Top Chef - S6E6 Postmortem

And we were having such a nice little drama-free season.

Apparently the pile-on-Robin has begun. Maybe she's unfairly being ganged up on because everybody feels she should be gone. Maybe she's one of the most irritating people on the planet to live with and her cooking is an excuse. Don't know, don't care. Here's hoping this little dustup dies a quick death. I'm not holding my breath.

Hooray for Penn and Teller! A little superfluous, sure. But a fun Vegas tie-in to a fun culinary theme.

Toby's back. And he's far less irritating than he was last season, for which I give him credit. After grossly misjudging what was going to fly on the show in the early going, he's clearly trying to adjust. Doesn't stop me from wishing he was Jay Rayner, though.

Speaking of Jay Rayner, he made an unannounced and amusing virtual appearance today to talk about the judging of Top Chef Masters. As if I didn't like him enough already.

I love that Jennifer was beating herself up and preparing to pack her knives over a top four dish. LOVE it. I also note that she cooked a rockin' flatiron steak for Tom. Buried in pasta and dressed with tomato sauce isn't exactly what I had in mind, but nonetheless, I believe that means I'm now obligated to call her Jennifer Norris.

And if there were any doubt, I imagine that just about clears up the notion that the neckerchiefs weren't supplied by the producers.

Man, this is going to be a tough week for the rankings.

Discuss!

Comments

[Dreamboat]

What a sad picture of Ron :(

My daughter really liked him. I think because of his red crocs and accent.

Dom, once again you nailed the elimination. w.o.w.

[babyarm]

Ashley again setting up to be the Carla of this season. Finally enough ammo to rank MikeI where he belongs. Only in his own mind will he ever be able to compete here among these people.

Jen cooks meat well, shocking but true.

This EC just wasn't fair to the non fine dining chefs. The caterers and rustic cafe types didn't stand a chance.

Looks like the next EC is another horrible "cook in the hotel" challenge. Last time they did it was a QF for breakfast and that was fairly underwhelming. Are those people at the table the husband/wives of the main judges?

Good outcome tonight. It was just a matter of time for all three of the bottom people anyhow. No wrong decision to be had.

[mncharm]

I actually laughed out loud at the amount of seafood (particularly raw seafood) in the quickfire. Too funny.

Jen can cook meat!

[anon man]

Dom, please start a blog predicting lottery numbers.

The anti-Robin vibe from the other chefs is pretty remarkable. I also got the sense that Mattin was better respected than Ron or Robin. I'm going guess that maybe its because he has successful restaurant in San Francisco. Outside New York, there is no finer foodie city. That had to get notice.

[Anne]

I loved how happy Kevin's dish made everyone. It was obvious he would win just by their reaction to it.

I don't envy Dom ordering the top 4, or the bottom 3 for that matter. Ashley for #5?

[Independent George]

Ashley looks like she's about to go on a run.

Jennifer got taken completely off her game, cooked meat, and still ended up in the top four.

Was anybody else surprised at how everyone seems to be turning against Robin? I feel really bad for her now. She doesn't seem like a bad person. Worse yet, this may well be the first she's heard about all this... Watching that on TV alongside your friends and family - I can't even imagine what that must be like.

[aaalex]

i wasn't sad to see ron go, but the stuff against robin has been a long time coming: from michael i's calling her an old lady to ron being nasty about her. it's like we've been prepared for a robin narrative. strange to watch it play itself out. (and on her own blog, she doesn't seem nasty at all. she even kind of defended ron after he'd pleaded the fifth about working with her.)

if she doesn't get sent off soon, i bet she stays around and surprises. unless the editors just get off on making us watch the nasty vibes ...

[Anne]

Agreed on Robin. I don't really understand why everyone's so hostile.

I actually pity Eli. Many of us have said horrible things when we were stressed out that made us look like the biggest ##@$#@ on the planet. Not many of us do it on national television.

