S14.E09: For the Kids

[seltzer3]

Not a huge fan of Casey, but man Padma is so shady.  Her making a snide remark about scallops towards Casey in the tasting challenge seemed pretty low.  Padma seems to have issues with some women chefs I've noticed.

Couldn't stop laughing at Sheldon's face during Shirley constant talking about her crazy childhood escapades.

[spiderpig]

Casey seems to have a very high opinion of herself, which she's more than willing to share with others.  To me she comes across as brittle and humorless.  Maybe that's why I can never remember any of the food she prepares (except the stanky old scallops).

I try to tune John out.  He talks a lot but never has any interesting commentary to contribute, other than to talk about his new-found humility.  Although his crab dish did look good, I was PO'd at him for buying up all the crab and leaving nothing for Sheldon.  Sheldon rallied and left John in the dust at JT.  Hee.

Shirley has her moments (and sometimes Brooke), but for me it's The Sheldon And Sylva Show.  Both of them really put themselves into their dishes and their low-key personalities are a bonus.

[RealReality]

1 hour ago, seltzer3 said:

Not a huge fan of Casey, but man Padma is so shady.  Her making a snide remark about scallops towards Casey in the tasting challenge seemed pretty low.  Padma seems to have issues with some women chefs I've noticed.

Couldn't stop laughing at Sheldon's face during Shirley constant talking about her crazy childhood escapades.

I also felt it was a lot blow, but that's out Padma, getting every possible twist of the knife.

How many times did Jaime have to hear about not giving her a plate of food during the following challenge?

I understand being a stone cold bitch, but it says something when Tom, the award winning chef can recognize these things as unfortunate but understandable/forgivable mistakes, but Padma never wants to let even the tiniest slight/mistake go.

[RealReality]

12 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

Casey seems to have a very high opinion of herself, which she's more than willing to share with others.  To me she comes across as brittle and humorless.  Maybe that's why I can never remember any of the food she prepares (except the stanky old scallops).

I try to tune John out.  He talks a lot but never has any interesting commentary to contribute, other than to talk about his new-found humility.  Although his crab dish did look good, I was PO'd at him for buying up all the crab and leaving nothing for Sheldon.  Sheldon rallied and left John in the dust at JT.  Hee.

Shirley has her moments (and sometimes Brooke), but for me it's The Sheldon And Sylva Show.  Both of them really put themselves into their dishes and their low-key personalities are a bonus.

Yeah, as I've said before, there is just something about Casey that is unlikable.  I can't put my finger on it, but if I could, my finger would stink (TM Rose Nylund).

I thought it was Sylva who wanted the crab, but Sylva's meatball lollipop looked/sounded so good that I'm kinda glad it all worked out.

Also, didn't Casey have crab in her dish?  So, maybe JT just bought all the king crab.

JT's dish sounded great, but I think its hard to go wrong with king crab.  So, I could see why Sheldon's/Slyva's would rise above JT's.   

I like both Sheldon and Sylva, and I would be okay with either winning.  

[spiderpig]

9 minutes ago, RealReality said:

I thought it was Sylva who wanted the crab, but Sylva's meatball lollipop looked/sounded so good that I'm kinda glad it all worked out.

You're right...my bad!  Sylva rallied too, so pooh on John :-(

[RealReality]

2 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

You're right...my bad!  Sylva rallied too, so pooh on John :-(

exactly!  as long as John gets poohed on, thats all that matters :)

I'm sure Sylva would have done something delicious with the crab, but those lollipops looked so good that I'm almost glad the crab was gone.

Edited January 28, 2017 by RealReality
since I didn't taste them, I can't know that the lollipops WERE good, but they looked good!

[spiderpig]

4 minutes ago, RealReality said:

exactly!  as long as John gets poohed on, thats all that matters :)

I'm sure Sylva would have done something delicious with the crab, but those lollipops looked so good that I'm almost glad the crab was gone.

Everybody raved about Sylva's dish, but I'm not sure exactly how he composed them. The editors seemed to focus more on his disappointment on seeing his prep work on Day 2.  Do you think we could attempt to reconstruct his dish based on what we did see?

[RealReality]

5 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

Everybody raved about Sylva's dish, but I'm not sure exactly how he composed them. The editors seemed to focus more on his disappointment on seeing his prep work on Day 2.  Do you think we could attempt to reconstruct his dish based on what we did see?

