S14.E08: Restaurant Wars

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

The iconic Restaurant Wars challenge features the chefs dividing into teams to design a restaurant and create a cohesive menu, but the heat is on when egos collide and tempers flare. Appearing: chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara.

[ProudMary]

Just a heads up:  Tonight's episode is supersized, running from 9:00 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. (EST)

[Jwd]

Although I think the 2nd team was a clusterf*ck, and John most likely should have gone home, I am doing a happy dance now that they sent Katsuji home.  Dude seriously got on my nerves. Yes!

[Bastet]

Katsuji is an insufferable asshole, but in the middle of frantic prep is not the time for John to endlessly pontificate on that.  So we've got one congenital asshole, another one who's actively working to suppress his own inner asshole -- poor Sheldon, trying to tell them to get over themselves and duke it out later.  And way to disrespect the chefs in whose kitchen you are cooking by making such a mess.

I was so nervous for Shirley after her team's service, because if the second team pulled it out despite the chaos in the kitchen, she'd be going home -- Emily had one bad dish, but one great one, while Shirley had one bad dish and one okay dish, plus was Executive Chef.  I was already rooting against the second team, despite liking Sheldon and Casey, because of Katsuji and John, and really stepped up hoping for them to go down in flames once Shirley was in jeopardy.

However.  It was still a little uncomfortable to watch them implode like that.  Wow.

Casey should not have abandoned her post, but when you see your team's kitchen falling apart that spectacularly, it's pretty hard not to -- especially once they're completely backed up on getting your own dish out.  I was going to be pissed if she, who made one of the few great dishes - and, per one judge, the only one that fit the restaurant's stated theme - went home, but Katsuji and John were both such fuck-ups, I realized she was in the clear.  John and his crappy crab and even worse expediting skills was my reflexive choice to go home, but then I really thought about Katsuji and wanted his ass out - on specifics, and on general principle; good god, he's a snake.  I hate him after that stew room performance of his, which is odd for some guy I only know through my TV screen, but he's awful.  I could not stand John during his first season; for me to be taking up for him against an even bigger jerk?  I'm really a little blown away here.

That must have been one hell of a Judges' Table, and deliberation.

[rlc]

Can't stand Katsuji, but John and his overinflated ego (and nonstop lies) should have gone.

[JeanneH]

10 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Casey should not have abandoned her post, but when you see your team's kitchen falling apart that spectacularly, it's pretty hard not to

From whatever it was Padma said right at the beginning of deliberations (I don't recall what it was she said), it was clear she thought Casey should stay, and the other judges seemed to think she did the right thing by trying to straighten out the kitchen. So she wasn't going anywhere. (front of the house doesn't take it in the neck? amazing for restaurant wars!)

I also think Katsuji getting run-at-the-mouth disease in front of the judges and imploding sent him home. John could have served breaded mouse droppings (and may have, from some of the comments) and Katsuji was still gone.  He was talking so fast he lost me, and I'm not sure if he was using crazy logic or what to explain what happened as he saw it.

Edited January 20, 2017 by JeanneH

[rustyspigot]

Casey, that was a horrible top to wear. 

And Padma. "Casey's strawberries tasted like strawberries." OK Willy Wonka.

[racked]

So John really had no dish of his own? How did he not see from a mile away that would spell bad news for him? I was fine with either he or Katsuji going home. Just happy Sheldon is safe. 

Emily does passably well when on a team with strong chefs. Of the group left I would like to see Brooke Sheldon and Sylva make the finals. 

[Michichick]

Too bad both John and Katsuji didn't get the boot. But if it could only be one, I'm glad it was Katsuji. He's just too much. What an asshole.

[MerBearHou]

I actually cheered when they sent Katsuji packing.  I was afraid that John would be the one, but if the judges had been in that kitchen, they would have seen how INSUFFERABLE (and that's putting it kindly) Katsuji was.  Until tonight, I'd gotten a kick out of his personality and shenanigans, but he was a grade-A ass tonight and incredibly passive-agressive.  His slow clap in the Stew Room was the worst.  John said it -- Katsuji can dish it out but he can't take it.  The entire Yellow team failed if you ask me.  No one shone, but some "failed" less than the others.  

