S15.E14: Finale

[dewelar]

40 minutes ago, doLLish said:

Nina Compton though? I will die on that hill everyday and twice on Sunday. She was absolutely robbed and should have been the first black woman Top Chef.

Oh, so much this -- although I would also have accepted "Carla Hall" as the answer to that one, even if Nina was a clearer choice in her season than Carla was in her original one.

That said, I may never have fully warmed up to Adrienne, but I would have preferred her winning to Joe Flamm. I agree with the who said it's time to retire LCK permanently.

[Brookside]

The phone call of death raised its ugly head once again.  Sorry Adrienne didn't win.

[hendersonrocks]

Well, they both had cheffy mentor conversations - and it certainly seemed as though Adrienne’s provided specific assistance midway through the final that actually helped improve her dish whereas Joe’s was before they started prep. (And I don’t really care about that in terms of it being an advantage or not - I just think to say it was the phone call of death doesn’t really seem to apply here.)

And if we’re making a motion to get rid of LCK, can I add Quickfire Eliminations to the list? The main reason I can abide by LCK is that it gives people who kind of got screwed by that plot device another chance.

[spiderpig]

Must. Have. Tiny. Kitchen.

[film noire]

OMG!

A WHITE MAN WON TOP CHEF??

SO SURPRISED!!!!!!

Edited March 9, 2018 by film noire

[Jextella]

The judges presented reasonable arguments. I'm good with Joe winning.  I love both, though.

[GaT]

I was rooting for Joe (once Chris was eliminated), so I'm happy he won.

4 hours ago, Thumper said:

I'm loving the "Tiny Kitchen takes" on the top two's dishes.  lol

Me too! If their goal was to make people stayed for the commercials, it totally worked in my case. I usually FF right through them, but Tiny Kitchen made me stay. By the way Tiny Kitchen has its own YouTube channel.

[chabelisaywow]

A white guy won Top Chef - that’s a first. 

Edited March 9, 2018 by chabelisaywow
when I'm mad, I can't spell

[chiaros]

3 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

She got a cooking tip DURING the competition from Eric Ripert.

 

3 hours ago, candall said:

It was just a little bit weird for Adrienne to phone up Eric Ripert and tell him her tuile wasn't coming out right.  Oh, right!  Whisk it in the pan.  Thanks!

 

2 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Well, they both had cheffy mentor conversations - and it certainly seemed as though Adrienne’s provided specific assistance midway through the final that actually helped improve her dish whereas Joe’s was before they started prep.

Yes.  When I was watching this happen on the show I was thinking, "Is this even allowed?"

[chiaros]

5 hours ago, bobbobbob199 said:

Based on the comments, the finale wasn't even close...I get the feeling it was a resounding Joe Flamm victory. He basically won the 2nd and 4th courses, Adrienne won the first, and the third was leaning towards Joe also.

Although I appreciate Adrienne's passion for southern cuisine, it seems like she cooks her best food when it is not related to Southern cuisine, or uses French technique to redefine Southern cuisine. Her third course seems to be too close to traditional southern cuisine. Her first course looked amazing, though.

 

Agreed for the most part.

 

Glad Joe Flamm won. (I would also have preferred a Joe vs Joe finale - but that's water under the bridge)

 

For myself, I would have preferred Joe F’s dishes every course, I think. I thought Adrienne's dishes were either somewhat overwrought or skated towards being mish-mashes. Including her 1st course.  It also seems to me that a dish can be "innovative" or "inventive" but the question is does it taste wonderful?  Do the ingredients make sense or are they just...innovative? 

 

Joe Flamm was also inventive but in a more subtle way, I thought - like his inversion and play on Vitello Tonnato in his first dish, and it seemed to be very tasty. Adrienne’s first dish was ooh and aahed over by the judges but it seemed different diners liked different parts of it, even though Padma and Gail loved it in its entirety.**  Tom C mentioned the uni and ham worked well together, and for myself I’d like that too – but buttermilk dashi? Um…no.

