S13.E14: Magic Hour

[Pickles]

Jeremy said he was a single father. Does anyone know if the child's mother is in the picture?

[In Pog Form]

What the hell was that? A mass-catering challenge, with a bizarre ingredient-choosing gimmick and a tacky casino theme? For a final??

Screw you, show!

[meep.meep]

The final final will be shown next week.  This was just the run up to the final.

 

Go Amar!  But I think Jeremy is going to win.

[RCharter]

I don't really pay much attention to Fan Favorite voting (the hows & wheres of it), but I did notice tonight they had it down to Issac and Karen.  I get Issac, but how the heck did Karen get more support than Kwame?  Or pretty much anyone else in the final 5? 

 

Did Copperfield have extra pointy shoulder pads under his shirt?  He struck an odd silhouette to me.

 

All the food looked great tonight, but I'm definitely pulling for Amar FTW.

David Copperfield's body looked really strange, I kept expecting some magic trick from under his coat, or some weird flasher moment.  Credit to him though, I don't think his plastic surgery has been a total disaster.

 

 

ITA. When I host family dinner for Issac, Wife of Issac, Daughters of Issac, RCharter (don't forget diet drinks and loved ones!), et al, Marjorie can come too.

I'll be there with my tupperware and diet sodas!!!!

[Charlesman]

I agree. I have no idea why they've never been able to figure out they should put recipes online after the show airs.

[cooksdelight]

Sweet & spicy pickled grapes. I'll take a stab at it since I pickle anything and everything.

For a pound of grapes, try this:

Equal parts apple cider vinegar and water - I'd start with a cup each and see if that's enough to cover the grapes

Half the amount of sugar

Candied crystalized ginger.... I'd say about a dozen pieces

For this, assume you've used a cup of vinegar and a cup of water:

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon whole allspice berries

Bring your liquids and spices to a boil, drop in the grapes and allow to return to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool down while still sitting in the liquid. Drain and chill.

I've used this to pickle hard nectarine slices, stuff like that.

[shksabelle]

WOW  That was a really long commercial for David Copperfield.  What's that you say?  It was Top Chef Finale Part One?  Must have Oh dear, I must have missed that between all the shots of the outdoor ads for Copperfield

[meep.meep]

For the pickled grapes, they did show red jalapenos.  They may have been more spicy than pickled.

[FineWashables]

Thank you, cooksdelight and meep.  At least I've got a starting point.  The jalapenos would go in with the grapes, I'd guess. 

[sourpickles]

I wish they'd put out more cookbooks. I two, the only two I know of but those only go through season 3, I think.

[gryphon]

Go Amar! And Issac for fan favourite!  I still can't stand Jeremy...Amar had more solid dishes throughout the season and I hope he wins.  

[In Pog Form]

It's "DUCK ah-lo-RANHGE"

No, it's not. There's no "lo" in the pronunciation. There's a minuscule pause between "l'" and "orange." The "o" does not get detached from the word it belongs to.

  

I hate LCK and getting to come back in after being eliminated.

I disagree. LCK is way better than the main show. It's really the show's only saving grace these days. It's where the actual cooking competition is - while the main show is all gimmicks, product placement, and tepid manufactured drama.

So many of the contestants get eliminated for stupid reasons in gimmick challenges that it's good to see them get the chance to redress this in a skill-based competition.

Jeremy said he was a single father. Does anyone know if the child's mother is in the picture?

I assume he hacked her to pieces and buried her in the desert for being "first loser."

The final final will be shown next week.  This was just the run up to the final.

Next week is the "finalé." The chyrons on this episode clearly said "finals." So, it was a final, but not the finalé.

 

Edited March 11, 2016 by In Pog Form

[Julia]

No, it's not. There's no "lo" in the pronunciation. There's a minuscule pause between "l'" and "orange." The "o" does not get detached from the word it belongs to.

