Top Chef - S6E10 Postmortem

Top. Chef. Frozen. Dinners.

*facepalm*

K, gonna set that aside for the moment and talk episode ten.

Can't say I'm that surprised by the elimination. We're so close to the end now that, frankly, I think there are only two eliminations that would surprise me. A couple more that might make me sad, but only two that would come as a shock.

I love Mike V.'s food, but man, he's really outed himself as a sore loser, hasn't he?

On one hand, it's strange to see the vegetarian dishes go pure vegetable. On the other hand, I can see how some of these chefs might feel like they don't want to lean on pasta or beans or something like that. I can see how some might see that as the "easy" way out. Or perhaps everybody was afraid to make pasta with Bartolotta at JT? Too bad, anyway.

I don't want to pile on, and she doesn't deserve scorn -- she's just trying to win like everybody else -- but Robin is really starting to stick out like a sore thumb. We can't have another Lisa situation on our hands, can we? Only two more eliminations before the finals... yeesh.

Jen's tailspin is becoming really hard to watch. Got some serious thinking to do before next episode...

Comments

[zsparks]

Wow! I was blindsided.

[KinderJ]

MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE! NOOOOOOOO!!!!

Yeah. Actually kind of bummed. He was a cocky bastard, but I still kind of liked him. I really, really hoped Robin had finally bit it, but no. I swear, if this is another Lisa phenomenon...

[paula]

Am I crazy, or did all the promos clearly show Natalie saying "that's disgusting"--but that was never actually uttered in the show? I was freaking out as each chef served and she didn't say it, thinking, Oh my god, it's going to Bryan! Or Kevin! That's a pretty shameful bit of editing.

[Esther]

My two strongest immediate reactions:

1) I'm sure there'll be a lot of debate on whether Robin should've gone home (though Gail and Tom's blogs agree that Mike's dish was substantially worse). And you know what? I do not care. The show is going to be so much more watchable without Mike's arrogance and assholishness that even another week of Robin's home cooking is worth it.

2) Where on earth was the protein? The blogs confirmed that eggs and dairy were allowed -- not to mention beans, nuts, and high-protein grains like quinoa. Even Kevin's dish, which did look substantial and flavorful, had almost no protein. Somehow almost everyone seemed to think that "vegetarian dish" meant "vegetable dish." You don't have to make a seitan chili relleno to incorporate protein into a vegetarian meal, people.

[karenology]

Me too. Bah. Maybe I should just skip watching the episode and read Tom's blog afterward:

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/tom-colicchio/if-you-can-mock-a-leek-you-can-eat-a-leek-william-shakespeare-henry-v

"As for the bottom three dishes, while Jennifer gave us what amounted to a side dish or an appetizer, it was very well crafted and an overall competent dish. In light of what her colleagues in the bottom three gave us, Jennifer wasn’t going to be sent home for that dish.
 
Robin’s dish was a poor dish. It was what we might get from an accomplished home cook who says, “Oh, I like this … and I like that … and this would look pretty with them, too….” The elements were not in harmony, there was no cohesive vision, and it missed the mark. It wasn’t very good, but Michael Isabella’s was terrible."

[canasian]

hm. I really thought Jen had the loser edit going on there, but I'm glad she didn't go. She used up all her chances, though. She better step it up the next two weeks if she wants to make it to finals.

[Anne]

May I just say, as a general note, when I'm at a nice restaurant and I get a vegetarian dish that is just a plate of vegetables, I get really, really annoyed.

[.jokerr]

Well, that was an ungracious exit...!

[karenology]

Me too. Bah! Maybe I should just skip watching the episode and read Tom's blog afterward:

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/tom-colicchio/if-you-can-mock-a-leek-you-can-eat-a-leek-william-shakespeare-henry-v

"As for the bottom three dishes, while Jennifer gave us what amounted to a side dish or an appetizer, it was very well crafted and an overall competent dish. In light of what her colleagues in the bottom three gave us, Jennifer wasn’t going to be sent home for that dish.
 
