S13.E13: Back Where It All Started

[Julia]

I didn't. 

 

Didn't say you did. I was addressing the question of why people who think Jeremy sucks aren't piling on Jen.

[RCharter]

Yeah, I am with you on not having a shining star on this cast.  I would add Carla to that list, as well.  

 

I attribute the boring dinner, in part, due to it was the last meal ever to be cooked there.  A hushed respect and reverence dominated the mood.  

 

I get it that Issac is a good guy and very friendly but at this point I do see some of the chefs tiring of his personality and there is probably some attitude about how did this Cajun guy make it so far?  I don't think they respect his background all that much.   

I haven't seen much evidence that the other chefs don't like Issac or are growing tired of him.  Are you basing that off something that perhaps I missed?  It looked to me, like he and Jeremy high-fived and hugged each other first, and then Marjorie was sort of an after thought.  But perhaps there is something else that is giving you that impression.

[Wings]

I haven't seen much evidence that the other chefs don't like Issac or are growing tired of him.  Are you basing that off something that perhaps I missed?  It looked to me, like he and Jeremy high-fived and hugged each other first, and then Marjorie was sort of an after thought.  But perhaps there is something else that is giving you that impression.

 

 

It is probably being filtered through my skewed vision!  

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

They Left Two Chefs…In San Francisco
The final five become three as the chefs make fancy toast, then close down a famous restaurant for good.

[FineWashables]

Carl is so right about his ego getting in the way, and it was amazing to see that happen not just once, but twice in the same episode.  

 

How many times have we heard a cheftestant announce that it's considered sacrilege to pair X with Y, but that's only because people haven't tasted it the way I make it?  Didn't Philip pull that too this season?  If the general consensus is that two tastes don't pair well, then don't make it in a competition. Fish and cheese do show up on plates here and there but it's usually considered gauche -- lobster mac and cheese and McD's filet of fish sandwich come to mind. I like both of those things once or twice a year but I wouldn't present them to Tom Collichio.

 

Then Carl smiles while the judges tell him not to make a torchon and the torchon fails. Wonder how that happened?

 

Can't warm up to Jeremy for some reason. Glad I don't have to interact with Marjorie. I like Issac and I think his stuff is probably delicious but w a y too rustic for this fine dining competition.  So I guess I don't have a dog in this race.

[Julia]

I think the cheese/fish 'rule' stems from italian tradition, and most likely from Catholic sumptuary laws which restricted what foods you were allowed to eat on Fridays and during Lent. Fish, yes. Cheese, no.

[meep.meep]

Didn't say you did. I was addressing the question of why people who think Jeremy sucks aren't piling on Jen.

 

Because she isn't competing this season ?

 

Jeremy seems like a dull person, I would much rather watch Amar or even Carl in the finale.  We can't taste their food and the judges can and they say that Jeremy 's food is all that.  So he goes.

 

I'll be the person who says that if Marjorie had worn the outfit she wore to dinner at Fleur de Lys as her uniform for Restaurant Wars, she would have been congratulated.  She looked great in a jacket, top, and nice skirt.  That's what you wear to do front of house.

[candall]

Yes, I want to see the height plank, too.  That's hilarious.

 

I know meat needs to rest before carving, but I didn't know lamb had a whole tricky "over-rest" and "under-rest" element.

 

The weirdest thing to me--besides the notion of a toast craze sweeping the nation--was Jeremy tearing through Whole Foods, saying he had no plan in mind, that he was just grabbing up ingredients that seemed "French" and he'd figure out his dish later.  Good thing they had some pommes de terre lying around.

[RCharter]

 

I'll be the person who says that if Marjorie had worn the outfit she wore to dinner at Fleur de Lys as her uniform for Restaurant Wars, she would have been congratulated.  She looked great in a jacket, top, and nice skirt.  That's what you wear to do front of house.

exactly.  1,000 thumbs up if I could only find 998 more thumbs.

Edited March 4, 2016 by RCharter

[meep.meep]

And she must of had it in her suitcase!

Secretly, RCharter, I don't want you to find any more thumbs.....