[mncharm]

By the way, how much do the other chefs dislike Robin?! Normally I try not to read too much into the personal relationships between the chefs, but it seems pretty clear the chefs want her out yesterday -- wow.

They may well have good reason, but nonetheless, impressive that she's pissed off that many people in a short amount of time.

[kit]

Anne says: "I actually pity Eli. Many of us have said horrible things when we were stressed out that made us look like the biggest ##@$#@ on the planet. Not many of us do it on national television."

Bunch of blogs up on the Bravo site, notably both Kevin & Eli have "Burning Questions" blogs that address the Robin situation. Looks like Eli stands behind what he said about Robin.

[jon]

Eli's is snarky but funny. You can say something funny without being mean/hostile/evil.

Robin is the real tool for:

1) mentioning her cancer in the quickfire - seriously, to break out the cancer card, she must have really thought she was going home. Once it's out there, how could you not given her the win, even for mediocre food.
And the other chefs, e.g. Eli, recognized the mentioning of cancer for what it was.

2) after she wins ONE quickfire, she becomes all proud and a braggart, and the quiet, unassuming Laurine rightfully becomes annoyed at her in the house.

3) then, knowing that she has immunity, and seeing that Laurine is behind in the kitchen during the prep, Robin asks Laurine for favors, pissing off Laurine even more.

I think that this is not the behavior of one of the classy chefs, and aside from the fact that she has been one of the weaker chefs to date - certainly weaker than Hector and Mattin were. No wonder the other chefs don't like her attitude.

[Independent George]

This EC just wasn't fair to the non fine dining chefs. The caterers and rustic cafe types didn't stand a chance.

But isn't that kind of the point of TC? The entire show is about fine dining. Stefan and Carla were caterers, and they did just fine. Jennifer was clearly uncomfortable with this challenge, but still managed to put together a tasty dish.

I wonder if language was a problem for Ron? He didn't really get the 'vice' part of the first challenge, either.

[suzanne]

Robin reminds me of a coworker, both in personality and looks. My coworker is a chatterbox and EXTREMELY needy, often getting others to do her work.

I really won't miss Robin when she's gone.

The guest judge looked much better than she has in seasons past. I've always really liked her, though I know many don't. Isn't she the one that got on Elia for not rinsing her kidneys? She's very direct and honest, and doesn't sugar-coat things.

[MCH]

I feel guilty about it, but I laughed at Eli's comment about the cancer. I dunno - he sold it well.

Interesting that Kevin felt making another mole was a chance at redemption - didn't realize the first was bad. But I want to see what went into that dish - I couldn't get any handle on how it worked based on the description, but it looked cool and it must have been bad-ass.

On last week's question of "copying" dishes, here's a picture of the Caesar Salad from Jose Andres' Minibar, where Michael has worked. His dish wasn't the same, with the chicken and the brioche, but the encased dressing which is the heart of the dish is apparently Andres'. (I should note I basically agree with the Dark Lord of Rankings that "copying" dishes like this is not too big a deal - if Michael knows how to make a really cool "deconstructed" caesar, should he actively avoid using the recipe even when he's assigned the job of "deconstructing" that salad? And, given that all I have are photos, it's quite possible Michael put his own vision into the dish in some important way.)

I think my expectations for Toby Young were so low that I was pleasantly surprised by his articulating opinions that displayed at least a basic knowledge of food and cooking. Although, he sure had a lot to say about plating and appearance - I mean, sure, we see food before we eat it and so sight is an essential part of the experience, but when that many of a critic's comments are about the appearance of food, I wonder if said critic just isn't skilled enough at talking about how food tastes, and covering that lack of competence with easy jokes about livestock boyparts.

[mena]

Hi, newbie here! Thanks Dom for creating a great blog and an eerily accurate Power Ranking!

I wrote this on the previous blog entry, but I guess this entry is the more logical place for it.