 

Since l is not part of the same word as a, and it is attached to orange (with the empHAsis on the second sylLAHble), I think that's a fair enough representation of the french for crude english-speakers :)

Edited March 11, 2016 by Julia

[xaxat]

I didn't notice Padma's "dress" until I read the comments here.

 

I am becoming an old (non pervy) man.

[RCharter]

I didn't notice Padma's "dress" until I read the comments here.

 

I am becoming an old (non pervy) man.

you've just become immune to Padma's boobs because they are always on display.

 

it would be like eating caviar everyday....I'm sure at first you'd be like "caviar! I'm so fancy!" and after three months you'd be like "caviar is so boring, I want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich"

[meep.meep]

Padma's dress, although skimpy, was pretty and flattering.  Gail's dress was doing her no favors.  Is she pregnant?

[candall]

I was so outraged about the final challenge, I had to wait and calm down before posting. A presentation performance? Put on a show for the judges? What the fuck does that have to do with anything--unless I've wandered into Next Food Network Star by mistake. Why not have them ski out and do some more target shooting, because the relevancy of that was comparable.

Oh, wait, we only care about the food, after all! PSYCH!!! You didn't take us seriously when we said you were to take your inspiration from a Vegas magic act? 'Cause naturally we meant: "the best tasting dish is going to the Finale."

I think David Copperfield was embarrassed. He asked the logical question--what does showmanship have to do with being a chef?--and then he got to sit through amateur hour while three people stumbled through their versions of what he does for his own professional specialty.

It's been a good season, with good cheftestants and good challenges, but this was a serious dropoff in all that evenhanded quality.

[Spunkygal]

That whole chef-as-entertainer spiel from Padma bummed me out greatly. This is the emphasis that generates Guy Fieri and Jeff Mauro.  Not the direction chefs should need to take.

So.Much.This!

[Corgi-ears]

Do we, who watch Top Chef -- and especially if we have ever entertained or even voiced thoughts like, "I'll eat at Isaac's restaurant! He was so hilarious on the show!" or "I would NEVER grace Marjorie's restaurant! Her vocal fry annoys me to no end!" -- really have a leg to stand on in terms of objecting to the trend of chefs-as-entertainers? It seems to me that the episode and Padma's spiel was just making explicit something that has always been intrinsic to the show.

[Canada]

Jeremy - boo!

 

Amar - yay!

 

Isaac - whatever

 

Marjorie - WTF is wrong with you?  I don't know how the judges kept straight faces every time you said "duck ala orange".  Completely lost all respect for you in that moment.

 

Padma - I thought her boobs were going to fall out when she was turning over cards at the table while introducing that first challenge.  SMH for this idiotic woman.

 

That second challenge - stupid.  Yes, a top chef needs to be able to talk about their food.  They don't need to be able to put on a floor show.  The fact that none of them really did any good at it should say something about how stupid this challenge was.

[briochetwist]

I was so outraged about the final challenge, I had to wait and calm down before posting. A presentation performance? Put on a show for the judges? What the fuck does that have to do with anything--unless I've wandered into Next Food Network Star by mistake. Why not have them ski out and do some more target shooting, because the relevancy of that was comparable.

Oh, wait, we only care about the food, after all! PSYCH!!! You didn't take us seriously when we said you were to take your inspiration from a Vegas magic act? 'Cause naturally we meant: "the best tasting dish is going to the Finale."

I think David Copperfield was embarrassed. He asked the logical question--what does showmanship have to do with being a chef?--and then he got to sit through amateur hour while three people stumbled through their versions of what he does for his own professional specialty.

It's been a good season, with good cheftestants and good challenges, but this was a serious dropoff in all that evenhanded quality.

This. I knew Marjorie was toast as soon as the challenge was announced. She has lousy social skills already and now she has to put on a fucking Las Vegas show? That crap had NOTHING to do with cooking.

 

Shittiest finale ever.

[JES004]

It wasn't the grapes plus chicken combo, it was the sweet and spicy pickled grapes that were the revelation.  Which is not all that common.