Glad that Emily got some positive notice tonight.  That was nice to see for her (even though I'm not a fan of hers).  

Shallow note:  Shirley's voice is tough for me -- too shrill or something.  Has nothing to do with her accent, just the pitch.  I do like her a lot though.  

[Michichick]

1 minute ago, racked said:

So John really had no dish of his own? How did he not see from a mile away that would spell bad news for him? I was fine with either he or Katsuji going home. Just happy Sheldon is safe. 

John made the pimento crab dish that the judges hated.

[hendersonrocks]

I am shocked but grateful Katsuji is finally gone. I'm not totally sure I think it was the right call, but I will certainly enjoy the show a whole lot more next week without him.

And goodness, I love Sheldon and Shirley with my whole heart.

[FormerMod-a1]

Katsuji wanted to make 3 dishes.  Katsuji asks John for help throughout prep.  John helped, not as fast or as much as Katsuji wanted, it seems.  Katsuji makes 2 bad dishes.  Katsuji blames John for it all.  OK.  

John made a bad crab dip.  Really, that's all he made?  And that's what he thinks of the South?  Oy.

Poor Casey and Sheldon.

Glad Katsuji went home.

[ccrens89]

Katsuji shouldn't have been the one to go home. Yes, he pulled the first choice knife, but that didn't explicitly make him the team's leader or executive chef. John said he wanted to expedite, despite Sheldon having a winning experience doing so, and Katsuji said w/e to it. Casey...made the right choice by taking no part in the bro kitchen battle.

At the end of the day, the way I see it is this...

• Casey had one good dish (+1), did everything she can to help in the kitchen during service (+1), and failed at front of the house (-1).
• Sheldon had a bad dish (-1).
• Katsuji made one good dish (+1), one bad dish (-1), and one forgettable dish (0).
• John made a terrible dish (-1), and failed at expediting (-1).

John goes home.

Edited January 20, 2017 by ccrens89

[CaliCheeseSucks]

Well, it doesn't make up for Jim and Jamie (but mostly Jim) going home last week, but as I actually like Tesar a lot more this time around, I sure would have been pissed to see him leave ahead of Katsuji. 

[Nordly Beaumont]

8 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

Katsuji wanted to make 3 dishes.  Katsuji asks John for help throughout prep.

And Katsuji also said that "everyone" said they would help. Dude, if you have to depend on everyone to help, you have a BAD plan!

12 minutes ago, Michichick said:

John made the pimento crab dish that the judges hated.

It looked like it should have been served with Ritz crackers.

27 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Casey should not have abandoned her post, but when you see your team's kitchen falling apart that spectacularly, it's pretty hard not to -- especially once they're completely backed up on getting your own dish out.

Yeah, I don't think she had much choice. And she was trying so hard to work calmly and efficiently, but John kept yapping at her even after she told him that she was doing what he asked. Both Katsuji and John were terrible. Bet they wished he would have picked Emily from the last two.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Nordly Beaumont

[racked]

12 minutes ago, Michichick said:

John made the pimento crab dish that the judges hated.

Ah forgot about that! It did sound gross though I understand the retro vibe he was going for. He seemed genuinely to believe Katsuji set him up but Sheldon did offer to be executive chef right?

[AttackTurtle]

That was painful to watch.   There was so little focus on the actual food.  I didn't like the gamesmanship that Katsuji was fond of playing; particularly when he could see someone vulnerable so I'm glad he's gone.  That being said, John dodged a huge bullet.  His dip sounded awful.   Thier whole menu sounded terrible.   I'm sad that my sweet Sheldon had to be a part of that shit show.

Sylva's backstory was heartbreaking.    I honestly don't know who my pick is to win this thing, but I'd be okay with Brooke, Sylva, Shirley or Sheldon.

[Archery]

Katsuji's mouth wrote a check that his ass couldn't cash.  Just make 2 dishes and do them well, and you won't have to throw anyone under the bus.