After the great discussion of Deconstruction possibilities I was disappointed that the chefs mostly did reconstructions. But reconstructions were probably the safest way to go.

And to add to the "borrowing" discussion, has anyone else noticed that Michael Voltaggio has borrowed dishes from his former boss, José Andrés? The nitro gazpacho that Michael won $15K with and tonight's deconstructed caesar salad are both from José Andrés. I dunno - it bugs.

[Independent George]

Eli's comments from the Bravo blogs:

Yes, even though I was in the top three in the Quickfire I didn't think I should have won and I want to make sure that's clear. The dish that should have won was Michael V. Everyone in the room saw how elaborate his work was, the level of execution, and were just stunned. It was brilliant. He integrated two dishes, as opposed to a duo, while showing multiple techniques and philosophies.

Robin's dish was weak. Little technical work or conceptualization went into it. I also thought the two dishes she presented didn't work together in concept. She presented two dishes with a loose tie (if any), and with little philosophy behind it. During her explanation to the judges she talked about "when she had cancer" no less than three times. It was disgraceful.
I've had significant personal experience with cancer, and I'm not discounting the huge impact living through that disease must have had on Robin. Both of my grandmothers, my aunt, and my cousin all died of cancer. It affects me and my family everyday. I don't have an issue with her becoming a stronger person because of her struggle, but being part of a family who has been through a similar struggle she made it appear cheap and as a grab for attention. It seemed clear to me as well as everyone else in the room that her explanation was not about her food but an attempt to pull on heart strings.

That changes my perspective a little bit. I still don't like the way everyone's seeming to turn against Robin because it seems rather bullying, but I obviously don't know the whole story. I can see the resentment building, particularly if Mattin and Hector were both as well respected as they seem to be.

[doktarr]

I get where the other chefs are annoyed with/tired of Robin, but I was still taken aback at Ash's comment in the stew room. It was so plainly dismissive of her cooking style that it seemed a bit over the line.

[aaalex]

re robin: as kevin suggested, there must have been something more to robin's dish for it to win. it's a bit condescending to suggest that a judge will award a win based on a story about overcoming cancer. should she have mentioned it at all? probably not, but these people are under a lot of pressure. pressure is the point. and sometimes it doesn't bring out the most honourable or thoughtful. i don't think it justifies eli, who came off as a self-righteous little dwarf, berating her.

after winning a quickfire, she was probably relieved as hell, having been close to the bottom so often. again, the pressure here is obviously tremendous. her behaviour is understandable, if not entirely justifiable.

yeah, robin was inconsiderate, but weaker than mattin? not sure about that. they seemed about on the same level and his ceviche was worse than her chlorine tasting shrimp. an accomplishment. she worked on the three bean chili with hector. you probably give the props to hector on that because he's latino, but as we don't know who did what, it's hard to say who did the most for the chili's flavour. he recipes have been busy, it's true (as we saw when dominic listed the ingredients in one of her dishes), but i'm not convinced she was so much worse than mattin, given what we saw anyway ...

[Anne]

My pity is gone. I think it's pretty arrogant and obnoxious of Eli to assume that Michelle Bernstein gave Robin the win out of pity. And I wonder if he would have said that about a male judge.

doktarr, agreed, and I really like Ash. Robin must really have been ticking people off, and I don't think the editors have done a good job of showing us why. And it's a reality show, sometimes people who are good get booted off early. I don't get why that would engender such anger. But EVERYONE seems to dislike her.

I'll stop posting now.

[Independent George]

I'm still thinking about the Fennel Funnel Cake on a naked Padma from the previous thread. Well, ok, maybe not so much the cake.

[Bawdy George]

Anyone else catch the "you are such a tool" look Michelle Bernstein gave Toby at the judges table? I enjoyed that.

And, my daughter thinks Jen is a female version of Napoleon Dynamite.

