Top Chef 4-12

[KristiB]

Man Dave is a total basket case!!!!

Did any of you see the movie Bedazzled with Brendan Fraser and Liz Hurley where Brendan wants to be the most sensitive guy in the world but he can't do anything without crying? That's Dave!!!

I saw a profile of Michael Mina (Stephens real life boss) on Opening Soon (Fine Livingchannel) and Stephen has totally stolen Michaels style and ideas.

Andrea needed to go. Nothing she did looked very good and I think she was more obsessed with making people's bowels move than giving them a good meal.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/6120/topchef1xi.gif

[sdcook]

Dave is heading for a total meltdown! Did you see the shot of him chewing on his fingernails and his shoulder was doing this odd nervous twitch?

I was so disappointed that Stephan got the quick fire challenge. He annoys me so much. Did he ever let the judges know that Harold pretty much made the soup? I wasn't watching too closely when they were at the judges' table, but it looked to me like he took full credit for it.

[Hammster]

Wow, what an episode!

Tiffani showed her true colors. What a snake! to use Miguel's words. Although she is right that Miguel may not be a Top Chef. I didn't realize when he said he was going to do an appetizer it was going to be such a common one. Sadly Andrea took the fall for an unispired appetizer, but she did serve that pancake cold. Not a good thing.

Poor Dave. But he needs to stop with the excuses. "I'm all about flavor, but I wanted to honor her dish." What kind of BS is that? Just be yourself. He keeps saying he's over things, but the next scene his shoulder is twitching or he's bawling in the back room while Miguel and Tiffani bicker. I'm so afraid he's going to crash before we get to see the real Dave.

Gawd, did Tim Allen fall into the if it looks good on the plate it must taste good trap with Stephen's quickfire dish? That dish just looked like he cleaned his utensils on it. Hardly any food on it and each little bit just looked lost on that plate. I think Harold's by far was the best of those dishes.

I'm so glad Lee Anne finally won a big one. Every dish she makes, I can taste the ingredients. Asian food is big here in San Diego and we eat a lot of it, so I know when she starts describing her dish, like the Char Siu pork one, I could already taste it.

I was so glad to see everyone work as a team though when their dishes were assigned to someone else to make.

[cminmd]

They are keeping everyone on the show that I hate.
Stephen- you have got to be kidding me with that cra**y appetizer. It looked like a wormy cat scooted across the plate! Herb twigs, a microscopic muscle and some finger paint smears? Oh please!
Is Tim falling for the new cruelty?
I still like Harold- I will watch until he is gone, then so am I.

[Hammster]

"over rested" mean? I heard Chef Collichio (Sp?) tell Tiffani that the steak was "over rested". I'm guessing he just meant it was a bit cold. Not room temp, but maybe not as hot as it should have been?

[MISSINDI]

"over rested" mean? I heard Chef Collichio (Sp?) tell Tiffani that the steak was "over rested". I'm guessing he just meant it was a bit cold. Not room temp, but maybe not as hot as it should have been?

After you're done cooking/grilling a steak, it is supposed to rest for 3-5 minutes to let the juices redistribute. I'm assuming she let it rest way past that.

I like Harold, and was really hoping he would have won the Quick Fire challenge ... I felt bad for him when he had to give up his meat dish... maybe next week will be better for him.

[Hammster]

After you're done cooking/grilling a steak, it is supposed to rest for 3-5 minutes to let the juices redistribute. I'm assuming she let it rest way past that.


Yeah that's what I assumed too. But I'd never heard the term and how does one determine if it's over rested? That's kind of what I was asking. Must be temperature as I don't believe the meat would get drier.

[nowimcooking]

Stephen- you have got to be kidding me with that cra**y appetizer. It looked like a wormy cat scooted across the plate! Herb twigs, a microscopic muscle and some finger paint smears? Oh please!
ROFLMAO!!! :D

Yeah, I'm actually getting tired of this show (though I am sure I will still watch). Each week I really look forward to it and then something ridiculous like Stephen winning the quickfire challenge happens. it's pretty obvious who's going to make it to the final four (or at least who should). And Katie Joel is still boring beyond belief.

What is with Miguel's comb-forward?