 

Joe F’s pasta dish brought together less-seen ingredients with vision and - thanks to Joe Sasto, who contributed to the conceptualization and was basically the one who enabled its reduction to practice - was quite, quite lovely. I would have just admired it for a while before reluctantly putting my fork into it, and them promptly ordered another round of it. But the octopus and inky grits? Not for me, thanks, but you’re welcome to it.

 

Asparagus cooked in asparagus juice, plus bone marrow sauce - sounds like a sublime combination. OK, chewy ribeye was regrettable - but...why not just turn a chunk of it on the plate by 90 degrees and cut against the grain? In other circumstances, steak that still has texture and some resistance to it sounds nicer to me than meat so soft that it is mushy. The short ribs sounded nice, but the beans - half-mashed beans - um...I’ll pass; and Nancy Silverton also said it was dry.

 

That chocolate cake and the fixings for it - glad they/Fatima finally got it right, and it looked very elegant and attractive and it seemed it tasted wonderful, if mis-named. The ricotta wouldn’t have bothered me. That not-banana-pudding with blobs and bits and pieces scattered over the plate - it looked like something that fell off the counter and smashed to bits on the floor. In this case, too, the mis-naming had to do directly with what one expected the tastes to be; whereas in the other case the mis-naming merely had to do with who would have made it.

 

** And that tuile, which seemed very important to the dish, was successful only because of her getting specific cooking advice and info midway through the 2-day cooking process from Chef Ripert.

[chiaros]

Joe Flamm on the finale: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-15/videos/joe-flamm-reacts-to-the-top-chef-season-15-finale 

Adrienne Cheatham on the finale: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-15/videos/adrienne-cheatham-opens-up-about-the-emotions-of-the-top-chef-season-15 

 

Adrienne says that as the meal went along and as she was tallying it up she began to realize that Joe might take it.

Edited March 9, 2018 by chiaros

[bobbobbob199]

For those of you complaining on the "white guy" winning...are we going to make this complaint every time someone wins a judged show? 

Top Chef has done a great job of bringing in a diverse range of contestants, and giving each equal opportunities to succeed. There has always been an equal ratio of men to women, and minorities and LGBT, etc. have been represented liberally. This season alone we had like 75% women or minorities. Honestly, I think they are even overrepresented, considering the industry of head chefs in the US as a whole is at least 2/3 white men, but their representation on the show is like 25%.

[chiaros]

5 hours ago, LeighLeigh said:

Padma dressed appropriately this week. 

Curtis Duffy was a pleasure to look at.

 

Yes, Padma didn't have a boobage problem this episode. What a surprise.

 

Curtis Duffy looks a lot older than I would have expected, from what he looked like just a few years ago. (Yes, I ate at his previous restaurant and have seen him in person) I'm sure folks also know (or, for those who do not) that Grace (the restaurant that Duffy helmed in Chicago that got those three Michelin stars Top Chef "touted" on this finale episode) has closed, and Duffy is embroiled in a dispute with the owner of Grace.

https://chicago.eater.com/2017/12/20/16803456/grace-closing-curtis-duffy-michael-muser-dispute 

https://chicago.eater.com/2018/3/7/17091032/grace-owner-alleges-chef-duffy-muser-took-truffles-wagyu-more 

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/missing-wagyu-legal-beef-between-chef-curtis-duffy-and-grace-owner-heats-up/ 

https://chicago.eater.com/2018/1/11/16878848/grace-owner-investor-olszewski-interview-blames-chef-duffy-closure

Of course, when they shot this season of Top Chef (in summer 2017) Duffy was still helming Grace.  But since then......

Edited March 9, 2018 by chiaros

[AttackTurtle]

6 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Well, they both had cheffy mentor conversations - and it certainly seemed as though Adrienne’s provided specific assistance midway through the final that actually helped improve her dish whereas Joe’s was before they started prep. (And I don’t really care about that in terms of it being an advantage or not - I just think to say it was the phone call of death doesn’t really seem to apply here.)

