S16.E13: Holy Macau!

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

The final five chefs travel to the Chinese territory of Macau; Graham Elliot, who has a restaurant in Macau, introduces the chefs to a market full of fascinating ingredients and challenges; the chefs throw a party celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Air date: February 28, 2019

[Bastet]

I enjoyed the QF so much I didn’t even mind the presence of Graham Elliot.

Only ten minutes to menu plan when you’re about to shop in a foreign market to cook for 200 people?  Ouch. 

I hate black-eyed peas, so I wouldn’t want to eat Kelsey’s dish, but if not for those I very much would, and I thought she did a really great job of combining her traditional New Year’s food with what she found in the local market for their New Year celebration.  I was not surprised to see her win; her dish sounded smart from the word go.

It was nice to see Adrienne walking away disappointed she wouldn't be going further, but not regretting any of the choices she made along the way.

They all made good food, and I look forward to the rest of this final stretch.

LOL at Sara learning a few curse words among standard phrases in preparation for the trip.

[zibnchy]

Sara doesn't seem to have planned for cooking anything that's not "Southern American" food. She goes to Macao and makes shrimp and grits for the Chinese New Year? And she's smug about it. (Also, I'm just so f'ng tired of shrimp and grits.)

Really dislike Kelsey but I know lots of people love her and she's probably going to win because she's blandly pretty, white, and young. And she can cook OK.

Adrienne strikes me as the type of person who is only nice on the very thinnest surface. I worked for many years in a field that has many like this (not restaurants.)

I'm not a cook by any stretch of the imagination so I will confess to thinking for a *very long time* that umami was a kind of mysterious fruit or vegetable. It never occurred to me to look it up. (It wasn't till the kids on Masterchef Junior started using it that I actually looked it up.)

[snappyjo]

I do not like how Padma stood in front of Erics' andJustins 'station, and complained about the heat. Why she

a judge. She has no filter and very little class.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm shocked that Eric challenged the judges' opinion of his food, and survived.     The fact that Adrienne went home instead of him was a total surprise to me after what he said.      I really enjoyed the chef's faces at the market with all of the food that they don't regularly see.   

[Chit Chat]

16 minutes ago, zibnchy said:

Really dislike Kelsey but I know lots of people love her and she's probably going to win because she's blandly pretty, white, and young. And she can cook OK.

They are judged on their food, not by their gender, looks, ethnicity or age.  FWIW, her food is pretty darn good.  I've eaten in her restaurant.  And not that it matters, but she was quite lovely in looks and personality.  YMMV.  

Yay for her win, especially for infusing all of those flavors into her dish.  It looked and sounded tasty.  

[rhys]

Brave & somewhat lucky of all the chefs to buy market ingredients that were edible and even tasty. I can't imagine that happening to 5/6 of my friends.

[zibnchy]

9 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

They are judged on their food, not by their gender, looks, ethnicity or age. 

Sure. Keep telling yourself that.

[Chit Chat]

4 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The fact that Adrienne went home instead of him was a total surprise to me after what he said. 

I thought he was a goner for sure, but then Adrienne challenged them, so that didn't help her cause either!  I thought her dish looked too simple for what they asked for.   

Seems like cauliflower is all the rage now.  I've tried to make mashed potatoes with them, but that didn't turn out very well. Give me a real potato.  I'll take the carbs over mushy cauliflower.  

I'm glad that the chef gave them a tour of the market before their QF challenge.  It would be a daunting task to pick out proteins and other assorted fruits and vegetables that you aren't familiar with and then make something within 45 minutes.  I wasn't sure how Kelsey's dish was going to taste being fried in cornstarch, but it was a close second in the QF, so she did well with her mystery ingredient!  

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, zibnchy said:

because she's blandly pretty, white, and young. And she can cook OK.

This doesn’t really describe any of the past winners of TC. The disappointing winning cooks can’t really be described as pretty. The closest this comes to describing a winner is Brooke and she can definitely cook.

