Top Chef - S6E3 Postmortem

"Pasta salad? Ohhhh, boy."
"Why 'oh boy'?"
"Nobody's impressed by pasta salad."

Especially when it's farfalle with broccoli, artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. The centerpiece of every family picnic and pot luck meal you've ever been to. Oy.

So, Preeti's inability to grasp her mediocrity gets her the axe and we lose another bottom-of-the-rankings cheftestant (No, I do not expect this streak to continue). And Michael I. is a lucky, lucky man.

Speaking of which, how cool was that? I'm trying to decide whether to give him both a top AND a bottom on Monday, or treat it as though the bottom supplants the top. Well... not really trying to decide. But it's a fun question for a Top Chef first, anyway.

Meanwhile, Michael V. and Jennifer rock. *yawn*

Actually, the most impressive part of Jennifer's week was kicking ass and taking names in the kitchen. Freaking sweet.

And I have to say, for an episode that I was convinced was going to be one of those survival train wreck episodes, was that not a really impressive performance by the entire cast? I mean, seriously. No freaking out, no epic disasters... everybody just got it done, and for the most part they did it well. This season is seriously a joy to watch. They can't even flounder when they're supposed to.

Gotta get ready for a trip tomorrow... I'll save the rest for Monday.

Discuss!

Comments

[garik16]

Gotta say, Jennifer's Executive Chef performance was responsible for the no disasters that you're impressed by. Normally there's some issue regarding who's using what, but she had EVERYONE under control.

Meanwhile i got the feeling that Mike I didn't consult Jen on making a second dish, especially considering her thoughts on a second dish last episode....and look where that got him.

(ALSO: read Blais' blog for more Mike I vs Jen hilariousness.)

I think Jen should be atop of the power rankings at this point:

I think I'd go:

Jen
Mike V.
Kevin.
Brian V.
Eli.

With 1-3 being interchangable really and 4-5 being the same to me.

[Mann of Sandd]

Loved the episode, and holy cow, was judges table brutal (but fair). I was enthralled from beginning to end, and I thought the group did an impressive job, and I can't imagine how emotional it would have felt to be applauded by all those servicemen. It seemed like a truly special moment.

[anon man]

I love pasta salad. When its hot, I think I've thrown a dish that's very similar together and called it lunch. But, I'm a lawyer, not a chef...

The Michael I thing was funny. Did he not ever say in the bottom table "Yeah, that dish sucked but I helped on the winning dish, so its not like I just made half a crappy pasta salad". Because, that's what I would have said if I were him.

People who went up in my view: Ash and Mattin (for the shout out from Brian as being a good cook). People who went down: Michael I.

Worried about the teaser for next week: The elimination-quickfire? Oy. Could be a train wreck. As an example, Eli was in the bottom this week. He could have been history.

[dan_boston]

I think they should have awarded extra chips for the chef who managed to best showcase how incredibly, incredibly honored they were, or who could use the word 'hero' most.

Stay tuned next week as a very special episode of Top Chef visits a children's burn ward where Michael turns the collected tears of the remaining Top Chef's into a lovely stock.

Jennifer continues to impress. She's doesn't seem like the most pleasant person in the world, but I'm sure if Lisa had posessed half her talent, we would have loved her too.

Actually, both she and the brothers seem remarkably intense - almost grim. The food they are putting out looks fantastic, so I guess that's paying off.

The saddest moment of the episode was when Preeti and partner were asked if they wanted to win...I mean at this point, they already know they aren't going to win. Right now, folks aren't competing for the top, they are competing for the middle while the top competitors are given opportunities for wild-card screw ups.

[Independent George]

Does anybody else think that Jenn belonged at Judges Table for her performance as Executive Chef? The toughest part of every catering challenge is logistics - and they nailed it, in no small part due to her. I have no problems with Michael V. winning, but I thought she deserved more recognition from the judges. When you consider some of the Executive Chef disasters from previous seasons, combined with the degree of difficulty due to equipment rationing, I was absolutely blown away.

I'm wondering if we should put together an unofficial list of rules for winning Top Chef. I distinctly remember another chef from a previous season proclaiming explicitly, "I'm not going to win with pasta salad." (perhaps Nikki?). Michael I. and Ashley both broke the "Don't half-ass an extra dish if you don't have to" rule, and faced elimination for it.

[Independent George]

On second thought, if Kevin & Eli's potato salad was good enough to get them to Judges Table, then who's to say a really good pasta salad couldn't do the same.

