S13.E02: Pop-Up Pandemonium

[Tara Ariano]

The foodies must open distinct pop-up restaurants in various Los Angeles neighborhoods. Appearing: chef and pop-up impresario Ludo Lefebvre.

[leighdear]

I absolutely think that Tom Coliccio did NOT want Grayson there, because her horrible attitude made it clear SHE didn't want to be there.  He does not suffer ungrateful contestants lightly.  They MUST be keeping her for some reason, but Team Vegan was an absolute disaster in every way.  They all kinda suck.  Except Frances, she's still ok. 

 

I Loved how Team Persia worked together and coordinated well.  GO, Marjorie and Angelina!!  

[Bastet]

“We’d like to see all of you” is already anti-climactic.

 

I live in Los Angeles (born and raised), so I was interested in their commentary on the neighborhoods and restaurants.  Except for that from the guy with the bun, because everything he says or does annoys me already.

 

I’m not a big fan of vegan cuisine; I love vegetables and some grains, but I greatly prefer animal protein to plant protein, and when it comes to giving me a soy (or other) version of meat or dairy, especially cheese, I want out.  But I hate when people have Grayson’s attitude towards it.  Grow up.  She’s just unbearable this season.  (Bun Guy was almost as annoying at JT.)  I don’t like chickpeas/garbanzo beans (I have never met a bean I didn’t hate), so Frances’ dish didn’t appeal to me, setting aside the canned bean issue, and beets are one of the few vegetables I don’t like, so Renee’s didn’t, either.  I love cauliflower, and Grayson’s ingredients, but overall that just wouldn’t have been my favorite restaurant regardless of quality.  (I have friends in Abbot Kinney, but have never been to that place – the garden looked great, though.) 

 

I can see why Renee went over Grayson, as her food actually went wrong rather than just being uninspired, but Grayson has two strikes already.  (And did Renee really submit a photo to the world of her in lingerie and a chef’s coat?)

 

I love Korean food (and spent several years working in Koreatown) and the wings are among my favorite munchie foods; hers looked good, but it’s hard to make a chicken wing look bad to me, especially if it’s remotely made with Korean flavors.  I’ve been to the restaurant in which they were cooking (I like the food, but not the atmosphere).  The cuttlefish and shrimp salad looked pretty, and the ribs made me hungry through the screen.  The noodle dish, too.

 

I also love many varieties of Mexican food (NOT Tex Mex), but their menu looked pretty anemic and I don’t understand why they didn’t pick the chef’s brain any.  This carrot dish didn’t look very appealing, beyond the fact I dislike banana.  I love the combination of shrimp and pork, so that offering looked nice.  I’m with the judges that the skirt steak didn’t look Mexican.  The chorizo dish sounded good, because I love chorizo, but didn’t look very good. 

 

Persian food I’m a bit hit and miss with (and I’ve also been to Taste of Tehran), but theirs looked good.  The carrot looked tasty, and the chicken dish did, too, other than the yogurt (which I hate).  And I’d have been all over Isaac’s meat dish.  The dessert made me wish I liked yogurt as it looked beautiful and I like every other ingredient.  I’m not surprised they won, as it looked like the best overall menu.  Nor that Marjorie won overall, because, like I said, just looking at that dish made me wish I liked yogurt.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Bastet

[cooksdelight]

Man, Grayson has turned into a whiney bitch. I wish they'd sent her packing. I won't miss the saucy redhead if she never makes it back either.

[Nidratime]

I am beyond belief that they didn't send Grayson home. (Does she have incriminating photos?) I would've definitely sent her over Renee.

[Straycat80]

Count me in as surprised that Grayson didn't get the boot. She's really bitchy. Why did they bring her back? I won't miss sassy red head Renee.

The dessert that won looked really good. What an honor to have something you made put on a restaurant's menu.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Straycat80

[Stardancer Supreme]

I'm glad I'm not the only one puzzled by how Grayson's bitchy behavior at the JT didn't immediately get her booted.  We're going to be stuck with her for most of the season, I'll bet. 

 

I'm a carnivore, but I can appreciate vegetables if they are done in an awesome way.  I wouldn't want to eat any of those sad vegetable dishes shown tonight. 

[Dishin]

Persian? I guess we as a nation are afraid to say "Iranian" now. And hello? Mexican, Korean, Persian and VEGAN? What nationality is vegan anyway? Might have been a fair fight if the teams were restricted to vegan, ovo-lacto, vegetarian and meat only. This was seriously wrong.

