Top Chef Postmortem - Episode 12

Aaaaaaaaaand, there was much rejoicing.

As mentioned, I had hoped Leah was going to make the finals, but I realize I was in a significant minority in that regard.

That said, hoooooooo buddy, a nailbiter. It seemed clear that Leah was going, but I know I wasn't the only one who was sweating. That was a little too close to total disaster for my tastes.

I'll let you guys comment for a while and jump in later.

Oh... and what I said about Carla's chances of making the final final final and that New Orleans couldn't be any more squarely in her wheelhouse? Looks like it's a catering challenge. So apparently, it can.

Discuss!

UPDATE : I'd just like to add to Fabio's chicken discussion by saying there's perfect, and then there's PERFECT. Sounds like his fell in the latter category. I agree, I'm glad to see him go in on a win, but it took him getting something he could rock up and down at just the right time and I'm not sure it means much other than his grandmother made one amazing roast chicken. Sounds like he really caught a break (ha!).

Comments

[aaalex]

The moment that frightened me most was when Stefan, finally, responded to Hosea saying "Hosea doesn't have the balls to be top chef". Stefan sounded angry, so I wondered if he'd been sent home. This was the first time Stefan responded in kind too Hosea, so it feels as if Hosea is getting to Stefan, not the other way around. Glad that Leah went home, but it felt like it could be Stefan.

Wasn't that impressed with either of the front runners, though. The squab was okay, but simple. The chicken was okay, but it was roast chicken. Not difficult. Hard to tell how good either Carla or Fabio actually is from the dishes they cooked tonight.

[karenology]

I agree with the person who commented on the last thread - the editors are so cruel! Just based on the episode alone, I was sure Stefan was going home. I'm happy at the outcome, of course, but I'm still waiting for Tom's blog to show up so that I can get the insight that wasn't revealed in the show.

[canasian]

And creative editing rears its ugly head to try and make us believe that the three passably good and largely redeemable dishes became crimes to the palate in the time it took to drive from the restaurant to Judges' Table.

Well, I, like Dom, would rather have Leah in the finals than Fabio, but if he had to make it, at least he made it by winning and not barely sliding through.

[madge]

In regards to the first finale challenge being catering, it might be an advantage for Stefan and Carla, but it's somewhat of a tradition from past seasons. In Season 4, the final three were determined by catering that party at the Puerto Rican governor's mansion (or similar). That's when Dale left Stephanie's pork out all night, but saved the day with the chicharrones. I think season 2 also had a catering challenge in the finale -- I'm remembering Marcel making some kind of pineapple "poi."

[aaalex]

Also: loved Fabio, as usual. But is it me or does Wylie Dufresne seem like a self-satisfied and arrogant d*ckhead?

[Independent George]

Quick thoughts:

1. Is it me, or did Leah look relieved to be eliminated?
2. As soon as Stefan said Hosea didn't have the balls to win, I was convinced he was gone. Thankfully, I was wrong.
3. Is anybody else getting annoyed with Hosea's obsession with Stefan? It's not quite on the level of Ilan/Marcel, but it's still irritating. I think it demonstrates a lot of insecurity. I think it would have been way funnier if Stefan were just completely oblivious to his challenges, instead of needling him.
4. I absolutely loved the elimination challenge.
5. How the heck do the judges eat that much food without exploding? I think I would have been full after the Eggs Benedict, regardless of how thin the hollandaise was.

[Jason]

Holy cow...I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I'll add more tomorrow. Geez.

[KinderJ]

I disagree Aaalex. This was the episode that was all about the triumph of simplicity. Yes, these were simple (as in 'not a lot of ingredients or complex techniques') dishes, but Fabio and Carla did them perfectly or near perfectly. I am reminded of that old anecdote about the Pope who asked Renaissance painter Giotto to demonstrate why he deserved a rather large contract from the Vatican. In response, Giotto drew a perfect circle freehand. Hard to argue with perfection, even if it's simple. The flavors are classic and satisfying, and just what the judges wanted. I was very impressed. Oh, and Fabio won with a freaking broken finger. Lets just ruminate on that a moment. Broken finger. Won. Yeah. I was shocked that Stefan overcooked salmon. You would never have thought he would make a mistake like that. I mean never.