[RCharter]

Carl is so right about his ego getting in the way, and it was amazing to see that happen not just once, but twice in the same episode.  

 

How many times have we heard a cheftestant announce that it's considered sacrilege to pair X with Y, but that's only because people haven't tasted it the way I make it?  Didn't Philip pull that too this season?  If the general consensus is that two tastes don't pair well, then don't make it in a competition. Fish and cheese do show up on plates here and there but it's usually considered gauche -- lobster mac and cheese and McD's filet of fish sandwich come to mind. I like both of those things once or twice a year but I wouldn't present them to Tom Collichio.

 

Then Carl smiles while the judges tell him not to make a torchon and the torchon fails. Wonder how that happened?

 

Can't warm up to Jeremy for some reason. Glad I don't have to interact with Marjorie. I like Issac and I think his stuff is probably delicious but w a y too rustic for this fine dining competition.  So I guess I don't have a dog in this race.

Well, he made it sound like they do this all the time somewhere in Southern Italy and its delicious.  I was curious about it, and wondered what it tasted like because I've only heard of shrimp and cheese paired in a pasta alfredo, or on a pizza.

 

For my money, the BEST toast I have is a piece of homemade creole bread (lightly toasted), with a healthy layer of guava jam, a thin layer of homemade refried beans, and a piece of dutch cheese (edam).  To Carl's point, it sounds disgusting, and I'm sure people would tell you not to do it, but for me, its salty, sweet and tangy....the best!

[Tarasme]

I am happy for Jeremy -- he rocked both of those challenges and was so full of shock and pure joy when he won. His dude-ness doesn't bother me a bit.

On the other hand, IMO, Marjorie is a bitch. She is so overtly disdainful and snobby about Isaac. Makes me dislike her tremendously. And she was smiling big when Amar got eliminated. Excuse me, but most of the time, she's made bread. And I loathe the way she speaks -- bizarre. The tears made me furious -- I am a woman and It makes me nuts when women cry in these moments. Her personality is very unattractive to me.

Sad that Carl and Amar were booted off, but Carl was crazy to take on that dish that required a ton of time. Amar got the boot for toast -- what??? Very lame challenge.

Hubert Keller is lovely. Enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces in his restaurant for the last meal.

I'd be happy with anyone but Marjorie for the win.

 ITA! Pretty pretty Jeremy didn't bother me at all until RW and his realization that he screwed up royally last episode was endearing to me ("Padma said 'chicks'... F***K!")

 

The little we know of his parenting aside (were my parenting skills and every comment I make to my children put under the national microscope, I'm sure some questionable practices would be sussed out), he's doing his damnedest to win. Good for him.

 

HUBERT KELLER!!! My secret boyfriend. *swak!* He made the rounds of Taste of St. Louis celebrity chef demonstrations about 3-4 years ago and it's a significant regret that I did not insist my husband take me to see HK and pay for the ultra VIP tickets so that I could see him *close*. :)

 

I wanted to root for Majorie, I really did. Unfortunately, every non-chef action she takes makes me think twelve year old boy. It's not cute. Though I appreciated other posters apologetics for her; I imagine that she is socially awkward and isn't confident unless she's shot calling. It is very hard to translate that need for control to a non work environment so I have sympathy for her but not enough to put her on the top of my cheer list.

 

He is humble, humorous and makes tasty food that doesn't try to be pretentious.  He doesn't look down on others and always seems respectful and quick to throw out a compliment.  He always seems like the first person to congratulate another contestant for a win.  These make him a likable person.  His over the top personality works for me, but I don't think its cloying as I've seen him tone it down when he needs to get down to business.  He seems like a happy and joyous person, which is a nice contrast to some of his competition.

 

Issac! Issac! Issac! I would LOVE to have Issac, his wife and his two kids come over for dinner. He can cook anything from the Bayou he wants and I'll throw in some Puerto Rican dishes. When I started watching at 8:45CST last night, I had to fast forward to the end to make sure the opening call with his wife wasn't PYKaG foreshadow.