Edited March 1, 2019 by biakbiak

[Straycat80]

I enjoyed seeing the sites of Macau, the food market and the food. I was impressed by everyone cooking with ingredients they weren’t familiar with. 

Both Eric and Adrienne challenged the judges comments, which surprised me, but good for them for standing by what they made.

[Sew Sumi]

1 minute ago, biakbiak said:

This doesn’t really describe any of the past winners of TC.

I dunno. It kind of describes Ilan. 😀

[biakbiak]

Just now, Sew Sumi said:

I dunno. It kind of describes Ilan. 😀

I object to pretty. 

[Sew Sumi]

1 minute ago, biakbiak said:

I object to pretty. 

Hee. That's why I said "kind of." 😊

[Chit Chat]

1 minute ago, zibnchy said:

Sure. Keep telling yourself that.

Looking back on the past 15 winners, ten of those were male (8 being white);  and five being female (2 being white.)   I strongly disagree with your assertion that being white and female is a guaranteed win.  It hasn't proven to be a winning factor thus far, but sure, keep telling yourself that. 😉

[avecsans]

They were telegraphing that Eric would be eliminated so hard that I figured it would be somebody else.  I’m okay with Adrienne leaving because I liked her less and less as the season progressed. I can’t even say why. I’m relieved that Eric made it. It seemed like he was listening to Justin too much and that never works out. (I am still bitter that Carla let Casey talk her into sous-viding her meat in her finale.)

Macao looks like such an interesting place to visit. I did not know about its Portuguese history.

Edited March 1, 2019 by avecsans

[The Solution]

I really liked Kelsey in this episode. She totally embraced Macau and it looks like she prepared really amazing food in both challenges. Even though she's been a little uneven over the course of the season, I hope to see her in the finale.

I've also enjoyed Eric over the course of the season and would have enjoyed eating his food in this episode, He's my other favorite.

I don't want to belabor this, but I really dislike Sara and her food never looks appetizing to me. Even with the Iberico ham, I'm sure I would have fished that out to eat and left the rest of her dish behind. I thought the shrimp and grits were kind of insulting to the setting and to everyone's palate.

The other two leave me cold. I don't care that Adrienne left.

[biakbiak]

1 minute ago, The Solution said:

I'm sure I would have fished that out to eat 

Given that it’s presence was the broth that would have been difficult.

[The Solution]

1 minute ago, biakbiak said:

Given that it’s presence was the broth that would have been difficult.

There were also the paper-thin slices of the ham in the dish. Those are what I would have fished out. 😉

[biakbiak]

1 minute ago, The Solution said:

There were also the paper-thin slices of the ham in the dish. Those are what I would have fished out. 😉

Given that everyone loved it that seems an odd choice but you be you.

[MeLikesTV]

I’m rooting for Eric and was a little worried for him, but then realized that the judges were going after the quantity of Adrienne’s food.  I have a good feeling that he will get into gear, but I do think that Kelsey and Michelle are strong. Sara is quite the wildcard.  

[Ms Lark]

22 minutes ago, The Solution said:

I really liked Kelsey in this episode. She totally embraced Macau and it looks like she prepared really amazing food in both challenges. Even though she's been a little uneven over the course of the season, I hope to see her in the finale.

I haven't cared for her much, but she really did all the right things. I enjoyed her friendship with the shopkeeper and what she learned helped her in the challenges. Well-deserved win.

[zibnchy]

1 hour ago, ChitChat said:

Looking back on the past 15 winners, ten of those were male (8 being white);  and five being female (2 being white.)   I strongly disagree with your assertion that being white and female is a guaranteed win.  It hasn't proven to be a winning factor thus far, but sure, keep telling yourself that. 😉

How did you manage to turn my words "probably going to win" into "guaranteed win"? Do you have a special dictionary for special people? Just ignore me if you don't like what I say but don't put your words in my mouth.