[anon man]

Eli= douche bag. Ok, maybe that's harsh, but everyone has a story. Ron and his escape from Haiti or Kevin and his "I'm from the South" thing. Picking on Robin because her story was based on her cancer, which understandably is a defining moment in her life is pretty low. And, assuming that Michelle Bernstein was so overwhelmed by the story to give her the win is disrespectful of her.

But, whatever, Ron leaves. Robin or Laurine is probably next, or maybe Ash who is having problems keeping pace. He gets some credit for refusing to serve something he didn't like, but self-editing only takes you so far.

Number 5 (i.e., the just missing out) seemed to be Bryan. The judged loved it, Penn clearly wanted the fatty goodness of corned beef. Its this week's duck mole ala Kevin.

As for Toby, I've read his blog and written stuff and I find it witty at times. He clearly gets edited on tv into the distilled a-hole. I can take or leave him, but I don't have the visceral reaction others do. But, Tom and Michelle calling him out on how to pronounce Spanish is pretty funny. Toby's take down of Ramsay's flagship restaurant and it Franglish probably falls into this same category. Here in the U.S., we're ok with Pie-a-ya, but not Meh-E-co in ordinary parlance. Apparently, he's is the camp that "fillet" is pronounced "fill-ET" in English, which I disagree with, but two cultures separated by a common language and all that...

[Bart]

Wasn't surprised to see Ron go.

Really shocked to see how everyone's getting into Robin's face.

Jon: Robin is the real tool for...mentioning her cancer in the quickfire - seriously, to break out the cancer card, she must have really thought she was going home. Once it's out there, how could you not given her the win, even for mediocre food.

Seriously? She's a tool for referencing to something that could have killed her, something that she survived?

Having cancer is a major part of a person's life. It completely changes their outlook. Of course they're going to refer to it when it applies to the way they think (in this case, angel vs. devil).

I'm just disgusted. I'm not trying to be PC and say, "Oh look at the poor cancer patient, let's handle her with kid gloves." It's almost as if people think Robin is glad that she had cancer, that she wanted cancer, that she brought it on herself by referencing to it.

Was she being annoying in the kitchen? Yes. Is she up to the level of the top contenders this season? So far, we haven't seen anything to indicate that she is. But that has nothing to do with the fact that she had cancer.

The woman survived something that isn't easily survivable. She overcame a huge obstacle in her life, and uses it as motivation. And she should be criticized for that? That's disgusting.

It's like saying to Lance Armstrong, "Hey, buddy, enough with those Livestrong bracelets already. Now that you've told everyone you've had cancer, they have no choice but to give you the Tour de France championship seven times in a row."

I have a feeling that Robin actually EARNED this reward, and people can't handle that. One of those things where it seems to unlikely to certain people (like Eli), that it can't be true, and therefore, she won because of something else (in this case, the cancer thing).

What bull.

[gilmore]

Wow Dom!!!! You are on a Vegas roll.

I guess the others just flat out don't think Robin can cook. I think she over-compensates by over-complicating.

I think she got the QF win because the salad may have been the healthiest and the desert the biggest sin. Saved her bacon because her clam chowder may have landed her in the bottom.

Top 4 are too awesome, Ahsley moves to #5.

[mar]

Loved the smackdown of Toby Young by Michelle Bernstein for the 'paella' pronounciation. That look she gave him was priceless! I'm not excited about his return. And Jen's dish is in the top! Almost predictable based on the fear-mongering promos.

[gilmore]

Forgot to mention -

Ron was a class act on his elimination and I wish him well. I think he can cook much better than it appeared on the show - he may not have understood many of the challenges well enough to execute.

[Krazikarl]

Yeah, Michelle Bernstein going at Toby over paella was probably the highlight for me. The look she gave him was priceless.

