I was really surprised the Masters only got 5-7 of the ingredients correct (out of 20) in the Quickfire.

I wish we got to see more of Keller's spread.

My favorite line of the show was when the host mentioned how a quickfire winner once won the same contest by correctly identifying an umeboshi plum. Chiarello laughs and says, "I've never even heard of that."

I got a pretty hearty laugh from that line.

Darren72 wrote:I was really surprised the Masters only got 5-7 of the ingredients correct (out of 20) in the Quickfire.

This goes to show how difficult it is to recognize tastes while blindfolded and under pressure. Bayless questioned the quality of the hoisin and mangos since none of them were able to identify them.

Anyhow, I'm about done with this charity all-star game. I'm ready for the real competition to start next week.

Best,
M

eatchicago wrote:Anyhow, I'm about done with this charity all-star game. I'm ready for the real competition to start next week.

Wow. I've got completely the opposite reaction. After watching these real chefs, I've got no interest at all in watching the whining kids that are usually on the show.

DML wrote:

eatchicago wrote:Anyhow, I'm about done with this charity all-star game. I'm ready for the real competition to start next week.

Wow. I've got completely the opposite reaction. After watching these real chefs, I've got no interest at all in watching the whining kids that are usually on the show.

I kinda tune that crap out. I generally think that there's a high level of new, diverse talent on display on the show, especially as we get into the second half. I'm looking forward to it.

DML wrote:

eatchicago wrote:Anyhow, I'm about done with this charity all-star game. I'm ready for the real competition to start next week.

Wow. I've got completely the opposite reaction. After watching these real chefs, I've got no interest at all in watching the whining kids that are usually on the show.

FWIW, it looks like an older and much more accomplished crowd this season. They even have one fellow who's openly saying in the interviews that he wants to restore Top Chef's integrity, focus on the food and not the reality TV.

Remains to be seen, but I think they may have actually listened to the complaints from last season.

While there's always going to be drama for the camera's sake, I really think after the disaster of TC- Season 2 and its aberrant little behavioral problems masquerading as contestants that the show has backed off some from the corrosive infighting that is the staple of a show like Project Runway. I mean, yes, no doubt that many of you can point out examples refuting my point, but from my own perspective, the drama that there has been has been much less a turn-off than in Season 2. If it hadn't, I wouldn't be watching anymore.
Quite frankly, I wouldn't mind it if the Masters show became a semi-regular thing, assuming some adjustments in the hosting and judges (Gael can stay; everyone else needs to pack their mics and leave).

Remains to be seen, but I think they may have actually listened to the complaints from last season.

Nah. If this were so, Toby Young would not have been retained as a judge.

Gypsy Boy wrote:Chiarello's performance ("how do you pronounce my name?" , blaming his sous chefs, et cetera ad infinitum) was priceless.

I got a kick out of the fact that later in the show, in what was clearly an interview segment filmed after the "how do you pronounce my name thing," Richard Blais (who mispronounced Chiarello's name when being interviewed), referred to him again (I assume purposefully) as Chi(as in Chia pet)arello.

I think there was some selective editing going on to make Chiarello and Lo seem closer. After all the comments about the nasty swordfish, etc., I was expecting him to get 3 stars across the board and each of the judges gave him 4 (and maybe one 4.5?). Also surprising to see such a disparity between the diners and the judges on Keller -- 3.5 stars from the people and 5 from all 3 of the judges. I believe that may be the largest disparity yet and wonder if Keller didn't make food of a type that clearly appeals to food writers/critics (or that has touches that are totally lost on the hoi polloi). Either way, my respect for both Keller and Bayess throughout this competition has increased quite a bit.

Rick Bayless has had a blog going for the last few weeks about TCM at http://www.root4rick.com. He had some interesting insights as to what goes on behind the scenes, as well as comments on what did air. For instance, he said he was completely oblivious to the Dale/Chiarello confrontation. I've enjoyed the entire series, and I can't wait for the finale.

Bayless FTW

The editing -- and the diners' scores -- had us believing that Chiarello had it wrapped up, and that there were serious flaws in Bayless' dishes.

