S16.E07: Carne!

[Chit Chat]

6 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

(They still missed the big hint, but all of the locally sourced stuff probably did cloud their ability to understand CARNE! was the challenge.)

Knowing these judges, they probably would've bitched about huge portions (even though the one lady wanted a steak that she could pick up with her hands and eat off of the bone.)  Some of the judges are the like the 3 bears:  My portion is too big; My portion is too small; and you'll rarely hear 'my portion is just right!'  You're right though.  They should've put more focus on the meat and not try to fancy it up so much.  

[bluepiano]

On 1/18/2019 at 5:05 AM, jette said:

Upon further reflection, I'm wondering why the judges were surprised that they were served frou frou beef dishes.  After all, this group of cheftestants took the lump of food that is a Kentucky hot brown and made it quite small and refined. 

I too would never touch a hot brown sandwich. I'm from NOLA, give me a poboy made with some awesome Leidenheimer or Gambino bread. I am all about the crunch!

The Hot Brown, like many classic American comfort foods from an earlier era when people didn't obsess about cholesterol, carbs, or fat, is supposed to be big and messy and make you want to nap after eating it. In general, I dislike the challenges in which contestants have to take some classically hearty dish and make it frou frou or "elevated" or deconstruct it. About 90% of the time what they produce, while perhaps creative, has virtually nothing to do with the original.

I think you could make a case that a lot of today's trendy restaurants are too focused on being artistic or whimsical and forget that they're actually supposed to be feeding people. In the hip city where I live, I've described the typical dining experience as paying $40 for a small plate of beautifully presented food that leaves you hungry an hour later. I know this might make me sound like a yabbo who wants to stuff himself at all you can eat buffets or be served half a cow for dinner, but I would like to think there can be a happy medium.

Edited January 22, 2019 by bluepiano

[Giselle]

13 hours ago, staphdude said:

Meh. A dead cow is food. Harvested vegetables are food. Just the way things are...

And when they are prepared properly they both are so tasty! YUM!

[LeighLeigh]

I still don’t know everybody’s names. 

[Rai]

I thought the butcher's name sounded familiar -- he's heavily profiled in the second half of Heat by Bill Buford. (the first half regrettably profiles Mario Batali's rise to popularity, so. There's that.) He's quite the character in the book, so it was interesting seeing him in this context and looking positively jolly. I'm glad the winner will appreciate working with Dario, even if it's Eddy*.

This cast seems like a bunch of good personalities, so I'm not sure why I still find them kind of flat. But Brian's really, really circling that drain.

 

*All in good fun. He's slowly winning me over, but since I'm also rewatching season 11 RIGHT NOW, the Elmi stain persists.

[mlp]

Quote

I thought the butcher's name sounded familiar -- he's heavily profiled in the second half of Heat by Bill Buford. (the first half regrettably profiles Mario Batali's rise to popularity, so. There's that.) He's quite the character in the book, so it was interesting seeing him in this context and looking positively jolly.

Huh!  The name didn't ring a bell but I have that book on the shelf so I have to refresh my memory.  The parts about Mario made a bigger impression and I wasn't surprised when all the bad stuff came out.

[HappyDancex2]

If Sara’s sad seared sausage slice and Brandon’s unintentional molecular gastronomy tartare goo is any indication, that’s one pissed cow.  

[luna1122]

I don't eat meat anymore, but when I did, a Hot Brown was ambrosial, nectar of the gods, delicious, to die for food. Seriously, ya'll. I live a couple blocks from the Brown, where they were invented (and used to just go there and purchase a pint or two of the Mornay sauce when I made Hot Browns at home, cuz it's so good and why make it when you can get it straight from the source for a few bucks). Many Louisville restaurants have a Hot Brown on their menu.

This was a very hard episode to watch for a vegetarian. I actually cried at one point. I realize that I shouldn't probably even be watching cooking shows if I'm that sensitive, let alone one entitled Carne, but hearing all the talk of 'breaking down the animal' and 'celebrating the slaughter'...that was rough.

I love Eddie, can't help it, and I'm glad he won. When the episode started, and he was talking on the phone with his daughter, I was afraid he was a goner.

Lena Waithe is cool AF.

I've eaten at Decca a few times, it's very good. It's just fun to see our local sites on television.

[Giselle]

On 1/22/2019 at 3:28 AM, LeighLeigh said:

I still don’t know everybody’s names. 

 

I'm Giselle.

So pleased to make your acquaintance. ;-)

[dleighg]

On 1/19/2019 at 8:09 PM, novhappy said:

don’t see how a Scoth egg can possibly be considered a re imagined hot brown. I don’t think many of the quickfire fit the challenge honestly, but a Scotch Egg?

and before the QF started, Sarah was bragging that she'd been thinking about all sorts of ways to reimagine a Hot Brown. And THAT'S what she came up with? I could see absolutely no relationship between the two.