[biakbiak]

On a non food related note I adored Padma’s outfit in the QF! 

I knew Eric wasn’t going home when it was clear that the “I respectful disagree” clip was edited without the fairly genial follow up even from Padma who I thought did a good job clarifying her point and both understood each other after it rather than actually calling out the judges.

[Corgi-ears]

"Thank you. You're a very lovely host." CRY LAUGH EMOJI.

[LennieBriscoe]

Kentucky,  Kentucky,  Kentucky, Kentucky,.....Macau! Um, what? Why?

 Hadn't Adrienne struggled all season with timing? But as noted,  her PYKAG moment began with disputing the judges' critiques. 

[biakbiak]

6 minutes ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Kentucky,  Kentucky,  Kentucky, Kentucky,.....Macau! Um, what? Why?

Because other than last year they always go to a completely different location for the finale and the only reason they didn’t go anywhere last year was because they wanted to film the finale at Food And Wine Classic in Aspen and timed it so there would be no break from the regular season to the finale.

[Yeah No]

I actually enjoyed this episode.  Macau looks like a fascinating place what with both Chinese and Portuguese culture.  I could watch a show based solely on that Red Market.

I like Eric but I am a little bit over his bromance with Justin.  I get it that they really like each other but calm down guys, LOL!  I suppose "The Bears" from last year were a little like that at times too.

I agree with the above that Kelsey is popular because she seems like a really nice, talented person, not because of any category she fits into.  This show has had fan favorites all over the map that way.

Why Macau?  Maybe because Graham has a restaurant there and that gave them the idea to go there?  Maybe he sold them on the idea.

I am not as down on Sara as some on the board, but I did kind of think her choices this week weren't the best and thought she might go home.  I wasn't completely shocked that it was Adrienne, though.  She seemed shocked to be sent home.  I agree with the poster above that the more time went on the less I liked Adrienne and I can't figure out why.

[Yeah No]

Padma looked positively statuesque in that glittery gold gown.  Wow.

[Toothbrush]

I called Adrienne to PYKAG as soon as she said she was the only one of the top 5 who hadn't won an individual elimination challenge. She reminds me of our cats' vet so I've had a soft spot for her, but it was her time to go for sure. 

I thought it was sweet when someone (Michelle? Sarah?) said they were glad Eddie got to represent Happiness & that they were happy to see him smile. 

While Padma's gold dress did not surpass last week's white negligee-like frock in Dr. Toothbrush's heart, he was still very grateful to the TC wardrobe dept. 

6 hours ago, zibnchy said:

Sara doesn't seem to have planned for cooking anything that's not "Southern American" food. She goes to Macao and makes shrimp and grits for the Chinese New Year? And she's smug about it. (Also, I'm just so f'ng tired of shrimp and grits.)

Not just grits, but grits made from freaking cauliflower. I eat low carb, but cauliflower will never be grits, rice, macaroni, mashed potatoes, popcorn, bread, or pizza crust. It doesn't help that I cannot stand it, and when people tell me I won't be able to tell it's in a dish, I can. It's like Tom with okra 

Edited March 1, 2019 by Toothbrush

[Macbeth]

This episode made me miss Anthony Bourdain fiercely. 

I loved Tony's  shows in Asia. And of course he had been to Macau. 

When the chefs went out to dinner, I wanted to know what they were eating. Frankly it looked much more appetizing than what they served up later. 

[HunterHunted]

7 hours ago, avecsans said:

They were telegraphing that Eric would be eliminated so hard that I figured it would be somebody else.  I’m okay with Adrienne leaving because I liked her less and less as the season progressed. I can’t even say why. I’m relieved that Eric made it. It seemed like he was listening to Justin too much and that never works out. (I am still bitter that Carla let Casey talk her into sous-viding her meat in her finale.)

Macao looks like such an interesting place to visit. I did not know about its Portuguese history.