But he got it.

I was THRILLED to see the outcome. I like all three, truly, but the final result was what I was hoping for.

Woo Hoo! Bravo for Rick Bayless. Take that east and west coast. Rick Bayless was a true gentleman throughout the competition and remained true to himself and to his cuisine.

Congrats, to Rick Bayless! He did Chicago proud -- not only with his cooking but also with the way he comported himself. Bravo! (no pun intended)

One thing we got out of this that we could never get in Top Chef Original Recipe was the wonderful, well-conceived final challenge. To see these chefs interpreting various moments of their careers through dishes was compelling. With unknown chefs, such a challenge wouldn't be nearly as interesting or significant. I think this may have been my favorite challenge ever on any Top Chef season. A great way to end a series that I enjoyed thoroughly, and certainly a lot more than I expected to.

=R=

In total agreement with ronnie suburban here. What a wonderful show.

Finally a challenge that enabled the chefs to display not only their skills and creativity, but their humanity, and gave them all sufficient time (relatively, anyway) staff and tools to implement. Morever, the editors finally paid sufficient attention to the food. Bravo has a tendency to vacillate between emphasis on the skill-sets of the contestants and the so-called "drama" (gradually entering the lexicon as a synonym for "bad behavior") between the contestants, and the producers had the sense to keep the cameras firmly planted on the former here (altho there was a little interplay between Chiarello and the editor from Saveur, but that was kind of cute.)

Not only the Best of the Top Chef series, but one of the best food shows I've seen.

It was too bad that Bayless' win came down to Oseland's score and apparent dislike (or "lesser like") of Chiarello. His score for Chiarello was out of line with everyone else. I would have liked to see more of a consensus win by whoever it was.

I particularly liked that the final twist was a positive one in bringing in their own sous chefs to help out.

Overall, an excellent series

I too agree completely with ronnie_s. What an outstanding challenge last night--it really allowed the chefs to express who they are. I enjoyed seeing all the old familiar faces too: Top Chef winners, Top Chef judges, and the show's critics. A very enjoyable episode!

love that they didn't shy away one bit from showing Bayless butchering a whole pig, with close-up shots of the dead animal's head. That surprised and delighted me.

I also was surprised by the whole pig. Did that come from Whole Foods? If you go solely by their name, they should have meat lockers full of pigs, cows and tuna. But, you would never know from the front of the house that they've got a pig carcass in the back. I'm a little skeptical.

I also thought it was a great episode - the producers really rose to the occasion with a truly inspired challenge to meet the match of the challengers.

I thought the shots of the chefs wandering around the Getty, notebook in hand was really great, as was the twist. I really enjoyed seeing/hearing some of Hubert's Alsatian memories as well.

Good for the Bayless, good for Mexican cuisine, bad for waits at Frontera.

I think someone should create a website comparing realtime waits at Frontera, Kuma's and Hot Doug's - although my interest is less about informing me as a potential customer and more a bystander's curiousity about which restaurant is the "winner" of the longest wait and just how long that wait is.

gastro gnome wrote:I think someone should create a website comparing realtime waits at Frontera, Kuma's and Hot Doug's - although my interest is less about informing me as a potential customer and more a bystander's curiousity about which restaurant is the "winner" of the longest wait and just how long that wait is.

Waitwatcher on Twitter is trying to do this. Yesterday, Tweets included wait times for Hot Doug's, Frontera, Publican, Hopleaf, and more. I don't follow them, and thus don't know how useful it is.

http://twitter.com/WaitWatcher

Ronna

gastro gnome wrote:I also was surprised by the whole pig. Did that come from Whole Foods? If you go solely by their name, they should have meat lockers full of pigs, cows and tuna. But, you would never know from the front of the house that they've got a pig carcass in the back. I'm a little skeptical.

I think a large portion of the food came from other purveyors, since I don't think WFM sells quail or black truffles, either. Honestly, I suspect most of that shopping trip to WFM was for show, and they ordered most of the ingredients from a real restaurant purveyor.

