S14.E12: Cooking Away In Margaritaville

[cooksdelight]

Yes, it is good for Hulu. Also, if you're on a flight that offers movies or TV shows, those count also. I found that out years ago from an actress friend.

[meep.meep]

On 2/20/2017 at 10:28 AM, RealReality said:

If someone gave me a 7,500 bottle of anything, my next move would be to list it on EBay.  Do not stop, do not pass go, but collecting my sweet 7500 clams.  Heck, even if I got 5000 for it, I would be happy.

But then again I don't drink, so what would I get, a 7500 bottle of diet coke?

I think selling alcohol on EBay would be a very very bad idea.  BATF home visit guarantee type of bad idea.

The logical thing would have been for Brooke to display it in one of her restaurants and write it off as "furnishings".

[RealReality]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

I think selling alcohol on EBay would be a very very bad idea.  BATF home visit guarantee type of bad idea.

The logical thing would have been for Brooke to display it in one of her restaurants and write it off as "furnishings".

LOL, that makes more sense.  I don't know much about liquor since I dont drink but it makes sense that selling it on eBay would get you jammed up.

[cooksdelight]

Ebay would pull the listing immediately, they don't allow alcohol sales. But an empty bottle, autographed...? That would be fine. :)

[LisainCali]

I really was a bit distracted this episode, and became focused again at judges table.  I was a little shocked that every one of them looked like they'd been crying!  Really teary eyed.  

Oh, yeah.  Patron.....

[Blonde Gator]

On 2/21/2017 at 1:59 PM, meep.meep said:

I think selling alcohol on EBay would be a very very bad idea.  BATF home visit guarantee type of bad idea.

The logical thing would have been for Brooke to display it in one of her restaurants and write it off as "furnishings".

LOL, write it off....first she has to pay the taxes on it.  And you can bet your butt Customs is going to ding her on it when she flies home.  We came back through customs after a long trip through Central America, and the US Customs guys in Texas wanted $2 a pack for our cheap Mexican cigarettes.  AND they taxed any full bottles of booze, too (I think a bottle of Kalhua, alas, no Patron).  They didn't charge us for our loose beers, nor for the open packs of cigs, though.  *rolls eyes*  Uncle Sam must get his share!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LennieBriscoe]

The booze isn't a tourist purchase; it is a television show prize. Taxed, yes. "Dinged at Customs," no.

Sent to her domicile by the show? Maybe.

Saleable on e-Bay? Not if the words "Top Chef" are included, e-Bay's other pertinent rules notwithstanding.

[cooksdelight]

19 minutes ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Saleable on e-Bay? Not if the words "Top Chef" are included, e-Bay's other pertinent rules notwithstanding.

You can sell Top Chef items on eBay. Not alcohol, the bottle would have to be empty.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3984.m570.l1311.R4.TR11.TRC1.A0.H0.Xtop+chef.TRS0&_nkw=top+chef+knife+set&_sacat=0

[Blonde Gator]

2 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

The booze isn't a tourist purchase; it is a television show prize. Taxed, yes. "Dinged at Customs," no.

Sent to her domicile by the show? Maybe.

Saleable on e-Bay? Not if the words "Top Chef" are included, e-Bay's other pertinent rules notwithstanding.

It doesn't matter if it was purchased or not.  The bottle of Patron is going to be subject to a Customs Duty.  It is over and above the one litre duty-free booze.

[FormerMod-a1]

Please take the finer points of customs and eBay talk to Small Talk.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

On 2/16/2017 at 6:39 PM, snarktini said:

So glad John didn't listen to the brief. Really glad to see the back of him.

Maybe the fix is in for Brooke, or maybe she's just that good. She almost won before and I have little problem believing she has honestly earned her spot at the top. Often they ding for lack of protein but there have been occasions when vegetarian fare has won, and the chew of the coconut and the fat of the avocado sound plausible to me as one of those times. 

I wholeheartedly like all three of the remaining chefs and will be happy with any of them. I don't think Shirley is fake/simpering. I don't think Brooke is entitled/superior. They all seem like great chefs and people I'd like IRL. Sheldon's my fav, though. I feel like his personality and POV are less common among Top Chefs.

I agree, I am somewhat baffled by the conspiracy theories out there on Brooke and a sense of dislike.  She proved in Seattle she is a great cook, and as much as I LOVE Sheldon and Shirley (and I love them to death) but IMO Brooke has consistently been the most refined and creative chef.  Sheldon and Shirley tend to be more homey with their dishes, Sheldon more so than Shirley, but I haven't come across anything that would make me think Brooke has been undeserving of the praise she has received.  The adjustment to use coconut instead of moving to a different protein and making it work is pretty amazing.

I must say that it was nice to see John taken down by his own inability to go beyond his comfort zone, and not anything that Katsuji said or did.  The judges actually loved Katsuji's contributions, it was everything John did that sent him home.  He might not have had the two worst things individually, but the challenge was a pairing and combined they were the worst pairing (along with not actually trying to follow the challenge).

On 2/16/2017 at 8:33 PM, Court said:

Agreed. In fact, I feel like Sheldon did get dinged for this at this point in his season? It all runs together for me but I know a chef did and was sent home for it. The fix is in, y'all.

