S12.E14: Holy Escamoly!

[susannot]

I'm happy that Greg and Mei are the Final 2.  They have been by far the best chefs and they totally deserve it.

[cooksdelight]

The chefs must create two dishes with chocolate, one sweet and the other savory.

[redlaces]

I have only caught part of the end so far but, am I the only one who thought the guest judge looked very much like Bryan Cranston?

[archer1267]

I knew Doug was screwed when he got stuck with cheese and escamole. I'm fine with Gregory and Mei as the final two - but IMO, it's not as hard to elevate/showcase poblano pepper when you've likely eaten it dozens of times. At least Doug got props for his queso plate.

 

Nice to see, too, that despite the initial rivalry between Gregory and George, they became friends.

[jackjill89]

So what's between Doug and Mei? There seemed to be a little animosity there.

[Nidratime]

So, that was some obvious misdirection. The show was really playing up how disappointed they were with Mei's dish and even seemed to be giving Doug the smidgeon of victory in the second round, especially when including the Mexican chefs' comments and yet they sent Doug home. I like Mei better because I think she's been consistently good over the season, but I thought they were really giving her the heave-ho tonight.

 

Well, I guess it doesn't matter since it looks like Gregory's being redeemed from a lackluster middle and is being set up for the win.

[CherryMalotte]

I dunno.  I have to say that I'm disappointed that Doug isn't into the finale, but I think he's going to have a lot of opportunities open up for him.  He's a sweet, funny, and talented guy that's going to go far, and I'd love to eat at any restaurant he is a chef at.

 

Damn it anyway.

[Mmazeo]

Tom always gets his way, lol. I thought it was clear Padma preferred Doug, and I think Blais did also. But I'm glad Mei is still alive and that one poor decision did not erase an entire season of damn good cooking.

And please...PLEASE get Gail back in there instead of Richard. He just doesn't belong.

[msburg]

I'm happy Gregory made it.  Though one could tell just by talking head demeanor.  Choice of sous chefs was interesting.  I thought Doug was the smartest choosing Katsuji for the Mexican ingredients.

[Macbeth]

Mae deserved to go to the finale.  They are bitching about her guacamole and yet Doug won last week with his meatless chili.  That would be a no.

 

Also Gregory brought his A game and had researched Mexican cuisine - Doug relied on his Mexican sous chef - Katsuji on how to cook the ant eggs. 

 

I like Doug and I love Katsuji - but no way did he earn his spot in the finale.  IMO

Gregory looks unstoppable.  Welcome back Gregory - I have missed your A Game.

 

I knew Maw was going to the finale when it was Padme advocating for Doug and Tom advocating for Mae.  This is Tom's show.  Now if this was the finale - Tom would have voted the other way.

 

Tom telling Doug he had too many things going on with his dish was code for "Kastsuji made this  - didn't he?"

Edited February 5, 2015 by Macbeth

[buttersister]

This is Tom's show.

Removes any suspense the elves woefully try to create. As much as I like Doug, he was asleep at the wheel when the ingredients were being grabbed and got the short end. Since I have no idea what ant eggs taste like--nor am I ever likely to--it's hard to say if their true taste coming through would have seemed to him to be a good idea (as opposed to trying multiple preparations of said eggs). I thought his egg to the egg power was clever, sorry it didn't work out for him.

 

It seemed like one of the guest chefs (I'm not counting Blais) "got" what Mei was getting at with her avocado. Happy that she made it and think that the Mei-Gregory battle could be a really strong one.

[Quilt Fairy]

They are bitching about her guacamole and yet Doug won last week with his meatless chili

.He made chili without beans not without meat.

[avecsans]

There is no scenario in which I would eat either ant eggs or corn fungus.

I was glad it played out the way it did. Gregory seems to have his mojo back and he was wise to practice cooking Mexican food during their break. I hope he wins but I would be absolutely fine with Mei winning instead. I like them both, and I thought Mei showed a lot of grace when she was chosen over Doug.

I agree that Gail should always be on instead of Blais or the even more odious Acheson. I hate to pile on Blais - especially because many judges do this - but it really irritates me when he sticks his face down into a bowl of food. To me that is incredibly ill-mannered and pretentious all at the same time.

I have liked all the guest judges since they've been in Mexico, and I was pretty impressed with Padma's fluency in Spanish.

Edited February 5, 2015 by avecsans

[JenMcSnark]

I have only caught part of the end so far but, am I the only one who thought the guest judge looked very much like Bryan Cranston?

