Top Chef All Stars Dinner - Postmortem

Okay, I forgot how much I miss Stefan.

About 20 minutes in, I figured I'd probably better get a postmortem up on this one or there'd be reunion comments scattered all over the place :-)

Nothing like a little reminder of how tame the whole Robin vs. Everybody thing is in comparison to previous seasons.

This one's a little... uh... drama-centric, so I'm going to let you guys have at it.

Oh, and Fabio? The camera's never off.

Discuss!

Comments

[Independent George]

I gave up after ten minutes. It's still on my DVR, though. Is it even worth watching the rest?

[Cheryl]

It was interesting. Marcel doesn't change..but it was surprising or interesting to see how well he and Ilan cooked together. I was also surprised to see how collaborative Blais and Lisa were. Glad to see the air cleared between Carla and Casey.

[JJH2]

I liked Fabio a lot during his season, but I found him to be completely charmless during the whole episode, and more than a bit grating during his "you know what you signed up for so just grin and bear it" speech. Also, unlike Tiffany, Marcel seems to have done no growing up since his season. Although, his answer to Fabio's question about whether or not he felt like a victim in the head shaving incident was so well delivered I have to give him props.

Other than that - a total snoozer.

[bfish]

Yes, it was a delight to see Stefan -- he was cheerful and trying in his own twisted way to defuse a lot of the tension. I like but don't love Fabio; he's better unscripted. As Cheryl said, no change in Marcel. He and Ilan did seem to be the clear winners of the implicit cooking competition, maybe with Hung in there too (another of my favorites; wish he'd had more screentime at the dinner rather than heavier on the clips).

Dom, many thanks for this wonderful forum. I visited another, which shall remain unnamed, where some of the same folks who come here also comment. It seems futile to converse any more there though, as the rules on strict adherence to topics and board-on-board are just entirely too arcane for my feeble mind to follow -- having resulted in yet another "warning" for what seemed a within bounds and wholly innocuous comment. Please keep giving those of us who are rule following-challenged a safe haven!

[Sarah C.]

I was also a huge fan of Fabio during his season, but he definitely does better unscripted. He just seemed very awkward and stiff. Also, I totally get that the Bravo producers want to squeeze out every drop of drama they possibly can, but honestly, I am so tired of hearing about the frakking head shaving incident. Seriously. We all know what happened. We all know how Marcel feels about it. Drop it Bravo.

On a positive note, how adorable was Richard's soliloquy about how he questions everything?

Why are we in this van? We had a different van yesterday, why'd they change vans?

Awesome.

[Independent George]

Ok, the one thing I did manage to take away from the ten minutes I watched was the fact that Casey looks good. And by good, I mean, really good. By which I mean, damn.

bfish - you wouldn't happen to be talking about the TWOP forums, would you?

[josh]

agreed - richard's soliloquy was the best part...

[zsparks]

Good to know that Marcel is not an asshole - wouldn't have known if he hadn't told me. As for Tiffani - I think she definitely learned the lesson, but it's a very thin veneer, it looks like to me. Harold: Can we talk about something positive? Yes, that would be nice. Talk about beating a dead horse. All we needed to know about Marcel was the little dust-up with Toby. NOBODY turns their back on Tom Colicchio!

Meanwhile, it really seemed like a Fabio demo video - what are they trying him out for? Blais would have been a great host.

[o]

Ilan seems like he's mellowed. Plus they were wowed by his dish.

[Dan_boston]

If the biggest douche on top chef told me derisively to shut up so he could ask me the same question I was trying to answer, I'd be pissed too. That being said, while I have a lot of like and sympathy for Marcel, I also think he needs to better modulate his reactions. The world is utterly full of assholes, most of whom will refuse to ever recognize it. In the end, it's usually easier to smile and blow them off than it is to reply to them in kind.

Still find Fabio obnoxious and irritating. Just wish he had been more than a middle of the pack kind of guy on his season.