Robin’s dish was a poor dish. It was what we might get from an accomplished home cook who says, “Oh, I like this … and I like that … and this would look pretty with them, too….” The elements were not in harmony, there was no cohesive vision, and it missed the mark. It wasn’t very good, but Michael Isabella’s was terrible."

I'm in the small camp of people who actually like Mike Isabella, so I'll be sad to see him go...however he really should not just have taken for granted that Robin would go before him!

[Dreamboat]

I was surprised by the food this time for 2 reasons:
1) No one use soy (unless I missed it)
2) And no one cooked Asian, which has some of the best vegetarian food I have ever eaten

What the hell??!!

In general, the food looked like steamed veggies on a plate. Even the winner looked blah.

[babyarm]

Not all that stunned. Still think he was getting the Howie treatment from the editors. The "fiery" guy that's out of his league that does nothing great, but nothing bad either. Stuck around just long enough to make people think he maybe had something, but no.

Jen is done. She cooked one non-seafood dish well and since then has done nothing including cooking several seafood dishes poorly. Not below Robin, but at some point have to consider her below Eli. Really.

[Krazikarl]

The Mike V shot at Kevin was...interesting.

I kind of got the vibe all season that the Volts didnt really love Kevin as much as everybody else, but I sure didnt expect that.

[karenology]

Esther: yeah, I don't understand why no one had rice or pasta or anything (excepting Mike V's banana polenta)

[momjamin]

Whatever, whatever, it is what it is.

[paula]

I'm baffled by the constraints of this challenge. I haven't read the Bravo blogs yet, but why no cheese? Cream? Eggs? Pasta? For god's sake, making a satisfying vegetarian dish is just not THAT hard--and it certainly shouldn't be for these folks. Also: Is there anything in the rules that would have kept Michael I. from, say, roasting a bunch of fennel at the same time he was cooking it on the stove, and using that if the boiled version didn't work out?

[jse91]

Can't say I am sorry to see the Jackass go, but I am weary of all the "so and so should have gone home before me". LAME.

[Esther]

Oh, one more thought: Kevin totally stepped back into owning that #1 spot -- quite literally with that fabulous two-fer. And for all that Michael complained about the simplicity of Kevin's EC dish, the instructions show a lot of fascinating flavor combos (candied garlic? tarragon-pistachio-parsley pistou?) and some neat technique (I'm totally trying his method the next time I cook kale!).

And I've gotta say that I absolutely swooned when he mentioned that he and his wife go vegetarian for Lent. I'm not even Catholic myself, but for a meat-lover like him to give it up for a tenth of every year really speaks to his commitment to his faith and/or ecological concern.

P.S. Shameless pride: I totally made his quickfire cauliflower (roasted with chili, lemon, and olive oil) last week, and it totally was just that delicious.

[Karen]

How has Jen used up all her chances, if Robin hasn't used up all of hers?

[Anne]

I was wondering if they did not stock the kitchen for the challenge--you know, grains, eggs, beans, cheese, pasta, tofu and tempeh, seitan chile rellano.... But according to the comments above, it looked like they could use those things. Did all these chefs really think vegetarians only eat side dishes? Does anyone cook any ethnic food at all?

That said, I do loves me a good mushroom dish.

[anon man]

Esther, I thought it kind of amusing/ironic given all the kosher discussion we had leading into the episode that a man who forgoes meat for Lent was the winner. As for Mike I., for a man who loves Middle Eastern food, he should have rocked it. I must say that absent one of the Top 3 going home, nothing will surprise me. If Jen makes it to the end, great. If not, also great. Its a three-way race. One of the other three will be along for the ride in the finals, if not the finale.

[jse91]

Esther -
I had forgotten about the Lent comment from Kevin. So made me fall all the more in love with him. Such a lucky woman is his wife!

[paula]

Momjamin: "Whatever, whatever, it is what it is."

That cracked me up. I was picturing Kevin Costner giving Tim Robbins cliche tips on the Durham Bull bus.