[karenology]

non-related quibble with this episode: what was up with the SciFi channel, alien abduction movie style lighting! Not appetizing.

[Hoo]

HOOTIE!

[anon man]

Forzza Italiano! Sorry, had to get that off my chest. Great episode, and can't really argue with any of it. My two totally random comments:

1. How lucky/planned/fixed(?) was it that the Finn got the Swede, the French trained got Pepin, and the Italian got the Slovenian (sorry, inside Italian history joke).

2. Why did Stefan do creamed and uncreameed spinach? Does anyone know Swedish or Finnish cuisine with some expertise? Does one prefer cream in their spinach and one not? Really an odd decision in the grand scheme of things. Bueller???

Hootie Hoo!

[aaalex]

Kinder: good point. But I still feel a little at a loss about both Fabio and Carla. What kind of imaginations do they have, as chefs? Fabio made a good roast chicken, according to his grandmother's recipe. He's done little all competition that tells me he's much more competent, except spottily, you know? From time to time, he can do something well, but ... would you win top chef with a roast chicken and (airplane) salad and what does a well done roast chicken tell you about a chef?

As to Carla: I really like her. I hope she makes it to the end. But: who is she? I guess you could argue that, with this squab, she steps a little further onto the classic technique tarmac. So, she knows her French cooking technique and made Pepin happy. But this show didn't really nail her cooking style down (for me anyway). So, I'm still wondering with her (as with Fabio) how far from their comfort zones they can go, how surprising they can be. Because I don't think either is going to win with what they've cooked so far.

The broken finger thing was great though, you're right. I'm just still a little perplexed by both of them.

(If Stefan had gone home, he would have deserved it. Overcooking salmon is pretty much like ... like ... oh, I don't know ... leaving scales on the salmon when you serve it.)

[Steve]

While I love creativity, in the end, as the judges keep reminding us, it is about good food, regardless of what went into it. Sometimes creativity is a mandate. Tonight, the judges made clear they were looking for simply good food, even if it was simple.

Stefan scared the heck out of me. That was too simple a mistake for him to make. Yikes.

Carla came through (again!). Yay!!! She's a riot. And she's proved she can cook!

Finally, I have always had Fabio higher up in the race. But like you all, I was concerned about his technical mistakes - largely with how he cooked his proteins, even if his sauces and sides were delicious. Well, he brought it together like I knew he could.

Final two: Stefan and Carla.

[jse91]

Yea Carla! I thought the quickfire was really interesting. It was like some of them were paying no attention. Wylie says eggs are my favorite thing in the world to eat and some of them think: "Gee, I will make something that looks, but doesn't taste, like eggs." What was up with that?

[aaalex]

Je91: I agree but Stefan actually came in second in the QF by making something that doesn't taste like eggs. So ... they'd probably guessed right about Dufresne's headspace.

[Dom's cousin]

Independent George: "How the heck do the judges eat that much food without exploding? I think I would have been full after the Eggs Benedict, regardless of how thin the hollandaise was."

I wonder that every single episode. At least with the judges you figure maybe they only take a few bites, but the fish lunch challenge really had me going. Did they really all eat six whole pieces of fish? One of the many mysteries of TC...why no one weighs 500 lbs. by the end of filming.

Anyway, glad to see that everyone had the good sense to stay away from the ostrich eggs (or whatever those were). It seems so long ago that we had the giant egg disaster, doesn't it?

If nothing else, Fabio is consistent every week by saying something that makes me bust out laughing and/or spit out my dinner. That bit about cutting off his finger and searing it on the grill was hysterical. And big agree that he gets mad props for winning the challenge with a broken finger.

Go Carla! I love how she was so cool and collected during both the QF and the EC. I think she's really come into her own and she's going to give Stefan a run for his money. Someone asked in the other thread if we would be satisfied with anyone other than Stefan winning...at this point I would be completely satisfied if either one of them wins.

This may seem petty but since Hosea and Stefan are both bald, I wonder why Hosea's head is always dripping with sweat and Stefan's isn't. I choose to believe it's Hosea's insecurity about being up against Stefan coming out of his sweat glands. But even if it's just hot in the kitchen, dude, wear a bandana or something. Ick.