Okay, thanks.  I missed what he did with the grapes.  Then I can totally live with Jeremy being in the final.  

[Maysie]

 

Do we, who watch Top Chef -- and especially if we have ever entertained or even voiced thoughts like, "I'll eat at Isaac's restaurant! He was so hilarious on the show!" or "I would NEVER grace Marjorie's restaurant! Her vocal fry annoys me to no end!" -- really have a leg to stand on in terms of objecting to the trend of chefs-as-entertainers? It seems to me that the episode and Padma's spiel was just making explicit something that has always been intrinsic to the show.

 

For me, liking a chef's personality doesn't have that much to do with whether I'll dine at his/her restaurant. Frankly,  I don't give a shit if Marjorie can pronounce duck ala orange or not, so long as she can cook the damn thing. And Isaac can crack wise all day long, but if he can't pull his flavors together in his dishes, I'm not inclined to eat there (fortunately, my experience at his restaurant did not disappoint). Unless someone is an unredeemable asshole, I'll give anything a try if I think the food will be good.

 

For instance, I'm not inclined to try Man Bun's food because, well, gloopy whipped potatoes do not appeal to me, nor does that horrendous rice pudding he failed so miserably at making. Giving his restaurant a pass has nothing to do with his douche-like personality but is based only on the fact that nothing he made appealed to me. (I have to admit, and I'm a little embarrassed to even type this, seeing him act as a prep cook for Amar, I did feel kindly toward him. I don't think Man Bun is a bad guy; I just think he's one of those unfortunate people who takes himself way too seriously).

 

I know some people like the idea of chefs as entertainers, and there is a place for that, I suppose. I respect and adore Emeril, and his restaurants are fabulous, however I'm sure he gets a boatload of business based solely on the personality he's built on television. But that's not why I go to his restaurants; I go because the food is excellent. I don't think that commenting on Isaac's personality quirks or Marjorie's speech patterns is quite in that realm. They may be entertaining qualities, to be sure, but they don't affect whether I want to try their cooking.

[RCharter]

^^I agree with you Maysie.  Personally, I would try Issac's restaurant because the food he makes looks like the food I want to eat.  That I think he is a cool guy is icing on the cake.  However, I think are more likely to want to support people that they like or respect.  And in markets where you have a ton of really great dining options, a personality may make you pick one place over another.   Of course  I will try ManBun's restaurant to because I just have to, I mean he is just so confident in his food and no one else is, I have to try it.  Is his food secretly delicious and the judges were mistaken all season?  Of course I will be tempted to put a giant mustache and devil horns on his lifesize douche picture, but I'll refrain.

Edited March 12, 2016 by RCharter

[susannot]

Add coriander seeds and Mexican oregano in the grape pickling liquid.

[jette]

Oh dear. One can find a recipe for sweet and spicy pickled grapes on the Taste of Home website...source of food at its (re)finest.

Why yes, I am still bitter that Isaac didn't make the finale.

I have prepared duck l'orange several times. My high school/college boyfriend was a hunter and I learned to cook it for him. It was definitely a labor of love, because IMO, that dish absolutely stinks while it's in progress. I finally put my foot down and said no more - one probably shouldn't be gagging while cooking! So when Marjorie chose the dish and then massacred its name, I needed her gone asap. I hope she was in fourth place :p

[susannot]

For a classically trained chef,she had curious blind spots.

[Rai]

Is her failure to pronounce it really any worse than the legions of chefs throughout this entire show who couldn't pronounce "mascarpone" to save their lives?  Duck l'orange has become the new little black dress for Marjorie, I guess.

 

(Yes, I'm super witty, right?)

[bunnywithanaxe]

"Duck a la orange"?

 

Just checking in with y'all --Isaac is supposed to be the unrefined one, right?