And if we’re making a motion to get rid of LCK, can I add Quickfire Eliminations to the list? The main reason I can abide by LCK is that it gives people who kind of got screwed by that plot device another chance.

I was literally just thinking the same thing about sudden death quick fires.  One took out Jim last season & Joe this season.  LCK is actually really fun to watch and I have no problem with it.  Considering that the people who’ve won have pretty much all been solid chefs, it’s all good to me.  

[Wings]

Random thoughts and observations. 

When they got up from the table after eating the dinner Tom and Graham made there was a lot of food left on their plates.  They looked almost full. 

Tom has toned arms; he doesn’t look as heavy when in a t-shirt. 

Tom has a strange way of using utensils when he eats.  It fascinates me. Other chefs do, as well, but no one as strange as Jeffery Steingarten!  

Overly rested beef making it tough had to be worse than Adrienne’s semi crushed beans. 

Padma, saying “meet me and Tom” is incorrect.  “Meet Tom and me” is proper grammar. The personal pronoun always goes last, it is grammar not courtesy. 

White glasses frames were “hip”  5+ years ago with specific wardrobe choices.  Graham never did and still does not do the head to toe look to pull them off.  

Buttermilk outside of baked goods is odd.  I would like to try it because it cannot be as bad as I imagine! 

I am all for eliminating sudden death quick fires and LCK. 

Edited March 9, 2018 by Wings

[cooksdelight]

Graham reminded me of a big Elvis Costello.

Watching chef/judges eat food with a knife is always what freaks me out.

[Wings]

8 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Graham reminded me of a big Elvis Costello.

Watching chef/judges eat food with a knife is always what freaks me out.

Yes, Costello.  :>  Padma often takes tastes off her knife.  It is the odd way they use a fork that I love to watch.  I could watch a 30 minute show of chefs eating. 

[The Solution]

10 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Graham reminded me of a big Elvis Costello.

And Elvis Costello came on the radio just as I read this. I still have cool radio. Wavy gravy, man.

Edited March 9, 2018 by The Solution

[biakbiak]

41 minutes ago, Wings said:

Padma, saying “meet me and Tom” is incorrect.  “Meet Tom and me” is proper grammar. The personal pronoun always goes last, it is grammar not courtesy. 

Padma didn't say it, it was on a typewritten note most likely written by a production assistant.

[Wings]

40 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Padma didn't say it, it was on a typewritten note most likely written by a production assistant.

Thanks.  Someone should have caught that mistake.  Me and my mom went to the mall, me and her went to the movies....and on it goes.  Makes me nuts.  

[Special K]

6 minutes ago, Wings said:

Thanks.  Someone should have caught that mistake.  Me and my mom went to the mall, me and her went to the movies....and on it goes.  Makes me nuts.  

Except that's not the analog to the note's construction.  Your complaint would be with "I and my mom went to the mall," the nominative not the objective.

I agree this is usage not grammar.  And since it was a short note, not a formal communication/publication, I'm OK with "meet me and Tom."

[Wings]

6 hours ago, GaT said:

I was rooting for Joe (once Chris was eliminated), so I'm happy he won.

Me too! If their goal was to make people stayed for the commercials, it totally worked in my case. I usually FF right through them, but Tiny Kitchen made me stay. By the way Tiny Kitchen has its own YouTube channel.

Thank you for this link!  They actually cook the food including making beignets!  Tiny deep fat frying is fascinating.  This is new to me.  Love it!  I have spent far too much time on these this morning. 

1 minute ago, Special K said:

Except that's not the analog to the note's construction.  Your complaint would be with "I and my mom went to the mall," the nominative not the objective.

I agree this is usage not grammar.  And since it was a short note, not a formal communication/publication, I'm OK with "meet me and Tom."

Ok.  I am not!  Lol  

[SailorGirl]

18 minutes ago, Wings said:

Thanks.  Someone should have caught that mistake.  Me and my mom went to the mall, me and her went to the movies....and on it goes.  Makes me nuts.  