I felt bad for Casey. And for Emily, when Katsuji kept needling her at the top of the show.  What a jerk.  

I want Silva to win, if only for his backstory.  (Plus he's a great chef, it seems.)

The faces the diners made when tasting Shirley's panna cotta were CLASSIC.

[awaken]

The slow clap in the stew room was everything!

 Darn it. I really think John deserved it this week.  

 Silva and Shirley are tops for me. With Sheldon and Brooke a very close second.   

[Michichick]

2 minutes ago, awaken said:

The slow clap in the stew room was everything!

Yes, it crystallized in single action what a huge ass Katsuji is. ;)

[dgpolo]

17 minutes ago, ccrens89 said:

At the end of the day, the way I see it is this...

• Casey had one good dish (+1), did everything she can to help in the kitchen during service (+1), and failed at front of the house (-1).
• Sheldon had a bad dish (-1).
• Katsuji made one good dish (+1), one bad dish (-1), and one forgettable dish (0).
• John made a terrible dish (-1), and failed at expediting (-1).

This doesn't take into account how bad a bad dish is, and the judges may have also taken into account that Katsuji took on too much and didn't execute.

[HunterHunted]

14 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Casey should not have abandoned her post, but when you see your team's kitchen falling apart that spectacularly, it's pretty hard not to -- especially once they're completely backed up on getting your own dish out.  I was going to be pissed if she, who made one of the few great dishes - and, per one judge, the only one that fit the restaurant's stated theme - went home, but Katsuji and John were both such fuck-ups, I realized she was in the clear.  John and his crappy crab and even worse expediting skills was my reflexive choice to go home, but then I really thought about Katsuji and wanted his ass out - on specifics, and on general principle; good god, he's a snake.  I hate him after that stew room performance of his, which is odd for some guy I only know through my TV screen, but he's awful.  I could not stand John during his first season; for me to be taking up for him against an even bigger jerk?  I'm really a little blown away here.

I knew that front of the house was going to be a disaster when Casey said that only she could seat guests. I also don't know why servers were taking dishes to the wrong tables. This really speaks to Casey doing a crap job training them. She's lucky her dessert was so successful. However, she pales in comparison to the kitchen disaster that was Katsuji and John.

I don't know how they decided on a low country southern restaurant, but let Katsuji put two obviously Mexican inspired dishes on the menu. Tamales?!? Tequila spiked cobbler?!? Katsuji actually made 4 things: the roasted spiced nuts, tamales, beef tongue, and cobbler. The nuts could have been delegated to someone else.

The entire enterprise was poorly thought out. The other team was tasting each other's dishes. These guys were prepping and sniping at each other. Katsuji took on too much. I'm not even really sure what happened with John's expediting. His crab dish was terrible. I did love that when John and Katsuji are going at each other in front of the judges, you can see Sheldon clearly take a step backwards.

Sylva's story about his restaurant burning down broke my heart.

Katsuji's slow clap was epically douche-tastic. It's going to be giffed to high heaven.

[snarktini]

20 minutes ago, racked said:

He seemed genuinely to believe Katsuji set him up but Sheldon did offer to be executive chef right?

Yes, he did. A little surprised that didn't come up, but it's hard to know after editing what was actually said. I'm sure Sheldon was grateful to fly under the radar. He stayed very, very quiet. 

I might have booted John. The EC usually bears more responsibility -- one bad dish that was made in advance, didn't help the line, failed to expedite, failed to lead. It was even a lousy menu/concept. That usually means EC goes. He was responsible for the overall failure, by definition.

23 minutes ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

And Katsuji also said that "everyone" said they would help. Dude, if you have to depend on everyone to help, you have a BAD plan!

Regardless, this is why it's fair that Katsuji went. Colossally bad decisions on his part tanked their team, and John wasn't strong enough to overcome it. What an asshole. No redemption for that.

8 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I knew that front of the house was going to be a disaster when Casey said that only she could seat guests. I also don't know why servers were taking dishes to the wrong tables. This really speaks to Casey doing a crap job training them. She's lucky her dessert was so successful. However, she pales in comparison to the kitchen disaster that was Katsuji and John.

