S16.E12: Kentucky Farewell

[biakbiak]

12 minutes ago, cameron said:

Actually, there is only one whole foods in Louisville.  Since they were cooking at the Brown Hotel; they were probably using that store.  Same one where Eddie couldn't find fresh duck.

My bad they mentioned going to Lexington for the auction so I assumed that is where they did their shopping.

The packaging for the duck is the same for when it’s frozen and was even in a plastic container that could be so it didn’t drip so it could be either fresh or frozen.

Edited February 22, 2019 by biakbiak

[Pickles]

Interesting how Tom came into the house early in the morning and everyone was supposedly still in bed. But, when they went out in the garden, I noticed Kelsey had obviously had time to get her makeup on. 

[Ellee]

10 minutes ago, cameron said:

Actually, there is only one whole foods in Louisville.  Since they were cooking at the Brown Hotel; they were probably using that store.  Same one where Eddie couldn't find fresh duck.

It’s conceivable that WFs ordered fresh duck after Eddie couldn’t find it. I imagine WFs would order special items for TC

[The Solution]

One of the things I've noticed about this season is that the chefs are all so tentative. There were two notable exceptions: Eric and someone who shall remain nameless. This has really hampered my enjoyment of the season. If you're so unsure of yourself, go home and talk to your psychologist about it.

I do like that Eric asks the other chefs to taste his food while he's preparing it. Confident, but still willing to listen to others.

[dleighg]

3 hours ago, biakbiak said:

6 hours ago, GaT said:

How long are these people there for the competition that they can actually plant gardens & use the vegetables that grow?

About a month. They started with a mixture of seeds and plants. But it’s also why so many of their veg were tiny.

I still have trouble seeing 3 foot tall tomato plants after one month, even starting from small plants. Doesn't happen that fast where I live!

[WendyM]

I watched this while looking outside at all the feet of snow--and oh how I wish I had green tomatoes! Or cucumber blossoms! I would have been happy weeding all their plots and people, it's not my favorite task when the time comes. Time to get out the seed catalogs.

I'm bummed about Sara but hopeful that it's the end of her reign. As someone said upthread, she's just unpleasant. I get that she's probably been edited, but we know they can't put words (or expressions) in (or on) your mouth.

Oh, Justin! No duos! No risotto! No okra! Nothing canned! No waffle mixes! No frozen phyllo dough! Don't plate early and let food sit around! Don't steal someone's pea puree!

I'm glad Padma told them who their mentors were, because I imagine some had more than one.

[Princess Sparkle]

I gotta say, I felt bad for Adrienne that every other mentor, even when they weren't over the moon about the food they were served, tried to say good things about it. Hers just sneered with "I wish you would've wiped the plate", like damn dude. She was so effusive about him, and he just seemed like he was there to fuel his own ego.

I hate Sara, but I could tell hers must've been delicious because when they were talking about her food at the table, everyone appeared to have finished every last drop of her soup, including Tom. There always seems to be something left, so when everyones bowls were empty, I knew she'd clinched it. 

[carrps]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

Interesting how Tom came into the house early in the morning and everyone was supposedly still in bed. But, when they went out in the garden, I noticed Kelsey had obviously had time to get her makeup on. 

You mean "trowel" it on? I'm convinced that it's her heavy makeup that causes her to look so matronly and much older than she is. 

[dleighg]

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

I was waiting for the cheftestants who paid out the ass for vegetables at the auction to find them at market price in Whole Foods (I don't shop there, so I don't know how special they get in their specialty item selections).

That really did seem to be a bone head move to pay that much for the veggies. So they might not have baby daikon or heirloom asparagus, but they are going to have something very nice anyway.

[The Solution]

1 minute ago, dleighg said:

That really did seem to be a bone head move to pay that much for the veggies. So they might not have baby daikon or heirloom asparagus, but they are going to have something very nice anyway.

OH! You just reminded me I bought asparagus at Whole Foods the other day. I better cook it before it goes bad.

[Bucket]

11 hours ago, Brookside said:

Am I the only one who thinks that some of the chefs had never heard of Macau, never mind where it is?