[biakbiak]

Eric Ripert, Mario Batali, Emeril, Michael Symon (does it on the regular), Julia Child, and a gazillion others have been on tv mispronouncing a dish or ingredient. It doesn't mean they aren't a good/great chefs. It appeared Majorie perfectly cooked a duck but because of the parameters of the challenge decided to make it "special" by using liquid nitrogen that she hadn't used before and there wasn't enough orange in her liquid nitrogen sauce. I bet if she took a day or two she would still pronounce it wrong but it would be completely delicious. I would love to taste it at either time pronunciation be damned!

Eta: to clarify I think Isaac given a day or two could rock his chicken fried steak dish and I would also love to eat either one, though meat glue which he pronounced correctly still disgusts me. I have eaten several dishes that have used it and there is nothing wrong but the name makes me gag.

I would also note the supportive banter between Majorie and Isaac during this episode.

Edited March 12, 2016 by biakbiak

[kitten59]

Marjorie's voice has always made me apoplectic, but duck a la orange?? Really?? She deserves the boot for that alone! I'm just glad that Hubert Keller didn't have to be subjected to that butchery.

[jackjill89]

I don't know what it is about Amar, but he just bugs the crap out of me. I know he's produced some great dishes, but blech. And Jeremy, ugh. I don't care who wins at all. 

[jette]

Transglutaminase, once primarily sourced from the livers of guinea pigs and therefore quite expensive, has become more readily available and therefore more widely used according to internet sources. Lovely.

Is this the price of impressing the judges on Top Chef? I'll take stewed over glued every day!

Judging was so odd this season. They were impressed by monkey bread and pickled grapes a la Taste of Home, yet turned their noses up at a ballotine which is classically French (yes, I know it needed more sauce but Gail said it wasn't refined). Hubert Keller broke my heart a little bit when he praised Jeremy's Fleur de Lys dish as being cute. My food isn't always beautifully plated, but it always tastes great (according to friends and family lol). I've always said I'd love to take a class in food presentation...but maybe all I need is a big pair of tweezers!

[JoyousSpring]

Is her failure to pronounce it really any worse than the legions of chefs throughout this entire show who couldn't pronounce "mascarpone" to save their lives?  Duck l'orange has become the new little black dress for Marjorie, I guess.

 

(Yes, I'm super witty, right?)

I used to work for a woman who had been a UN interpreter (French, Spanish, English) and had lived in France for years. When we'd go to a coffee house or bakery people would get so annoyed because she'd order a "crescent roll" and they'd go out of their way to correct her. Man, that woman enjoyed her baked goods!

[Julia]

My favorite is waiters who clearly aren't italian correcting my pronunciation of northern italian dishes because I didn't use the southern dialect pronunciation. Which I'm more patient with if I think they're trying to be kind and save me future embarrassment, but it really does feel like it's intended to be a snub sometimes...

[NewDigs]

Thought I'd be happy with any of the four in the finale, then Jeremy was first in and I wasn't.

I was pulling for Isaac but am happy to see Amar not only back from LCK but moving into the finale. And, dayum, if I didn't mist up right along with him.

Every single dish looked and sounded delish. Even the odd, to me, grapes.

Amar for the win!

Isaac for fan fave! Though I'm not sure how Karen edged past Kwame.

Edited March 12, 2016 by NewDigs

[lightbeam]

I weirdly feel like I missed something about Amar. No doubt he's a nice guy and makes good food, but I would swear he was presented on the show as a sort of 'middle of the pack' kind of guy, who made the same thing time and again (was it chicken? I forgot). He came off as someone who would eventually get eliminated and not one of the top contenders at all. All of a sudden, he's a masterful chef and has been all along. What did I miss?!

With that being said, not a huge fan of Jeremy (he should have gone home for the disaster of Restaurant Wars in my opinion), so I am hoping Amar takes home the win.

[Texasmom1970]

I have watched too much top chef over years. Isn't it more common to have more than two in the finals?

[biakbiak]

I have watched too much top chef over years. Isn't it more common to have more than two in the finals?

The last five seasons, six if you count this one, have been a final 2.