I'm a world class eater, and I wouldn't even begin to reconstruct it ala Oliver Stone.

However, I have no doubt that there are talented chefs/cooks on this site who could put it all together!

[rawrali]

On 1/26/2017 at 9:19 PM, AttackTurtle said:

Im going to Maui in a month and Sheldon's restaurant is at the top of my agenda.  

Sheldon's restaurant Tin Roof was one of the highlights of my Maui trip. It's just a tiny little lunch shack with maybe four seats (we ate in our car) but the food was superb (and we got a glance at Sheldon in the back!). Highly recommend the mochiko chicken, add an egg and a "dime bag."

 

Someone else mentioned Star Noodle but my understanding is that he is no longer affiliated with that restauarant. I do hope he opens another fine dining restaurant soon. He was supposed to be reopening his restauarant Migrant in a new location but it's been awhile and I haven't heard any updates on it.

[essexjan]

Okay, so maybe I missed something but the very clear brief  from the judges was to create a dish inspired by a memory from the chef's own childhood. Everyone did that, and talked about the memory that inspired the dish - except Brooke.  Didn't she say "I make crepes for my son every weekend so I'm going to make Crepe Eggs Benedict"?  There was no reference back to a childhood memory for her; I think she had probably got this recipe in her repertoire and wheeled it out at the first opportunity she could in order to shoe-horn it into the challenge.

I also thought she was a cow for mocking Sheldon's accent.  I know she's being set up for the win, but damn, I hate that b!tch.

At last, Emily has gone, way past her sell-by date. I think I'd have really enjoyed that cake, but it looked a mess. I think Shirley is struggling too - although she does have an ability to bounce right back from a bad week. I'm very glad John had a good dish too.  Sheldon's food looked amazing. I'm sure the lollipops Sylva made were delicious, but after seeing how bad they looked at one stage, I'm not sure I'd have fancied eating them later on when they were all fancy-fied.

My final three are Sylva, Sheldon and Brooke. I'd love to see either of the guys win, but I think it won't happen. The judges love Brooke.

[cooksdelight]

7 hours ago, Blonde Gator said:

 

Thanks for having me, you all have a lovely site.

Welcome!!

If I had to fix a childhood memory, it would be either banana pudding or chicken & dumplings. Neither of which are megastars, but if fixed properly with some oomph added, you'd never forget eating them.

[cooksdelight]

3 hours ago, RealReality said:

Padma never wants to let even the tiniest slight/mistake go.

I think that's her role on the show. Tom is the kindly uncle you love, Padma is that mean cousin who always made fun of the coat you got for Christmas.

I don't see Brooke as being set up for the win. I see her being set up to fall, hard, if she doesn't outcook the last man/woman standing. That's why we keep seeing all these THs from her talking about how wonderful she is, with her nose in the air. I can't stand her either.

In my opinion, if Sylva doesn't win, this concept of bringing back old pros will be an epic fail. No one will ever want to try out for this show again if they thing the thing's rigged.

Edited January 28, 2017 by cooksdelight

[Wings]

I would like to know exactly what Silvia made.  I saw him buy rib eyes and scooping the ground steak on top of something yellow.  Anyone have more details?  

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, wings707 said:

I would like to know exactly what Silvia made.  I saw him buy rib eyes and scooping the ground steak on top of something yellow.  Anyone have more details?  

I think it was like a Jamaican meat pie, so the yellow thing would be a curried dough.

[seltzer3]

Really impressed by Brooke by the blind tasting challenge.  16 out of 20 is really impressive. Especially when timed.  I noticed that some people were going really slow, because they were freaked out by what they might be eating, which really hurt them.

Yikes at Shirley eating a giant chunk of ginger.

Edited January 28, 2017 by seltzer3

[cooksdelight]

9 minutes ago, seltzer3 said:

Yikes at Shirley eating a giant chunk of ginger.

Padma probably put big chunks in there on purpose. :)

[spiderpig]

I Googled "Top Chef Sylva Winning Dish" and found this on eater.com

• Last is Sylva, with the dish that I would most want to eat in this whole challenge. Inspired by his childhood Christmases when they would get to stay up late and eat fried food, he made island beef “lollipops” with ground ribeye, turmeric potato, and truffle jus. It’s a very refined beef patty and everyone loves it.

[DarkRaichu]

Hmm Padma and Mike Voltaggio, in a different circumstances and maybe 5 years earlier I could see them hitting it off....  