 

It's interesting, while there are times his food has been classified as "unrefined," it seems like almost all of the contestants have been labeled this way, or in a synonymous fashion, this season. My recollection is that he's presented peasant dishes in an elevated way- which describes most classic French cooking anyway. Issac's not afraid to take risks and he "gets it" 9 times out of 10. I'm excited to see what he brings to the finale and he's the only contestant for which I'm interested to go eat at his restaurant. 

[RCharter]

 

 

Issac! Issac! Issac! I would LOVE to have Issac, his wife and his two kids come over for dinner. He can cook anything from the Bayou he wants and I'll throw in some Puerto Rican dishes. When I started watching at 8:45CST last night, I had to fast forward to the end to make sure the opening call with his wife wasn't PYKaG foreshadow.

 

It's interesting, while there are times his food has been classified as "unrefined," it seems like almost all of the contestants have been labeled this way, or in a synonymous fashion, this season. My recollection is that he's presented peasant dishes in an elevated way- which describes most classic French cooking anyway. Issac's not afraid to take risks and he "gets it" 9 times out of 10. I'm excited to see what he brings to the finale and he's the only contestant for which I'm interested to go eat at his restaurant. 

I would also like to come to this dinner, and I will bring diet sodas for everyone :)  and my appetite :)

 

I agree with your assessment of Issac's food.  If I make it out to NO again, I'm heading for Toups.

[RCharter]

And she must of had it in her suitcase!

Secretly, RCharter, I don't want you to find any more thumbs.....

!!!!  

Edited March 4, 2016 by RCharter

[Jesse]

Here is the thing about the SDQ....when it first came out, and when it was presented earlier this season, I thought there was one chef declared "the bottom" and they chose who to cook against.  If the losing chef lost the cook off, they went home, if the losing chef won the cookoff, everyone stayed.  That's how I remembered the sudden death quickfire.

 

 

Yes, that's how it worked earlier in the season.

 

And I just googled up a bunch of recipes with burrata and shrimp, for what that's worth, including crostini!

[RCharter]

Yes, that's how it worked earlier in the season.

 

And I just googled up a bunch of recipes with burrata and shrimp, for what that's worth, including crostini!

Was there a change at some point last season -- towards the end of the season?  I just never remember a SDQ going like this before.  

 

In fact, I thought they only introduced it last year and I remember how much it sucked for George because he ended being out after the first quickfire since he chose to take on Gregory.

 

Shrimp and cheese sounds so interesting.  I'm not a very good cook, but I'd like to try it and see what its all about!

Edited March 4, 2016 by RCharter

[jette]

It's interesting, while there are times [isaac's] food has been classified as "unrefined," it seems like almost all of the contestants have been labeled this way, or in a synonymous fashion, this season. My recollection is that he's presented peasant dishes in an elevated way- which describes most classic French cooking anyway. Issac's not afraid to take risks and he "gets it" 9 times out of 10. I'm excited to see what he brings to the finale and he's the only contestant for which I'm interested to go eat at his restaurant.

I know, right? When Hubert Keller majestically approached the dinner table at Fleur de Lys with his crock of deliciousness and ladled its contents onto the cheftestants' dinner plates with twinkling eyes, I was floored to see...beef stew. How refined - and yet braised!

 

Remember during his season on Top Chef Masters when Chef Hubert cooled/reheated pasta in the shower? The man is clearly not adverse to any cooking technique that gets the job done.

 

I was more concerned with lack of color on Isaac's plate than it being a little bit dry. Someone (Tom?) commented that it needed more sauce, so it couldn't have missed the mark as badly as Carl's raw foie. I guess I do eat with my eyes first, because monochromatic food doesn't excite me - it best be yummy. Emeril scared me when he stated in tones of gloom and doom that Isaac's ballontine had missed the mark. Off to peruse the Delmonico and NOLA menus to see if Emeril could have been comparing Isaac's cooked-within-too-short-of-a-timeframe-because-it's-for-a-Top-Chef-challenge ballontine to one that's served in one of his own restaurants...

 

But first, failure to win a sudden death quickfire means you're TOAST! Sorry to see Amar go.