[kit]

Did Toby say he likes his egg *whites* runny??? Is that, like, a thing that people like? Did I misunderstand him? Oh, if only he were around for Jamie's TV show demo, ha!

[toro]

At least Toby didn't embarrass himself too much, with some pathetic attempt at humor, in front of that vastly smarter crowd of judges (at least on television!!!)

[Lou]

There have been episodes over the past seasons where a roast chicken has been a true test of a chef. It is deceptively simple but delivering a bird that is well roasted with moist flavorful meat is a rare feat. From what was said Carla lost out because of time under the heat lamp and that pushed her squab just over. The birds (and the shrimp, for that matter) are probably the most difficult of the dishes to time and deliver perfectly in restaurant service.
I tend to forget that all this happened well back and what we comment on the editing and such in the show can only affect next season (this one is long over). I am glad Leah is finally gone but for me it was a toss up.
I'm looking forward to the finals and I think it is more a contest between Stephan and Carla than the others.

[karenology]

kit: haha, the look on Dufresne's face when Toby said that was hilarious!

[aaalex]

Lou: good comment and I suppose you're right. Maybe it is a rare feat to deliver a roast chicken that's moist within a given amount of time. I'd like to think that Top Chef means you can do that consistently, though. That you can do a roast chicken or squab or salmon in the time you're given. But here's a question: would you award Top Chef in a roast chicken cook off? I mean: see who does the chicken (or salmon or beef) best and give award to them? Ariane might well have been the best chef on the show, if it had come to that...

[KinderJ]

It's a bit of a bugger isn't it? It's somebody's last meal, so they want something comforting and familiar. On the other hand, you want your food to really shine and stand out. How much will a perfectly made (but ancient and staid) dish stand out? Fabio has been citing his grandmother as the last word in flavor and presentation all season, and most of the time, that has not been a good choice for him. Tonight, he nailed it. Salad aside. Yeesh. Words you do not want to hear from a judge... Carla, hmmm... I think Carla is a little more creative than she gets credit for. Sure, simple homey food is her comfort zone, but that classical training lets her do things with it that are more unusual. Those green eggs? I could not tell you how she pulled that off technically. Did she add stuff to the yokes when she put them in the pan, then slowly turned up the heat? I don't know. I do think that she has not been pushed out of her comfort zone until these last few episodes. She has been steadily plodding along producing generally adequate food, but now she is compelled to raise her game. I expect good things from her in the finals.

As for Hosea, I just cannot get exited about his food. I just cannot. I'm not a seafood guy, so that's a factor, sure. Beyond that, I just feel like his food is disconnected. He seems so concerned with putting his spin on things that he does not consider what made the dish he is spinning good. Going back to that farm episode, I feel like a classic roast leg of lamb would just have rocked the show there. Instead they rolled the meat. I just wonder why? I sort of blame Blais for this, and maybe Marcel too. Their dishes were so off the wall and idiosyncratic that people thought that was the way to get to the finals. Getting a little far afield here.

Leah... well from some of the interviews with the judges on the Bravo web page, it sounds like those runny yokes and broken sauce were just inexcusable. I think this gets back to the difficulty of perfection. It was a simple dish, and as such any defect was magnified many times over.

Stefan's dish just mystifies me. I mentioned this above, but who here would have bet any sum of money, at any odds, that he would mistime cooking salmon? I really thought from the comments that he was done. Not so much the edits, just the judges comments. Overcooking salmon at this late stage in the game? The man dodged a major bullet tonight.

[Cici]

I thought Tom looked really impatient when Toby was finding good things to say about Leah's dish, almost as if he really wanted to bust out a comment on past performances but knew that wasn't supposed to be relevant. I also found it noteworthy that when commenting on the quickfire Wylie specifically mentioned that Carla choosing to do just one thing rather than 2 or 3 things really was to her advantage. It illustrated how, despite his reputation being built on what he does differently, at the core of his cooking he was in consensus with what we consistently hear from the judges--keep it simple. (Poor Jeff would have floundered hard this week if he'd made it this far.) I also wonder how much that specific feedback influenced Carla's decision (which was so universally admired) to do such an understated elimination dish.

...And, it seems we have another "it's not Top ____" gem from Fabio!

[Independent George]

"Did Toby say he likes his egg *whites* runny??? Is that, like, a thing that people like? Did I misunderstand him?"