He does, but hotter.  /shallow

[Bastet]

I liked Mei saying she wants to win for herself first and foremost, but also for Melissa, and for all women, and also acknowledging the pressure she feels as the only woman in the final three given the dearth of female TC winners. 

 

I'm glad they didn't include much of Blais, since I was far from enthused at him being one of the guest judges at this stage of the game.

 

I enjoy hearing what the chefs did during their time between Boston and Mexico, even though it was pretty short this season, and Greg certainly seems to have made good use of his time.

 

Doug not being able to make a great dessert when his only requirement was to use chocolate is pretty pathetic.  I think he's a great chef and would love to eat his food, and there's nothing wrong with him, in the course of business, having someone else handle dessert.  But to be so inept that he couldn't rise to this simple challenge on the show, when he knew he was likely to have to make dessert at some point -- he's lucky it was just a QF.

 

All the food looked good to me, so I was not at all surprised to hear Tom say it was another challenge in which someone was going home despite great food.  That's the way it should be, and it has been like that for several rounds now.  Good season.

 

And nice vacation for the previously-eliminated chefs not chosen as sous chefs -- their filming commitment is minimal, and the rest of the time they're enjoying free room and board while roaming around a beautiful location.  That's quite the consolation prize.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Bastet

[Rai]

Would've preferred a Mei/Doug finale, but I really couldn't imagine Gregory not being in it.  So I'm just glad Mei didn't get knifed, although it really was a toss-up between her and Doug.  At the end, I'm gonna root for the ladies though.

 

I don't like seafood at all (sad but true), but even I would've given that guava soup a try.  It sounded like a home run.

[WineCheeseChocolat]

I would've been happy with any of the three in the finale, but I have to say I was surprised Doug went home over Mei. They both faltered on the first course and nailed the second course but I thought Doug having a tricky ingredient would win over Mei and her guac. I also thought having Katsiji would've given Doug more of an edge in the escamole.

[Rai]

It's interesting because the critcisms Doug received on his tortilla -- specifically the texture of the escamoles blending in with the texture of the potatoes and the flavors being somewhat muddy are things I'd totally expect Kasuji to hear had this been his dish alone.  So I wonder how much influence he had on this dish's concept. 

 

I also expected Doug would sprinkle some toasted/fried escamoles on top for some crunch and flavor.  I'm surprised he didn't do that.

[GaT]

So, that was some obvious misdirection. The show was really playing up how disappointed they were with Mei's dish and even seemed to be giving Doug the smidgeon of victory in the second round, especially when including the Mexican chefs' comments and yet they sent Doug home. I like Mei better because I think she's been consistently good over the season, but I thought they were really giving her the heave-ho tonight.

 

 

Exactly what I thought. The more they made it look like Mei was going home, the more certain I became that Doug was. 

[PepperMonkey]

I'm 100% team Mei.

Gregory was so lackluster for too many episodes and he played it safe so much of the time, I lost a lot of respect for him. I *guess* I'm glad he came back for this show, but for me, it was too little, too late.

 

Re: Doug's chili:  Texas chili is always made without beans.

Edited February 5, 2015 by PepperMonkey

[Mooncake76]

I realized how much I loved this final 3 when halfway through the episode, I was dreading the moment someone would get eliminated.  Glad Mei stayed over Doug though, just cuz all else being equal, he had already been eliminated before and was only back because of LCK.  

 

I would watch a show with just Doug and Katsuji.  They're so cute together.

 

Next episode looks exciting with all the praise the final 2 were getting!  I think Gregory is going to win, but I'm pulling for Mei.  

[cooksdelight]

As a woman, I'm thrilled Mei made it to the finale. But the way she was going on and on about a woman winning, I thought for sure she was doomed. She may be yet, I think Greg is coming on strong by spending his downtime working on Mexican cuisine. I'd love for either of them to win.

Padma blew me away with her interpretation skills, I had no idea she was so fluent in Spanish. Blais sticking his face in his food reminded me of my nephew....who's a kid. Sniff it when it's on your fork, dude, you look like an idiot. I was hoping Gail would have been there, wearing something really pretty. She is by far the best-dressed of any of the women judges who appear on this show, in my opinion. Which has nothing to do with food, I know, but I always look forward to seeing what she wears.

I'd watch the Doug & Katsuji show too! They are so cute together. Katsuji has a bromance with a guy who is shorter than he is. :)

[yourmomiseasy]

I take back anything I've ever said about Gregory not being well rounded.  He did a great job.  Also, he was so cute in the picture from when he was a kid with his little apron.  I think his ingredients might have been the easiest, but he really nailed it.  The guava soup, to me, was really unexpected.  