I bet they had to reshoot that because the blank stares would not have played well!

[dleighg]

12 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

Did they show Sara's braless boobs through her tank top upon waking?   Not nice.

Yeah, that was unnecessary. 

[AriAu]

F

Quote

or the winningest, most perfect dish ever, we sure didn't see much of it either. And no one except the Bravo stooges and her own mentors were on camera commenting on it. I call bullshit and shenanigans. The fix was in and none of you can convince me otherwise. HATE her. She's going to win the whole thing and here is going to be yet another show that I'm done with.

That's a ;lot of hate for early in the am! Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion as to the heavily edited version of the personalities of the cheftestants ( i dont care for Adriene and kinda like Sara, but whatever), but I certainly don't see ANY evidence of a vast conspiracy "fixing it" for Sara...and certainly not in this episode. The closest she came to going home was Wafflegate in Rupp Arena,  but other than that, I have trouble pointing to anything that really shows them favoring her. And as mentioned up thread, maybe they didn't show very much of the dish since the judges gobbled it all up.

I am not rooting for her.....frankly, I am having trouble getting too excited about any of these chefs since the food they have been turning out seems to be a cut below prior seasons,  and while she appears to be a little abrasive, the other chefs, who are living with the un-edited version of her, seem to like and care about her. If you doubt that she is getting a tough edit, take a look at the shots they chose to use when she woke up-ouch!  AND she appears to be one of those cheftestants who is really kicking it up a notch as we get to the end...whether she left some dishes in reserve or is finding her stride, I dont know, but people like Shirley and Melissa King and others wallowed in the middle and then turned it on late, 

As to whether Macau is in anyone's wheel house, I point out that no matter where they are (including Mexico and Singapore) they will likely end with "make the meal of a lifetime", which they can make anywhere. There will likely be something related to the cuisine of Macau as the first elimination challenge (it was in Singapore, Mexico (each time))

Edited February 22, 2019 by AriAu
Cuz I cant spell

[rafibomb]

Adrienne has grown on me this season, and I've found myself sort of subconsciously rooting for her. But I'm definitely not a fan of her mentor, ever since his insufferable behavior on Chopped, and he didn't do much to redeem himself here. 

I've also been to his restaurant, Deuxave (although it's been at least 4 years, so I don't know if Adrienne would've been there yet), and found it underwhelming. The food was fine, but kind of soulless, and much more focused on precision and technique than flavor- and my experience was entirely consistent with how Adrienne described him. 

[meep.meep]

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

About a month. They started with a mixture of seeds and plants. But it’s also why so many of their veg were tiny.

I wonder why Sara was the only one who tended to her garden. I would have thought it would be a nice change to the downtime on the show. Though Eric did say when he planted he had never grown anything. 

Here is a blog post from the gardner who was in charge about the process.

Thanks!  It was interesting.  I was amazed anybody got any tomatoes - my plants sure don't grow that fast.  I was also surprised that no one planted garlic.  They would have gotten fantastic greens in the time they had.

I am amazed by my fellow posters ability to remember *anybody* from Chopped.

Too bad about Justin - his food always looked fantastic.

[dleighg]

31 minutes ago, rafibomb said:

Adrienne has grown on me this season, and I've found myself sort of subconsciously rooting for her. But I'm definitely not a fan of her mentor, ever since his insufferable behavior on Chopped, and he didn't do much to redeem himself here. 

My daughter lives in the Boston area and I often seek out "chefy" restaurants when we visit her. After watching this I vowed to never darken the door of any of his restaurants. He really came across as an insufferable ass.

[LennieBriscoe]

"Macau/Macao," not "McCau."

Edited February 22, 2019 by LennieBriscoe

[ALittleShelfish]

14 hours ago, mlp said:

I was a bit shocked when the judges chose Justin to leave instead of Adrienne.  I don't dislike her but it seems to me that he has been better all along.  Chris Coombs has certainly grown up.  I know that he's well regarded now but he was one of the most obnoxious contestants ever on Chopped.  Maybe the most obnoxious.  