[Independent George]

In hindsight, Robin's loquaciousness is probably a better explanation for why she mentioned her cancer so much during the QF than an attempt to curry favor, but I can also kind-of see why someone might think otherwise in the heat of the moment. If, as Eli implies, Michael's dish blew everybody away, and they're already resentful of Robin's presence following Hector and Mattin's absence, combined with exhaustion from the shooting schedule... I can see where the comment came from, but it's still terribly unfair.

Anyway, I think I've had my fill of discussing the politics of Top Chef.

I get the feeling Eli's and Brian's dishes just barely missed the cut for the top four; the judges seemed to really enjoy them.

[Lou_NJ]

Robin v Eli - I like Eli less as he is just sleaze. Michelle Bernstein must have liked the dish to give it the win. If she was rewarding the Cancer card she would have put her in the top 3 but didn't have to give her the win. Michelle Bernstein has more integrity than to give it just because of the sob story.

I think the "support for Mattin" was in poor taste - looks organized by Mike I simply to slam Robin ... but in the last EC Mattin's dish was not only bad it could/did make people nauseous. Glad Robin asked for the scarf (and put it on her shoulder - not around her neck)- and I think she was well aware of the sentiment behind it. I like Mike I. less every week because he is getting more passive/aggressively unpleasant about the others.

Ashley should move to #5 now as she is out showing the rest of the MOTP.

Robin probably won't stay much longer but she does make efforts and puts herself out there. I don't get that from Eli (or for that matter Mike I.). And, Eli - if you know your equipment is in shoddy condition don't use it - there were others to use.

What they say about each other tells me more about them and maybe because I a little too unsophisticated for the group I would rather eat at Robin' place than Mike I or Eli's places. Mostly I'd like to eat at Kevin's place.

[Esther]

Nice job again, Dom. ;-)

Kevin's dish looked so incredible that I was half-ready to book a ticket down to Atlanta. The idea that a paella was the hardest dish is ridiculous; a good mole depends on such a complex balance of flavors that I can't imagine the skill required to tease them apart, reconceptualize each, and bring them together in a satisfying and delicious way.

BTW, just to add a little fuel to the Jen Norris train, I thought it was interesting that Toby called her dish the second best of the night (after Kevin). It was definitely less of a neat, clean deconstruction than the Caesar salad, but it clearly proved that she can a) cook meat, b) make pasta, and c) balance flavors in a dish nowhere near her comfort zone.

I have mixed feelings about Robin's win. I agree that it's disrespectful of the guest judge to assume that her story affected her win. Rather, she seemed to produce a dish that certainly exemplified the theme (two apple dishes, one sinful and one virtuous) and did so with simple, delicious flavors. Still, it strikes me as Ariane food: even when it's technically good (which it isn't always), it's never jaw-droppingly gorgeous, innovative, or skill-intensive. She or Ash are still my bottom two, although Laurine's been fluctuating so much that who knows.

Nobody knowing Eggs Florentine is just odd.

[Independent George]

So how do we jumble the top-4 now? Kevin wins the EC, Michael seems to be the consensus runner-up in both the QF and EC, Jennifer cooks meat and places in the EC, Brian seems to have just barely missed. At this point, I think it's effectively a draw amongst both the top 4 and the bottom 3. Ashley was impressive, and I think everyone agrees she belongs at #5, Eli at #6, Mike I. at #7.

[Independent George]

Did anybody else have flashbacks to Casey suggesting sous-vide to Carla while watching Eli and Kevin giving suggestions to Ron? I think they were both genuinely trying to help, but wound up freaking him out even more.

[Esther]

Oh, and I've gotta ask: why on earth is Toby Young back? Fan reaction to him seemed universally negative last season. This season, he's offering slightly more helpful criticism, but much of it just seems to be the same tired hyperbolically negative analogies (e.g. the oft-repeated clip about the pork rillette that resembled testicles). As soon as he came onscreen, the boyfriend and I were echoing Carla: "Gayle? Gayle?!?"

[Independent George]

Ron was a class act on his elimination and I wish him well. I think he can cook much better than it appeared on the show - he may not have understood many of the challenges well enough to execute.