Whatever Padma was wearing during EC just was not flattering.  Could not pinpoint what it was, but it was just wrong

Graham Elliot is too good for MC, BUT he needs more things to do in TC.  He was the nicest judge in that episode

Emily was outclassed in this competition.

Wow Casey was defensive.  It was top 7 so the judges had to be nitpicky

There should have been a thought bubble over Sheldon's head when he was in the car with John: "Dude, just shut up"  Sheldon was too nice to say anything HA!

Sylva made a rookie mistake when he did not beeline straight to the protein section of WF.  But he won with his dish so maybe John taking all crab legs was not a big deal after all.

[DarkRaichu]

3 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I think that's her role on the show. Tom is the kindly uncle you love, Padma is that mean cousin who always made fun of the coat you got for Christmas.

I don't see Brooke as being set up for the win. I see her being set up to fall, hard, if she doesn't outcook the last man/woman standing. That's why we keep seeing all these THs from her talking about how wonderful she is, with her nose in the air. I can't stand her either.

In my opinion, if Sylva doesn't win, this concept of bringing back old pros will be an epic fail. No one will ever want to try out for this show again if they thing the thing's rigged.

Heh, I like the scenario of Brooke being set up as the favorite that the underdog (Sylva, but Sheldon is ok too) has to defeat to win the whole thing.  Better than the alternative ;)

I think Sylva just has to be in the final + a rookie needs to win LCK for the show not to be seen as too "rigged"

[Wings]

50 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I think it was like a Jamaican meat pie, so the yellow thing would be a curried dough.

Thanks. I can see that now. The yellow threw me.  I will go back and take another look.  I wish they would spend a little more time in the kitchen so I could see more of the preparation.  Or better yet post the top recipes on their site. The used to do that and I actually have made a few of them. 

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, wings707 said:

The used to do that and I actually have made a few of them. 

me too-- Carla's chicken pot pie and Jen (I think? Napa finale?) chicken liver thing with clams.

[Spaceman Spiff]

19 hours ago, Jobiska said:

Re happy childhood memories (and I didn't even notice that Brooke's was not from her own childhood!) I thought it was kind of funny that they did not specify that the memories had to be "remember food from your childhood," but I think they all did that (except Brooke, of course).  I mean I guess it makes sense because they're chefs so they would have happy memories tied to food, but the brief wasn't that specific.  I tried to think of my own and one was seeing sea turtles lay their eggs, but I sure wouldn't make turtle soup or eggs based on that!, and another was of joyful tears coming to my eyes when I came into my room and saw my beloved "lovey" stuffed animal which was a duck.  I wouldn't make duck!  In fact I've never eaten duck because of that toy--I loved ducks too much to eat them when I was little, and then I became a vegetarian as a teen.  So I'd have to get more meta to interpret those memories, I guess.  So I'd probably fall back on a happy food memory, but it would end up being more like Emily's, because I grew up in the 1960s.  Recreate a TV dinner or something?  heh.   Not that I'd be in the competition in the first place, of course.
 

I didn't hear the happy part until later. I thought it was just a childhood food memory and was thinking man I wonder how chipped beef on toast or mac & cheese with fish sticks would go over. Of  course it would have to be elevated. :D

John droning on about the RW fiasco was really getting on my nerves, his delusion of all that went down was mind boggling that he doesn't see his own passive aggressive behavior. It's like he was trying to convince himself and those around him "Katsuji was wrong I was right...right?"

Sheldon "I don't even know what Shirley is saying, words just keep coming out of her mouth too fast"

I think others have mentioned the whole just a smidge of salt more when it came to Casey's dish and I agree. Her TH seemed more a frustration about that point alone when she said "Call it terrific or call it crap" (paraphrasing). I think she was just frustrated that a good dish could send her home, because a "smidge" of salt, which as other mentioned is subjective sometimes.

I would be happy with the top 3 this week being the 3 finalists. Still iffy on Silva a bit since the BBQ challenge but he does seem to be cooking good lately.

[Blonde Gator]

39 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Thanks. I can see that now. The yellow threw me.  I will go back and take another look.  I wish they would spend a little more time in the kitchen so I could see more of the preparation.  Or better yet post the top recipes on their site. The used to do that and I actually have made a few of them. 

I know, right!  It's very disappointing that they no longer publish recipes on their site, and this season, not even photos of the dishes for each challenge.  GRRR.  I made Fabio's "last meal on earth" chicken, and it was out of this world. 