At least whomever wrote it didn't use the dreaded "myself and Tom" or "Tom and myself." People use it thinking it sounds more professional, despite it being grammatically incorrect and making the person sound less educated -- the opposite of what they were aiming for! 

Can I just say, I didn't think Tom Colicchio could get any sexier and then they show him cooking in a t-shirt. Yes please, I'll have that dessert! Not many people can make those reader glasses work, but damn, he does!

For me, this has been one of my favorite, if not the top, season since the show began. Other than Zombie Lips, these were professional, talented chefs who all respected each other and engaged in this competition as such. They supported each other, helped each other out, and there was no ridiculous game-play nonsense (again, excluding Zombie Chef bus-thrower-under here). 

They wanted to win based on the cooking skill level, and nothing else. I didn't see this part but others commented that Joe Flamm helped Adrienne by buying a few of her ingredients. Can you see someone like Ilan or Marcel or just about anyone outside this season doing that when it was the final cookoff? 

I agree that some challenges could be revised or go the way of the dinosaur, but I hope they keep this caliber of cheftestant going forward. This season was a delight to watch from a competitor standpoint. 
 

Edited March 9, 2018 by SailorGirl

[tvfanatic13]

That was an incredibly satisfying season, perhaps the best one ever. Good food, good people and no real drama. Thanks Top Chef! 

[cooksdelight]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

Padma didn't say it, it was on a typewritten note most likely written by a production assistant.

We are so lucky to have your keen eye and observation to keep us all on the straight and narrow! :D

[AriAu]

Quote

I'm disappointed Adrienne didn't win. I wish every once in a while they would consider the optics of, maybe it would be nice to have a black female winner instead of one more white guy...not as a gimme, but as a tie-breaker maybe? Or even, that Adrienne was never voted out, so again the tie goes to her? Because it sure seemed like a tie, food-wise. 

Quote

 

OMG!

A WHITE MAN WON TOP CHEF??

SO SURPRISED!!!!!!

 

Maybe, just maybe, the white guy won because he WON....maybe he cooked the best food on that day. Tom must have liked Joe Flamm enough to get him back through LCK, but maybe his was just the better meal...remembering that none of us got to taste the food and they edit the crap out of the comments to create some level of suspense.

Judging clearly went on for quite awhile so there was a lot we didn't hear. They toasted in bright sunshine and then after they got "grilled" they walked out into what looked like twilight and then it was pitch black when they made the announcement. Sure seems like they spent plenty of time discussing and analyzing it.

And they should NEVER weight it for the fact that someone fits into any category-yes, I know that the Dancing Elves are allowed to have some say in some decisions,  and according to past quotes from Tom, it never has influenced winner and loser decisions. AND, by the way, given the reaction, don't you think if they were going to look for diversity/weight it for diversity that they would have done it in this situation, with a black women finalist? They had the chance and Bravo and the Dancing Elves decided to go with the pleasant but sorta bland white guy...really, really??

Ok, serious, non-snarky question-what does it mean that the ribeye was "over-rested" and what is the result? I thought thick cuts of meat are supposed to "rest" to let the juices spread throughout the meat. Could it have been an altitude thing like the issues they had with baking.

[Cajungirl64]

As many others have posted, this was an excellent (if not best ever) season of Top Chef. Really liked all the chefs and loved their comradrie. 

All positive healing energy to Fati, whom I hope to see on a future Top Chef All-Stars (along with Chris, Carrie, Mustache Joe and Adrienne)! 

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

 

Joe Flamm on the finale: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-15/videos/joe-flamm-reacts-to-the-top-chef-season-15-finale 

Adrienne Cheatham on the finale: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-15/videos/adrienne-cheatham-opens-up-about-the-emotions-of-the-top-chef-season-15

 

Thank you for sharing these two links - I really enjoyed both videos. PSA to others, they're short - 2 mins each, roughly, and give a good window into how each of them are feeling post-finale - I thought Adrienne's, especially, was worth watching. She's a good egg.