12 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Thank you for this!  When he appeared my first thought was "that's the  jerk who kept popping up on Chopped being as annoying and egotistical as hell".  He was definitely in Chris Burke/Matthew Grunewald territory.

Still can't say I liked him much in tonight's ep.  His protégé should have gone instead of Justin.

I kept stopping the show and looking at him to make sure it was him.  I got all ragey again when I realized it was him.  I couldn't even focus on Adrienne's dish because of it.  

I had Eric, Kelsey, and Adrienne picked for my final three.  I made a final three because I can never remember how many are in the "final" group of the last episode or two.  You'd think by now I'd remember that, but here we are. 

Sara's dishes were both gorgeous on this epi.  That won't make me like her anymore, but her food always seems to look delicious and inviting.  

[carrps]

Dang, is anyone else finding this season as boring as I am? At this point I'm just watching out of habit. It's been a singularly unimpressive season.

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

That food auction has nothing on Survivors.. just sayin' .  I really don't like Sarah, but she is a good chef. I am rooting for anyone but her to win.

[StrictTime]

I like Sara. She has a great palate (blind tasting challenge) and exudes confidence. I’m not in the restaurant industry, but I imagine you have to be almost cocky to survive in that world. And I can’t say she hasn’t backed up that cockiness with some well-received dishes. 

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, StrictTime said:

I like Sara. She has a great palate (blind tasting challenge) and exudes confidence. I’m not in the restaurant industry, but I imagine you have to be almost cocky to survive in that world. And I can’t say she hasn’t backed up that cockiness with some well-received dishes. 

Yeah, she bugged me early on with her "expert on everything" schtick, but lately she's been cooking really good food, and generally seems like a decent person. I don't really understand the over-the-top dislike of her.

[chabelisaywow]

Quote

Voltaggio was very subdued tonight

Didn't all of his restaurants go bankrupt?

[desertflower]

15 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

Anyone else find Oueta's use of "forward" too forward forward?   It was vegetable forward and then not vegetable forward enough.   The salad dressing was flavor forward.   WTH does that mean?   The cherry tomatoes are tomato forward.   Sprinkled with salt made it salt forward.   The parsley salad was herb forward.   The fresh picked vegetables were sweet forward.   And acid forward.  And variety forward.

I never used to hear this phrase, like ever. But now they say it every third word and it drives me crazy. It’s like they sent a memo out instructing everyone to start saying it. 

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

I was amazed anybody got any tomatoes

So were the cheftestants and the guest judge -- there were several "I can't believe you have red tomatoes!" comments.  So someone planted their tomato plant in exactly the right spot (soil and sunshine) and got very lucky. 

[Eulipian 5k]

The Quickfire dishes were so small it looked like mouse food.

13 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I missed it did the show if Adrienne used frozen duck or did this WF have fresh duck?

This. Didn't Eddie have trouble finding fresh-not-frozen ducks for his Ali-MSG fight PYKAG? It seems they purposely avoided showing her buying the duck.

[cpcathy]

There's got to be a middleground between Kelsey's ton of makeup and Sarah's washed out, no-makeup face. I know makeup may be a hassle in the kitchen but c'mon, lady, just a little blusher? She might be the dumpiest winner ever if she gets that far, and yes, I'm being awful.

I REALLY dislike everyone in this final group.

[biakbiak]

11 minutes ago, Eulipian 5k said:

The Quickfire dishes were so small it looked like mouse food.

This. Didn't Eddie have trouble finding fresh-not-frozen ducks for his Ali-MSG fight PYKAG? It seems they purposely avoided showing her buying the duck.

Most likely because there was no drama related to her choice. They either had fresh duck in stock that day or because she really wanted to do a duck dish she went with the frozen and nailed the preparation. While perhaps not ideal it’s not unheard of for chefs to use frozen products.

[cameron]

1 hour ago, chabelisaywow said:

Didn't all of his restaurants go bankrupt?

No, think his original two in Frederick Md. are still handing in there.

[GaT]

8 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I wonder why Sara was the only one who tended to her garden.