[Skillet Doux]

"Does anybody else think that Jenn belonged at Judges Table for her performance as Executive Chef?

My thought exactly. Too bad the judges didn't see it until tonight.

"On second thought, if Kevin & Eli's potato salad was good enough to get them to Judges Table, then who's to say a really good pasta salad couldn't do the same."

They're different. I'm trying to put my finger on precisely why, but they just are.

(I'm sure somebody could put together some impressive, creative pasta salad... but let's just say that's a steep hill to climb.)

[Bart]

1. Just when I thought I couldn't love Jen any more, she goes ahead and steps up another notch on the ladder. She could get eliminated next week on a fluke through the quickfire, but she's made a HUGE impact this season.

2. WOW were the judges snippy or what?!

I mean, I get that the chefs need to defend their dishes, but they (Padma and Tom, in particular) just seemed unusually harsh. Wonder if they had diarrhea or something before judge's table.

[canasian]

I think Michael I. should get a bottom score, since that was the one he earned. The top slot was on MIke V's coattails.

Most impressive part of the episode for me was Ash's quickfire performance. All future reality competition participants should not be allowed to go on television without viewing this perfect example of how to, with less than three minutes left, effortlessly course correct when equipment doesn't work right, and then put on the poker face for the judges and pretend everything went according to plan. From my perspective, that officially pulls him out of the undistinguished middle and plants him just below the contenders, along with Eli and Ashley.

[dan_boston]

I'd bet Padma would look cool and collected, and maintain the same composure and gravitas throughout any and all intestinal distress.

[Independent George]

They're different. I'm trying to put my finger on precisely why, but they just are.

I think it comes down to the preparation of potatoes vs. the preparation of pasta - there's a lot more that can go wrong - and right - with the preparation of potatoes than with pasta. Once you get past the supermarket generic stuff, dry pasta is basically a blank canvas to paint on; it doesn't add much to the dish itself. You boil it in a lot of water, then add oil, seasonings, and veg. I'm sure it's theoretically possible to create something new (I keep thinking of your review of the fish noodles at Grace Garden... that would be an interesting variation for a pasta salad), but the options are by nature rather limited.

Potatoes, on the other hand, have both a lot of varieties (as demonstrated by this week's EC), and there's a heck of a lot of different ways to prepare them. Besides different natural flavors and textures, there's a lot of different ways to infuse other flavors into them, or the change their textures during preparation. There are also more substitutes available (I once had a great 'potato' salad made with taro root).

[Caulder]

...."On second thought, if Kevin & Eli's potato salad was good enough to get them to Judges Table, then who's to say a really good pasta salad couldn't do the same."

....They're different. I'm trying to put my finger on precisely why, but they just are.

I think they're different because almost anyone on earth could look at that pasta salad and know how to make it and predict what it was going to taste like. If you've ever been roped into a PTA type meeting/pot luck, that pasta salad would be something you'd make if you were too embarrassed to bring napkins but too busy to make cookies.

[Independent George]

It was omitted from her bio, but Jenn's real name is Norris; she changed it for the show so the other contestants wouldn't die of fright. Salmon swim upstream to find her. She boils water by staring at it.

[Ally]

IMO, because potatoes absorb flavors even when cold, and sauces cling to them, they make a great cold dish, with mayonaise or vinegar. Love it.

On the other hand, cold sauces just slide off of pasta. Unless its mayo-based, but mayonaise and pasta don't really taste good together (again, IMO). To be honest, I've never eaten a great pasta salad. They're bland! A puzzling choice.

[JH]

...."On second thought, if Kevin & Eli's potato salad was good enough to get them to Judges Table, then who's to say a really good pasta salad couldn't do the same."

Kevin and Eli also had a braised pork shoulder, so they had two great dishes that worked well together versus a mediocre pasta salad.

[SorchaRei]

I've eaten a great pasta salad. It was made by a chef who recognized that the problem with pasta salad is that the pasta doesn't soak up any flavors, so he cooked the flavors in. There were actually two different great pasta salads from that chef.

One used homemade pasta with herbs in it, cut and then dried before cooking and dressing. The other was made with orzo that was cooked in a strong curry broth. Somehow the store bought orzo soaked up the curry flavors. Dressed with mayo, tossed with crispy vegetabales, it was deeply flavorful. I'm pretty sure from looking at the orzo in the salad I ate that it was toasted before cooking, too, as it had a golden brown sheen in addition to the yellow from the turmeric in the curry mixture.