 

I don't know about Mei making guac.  It was fancy guac, but it was guac.  Seeing her cry at judges table was heartbreaking since she's normally so reigned in.  

 

Doug had the hardest ingredients, in my opinion.  He was lucky to have Katsuji as a sous chef, in this instance, since Katsuji had experience with the ingredients.  I'm sad to see him go, but not disappointed with the final two.  

[stopeslite]

I cannot believe anyone could make it into the finale by making avocado into guacamole. I was on Team Mei, but what a whiff. Katsuji's side-eye when Mei said she was making guacamole was epic. I wanted Mei in the finale, but this didn't seem fair. They each had one good dish and one bad dish, and Mei's bad dish was screwing up AVOCADO, while Doug's was screwing up ant eggs that he had never seen before in his life. I also lost some respect for her when she tried to pretend that everyone got the ingredients they wanted. Mei and Gregory steamrolled over Doug on it, she should own it. And that really wasn't fair - the ingredients should have been given at random, especially given how different they were from each other. And their budget included buying the required ingredient when a couple of them were much more expensive than others? So not fair. I think Doug really got the short end of the stick in this one.t

 

Had to laugh at the sous chef picks, though - the first thing I thought of was Jeff's recap saying that we'd had the same set of chefs for the last SIX WEEKS.
And there they all are back again for another episode!

 

I'll be glad when this season is over just so I don't have to see Stephanie's Boston commercial. Every time she says "The bold combination of flavors are super delicate" I die a little inside.

[Julia]

I'll be glad when this season is over just so I don't have to see Stephanie's Boston commercial. Every time she says "The bold combination of flavors are super delicate" I die a little inside.

That ad tickles me, because the pasta they're using, strozzaprete, translates to "strangle a priest" (long story), so between that and the bunny boiling it doesn't sound that delicate.

I thought it was ridiculous that they were responsible for their own ingredients if one was going to be that obscure, and I would rather have seen Doug in the final over Gregory. His lows may have been lower, but my impression is that his highs were higher, and he cooked less indifferent food.

[cooksdelight]

Katsuji's side-eye when Mei said she was making guacamole was epic. I wanted Mei in the finale, but this didn't seem fair. They each had one good dish and one bad dish, and Mei's bad dish was screwing up AVOCADO, while Doug's was screwing up ant eggs that he had never seen before in his life.

I agree that it seemed really lopsided, but you won't hear Doug whine or complain about it. He seems to roll with the punches with a lot of grace. Now, had the situation been reversed, Mei might be a different story in how she'd react to being eliminated. She's already got the "a woman must win" mantra going.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

 

Well, I guess it doesn't matter since it looks like Gregory's being redeemed from a lackluster middle and is being set up for the win.

Yeah, this annoys me. I think Gregory is a lovely person, but the back half of the season for him was as lackluster as the first half was for Melissa and it annoys me that he is getting the redemption edit.  I suspect he'll end up winning because when in doubt, Top Chef tends to always give the benefit of the doubt to the male competitor.  I will be pleasantly surprised if Mei wins but I am not expecting it.

[Wings]

I am glad Mei is a contender!  I want her to win.  I don't think her parents regard reality TV as anything important so they will continue to shun her.  I want to see her succeed and go on to make a mark for herself.  In your face, you terrible parents!  

 

Did you notice Blais smelling his food by putting his face down to the plate?   Rude and very odd.  

 

I love the relationship between Doug and Katsuji, just precious.  

[jackjill89]

I'm 100% team Mei.

Gregory was so lackluster for too many episodes and he played it safe so much of the time, I lost a lot of respect for him. I *guess* I'm glad he came back for this show, but for me, it was too little, too late.

 

Re: Doug's chili:  Texas chili is always made without beans.

Thank you for articulating exactly what I've been thinking.  Mei FTW. 

[Lamb18]

The only thing I can think of to do with those ant eggs is make Rice Krispie bars.

I was cheering for Doug, but am happy with Gregory and Mei (not Mae or Maw) in the finale. It was good to see a semifinal with three equally good chefs who put out good food. I think the food could have been divided up a little more fairly - maybe knife picks or something, or 6 equally strange ingredients - but I liked the concept of the challenge. No gimmicks like skis and ice picks, just shop and cook.

