brandon_w wrote:Not sure if it was as impressive as Hung taking apart those chickens last year though.

Nothing could top that!

brandon_w wrote:Any guesses on who the mystery guest judge is? Or does it say somewhere on the Bravo site?

My guess is Todd English. Bravo tends to cull from their stable of "favorite" judges, and he's one of them.

If it is someone who has been on the show before, why the secrecy? They don't usually keep it a secret do they? I try and pay attention.

It looked like former contestant Sam to me. Although I don't really know what he's accomplished to be worthy of guest judge status.

Speaking of people who are good looking, I noticed that one of the photographers [you could see the person while they were cutting the cake] was a good friend of mine. I'm trying to get a first hand account of the food.
Thanks to DVR, I was watching it this morning. Interesting to see at 5:00.

the wimperoo wrote:It looked like former contestant Sam to me.

It was definitely Sam. Previews for next week's episode confirms it.

I heard from the Tribune blog:
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/
That it was Sam, but who knows. Looked kinda like Grant A. too from the back but I highly doubt it.

I can't believe this replaced Restaurant Wars - it truly is turning into Top Caterer. I rather see chefs develop their own menu, decorate their own restaurant and see how they work in a restaurant environment. Catering is totally different (and, yes, I know) - making food completely for the client (that, none-the-less should taste good), not being in charge of the look/feel of a space and not having a clear division of labor. At least on the previous season's wedding challenge, they had a little more creative leeway with the food and seemed more involved in service (remember how the judges were all impressed with the sweep service and coordinated plate reveal?)

Something that got left out in the editor's suite, I guess, is the Marchetti's profile.

I thought that was interesting too. I didn't realize until I saw the space (but before the pan of the sign).

tem wrote:
And Lisa's cake, while tasty, was butt-freaking-UGLY. It was like two big Leg-Os stacked on top of each other.

I'm in the minority on that. When Tom commented (in an "aside" to the audience) how ugly it was, I commented back, "really"? Certainly untraditional for a wedding cake, but I thought it was appealing in a prairie-style, Frank Lloyd Wrighty, chocolatey kind of way.

I'm with you (eventhough figjustin though the cake was ugly), I didn't. I thought it better when Tom saw it in the kitchen without the extra embellishments. Plus, it tasted good, which in my opinoin is most important.

although brisket's pretty darned easy and almost always a crowd pleaser.

This is why I don't like a catering challenge because this is precisely what you should do. Something easy, that transports well and that pleases the most people. (I'm so glad we do small events without chafing dishes.)

abe_froeman wrote:Based on the "tall, dark and handsome" comment from one of the women on the show, my guess is Todd English. That's who it looked like from the back anyway....why do I seem to remember him already being on the show, though?

Man, to me it looked like Sam.

My guess is that it is Sam as well. From where I was sitting, the person in the previews wasn't broad-shouldered or meaty enough (in a good way) to be Todd English.

Vital Information wrote:Something that got left out in the editor's suite, I guess, is the Marchetti's profile. At the start of the challenge, Padma let out that the couple had restaurant and catering background. So, it turns out that JP was JP Marchetti, scion of the Como Inn clan. That's a bit of background no? But then their opionions on the event were not really included at the end.

Also, is this me, but the build up to this show, including the inclusion of some DVR busting extra minutes, was that this was the drama episode, the wrestle Marcel to the ground and get kicked off episode. Was this episode really that explosive. I mean Dale banging a locker?

The s/o surprised me last night with his Chicago culinary knowledge(the show isn't a favorite of his...he only glances at bits and pieces of it): I'd mentioned how supposedly the couple being feted were caterers of some sort and he caught the Marchetti name in chiron(?) and gave me the entire rundown...Como Inn now banquet hall, something or other...

interesting that they edited most of that out leaving just a tease

I thought that was interesting too. Maybe it was "too Chicago" for a national audience, but the history of Como Inn would have added some color.

Does anyone know who was officiating at the wedding? That really looked like Father Smyth who used to run Maryville Academy, but I didn't record it so I wasn't able to check for sure. I could have sworn that was him.

I finally am caught up for the first time since week 2. Time to participate.

tem wrote:And who cares if your pulled pork cooks 10 hours or 12 hours ? Odds are it's still going to be great and will keep well for a catering situation. As opposed to that crispy chicken thing that should have gotten whatshisface sent home even if they did win.