He's English.

[katja]

Did anyone else get the impression that Toby was trying to convince the other judges NOT to send Leah home? He defended her in a couple of conspicuous ways -- the runny egg white comment wasn't the only one.

And I LOVED that Fabio deliberately kept his injured hand behind his back when presenting his dish -- so the judges wouldn't take that into consideration? Very classy.

[Dreamboat]

Perhaps the top two dishes were very simple, but all of the "last supper" requests were simple. How hard is Eggs Benedict? You have to get the Hollandaise right and make a perfect poached egg. Also the shrimp scampi and salmon were not rocket science. BUT, you have to cook the protein perfectly in all of the dishes.

It seemed that it ame down to the 2 who did not cook the protein perfectly -- Leah and Stephan. Thankfully Stefan stayed because I think a finale without him would be sub par. JMHO

[Allison]

Even though I hated the outcome of last week’s challenge, can’t argue with Jamie's departure ... and it took me a week to get over it, I really enjoyed that challenge.

And I liked this week’s even more, although the craziness continues. I was beginning to get concerned about the finals not having any of my favorite chefs. If Stefan had been asked to PPYKAG, I would have come close to throwing some things.

Fabio on top? Stefan overcooking salmon? (I confess that I was a bit worried when he drew Marcus Samuelsson combined with his level of confidence in the edited footage seemed like a set-up … my favorite simple quick salmon recipe is from M.S. & I expected the judging on how the fish was cooked to be precise).

I’m not at all sorry to see Leah go. I had much higher hopes for her in the beginning, but by tonight’s episode even hearing her voice annoyed me. That said, after watching her exit video on Bravo, which confirmed my sense that she was tired & not ready for prime time, I have to agree that in some ways being on TC in NYC, her home, yet not for the time being, had to be an added burden.

Cooking for Jacques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich, Marcus Samuelsson, Wylie Dufresne and Susan Ungaro? Awesome.

I’m with the group that thinks now that the show heads to New Orleans, Carla’s chances of winning go up (when she started to “emerge” I don’t think I realized how close we were to the finals). I still don’t see Fabio at the top (roast chicken simply doesn't seal the deal for me), but who knows anymore?

Final note: I’ve really enjoyed seeing the cooperation in the kitchen. This group of chefs as a whole seems to be very professional and supportive of each other.

[aaalex]

Dreamboat: I'm kind pf thinking you're right (and Kinder and Lou), that with the protein it may not be the most difficult thing to do in theory but you have to do it right when you're called on to do it. By that standard, you can't take anything away from Fabio or Carla, however much I might have wished both had cooked something more striking. They get to cook more striking things in the finals. So, it'll be good to see what they pull out.

On the other hand: Leah didn't lose for her protein. She lost for her thin hollandaise.

[KinderJ]

Aaalex- I totally agree that you would expect anyone seriously competing for the title of Top Chef, especially this late in the game, to be able to execute a perfect simple roast chicken, squab or salmon ten times out of ten. I also agree it's not the type of food I think of when I think of four star cuisine. That being said, I attribute Fabio's and Carla's success in this episode to being the two people who really understood this challenge. This was about the very last meal you would eat before you died. This was a dish about nostalgia and warmth and comfort and familiarity. This was a dish about the good times when life was simple and safe. Fabio and Carla reached back to those primal tastes, to those memories, and made them sing. That is a very special thing, and it sort of blows me away. When Chef Tom said that Fabio's chicken was a dish his restaurant would be known for, I was very impressed.

Katja- I agree that it looked like Fabio was hiding his hand from the judges, both when he presented the dish and at judges table, but also when Chef Tom came and visited the kitchen. On the other hand, I don't remember who said it, but someone did ask at judges table whether the broken hand should be taken into consideration for the judging.

[aaalex]

KinderJ: Interesting, isn't it, that Tom said Fabio's chicken would be a dish his (Fabio's) restaurant would be known for, if he opened a restaurant in NYC. When Jeff left the show, (in an interview with people, was it?) he complained about the simple roast chicken served at Coliccio' restaurant Craft, saying he felt it was a crim eto be charged premium prices for such simple, grandmotherly food.