And yeah...no ethnic foods? No soy? Seriously, there had to be many more constraints than we saw. I'm really irritated by the whole misleading nature of this week's edit.

[anon man]

Other comment: My wife's watching the episode now and said "where are the proteins or grains? How come no one is cooking a yummy rice?" Fair question as she will find out in a second.

[Matt]

I don't understand Jen's ranking here or most of the comments re: Jen and Eli. Every episode I've seen, Eli has been more than solid, even a winner, and Jen has been absolute crap. Don't be fooled by Eli's age. He's a good chef. Seems a lot of you are holding onto conclusions you drew after watching Episode 1, which I'm glad I didn't see,] because my judgement is not clouded.

[anon man]

Paula: Awesome. "Its out there, you know, like its really out there"

[Maria]

Ooof. I hate seeing Jennifer go on that awful tail-spin of hers. I almost wish the judges *had* let her go, even though she's one of my favorite chefs left. It's almost painful seeing her beat up on herself constantly, and let her nerves control her! Watching her hands shake so much she practically sauced the diners as well as her dish...

Ouch. Just ouch!

That said, I'm shocked as hell Mike I. ended up leaving this episode! I really thought that with Jennifer slipping, he could have ended up in the top 4. But ah well... you take a 'whatever' attitude with the judges at your peril. Show passion, however scatter-brained, and you might survive!

And I'm surprised Natalie Portman was as charming as she was tonight. I've been leery of her ever since I heard she signed the Roman Polanski rape petition (which is just... eugh, awful), and some of her stupid past remarks made me think she was a right idiot. But she actually came off as very sweet and thoughtful on the show.

It's too bad she can't emote for beans on screen, however. When was her last *good* (as opposed to just serviceable) screen performance? That cameo on Cold Mountain?

[Maria]

Ooof. I hate seeing Jennifer go on that awful tail-spin of hers. I almost wish the judges *had* let her go, even though she's one of my favorite chefs left. It's almost painful seeing her beat up on herself constantly, and let her nerves control her! Watching her hands shake so much she practically sauced the diners as well as her dish...

Ouch. Just ouch!

That said, I'm shocked as hell Mike I. ended up leaving this episode! I really thought that with Jennifer slipping, he could have ended up in the top 4. But ah well... you take a 'whatever' attitude with the judges at your peril. Show passion, however scatter-brained, and you might survive!

And I'm surprised Natalie Portman was as charming as she was tonight. I've been leery of her ever since I heard she signed the Roman Polanski rape petition (which is just... eugh, awful), and some of her stupid past remarks made me think she was a right idiot. But she actually came off as very sweet and thoughtful on the show.

It's too bad she can't emote for beans on screen, however. When was her last *good* (as opposed to just serviceable) screen performance? That cameo on Cold Mountain?

[Bart]

1. Wow! I was totally expecting Robin to go home.

2. How awesome is Kevin? He's so awesome. I love him. He's easily the highlight of this season for me. Even if he was a terrible cook, I think I'd still like him.

3. Mike V.'s shot at Kevin was...exceptionally obtuse. I used to take a Chinese martial arts class, and one of the things that stuck out in my mind was when my instructor said, "The people you see making all those flashy kicks and punches that are well executed? They're not the Masters. Masters hide their true ability because they don't need to show it off. They only apply it when needed."

Just because Kevin didn't do something as elaborate as...I don't know, putting gelatin in the middle of an artichoke heart doesn't mean he can't pull it off.

Kevin CLEARLY has the skill to go along with his palate, and I think Mike V. is GROSSLY underestimating Kevin at this point. Kevin doesn't NEED to show off all his fancy tricks, he just puts the most satisfying food on the plate. That, to me, is the essence of a Top Chef.

If we're talking Top Technique, then Mike V. might have a point. But we're not. We're talking about who can put the best food on the plate right now, and it happens to be Kevin's. Don't denigrate it because it's "simpler." Kevin, unlike Arianne from last year, is very sophisticated.

But Kevin, like Arianne, sometimes knew that the best way to please a palate is to edit the food that's going on the dish.