In both cases, the flavor was deeply developed within the pasta, not just around it. And you know what? I think that's exactly the difference between those two salads and the usual pasta salad. Like potato salad, great pasta salad has flavors infused in the pasta/potatoes.

Okay, note to self: find out where that chef is cooking these days and go get more pasta salad.

As to the show itself, Jen was impressive as anything in her role in the kitchen, and Tom recognizes it in his blog:

The decision to place Jennifer in the role of Executive Chef was a smart one, and she played the role expertly. In past seasons, the contestants who stepped into that role for various challenges never really fully inhabited the position, but Jennifer did, and the other chefs saw that she handled her responsibilities fairly and strongly, with professionalism and without ego. They realized that they were being well managed, and they never questioned her authority. Jennifer was concerned about ensuring that every chef create the best dish possible and she kept the kitchen running smoothly and well. For example, she was not unduly harsh with Hector when she reminded him to stay focused: other chefs awaited their turn with the equipment he was using, and she needed to keep him on schedule. She did a great job.

The top of this field is crazy strong. It seems like the show has reached some kind of gravitas among the chef community, so that people farther along in their professions are willing to come on it. That's great for us, but it does mean that it's not any longer a career accelerator for people early in their careers.

[JH]

After watching this, imagine Jen C. if she makes it to restaurant wars...and I think Mike V. is the only other person that could have kept the kitchen running as smoothly as she did.

[Azdahf]

I've had some great cold noodle dishes, so I'm not sure I buy that a great pasta salad is impossible. Although I'll admit I've never had one.

But are they that different? If the pickle brothers had served just potato salad they would have been making the same mistake that Laurine/Preeti made: deciding to make a dish certain not to win. As Blaise teaches, no one wins with salad.

Of course they never would have done that, instead pairing a 'classic' potato salad with a really tasty looking pulled pork and turning it into a statement about Southern Cuisine. Plus important info got revealed: Kevin's from a bbq family! Don't forget, that turned out to be Bayless's secret weapon.

[ddg]

This episode exceeded all expectations, I was actually really surprised they put Mike/Mike for the tops considering they had the dish that won and the dish that almost lost... usually when that happens they just get stuck in the middle, unfortunate for Kevin.

Looks like your streak is gonna have to be correct at 13 and 14 next week with maybe 2 eliminations?

I think this week Mike V and Jen have separated themselves as the top 2.

1-2: Mike V./Jen
3: Kevin
4-5: Bryan/Eli
6: Hector

[Chris W]

Dom said: "potato salad and pasta salad are just different...but I don't know why" (I paraphrase)

There's a number of reasons why I agree with this statement, but the best reasons, imo are

a.) Potato salad is a bigger risk since it's kind of a "lowbrow" food as opposed to a "vegetarian option pasta salad". The former seems designed to push the expectations and appeal to the judge's "comfort food zone" DESPITE the dish's reputation whereas the latter seems designed to coast by

b.) The potato salad was a brilliant side to a featured protein whereas the pasta salad was the extent of the dish. Actually, WAS there any protein in that pasta salad? Not that there needed to be...but....

[Lou_NJ]

Since his early display of talent has Mike I. done anything more than comment on other chefs - but he is getting lots of air time for his commentary. Early on he looked promising but now he just lobs insults or seemingly plays the "just survive till next round" game.

[Shelly]

Pasta in pasta salad picks up flavor while it's hot. Either cook it in a strong stock etc, or dress it with a strong spicy dressing while it's hot, then cool it before mixing it with the other ingredients. Most pasta salad fails because the cooks ignore this, think of the pasta as a filler, and dress the salad while it's cold. Cook's Illustrated dealt with this.

I really thought Jen deserved some honors for pulling them together and making it work. But too, Mike I had the idea in the first place to split everyone up the way they did, and that was part of the success as well. I hope he mentioned that.

Next week's previews worry me, because it makes me think shenanigans will be pulled at a later time. I hope not.

[Perry]

I think Michael I. should be credited with being at the bottom. I got the impression that the judges brought both Michaels out to see if they could find out who completed which part of the dishes. Michael I. sunk himself when he told the judges that the pork was Michael V. baby.

Michael I. reminds me of the baseball player that doesn’t run out ground balls. He has talent but he seems to believe he can take the night off.

Last night Jesses over seasoned her soup. She knows her ass is against the wall yet she keeps making silly mistakes over and over. I swear I had flashbacks of Dale Talde talking about making a soup during season four. He would add seasoning then taste the soup, add more seasoning, the taste again until the soup was perfect.