[Lou]

aaalex: most definitely I would award Top Chef in a roast chicken cook off. Over the years I have moved from the fussy and complicated (and still try them) to looking for the essence and pure flavors. I'm far down the list of accomplished and or experienced cooks that comment here but over time I have learned to savor the richness of an uncomplicated but well executed dish. The "simple" dish is difficult because there is little you can do to save it when something goes wrong. If a bird that is moist, flavorful and has good mouth feel. A dry chicken (or turkey for example) is hidden under a gravy and no matter how good the gravy it is still a dry bird. A steak (or any beef dish) cooked to well-done no matter the quality of the seasoning or sauce is a tough chew for me.

[jse91]

I think that Jacques Pepin must be the most gracious, lovely, generous person in the world. He found something good to say about everyone's dish. And the way he greeted Carla when she brought the food out was so kind and friendly. What an amazing man.

[Independent George]

I appreciate Fabio's willingness to do a Ronnie Lott, but did he ever explain how, exactly, did he break his finger? It's not like he smashed it (which would be sort-of understandable). He appears to have bent the entire thing backwards. That makes no sense to me. If I were to rank the likelihood of kitchen accidents, that wouldn't even make my Top-10:

1. Mandolin accident: every time I see a shot of a chef using a mandolin without a hand-guard, I cringe
2. Oyster shucking: sharp knife + slippery protein = nothing good
3. Run with scissors (or knife): I remember when Hung nearly impaled Casey in season 3. This seems especially dangerous early in the competition.
4. Too hot to handle: the only reason this isn't higher is that they don't appear to use much cast iron, but I can't count the number of times I've grabbed a hot iron handle without thinking.
5. Knife slippage: self explanatory.
6. Pressure cooker: I know the modern ones are much better designed, but I always still expect to see one of them things explode.
7. Spillage: everybody spills. Everybody runs. Something's got to give.
8. Electrocution: lot's of chefs, lots of appliances, lots of liquids being poured/spilled, not a heck of a lot of time, space, or attention to one's surroundings.
9. Grease fire: it happens all the time.
10. Hansel & Gretel: losing your balance while leaning into a hot oven.

[DPP]

What's up with Fabio's 1994 haircut in New Orleans?

[KinderJ]

Aaalex: Yeah, that did sort of intrigue me. The only time I have eaten at one of Tom's restaurants was at Voyses (sp?) down in SC. Somebody told me he was the exec chef there. Anyhow. All the food and sides were served separately, sort of family 'everybody share' style, and they were all simply prepared. I had the wagyu skirt steak and it was quite simply the best piece of beef I have ever had in my entire life. And I do mean simply. I tried to guess how it was cooked and all I could think of was 'salt, pepper and the taste of rosemary got in there somehow but buggered if I see the slightest trace of it.' It was utterly stripped down and free from all unnecessary addition. Not minimalist, just... perfect. The thing that I think throws a lot of chefs in this competition, and I guess at some restaurants as well, is the belief that the more complex a dish is, the better it is. I almost think it's a way of compensating for not being able to do a simple thing perfectly. You disguise the imperfection with clutter. Chef Tom, be it with the chicken, beef or whatever, is demonstrating with his cooking that simple and perfect is better than complex and flawed. That may be an oversimplification, and people will probably disagree, but that's my reading of all of this.

[aaalex]

Lou: so, we get to the heart of the matter. There are some who feel that executing basic things (getting the timing right on a protein) is the hallmark of a great chef and some who feel that you shouldn't even be called a chef if you can't get the protein right, whatever the protein might be. To the second group, it's kind of understood that, if you're a chef, you know how to do the proteins, so why dwell on it?

I don't know where I fall, exactly.
I'd be shocked if I went into a great restaurant and was served a horrid piece of meat. (It happened here in Toronto and I've never been back to the restaurant, despite the chef's reputation.) But if I went into a "great" restaurant and all I came away with was nicely done protein ... I'd be happy, but I wouldn't go to the place when I was in the mood for a kick to the taste buds, you know?

[Independent George]

Ok, Fabio's interview on the Bravo website indicates it was #7 on my list:

"I took a corner and I did fall due to the wet floor and my pinky was dislocated, so it got very swollen and I coud not move my whole hand."

I was thinking concussion or broken wrist; I'm not sure how you land on your pinky, but it's not unheard of.