Or just give them all carrots to work with.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Dishin

[Katmai]

I'm also in the chorus singing the Grayson is very bitchy with a bad attitude this season. I'm really disappointed in her. So far, she's two for two with snapping back at a judge when they offer up their opinion of her dish. Not cool, that's a big part of the show, Grayson, and you've done this before so you know that. They still haven't addressed why she's back? That's really odd.

 

I'm not going to miss Miss Sassy Chef.

[Constantinople]

Once again the inexplicable returnee is obnoxious, on the bottom and barely survives by serving the second worst dish.

 

Is this Grayson or Lisa Fernandes?

[TacoBoutIt]

Grayson, honey, no one forced you to come back to compete in Top Chef.  There are cheftestants who used the show as a platform and gone on to do greater things.  But here you are, back again, and being a grumpy sourpuss at that.  I was actually rooting for "sassy", let me pose half naked in my chef's coat, Renee to stay.  That's how intolerable I found Grayson (and I actually liked her the first time around).

 

Phillip reminds me of a hipster guy I went on a date with once, there was no second date.  

 

No favourites yet, but I liked how casually Marjorie mentioned that she was working at Per Se at 24.  I'm 24 and I watched the show while eating frozen buttered corn.

[awaken]

Grayson seems to be simmering with anger and resentment. It's hard to watch. I hope they put us all out of our misery and send her home soon.

I knew as soon as I heard wax beans and/or yellow bell peppers and packaged haricot verts it'd be a disaster.

I'm really over the beard trend now.

I hate when chefs complain about vegan food or complain that the challenge isn't cooking to one of their passions. That's the show, duh.

[avecsans]

I am wondering if Grayson was brought back simply to create conflict, because if not I can't figure out what she's doing there. I am already so sick of her negativity and eye-rolling stank face. My baseline for judging the food is could I make a better dish. And for both her meatball and her salad, that's a big yes.

The delusion was strong tonight. They featured Phillip being so certain of his own awesomeness that I knew he would be on the bottom. And was Renee kidding with the bikini/chef's coat shot? Not sorry to see her go, although I wish it had been Grayson this time.

Am I so old that I am the only one who laughed that "Chad and Jeremy" were on the same team? Probably.

[HunterHunted]

Persian? I guess we as a nation are afraid to say "Iranian" now. And hello? Mexican, Korean, Persian and VEGAN? What nationality is vegan anyway? Might have been a fair fight if the teams were restricted to vegan, ovo-lacto, vegetarian and meat only. This was seriously wrong.

Or just give them all carrots to work with.

A lot of individuals who fled during or immediately after the Iranian Revolution identify as Persian rather than Iranian.

I thought it was unfair to limit one group to vegan. If it had been vegetarian, they might have had a fighting chance. Many chefs haven't really had to push themselves to eliminate all animal products. I'm sure Grayson still would have whined and pouted her way through it even with butter, milk, eggs, and cheese available.

I find it funny that the Mexican food team did so poorly, especially because they had two chefs who cook that on a regular basis. It's also ironic that Kwame, who never cooks Mexican and once had an awesome fish taco in Austin, saved them.

Edited December 4, 2015 by HunterHunted

[Lamb18]

I'd much rather Renee had stayed over Grayson. I don't get why she's so sour. All the other chefs are so excited to be there and she's Miss Grumpy Cat, but not as cute. I thought this was another good challenge. I'm glad Marjorie won. She reminds me a little of Stephanie Izard in her personality. The Korean food sounded good, too. I wonder if the Mexican restaurant was in that little neighborhood by Union Station. It had an Old Town look to it, at least it did back in 2007.

[Nutjob]

Grayson gave up before the challenge started. Ugh...just send her home already.

I think Kwame might be the sleeper here. The other three guys say they can cook Mexican and he's the only one who pulls out a good dish.

On a shallow note, I really want Padma's jacket.

[Misslindsey]

 

Grayson seems to be simmering with anger and resentment. It's hard to watch. I hope they put us all out of our misery and send her home soon.

This. I was rooting for sassy Renee to stay over Grayson. Renee seemed to have a solid showing last night. I did not mind Grayson on Top Chef Texas. I did not love her, but I did not hate her either. Now, I want her gone. I do not get why they brought her back. She seems so bitter about everything. She has done this show before, so she know she isn't always going to be making something in her wheelhouse. I am just at a loss why she is so bitter all the time. I do not know if I can take more of her complaining. Don't they have Top Chef All Stars or something that Grayson should be on instead of a new season of regular TC?

 

Marjorie winning was nice. Team Persian did work well together. I am glad they were in the top.

 

I did kind of laugh at the team of chefs snarking on Phillip's giant picture of himself on his restaurant as they passed by in the car.