My stab at the rankings.
1 Michael V & Jen
3 Kevin
4 Bryan
5 Eli
6 Ashley
7 Michael I
8 Hector
9 Ash
10 Ron
11 Mattin
12 Robin
13 Laurine
14 Jesse

[Perry]

I think Michael I. should be credited with being at the bottom. I got the impression that the judges brought both Michaels out to see if they could find out who completed which part of the dishes. Michael I. sunk himself when he told the judges that the pork was Michael V. baby.

Michael I. reminds me of the baseball player that doesn’t run out ground balls. He has talent but he seems to believe he can take the night off.

Last night Jesses over seasoned her soup. She knows her ass is against the wall yet she keeps making silly mistakes over and over. I swear I had flashbacks of Dale Talde talking about making a soup during season four. He would add seasoning then taste the soup, add more seasoning, the taste again until the soup was perfect.

My stab at the rankings.
1 Michael V & Jen
3 Kevin
4 Bryan
5 Eli
6 Ashley
7 Michael I
8 Hector
9 Ash
10 Ron
11 Mattin
12 Robin
13 Laurine
14 Jesse

[Esther]

God, I love Jennifer. I'd just be less scared for her if I'd seen her cook one non-seafood dish. It would be such a shame for her to sink because they get a beef challenge.

I want to think that this is just a conspiracy theory + my deep dislike of Mike I., but I really wonder whether his scheme for organizing the kitchen was a deliberate maneuver to keep Jennifer out of the runnings for winning the Elimination Challenge. To my recollection, no contestant has ever won in RW without cooking a single dish -- and Jennifer showed that you can do an unbelievably good job as head chef and still get no recognition. His suggestion was plausible/reasonable enough that people would accept it, but designed to stop her from keeping the judging spotlight again.

Also, should I be looking for any deeper meaning than "Mike's an ass" for his comment about favoritism with Jennifer? I mean, have either he or she worked with the guest judge before?

[kit]

Perry says: "I swear I had flashbacks of Dale Talde talking about making a soup during season four. He would add seasoning then taste the soup, add more seasoning, the taste again until the soup was perfect."

Hmm...I thought that was Spike who said that? (The Spike who got into a huge fight with his team over whether they should make soup, then made a fab soup in a later challenge.)

[Esther]

Quick addendum: Blais, in his blog, agrees with a somewhat milder form of my "conspiracy theory":

Let’s ask the "girl cook" to take on an archaic title that can best be described as a substitute teacher. Classically, it refers to a cook who works all the stations in other cooks’ absence. A position of skill, sure, but not really of certified rank. A position that may be the proverbial glass ceiling for a woman in Mr. Isabella’s mind.

Yeah. That. At best, it displays disdain for her abilities; at worst, it's a deliberate ploy to keep her out of the winners.

[Skillet Doux]

"Also, should I be looking for any deeper meaning than "Mike's an ass" for his comment about favoritism with Jennifer? I mean, have either he or she worked with the guest judge before?"

Yeah, I was a bit puzzled by that comment as well. Jennifer's East Coast and Mark Peel is West Coast, so it seems unlikely that they've crossed paths. I'll look into it for Monday. But my guess is that Mike was just being an ass.

[Brent]

Let's pause for a moment and consider what this episode would have been like if the challenge had been handled by the Season 5 cast.

***Shudder***

Oh my god! Don't ever let me do that again!!

[jw]

I seem to remember that when Padma brought Mark Peel around to judge the QF Jen's response was a "Nice to meet you" not a "How have you been since I last worked with you" sort of response.

I think it's just that Mike I is an ass.

[Independent George]

I think we might be reading a bit too much into the 'favoritism' comments. That clip was just so abrupt - it looked & sounded lot like they cut into his interview mid-sentence. We have no idea what the context of that statement was - I think his tongue was planted firmly in cheek when he said it. I suspect that this is just another case of the infamous villain edit. Maybe he really is an asshat, but until I hear it from the other contestants, I'm calling shenanigans on the part of the editors. Shenanigans!

[Anne]

I think Jennifer just gave permission for every future executive chef on this show to be more of a hardass, and that is only going to be a positive thing.

I swear, I think Mike I is kidding with half the stuff he says--he's just throwing out obnoxious stuff for shits and giggles.