[Allison]

aaalex, I have to say that I agree with Jeff in his exit interview that I very rarely order this type of food in a restaurant. Roast chicken is simply too easy to make at home & much cheaper. Not to mention the leftover chicken soup, salad, stock ...

That said, of course, I didn't taste the dish.

[KinderJ]

I had a dish once at a very fine Italian restaurant in London. It was a pumpkin ravioli with aniseed and a very simple sauce. I never had anything like it. The flavors were strong but complex and layered. You could really feel the textural difference between the ravioli and the filling that made both seem special. That is the sort of dish I think of when I think of creative fine dining. Someone taking a classic and improving it beyond all recognition. I get the feeling that's what Carla did with her peas. Pepin seemed really blown away by them. I really loved this episode because of little things like that.

Aaalex- I think that if you are cooking for a panel like that, you damn well better know how to cook your protean. I hate overcooked meat with a passion bordering on the holy, and conversely, undercooked bird and pork is downright dangerous. The key issue here for me, because as you point out a pro is going to know how to cook protean, is the ability to consistently cook that protean perfectly. Every time it leaves the kitchen, it's perfect. That's why I really don't rate Fabio's chances is the finals. Too inconsistent with his food. It seems like it's almost always over or under cooked. That's also what shocked me about Stefan. Usually he is utterly consistent and generally produces the good stuff. One thing we both agree about though- I would not pay top dollar for a nicely done bit of food. You pay the big bucks for excellence.

[Allison]

Independent George -- my thoughts exactly. I've been involved with #1,#4,#5,#7 & #9 ... and the 1st 3 have happened more than once. Thanks for the list.

1. Mandolin accident: every time I see a shot of a chef using a mandolin without a hand-guard, I cringe
2. Oyster shucking: sharp knife + slippery protein = nothing good
3. Run with scissors (or knife): I remember when Hung nearly impaled Casey in season 3. This seems especially dangerous early in the competition.
4. Too hot to handle: the only reason this isn't higher is that they don't appear to use much cast iron, but I can't count the number of times I've grabbed a hot iron handle without thinking.
5. Knife slippage: self explanatory.
6. Pressure cooker: I know the modern ones are much better designed, but I always still expect to see one of them things explode.
7. Spillage: everybody spills. Everybody runs. Something's got to give.
8. Electrocution: lot's of chefs, lots of appliances, lots of liquids being poured/spilled, not a heck of a lot of time, space, or attention to one's surroundings.
9. Grease fire: it happens all the time.
10. Hansel & Gretel: losing your balance while leaning into a hot oven.

[aaalex]

KinderJ: Damn. That pumpkin ravioli sounds really really good. I'm going to bed, before i start eating.

[Independent George]

Television Without Pity has a list of season 5 misfires, and they all pretty much echo the comments here - particularly the last one:

"Stefan is Not a Villain, No Matter How Many Times You Tell Us He Is - Every few minutes this season, the cheftestants have explicitly complained at length about how evil Stefan is, and how he's so difficult, and "Oh, he's food Hitler" and whatnot, but aside from his "rivalry" with Hosea -- which Hosea himself fuels as much as Stefan does -- and his mildly lecherous dealings with Jamie, all Stefan really does is help his teams win challenges, be a really good chef, and actually be surprisingly positive and comforting after botched challenges and stew room goodbyes. Yes, he is very confident, but he's also the best chef there, which means he is not over-confident. Being so good you make everyone jealous does not make you a Top Chef villain, it just makes you the very predictable Top Chef winner."

URL: http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/top_chef/top_chef_season_5_misfires.php

[Allison]

Independent George,

I hadn't considered that #7 meant this, but OUCH! I remember landing on my pinky after tripping over something on the floor of my parents' garage many years ago. Yes, it was WEIRD ... who falls & lands on their pinky? Leave it to me. No medical attention (rural environment), but that finger is still slightly misaligned to this day. On the other hand, I had no issues using my hand, no swelling.

Ok, Fabio's interview on the Bravo website indicates it was #7 on my list:

"I took a corner and I did fall due to the wet floor and my pinky was dislocated, so it got very swollen and I coud not move my whole hand."