She was lucky to be with two such horrible teammates because, yeah. I pinged her saying only she could seat and we know from the past that usually leads to a backup at the front door even when everything is running smoothly.

Question: Are the wrong things going to the wrong tables more the fault of FOH or the expeditor?

Edited January 20, 2017 by snarktini

[Quilt Fairy]

I know the FOH usually only makes one dish - for obvious reasons - but I can't remember another RW where 2 of the other 3 chefs only made 1 dish.  And I don't understand what went so screwy with the service. Shouldn't serving family-style make things go easier?

[ccrens89]

7 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

This doesn't take into account how bad a bad dish is, and the judges may have also taken into account that Katsuji took on too much and didn't execute.

I mean, the judges were unanimous in John having the worst dish, and Katsuji's tamale wasn't even brought up at judges table, hence it being forgettable. Katsuji took on too much but John, being the executive chef, let him do it. I agree that Katsuji, as usual, was being manipulative and playing the game. However, at the end of the day, John was the team leader, failed as the team leader, brought his entire team down due to his failure, AND had the worst dish of the night. He should have gone home.

[awaken]

 I knew that team was going to fail as soon as I saw John choose canned crab! I thought for sure that would be his kiss of death. 

[chiaros]

The yellow blue team reminded me of the losing team in the restaurant wars episode of Top Chef New Orleans. Heh. John Tesar's "expediting" was like Justin Devillier's - both fell apart. But I recall John Tesar said that the servers were fucking things up, and it seemed that they *were* confusing tables -- so it may be that it wasn't just John's fault.

Yes, Katsuji Tanabe took too much on himself, then was aggrieved that he didn't get ALL the help he felt he was entitled to, even though John and Sheldon WERE helping with his prep and so on fairly continuously, it seemed from what was broadcast. Then he snarked and bitched about it. I agree with the poster who commented on John T feeling that Katsuji T "set him up" - although as supposedly the EC John T would theoretically been on the carpet for not managing the situation better. But --- as others here (and even chefs on the show) have commented, Katsuji was playing so many mind-games and being such an asshole that I'm not sure that he could have been marshalled into more positive territory.

As for Katsuji's tamale not being brought up at judges table, yes - that is true; but didn't the judges make some comments about it while they were dining, along the lines of its being unfitting to their theme?

Edited January 20, 2017 by chiaros
corrected yellow to blue

[dgpolo]

I thought the teams were red and blue?

[sourpickles]

The red team should have won based solely on the fact that in all these seasons, that was the CALMEST, most professional RW kitchen I have ever seen.  I was astounded, and very proud of them all.  They worked well together, though Emily's mini fit about her dish being tweaked had given me pause.  Brooke did a great job in FOH, but I'm starting to think she sounds like Kermit the Frog.  Blue Team was the shit show I predicted.  What a cluster.  I thought John was gone for sure, but Katsuji, man, what a dick.  There's something about him that grates.  Not what he says, which half the time with the right tone could be funny, but how he says it.  I'm glad he's gone, truthfully.  He's best in small doses.  Sheldon did well to try to control those boys in the kitchen, and also to shut up during judging.  Casey.  There was something about the way she was addressing the servers that set my teeth on edge.  Not condescending exactly just.....borderline?  I've been warming to John this season, but I'm feeling a bit cautious about how many excuses he has sometimes.  And I spent the whole time hollering about how 1960s his dish was.  Really?  Pimento crab dip?  I have older cookbooks that feature that.  As do older relatives.  As does my local market because the buy in bulk easy dishes are popular here among a certain demographic.  Right next to the macaroni salads.  I mean, pimento.  Og.  And if they dinged red on the benches, it should have come up with blue, too.  I'm having a horrible day so that's all I can think of to comment on now, I'm sure I'll be back when I can think better.

[chiaros]

8 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

I thought the teams were red and blue?

Oops, you're right. I'm editing my post. Thanks.

[chiaros]

10 minutes ago, sourpickles said:

The red team should have won based solely on the fact that in all these seasons, that was the CALMEST, most professional RW kitchen I have ever seen.  I was astounded, and very proud of them all.  