[Empress1]

10 hours ago, dewelar said:

Oh, so much this -- although I would also have accepted "Carla Hall" as the answer to that one, even if Nina was a clearer choice in her season than Carla was in her original one.

That said, I may never have fully warmed up to Adrienne, but I would have preferred her winning to Joe Flamm. I agree with the who said it's time to retire LCK permanently.

I'm so glad Carla has done well for herself post-top Chef. Her not winning her season hurt my heart! Hootie hoo!

Joe: "I'm gonna win on my food or go home on my food." Me: Well, yeah, that's how the show works.

While I loved the season, this felt like a really low-stakes finale, TBH. There are some chefs who have inspired really strong feelings in me; neither Adrienne or Joe did. Neither of them were my favorites and I would have been okay with either of them winning. I agree with the poster upthread who said that while as a Black woman I always want more diversity (I was bummed when Tanya was eliminated), Adrienne winning isn't the hill I'd die on. 

[cooksdelight]

I don’t care if someone’s brown, black, purple, male, female, cockatoo.... if you serve tough steak as your main course, you don’t win. JMO

[pally]

So Adrienne won round 1,  Joe won round 2,  they tied round 3, and he won round 4.  Neither made any game-changing mistakes and no round was won or lost by a landslide.  She won on creativity, he won on technique.  It all came down to the desert.
I've been rewatching Season 1 and it struck me that Harold, LeeAnn, and Tiffani would likely have been the only 3 chefs to even make this year's cast and no guarantee that any of the would have won.

[Luciano]

1 hour ago, AriAu said:

 

Ok, serious, non-snarky question-what does it mean that the ribeye was "over-rested" and what is the result? I thought thick cuts of meat are supposed to "rest" to let the juices spread throughout the meat. Could it have been an altitude thing like the issues they had with baking.

I think what happened is that during the resting time, the meat continues to cook - so he let it rest for too long and it overcooked. It has to rest long enough to get the desired juices/internal temperature but not so long that the cooking process overdoes it.

[snarktini]

I called Joe as soon as they got up from the table. She put out some amazing things... so did he. And with comments that two of her courses "ate dry" and one was "intellectual" (not delicious) I was pretty sure that sealed it. The first course was evidently so astounding it might have carried her, but they seemed to feel his river rock pasta was equally astounding. So that's not enough for her. They both put out an excellent meal worthy of the title, and from what I heard she was rightfully edged out.

I would have loved her to win...I always pull a little more for the women because they seem to have a steeper road gaining recognition and respect in this industry. But Joe's great, too and I'm cool with his win. (When I lived in Chicago I ate at Spiaggia, well before his time.) Both of them seem like people I want to know and eat with IRL.

Loved the lack of drama. Except for the altitude, which is a frustrating limitation Both cooked well, no choking or meltdowns. The sous chefs did great. Everyone got along. A fair fight.

They rolled straight into the finale -- I thought they often had a break before, a few weeks to rest & prepare, then rally at the finale location? I remember that for the finale in Hawaii (ugh, Ilan). Does anyone remember which way is more common over the show's run?

Edited March 9, 2018 by snarktini

[awaken]

Didn’t Paul Qui win a season, Stephanie Izard, and Kevin from Philadelphia?  I don’t believe they’re white males. 

[Eulipian 5k]

12 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

She got a cooking tip DURING the competition from Eric Ripert.

I was surprised to see that! But they both had their notebooks with recipes; didn't someone get DQ'd for having cheat books? (Or was that Proj Run?)

So disappointed AC didn't win because it all seemed so final when Joe was announced.

Earlier Tom seemed content that AC was on her way to "no problem getting backers" and Joe can now go back to boost, even more, the rep of Spiagga(?) and, open his own place. So Tom probably figured a Joe win would have more bang for the buck.