 

 

[Mrs. P.]

I just want to note that Padma was more beautiful than usual tonight. That red color was amazing on her.

[Chrissytd]

I thought Renee would last longer after her strong performance in the premiere episode.

 

I kinda figured the Teal Team's decision to not ask questions would come to bite them in the butt. Even if you think you know what's best, it wouldn't hurt to ask questions.

[Lovecat]

Jesus, Grayson, it's Top Chef, not Top Hostage. Presumably you're there on your own free will, so quit your bitching and coooooook.

Sigh, I always root for people with my name on reality teevee, no matter how annoying they are. Renée, you have let us all down.

[Calamity Jane]

Persian? I guess we as a nation are afraid to say "Iranian" now. And hello? Mexican, Korean, Persian and VEGAN? What nationality is vegan anyway? Might have been a fair fight if the teams were restricted to vegan, ovo-lacto, vegetarian and meat only. This was seriously wrong.

Or just give them all carrots to work with.

Persian in this context is a cultural term, Iranian is a geopolitical one.  Persian can also be political, I believe - people who fled Iran will say they are Persian to indicate their separation from the modern regime.  Where we lived in Orange County, the people from Iran invariably called themselves Persian.

[auntieminem]

So ready for Grayson to go.  She is pissing away her second chance.  Yes I enjoy some of her snarky comments but overall bye bye.

[LisaBLingLing]

Am I so old that I am the only one who laughed that "Chad and Jeremy" were on the same team? Probably.

 

Yesterday's Gone!  

 

When Team Vegan found out they were Team Vegan, I thought - yeah, no way to win with that.  Exciting new vegan food?  In 2 hours?  The show had it in for those 4, that's for sure.  

[HappyDancex2]

How did they eat all that food? They looked exhausted by the end with all of the production as well.

If I ever go on Top Chef I guess I'd better be able to adapt a meatball to every challenge, cuisine and catering event.

What is carne seca? A hard carrot on what is Mexican? Lol. Lots of swirled sauces on styrofoam bowls in the fexican group.

The vegan group was hard to watch. Even assuming Grayson was fed those questions and edited poorly, she made me downright stabby. Top chef masters had to do gluten free vegetarian I think....this is not a new twist nor unexpected. The beet dish seemed like raw food....why they didn't just take their cuisine and make it vegan was beyond me. No one used mushrooms...the umami bomb? Ridiculous.

I had to laugh when Grayson went to her bad place when they didn't have yellow wax beans. And then became fixated on it. She's never been to whole foods before??? And she's in whole foods and can't find a substitution for a veggie? That was absurd....I couldn't find a way to blame editing there. Yeah having something YELLOW in that salad saved it...EYE ROLL.

[cooksdelight]

I don't like them bringing back Grayson, when she got pretty far in her original season. I think she was 6th? Stephanie Cmar got a second shot, but she didn't pass the audition they had right off the bat to whittle down the huge original cast they had. Her and that whiney boy who thought he was all that, but couldn't butcher meat. One would think Grayson would have an edge over everyone else, but so far she's bombing right and left. I'm starting to wonder if we're being punked.

[Lillybee]

Lol, I am so not vegan, in fact I have some bacon in the oven for a BLT but off the top of my head I can come up with more than a few vegan dishes. Indian cuisine is very vegan friendly.

[Barton88]

Is someone in charge in love with Grayson, or does she have incriminating pictures? Not only does she smart off to the judges, whine about everything, but so far, she's the star of every episode. We get a comment from her every five minutes. I don't really dislike her, but she's beginning to wear already. Surely some of the others have something to say...and I don't mean man bun.

I wonder where in Austin Kwame? Had his great fish taco.

[buttersister]

Am I so old that I am the only one who laughed that "Chad and Jeremy" were on the same team?

More than two who.

 

Grayson's in the on-deck circle---one more performance like this one and she'll knock herself out of the park. Sorry that sassy chef put the lump of tastes-like-shit in the middle of her dish. Like others, I'm confused by what Grayson's doing here. Team Mexican clearly should have chatted up their host chef, Team Vegan should have asked for a clue or two as well.

[biakbiak]

With his bald head, vest, and reading glasses Tom looked like the dad taking his adult kids out for lunch when they were driving around.

Edited December 4, 2015 by biakbiak

[forum4idiots]

big surprise vegan food came in last........i'm sure there are great vegan food, but at such a short amount of time, you are setting that group up for failure.  great vegan good did not just "pop up" out of the blue.  meat u cook in fire and it's good.  vegan food......takes some time and creative thought.