Except that the exact thing that Justin warned Eric about was what the judges criticized in Eric's dish. Justin's certainly not an expert in all Asian cooking, but he also grew up cooking Japanese food with his mom and grandmother. Though I didn't grow up cooking those flavors, I absolutely agreed with Justin that lychee is too light and floral to stand up to curry.

[Nidratime]

5 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

 Hadn't Adrienne struggled all season with timing? But as noted,  her PYKAG moment began with disputing the judges' critiques. 

Yes, she did struggle with timing. I started out liking her, but Adrienne's gotten on my nerves over time. I particularly don't like how she constantly called Sarah "mama". Does anyone else do that? Did Sarah invite her to? Unfortunately, we can't taste the food. We can only see it. So, much of our own evaluation of the contestants has to do with personalities and interactions rather than having the benefit of tasting their dishes. For that reason, I also don't really like Sarah either! She tends to take her losses out on others rather than blaming herself. I especially disliked how she got all pissy -- at Adrienne, no less -- for calling her out on using a waffle mix during that arena challenge because, clearly, Adrienne made her do it. It bothered Sarah that they were calling her out IN KENTUCKY, where SHE'S FROM ... in case we had forgotten. Well, unfortunately, Sarah, that's where the show is filming and no one's is going to be easy on you because you may know someone in the audience and it might affect your business. I mean, them's the chances you took, and if you were going to be ultra sensitive to any bad outcome based on where the show was filming, then you should've applied to be on the show another year. Hope she doesn't have any special connections to Macao.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Nidratime

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, zibnchy said:

How did you manage to turn my words "probably going to win" into "guaranteed win"? Do you have a special dictionary for special people?

My apologies for the mistake, but I do stand by my post in that those particular traits don't make for a probable win either.  

Edited March 1, 2019 by ChitChat

[rafibomb]

36 minutes ago, Nidratime said:

Yes, she did struggle with timing. I started out liking her, but Adrienne's gotten on my nerves over time. I particularly don't like how she constantly called Sarah "mama". Does anyone else do that? Did Sarah invite her to? Unfortunately, we can't taste the food. We can only see it. So, much of our own evaluation of the contestants has to do with personalities and interactions rather than having the benefit of tasting their dishes. For that reason, I also don't really like Sarah either! She tends to take her losses out on others rather than blaming herself. I especially disliked how she got all pissy -- at Adrienne, no less -- for calling her out on using a waffle mix during that arena challenge because, clearly, Adrienne made her do it. It bothered Sarah that they were calling her out IN KENTUCKY, where SHE'S FROM ... in case we had forgotten. Well, unfortunately, Sarah, that's where the show is filming and no one's is going to be easy on you because you may know someone in the audience and it might affect your business. I mean, them's the chances you took, and if you were going to be ultra sensitive to any bad outcome based on where the show was filming, then you should've applied to be on the show another year. Hope she doesn't have any special connections to Macao.

Sara called Adrienne "mama" once in this episode as well. I guess that's just what the, ahem, kids are doing these days? 

[Fukui San]

I don't know enough about Macau specific cuisine to say whether it's particularly spice driven. This list of Iconic Macau Foods doesn't seem particularly spicy. I know Hong Kong Cantonese cuisine is typically seen as lighter and milder than Szechuan food which is very spicy. So I'm not quite sure whether Padma's "Well, this is the place that you can go spicy" comment is accurate or not.

I'm glad to see the chefs embrace the local cuisine and not go "Ew! Thousand Year Old Eggs!" like we've seen a lot.

[SuzWhat]

11 hours ago, avecsans said:

They were telegraphing that Eric would be eliminated so hard that I figured it would be somebody else.  I’m okay with Adrienne leaving because I liked her less and less as the season progressed. I can’t even say why. I’m relieved that Eric made it. It seemed like he was listening to Justin too much and that never works out. (I am still bitter that Carla let Casey talk her into sous-viding her meat in her finale.)

