being sarcastic, but I don't really get it - she was asked and she didn't answer.  I mean, who knows what would have happened between her and Doug had she said, "yes, I want to be executive chef" but since she didn't answer, she forfeits the right, IMO, to make an argument that she was overlooked due to sexism (even though I strongly believe that there is plenty of sexism within the restaurant industry).

Edited December 4, 2014 by eleanorofaquitaine

[TheNewJanBrady]

Yeah, that's what I thought was weird too--we weren't shown any evidence that her team DID rebuff her. A question for the reunion! (Do they still do reunion shows?)

[hilaryvm]

I just don't understand the point of front of house in restaurant wars.  I don't do super-fancy fine dining, but I've never seen this role in a restaurant.  They're supposed to greet and seat people, serve the food, explain the food and talk to everyone?  I don't really need someone checking in with me besides my server.  I just don't see why the show can't find competent servers and just let the chefs cook and bring out food.  It seems to me that with good waiters, you don't need someone in the dining room making sure everything is going smoothly.  Is this something that chefs are actually going to need to be able to do?