By no means am I speaking out against Mike V.'s creativity. I think it's great. But I think he should recognize that sometimes sophisticated simplicity is much, much more inherently satisfying than eccentric complexity.

This was a good episode.

[Maria]

Yeargh... sorry for the double-post...

[karenology]

Re: Matt: Uh...because Jennifer has been consistently in the top four of every single episode, except for the last two? And Eli hasn't been? Have you watched any episode besides the past two? Dom does do cumulative rankings, so that is why she is above Eli.

[Allison]

I don't get how highly accomplished chefs cannot create a successful vegetarian main dish (not a side dish). As has already been stated, it's not that difficult. I am not a vegetarian, but have nothing against a dish without meat, cook for friends who are (and me -- I like veggies). I have recipes/varitations/ideas that are always on hand.

Yes, vegan is a greater challenge, I remain embarassed that I added cream (at the last minute) to a thyme pesto pasta dish for a party a couple of years ago & I knew a vegan was a guest. Worse, he was an old friend & flew in from CA. I can hang my head lower than Jen for that fiasco.

And there is some great vegetarian cuisine ... I may have mentioned elsewhere that I started college in Ithaca when the Moosewood restaurant opened. It's still there & close to impossible to visit when there are reunions -- I have 4 cookbooks from that restaurant alone (gifts help!), doesn't include the rest of my vegetarian repertoire. OK, I date myself. But Moosewood's food & that of other vegetarian places can be terrific. This is one of the easiest food restriction challenges imho. I wish they'd do others ... but give them notice to deal with the challenges.

Surprised that Mike I. was the one to go, but that's OK with me. I expect Robin to remain at the bottom of the pack, but Jen needs to step up.

[Another Dave]

I'm not sure about everybody else, but the last half of this episode was just hillarious. The high school level humor about the garlic being a little prick that becomes big in your mouth... that's great.

Also: Robin's speech tonight was also great. The way the camera panned to every single person in that room looking bored/confused/exasperated was priceless.

[Esther]

Seriously, there had to be many more constraints than we saw. I'm really irritated by the whole misleading nature of this week's edit.

Paula, my impression is that the constraints weren't there; the contestants just didn't take advantage of everything they could've. Gail says in her blog: "No beans or legumes, few eggs and little dairy were used (despite their being encouraged to do so)."

[Matt]

What's the deal with vegetarians? They have no right to be appalled if they are served a plateful of veggies. Why is the rest of the world supposed to go out of their way to fully satisfy what amounts to less than 5% of the population? You don't see meat eaters restricting their menus to "meat only, no veggies." Meat eaters generally expect vegetables to be served with their meat dishes. No griping about it. Why are vegetarians complete opposites of that attitude and basically elitist, self-centered exclusionaries? It's quite off putting.

[Sweet Sue]

Although I'm sick that Natalie Portman signed the Polanski petition, I do have to defend her as an actress.
She was wonderful in "V for Vendetta."

[Allison]

P.S. Yes, I have an issue with the activists. Respect is key.

[dc]

She's one of my favorites.

My favorites of Ms. Portman (in order),
V for Vendetta
The Professional
Where the Heart Is -- very sweet as unwed southern teen mom living in Walmart

Interesting it says in IMDB that she plans to limit her acting and becoming a professional psychologist. She is doing her schoolwork at Harvard. // She really wants to help people. Far from a typical starlet or "look at me" activist. But a renaissance woman.

Anyway... given this opportunity, just had to gush my Ms. Portman infatuation out to cyberspace. I'll post about the episode after I dl it... no cable TV at my location. T_T

[macmd]

YESSSSSSSS!!!!!

