S14.E08: Restaurant Wars

[zoeysmom]

Katsuji being a slob in the kitchen probably didn't help his cause.  Can't imagine working under him and how he would treat his staff. No loss to the show unless of course he pulls a Kristen and wins every challenge in LCK. 

[chiaros]

1 minute ago, zoeysmom said:

Katsuji being a slob in the kitchen probably didn't help his cause.  Can't imagine working under him and how he would treat his staff. No loss to the show unless of course he pulls a Kristen and wins every challenge in LCK. 

Katsuji was noted and notorious for being a SLOB in the kitchen even in his first time around on TC. He was really, really messy. As for his success or not in LCK - that is already known now. Look in that thread.

[Muffyn]

This week John makes crab taste like pimento cheese.  Next week he’ll make filet mignon taste like cat food.  For his piece de resistance, he’ll make white truffles and beluga caviar taste like a cold, burned, dried out White Castle slider. 

Given how sloppy he was, I was afraid Katsuji was going to drop the bowl he lifted over Sheldon’s head and cover Sheldon with whatever horror he was making.

[PhoneCop]

Damn, what a flame-out. I'll admit, I've enjoyed Katsuji in certain odd moments, but he showed every inch of his ass on his way out the door.

Meanwhile, Emily skates by to live another day. But given that she seemed likely to be the Josie to anybody else's Kristen, her pulling her own weight (more or less) was a pleasant surprise.

[Adultosaurus]

Emily remains for ratings.  This is all so contrived...she was never going to be in contention with Brooke/Shirley, et al, she is there because she creates/maintains the drama.

[GaT]

3 hours ago, AttackTurtle said:

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.  

And that is what make Katsuji so unlikeable. He didn't have the balls to stand on the results of his cooking alone, he had to play games to throw everybody else off. He should have been gone a while ago, & I hope he doesn't win his way back.

[spiderpig]

I thought Emily got an unusually gentle edit this episode.  She was always an easy target, but now the producers smelled blood in the Katsuji/John faceoff.

Not that she wasn't a royal pain the rest of the season, but it was odd to see a softer, less abrasive Emily this time.  And she appears to have made a fairly good dessert.

[FinnishViewer]

Quote

Emily remains for ratings.  This is all so contrived...she was never going to be in contention with Brooke/Shirley, et al, she is there because she creates/maintains the drama.

If they want to keep someone just for drama, they would have kept Katsuji.

[RealReality]

I don't think I've ever hoped for a double elimination as much as I did this episode.

I don't like John Tesar, and I don't think he has changed as much as he thinks he has.  He is still a manipulative shit.  From what I could see, he wanted the ego boost of being EC, he wasn't doing Katsuji any favors.  "Sheldon has won RW, and I've never done a RW.....but I should be EC for this challenge"

I don't like Katsuji either, and his "head games" just sounded like an excuse to be a raging asshole to people.  There was no need to play headgames with Emily the night after elimination.  And while I can't stand JT, either engage him or let him be.  Sarcastic handclapping when someone is sincerely frustrated is just mean spirited.

Unpopular opinion....but I don't hate Emily.  And I was really happy that the judges had something nice to say about something that she made.  It must be hard to be on the bottom all the time, and still have the drive to try to make good food.

I'm glad Sheldon was able to avoid elimination, any other day he would have been on the block, because his dish was mushy.

But seriously....pimento cheese and crab?  It doesn't sound terrible, it just doesn't sound very high end at all.  I don't know why John thought that was a good idea and why he only did one dish.

[RealReality]

5 hours 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!

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

Such a classic move.  If Katsuji's dishes went well, he could take all the credit for his dishes, and not give any credit to anyone for helping him, even though he clearly needed a lot of help.  Trust and believe, had they won and those dishes were executed well, you wouldn't have heard a peep from Katsuji about how much help the other chefs gave him.

But in the event of a loss, Katsuji could blame everyone else for not helping him enough and hope that he got credit for taking on three dishes.

5 hours 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.