You're entirely right, of course; sometimes, it's easy to forget to credit the positive. He gets my respect for a very dignified and graceful exit.

As soon as he came onscreen, the boyfriend and I were echoing Carla: "Gayle? Gayle?!?"

I was screaming, "Jay? JAY?!?!", but the larger point is the same. He does seem noticeably less phony this season, so maybe he'll improve with time.

[Dreamboat]

I would like to comment on the food. One of the reasons that I love TC is that I learn so much about food, various ways it is prepared, and terminology. I never heard of MC before Marcel. I had never heard of Carpaccio before a chef did the dish in TC4 or TC5 (I cannot remember who, but I looked up after that episode). These are just examples.

From today's EC I have learned that I don't think I care for deconstructed dishes. The only one that looked appealing to me was Michael V's Caesar's Salad. Mind you that I cannot smell or taste the food, but if I had ordered any of the other dishes then I would have been disappointed when the server set it in front of me. I would have thought "I didn't know I was ordering this..." This is JMHO, but I will keep this in mind when I see "Deconstructed" on a menu and know that I simply do not prefer my food that way.

[Jon Olsen]

I'd like to just jump in and point out that "jon" above is a different Jon from me! I'm not touching this cancer thing.

I really want to know more about what was wrong with Bryan's QF dish. The reviews of those are still so truncated.

I'm liking how Ashley's coming on. I think she's got a good character arc developing and it's clear she can hit things into Tom's breadbasket, so to speak.

Do we know if Kevin wound up using Michael V.'s bread scraps or not?

I really wanted to taste these dishes. I've been wanting to do that a lot this season, but the top four here really caught my eye.

[Independent George]

Dom, please start a blog predicting lottery numbers.

But Dom only predicts losing lottery numbers. I really don't need any help with those.

[SorchaRei]

I ate at Crave before it ran into site issues and had to close. It was a very good rustic bistro kind of place, which I liked enough to return to more than once. I know people who were fanatical about it, which I couldn't really agree with, and some who thought it was mundane.

Robin produced tasty, locally-sourced, consistently good food at Crave. I don't think she's in the same league as Ashley (I like Branzino more than I liked Crave), let alone the top group of chefs in this season's group, but she's not a horrible chef.

I'm not sure what she did to make so many people dislike her, and I don't think she's going to last much longer. However, I don't like the implication that Michelle Bernstein was manipulated into her decision at all. For the most part, I'm going to write this off to the stress of competition coming out, and see what happens next.

Glad to see Mike I. cooking about where I suspected he belonged. Even more glad to see Jen cook meat successfully. I believe she has now met your bar for calling her "Jen Norris", Dom.

[Vega]

1) DOM IS A WITCH!

2) I think it's hilarious that all the chefs thinks Robin is such a terrible chef that everyone who has been eliminated is better than her. That was my general impression. I have a feeling that Robin is gonna start getting a villain edit.

3) I have a big straight crush on Michael V. Baking his own bread? Umf.

4) Although Jennifer did well in the elimination challenge, it kind of troubles me how she seems rather uncomfortable cooking with non-seafood proteins.

5) I agree with Independent George about Ron possibly having language issues. He just seemed completely confused by the whole thing.

6) DAMMIT BRAVO. DID YOU JUST BRING TOBY ON TO MAKE DRAMA. WHY YOU GOTTA DO THIS TO ME.

[Dave F.]

I liked this episode marginally more than last week's, but I was disappointed. I got the strong feeling that the theme for the EC was chosen only because Penn & Teller were booked as guests and there was an attempt to tie in the EC with them. I don't know how much more the cheftestants know than we, as viewers do, but I was kind of shocked that deconstruction was never explained: balls and cups weren't enough and I don't think what P&T do is analogous deconstructing a traditional dish.