Sylva's beef pops have inspired me to make some Jamaican Beef patties, I'm gong to give Emeril's recipe a shot.  I'd imagine the Jamaican dough and meat spice is very similar to what Sylva did, although he "elevated" that dish with the yummy prime rib and a delicious beef jus.  Although it wasn't mentioned at JT, usually food on a stick at an event like this is preferred over something which needs a fork to eat.  That may have been the difference, all three finalists' dishes looked and sounded fantastic.

[DarkRaichu]

12 hours ago, MaggieG said:

Michael V can blindfold me anytime ;)

In that case Padma can blindfold me, but just from time to time :P

[Nordly Beaumont]

54 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

I didn't hear the happy part until later. I thought it was just a childhood food memory and was thinking man I wonder how chipped beef on toast or mac & cheese with fish sticks would go over. Of  course it would have to be elevated. :D

I wonder how to elevate foot-long hot dogs, mashed potatoes, and canned peas? (Which really is a happy food memory since it was my requested birthday meal every year.) 

I love Padma, I think she's funny.

[Wings]

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

me too-- Carla's chicken pot pie and Jen (I think? Napa finale?) chicken liver thing with clams.

Tomato bread pudding made in mini muffin tins topped with a dollop of basil cream.  Best seller on the table for a drink and hors d'ouevre party.   Delicious and addictive.  I have forgotten who made them. 

[seltzer3]

Sheldon, when Shirley talked about her childhood escapades.

[chiaros]

7 hours ago, rawrali said:

Sheldon's restaurant Tin Roof was one of the highlights of my Maui trip. It's just a tiny little lunch shack with maybe four seats (we ate in our car) but the food was superb (and we got a glance at Sheldon in the back!). Highly recommend the mochiko chicken, add an egg and a "dime bag."

Someone else mentioned Star Noodle but my understanding is that he is no longer affiliated with that restauarant. I do hope he opens another fine dining restaurant soon. He was supposed to be reopening his restauarant Migrant in a new location but it's been awhile and I haven't heard any updates on it.

Yes, from what I understand Tin Roof is his only restaurant at the moment. See here too. 

[chiaros]

7 hours ago, essexjan said:

Okay, so maybe I missed something but the very clear brief  from the judges was to create a dish inspired by a memory from the chef's own childhood. Everyone did that, and talked about the memory that inspired the dish - except Brooke.  Didn't she say "I make crepes for my son every weekend so I'm going to make Crepe Eggs Benedict"?  There was no reference back to a childhood memory for her; I think she had probably got this recipe in her repertoire and wheeled it out at the first opportunity she could in order to shoe-horn it into the challenge.

I also thought she was a cow for mocking Sheldon's accent.  I know she's being set up for the win, but damn, I hate that b!tch.

At last, Emily has gone, way past her sell-by date. I think I'd have really enjoyed that cake, but it looked a mess. I think Shirley is struggling too - although she does have an ability to bounce right back from a bad week. I'm very glad John had a good dish too.  Sheldon's food looked amazing. I'm sure the lollipops Sylva made were delicious, but after seeing how bad they looked at one stage, I'm not sure I'd have fancied eating them later on when they were all fancy-fied.

My final three are Sylva, Sheldon and Brooke. I'd love to see either of the guys win, but I think it won't happen. The judges love Brooke.

I "second" the assessment of Brooke Williamson. She had a certain condescending superiority attitude in her first season, which isn't as bad this time round, but her comments to Sheldon about "termos" slides right into that supercilious attitude she has towards others (and Sheldon IMO especially in their first season). And yes, it does seem the judges (from what is shown) seem to allow her latitude which is not afforded to others. Oh, no doubt she is talented and creates many interesting dishes – but that is now "merely" one of various things considered about contestants on a reality TV show.

Shirley continues to suck up to what she (largely correctly) perceives as the judges' proclivities about dishes and stories.

I'd also tentatively agree with the same final three you mention. Either of the guys winning would be nice. As for Brooke, we still have to see where the "Talking Head" (seen in previous/early promotional snippets) of Brooke shedding tears while declaring that she "should never have come back" fits in.

[English Teacher]

I may be in the minority but I like Brooke. I think she is very competitive and driven and extremely hard on herself. I think that is why it translates as condescending.  

I didn't like padmas snarky comment about the scallops to Casey.  Let it go already...just like with Jamie and the missing plate.  I'd love to see her competing.  