 

Its funny, Katsuji kept insisting that he wanted Mexican food, and was upset when they didn't go with Mexican.....and then proceeded to do two Mexican dishes anyways.

5 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

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?

I think it would have been much, MUCH easier if they had just planned to serve every dish to every table family style.  I'm not sure if they could do that, but to me, it would just make life much, much easier.

5 hours 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.  They worked well together, though Emily's mini fit about her dish being tweaked had given me pause.  B  Casey.  There was something about the way she was addressing the servers that set my teeth on edge.  Not condescending exactly just.....borderline? 

This!  I felt the same way, it was very offputting, but I couldn't really figure out why

In the words of Rose Nylund "I can't put my finger on it, but if I could, my finger would stink!"

I didn't mind Emily's mini fit.  She was in a pretty tough spot, constantly in the bottom, and Jaime just gave up elimination so she could stay.  I know she wanted to prove something, and that has to be harder if you're making a dish you don't really know versus one that you know you can execute successfully.  I was happy that she just rolled with it, even if the dish came out sort of shitty.

[phoenix780]

2 hours ago, Adultosaurus said:

Emily remains for ratings.  This is all so contrived...she was never going to be in contention with Brooke/Shirley, et al, she is there because she creates/maintains the drama.

It's weird, for me Emily is a non-factor. I'm not bothered by her, I don't love her, and other I don't really remember a ton of continuous drama from her. If the producers are manipulating in her favor, I'd say it's more to keep multiple "newbies" around for as long as possible. 

Quote

Casey.  There was something about the way she was addressing the servers that set my teeth on edge.  Not condescending exactly just.....borderline? 

Her entrance into the scene was like...a scene in a movie set in a boarding school in, like, 1890, and the imperious-yet-kind headmistress enters a noisy dining hall and quiets the children down. In other words I agree that there was something about it.

Katsuji vs. John...they were all acting like John's version of how he became EC had some validity, though I didn't remember it that way at all. As much as I dislike Katsuji I think John should have gone home. Aside from the bad dish and an expediting system that seemed fairly confusing ("I need 2 and 2 deuces for table 4L" or whatever- I don't fault servers for not picking that up immediately) he didn't exert the same control over the menu that Shirley did, even though it's something expected in his role. He failed on all levels.

I'm not a John fan, though, so I'm biased. All that therapy and self-reflection, he still comes off a bit too...smarmy, I guess is the word, for my taste.

[Randomosity]

5 hours ago, Lovecat said:

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

Ha, me too! I don't remember all the words, but the clompy rhythm popped into my head immediately as soon as I heard the words 'beef tongue'.

Count me among those who though John was going, wanted to John to go, and was surprised when he didn't. (Clusterf*ck of a kitchen and nasty crab/cheese? At least Katsuji made the good beef tongue.) For all the back and forth during the episode in the kitchen, his martyr-like "It didn't have to be this way" after Katsuji was eliminated made me want to punch him, especially in the face of Katsuji's stoic acceptance of his fate. Not that Katsuji's perfect by any means (obviously), but holy crap John, if you'd hand any sense of organization going on, yeah, it wouldn't have been that way.

[Ellee]

Both Katsuji and John were game players. So did the real game player get played or survive by the skin of their teeth?  Haven't been fans of either I have to say. 

[FormerMod-a1]

6 hours 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.

That still doesn't mean Emily executed Shirley's suggestions well.  How can you make shrimp butter that doesn't taste like shrimp?  That said, I'm glad she had a good desert.  I don't hate her, even if I think a previous week could/should have sent her home.  

[RealReality]

29 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

That still doesn't mean Emily executed Shirley's suggestions well.  How can you make shrimp butter that doesn't taste like shrimp?  That said, I'm glad she had a good desert.  I don't hate her, even if I think a previous week could/should have sent her home.  

This is true.  I sort of just wish they had let her stick to her dish.

I think I understand why they didn't, but it would have been nice to see her get a few "wins"

[dleighg]

My comments: 

Why was Padma wearing a red carpet dress to the second dinner?