[biakbiak]

I don't think it's that hard, they loved the Persian teams carrot dish which appeared to be vegan. Their choices were just lazy. I am a carnivore but I regularly make more creative vegan dishes just by what is in my fridge. Other than Frances they all seemed like sad sides.

Edited December 4, 2015 by biakbiak

[zxy556575]

I don't think it's that hard, they loved the Persian teams carrot dish which appeared to be vegan. Their choices were just lazy.

 

I didn't think of that, but seriously! The soup may have had a bit of butter or cream, but it's easy to substitute for those.  A lot of chefs seem to panic when they hear "vegan" and their only thought is "vegetables." What about grains, fruits, pasta, bread, legumes, nuts?

 

Over the years, the judges have singled out various side dishes, vegetables, potatoes, pea puree, etc. as being outstanding. They want the chefs to show some innovation, sure, but they're also seduced by straight up delicious food, even if it's a simple ("rustic!") vegetable stew.

 

On the other hand, I don't remember them ever giving props for a salad. It may be "fine" or even "good," but salads are always deemed a cop-out, both in team and individual challenges: "What else did you do all day?"

Edited December 5, 2015 by lordonia

[savannah1985]

Chad and Jeremy on the same team...am I the only one who caught that?

[phoenix780]

I kind of get why Grayson is around.  She's absorbing all the early-season vitriol from the viewers so nobody else has to step up and play the role of the villain.  It keeps it a bit cleaner, gives all the new kids a chance to get their shit together as we see who the real contenders are.  I'm kind of OK with that, but I do wonder what happened to her since we last saw her- how did she go from silly bullfrog song to pure bitterness?

 

Also, I'm eager to see if she'll get into a full-on brawl with one or more of the judges.  She's going to snap at one point, or they will, and while I'm sure it'll be entertaining it won't be pretty.  I'm kind of up for that, adds a little spice.  

 

I'm not sure sassy chef knows what that word means, but I could totally see her on Food Network someday, and I think she'd be fairly entertaining in short bursts punctuated by images of food cooking.  She's got a perkiness that I think would fit with what they offer.

 

Of the four, I thought Team Persian had the worst draw, just because to me it's the least familiar of those offered.  I wish they showed more of Team Mexican, because I'm not sure how they blew it.  I sort of wish this were a two-hour premiere episode, or maybe slightly supersized.  

[Lizzing]

The vegan team totally spaced out.  Just last night one of the women (I can't remember who) made the vegan soup(?) with almond milk (and served it with the obviously non vegan prosciutto) and that met with good reviews.  Hell, my non chef sister makes half of her dishes vegan for all of her dinner parties, because she's got a lot of vegan friends, and it's no bother and a hell of a lot more substantial than some bean salad.  But more to the point, most seasons involve a vegan and/or vegetarian challenge, so just like having one go to dessert practiced and memorized, these contenders should have had some planning done for the inevitable vegan/veg challenge when they filled out the application for the show.

 

Like a lot of other posters, I can't figure out why Grayson is back. But then, I never really got why TC brought back CJ, Josie, or Stefan a few seasons back.

[RemoteControlFreak]

The vegan team were idiots.  As Padma said, all they had to do was cook food without animal products.  We've seen a bunch of carrot dishes today and yesterday that would have qualified.

 

And aren't grains a staple of vegan cooking?  Where was the rice or corn or barley or any grain in any of the dishes? Or even potatoes.   Instead we get a bunch of vegetable side dishes and Renee with tofu?  Really?  Again, Renee is living in 1972.  I won't go into her "are you afraid, Frances?" comment.  Buh-bye Renee.  Take your small town attitude and big ego back to Kansas City.

 

But I'll defend the judges for keeping Grayson despite her bad attitude.  Top Chef has a pretty strong history of not kicking people off just because they suck as human beings.

 

Phillip looks like Derek Hough's obnoxious, tweezified (thanks, Gail), brother.

Edited December 4, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[Seelouis]

I sure hope Grayson is able to free her family that is obviously being held hostage and forcing her to be on this show in a spot another up and coming chef would have killed for.

I loved the editors' contrast between Angelina (there's no fish? I'll do chicken!) and Grayson (no yellow beans?? This sucks!! There is absolutely nothing else in this Whole Foods store I can use for a vegan dish")

[biakbiak]

I do want to defend Frances, she seemed to make a tasty dish, Tom's complaint was they filmed this during the summer and she used a canned ingredient during a challenge. I bet if she had made a curry using similar flavors and techniques with a fresh vegetable it would have been even closer on who was in the bottom between Mexican and Vegan.