I was thinking concussion or broken wrist; I'm not sure how you land on your pinky, but it's not unheard of

[aaalex]

KinderJ: before I go to bed: where did you have the ravioli in London? It's a great city for good restaurants and really lousy ones. One of my best meals I've had: River Cafe. One of the worst meals in my life: also London at a chinese restaurant.

[kit]

At first I found this episode Really boring (I like it when they get a little crazy concept-wise, because as Stefan aptly points out, I can't lick my TV and enjoy any of this homey comfort). But after reading some of the comments (oh how I love this blog), I'm starting to appreciate the concept of this challenge. It reminds me of that scene in Ratatouille, when the food critic tastes the titular dish and is instantly transported to a childhood memory. It's quite beautiful, and I believe that notion of successful food as part nostalgia actually came from Thomas Keller (who served as a consultant for the film). That being said, I don't think anyone would classify Keller's food as simple or homey. It's got me thinking about how much of Keller's success is about his ability to give you something refined and innovative, yet still familiar and satisfying.

As an aside, Keller has described his creative process in interviews (for example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJFwXk9yvpo about 43 seconds in) and let's just say I Completely believe that Blais used to work at French Laundry. Sigh. And now I'm having nostalgia both for Blais as a contestant and that one time I ate at French Laundry :)

[KinderJ]

I need to be off to bed my self. It was a couple of years ago, but I think it was called Sefarino? Somthing like that. It was south of the river. River Cafe, as you probably know, was the old stomping ground of Jamie Oliver, so, yeah, food there is not going to suck. You have my envy. The food in London can yoyo between exquisite and downright diabolical. Best Indian food I have ever had was at the Bengal Lancer in London. Gallipoli Bazaar has amazing North African and Moroccan food. The Home House restaurant, if you can get a member to invite you to dinner, serves some of the best food in London for significantly less than you would pay in comparable W2/W1 locations. And by comparable I mean the Ivy or one of Gordon Ramsey's places. Better food then at the Connaught. Same people own Scotts, actually. Just to whet your whistle, I had the most decadent appetizer at Home House- a fig tort with a piece of roast foie grais on top drizzled with a superb basalmic reduction. Probably had enough calories to power a tank for a year, but it tasted fantastic. Oh, and they have a superbly stocked wine menu and the somilliere is fantastic guy and a good laugh. *sigh* I really, really miss London. To bed.

[Independent George]

Allison - I'm deathly afraid of the mandolin; I think the machine is a deathtrap. I have no idea how those things are even legal.

Every now and again, I think to myself, I could really go for some homemade potato chips (or some such nonsense). Then I realize I'd need a mandolin, shudder, and decide I'd much rather keep all of my fingers thank you very much.

I do about 2/3 of my cooking in cast iron, which means I burn myself at least once a month. Yes, I really am that stupid.

[KinderJ]

Kit- Spot on about Ratatouille. And now I have envy for you too for having eaten at the French Laundry. I would cheerfully swap several people I see on a daily basis for, say, three appetizers and a dish to be named later if Keller had been on the stove.

[KinderJ]

Holy crap Kit, that's a fantastic interview and really topical. Great find. I could make two with just two appetizers...

[Fabio Viviani]

Hi Guys, it's Fabio, i just want to thank you cause is very funny and entertaining to read the blog, is amazing of how people that has never been in the kitchen ( or the most of you at least as a profession ) feels so comfortable to judge plate just by see them in tv, dont get me wrong, i dont cook fancy food and i will never do,and i agree to the fact that my plate dont look like a paint ( for those things museum are better than restaurant ) but my restaurant, Cafe Firenze, in the last 6 months of 2008 has done 38% more than the last 6 months of 2007 and in this time of economy when all your fancy restaurant with fancy plating are closing down, i'm stronger than ever and ill open 2 more comfort italian food restauarnt with average plating skills in 2009, how wonderfull is that ??? I had a chance to have a wonderfull breakfast with Colicchio couple of days back and he told me that most of the 3/4 stars restaurant in Vegas are losing their ass off.... i guess fancy plating and small bites are not really helpfull .... good luck with this website, very entertaining and very funny to read..... you guys give a good laugh all the time.

Thanks to everybody for the support anyway and keep up with the good work on the website.... i'll see you in New Orleans.

Love you Fabio