I guess since the pimento cheese thing was bad it doesn't matter, but it drives me nuts when you get a big portion of something (cheese, pate, whatever) and three little crackers to eat it with. Three little crackers for a bowl of his crab thing?

The first team was "questioned" (at the judges' table while eating) about benches. Both teams did it as we learned the second night. Just a trendy thing?

Edited January 20, 2017 by dleighg

[Primetimer]

Come for the food, stay for the epic battle of a-hole chefs!

View the full article

[RealReality]

44 minutes ago, dleighg said:

My comments: 

Why was Padma wearing a red carpet dress to the second dinner?

I guess since the pimento cheese thing was bad it doesn't matter, but it drives me nuts when you get a big portion of something (cheese, pate, whatever) and three little crackers to eat it with. Three little crackers for a bowl of his crab thing?

The first team was "questioned" (at the judges' table while eating) about benches. Both teams did it as we learned the second night. Just a trendy thing?

I was a little curious about what made the benches so much more acceptable at the second place.

[FormerMod-a1]

Same place for both teams, but 2nd night.  I think the comment on the benches with the first team was they picked a higher end menu/theme knowing they had benches for seats.  The 2nd team supposedly went with a more casual theme.  But then again, the food and service wasn't too good with the 2nd team either, so it probably didn't warrant a mention.

[AriAu]

I am glad Katsuji is gone since he clearly came back with a plan to win (or at least get far) by f..c messing with people rather than cooking the best food, and frankly, I feel a little dirty watching him try to win that way.  He isn't helped by the fact that Sheldon, Brooke and Shirley came back with the opposite plan-to make great food and do your very best to win. If you were going to give money to someone to open a restaurant, I would be surprised if many people gave it to Katsuji over say Brooke.

While I am glad Katsuji is gone, I cant understand how John survived-he had a very bad dish and did a terrible job expediting which hurt everyone.

Quote

It's weird, for me Emily is a non-factor. I'm not bothered by her, I don't love her, and other I don't really remember a ton of continuous drama from her. If the producers are manipulating in her favor, I'd say it's more to keep multiple "newbies" around for as long as possible. 

Again, she will be gone soon enough. She will cook one good dish for redemption and then be gone-she just does not have the creativity and skills of most of the rest, especially Shirley and Brooke.

By the way, I am not going to go back and do the math, but Brooke has to have about the best batting average (wins and highs) of anyone other than maybe Blais, Stephanie, the Voltaggio Brothers or Stefon.

[beaker73]

8 hours 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.

This exactly.  Emily's dessert (which was all hers) was universally liked by the judges.  

This brings me to an unpopular opinion--I do not like Shirley.  I didn't like her in her original season and I don't like her now.  She seems like she's a great chef and I'm sure will deservedly make the finale, but there's something about her personality that grates on my nerves.  She comes off as extremely high strung and bossy.   She was just "too much" tonight.   

I was flipflopping on who should go home, but, yeah, I'm glad it was Katsuji.  Colicchio was right--Katsuji didn't care about the team. All he was looking out for was himself. 

[VintageJ]

5 hours ago, phoenix780 said:

Katsuji vs. John...they were all acting like John's version of how he became EC had some validity, though I didn't remember it that way at all. As much as I dislike Katsuji I think John should have gone home. Aside from the bad dish and an expediting system that seemed fairly confusing ("I need 2 and 2 deuces for table 4L" or whatever- I don't fault servers for not picking that up immediately) he didn't exert the same control over the menu that Shirley did, even though it's something expected in his role. He failed on all levels.

I don't remember it that way either.  John is just as bad as Katsuji.  He wants control (remembering last challenge) and then lies at JT to make himself look better.  He clearly wanted EC and did a horrible job at it.  You could see Brooke rolling her eyes.  

Regarding Emily, she did get a win by being on a team that worked together well and seemed to treat her with some respect.  While I'm not really feeling her and was hoping she'd be gone by now, it was a pleasant change.  The energy helped make a positive dining experience.  