I thought Nick Elmi's team in his restaurant wars episode on TC New Orleans was superb, and his expediting and management of the flow was very, very good.

[Quilt Fairy]

12 minutes ago, sourpickles said:

As does my local market because the buy in bulk easy dishes are popular here among a certain demographic.  Right next to the macaroni salads.  I mean, pimento.

But it's known as the "caviar of the South"!

[chiaros]

I confess I have never understood the allure of pimento cheese.

[Rai]

I figured Katsuji would be going home, but I really felt it should've been John. He just didn't seem to know what he was doing, and while him being on the line probably wouldn't have helped him get it together any better, only two people cooking just seems like such a bad idea. I don't buy that Katsuji set John up to fail or to even be the executive chef. Sheldon wanted it too. What might have been.

I've gotten to the point with Top Chef where everything is just pure entertainment value to me, so I thought Katsuji's slow clap was hilarious. Dickish? Sure. Possibly a good nugget of truth to it though? Yeah, I'd be persuaded of that pretty easily.

That said, if Casey didn't do a good job with the servers, then maybe John wasn't entirely to blame for expediting poorly either. It might still be too confusing to parse out who was the most responsible for bad service.

My favorite at this point is Shirley followed closely by Sheldon. Hope neither of them break my heart next week!

[Thumper]

48 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I knew that front of the house was going to be a disaster when Casey said that only she could seat guests. I also don't know why servers were taking dishes to the wrong tables. This really speaks to Casey doing a crap job training them. She's lucky her dessert was so successful. However, she pales in comparison to the kitchen disaster that was Katsuji and John.

I don't know how they decided on a low country southern restaurant, but let Katsuji put two obviously Mexican inspired dishes on the menu. Tamales?!? Tequila spiked cobbler?!? Katsuji actually made 4 things: the roasted spiced nuts, tamales, beef tongue, and cobbler. The nuts could have been delegated to someone else.

The entire enterprise was poorly thought out. The other team was tasting each other's dishes. These guys were prepping and sniping at each other. Katsuji took on too much. I'm not even really sure what happened with John's expediting. His crab dish was terrible. I did love that when John and Katsuji are going at each other in front of the judges, you can see Sheldon clearly take a step backwards.

Sylva's story about his restaurant burning down broke my heart.

Katsuji's slow clap was epically douche-tastic. It's going to be giffed to high heaven.

Beef tongue???  Beef tongue??  At a restaurant?  ACK!  I grew up with the occasional beef tongue served at dinner and it was awful!!  Not to mention that it looked disgusting.  No. no. no.

[archer1267]

I have been to two casual restaurants in Cambridge, MA lately that have featured pimiento cheese spread. One was an appetizer, served with Ritz crackers in a little Mason jar. The other was served at a BBQ joint as a spread for cornbread. Maybe it's kind of trendy? Still was an odd choice for RW.

I want Emily's dessert.

[Lovecat]

12 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Beef tongue???  Beef tongue??  At a restaurant?  ACK!  I grew up with the occasional beef tongue served at dinner and it was awful!!  Not to mention that it looked disgusting.  No. no. no.

I was disappointed no one sang Carla and Antonia's Beef Tongue song.

[chiaros]

15 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Beef tongue???  Beef tongue??  At a restaurant?  ACK!  I grew up with the occasional beef tongue served at dinner and it was awful!!  Not to mention that it looked disgusting.  No. no. no.

Heh. I LOVE beef tongue. Ditto pork tongue. Such luxurious, textured meats, when done well.

[Bastet]

32 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Beef tongue???  Beef tongue??  At a restaurant?  ACK!  I grew up with the occasional beef tongue served at dinner and it was awful!!  Not to mention that it looked disgusting.  No. no. no.

It's not my favorite, but I don't hate it and, more relevantly, the judges seemed pretty universally enamored of it.  The little diner commentary we saw was also positive.

I hate Katsuji and am glad he went home, but his beef tongue dish is not a reason for that -- and, in fact, if I get down to brass tacks, it's probably the thing that should have saved him over John.