[jh]

I don't know why we try to predict who is going to go home. Haven't we already learned that it doesn't really matter who we think should go home? All that matters is what Dom thinks. So much for keeping the site spoiler free..all I need to know for the next episode is what's written in the Power Rankings :-)

Not only did Jennifer Norris filet the red herring, but she can also reconstruct a cow from flat iron steak.

[timothy]

What really strikes me about the Robin pile on is that it is cowardly. It takes no strength, no risk at all, to dump on the person everyone else is dumping on, and as much as I like the TC performance of the Voltagglio brothers, it takes no courage to stick up for them or to say they should have won. The junior high dynamics really came out in this episode.

[EdT.]

IG: "I wonder if language was a problem for Ron? He didn't really get the 'vice' part of the first challenge, either."

Actually, I think he did - his vice wasn't that he spent all that time in that situation, it was that HE COULDN'T LET GO OF IT. (caps for emphasis, not shouting.) This is, to many people of faith, a rather serious shortcoming (as it also allows them to play the victim.)

Just my opinion on the subject.

~EdT.

[Shelly]

I think Robin is getting an edit to build sympathy for a "very special episode" next week. To me it feels like she'll get knocked off next week. That said, I'm disgusted with everyone's comments toward her. I didn't notice everyone saying the same about Ron's play for sympathy when he told his boat story. But then, he's a guy.

(I shouldn't say 'everyone's' comments. Kevin proved himself a gentleman in the blog at Bravo.)

I'm becoming less and less impressed with Mike I. He doesn't know a Bearnaise, he doesn't know eggs Florentine, he doesn't know Asian. What exactly does he know? Oh, he knows he's better than Robin. *rolls eyes*

[EdT.]

RE: Robin vs. Mattin - I suspect Mattin was a lot of "fun" to hang around, while Robin is probably the more quiet, introspective type (except for this episode, in which she Transformed into an annoying chatterbox.)

OTOH, remember that, while both their dishes were at the bottom of last week's EC, (1) Tom actually spat out Mattin's food (I thought it was Robin's), and (2) Mattin's dish made Tim Love ill (nauseous?) - and it is NEVER a good idea to poison the judge in a cooking competition!

My guess is that the other chefts realized what a silly basic mistake Robin made (Taste. Your. Food.), and were reacting to that.

Oh, and Eli? You just made a real d-bag of yourself on national TV. Ass.

~EdT.

[Anne]

Yeah, I thought Kevin couldn't be more fantastic until I read this weeks burning questions. He was really classy and kind to everyone--Robin, Eli, everyone. It sounds like pretty much everyone else could learn from him.

Oh, and I nominated that Dom be exclusively referred to as the Dark Lord of Rankings from now on.

[Dan V.]

Michelle Bernstien may have Latin roots but Toby, being the Englishman that he is, was probably being cynical and calling her out as the Jewish girl from Miami that she is. They're not too different when you think about it.

Toby's a good writer but I keep scratching my head as to why he's on TV.

[Anne]

Oh, and the British taking a word in another language and giving it their own British-ized pronunciation? I'm shocked, SHOCKED.

They're British. That's what they do.

[MCH]

Although Jennifer did well in the elimination challenge, it kind of troubles me how she seems rather uncomfortable cooking with non-seafood proteins.

That's not how I read it. It seemed obvious that Jen knew how to make simple, but excellent pasta, red sauce, steak, with a couple other elements, and was happy to do that. Her problem, as she articulated it, is that she has a traditional, classical training, and has not done this sort of modernist food. Jen had to not only conceptualize a new dish, but to think about food in a way that was foreign to her. I think that her placing in the top four, given that this challenge basically could not have been further from her comfort zone, is seriously impressive.

[MCH]

Another thing on that front - Jennifer was quite explicit about what she felt about her dish - she said the flavors were there, but she was unhappy with the composition and appearance of the plate. It was precisely the "deconstruction" that made her uncomfortable.