 

$13 at NOLA! http://emerils.com/124379/miss-hays-stuffed-chicken-wings

 

Not on a current menu: http://emerils.com/122181/pheasant-forcemeat-stuffing-and-roasting-ballotine

Edited March 4, 2016 by jette

[Julia]

I didn't; I said her father did the same thing to her as a child Jeremy is currently doing to his daughter.

 

Yes, and I believe you were responding to a comment which said "And didn't Jen Carroll also say something about second place being the first loser? It seems strange that some people would knock Jeremy for it while she was very well liked in her first season. It just seems like a "reality show line" to me."

 

Which is what was expanding on in my answer.

[sourpickles]

That might have been the most embarrassing elimination ever, if not, close to it. Toast, for Christssake. I never knew that was a thing now. If it is, it hasn't gotten here yet, or I am just not paying enough attention. I am so upset Amar is gone. I really liked him, even when he was inconsistent. Don't much care about Carl. Never cared for him, but he was a good chef, so I'm sure he'll be fine. And Jeremy. I said a few epis ago I can totally see him pulling a Nick from NO, circling the drain and then pulling out a win. And if you want to do a Douchefecta, you better add Nick. And maybe Asshat Aaron from Boston. Thrilled that Issac and Marjorie are up for the win, I think Marjorie may have it, though you never do know. I knew the minute my guide showed this episode going over time that it would be a double elimination, which I think is ridiculous at this point. That should be saved for earlier in the season to get rid of the dead weight. I hate the whole Sudden Death thing, too. It'll be interesting to see who comes back. I haven't been watching LCK on purpose, just to save one surprise!

[biakbiak]

I don't see Jeremy circling the drain. He has the most elimination challenge wins this season and has been in the bottom as many times as Isaac and Majorie.

[tvfanatic13]

Have none of the judges ever heard of shrimp parm? Isn't that fish and cheese??

[Julia]

And if you want to do a Douchefecta, you better add Nick. And maybe Asshat Aaron from Boston.

Don't forget Alex and Amanda from DC.

[sourpickles]

They didn't bother me as much, truly. I just got that season on dvd and while they were frustrating, especially Amanda (again, a bottom two dweller), I wasn't too against them. But fucking Ilan, man. I don't even like to use that phrase, but him I truly disliked. And still do. I've tried at least a half dozen times to watch Knife Fight because it is an awesome show and has some fantastic people on it, but every time he opens his mouth a puff of smug comes out and I CANNOT stand it. I just can't, and I've tried. Blais is like Ilan 2.0. Ugh. But I digress, I think. I hear what someone is saying above, my biggest beef is that he was in the bottom two time after time and someone else just had a worse day, and at some point, something has to give. At least if Marjorie or Issac win, I can add them to my admittedly short list of winners I agree with. There's something I'd love to hear from others at the finale comments, who they've agreed and disagreed with. I can't be the only one who really disagreed with Kevin, but I haven't been around Previously that long.

[In Pog Form]

Buying lamb off the bone?  We have heard Tom's disdain for cooking meat off the bone when it could be done on the bone.

Marjorie breaks Tom's heart with lamb:

http://imgur.com/FfQZccf

[In Pog Form]

Here is the thing about the SDQ....when it first came out, and when it was presented earlier this season, I thought there was one chef declared "the bottom" and they chose who to cook against.  If the losing chef lost the cook off, they went home, if the losing chef won the cookoff, everyone stayed.  That's how I remembered the sudden death quickfire.

Emperor Padma: "I am altering the Sudden Death Quickfire. Pray I don't alter it any further."

Edited March 4, 2016 by In Pog Form

[Wings]

Have none of the judges ever heard of shrimp parm? Isn't that fish and cheese??

 

 

I have never heard of that!  

[Wings]

Well, he made it sound like they do this all the time somewhere in Southern Italy and its delicious.  I was curious about it, and wondered what it tasted like because I've only heard of shrimp and cheese paired in a pasta alfredo, or on a pizza.

 

For my money, the BEST toast I have is a piece of homemade creole bread (lightly toasted), with a healthy layer of guava jam, a thin layer of homemade refried beans, and a piece of dutch cheese (edam).  To Carl's point, it sounds disgusting, and I'm sure people would tell you not to do it, but for me, its salty, sweet and tangy....the best!