[cooksdelight]

37 minutes ago, chiaros said:

And yes, it does seem the judges (from what is shown) seem to allow her latitude which is not afforded to others

Don't think that they aren't taking notes. They love nothing better than reminding someone of a mistake when they are in the bottom of the pool.... Casey/scallops/Padma.

[AntManBee]

I did not have a problem with Brooke teasing Sheldon about 'thermos.'  It seemed like the kind of good natured ribbing that friends do to each other.  When she realized he wasn't playing along, or didn't get the joke, she dropped it and listened politely, looking interested and mildly sentimental while Sheldon spoke.

I think Padma is rather funny in a dry sort of way.  Her comment to Casey was a witty read, and for Padma, the library is always open.

[Wings]

13 minutes ago, AntManBee said:

I did not have a problem with Brooke teasing Sheldon about 'thermos.'  It seemed like the kind of good natured ribbing that friends do to each other.  When she realized he wasn't playing along, or didn't get the joke, she dropped it and listened politely, looking interested and mildly sentimental while Sheldon spoke.

I think Padma is rather funny in a dry sort of way.  Her comment to Casey was a witty read, and for Padma, the library is always open.

100 likes.  

Brooke and Sheldon get along very well, it is clear they love and respect each other.  I had the same take on thermos. 

I adore Padma.  She does have a dry wit.  Her reserved nature is often misunderstood.  She was teasing Casey, not being rude at all.  

I agreed with her on her criticism on the size of Shirley's meat.  It was a cocktail party and the food should be easy to eat and not require a sharp knife.  It looked more like a small plate meal.  

I am rooting for Brooke or Silva to win.  I love Sheldon but his food is not as upscale as I like to see at the finale.  And I just don't like Shirley.  

[seltzer3]

21 minutes ago, AntManBee said:

I did not have a problem with Brooke teasing Sheldon about 'thermos.'  It seemed like the kind of good natured ribbing that friends do to each other.  When she realized he wasn't playing along, or didn't get the joke, she dropped it and listened politely, looking interested and mildly sentimental while Sheldon spoke.

I think Padma is rather funny in a dry sort of way.  Her comment to Casey was a witty read, and for Padma, the library is always open.

Brooke and Sheldon had a pretty good relationship going back to season 10.  It seemed like the final 4, were pretty tight.

Random Brooke and Sheldon moment from season 10 (not sure if people remember this), was when they got into their new living accommodations in Alaska.  Brooke was checking out the rooms of the house.  She checked  one of the closets and Sheldon just pops out and scares her.  The next scene they show is everyone consoling, but making fun of Brooke, while she's crying (but laughing).   Its even better, because Brooke's whole arc in season 10 was her phobia of different things (riding on boats, planes etc.)

[Bastet]

Quote

I may be in the minority but I like Brooke.

I like her, too.  And Casey.  And Padma.

Not John, though.  With Emily eliminated, we're now left with chefs where any one of them is qualified to win this whole thing.  And while Brooke and Sheldon are my favorites, I'd be happy to see Shirley, Casey, or Sylva wind up going the distance.  But John winning would annoy me; we have five people who make good food and seem to be good people, and one person who makes good food but is an asshole.  So I'd just rather one of the non-assholes win.

Edited January 29, 2017 by Bastet

[bluepiano]

8 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I think that's her role on the show. Tom is the kindly uncle you love, Padma is that mean cousin who always made fun of the coat you got for Christmas.

I don't see Brooke as being set up for the win. I see her being set up to fall, hard, if she doesn't outcook the last man/woman standing. That's why we keep seeing all these THs from her talking about how wonderful she is, with her nose in the air. I can't stand her either.

Padma strikes me as a woman who knows how good looking she is, which allows her to get away with comments that from someone else would cause resentment. As a culture we're pretty shallow, and definitely have different standards for people depending on how they look.

Is Brooke the only person on TC to be in the final two and lose to a winner of LCK? I think the fact that she was nosed out by Kirsten, who was clearly always Tom's favorite, may account for her sense of entitlement. Maybe Tom and the other producers even feel that they owe her something.

As Sylva is the only remaining newbie I agree he seems a lock for the finals.

Edited January 28, 2017 by bluepiano

[racked]

I think Brooke is just a really good chef. No conspiracy theories, she's just good. When her dishes weren't great they told her. As for her season, Kristen was better and I don't think that means Brooke isn't great. I also think she and Sheldon share a very good comraderie and like and respect each other. 