I was almost as estatic having Mike I. booted off as seeing Kevin win both the QF and EC. Talk about having no class during Mike's exit interview at the end of the show. It seems like the chefs who keep on harping on Robin still being there are the ones who really haven't won hardly anything. (Laurine - no individual wins except one EC because she was with Bryan, Eli and Mike I. with one QF each and, if I remember correctly, they are tied with Robin in individual wins - of course she's been on the bottom more)

It seems on this episode if your name began with Mike, you got the A**hole edit. Although honestly you didn't need to edit what they said to show what douchebags they are. What a bunch of sore losers. Look, your food may have been more creative but hey, it's all about the taste and if Kevin's dish was "simpler" but tasted better, deal with it. Also stop saying what a good chef you are because you are so much better than other chefs (i.e. Mike I. on Robin). I could not stand Mike I.'s arrogance and was so happy he got booted off before Robin. The only thing that could make me happier is if Kevin wins the whole thing.

[jh]

How many of us have a degree in psych from Harvard, published multiple research articles, are multilingual, and won a Golden Globe? I found Natalie Portman a wonderful guest.

I think Tom hit it on the head with Jen and how the competition has really beaten her down. It reminds me of Anita Lo in TCM. Started out strong and has all the chops, but the grueling schedule is taking a psychological toll.

[Neil]

Mike V. called Picasso again. Pretty funny, but the shot at Kevin was a bit uncalled for. It has got to be frustration built up at going out on a limb, executing, and not ultimately getting rewarded for it. From some of his recipes posted in the past, the skill levels are usually always classified as challenging...I think he just feels he is doing harder work, but in the end, unfortunately for him, it's all about the taste. Also, Tom definitely has a real appreciation for refined simplicity, which Kevin excels at. To me, I think Kevin and Mike V. have established themselves as the front runners, although from the preview for next episode, it looks like Mike V. may be in trouble next week.

[Lou_NJ]

The standard Mike set for himself was to beat Robin - if he felt she was his competition he was setting himself up to leave. He was so focused on his dislike of her that it seemed to be his main topic of conversation. I mean, it seems he spoke more about her than anyone else including himself.
Jennifer is just the opposite and too focused on herself she has to let go. She got to her position in the real world on her own skills - she has to trust those skills.
The Voltaggio brothers play with all the fancy toys ands and are very skilled. But watching them work is painful and they are only consciously competing with each other. They fiercely defend each other to the rest but are relentless in vying with each other. It's exhausting. In the end it like listening to someone who has studied and mastered the technique of playing a classical piano piece but no matter how passionate they say they are the notes just don't evoke the emotions at the core of it. I don't doubt their ability to dazzle but I'm left wanting more. Which one is the better of the two - can be endless debate as they are 2 stars revolving around each other. I'm sure they are up to date on all the new tricks of gastronomy but that where they loose me - I will like, even really enjoy what they cook but I don't feel satisfied by what they offer.
Kevin wears his heart on his sleeve and what he produces shows his connection with food. I would venture to think of his as the most spiritual connection with whatever he is working with in order to pull out all it has to give. He is inventive and playful at times but always delivers on the integrity of his produce or protein. I think that the success he has enjoyed is because of that connection ("I was at the winery and they had hazelnut trees on the property so I used hazelnuts" - or something to the effect). He does his research and then doesn't stand in front of the food but behind it. I do so look forward to getting to Atlanta to eat at Woodfire Grill.
Eli is competent but I don't feel the passion or the love. I'm sure it's there but for me he doesn't have his voice yet.
Robin has skills - that's what got her in to the competition but she has only been less worse than someone else so far. I don't imagine there is as much depth to her cuisine as she thinks there is.

[*susan*]

Watching Jen melt is so hard. I want her to be Jen Norris again!

But what about Top Chef Frozen dinners? Delivered to your home from the famous Swanson Kitchens..... why cook when there are frozen dinners that have a Top Chef seal? I am worried that Top Chef is trying to turn itself into a franchise and the attributes that I love will spiral into a cash-flow machine diminishing the uniqueness of this show. _sigh_

[garik16]

Ugg, we get a week off before the next episode. Brutal.