I'm looking forward to the finale because I'm sure the food will be outstanding. No lacklustre chefs this time!

P.S. I watched the rerun because I was at my Knife Skills class earlier in the evening, so I was really paying attention to how everyone held their knives and cut their food.

[Lovecat]

Doug not being able to make a great dessert when his only requirement was to use chocolate is pretty pathetic.  I think he's a great chef and would love to eat his food, and there's nothing wrong with him, in the course of business, having someone else handle dessert.  But to be so inept that he couldn't rise to this simple challenge on the show, when he knew he was likely to have to make dessert at some point -- he's lucky it was just a QF.

Seriously!  I was kind of surprised and appalled by that.  Everyone knows that when you go on Top Chef you should have at least one dessert in your back pocket. Something chocolate is a safe bet--it's fairly universally liked (yes, I know there are mutants that don't like chocolate ;) ) and there have been several chocolate-based challenges over the years (chocolate-chicken liver truffles, anyone?).  It's like going on Survivor [ed: or, you know, Amazing Race.  Derp!] without learning how to drive stick.  Or swim.

 

The only thing I can think of to do with those ant eggs is make Rice Krispie bars.

Well that would have proven to the judges that Doug can make desserts ;)

Edited February 5, 2015 by Lovecat

[caci]

I am a woman and I really wanted Mei to shut up about winning for women.  I don't want to hear it - just cook the best dish and you will earn my respect no matter what sex you are.

 

It was too bad about Doug, but since I am not big on LCK, I am glad that it is down to two chefs that were not eliminated.  That being said, I really didn't want any of them eliminated because I think they are all very strong chefs and I like each of them.  I was kind of hoping that there would be a "twist" and each one would go to the final.  Gregory is my favorite, though, and I would like him to win. 

[MyAimIsTrue]

Gregory looks unstoppable.  Welcome back Gregory - I have missed your A Game.

 

As have I, and due to being on pretty impressive painkillers for a torn ligament I fell asleep early last night and missed the second half of the show so I'm happy to hear Gregory did so well.  Usually my favorites come up just short of winning so I hope I'm not jinxing Gregory by saying this.

[FineWashables]

 

Doug not being able to make a great dessert when his only requirement was to use chocolate is pretty pathetic.  I think he's a great chef and would love to eat his food, and there's nothing wrong with him, in the course of business, having someone else handle dessert.  But to be so inept that he couldn't rise to this simple challenge on the show, when he knew he was likely to have to make dessert at some point -- he's lucky it was just a QF.

Yes.  This.  I had been rooting for Doug but when I heard that he didn't bother to practice a dessert before going to Mexico -- where chocolate is used extensively -- I changed my mind.  If a cheftestant doesn't even try to develop recipes using local ingredients when the show always, always highlights local ingredients in the finale, then that cheftestant isn't motivated enough to deserve the win.  I'm not saying he should have anticipated using ant eggs, of all things, but chocolate is easy to find and you know you need a dessert, chef.

 

Now about those ant eggs, somehow I missed something when they shopped.  Did Doug have to use ant eggs?  Couldn't he have chosen tomatillos, for example?  Why did he give Mei the stinkeye when she said they all just sort of chose their ingredients freely at the market and there were no conflicts over who'd cook what?  Because he looked like he was holding in some kind of resentment at that point.  Was there another Great Clam Controversy there that I didn't catch?

[cooksdelight]

Now about those ant eggs, somehow I missed something when they shopped. Did Doug have to use ant eggs? Couldn't he have chosen tomatillos, for example? Why did he give Mei the stinkeye when she said they all just sort of chose their ingredients freely at the market and there were no conflicts over who'd cook what? Because he looked like he was holding in some kind of resentment at that point. Was there another Great Clam Controversy there that I didn't catch?

He had to use the ant eggs in a dish, and the cheese in another. There were six ingredients that the three of them could pick from before going shopping. Mei and Greg spoke up for their ingredients first, leaving Doug with what was left.

[Primetimer]

Remember when we said we loved Top Chef so much, we wished it would never end? That was a joke.

Read the story

[Janimo]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was disgusted by Blais sticking his face down to the bowl to smell the food. After the second time he did that, I was thoroughly disgusted with him.....not that I really liked him at all in the first place,. I hope they replace him as judge next season. Blergh.....

As for the finale, I'm okay with either Mei or Gregory winning. I haven't watched the entire season this year, perhaps just half, but what I did watch seemed relatively pleasant. I was really disgusted with the season in New Orleans and this disgusting creep Nick won....