I noticed they didn't put that much of an emphasis introvert totals this episode, probably because the people who shopped at whole foods spent more even when they weren't buying meat.

[leighdear]

Like a lot of other posters, I can't figure out why Grayson is back. But then, I never really got why TC brought back CJ, Josie, or Stefan a few seasons back.

In fairness, the returnees against the newbies was an actual plot point of season 10.  Grayson returning for THIS season just seems completely random and pointless, with no context as to WHY she just popped in.  

 

And I will take any opportunity to see my boyfriend Stefan on any show.  ;-)

Edited December 4, 2015 by leighdear

[Primetimer]

The chefs have to create tiny restaurants in a day, but it's NOT Restaurant Wars. It's totally different.

Read the story

[Constantinople]

Bun Boy appears to be getting the self-important douchebag edit.

It's too bad he wasn't on the Korean team given Bun Boy's Kim Jong-un sized ego.

[susannot]

I totally get why Renee was cut instead of Grayson.  Grayson made a decent if uninspired salad.  Renee's stuffed beets were awful:  mushy, and stuffed with (yuck) brewer's yeast.  Maybe she could have stuffed them with a grain, like quinoa.

[RemoteControlFreak]

And nice little variation on the humble brag by Marjorie during the car ride to Persia:

 

"Angelina has a spark in her. She's 24 years old and she's a chef de cuisine. I worked at Per Se when I was 24 years old so I respect that drive that she has."

 

Oh, so your job history is the reason for Angelina's success?  

Edited December 4, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[tenativelyyours]

I really hope we don't have a seemingly endless entire season of Grayson getting waspish over judges...wait for it, judging. 

[proserpina65]

Lol, I am so not vegan, in fact I have some bacon in the oven for a BLT but off the top of my head I can come up with more than a few vegan dishes. Indian cuisine is very vegan friendly.

True, but some of it contains . . . oh no! . . . chickpeas!!!!!!!!   Not chickpeas!!!!!!

 

{edited to note that I'm snarking on Tom.  Personally I love chickpeas, they are versatile, nutrient-dense, and make both falafel and hummus, which are the foods of the gods, damn it.)

Edited December 4, 2015 by proserpina65

[autumnh]

Grayson makes for good television. It almost makes you want to see what kind of tantrum/hissy fit she will have next.

[backgroundnoise]

Any chef who goes on this show without one or two killer vegetable dishes in their repertoire is crazy.  Padma was right--the vegan team were not limited to any type of cuisine other than vegan, which I think at least evened out the difficulty. 

 

How can those restaurants be considered pop-ups if they are already established in a permanent location?

 

{edited to note that I'm snarking on Tom.  Personally I love chickpeas, they are versatile, nutrient-dense, and make both falafel and hummus, which are the foods of the gods, damn it.)

But OMG they came from a can!  A CAN!  Oh the humanity!

Edited December 4, 2015 by backgroundnoise

[questionfear]

Not only is vegan food super easy, but the chefs could have knocked out a super simple dessert and impressed the judges. I'm not even close to vegan, but I have non-vegan friends who beg me to make them chocolate tofu pie, because it's delicious, and not nearly as bad for you as you'd think: take silken tofu, add melted chocolate, add maple syrup if you want more sweetness, blend until smooth, pour into a crust, let cool. If it sits for more than 2-3 hours in the fridge it loses all taste of tofu and just tastes like awesome chocolate pie. They could have tossed some coconut whipped cream on that and been FINE.

[NaughtyKitty]

. I wonder if the Mexican restaurant was in that little neighborhood by Union Station. It had an Old Town look to it, at least it did back in 2007.

Yes.  They showed us the street sign.  It is Olvera Street across from Union Station.

Edited December 4, 2015 by NaughtyKitty

[FormerMod-a1]

I agree that the cheftestents heard "vegan" and froze.  As others have pointed out, many of them made vegan or near-vegan dishes before, in the last challenge.  And others made vegan, or near-vegan, dishes in the other pop-ups.  Padma was right, they had the whole world open to them - any ethnicity, any flavor profile.  They should have thought of some things they like making or eating and see how much they'd need to change (if at all) to be vegan.   Renee (? the redhead) came closest with a stuffed beet, too bad it wasn't good.   And yes!  Where were the grains?  Quinoa, barley, rice, etc.  You don't need to make fake meat to make a filling vegan dish.  You also don't need to "settle" for salad type foods.  Soups, stews, pastas - French, Italian, Mexican, African, Chinese, Korean, etc.  Lots you can do.  Those 4 just choked, even though 3 of them seemed to be OK with it.