 

That sounds delicious!   I don't know what creole bread is though.  I haven't met a good loaf of bread I didn't love.  

[archer1267]

FWIW, I once did a food appreciation evening at Via Matta with chef Michael Schlow. We got a dish of seafood and pasta and he explained that Italians never, ever pair fish and cheese. I don't know if there are exceptions to the rule.

Didn't Doug from TC: Boston get sent home for torchon? I knew Carl was done for the minute he mentioned that.

Hubert Keller has always been a kind, gracious presence on Top Chef. I hope he'll still appear on the show in the future.

[SingleMaltBlonde]

So is there anyone kinder and more devastatingly attractive than my darling Hubert Keller? 

Eric Ripert?

[bitchin camaro]

Artisinal toast? Fuck me gently with a chainsaw. 

 

I really hate sudden death quickfires and even more so at this stage of the game. Come on, now - that's just not fair. I adore Hubert Keller so it was a lot of fun to see them cook for him. I was crossing my fingers for my homeboy Isaac and it worked! At this point, it sucks to see any of them go, and I think the only way Isaac wins it is to study up on refinement in the meantime, but I'm pulling for him.

[sourpickles]

HA! I've always heard fuck me sideways with a chainsaw. In fact, I once fell over something and uttered that phrase in full hearing of the guy who was resident dorm director. After the stunned silence and hilarious laughter, I felt better about it. Toast is toast. If you spruce it up, it might not be. I'm sure there is something philosophical in there, but I wouldn't know what. And I share the HK love. I like him a lot. He proves that you can be a great chef and, at least publicly, not be a dick.

[forum4idiots]

toast.....

 

san fran lives up to its douchiest reputation.....no wonder hubert keller closed down his restaurant.  i don't blame him one bit if the rave of the town is toast, lmfao. 

[sourpickles]

Awww. I feel compelled to defend SF, if just for the football team. My brother lived there for years and raved about it. Everywhere has issues, just the bigger towns are more publicized. I will say this though....if you come from (insert town here) and act like a stereotype, people will call you out on it!

[Jesse]

So, This American Life had a story about the woman who "invented" the "artisinal toast" "trend," and she's just a quirky, mentally ill woman, trying to make it through the day. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/520/no-place-like-home

[Bastet]

Yes, and I believe you were responding to a comment which said "And didn't Jen Carroll also say something about second place being the first loser? It seems strange that some people would knock Jeremy for it while she was very well liked in her first season. It just seems like a "reality show line" to me."

 

 

No, I was responding to the post about it being fine for an adult to take that attitude (that second place is just the first loser), but wrong to send that message to a child.  Thus I said that while Jen was an adult when she said it, she was relaying what had been drilled into her head as a child by her dad. 

 

So that's why your response to me confused me, but now we're on the same page.

Edited March 5, 2016 by Bastet

[Betelnut]

Toast didn't send anyone home. Crudo did. Or not enough radishes or whatever. It is a game so I don't mind "the rules" being changed about quick fires...if there ever were any in the first place.

I like Marjorie. I truly haven't noticed any terrible behavior from her. She just seems a little insecure sometimes. Now Jeremy yuck. Meeting Keller was better than the day his daughter was born? Wow, just, wow.

[sourpickles]

As to Jen Carroll, I will say this...she was very, very good in Season 6 and deserved her place as it was. All Stars was a shock...no way she should have gone. When I watched LATC, she seemed so unhappy and bitter, it was hard to watch. But then in Duels....she did seem much more serene. Almost a different person. I don't know what affected her and what didn't, but she's a hell of a chef. I hope she is still happy. I do remember her saying "I wonder what he'll say about second to last". I think she's moved on from that.

[Texasmom1970]

I told anyone and everyone that knows me not to call me, text me, talk to me or touch me while Hubert Keller was on my TV. I love that man. I was granted the pleasure of having dinner at the now-closed FDL, he was in charge, came around to our table.....sigh.... I always tell people I can die happy having had his food.

I am so jealous. I could just look at him and listen to him speak for an entire episode. When I saw him I was like who cares who is going to the finals Hubert is here!