Macao looks like such an interesting place to visit. I did not know about its Portuguese history.

I know - why was I worried for Eric when he challenged the judges but mad that Adrienne did it?  I guess because I don't like her.  I can't say why exactly.  I feel she gets a bitchy edit.  Rightly or wrongly.   

I want either Eric to win or Kelsie (I forget how to spell her name). 

[Ohiopirate02]

One thing I found odd in this episode is the way Michelle is almost edited out completely.  She was in the top for both the Quickfire and EC but she was barely visible in the second half of the episode.  There are only 5 chefs left at this point, and I don't see why she was left on the cutting room floor while the other 4 chefs were featured.  With the way that she has been edited, I can't imagine her winning it all.  She has been in the background since day one and I don't understand this edit.  She won LCK to get back into the competition and she didn't even warrant coverage in the early episodes.  

[Bucket]

12 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I wasn't sure how Kelsey's dish was going to taste being fried in cornstarch,

It is commonly done on chicken and vegetables.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Bucket

[Mr. Miner]

39 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

One thing I found odd in this episode is the way Michelle is almost edited out completely.

Thank you Bravo!

[twilightzone]

41 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

One thing I found odd in this episode is the way Michelle is almost edited out completely.  She was in the top for both the Quickfire and EC but she was barely visible in the second half of the episode.  There are only 5 chefs left at this point, and I don't see why she was left on the cutting room floor while the other 4 chefs were featured.  With the way that she has been edited, I can't imagine her winning it all.  She has been in the background since day one and I don't understand this edit.  She won LCK to get back into the competition and she didn't even warrant coverage in the early episodes.  

It could be she doesn't have that much interesting stuff on film. 

At least at this point, we know the winner won't be another white guy. 

[Chit Chat]

Was it Adrienne's dish that burned Padma's palate?  Was it the spice, or that the dish was hot temperature-wise?  I didn't hear that part clearly.

As far as the editing, I take a lot of what I see personality-wise with a grain of salt.  These shows edit them to the narrative they want.  As far as telegraphing a win, it's hard to say.  I think any of the remaining 4 have as good a chance of winning as the other.  They all seem to be really good chefs.  They have to be on point with every dish, and in this kind of competition, just one little eff-up sends you home.  I'm always baffled though by the dishes that are way too salty.  How do the chefs not catch that while making their food?

[Bucket]

2 minutes ago, ChitChat said:

Was it Adrienne's dish that burned Padma's palate?  Was it the spice, or that the dish was hot temperature-wise?  I didn't hear that part clearly.

It was thermally hot. 

[AriAu]

Congrats to the cheftestants for finally cooking like true Top Chefs. Those were some very creative and well executed dishes and all were cooking out of their comfort zones. While Sara may have made "shrimp and grits"/cooked her food, she did it with an asian flavor profile, as did each other highly qualified and well trained cheftestant. They cooked with ingredients with which they were not truly familiar and cooked food that the judges uniformily thought was terrific. For the first time this season, they all seemed to kick it up a notch.

Maybe I am naive or maybe I trust Tom etal too much (I dont trust the Dancing Elves, but I do trust Tom), but I don't buy the narrative that the judges are picking the best story/winner that meets some profile. I do believe that the judges pick the cheftestant that made the worst or least successful dish to go home and ultimately pick the winner based on who performed the best ON THAT DAY. Last season, this board was full of complaints about "don't they know how it looks to pick the white guy" and "wouldn't it be great to have a winner who was a woman of color"...and I believe that none of that should matter-the winner should be whomever cooked the best meal that day...and on that day, in Aspen, it was Joe Flamm.  It should never be about the story and always about the FOOD.  They may edit the tape to create drama or meet a story line, but the ultimate decisions have to be based on who did the best job/cooked the best food, as decided by the people who actually got to taste the food. Last night, Kelsey's food was great , so she won (or PPYKAstayed) and Adrienne's food was the least great so she PPYKAwent. 