Because everyone else was stupid. Did they think they were given a garden just for the fun of it? Of course not, the only reason would be for a challenge. 

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

There's got to be a middleground between Kelsey's ton of makeup and Sarah's washed out, no-makeup face. I know makeup may be a hassle in the kitchen but c'mon, lady, just a little blusher? She might be the dumpiest winner ever if she gets that far, and yes, I'm being awful.

This is a cooking show, not a beauty show or makeup show or fashion show. Miss me with the gendered expectations of how women should look just to make other people happy.

[Eulipian 5k]

There's been a lot of talk about how Padma, Tom, and all the chefs and judges look all along. It is a television show and the comments have been about how men and women look on the show. Top Chef isn't meant to be a staid, PBS documentary of "Chef Masterpiece Theatre".

Btw, Gail! looked great, if not worn out from baby Gail.

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

Top Chef isn't meant to be a staid, PBS documentary of "Chef Masterpiece Theatre".

You realize you're setting up a false equivalence because it suits you, right? This is a ridiculous comparison. The drama in Top Chef, the actual TV show and not what people on message boards talk about, is about the food - not about appearances. And, for what it's worth and in my humble opinion on this here message board, calling someone dumpy is not at all the same thing as people talking about Padma's clothing and hair choices.

Be well.

[Eulipian 5k]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

Most likely because there was no drama related to her choice. They either had fresh duck in stock that day or because she really wanted to do a duck dish she went with the frozen

But Sunny Eddie Money BLEW UP his "Ducks of New York" elimination dish and lost because he didn't think the frozen duck would sell at judges table. They said his dish was perfectly cooked, but it was just chicken (wawk-kwaw).

Is there any "rule"? Stefan once opted for frozen salmon and said properly thawed, it can be as good as fresh.

[Eulipian 5k]

10 minutes ago, hendersonrocks said:

You realize you're setting up a false equivalence because it suits you, right? This is a ridiculous comparison. The drama in Top Chef, the actual TV show and not what people on message boards talk about, is about the food - not about appearances.

Heh, of course it is a ridiculous comparison. This message board is not Top Chef and I don't think any one asked Tom to call anyone dumpy on "the actual TV show". Posters can say as they wish until the moderator steps in.

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, hendersonrocks said:

Miss me with the gendered expectations of how women should look just to make other people happy.

I am a woman who wears makeup maybe twice a year. I HATE how it feels on my face. I can imagine Sara feels the same, especially in a hot kitchen. I find the expectation that women need to rosy up their cheeks and lips to look "nice", but men look just fine au naturel, irritating to say the least. 

[Chit Chat]

7 hours ago, Pickles said:

Interesting how Tom came into the house early in the morning and everyone was supposedly still in bed. But, when they went out in the garden, I noticed Kelsey had obviously had time to get her makeup on. 

They had time to dress, so I'm sure she had a few extra minutes to put her makeup on.

6 hours ago, carrps said:

You mean "trowel" it on? I'm convinced that it's her heavy makeup that causes her to look so matronly and much older than she is. 

I was standing about 3 feet away from her in her store, and she's quite lovely, inside and out!  She was polite and asked if she could help me while I stood at the counter.  She's a very pretty woman. 

5 hours ago, Bucket said:

I bet they had to reshoot that because the blank stares would not have played well!

I'd bet that they knew before going on TC that the finals would be overseas.  That would be important to know before signing on to any reality show.  Their reactions appeared to me that they knew where they were going, but they were just excited to be in the finals and going on the trip.

1 hour ago, GaT said:

Did they think they were given a garden just for the fun of it? Of course not, the only reason would be for a challenge. 

Even though some of the gardens were overgrown with weeds, they all seemed to have enough to prepare a meal with.   The garden doesn't have to be free of weeds in order to get results.  It would've made it easier to find everything though!

16 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I find the expectation that women need to rosy up their cheeks and lips to look "nice", but men look just fine au naturel, irritating to say the least. 

I'd give anything if the men would just put on a damn headband, or anything to collect the sweat rolling off of their foreheads.  That grosses me out every single time I see it. 