Poor Sheldon.  I don't blame him for putting his head down and cooking.  John and Katsuji were ridiculous in the kitchen and I don't think anyone would have calmed them once they got going.  And don't even get me started on the state of their kitchen. 

[bitchin camaro]

This would have been a good night for a double elimination. Katsuji and John were equally terrible, imo. And John can fuck clean off with his trying to blame the servers on his weird order system falling apart. Granted, I've never worked in a restaurant, but all those numbers he kept shouting didn't make a lick of sense. If they were trying to serve family style, it shouldn't have been nearly that complicated.

Emily was all whiny about being picked last, but come on girl - somebody's getting picked last, and if you were next to last, you'd be on Katsuji's team. There's no way that would have worked out well for you.

MVP of the episode was the kitchen worker in the background who was giving the stink eye to everything the blue team did. I hope he wasn't the one stuck cleaning up their ridiculous mess.

[spiderpig]

I never bought the new and improved Zen John.  He was awful at the pass, and his dish...

The 70s called and wanted to know if your dip comes with a fondue pot*.

(*No offense to authentic fondue, which is delicious.)

[essexjan]

It's hard to know what was left out in the edit, but I think we were led down the path of the judges picking John, only for them to tell Katsuji PYKAG (he also thoroughly deserved to go). In the stew room when Katsuji did the slow hand clap I had a horrible feeling John might thump him and get eliminated anyway. I wouldn't have blamed him. I didn't like anybody's food at all tonight, and the pimento cheese-tongue-squash stew-raw cobbler menu was disgusting.  But I gave a little fist-pump "yesss!" when it was Katsuji and not John. In my middle-aged dotage, I find John really hot.

I think Sylva is sneaking up on the inside as a very strong contender. His food has been consistent, he stays out of the drama and he's done nothing to get himself close to elimination (yet).

30 minutes ago, bitchin camaro said:

MVP of the episode was the kitchen worker in the background who was giving the stink eye to everything the blue team did. I hope he wasn't the one stuck cleaning up their ridiculous mess.

He was awesome. The grossed-out look on his face at the sight of those tongues was priceless.

[bitchin camaro]

4 minutes ago, essexjan said:

 

He was awesome. The grossed-out look on his face at the sight of those tongues was priceless.

I rewound and rewatched it three times. It was great.

[Randomosity]

8 minutes ago, essexjan said:

I think Sylva is sneaking up on the inside as a very strong contender. His food has been consistent, he stays out of the drama and he's done nothing to get himself close to elimination (yet).

Wasn't he a PYKAG contender for his BBQ sauce?

[Jobiska]

54 minutes ago, bitchin camaro said:

MVP of the episode was the kitchen worker in the background who was giving the stink eye to everything the blue team did. 

Seriously--his face at the tongue, as noted above, and then him and his fellow dishwasher looking over their shoulders in amazement at the bickering between John and Katsuji.  

I have more of a soft spot for John than Katsuji, but would have felt a double elimination was deserved.

I thought it would have been fairer to have the chef who didn't draw the pick first knife have the chance to pick the serving date first.  Katsuji lucked out on both.  Didn't help him any though.  I wonder what would have happened if he had picked Emily instead of John?  Less conflict in the kitchen, but I suspect Shirley could have handled John a lot better (and would have fought for the EC position--she wanted it badly!).  Still, it might have been closer.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Jobiska

[rho]

40 minutes ago, bitchin camaro said:

MVP of the episode was the kitchen worker in the background who was giving the stink eye to everything the blue team did. I hope he wasn't the one stuck cleaning up their ridiculous mess.

Yes! I loved him! Would've been great if he got a talking head, seeing as he was basically a fly on the wall in the Katsuji v. John showdown.

Also loved how it took Tom Colicchio an eternity to get out of that bench. I could practically see his lips mouthing "don't trip. don't trip. don't trip"

[Cheerwyn]

In addition to the stink-eye from the dishwashers in the Blue kitchen, the server's comments to the judges about how diverse the menu was and had all kinds of elements was spot-on.  Tom's expression was priceless.

Their menu lacked a theme at all, and certainly not the theme of Southern Belle at all.