[Giselle]

6 hours ago, dleighg said:

and before the QF started, Sarah was bragging that she'd been thinking about all sorts of ways to reimagine a Hot Brown. And THAT'S what she came up with? I could see absolutely no relationship between the two.

 

All talk that one.

So ready for her to go.

[Destiny74]

I don't know why Sarah didn't put one half of that scotch egg on each plate.  She knew she was running out of time quickly when she hot footed it over to the fryer to check her last egg.  At least she would've had food on both plates and the judges could've tried it.

[PierreMonet]

3 minutes ago, Destiny74 said:

I don't know why Sarah didn't put one half of that scotch egg on each plate.  She knew she was running out of time quickly when she hot footed it over to the fryer to check her last egg.  At least she would've had food on both plates and the judges could've tried it.

I thought it was pretty clear that neither of her scotch eggs cooked enough - she cuts the second one open, looks at the meat, sighs and not-plates. Or maybe I just imagined that last bit ?Better to not serve anything rather than risk the histrionics, panic, and pearl clutching that would have followed over serving slightly pink poultry.

Anyway, there was zero risk of her getting eliminated, no way on earth they will axe the last "home team chef REPREZENT" when two other Chefs also turned out bad dishes, especially one (Brandon) who after flirting with a nano-second of villainy in the premier has faded into narrative obscurity. Easy Chop.

[Destiny74]

2 hours ago, PierreMonet said:

I thought it was pretty clear that neither of her scotch eggs cooked enough - she cuts the second one open, looks at the meat, sighs and not-plates. Or maybe I just imagined that last bit ?Better to not serve anything rather than risk the histrionics, panic, and pearl clutching that would have followed over serving slightly pink poultry.

Anyway, there was zero risk of her getting eliminated, no way on earth they will axe the last "home team chef REPREZENT" when two other Chefs also turned out bad dishes, especially one (Brandon) who after flirting with a nano-second of villainy in the premier has faded into narrative obscurity. Easy Chop.

Yeah, but one of her eggs was plated already.  I assumed the plated egg was cooked.  I would've take half the plated egg and put it on the second plate.

Edited January 25, 2019 by Destiny74

[Cotypubby]

People getting upset over seeing meat being cut on a cooking show. Not a big enough rolleyes in the world for that.

(And Lena Waithe and her style totally rock.)

[Brookside]

Eddie:  "It's going to make some tongues happy."  Is this what's meant by food porn?

[seacliffsal]

I was actually worried about Eddie as he helped many of the chefs prepare their dishes-he must be helpful in real life.  So, I was glad that he won and he really did seem excited about the prize (and what a prize!).  I think Brian is just as full of it as Sara as he continually boasts of his butchering skills and then turned out that sad rib eye (I think that was his cut).  

I've been to Louisville a few times for work related reasons, and although I totally heard all about the Hot Browns, I never had one due to their inherent richness.  Now I feel like I blew an opportunity for a classic.  I will slink away in shame...

[HappyDancex2]

I have this on in the background and all the judges look sad and pissed.  It's kind of comical the second time around.

Sara still gets major eye roll from me.  She made the sausage and was complaining about the casings right away.   Surely a chef of her ENORMOUS ego could take sausage and make something AMAZING.   Since her biscuits are "100% percent cuz you know, my biscuits are 100 percent because I do those very well....very well...I mean I can do that very well."   Since she'd only have pantry items she could have squirreled out biscuits and sausage and sausage gravy or some concoction.   Sure it wouldn't have been CARNE but she could have shot for the middle instead of straight elimination risk.  When she cooked the sausage and said it cooled to soft I almost threw up in my mouth LOL.   Then she tried to sear them but then the protein started to coagulate.  That was some nasty stuff.

Brandon's oil incident had that container go in his vitamixer.  I'm surprised he could use any of that sauce.   It was on when the top popped off of it.  If this were Chopped they would have confiscated his sauce.   However instead of using xantham gum he could have just used less of the sauce.   Or none LOL.

Too bad the local ingredients were so much onion, alternative alliums and blackberries....they appeared in most of the dishes.  Fresh allium products are always so surprisingly strong to me.  It's like onions on steroids or garlic on steroids.   I'll bet their breath was never the same for days.

[Daisy head]

On 1/18/2019 at 4:43 PM, nitrofishblue said:

I found this episode extremely disappointing. The chefs were not go an enough time to make a decent dish. Some of those cuts of beef needed a long cooking time. I really loved the fru fru comment about the quality of the dishes. I personally thought  most of them looked barfable. The tartares almost made me puke.

I don't know why this tickled me so. Your last sentence sent chai through my nose. That really burns, btw...