[schuh]

Yeah that's what I assumed too. But I'd never heard the term and how does one determine if it's over rested? That's kind of what I was asking. Must be temperature as I don't believe the meat would get drier.

My take is that it was a fancy way to say "your meat was cold."

I hate, hate, hate Stephen and his condescending attitude. dminmd's description of his appetizer was perfect. I'm dismayed that Ted fell for that. I'll give Stephen a tiny bit of credit for helping Harold with dessert -- but he probably did that only because he'd be raked over the coals if he didn't.

I loved when Andrea told Ted he'd have a really good BM. That's good TV. :)

I like Harold the best. I also like the tough girls -- Tiffany and Lee Anne. I think that chefs are a tough bunch and I see those two as creating great food and having the attitudes/personalities that could survive in that environment. For those of you who follow Anthony Bourdain, do you think he'd blow Miguel in for his kitchen breakdown? Sure he would. He wouldn't have time for that behavior.

I like the show because I'm so in awe of the (better) contestants and what they can do. There are times I wish I could crawl through the TV and taste the food -- Harold's appetizer, Tiffany's microwave fish, the Cubano pork sandwich. If I tried to do what they were doing, I'd be 100 times worse than Dave in the basket case category.

[swquilts]

Schuh, you have a great thought about Anthony Bourdain!! I would die to see him as the judge and peel Stephen like a green banana! He would do it with much style and lots of "bleeping". hehehehe.....I'm evil.

I'm rooting for LeeAnne. I do think that Harold should have won the quickfire tho. LOVED cminmd's description of Stephen's appy, what a joke. I think Ted liked the presentation more than the actual food. One of the chefs had a great decription for it, but I forgot who/what it was.

I'm stuck on it...... :cool:

[schuh]

Schuh, you have a great thought about Anthony Bourdain!! I would die to see him as the judge and peel Stephen like a green banana! He would do it with much style and lots of "bleeping". hehehehe.....I'm evil.


Evil, shmievel -- THAT'S a show I would love to see! :D

[Canice]

Ack, before reading cminmd's comment I was about to ask, "What's the attraction to the SKID MARKS across the dinner plates??" Not terribly enticing to ME.

For those of you who follow Anthony Bourdain, do you think he'd blow Miguel in for his kitchen breakdown?
I don't think Anthony Bordain would blow Miguel for ANYTHING, but I definitely think he'd make a great, relentless judge.

I'm losing the love for Dave now. He's obviously such a nice person and a good guy - but the bawling and that freaky shoulder tweak are not hallmarks of professional excellence. Especially when coupled with general incompetence (how good does his food look?).

You know, I don't so much blame Tiffani for dissing Miguel (though it's clear he's NOT "the weakest link") but I thought Stephen was more thoughtful in his comments, and Lee Anne the most tactful. What really surprised me was that "Chef" would out Tiffani like that! No, Tiffani shouldn't have backed down when Miguel called her on her criticism, but it felt awfully junior high to me when Colicchio told him, "TIFFANI SAID...." :rolleyes:

Someone on the Bravo boards asked if a person gets splinters when s/he touches Katie, and that makes sense to me! She's young and boney and has good skin - but what does she bring to the show besides narration? <<shudder>> - a little too Stepfordish to me!

Still rooting for Lee Anne!!

[Canice]

PS: Not meaning to be too literal here, but this is the first "reality" show I've watched. In what sense is it "reality" when you have a dozen (mostly) utterly mismatched contestants "competing" against one another?

Tiffani/Lisa
Lee Anne/Ken
Cynthia/Dave
Harold/Candice
Miguel/Andrea
Stephen/Brian

From the outset, does that look like a reasonable competion to you?
And after Episode One would you think this was a real show-down?
I'd like to see a real competiton amongst equals, though each with her/his own "culinary point of view" as they say.
I don't think "Top Chef" is presenting a realistic competive set.

See you on next week's thread! :o

[nowimcooking]

I'd like to see a real competiton amongst equals, though each with her/his own "culinary point of view" as they say.
I don't think "Top Chef" is presenting a realistic competive set.

BRAVO!!! :) Me too! Hopefully they will do another season and improve upon this and also replace Katie Joel -- that splinters comment is pretty funny.