[Dawn]

I haven't seen the episode yet, but I would like to join in on the Stefan love. I LOVE him. He's such a charming man, even if he's cocky & arrogant sometimes (or most of the time). If there is ever a likeable villain/jerk on the show, he definitely is/was one.

And Carla, oh my, I adore her. I know Fabio is the one with a show deal with Bravo, but I could watch that woman on my tv 24/7. She's endearing & entertaining, way more than Fabio in my opinion.

And I started watching Top Chef last season, and had since caught up with all the previous seasons. Seriously, the whole Robin thing is a smudge compared to the personality clashes/drama of earlier seasons. It was so silly & ridiculous to watch, at least to me, since I hate loud reality 'personalities' & much prefer the quieter professionalism, albeit bland characteristics of season 6 chefs.

[òste e còc]

Harold needs more iodine in his diet to get rid of that goiter and Carla's reference to the "salt poached" fish was hardly flattering. Marcel should have been asked what his motivation was to get a tramp stamp.

It would appear that only one 1 TC alum (Harold) has managed to open a restaurant and 2 others (Blais, Douche Mendelsohn) run burger things, the former being plebeian fraud patties. Not much of a post-graduation rate, though Harold and Blais are congenial.

That episode in its entirety was an absolute waste of natural resources.

[Independent George]

Oste e coc - didn't Hung compete at Bocuse d'Or?

[bfish]

Independent George -- you got it! (and your comments alone make Skillet Doux a must-read)

For me, Richard's self-deprecating humor and intense devotion to his craft always more than offset any arrogant tendencies he displayed, and last night was no exception. I agree with you, zsparks, that Blais would be a great host (and is already out there as a good writer).

[Skillet Doux]

OeC... FWIW, the burger thing is Blais' second venture. He opened a relatively upscale (I think) place in Atlanta about five years ago that didn't survive, and got enough attention with it to be asked to do Iron Chef America (which, as another television food competition, I've no doubt you hold in the highest esteem).

S2 winner Ilan Hall opened his place in August (The Gorbals), and it was shut down after a week for "boiler issues". Reopening would appear to be imminent.

S3's cast is the only one that doesn't appear to have much cooking in terms of restaurant openings, though as Independent George points out, winner Hung Hyunh competed at the Bocuse d'Or.

S4 includes Blais, as well as winner Stephanie Izard, whose place in Chicago is imminent -- expected to be open within the next month, I believe.

S5 winner Hosea Rosenberg was EC at Jax Fish House in Boulder before TC, and there's been no talk of him leaving that I've seen. Presumptive favorite and runner-up Stefan Richter, however, wasted no time in opening Stefan's at L.A. Farm in Santa Monica.

The "graduation rate", as you put it, is technically low(ish) at the moment but will be making a huge jump within the next 2-3 months... making no claim, obviously, as to whether those places will be worthwhile. It's probably also worth noting that a great number of contestants already owned and operated their own restaurants before TC, so there wasn't anything for them to "graduate" to.

[Cheryl]

Blais is awesome. Yes, his restaurant is a burger place but he previously had a more upscale restaurant. Frankly, I think he read the economy well by going the route he did with his new place. He also does alot of consulting work. He is extremely articulate and watchable. Would love to see him with more air time as well.

[gilmore]

Worthless show except for the Blais monologue, Carla/Casey clarification, Marcel being Marcel and walking out and seeing Casey - you are right Independent George.

Until Marcel grows and and lightens up, he will continue to have his strings pulled and be a douche, twat and everything else he has been called.

[Brent]

What a waste of time that "reunion" was.

I disagree with those who think the anti-Robin issues pale compared to more violent issues seasons past. Watching a couple immature jerks screaming at each other is, for me, much easier to take than watching someone being emotionally crushed. Nobody is getting up in Robin's face and threatening her, she is just being openly mocked and ridiculed. I find it much, much harder to watch someone being treated worse than dirt.