[cameron]

7 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

They had time to dress, so I'm sure she had a few extra minutes to put her makeup on.

I was standing about 3 feet away from her in her store, and she's quite lovely, inside and out!  She was polite and asked if she could help me while I stood at the counter.  She's a very pretty woman. 

I'd bet that they knew before going on TC that the finals would be overseas.  That would be important to know before signing on to any reality show.  Their reactions appeared to me that they knew where they were going, but they were just excited to be in the finals and going on the trip.

Even though some of the gardens were overgrown with weeds, they all seemed to have enough to prepare a meal with.   The garden doesn't have to be free of weeds in order to get results.  It would've made it easier to find everything though!

I'd give anything if the men would just put on a damn headband, or anything to collect the sweat rolling off of their foreheads.  That grosses me out every single time I see it. 

Who puts on makeup to do heavy duty cooking.  The heat from the kitchen would melt it off.  If I'm cooking; don't care how I look as long as my food turns out great.

27 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I am a woman who wears makeup maybe twice a year. I HATE how it feels on my face. I can imagine Sara feels the same, especially in a hot kitchen. I find the expectation that women need to rosy up their cheeks and lips to look "nice", but men look just fine au naturel, irritating to say the least. 

Totally agree.  While I do wear makeup when I'm going out; don't bother putting on while I am cooking.

[ratgirlagogo]

17 hours ago, biakbiak said:

17 hours ago, Thumper said:

I'd be right with them!  lol. Why didn't they just say China?  

Because Macau has only been apart of China since 1999 and has a very distinct food culture because of the Portuguese influence. I think I gained 10 lbs when I visited for three days. 

It also has something of a romantic/notorious history as a Sin City, much like Monte Carlo and Havana and (much later) Las Vegas.  A playground for international high rollers, criminals, reckless aristos - i.e., the kind of people who spend a lot on food and drink.

[LennieBriscoe]

Headbands are unisex items; j/s they're good for everyone.

Re: make-up. To each her own.  I used to think mascara was as food,  water, and air for me.  Now I don't remember when I last wore any.  😃 

  But! I said it at the git-go and I'm here to reiterate it: These Lincolnesque beards have got to go! Stop the madness (especially in the kitchen)!

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, cameron said:

Who puts on makeup to do heavy duty cooking.  

One who is going to be on TV.  🙂  FWIW, I didn't think her makeup looked that heavy!

[CrazyInAlabama]

TV makeup is very heavy, or else you can look washed out, especially with outdoor lighting in the garden.

I'm sure they had to know about the overseas travel, just not the destination, and have passports that cover the period they'll be gone.    

I bet the production company took the passports, applied for the visas, and then cancelled the one of the eliminated chefs.    

Edited February 23, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[albarino]

*Raises hand*. I don't think I've ever heard about or of Macau until yesterday.  I don't know much about China so it will be interesting  to see what they show us.  

I don't love or hate Sarah.  Using Iberico ham for a ham and bean soup is mind-blowing; I'm glad it was really great.  I really don't love or hate any of them but I agree this season's meals seem sorta lackluster.  Since I haven't eaten a single bite, is this the editing or is the food sorta meh?

[Lovecat]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I'm sure they had to know about the overseas travel, just not the destination, and have passports that cover the period they'll be gone.    

No to mention you need a visa to go to China, and that can take some time to obtain.

[Bucket]

32 minutes ago, albarino said:

*Raises hand*. I don't think I've ever heard about or of Macau until yesterday.  I don't know much about China so it will be interesting  to see what they show us.  

I don't love or hate Sarah.  Using Iberico ham for a ham and bean soup is mind-blowing; I'm glad it was really great.  I really don't love or hate any of them but I agree this season's meals seem sorta lackluster.  Since I haven't eaten a single bite, is this the editing or is the food sorta meh?

She made a consume with the ham and served it with fish (forgot what kind).  It was a dish her mentor made and she did her own spin on it. 

I have wanted to eat quite a few dishes.  