[pivot]

Sheldon should have stopped Katsuji from picking John as a teammate. That was a disaster waiting to happen. Both Sheldon and Casey are damn lucky that John screwed up expediting and Katsuji ran his mouth at judge's table because they both made mistakes and were passive as hell as the team melted down. That has gotten chefs sent home before. That said, I think they decided to send Katsuji home when they saw the disgusting kitchen. The guest judges looked incredibly grossed out by how dirty it was.

I think as much as John can grate, that the entire house was ready to see Katsuji go. Man, he was bullying that sad girl again tonight.

[Souris]

Is that the first time a cheftestant has won RW as FOH? I remember thinking when Fabio didn't win that if Fabio couldn't win as FOH, nobody would ever win as FOH. I can't remember anybody winning as FOH after that, but I may be forgetting someone.

I was hoping that somehow both John and Katsuji would get eliminated. (And that somehow Jim would be brought back.)

Poor Silva, what an awful thing to have happen.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Souris

[Court]

Before watching, I wanted Emily to go home. Her fit at the house after elimination annoyed me. I'd love to see her go next week.

About 15 minutes in, I wanted it to be John. It should have been him. Sheldon offered to be executive chef. Casey and Katsuji said good. Then John insisted on doing it. John couldn't expedite, didn't take charge of his kitchen, and cooked badly. I feel he's happy to let people screw up because it benefits him.

Yes, Katsuji is also an ass but I dislike John more.

Also, shut up Padma. I'm usually a fan but she's been mean this season. Maybe mean isn't the right word but she bugs. 

Edited January 20, 2017 by Court

[Wings]

When I lived in FL they sold pimento cheese in containers near the deli.  It tasted like Veleta.   I think John said he used crab instead of cheese to replicate it in a creative way. Odd choice.

The judges did taste Katsuji's tamale and it had a burned flavor. 

I like John so I am glad he stayed though it surprised me until I thought more about it.  Katsuji's ego took him down. As a result he made 2 bad dishes and one good one.  Two bad trumps one bad. 

Now I want beef tongue. 

[Muffyn]

Katsuji  and John talking about tongue made my  stomach turn.   I don't want to think about either of them when I think about tongue.

[Court]

I love pimento cheese. I would not love it with crab or whatever John did. 

[AntManBee]

I like John, but how can he say he likes a woman in front and that it is not sexist?  Either own that it's sexist or keep the thought to yourself.

I was pleasantly shocked that Katsuji went home.  I didn't expect him to be called on his passive aggressive gameplay.

How did Sheldon get away with one dish?  I wish he had stepped up more.

[snarktini]

13 minutes ago, AntManBee said:

How did Sheldon get away with one dish?

It's a good question. While I didn't think he'd go home he wasn't out of danger only having one dish that wasn't good. It wasn't even complicated or labor-intensive.

I get there wasn't much left for him -- Katsuji claimed 3 dishes, John was EC and Casey was FOH -- but not fighting for a second dish or more responsibility was dangerous. Did he just totally check out when he lost out on being EC? Has there ever been another case where one of the line cooks in RW did only one dish? 

[HunterHunted]

I think it's interesting that the judges didn't like Emily's pasta because it was practically dictated to her by Shirley. The judges all said it was flavorless. Shirley's wanted the shrimp butter. Shirley wanted the pasta run through on a particular setting. I think Emily's original plan would have been better--squid ink pasta with chorizo and charred tomato. If Shirley wanted it to have more of a seafood feel, Emily could have still had the calamari and decreased the chorizo.

[chiaros]

4 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I think it's interesting that the judges didn't like Emily's pasta because it was practically dictated to her by Shirley. The judges all said it was flavorless. Shirley's wanted the shrimp butter. Shirley wanted the pasta run through on a particular setting. I think Emily's original plan would have been better--squid ink pasta with chorizo and charred tomato. If Shirley wanted it to have more of a seafood feel, Emily could have still had the calamari and decreased the chorizo.

Yes. If the blue team had got their act together I would have been pleased to see Shirley get kicked out to LCK.