I also find Marcel easier to take than Michael V. Marcel's clownish arrogance is so over the top, he's a cartoon figure. Michael V's quiet smugness and deluded self-importance are much more pernicious and corrosive in my view.

Those two reasons are why I've nearly given up on this season a couple times. I just can't take watching Robin being treated worse than dirt, no matter how annoying she is. And Michael V., an amazing chef who was also a good "character" early on, has devolved into a colossal jerk.

Plus, this season seems to have gone backwards in the challenges - rather than starting with goofier things and building toward great things, they peaked with the Robuchon challenge and have gone downhill since.

But maybe all that is just me. Nobody else seems to be voicing these issues. So if you think I'm ridiculously off-base, ignore and move on.

[Bart]

Reminded me how much I missed the outsize personalities of Stefan and Carla. Fabio seemed flat this episode. Also reminded me how much I loved Blais and season 4.

Marcel's such a jackass!

Fabio: "Why do you argue so much?"

Marcel: "You don't know me! Shut up! I'm not talking about it! You don't know me!"

I was just waiting for someone to point out the irony of Marcel arguing about the fact that he argues.

I've eaten at Harold's restaurant. Very good food at Perilla.

[ally]

Brent, have we been watching the same show?

We have seen Robin put down, yes, but not while she's around (ok that's bad but still).

The confrontations have been with Eli, which she instigated, and with Mike V., under pressure in the kitchen. Mike V. is a jerk, Eli is a jerk, Robin is a jerk. End of story.

[TxGriff]

I too was disappointed in the reunion episode. We heard about the food for, what, 5 minutes? Why rehash the parts of seasons past that were the parts most of us hated? I guess Bravo thinks that majority of their audience likes that sort of thing....

I know there was some editing going on, but man, Marcel really looks like a jackass. And I sympathized with him during season 2. Everyone was being asked about their portayal on the show and how their personalities came across. Marcel's the only one who took offense to it. I don't know why they were rehashing those memories to begin with, but like Fabio said: you should know what you sign up for when you agree to go on a reunion show.

Ally- I think what Brent means is that Robin (to me at least) seems like a much less offensive person/character than the "villans" of seasons past. So when people talk bout her or sometimes gang up on her, it really seems unnecessary and childish.

[Dawn]

Brent, it's not that I'm glazing through the 'Robin issue'. I think we just have a different of opinions of what is the worst type of treatment someone could receive. And while I do think Robin was treated badly, 'worst than dirt' is an exaggeration in my opinion.

To me, it's fine to not like someone. Not everyone gets along with everyone. People gossip, it's a normal happenstance. I wouldn't hold it against the chefs, especially since they were trapped together in that mansion. They might not want to bitch and moan in front of Robin, but at the same time, they LIVE WITH HER.

While there were people who went out of their way to be jerky to her (Mike I. & Eli), most were cordial to Robin even if they don't necessarily like her. Some people might see that as hypocrisy, but I think it was civility.

I mean, yes, the season 6 chefs talk smack about Robin behind her back, but season 2 chefs shouted demeaning things to Marcel's face, threatened to beat him up & in the end ended up assaulting him. The fact that the others were egging Cliff on, with no one realizing that Marcel was violated personally certainly was the worst treatment anyone could ever received. Now that was 'worst than dirt'.

[Darin]

Why is everyone crapping on a burger joint? A good burger is just as respectable as anything else. cmon people have some fun.

[jse91]

Yea, whole thing was underwhelming. I too loved seeing Stephan and could watch him all the time. Carla is amazing, lady has class for miles. Was rather lame to see Casey, just won't ever forget the trash talking [well, writing] she did about Carla.

I always like Tiffani, I thought she are Harold played well together last night.

I have to concur with those who don't get all the Fabio love, I never understood why he was fan favorite. Though the "monkey ass in a clam shell" is in the all time top ten best lines.