[Independent George]

The other thing to remember is, we never hear the actual questions during the interviews. The question immediately before Michael I.'s infamous 'beaten by a girl' comment could very well have been, "How would it have felt to be beaten by a girl?". We only hear the carefully selected bits of one side of a conversation; there's a lot of room for chicanery there.

[Skillet Doux]

Oh, when I say my guess is that Mike was just being an ass, I think you're right, he probably has his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.

But the two aren't mutually exclusive :-)

[forthrightfattie]

Could Mike I. have been referring to her position as Eric Ripert's executive chef? As in, she won because of her connections? Not that I would agree, and not that Peel would necessarily have known that. I think he's just been cranky ever since he found out she's not a pastry chef.

[paula]

Man, that episode kicked ass! I kept flashing back to the Foo Fighters challenge from last year and was floored by how spectacular this crew of chefs is in comparison. Also, I have a major girl crush on Jen now. Without question, her leadership helped every chef shine, as she curated the entire menu (she chose which dish each team should cook based on what they came up with) and because they had to cook WITHOUT A STOVE and she kept the schedule running. Loving her. Please let her make a steak or pork or chicken in the next episode.

[Danny]

I'm trying to ignore the condescending way that Mike I gave his cooking lesson to "the viewers" but was he even right? You all have more cooking knowledge than I do but is it true that risotto means a cooking method and has nothing to with rice? If so, why do we never see Rice Risotto on a menu in the way that we do see Beef Carpaccio on a menu (thanks Dom for that great discussion)? And why have I never heard anyone, anywhere say, "I'm going to take this eggplant and risotto it?" Answers would be greatly appreciated.

[John Coctostan]

Is that you, Danny Gagnon?

[babyarm]

Yeah, I'm now of the opinion that Mike2 is trying to be funny, but his jokes are falling super flat under the edit they are giving him.

They are desperate for a villain and he may be the best they can come up with on the spot.

The Washington Post chats about TC are filled with hate for the guy so people are buying what the editors are selling.

[Danny]

Oops, one other thing. Today the LA Times reported that Ilan's LA Restaurant, Gorbals, has been temporarily shut down by the Health Department during the restaurant's opening weekend due to ongoing problems with the restaurant's boiler system. No re-opening date has been set and the restaurant plans on installing its own boiler system.

[Dave_P]

There goes Dom saying making all the pithy observations I meant to make... again. :)

Yeah, pasta salad is the kiss of death on this show. As soon as they started up that road, I knew one of them was going home. Preeti's not "getting it" again seemed to put her over the edge.

Jen totally should've been up in the top judge's table. If you're going to have an exec. chef role (and they often do in team challenges, though some are more formal than this one), the judges have to see more of what occurs in the kitchen before tasting the food to see how well the kitchen was organized.

Re Mike I vs Jen, I thought they were friends, or at least knew each other fairly well prior to this? I thought he was just sorta busting her chops. Again, this doesn't preclude him also being an ass...

BTW, as a former Army cook, I've worked in that situation before and the ingredients you have to work can be very limiting. One observation is that you tend to get better stuff as you go south--the kitchens in San Antonio (Sam Houston) were far better stocked than say Ft Knox, KY. Not sure how a Nevada airbase fares, but if they're home to someone prestigious like the Thunderbirds, odds are they're better off than most. In any case, that was just an amazing spread they put together. The slab of bacon-as-braised pork belly was brilliant.

My top 4 is the same as pretty much everyone else (Jen, Kev, the V's) and then a pretty big gap, but Ashley and Ash are at least making some movement out of the pack, as are Eli and maybe Hector. Utterly unimpressed by Jesse, Robin, or Laurine. Jesse especially seems to be very prone to execution errors. Doubt she lasts more than a week or two.

--
Dave

[Independent George]

I'm not too familiar with the kitchen culture, but is it possible that Eric Ripert is at this very moment drunk-dialing Hubert Keller and Daniel Boloud, going, "My EC can kick your EC's ass!"?

Does this also mean that Ripert won't be guest-judging this season?

[kit]

Found this tidbit in an interview [1] with Mike I. before the season began:

CS: When you found out you were going to be competing, did you reach out to anyone for advice?

MI: I talked with Spike and Marcel [Vigneron, a competitor from Season 2], but neither one of them told me much. They didn’t want to give too much away.