[tvfanatic13]

I was up in the air as to who should have been sent home, until Katsuji's snug, slow clap. That was what did it for me and I am happy to see him go.

[essexjan]

48 minutes ago, Randomosity said:

Wasn't he a PYKAG contender for his BBQ sauce?

I think that's been his only mis-step.

[LizDC]

11 hours ago, Souris said:

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 believe Dave in Season 1 won as FOH  on a team with Harold and Tiffani.

[breezy424]

Please leave the benches outside at the picnic table where they belong. 

[kittykat]

Another RW where it was pretty much set up from the beginning that red was gonna win.  For once Emily didn't deserve to go home and even though I thought John was dunzos, I'm glad Katsuji got the boot.

When John went on the offensive about Katsuji's disorganization at judges table I kept thinking that this was how Kristen should have gone after Josie in S10.  I'm thinking John got saved by having to bail out Katsuji and Katsuji,once again biting off more than he could chew.

I was worried about Sheldon for a moment but once the bickersons got into it I was all phew! 

The calmest RW team I can think of is Boston with Doug as EC, Adam as FOH (both did excellent jobs), and Mei and Melissa on the line.  

[BlackberryJam]

Katsuji or John, didn't care. One of the needed to go and both deserved it. A double elimination would have been perfect.

That kitchen was disgusting. The food looked horrible and was all off-theme except Casey's. I felt bad for Casey and I can't stand Casey.

Count me as someone who doesn't care about Emily. She's just a big bag of 'whatever' to me. Total cannon fodder. 

[Madding crowd]

I think John should have been sent home. Sheldon offered his experience as executive chef and John insisted it be him. There was no cohesion of menu or concept and John could have told Katsuji at any time: no, I want to do something else. For that matter, Sheldon who I really like was also hiding out behind his crappy dish rather than trying to get the team a win. Katsuji was all for himself, but so was the rest of the team except for Casey who was at least trying to get food out the door. Katsuji didn't do a good job with two out of the three dishes, but John did a terrible job as leader. I also found it strange that Sheldon appeared to spend his entire time of his stew-why couldn't he have taken over some of the dishes? 

In terms of decor, both places looked kind of boring to me; but I don't know how much they were able to do and what choices they had in decoration. I don't know that either team had a really good concept beyond Seafood or Southern cuisine that wasn't. I found Shirley kind of unlikable this time around. If you tell someone they have to completely change their dish, it is probably not going to turn out well. Emily was familiar with the dish she wanted to make, not Shirley's form. I also find Brook snobby and entitled. Hoping either Sheldon or Silva win.

Mr. MaddingCrowd asked why Padma had the girls on full display last night. She is a beautiful woman but sometimes overdoes the dress up.

[dleighg]

13 minutes ago, Madding crowd said:

In terms of decor, both places looked kind of boring to me; but I don't know how much they were able to do and what choices they had in decoration.

I saw them picking out paint colors and plates-- it would have been nice to have a 20 second quickie montage of their choices-- the artwork, the paint, the silverwear and dishware, just to see what the decor really looked like.

And I *thought* the choice of white tables and wooden benches was theirs to make, rather than given. At least I thought I recalled them "agreeing on the choice"

[Isle Of Why]

Roasted nuts? That's not even a side dish, much less one made by a top chef.

Is John going to be fully cooking out of Betty Crocker now that he (accidentally) won with mac and cheese? Pimento crab dip, really? I hope he gets a chance to work in some tomato aspic later.

I hate restaurant wars; it's all the negatives of team challenges amplified by ten.

[pinguina]

I always enjoy restaurant wars because that's when (to me) the chef's real selves come out - dealing with stress, working with others, putting aside egos.  

The red team did a great job of staying calm and working together.  Even Emily - she had one tiny moment and then settled into the rhythm of the team (I think because they did show her respect which caused her to work as a member of a team).  I hate seafood but I would have tried some of what they served.  Also Brooke did a great job as FOH.  She didn't just talk to the judges, she made rounds and talked to other "guests", plus did a real good dish!!  (BTW I think Stephanie won as FOH on her season - but I'm not sure).