In other words, never forget that we get an edited package and we don't get to taste the food

Edited March 2, 2019 by AriAu

[carrps]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

One thing I found odd in this episode is the way Michelle is almost edited out completely.  She was in the top for both the Quickfire and EC but she was barely visible in the second half of the episode.  There are only 5 chefs left at this point, and I don't see why she was left on the cutting room floor while the other 4 chefs were featured.  With the way that she has been edited, I can't imagine her winning it all.  She has been in the background since day one and I don't understand this edit.  She won LCK to get back into the competition and she didn't even warrant coverage in the early episodes.  

I think it's just because she's not a BIG personality or makes weird faces all the time (Sara), so she's not as telegenic. She's low key in personality and her personal style, and the Magic Elves like BIG.

[Pickles]

Michelle's voice is just so annoying to me. Just so whiney sounding.

[MerBearHou]

13 minutes ago, Pickles said:

Michelle's voice is just so annoying to me. Just so whiney sounding.

Ditto that.  Michelle is clearly a talented chef and very nice, but her voice and personality would put me to sleep.  She is super boring IMO.

I love Eric and he was basically forced to pair up with his pal Justin (I thought that was not cool -- the two black guys were both chosen last).  I love seeing their friendship.

I am predicting a Kelsey win.  She is talented and so adaptable with curveballs and seems to really "get it" that you should embrace where you are cooking.  That's playing the Top Chef game in a smart manner.  She hones in on the themes very, very well.  No, Kelsey is not my favorite by a long shot but I do respect her abilities.

Sara is, by far, my least favorite. 

[HappyDancex2]

I gave Sara a pass when she arrived at the hotel for looking like a slovenly mess....long trip, that's OK.   Not everyone feels the need to look put together on TV.   But when she got dressed for their dinner out her hair looked like she had come from hot yoga and I couldn't get over the fact that her elbows were constantly on the table.   When they showed her take a bite of food she opened her mouth and rested the entire bottom of the spoon in her gaping  pie hole.   Her lack of manners just leaps off the screen.

I mean seriously.

What you do at home is one thing but you need to dial it back in front of others in nice places.   The other ladies didn't look hair and makeup to the nines either but they all sat up straight in their chairs and tried to act like civilized adults.   Sara eats like someone who is trashed at Whataburger at 3am.   Not that I would know what that's like but I'm speculating.

[dleighg]

11 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I could watch a show based solely on that Red Market.

So true. That was amazing. It reminded me a bit of La Boqueria in Barcelona, but with even more exotic and abundant food.

[HappyDancex2]

I loved Padma in her gold dress.  2000 points for not showing up in a red satin dress with a mandarin collar and chopsticks in her hair.   Not a fan of Graham's jacket but for him that's almost toned down.  Considering he has a restaurant there I would have expected him to blend in a bit more and feel like that is ok.  A nod or appreciation of culture is not a costume or fabric choice.  

When Adrienne got eliminated all I thought was I would have loved to see Justin in that round.   Adrienne just wasn't a stand out the whole season.   I do appreciate seeing her cook....I just had a pang for Justin for some reason.   The editing elves were trying hard to make it seem like Eric was going home.  Nice try elves.

It was a bit ironic that Adrienne wanted to block the other chefs from using ginger (although there are quite a few types) and her lack of highlighting the ginger didn't help her cause.   I also didn't really take offense to the chef order of picking.  I thought it was clever to attach chefs to ingredients...that's a nice twist that should stay.   But it seems like people mostly picked based on the soux they wanted.  It didn't read to me that the 2 black guys were last.  These cheftestants seem pretty buddy buddy with each other....I thought it was rather a gift that Justin and Eric were conveniently left for each other.  But as always YMMV.

I thought Kelsey and what's his name looked like Ken and Barbie cooking LOL.   Clever that he had a background in Asian cuisine.