REB wrote:

gastro gnome wrote:I think someone should create a website comparing realtime waits at Frontera, Kuma's and Hot Doug's - although my interest is less about informing me as a potential customer and more a bystander's curiousity about which restaurant is the "winner" of the longest wait and just how long that wait is.

Waitwatcher on Twitter is trying to do this. Yesterday, Tweets included wait times for Hot Doug's, Frontera, Publican, Hopleaf, and more. I don't follow them, and thus don't know how useful it is.

http://twitter.com/WaitWatcher

Ronna

Frontera always wins, for what it's worth. The wait @WaitWatcher reports is usually 2-2.5 hours, which exceeds even Hot Doug's on Saturdays. On a few instances HD or Kuma's have beaten it out, but those are rare days.

Go to Frontera on Saturday for lunch, you can often walk right in.

Preserved lemons were another one I'd like to see at my Whole Foods (or anywhere; whoever had them, I think Chiarello, must have brought them from home).

Mike G wrote:Preserved lemons were another one I'd like to see at my Whole Foods (or anywhere;

Fox & Obel has preserved lemons

Mike G wrote:Go to Frontera on Saturday for lunch, you can often walk right in.

I also generally find that if you're able to get to Frontera before 6pm on a weeknight, you won't have a very long wait for a table.

I have eaten at Frontera many times, and have never waited for a seat. I always sit at the bar or at a table in the bar, and I always arrive by 6:15 on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Never a wait. Not once.

I think a large portion of the food came from other purveyors, since I don't think WFM sells quail or black truffles, either. Honestly, I suspect most of that shopping trip to WFM was for show, and they ordered most of the ingredients from a real restaurant purveyor.

I think this is right. At one point Keller said the truffles had just been flown in last night.

From Rick's TCM blog:

And then reality set in: we’d all decided on dishes that are super-complex and require ingredients we weren’t sure we could get our hands on? If it wasn’t at the Whole Foods, could the producers help? Could they find me a suckling pig (not a high-demand item for most Whole Foods shoppers). Hubert needed truffles and sea urchin. Michael wanted rabbit livers. The ride back was nothing but phone calls and negociation.

gleam wrote:Honestly, I suspect most of that shopping trip to WFM was for show, and they ordered most of the ingredients from a real restaurant purveyor.

I strongly suspect that it is a part of WFM's contract with the show that either all or a specified number of episodes must include a shopping trip to WFM.

--Rich

danimalarkey wrote:From Rick's TCM blog:

And then reality set in: we’d all decided on dishes that are super-complex and require ingredients we weren’t sure we could get our hands on? If it wasn’t at the Whole Foods, could the producers help? Could they find me a suckling pig (not a high-demand item for most Whole Foods shoppers). Hubert needed truffles and sea urchin. Michael wanted rabbit livers. The ride back was nothing but phone calls and negociation.

Thanks for pulling up the quote. In the regular Top Chef series, the chefs in the finals are allowed to bring in their own special ingredients. Makes sense that they Masters would be able to do the same.

The thing I liked most about this series is that the chefs were, for the most part, on their own. No ridiculous forty on forty team challenges. No situations where they could just sneak by; the largest group for one challenge was six - the beginning of the Champions Round.

The thing I liked least was the quickfire judging; I openly groaned when I saw that house flipper and his crew on one of the episodes. I doubt it will happen with Andy Cohen in charge, but I don't want to see any more cross promotion involved. What's next? Those insipid "real housewives"? Ugh.

Another thing I didn't care for was the elimination judging; not the actual decisions themselves, but I felt certain aspects of the judging were staged to create a more dramatic atmosphere. I didn't think the finale was that close. In Kelly Choi's blog on the finale, she thought Rick Bayless had the best dish on three of the four courses. Even though she's not a judge, that would have made for a fairly substantive victory.

I'm ambivalent as to whether I'd like to see another season of TCM, even though it's highly likely there will be one. Do you bring most of the chefs back (the majority said they'd do it again)? Do you bring in a whole new slate of contestants?