[awaken]

Yes, I want to see the height plank, too. That's hilarious.

I know meat needs to rest before carving, but I didn't know lamb had a whole tricky "over-rest" and "under-rest" element.

The weirdest thing to me--besides the notion of a toast craze sweeping the nation--was Jeremy tearing through Whole Foods, saying he had no plan in mind, that he was just grabbing up ingredients that seemed "French" and he'd figure out his dish later. Good thing they had some pommes de terre lying around.

Ha ha. I love your whole post!

[MissEwa]

I had avocado toast for breakfast a few days ago, with a scrambled egg. I definitely wouldn't order that in a restaurant.

I find both Jeremy and Marjorie off-putting. I can see how she might not mean "shut up" maliciously, like "Aw, shut up," but that punching thing would annoy the shit out of me and I'd have called her on it the first time she did it. 

See, 'Aw, shut up.' would be one thing, but the was completely flat during both of them, especially the one to Isaac. And it was particularly weird because everyone seemed to be yelling support and then she just cut Isaac dead and sucked the fun out of the room. The 'shut up' to Jeremy was a tiny bit more understandable - he was ribbing her about something she was already stressed about. Neither read as playful to me, but YMMV. 

 

I do think some of it is her mannerisms though - she sounds dour and mean-spirited even when she is joking around, so it can be hard to tell. I'm not a fan but I can see that some of what might make her seem unpleasant isn't actually her fault. 

 

Here is the thing about the SDQ....when it first came out, and when it was presented earlier this season, I thought there was one chef declared "the bottom" and they chose who to cook against.  If the losing chef lost the cook off, they went home, if the losing chef won the cookoff, everyone stayed.  That's how I remembered the sudden death quickfire.

 

This is how all the other SDQFs have worked, but I see why they had to change it here. They needed three people left in the competition at the end of this episode, and a normal SDQF *might* lead to an elimination, but it might not, so they couldn't guarantee that. 

I do wonder how they deal with them over the course of the season but I guess they have a few tentatively scheduled and adjust according to how many people they actually eliminate. There are certain points during the season where they need a specific number of chefs still in it (RW needs eight, for example) and they'd have to make sure the SDQFs don't mess with that. 

 

Overall I don't see a way that I'm going to love the winner of this season. Isaac is my preference but I can't see him winning, and even if he did I don't think I'd necessarily think it was 100% deserved. I think maybe Mei's win last season spoiled me - she was my absolute favourite from the beginning of the first episode of last season and that's probably not going to happen again ever, or at least for quite a while. 

[awaken]

Marjorie breaks Tom's heart with lamb:

http://imgur.com/FfQZccf

Dying, absolutely dying. Tom had some amazing eye rolls this episode.

[Wings]

toast.....

 

san fran lives up to its douchiest reputation.....no wonder hubert keller closed down his restaurant.  i don't blame him one bit if the rave of the town is toast, lmfao. 

 

 

I love San Francisco.  I think artisanal toast is a fabulous idea.  How cool to be able to go to a restaurant and instead of having to choose the old and tired fare of burgers, quesadillas, slice of pizza, chicken Caesar salad, I could go on.  A slice of good toast with crab nicely prepared on top is a perfect lunch.  

 

I have been making my take on a lighter Eggs Benedict for years.  A piece of good coarse crusty white bread toated and topped with avocado, crab or a number of other things, usually what I have on hand with a poached egg on top. Sometimes a little bechamel, too.  It is a fabulous breakfast or lunch.  I have been doing this for years and little did I know I could have started this trend if I owned a restaurant!   

 

I never would have thought lamb had to rest 45 minutes!  I would think it would be cold.  I guess Marjorie roasted a very large piece of lamb and then sliced it.  It was too rare.  I missed the details so I suppose it could make sense to rest a large piece for much longer. 

Edited March 5, 2016 by wings707

[JenMcSnark]

Was there a change at some point last season -- towards the end of the season?  I just never remember a SDQ going like this before.  

 

In fact, I thought they only introduced it last year and I remember how much it sucked for George because he ended being out after the first quickfire since he chose to take on Gregory.