[NewDigs]

I have watched too much top chef over years. Isn't it more common to have more than two in the finals?

I think it always boils down to a final two but this season the elimination was maybe unusual with the starting line-up of 4 rather than 3.

All I got.

[Texasmom1970]

The last five seasons, six if you count this one, have been a final 2.

Wow that many I must have been distracted by Padma's inappropriate clothing or something else I did not realize.

[SpringTulips]

Can they please get rid of that Pack Your Knives and Go, phrase.  It is so condescending for people who are at this caliber.  How about just a simple "It's time to pack your knives."

[chiaros]

TC S1: 2-part finals (Las Vegas), 3 contestants; 2-person finale, winner Harold Dieterle.

TC S2: 2-part finals (Hawaii), 4 contestants; 2-person finale, winner Ilan Hall.

TC S3: 2-part finals (Aspen), 4 contestants; 3-person finale, winner Hung Huynh.

TC S4: 2-part finals (Puerto Rico), 4 contestants; 3-person finale, winner Stephanie Izard.

TC S5: 2-part finals (New Orleans), 5 contestants; 3-person finale, winner Hosea Rosenberg.

TC S6: 2-part finals (Napa), 4 contestants; 3-person finale, winner Michael Voltaggio.

TC S7: 2-part finals (Singapore), 4 contestants; 3-person finale, winner Kevin Sbraga.

TC S8: 4-part finals (Bahamas), 5 contestants; 2-person finale, winner Richard Blais.

TC S9: 3-part finals (British Columbia), 4 contestants; 2-person finale, winner Paul Qui.

TC S10: 2-part finals (Los Angeles), 3 contestants; 2-person finale, winner Kristen Kish.

TC S11: 2-part finals (Maui), 4 contestants; 2-person finale, winner Nicholas Elmi.

TC S12: 3-part finals (San Miguel de Allende), 4 contestants; 2-person finale, winner Mei Lin.

TC S13: 2-part finals (Las Vegas), 4 contestants; 2-person finale, winner TBD.

 

See here for a season summary.

[RCharter]

I have watched too much top chef over years. Isn't it more common to have more than two in the finals?

So, I think the confusion is that in most years I have watched, they have had three-four competitors going into the finals.  But they had a preliminary round of the finale where they would almost always slim the field down to two.  So, almost the entire first episode was generally devoted to getting rid of one or two people which would leave you with the final 2 competitors.  However, in the past, IIRC sometimes they would go into the last episode with three people and then get rid of one so that there were two people competing for the last half of the show.  Which makes it look like three people going into the finale, even though it is really two.

[biakbiak]

As posted above seasons 3-7 had three people competing at the final meal and all three up for the win.

[MissEwa]

This season has been fine but the result of this episode has just knocked all the wind out of its sails. I feel like whoever wins is going to end up at Nicholas/Kevin-level forgettable and we'll be asking who it was by the time Season 14 starts. They're both... fine? Jeremy's brodude thing is a bit grating and I think I'd prefer an Amar win, I think based on the edit it's unlikely - Amar has had basically no storyline development at all. I feel like I don't know anything about him at all except that he worked for a chef who passed away recently and... had a girlfriend called Santana? Maybe? 

 

I knew Isaac wouldn't win but I would have loved him to outlast Marjorie. I suppose them going out at the same time kind of fits their barely-there storyline. Rustic and refine battled it out and the winner was someone else. Probably there will be crudo. Yawn. Whatever. 

I don't like immunity at Final 4, which is effectively what it was, even though they called it 'going straight through to the finals', and especially not when you're only leaving one other place. Having four cook and two go through seems a lot more fair, as does - if you must - having one go straight through, three cook and only one go, for a three-person finale (which I personally prefer). Having a challenge where only the winner goes through at this stage that is NOT last-chance kitchen and is after LCK wraps up so there's no chance of redemption bothers me. Everyone else all season just had to be not-the-worst and even if they were the worst they had a chance to come back but if you survived this far you suddenly have to be the best and there's no safety net. It's just jarring. 