Sadly, it wasn't about the food at all. Could it be that the food wasn't worth talking about? Nobody was setting the world on fire.

[Skillet Doux]

"Why is everyone crapping on a burger joint? A good burger is just as respectable as anything else. cmon people have some fun."

If by "everyone" you mean òste e còc. He seems to be the only one who's taken issue with it.

[anon man]

Blah.

I did like seeing Tiffani and Harold. Harold always gets kind overlooked, but I always like his cooking. Amazing how the passage of time has matured Tiffani and widened Harold. For some reason, Tiffani is still the chef who's food I would like to try.

Marcel is still an odd dude. I'm sure he's talented, but there is just something off about him as a person which I can't quite pinpoint. The "I heard you were opening a taco truck" thing with Ilan was kind of funny.

[Independent George]

You know what kind of reunion I'd like to see? One that gathers the more articulate and insightful former contestants to have dinner at each other's restaurants to talk about the food. The contestants really only got to work with people from their own seasons, and always in a competitive environment; just let them eat & talk about each other's food in a natural setting.

Or, heck, I've got an even better idea - why not film & track the opening of Steph's restaurant in Chicago? I'm not just saying this as a Steph/Chicago homer - she's an extremely popular contestant, and she's opening a much anticipated restaurant in a major city. I think quite a few people would watch a 4-6 episode series detailing the ins & outs of opening & managing a restaurant, culminated by an opening night where she cooks once more for a table of Tom, Padma, Gail, and, say, fellow Chicagoan (and TCM winner) Rick Bayless.

bfish - I had the same experience as you. I got warned twice for personally insulting comments (which, naturally, I believe were neither insulting nor personally directed). I gave up trying to figure it out, migrated here, and have been happier ever since. Also, there are no more Battlestar Galactica episodes for me to comment on.

as well as winner Stephanie Izard, whose place in Chicago is imminent -- expected to be open within the next month, I believe.

January/Feb 2010 in the West Loop (809 W Randolph). She's been hosting a series of 'secret' dinner parties in advance of the opening, and has the entire town buzzing. (She's been my secret celebrity crush for two years now, in case you couldn't tell.)

[Independent George]

Good to know that Marcel is not an asshole - wouldn't have known if he hadn't told me.

But is he a Classhole?

[*susan*]

Best moment of the show was Blais describing his Cap'n Crunch foam. "Cause it is seasonal."

[.jokerr]

Hmf. I could have done without the scripted attempts at stirring up negative vibes. Those moments where the contestants were having fun cooking and reminiscing were perfectly fine.

On another note, I've never understood why Marcel incurred such terrible treatment in his season. Watching this rehashed, bearded, and "more mature" version has changed my mind. A man with a sharp tongue and no verbal control, indeed.

BTW... Is it me, or does Blais looks completely different in some strange, indescribable way?

[Skillet Doux]

"BTW... Is it me, or does Blais looks completely different in some strange, indescribable way?
"

Dude had a kid.

[Will Allen]

I didn't watch the show until season 3, so I missed a lot of Marcel drama. It does strike me as odd that a t.v. crew sat and filmed what appears to me to be a straightforward case of battery, even if battery of a jerk.

Having said that, I did enjoy Marcel's interaction with Toby. Who knows what actually happened, given the reality of editing, but having observed situations on many occasions where people just won't listen (often because they are precoccupied with hearing their own voice), and thus can't get the answers to questions they say they want addressed, it was fun to see Toby essentially being told that he is a pompous blowhard.

[Danny]

Will, the TV crew wasn't there when this happened. The chefs had a little video camera and Ilan, I think it was, was videotaping everything.

[jh]

If I recall correctly, I think Ilan or one of the other contestants filmed the whole incident using a camera borrowed from production. There are often fine lines for the production crew for intervening, so even if a whole production crew was there, they might have let much of the hazing continue. Shows such as the Deadliest Catch and Real World often tread this line between filming "reality" at the sake of a person's safety. On occasion, the crew steps in such as when someone is experiencing heart attack symptoms or serious bodily harm can occur.