 

Shrimp and cheese sounds so interesting.  I'm not a very good cook, but I'd like to try it and see what its all about!

 

Shrimp quesadilla!  Delicious. And pretty much 90% cheese and shrimp.

[Bastet]

See, 'Aw, shut up.' would be one thing, but the was completely flat during both of them, especially the one to Isaac. And it was particularly weird because everyone seemed to be yelling support and then she just cut Isaac dead and sucked the fun out of the room.

 

She smiled afterward, so it may have been intended as joking.  None of her competitors, including Isaac, are complaining about her attitude toward them, so I wonder if how she's coming across sometimes to people who only see her on TV is different than how she's coming across to the people interacting with her every day.

 

She's never done anything to make me take much notice of her attitude/comportment, and I've liked the looks of her food, so I'm rooting for her.  But I can say the same about everyone else (well, except for a few comments of Jeremy's), so I'm rooting for them, too.  Basically, I'll be happy with any of them winning, and just hope no one falls on their face -- I've love to see everyone put forth a great offering, and it come down to the best of the best.

[Richness]

Shut up, Marjorie!!! Ok, now that I've got that out of my system, and have read through these comments, I don't dislike her as much as I did. However, her second shut up (for Carl or whoever) seemed a lot more friendlier than the one for Isaac (which seemed to finally get to him a little bit). Now, that may be furthered by her negative comments in talking heads in previous episodes, which may be instigated by production, but I recall her being rude to Isaac at other times as well. Because of this, I just can't root for her. The best I can do is recognize her skill as a chef.

 

That doesn't mean I support all of Isaac's comedy shtick though. It can get overbearing, and I only had to put up with a few minutes every week. I imagine living with it would be worse. I usually don't go for boisterous personalities either. Speaking of which, Jeremy doesn't bother me that much, but that may be because I find him relatively sexy.

 

Sorry to see the other two go, especially Amar on a Sudden Death Quickfire. I've never liked those, even when they're in the usual format where the loser can possibly redeem themselves. It hurts also being so late in the season. While I realize time is an aspect of cooking, which Carl completely forgot about this episode, I don't think it allows chefs to showcase themselves fully. I wish Quickfires stuck to giving immunity, advantages, or prizes. If they need to get rid of extra contestants, just make it a double elimination in the full-fledged Elimination Challenge.

 

Otherwise, it was great seeing Hubert Keller, as well as Harold Dieterly. Though if I'm honest, the dish he prepared didn't look that appetizing to me (or refined for that matter. Thanks for that laugh, Maysie!). The farewells to Fleur de Lys were nice.

[Corgi-ears]

Now Jeremy yuck. Meeting Keller was better than the day his daughter was born? Wow, just, wow.

 

 

 

Can you blame him, though? From what I hear, that daughter was always coming in second.

[In Pog Form]

Can you blame him, though? From what I hear, that daughter was always coming in second.

Don't you mean first loser?

[RCharter]

 None of her competitors, including Isaac, are complaining about her attitude toward them, so I wonder if how she's coming across sometimes to people who only see her on TV is different than how she's coming across to the people interacting with her every day.

 

That may say more about the grace of her competitors than anything about her.  Not to mention that it really wouldn't be in their best interest to say anything negative about her no matter how she behaved.  I don't know one way or the other, but I wouldn't point to the fact that no one has particularly called her out as evidence that she isn't the way she comes across on TV.

[beaker73]

Marjorie gave a little smile and chuckled after telling Isaac to shut up. Hardy verbally abusive, IMO. But, carry on...

I was bummed that Amar got the boot. I think it's ridiculous to have a quick fire elimination this late in the game.

Too bad Jeremy won the challenge, but I will say his dish looked delicious so good for him I guess. I still don't like him.

[cattykit]

Two things Traci Des Jardins said that bugged:

 

Fish and cheese is a pet peeve of hers.  In no way should someone be judged on someone else's personal preferences or pet peeves.

 

Something like, "This is a classic dish now."  If it's a classic dish, it's a classic dish, not just now.  Now is a current or fad.

 

Never heard of a toast craze.  The things I learn on Bravo.