Despite having the best people as cheftestants, no chef really led this season with any transformative food, except the 2 courses singled out here in the finale, or seemed more talented than the others. I don't think Joe led this season at any point.

[rlc]

I truly enjoyed the camaraderie of the finale. It was so nice to see a finale where the winner was chosen because someone won rather than by default because of someone else’s mistakes.

[chiaros]

1 hour ago, awaken said:

Didn’t Paul Qui win a season, Stephanie Izard, and Kevin from Philadelphia?  I don’t believe they’re white males. 

Also Hung Huynh (S3), Kristen Kish (S10), Mei Lin (S12), and Brooke Williamson (S14) who were all also not white males.  So that makes 7 out of 15 TC winners who were not white males. That's a 47%winning rate for non-white-male winners.  That's not shabby at all considering the preponderance of white males in the higher echelons of the food industry in the USA at the restaurant level. (What one might think about that is a different topic) But I also suspect that those complaining about "another white male winning" don't see non-whites-non-blacks (of whatever sex) in their calculations (and only white or black females that they approve of).

 

ETA: There were also eleven runners-up (out of 15 seasons, including S3-S7which had double-runners-up)) who were not white males. Coming in second isn't too shabby either, and the representation of talent in this pool shows that "white males" don't dominate Top Chef.

Edited March 9, 2018 by chiaros

[chiaros]

2 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Thank you for sharing these two links - I really enjoyed both videos. PSA to others, they're short - 2 mins each, roughly, and give a good window into how each of them are feeling post-finale - I thought Adrienne's, especially, was worth watching. She's a good egg.

They were interesting vids. And yes, as you say, Adrienne was a "good egg" – but she did acknowledge that even she herself thought that Joe F was likely to win as dinner service proceeded towards the end.

[chabelisaywow]

Quote

Graham reminded me of a big Elvis Costello

and Flamm reminds me of Francis from Pee Wee's big Adventure.

I made "another white guy" comment - and I admit it was more because I just liked Adrienne more.

I skim most Top Chef seasons since the douchey Voltaggio won.

[stacyasp]

14 hours ago, twilightzone said:

Another white guy winning on Top Chef.  In 15 seasons, there has only been 4 female winners.  No black or Hispanic female chef has ever won.  And a chef won who was openly gay?

They need to bring this show into the 21st century - and represent more diversity.

It’s about the food not diversity

[Totale]

I'm not even a middle chef let alone a top and I realize black eyed peas aren't technically beans, but when  I make red beans and rice I cook them with a ham hock and smash some against the side of the pot so their starch thickens the broth.  Isn't that just how it's done?  The multiple comments about how she cooked the peas with a ham hock sounded like they were trying to come up with something to say.

[chiaros]

30 minutes ago, chabelisaywow said:

I made "another white guy" comment - and I admit it was more because I just liked Adrienne more.

I skim most Top Chef seasons since the douchey Voltaggio won.

OK, you liked Adrienne more. I might just murmur, though, that one might broaden one's horizons to include folks who are non-white-non-black. Just a suggestion.

 

As for "the douchey Voltaggio" – that is your opinion, of course, and you are fully entitled to it.  I myself thought Michael Voltaggio was a very worthy winner, and he expressed his drive and reason for being the chef he was very well at Judges' Table in the finale of Season 6. His comments made clear why he was the person he was. If you skim TC seasons you may well have missed this. I never thought his reactions towards others in his season was "douchey" - rather, they were the result of his being driven to create excellent food, and folks who got in the way of that were liable to be caught up in his drive. His brother included, let alone people like Robin.

[Kimmykun]

Meh season, meh winner. 

[candall]

3 hours ago, Totale said:

I'm not even a middle chef let alone a top and I realize black eyed peas aren't technically beans, but when  I make red beans and rice I cook them with a ham hock and smash some against the side of the pot so their starch thickens the broth.  Isn't that just how it's done?  The multiple comments about how she cooked the peas with a ham hock sounded like they were trying to come up with something to say.