[Maria]

Eh, I think Natalie Portman was okay in V for Vendetta, but for every adequate performance, she bombs in quite a few others. She and Scarlett made The Other Boleyn Girl *painful* to watch. I don't know if it was worse seeing her overact, or seeing Scarlett underact. Just terrible all around. Good on her for her going to Harvard, but I don't think she's particularly good at her day job, especially compared with plenty of other 20 something actresses. I think people like Rachel McAdams and Emily Blunt blow her out of the water in terms of being a compelling screen presence.

Plus, Leon was done when she was 12. That's probably her best performance to date and that's... actually kind of sad in retrospect, isn't it? She seems to have gotten worse at acting over time, instead of better. Maybe that's why her career's not as great as it used to be in the past. I think she's hit her peak in terms of roles and she's already started losing out the really meaty parts to more talented up-and-comers.

She sure is pretty though. I'll give her that much.

Anyway, back to the show...

Honestly, I've been a fan of Mike V. but he really lost me in this episode. It's one thing to get snippy with his brother-- Bryan can clearly dish it back and they *are* family-- and even to get prickly with Robin over serving sizes during Restaurant Wars. But getting all aflutter over Kevin winning, when he should *know* that Kevin must be dominating this competition for a reason?

Really, Kevin's probably everyone's favorite little red-haired keebler elf of cooking. How can ANYONE get upset at him for anything, let alone for excelling? Mike V.'s letting his bitterness get the best of him!

[mncharm]

Jennifer had two socks and a shoe off by the end of the show. What a total meltdown. Hope she can pull it together to make the finals -- perhaps the break before the finals will give her a chance to regroup. Yikes.

Natalie Portman: an intelligent and responsible actor and a foodie. Rowr!

[mncharm]

By the way, acting is not Natalie's day job -- it's her hobby. Is she the next Katherine Hepburn? No. But good on her for not taking the easy way out and making a bunch of easy-money movies, and instead appreciating the opportunity acting has given her to do what she wants with her life.

[mncharm]

Kevin is putting a stanglehold on this thing, by the way. The Volts are putting out great food -- but eight wins for Kevin, in this field? That's ridic -- and two more wins than the Volts put together. Could either of them still win the title? Sure; the Giants beat the Pats in the Super Bowl two years ago -- but no matter what happens from here on out, it's going to be hard to excape the conclusion that Kevin is the best chef in the crew.

[Maria]

Huh. So acting isn't Natalie's main job anymore? Then I guess it doesn't matter that she isn't getting any better at it over the years. ;)

Also, I've got a question for the professional foodies out there. Tom, in his blog, criticized Jennifer for making a dish that would be a better appetizer than a main dish. How could she have rectified this? Serving bigger proportions, adding a pasta, using more vegetables-- what?

[Barbara]

If Jennifer had added a pasta, a grain, a legume, almost anything to make it more than just "a few veggies" it would have come across as more of an entree, I think.

And did anyone besides me think that the unspoken part of Kevin's "Uh, thanks" was something along the lines of "Yeah, sure, I'm going to give up my Jenn-aire stove and Sub-Zero fridge for GE Monogram appliances"?

[Will Allen]

It was obvious to me that Mike I. was getting whacked; how hard is it to cook some fennel correctly in two hours, no matter what problems one might have with equipment? I mean, it wasn't as if the kitchen burned down, and even then you could roast it over an open flame! Robin is a pain, but few things are more irritating than arrogance untethered from accomplishment, and that is Mike I.'s most consistent trait. If you are a football fan, it's like watching Jamarcus Russell berate a receiver for failing to catch a pass that a grade schooler could improve upon. Be gone, loudmouth.

Mike V. (am I alone in thinking his brother is a considerably nicer human being?) is like an immature athlete who is used to winning every competition, and then he gets to a level where he finally finds someone who is better than he is. He simply is astounded, and then angered, that someone would have the effrontery. Cooking food that tastes better than mine? The nerve!

Kevin once again calmly thinks the problem through, which first and foremost means, in this setting, cooking food that is pleasing to eat. To paraphrase Ash, in his farewell episode, don't forget flavor!!

Really sorry to see Jen coming apart. My favorite Drill Instructor has become a trembling recruit. I hope she snaps back.