I loved how Richard's and Lisa's dish had the humorous and whimsical element. Probably more Blais's doing than Lisa.

I miss how wonderfully articulate, kind, and funny Carla is. Hootie!!

[milo]

I don't understand why everyone has been saying that Marcel was acting like a jerk. If anyone, Fabio was, though it was probably at the request of the producers. Marcel was assaulted on national television, was assaulted after, and gets treated like crap everywhere he goes because of extreme editing. He's defensive *because he was attacked*. It is an incredibly sore subject, OF COURSE he's touchy about it. He is smiling when he tells people to back off, but if you think that means he enjoys the constant reliving of being waken up, pinned to the ground and manhandled, then immediately having to hear about the time a woman smashed a bottle on his head, well then you need to learn a dose of humanity.

On a lighter note, I really liked the Carla and Casey interaction. Carla is a class act for not blaming Casey, but she was wrong: if Casey's ideas had worked to be great, people would have thought Casey had won it for her, that Carla didn't deserve it. I think I remember in a past season that a sous chef made an awesome side dish or something that overshadowed the contestant's dishes and them taking flack for it. Richard Blais as sous chef maybe? Anyway, Casey shouldn't have been surprised that people were mad at her, she should have known that she was there to help Carla, not change her.

And Stefan was smugly adorable as always. (pardon if this gets posted twice, I've never commented before and it gave me some weird error =/ )

[jse91]

Was it just me or did Lisa seem totally out of place? I really dislike her, so it might just be my visceral reaction, but it appeared to me like she "was the one not like the others".

I am interested in how they gathered this group. Harold was the only winner. Did the other winners decline the invitation? Or did they invite Harold when other top finishers from the season declined? I have a hard time imagining Dave turning down any tv time.

[laura]

I love Carla and Stephen!! I also love it when Matthew posts here and gives us insight about the chefs. While I am giving the love, I also love this blog and the comments which I faithfully read.

[Skillet Doux]

"Harold was the only winner."

Don't forget Hung and Ilan.

[jh]

jse91: Ilan was winner of season 2, and Hung was season 3. They were only missing Stephanie, who was probably busy for her restaurant opening, and Hosea, who I didn't miss.

All the people were in the top 3 of their season, not a bad showing.

[Independent George]

I am interested in how they gathered this group. Harold was the only winner. Did the other winners decline the invitation? Or did they invite Harold when other top finishers from the season declined? I have a hard time imagining Dave turning down any tv time.

Hung & Ilan were present. The guest list was every finalist except the two most recent winners (Hosea & Steph), who I believe are still doing Top Chef promos around the country (both appeared in Milwaukee a few weeks ago).

[TxGriff]

milo-

You have to ask how Marcel got the reputation in the first place. You will notice that most of us (myself included) said that we sympathized with him during season 2 and thought the treatment of him was totally uncalled for. Does anyone deserve what happened to him? Of course not! But that doesn't mean that throughout that season, and now, he acted/acts like a jackass. It certainly doesn't means he deserved what happened to him. But he has a naturally defensive and condescending personality. It comes across as less-than-flattering on television.

And, once again- you have to come into a Bravo reunion special with at least some idea that they're looking for drama. If what happened to Marcel is too difficult for him to discuss (which by all means I would understand), perhaps he should stay away from the nationally syndicated "reunion" specials. Just my opinion.

[KRK]

I just stumbled across the fact that Season 5 was released on DVD a couple of weeks ago! Extras apparently include "never-aired stew room footage"; "extended interviews"; and "cooking demonstrations." There's a good chance that those will be content from the Bravo website and not necessarily anything really new. But still very exciting. (Especially for those of us who manage to be fans of the show without actually watching it on TV.) This gives me hope that they'll someday offer DVDs of all seasons.