Me, too.  I always apply a few strokes with a potato masher for a thicker, richer, beanier broth base.  Who wants a clear liquid with firm individual bean pellets?

I didn't understand Tom's assertion that a skillful chef won't have bean fragments -or- Adrienne speaking as though most beans were stewed to overdone mush.  The sweet spot is in the middle!

[Wings]

Count me in as a bean smasher and I am a good cook. 

Black-eyed peas are beans despite the name. 

Edited March 9, 2018 by Wings

[The Solution]

Yeah, I always cook pasta fagiole until the beans explode because it makes for a nice creamy-textured sauce.

[film noire]

7 hours ago, chiaros said:

But I also suspect that those complaining about "another white male winning" don't see non-whites-non-blacks (of whatever sex) in their calculations (and only white or black females that they approve of).

Can't speak for anyone else, but in my case, you're wrong about that suspicion ; )

And you're lumping all non-white, non-male winners together to arrive at your 47% calculation. Separate them out as groups in their own right (as we do with white men, often treating them as the default standard)  and the results are different; four women out of fifteen winners, one third (Mei, Kristen, Paul, Kevin, Hyung) non-caucasian overall.  

8 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

 if you serve tough steak as your main course, you don’t win. JMO

And that's been Tom's standard all along -- ruin the main protein,  you can't claim  the win - but I think Tom (without any awareness he's doing it) often forgives culinary sins committed by some, and not by others, depending on whether he has bonded to them as chefs/people.

I liked many of the cheftestants, and the locale, but the season felt flat overall -- imo, if they keep LCK, they should have three judges and not just Tom (that would save the competition from being so controlled by one person). 

Edited March 10, 2018 by film noire

[Lura]

This was a good season with agreeable chefs who seemed like (mostly) nice people.  The comments here have been interesting and thought-provoking and, as usual, enjoyable to read.  I especially enjoyed the guest chef judges this season -- a good variety of people with knowledgeable comments.  The high altitude twist provided an interesting challenge, IMHO, and the scenery was exceptionally beautiful. 

The finalists seemed to be equally matched, although at the close of the tasting I felt that Joe had edged out Adrienne by a very slight degree.  I wished there could have been a tie, but I felt satisfied with the decision. 

Hope to see you all soon on TC Canada and TC Kentucky.  (Does the latter mean that every dish will have to contain whiskey -- or is it bourbon?)  :)

Edited March 9, 2018 by Lura

[jaync]

Quote

Cheerwine!! Yes! Yes! A North Carolina tradition!!! 

That tickled me! I don't know why I've never thought to use it for braising, because, duh.

Quote

 

Quote

Carrie and Chris. The finale we deserved.

Seconded.

Thirded.

Props to Joe - he's obviously a good chef, and everyone seemed to love him to pieces. But, I knew better than to think there would be female winners in back-to-back seasons.

Edited March 9, 2018 by jaync

[LizDC]

Tom Colicchio on Top Chef’s Season 15 Finale and Harassment in the Restaurant Industry

 

Quote

What was the deciding factor that gave the win to Joe?
We thought the first course went to Adrienne, the next two courses went to Joe, and dessert was neutral. So, that really did it. His beef dish was better and his pasta was better than the octopus. The octopus was good. It was really dry and we all commented on that, and there’s no getting around that. It may have had to do with the charring after it was braised — a lot of things can happen if it were braised and not cooled down in the braising liquid. If it’s roasted, it can dry out. I don’t know what she did, but it was definitely dry. That was really it.

Was it as close as it seemed?
It was close. It wasn’t like his beef dish was way, way better. It was slightly better, and his pasta course was actually stunning. Her first course was only slightly better than his, although his was a little more, I don’t want to say conventional, but I’ve seen that beef. In fact, I did a dish that was very similar to that where we flipped the tuna, it was raw. I actually garnished it with fried sweetbreads. So that was a little more conventional. This one wasn’t as close as other finales.