[FineWashables]

Thank you, cooksdelight, for clearing that up.  So Doug missed out on the pick and had to go last.  Makes sense.  Guess he didn't like how that went down.

[AriAu]

I like it when the cheftestants do very well and cook good/great food, so obviously I enjoyed this episode....other than Dougie's attempt at sweet in the QF. Tough choices on very good dishes. I think the guacamole was more than just the same guac I can make at home and the presentation was excellent. I thought the tortilla espanole with the ant eggs was an inspired choice, even if the execution was a little off.

Basically, these are a very likeable group of chefs that we have seen over the last 6-8 weeks, so we give them more of the benefit of the doubt and root for them

and I was pretty impressed with Padma's fluency in Spanish.

 

Agreed, but the comments she made were more insipid than usual-her toast "Here's to Mexico" almost made me throw up. She sounded more unprepared than usual and several times it sounded like they re-recorded her comments......and they were still stupid.

Edited February 5, 2015 by AriAu

[Apocalypse Cow]

I should have known, last week, when I declared myself "Team Doug" that I was dooming him to be knifed this week. Sigh.  I was a wee bit disappointed in his performance in the quickfire. But in his defense, his options for dessert were limited given their cooking equipment.  I mean, Gregory did carrots. Carrots, unless in the form of carrot cake, are no dessert.  I would have done some sort of griddle cake with chocolate and whipped creme.  

[Julia]

He had to use the ant eggs in a dish, and the cheese in another. There were six ingredients that the three of them could pick from before going shopping. Mei and Greg spoke up for their ingredients first, leaving Doug with what was left.

 

And that really bothered me. There should have been some kind of guidelines for calling those ingredients, and at very least they should have had to pick one at a time. Unless these people are going to be cheffing in elementary schools, I don't see how who calls first the fastest is any way to judge their skills.

[AriAu]

But in his defense, his options for dessert were limited given their cooking equipment.  I mean, Gregory did carrots. Carrots, unless in the form of carrot cake, are no dessert.  I would have done some sort of griddle cake with chocolate and whipped creme.

 

They were not required to make dessert-the requirement was sweet vs savory.

[Wings]

I don't like challenges outside in the sun without a tent to create shade.  Why do that?

[Jesse]

With 45 minutes for the Quickfire, and at least one more round to go, I didn't assume Doug didn't have a dessert AT ALL -- maybe he had one up his sleeve that he was saving for a major challenge, but it didn't work in the confines of the QF. 

[biakbiak]

It appeared he basically melted chocolate with mezcal, that is simply sad.

[Apocalypse Cow]

They were not required to make dessert-the requirement was sweet vs savory.

 

Ah, I thought it was dessert, not just sweet. 

[Rammchick]

There was a weird edit at judge's table, I thought. In one shot, Mei had tears streaming down her face. In the very next one, she didn't, and then tears again. Continuity, Elves!

[Corabeth]

So politically correct I threw up a little bit in my mouth. Dougie should be in the finale. Girl tears, continuously talking about only 2 women have won Top Chef made Mei's choice was so obvious. As a woman I want the best person to win,not the best woman. This is insulting to all women.

[candall]

If you can't bother learning to start a fire before Survivor  or driving a stickshift before Amazing Race, you're dead to me.

 

And here's a Top Chef finalist who's flummoxed by dessert.  He melted chocolate and poured it into a bowl!  Did he have a Secret Squirrel plan ready to go if "the best meal of your life" finale required a dessert course?

 

Doug got steamrollered with the ingredient selection "process," but corn smut (which is "tar-like," according to google, oy) seems only marginally easier to me than ant eggs.

 

Katsuji was supposedly Doug's ace in the hole, with escamoles experience, but stewing wasn't a good prep choice.  The stuff costs the same as Beluga and in the end, the judges couldn't tell the million dollar mini-eggs from the potato chunks.

 

***

Sorry to be repeating what others noted.  I was on "You Don't Have Permission To Post That!" shutdown for quite awhile.

Edited February 5, 2015 by candall

[hendersonrocks]

In the last fifteen minutes I went back and forth so many times about who I wanted to stay, Mei or Doug. It's a sign of a good final three that what I really wanted was for all of them to go to the end and get the chance to do a full meal. 

 

Mei's guacamole may have been a crazy risk just in terms of how pedestrian it was, but damn if it didn't look amazing. I would like that for lunch, right now, today. 

 

And Dougie, I'll come to your fly fishing nirvana with great food. Make it happen!