I like Padma, but I also enjoy when people snark on her. She's snarkworthy!

[bravofan27]

Brooke looks like Pac Man when she smiles, and I think she knows she looks weird smiling, so she talks with her mouth as closed as possible, imo. She does speak most of the time without a smile, her lips really close together,  so she "demurs" and keeps a blank face which comes off as a little unnatural. I think she also got some lip injections and botox so her face does not move when she is talking and her lips are frozen and she comes off aloof. IMO

I didn't think about John and Casey as past partners, but Casey's comment that he "has demons, which is supposedly working on" now makes sense, since she seemed to be personally invested. Seemed like something my mom would say about my dad. John is married now, so it's not like she can say much to him anyway without seeming inappropriate (I would not appreciate my husband's ex attempts to try to befriend him). It would also explain why no one is willing to give him a chance, if they are trying to be loyal to Casey. But it was probably more like a few hookups and maybe hope of a relationship more than a real relationship. 

Edited January 28, 2017 by bravofan27

[marybennet]

I thought the recapper was sort of joking about Casey and John.  Casey used to work in Dallas, where John has a big and bad reputation as a temperamental guy--hence the story in D magazine about his being the most hated chef in Dallas.  I live in Texas, and, if you care about food at all, it's pretty hard here not to know about his demons.  (I know, and I don't recall having an affair with him!) 

[Spunkygal]

13 minutes ago, marybennet said:

I thought the recapper was sort of joking about Casey and John.  Casey used to work in Dallas, where John has a big and bad reputation as a temperamental guy--hence the story in D magazine about his being the most hated chef in Dallas.  I live in Texas, and, if you care about food at all, it's pretty hard here not to know about his demons.  (I know, and I don't recall having an affair with him!) 

Yep, I agree. Dallasite here too and I don't think Casey is "personally invested." I think his demons are well documented and perhaps Casey or a friend has actually worked with him. As I noted above, they've both been in this restaurant scene for years, although she is in California now. Also, I think Casey was involved in a restaurant partnership with Lynne Fearing, Dean's ex (he was the chef at The Mansion on Turtle Creek), and Kent Rathbun's wife.  So those ladies may have also had more inside info as to his management style and how he is working through things. But I could be wrong. I was wrong when I thought Emily would be PYKAG'd earlier and Jim would be a finalist.

[ratgirlagogo]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

I think his demons are well documented

He is the character "Jimmy Sears" in Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.  That's about as documented as you can get - in the food writing world, anyway.

[JES004]

17 hours ago, essexjan said:

Okay, so maybe I missed something but the very clear brief  from the judges was to create a dish inspired by a memory from the chef's own childhood. Everyone did that, and talked about the memory that inspired the dish - except Brooke.  Didn't she say "I make crepes for my son every weekend so I'm going to make Crepe Eggs Benedict"?  There was no reference back to a childhood memory for her; I think she had probably got this recipe in her repertoire and wheeled it out at the first opportunity she could in order to shoe-horn it into the challenge.

 

Perhaps she makes them for her son because that was what she had on Sunday in her family.  The editors didn't provide us with a connection. That doesn't mean there wasn't one.

Isn't Brooke the one who knew that she was going to be a chef from early childhood?  Am I confusing her with someone else? 

[LoreliLee]

On 1/27/2017 at 8:30 PM, Blonde Gator said:

Hi there.  Brand new to this site, which a pal introduced me to the other day, I'm really pleased to find a bunch of Top Chef nerds, inasmuch as their website has really lost much of its luster, no comments on blogs, and actually not much in the way of blogs, either.  You all make some very interesting observations that I missed on the first watch (Casey & Tesar's former acquaintance, plus?).  And then the backstory on Sheldon/Brooke's "Termos" banter, which I'd forgotten.

I'm new too and am thoroughly enjoying the comments on my favourite shows and it does amaze me how many details are pointed out. Usually by the time I think of a comment it's already been said but I'm lazy too so there's that. ?

[cooksdelight]

@Nordly Beaumont, put a hot dog into a bun, cover it with mashed potatoes, peas and some grated cheese. Heat in the oven at 400° for 10 minutes. Drizzle with ketchup or BBQ sauce, if desired.