I think what is happening with this show and other long running reality show is boredom.  It is for me anyway.  Survivor has gone from a cannot miss to background noise as have many others.  

It is time for producers to get off their feather bed and create some new shows.  They are just phoning it in now.

[Chit Chat]

From an article in our local news about Kelsey:  https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/local/kbc-s-kelsey-barnard-clark-among-final-five-in-top/article_b077b514-36dd-11e9-ad7a-87f2badcdf23.html

“Even when you win you’re worried you’re going to go home,” she said. “I never left the state of just total nauseating nervousness … because even when you won that’s just one challenge, one day. You could wake up the next day and totally blow it. We had this joke in the house − you don’t always have to be the best one here, you just can’t be the worst one ever.”  Kelsey

She also talks about the trip to Macau.   "Macau, Clark said, has an interesting culture. The first day there Clark visited Macau’s Red Market, a wet market where vendors will pluck a live fish from a tank, cut the head off and present it to a buyer.  It was the most insane experience,” she said.

Our town is going to host a TC season wrap-up party for her in a couple of weeks.  Win or lose, they just want to celebrate her making it to the finals of TC.  

[xaxat]

On 2/21/2019 at 9:10 PM, Bastet said:

I couldn't believe Sara got that crazy-expensive ham and then used most of it for broth; I was most curious to see how hers turned out, because that was either brilliant or unbelievably stupid.  I’m glad it turned out so well.  She’s come on strong at just the right time.

I remember waay back when the judges  were criticizing the chefs on fiddly plates that didn't honor the cut of meat.

Oh, wait. That was Carne, form a couple of weeks ago.

23 hours ago, susannot said:

Ha!  Duo of risotto/two ways.  Immediate death.

I thought Kelsey was totally PYKAG when she bought canned crab.

12 hours ago, Pickles said:

Interesting how Tom came into the house early in the morning and everyone was supposedly still in bed. But, when they went out in the garden, I noticed Kelsey had obviously had time to get her makeup on. 

You look at the length of the shadows and brightness of the sun in their rooms and it's clear that its not close to being early morning.  I also laughed at the "Oh, I can't believe Tom showed up so early" when they had probably been up for hours.

3 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

It also has something of a romantic/notorious history as a Sin City, much like Monte Carlo and Havana and (much later) Las Vegas.  A playground for international high rollers, criminals, reckless aristos - i.e., the kind of people who spend a lot on food and drink.

I think this is it. Macau, thanks to the rising number of Chinese billionaires, is the hottest gambling spot in the world. Great restaurants follow that kind of money.

[little black cloud]

On 2/21/2019 at 9:56 PM, hendersonrocks said:

Second superficial note: as a similarly buxom lady, I feel like the producers did Sara and her bosoms wrong in that nightgown footage.

Along with “Never make anything two ways,” “Know one killer dessert,” and “Ix-nay on the isotto-ray,” I feel like every chef who’s ever watched this show should know these words of wisdom: “Always wear a sleep bra because one day they’ll barge into your bedroom.”

[Bastet]

49 minutes ago, xaxat said:

I thought Kelsey was totally PYKAG when she bought canned crab.

She used fresh jumbo lump crab (in plastic tubs).  She bought a little can of something, but I don't have the eyesight to have seen what it was.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Bastet

[Kaiju Ballet]

41 minutes ago, xaxat said:

remember waay back when the judges  were criticizing the chefs on fiddly plates that didn't honor the cut of meat.

Oh, wait. That was Carne, form a couple of weeks ago.

Lol. This!

Was Sara also the only one that did a dish that was created by the chef who mentored her? It seemed everyone else interpreted the challenge as their own dish that was somehow inspired by the mentor, not invented by.

Good thing it turned out so delicious, otherwise she would have been dinged for wasting the meat, or for hewing too closely to the chef and not letting enough of her own identity as a chef come through.

I'm also still bitter about Adrienne's mentor-chef being so unnecessarily Tool-ish. Maybe other mentors made similar observations of their mentees that weren't shown, but rushed plating is something that's obvious to everyone and needn't have a further spotlight on it.