(IDK, one of my problems with LCK has always been when the winner comes back. Get eliminated first thru thirteenth? Get a second chance. Kick ass for the entire season and get eliminated fourteenth or fifteenth? No second chance for you. I'd almost prefer LCK runs right through and the winner goes straight into the finale-finale.)

[PamelaMaeSnap]

I'm actually totally awesome with Amar being in the Top 2, though I'd rather he were there with either Kwame or Isaac ... 

 

When the show started, my favorite going in was Kwame (loved his back story having read up on him as one of our two "locals" -- Marjorie didn't really do much for me) and the first episode I also just loved Isaac right away because I just loved his personality (and I know that this isn't Food Network Star and that shouldn't matter, but as long as he was also cooking stuff that looked good to me -- which it did -- I was down). 

 

But by Episode 3, I think, I started really noticing Amar as a stealth contender ... he got so little air time but he was consistently good and competent and seemed like just a nice chill guy. By Episode 4 or 5 I thought he'd win it all.

 

And I'm still rooting for that but do think they waited maybe too long to showcase him for him to be their TCO. That said, his story about his dad? Yeah, I got teary-eyed. LOVE him. 

 

And maybe he has a girlfriend named Santana ... but then if they got married she'd be Santana Santana. 

 

Finally, while I doubt that we'd see Isaac on FNS, I really do hope that they give him his own show ... he may not be "Top Chef 10" but he'd be a GREAT host. The guy is just hilarious AND a good chef. 

 

One last comment since there was convo about going to TC's restaurants ... I'd definitely go to Shaw Bijou (if I can get a reservation when it opens) because Kwame's dishes have been very appealing to me. I have not much interest in Ripple. But I will say that one of my absolute favorite restaurants in all of DC is Kapnos, which has THE BEST saganaki I've ever had in my life (and is set up so you get a lovely view of hot George if he's there.)

[RCharter]

 

But by Episode 3, I think, I started really noticing Amar as a stealth contender ... he got so little air time but he was consistently good and competent and seemed like just a nice chill guy. By Episode 4 or 5 I thought he'd win it all.

 

And I'm still rooting for that but do think they waited maybe too long to showcase him for him to be their TCO. That said, his story about his dad? Yeah, I got teary-eyed. LOVE him. 

 

And maybe he has a girlfriend named Santana ... but then if they got married she'd be Santana Santana. 

 

Finally, while I doubt that we'd see Isaac on FNS, I really do hope that they give him his own show ... he may not be "Top Chef 10" but he'd be a GREAT host. The guy is just hilarious AND a good chef. 

I hope Isaac doesn't go on FNS.  Food-wise it always seems like a bit of a shitshow.  I think when you have a competition based on personality, and cooking, you're either going to end up with the best "personality" or the best "cook" or someone that isn't really the best at either.  But I think he would be a good person to have his own show.  And I think he comes with way more bonafides than a lot of the FNS contestants.

 

I agree with you about Amar, he was always such a stealth contender that I assumed he would just slide into the finale, and then we would get more backstory on him.  As much as I know about his story is pretty cool, and I sure hope he can win his girlfriend back (if a guy went on national TV talking about how much he loved me and how he was just too busy before.....I might give him another shot)

[MissEwa]

And maybe he has a girlfriend named Santana ... but then if they got married she'd be Santana Santana. 

Yeah I'm not sure that I didn't mix up a few things he's said to get the girlfriend-named-Santana story. 

I actually like him - not as much as I liked some other but he's a solid chef and seems like a good guy - but his edit has been very very quiet. I feel like if he was going to win, especially as a LCK comeback, he'd get more backstory. Maybe editing is playing with us and the key to the whole season is actually Jeremy's 'first loser' comment. That would be nice. 

[Julia]

I'd way rather see Isaac on PBS, or at worst The Cooking Channel, which still has one or two shows about food and practically no Bobby Flay.

Edited March 14, 2016 by Julia