[milo]

I never really saw him acting like a jackass, more like an immature young man getting picked on constantly because he was an easy target. Its a bit like Robin this season, except that Robin should know better by her age and not be passive aggressive or two-faced like that. He egged on a little bit, but 90% of his behavior even pre-assault was defensive, while Ilan was blatantly antagonistic and escalating constantly. If anyone should be seen as a jackass from that season, it should be him. I think the reason Marcel keeps going back and participating is because he hopes that he'll be able to be so awesome that people will stop associating him with the stuff that's happened to him, but he gets back in that environment, with the same people, and ends up in the same situation. I wouldn't be surprised if this is his last time. I can see why he'd choose that too: Look at how people reacted to Hung, calling him arrogant and dangerous, but he saw that and stepped out of the limelight so the only way people would see him would be as HIM, not Editor-Filtered-Hung. Even on this reunion thing, he apparently didn't give them enough drama to work with, and Marcel is still an easy target.

[rab01]

"I think I remember in a past season that a sous chef made an awesome side dish or something that overshadowed the contestant's dishes and them taking flack for it. Richard Blais as sous chef maybe? Anyway, Casey shouldn't have been surprised that people were mad at her, she should have known that she was there to help Carla, not change her."

Strangely enough, I think you are talking about an incident that happened with Casey herself. From what we saw, it appeared that her most successful dish in the Finals was the add-on dish that she basically ceded to her sous-chef (Howie, I think).

[minettegirl]

Hung didn't actually compete on behalf of the U.S. in the Bocuse d'Or. He competed in the national competition in Orlando, but lost out to the chef de cuisine at The French Laundry, who came in sixth if memory serves me.

[hayamyma]

Speaking of Tiffani, she actually made the vegetarian dish I would most like to try in the first episode ever of TC. Her pumpkin lasagna looked delicious and after last week's debacle of vegetarian dishes I may just have to finally make it. It was nice to see both her and Harold, although I was really surprised. Marcel, not so much, although I am grateful we did not have to see Betty.

[jse91]

Sorry, I lost my mind there for a minute and can't remember anything.

[Bonnie]

I never post here, but wanted to respond to the Blais "burger joint" commentary. Flip is one of the hottest restaurants here in Atlanta, and the food is excellent. The lamb burger with a side of sweetbreads is one of my and my son's favorite bites of the moment, and the nitrogen Krispy Kreme milkshake doesn't suck. After TC Blais was EC at a more typical high-end restaurant here called Home, but it was not a great fit. Flip shows off his unique talents to much greater advantage.

Also, speaking of ATL Top Chefs, Kevin carved a pumpkin to benefit our Botanical Garden (he is very community minded and has recently done benefits for organic farmers affected by our recent flooding as well). Anyways...we were high bidders and Kevin's handiwork is still on our front porch. Random I know, but most people I know wouldn't appreciate how cool that was so I figured since I was already posting I would mention it here.

[Brent]

I think Blais is actually more into consulting these days than actually chef-ing ... but since we know Blais reads SD, perhaps he'll enlighten us himself. But he has his consulting business, Trail Blais, and he is, if I'm recollecting properly, part of the ownership group of Flip. He developed the menu, but doesn't actually run the restaurant(s) or EC any of them.

Based on his Twitter feed, he was very excited about an L.A. opportunity he was consulting on - a fine-dining vegetarian restaurant - but the financing fell through at the last minute.

Flip has drawn raves and is putting franchises in other cities now. Believe one is coming to Austin, one to NYC ... might have heard about one going to DC.

Another Blais/Twitter nugget: Bobby Flay challenged him to a burger throwdown, writing that he (Flay) could use the publicity for his own burger joint.

[jse91]

Bonnie -

That is way, way cool! I don't think I have ever been jealous about a pumpkin before.