AND the blue team :(  What a mess!  People who have commented about their lack of focus despite the having chosen a "theme". Plus two members who couldn't (or wouldn't put aside their own selfishness to work together).  A couple of things bugged me about the food and service of blue team:     a) tamales is plural - tamal is singular (I have been corrected on this several times, very kindly, by the mothers of my students whenever I would say "tamale"); b) John's dish looked disgusting!   c) the expediting - it made no sense!  d) although Casey isn't my favorite I had to respect her for doing the best she could is such a hostile environment (Sheldon too!)

Katsuji and John were horrible!  The lack of respect to their team mates and each other was terrible. Casey and Sheldon were smart to mentally take a step back and let them duke it out.  I wish both of them would have been sent home - although, I was happy to see Katsuji go, espcecialy after the way he behaved in the stew room.

[gus]

The space they used obviously was set up to be a restaurant and it looked like the teams had a limited choice of tables, seating, flatware, plates, etc., all of which were right there in the space for them. It's the first RW I remember that they didn't have to waste a ridiculous amount of time and energy shopping for all that stuff and building the decor from scratch. So by all rights we should have seen the first and second calmest RW teams of the series, since they were able to spend almost their time focusing on the food.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

9 hours ago, RealReality said:

Unpopular opinion....but I don't hate Emily.

Even more unpopular opinion---I don't hate Katsuji.   He was definitely assholish at times but I find several of the remaining chefs more unlikable than him.  Something about his immigrant story really resonated with me and I suspect it's why he puts up such a gruff exterior with some people. I wanted the judges to ask Sheldon whether he thought Katsuji or John should go but I suspect he's too diplomatic to give an honest answer.

Casey's front of the house attire---wtf?  Was this Top Chef or What Not to Wear?

[seacliffsal]

I was so relieved when Katsuji was sent home.  I ended up fast-forwarding all of his various and tired tirades and put-downs.  John will go home soon enough-either the week before or the week after Emily.  With the emphasis on being in  Charleston, and even in choosing the name Southern Belle, I have no idea why the blue team could not have a cohesive modern southern menu.  

I think Sheldon did what he had to do to survive such a hostile work environment-just put his head down and make his course while offering help to Katsuji.  I would have had a really hard time functioning at all in that environment.

[dleighg]

It at least looked like they had some choices for seating, but I guess they both went for benches? Or maybe barstools was their only choice?

[worleybird]

I believe if John had picked the First Choice knife, and everything else had been the same, John would've gone home.

[thosme]

I'm old, short, and decrepit.  I want chairs with backs when I go to a restaurant.  But I'm grumpy at the loud trendy restaurants where you have to shout to be heard too.

[Wings]

13 hours ago, chiaros said:

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

I agree.  Though it is Emily's responsibility to speak up, Shirley was the boss and the format is set up to work as a team and listen to the chef.  It can be a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.  I googled chorizo and squid ink pasta recipes and was surprised to see so many.  I think it would have been a good addition and relief from all seafood heavy dishes.  It would give diners and option for a more meat forward dish.  Emily is on the bottom and has zero confidence to stand up for her food.   Shrimp, garlic and butter over pasta is not very innovative, I have made it many times for a quick meal.  For some reason I thought it was shrimp/butter over pasta.  Looked that up.  Nope. 

Edited January 20, 2017 by wings707

[essexjan]

45 minutes ago, thosme said:

I'm old, short, and decrepit.  I want chairs with backs when I go to a restaurant.  But I'm grumpy at the loud trendy restaurants where you have to shout to be heard too.

Me too. I need back support and chairs where my feet touch the floor. And I deliberately refuse to shout my order and will use only a normal speaking voice. This has resulted in waiters or bar staff having to turn down the music so they can take my order.

[tvfanatic13]

Was this the first time that they did not cook on the same night?

[Rammchick]

This episode had me seriously thinking, "Padma, please pack your breasts and go."

Edited January 20, 2017 by Rammchick