Mike I. is friends with Spike and Marcel? The only thing I find shocking here is that he is also not BFF with Lisa. :)

Elsewhere [2], I've seen him "defend" his sexist comment in the 1st episode as his attempt at humor/sarcasm. And trot out the usual "but I have so many friends who are ____" excuse (pointing to the number of female chefs in his kitchen). So yah, I think alot of his obnoxious yapping is his attempt at humor, but like Dom says, that doesn't mean he's not an ass.

[1] http://capitalspice.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/top-chef-countdown-our-interview-with-chef-mike-isabella-of-zaytinya/

[2] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/08/19/DI2009081902382.html

[paula]

I actually think Robin looks pretty good. She hasn't gotten much air time, but several of the dishes she's made have looked pretty impressive to me and like something I'd like to try. I think she may be a sleeper.

Another thing I'm jazzed about: The Voltaggio brothers, so far, are just fantastic to watch. The way they've balanced professionalism, mutual admiration AND sibling rivalry is so impressive. And they're both so talented. Did you see Michael V.'s Q&A on Bravo's site today? He thinks he and Michael I. both should have been judged for that salad.

[Independent George]

DaveP - I've also heard it said (or, rather, grumbled) that the Air Force as a whole got much better amenities than the other services. Is there any truth to that, or is that just regular inter-service trash talk?

[Julie]

I LOVED this entire episode! I've watched TC since it started but as a non-foodie and someone who's never worked in a restaurant, I'm completely ignorant about the day to day operations of a fine dining restaurant. I learned alot during this episode, especially the importance of a good executive chef. In seasons past, the EC always seemed to end up on the chopping block. While I understood why, now it's clear what they were doing wrong. As Blais wrote in his blog, a kitchen is really like a military operation.

As far as the pasta salad.....even I knew one of them would be going home for it. Pasta salad is one of the few things I can make blindfolded so it's pathetic that someone competing for Top Chef would think it was an appropriate dish for a competition. IMO, of course.

[Megan H.]

Raise your hand if you're already tired of the sibling rivalry angle.

*raises hand*

I understand this is something the editors have been salivating over, but when the first shot they show after Mike V's win is of his' brother's face....come on. They seem to have a very healthy, respectful rivalry...no need to make it seem more than it is.

Put me on the list of people who think Mike I deserves a check in the bottom column.

Someone mentioned the lack of protein in the pasta salad - I also wondered if the "nutrition" piece was going to come into play. Obviously, military folk probably need a good deal of protein in their day, and if there were any vegetarians there they were out of luck. (Perhaps the peanut butter sauce on the bread pudding could get them trough?) Also makes me wonder if a vegetarian would make it in the military....

[Megan H.]

er...."trough" = "through" Curse these fat fingers!

[Bill]

Interesting that the Desert Chowder didn't come under more scrutiny when the clips implied that it would.
When I was in the Navy in the early 80's and stationed in Antarctica the clam chowder on Fridays in the galley was the one thing that brought out the masses. I guess service people have a thing for chowder. Of course the weather conditions were very different.
I agreed with Gail's comment that it isn't necessarily the heat, as everyone liked the chili, but the cream that is less than desirable on a hot day.
If that chowder hadn't been above average I think they would have been battling with pasta salad for survival.

[anon man]

Re Mike I. I give him credit for being the guy (at least from the footage) who said "Jen, you're exempt, you direct; we'll cook for our lives." And the fact that they all agreed to that is encouraging for the maturity of this group. That said, he might be getting the asshole edit. Its been pretty consistent, so I'm guessing he sticks around awhile to be that ass. Otherwise, they could have grabbed comments from Eli or whomever and ripped them out of context and made them the ass. The editing effect this season is kind of clear. Remember last week our discussion on that social isse? It got a lot of airtime. This week's potential social issue (war/troops/etc.) got about .5 seconds (from Ash) of commentary. You know there was a longer discussion than that in the stew room.

re Pasta salad/potato salad. Dom: Yes, there are more accepted high end potato salads out there and a lot more traditional options. (vinegar, bacon, southern, veggies, skins on or off, sour cream, etc., etc. Pasta salad doesn't have the real basis in traditional Italian cooking that Potato salad goes in say German cooking, but you could make it interesting. That salad, as I noted last night, as did you, was as basic a Ladies Home Journal recipe as you will find. Maybe some shrimp or salmon or more interesting vegetable choice, or maybe an ethnic flair (Middle Eastern, Indian, Asian all come to mind immediately), something to make it interesting. Traditional is ok, boring is not. (A tenderloin carving station and Gratin aren't exactly novel either, but it not necessarily boring.)