Blais doesn't bother me like he does the others but that line to Brooke made me roll my eyes. 

It is possible that someone got dinged for not making a protein, but it is always relative to how it tastes versus the rest of the dishes.  If everyone else hit home-runs, and your home-run was without a protein, you could get sent home because in the judge's mind, your home-run was off of a worst pitch.

Loved Brooke's takedown of Blais and Tom joining in after, but I have a feeling that Blais did it out of fun and just to see how Brooke would react.  For as "quiet" as Brooke is in general, she is good at speaking her mind so I think Blais was just trying to rile up the bear.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

On 2/17/2017 at 6:34 AM, chiaros said:

Bye John Tesar. Sorry to see you go. Sorry you got saddled with Katsuji Tanabe and spent time and energy trying to talk through stuff with that guy and try to get along with him. Because Brooke Williamson was playing games, even though that was strategy in this Reality TeeVee Show. I wonder what you would have made/produced if you were paired with one of the others instead. Hmm. But you did good over this season.

Not thrilled with Brooke W returning. Adds to the "fix is in" storyline.

I thought Shirley Chung was a good possibility for being kicked off, based on what was shown on this episode. Both her food and her cocktail had issues, IIRC. Oh, that "Margarita" of hers? IMO that wasn't a cocktail, that was a Slushie.

Except Katsuji suggested and made the garnish that the judges said was the best part of the dish.  And Katsuji questioned his "cocktail" choice and made the garnish salt on the cocktail that gave it even the guise of being "creative".  With any other sous chef, I am thinking it would have been the same or worse.  Shirley had issues because of the marinade, but she made the awesome salsa, which everyone loved and cooked the protein well.  The margarita was a technical execution error more than anything else, just like Sheldon's cocktail.  She was definitely in the bottom 2 probably, but John had a horrible pairing and completely ignored the challenge (make CREATIVE things).  If his non-creative "dishes" were flawless then he probably would have won, but they weren't and so ignoring the challenge is a huge strike.

[cooksdelight]

42 minutes ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

I haven't come across anything that would make me think Brooke has been undeserving of the praise she has received.

Taking my response to Conspiracy Theory thread...

Edited February 23, 2017 by cooksdelight

[HawaiiTVGuy]

On 2/17/2017 at 3:11 PM, pbutler111 said:

So if your waiter took a sip of your cocktail before handing it to you, you'd be cool with that?

Well, his bacteria would be on the rim of the glass, the entire ladle went into the tequila mix right?:-)

On 2/19/2017 at 4:55 PM, MajorWoody said:

 

I totally disagree with your take that only arrogant female chefs are being called out. On this thread alone there must be over a dozen posts calling out Blais for the pompous ass he is. There have been numerous other examples, between Tesar, Katsuji, and some of the judges. It has nothing to do with picking on females. Sometimes an arrogant jerk is just an arrogant jerk, no matter their sex.

Unless I missed a WHOLE bunch of tape, and I think I have watched every episode of Seattle and this season, Brooke has not approached the level of arrogance or plain jack-assedness of some of the male contestants you mentioned in her THs or in the competition itself/interactions with her fellow contestants.  Is she coming off as arrogant because she has confidence in her dish and her cooking?  

[Court]

Brooke made a bad dish when she was paired with Emily. As annoying as Emily was, that dish was entirely Brooke's idea.

The yogurt was a disaster. The crêpe thing was apparently fantastic but that was two weeks in a row she ignored the challenge. Interestingly enough, John goes home for ignoring the challenge this episode. 

I think she's good but to me, production liked her storyline and that's why she was allowed to stay when she made yogurt and fruit. 

[MajorWoody]

I pointed out that Brooke is not the only person being called,out for being arrogant, which I did because another poster suggested it was due to her sex and guys have gotten a pass.  There have been  quite a few arrogant jerks on this show over the years, and also on this season, and they have all been discussed and called out on these threads. That does not mean Brooke is the worst, in fact she is far from the worst, but she definitely has shown flashes of being entitled and snooty at times. But my post was in response to a poster saying that she was the only one, and it was due to being a female. 

[candle96]

On February 16, 2017 at 9:36 PM, wings707 said:

Yes she does. She out cooked him on everything.  I adore this woman.

I live in Chicago and have met her a couple of times. (one time she was getting her hair cut next to me.) She could not possibly be nicer or more humble. AND all of her restaurants are fantastic. 

[LisainCali]

On 2/23/2017 at 6:53 AM, LennieBriscoe said:

The booze isn't a tourist purchase; it is a television show prize. Taxed, yes. "Dinged at Customs," no.

Sent to her domicile by the show? Maybe.

Saleable on e-Bay? Not if the words "Top Chef" are included, e-Bay's other pertinent rules notwithstanding.

Off Topic I ❤ your name......I miss Lennie Briscoe, and El Gallo, Sky Masterson, Chuck Baxter and Billy Flynn, et. Al.  Truly one of my favorites of all time.  Good pick!

I really like Brooke and am glad she won.  Some of them, like Katsuji, I could not stand.  Poor Tesar, his redemption angle was a mixed success to me.  His frustration seemed to be boiling just below the surface.