[archer1267]

On ‎1‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 0:15 PM, wings707 said:

Tomato bread pudding made in mini muffin tins topped with a dollop of basil cream.  Best seller on the table for a drink and hors d'ouevre party.   Delicious and addictive.  I have forgotten who made them. 

Sara Mair from Season 3. She was the chef from Jamaica whose background was in cheese making. 

Quote

There was no reference back to a childhood memory for her; I think she had probably got this recipe in her repertoire and wheeled it out at the first opportunity she could in order to shoe-horn it into the challenge.

I've been watching episodes of S10 and there was a similar childhood-based challenge, to create a dish that reflected the moment when you first knew you wanted to be a chef. It threw Brooke off, as she said "I can't remember a time when I didn't want to cook." She wound up cooking a dish that her mother had made when she was growing up, but spiffied it up a bit with quail. The other chefs seemed to know right away what to cook, but Brooke struggled.

I think this kind of childhood-based challenge just isn't in her wheelhouse. I don't blame her for reaching for something that's relevant to her life now. The judges seemed to let a couple of other things slide this episode, too (things that we've seen them ding contestants for before) - nothing in Casey's dish suggested "macaron" to me, it could have been a little crab tea sandwich. Also, I don't associate Long Island with king crab (blue crab, yes).

Edited January 29, 2017 by archer1267

[seltzer3]

One of the biggest strength of Brooke, is that she is really creative in challenges.  There is never a lot of similarity in her dishes.  I remember season 10, she did frog legs and mussels as her surf and turf dish, which is really different from everyone else (Almost everyone did some form of bacon and scallops).  It might also, because Josh from season 10 was so unversatile, putting bacon in every dish.

Also in the blind dish taste challenge, how did John think cream cheese tasted like flour?  I get that its a hard challenge because its blindfolded.  But that is so off the mark.

[MajorWoody]

That was the most obvious elimination in the history of reality TV. Even Ray Charles saw that one coming. I've seen better cakes at a school bake sale. 

Sheldon had the best line of the episode with his line about Shirley : "I can't believe how many words are coming out of her mouth" or something close to that. I'm hoping he ends up in the finale.

Casey is getting on my nerves, for some reason she seems to feel she is above any criticism, yet she called out Tesar for doing exactly what she does.

Voltaggio looked like a crack head, between his gaunt appearance and the criminal looking tattoos. Also, he seemed to be putting away the Patron tequila, which was referenced multiple times by name to appease the sponsor.

The QF finally provided a prize, just like the old days. But 14 cases of Terlato (always makes me think of toilet) wine? Guess it must not be selling. Apparently left unsaid was 2nd place got 28 cases of the stuff.

Take a quick break readers, and make sure you go and fully charge your BMW X5 full hybrid. For some reason hearing that shameless plug to plug in a car reminded me of Pee Wee Hermans bike, the X1 that the Russians were after. But my memory of that film is a bit foggy, for some reason, all I can remember is the Alamo.

Brooke apparently is given free reign to ignore the challenge, since she appears to be headed to the finale.

Tesar is still a lying dick, rewriting history as he goes along. He made a simple dish, in King Crab in garlic butter, but at least he didn't screw it up. But I'm sure if he had, he would have passed the buck.

I think the complaints about Shirleys lamb pieces being too big was an extremely petty gripe. 

Sylva seems like a legitimate contender for the finale, a nice guy to boot, and a great cook. But am I the only one who noticed in his talking heads, where they cut back to him several times while he had on a purple tshirt, his mustache was gone in one of the middle TH's, yet he had the same shirt on. My guess is for some reason they added it after the season, and made sure he wore the same shirt. My wife didn't believe me, so I played it back and there was no doubt he was clean shaven in the middle TH. Wonder what that was all about.

Till next week.....

[Court]

On another season, there was a challenge where chefs were told to make a dish about their father or something to honor their father. One of them, a guy, had so much trouble with it because he was estranged from his father.

Who was this? Help, please!

[sourpickles]

4 minutes ago, Court said:

On another season, there was a challenge where chefs were told to make a dish about their father or something to honor their father. One of them, a guy, had so much trouble with it because he was estranged from his father.

Who was this? Help, please!

Are you thinking of the Boston season?  I think it may have been Kwame.

[Court]

2 minutes ago, sourpickles said:

Are you thinking of the Boston season?  I think it may have been Kwame.

Maybe? They all run together now!  But I think you're right. That does ring a bell.

But I remember thinking that he should have just made what he wanted and made up a story.