I had a problem with this. Should Andrew have known that a crispy dish wouldn't hold for service? Absolutely. Should it occur to him that he is delivering two very similar dishes in a row? Although this is coming from the guy who is a little too in love with tapioca).

But where was his team? From the reaction shot and Antonia's cutaway, you'd think he was a 7-year-old who suggested serving broasted boot. But this was a team competition and if his idea was such a clunker, then take steps to make your team stronger. Keeping your mouth shut could send you packing if the cards get dealt that way.

Antonia might have a good palate, but I am not enjoying her second-guessing. Who knew squash soup could be so controversial?

AmeliaB wrote:Does anyone know who was officiating at the wedding? That really looked like Father Smyth who used to run Maryville Academy, but I didn't record it so I wasn't able to check for sure. I could have sworn that was him.

I'm pretty sure it was Father Smyth-he has officiated at a couple of weddings in my family, but I haven't seen him in quite a few years. He looks pretty good-he's got to be in his 70's now I think.

After a run of less than stellar episodes, we get the best episode of the season to date. Thank goodness!

So Restaurant Wars is morphed into Wedding Wars. I don't like the fact that yet another Elimination Challenge involves feeding a large number of people, but I understand the reasoning behind it.

Good to see Stephanie bounce back. I remain convinced that Richard will get cut soon, because if he makes it to the Finale, he's a shoo-in. He's looked more dominant than any chef in the history of the program. Not good for drama.

Speaking of extremes, has any chef turned in a more pathetic performance than Nikki did this week? She couldn't have asked for a better scenario: the easier client (groom) whose culinary requests were right up her alley (Italian) with a team ready and willing to defer to her. Instead of taking charge and accepting responsibility, she completely blew it.

Nikki's situation reminds me a lot of Sara M. during last year's Restaurant Wars. At the time, Sara was certainly portrayed as the weakest remaining cheftestant. However, when the decisions had to be made, she immediately appointed herself as Executive Chef for her team, even though her teammates probably didn't think too highly of her skills, including the one who despised her the most (Howie).

Sara was aggressive, decisive, and in command; everything Nikki was not. Even though clever editing can make viewers believe certain things, there is no getting around the fact that Nikki failed this challenge on every level.

I've felt that several eliminations this season weren't necessarily warranted; that someone else was perhaps more deserving of elimination. Not this week. This was a lay up.

BTW, I loved the return of my favorite Quickfire, the mise en place relay race. The only negative here is that everyone expected it. (The first thing Tom says to Padma is, "They know!") I'd love to see them mix it up next season and run the relay race early with three teams of two. That would be a lot of fun IMO.

Gypsy Boy wrote:

jbw wrote:I'm not too sure about the lemon, but why did everyone (Tom, in particular), have such a problem with the p-b/tomato combo? It's actually pretty common in African cuisine, particularly stews.

Because, the longer I watch this show, the more I am convinced that he has a relatively narrow comfort zone for his palate and he seems to be remarkably close-minded to combinations he doesn't think will work. On occasion he will acknowledge being pleasantly surprised (I believe he conceded that Richard was right when combining white chocolate and salmon), but far more often than not, he seems to close his mind before tasting and that's the end of the story.

I really wanted not to believe this crtiticism of Tom, as he was one of my favorite chefs when he actually cooked in NY. But this week's comment about olives and grapes being an odd combination was just too much. He's absolutely nuts, or - at a minimum - very narrow minded indeed. I've personally used these ingredients together in salads I prepared at a very nice, authentic Italian restaurant, and I've tasted them used together in a very successful pan sauce served with lamb. And tons of delicious Middle Eastern and South American recipes use olives in combination with raisins (dried grapes!!!). I lost a lot of respect for Tom this week.

If someone can explain to me in a rational, coherent fashion why Andrew got the boot and Lisa stayed, I'd love to read it. Based on past performance, based on attitude, and based on the judges' apparent unhappiness with both of their dishes last night, I just don't get this one.

I like Andrew but even I will concede he's a bit of doofus and not in the same league as people like Richard (who, I must confess, is slowly winning me over) or even Dale (who, on the other hand, is increasingly turning me off, obvious talent notwithstanding). I think Andrew is talented and he clearly has passion for what he's doing; there's also no doubt he done some foolish things. But I really don't get his elimination last night. Lisa's attitude, her body language, her...Lisa-ness, is incredibly off-putting. Worse still is her cooking: she's won one elimination challenge and finished in the bottom three eight times! (thanks dmnkly) The off-camera comments by her colleagues about her claim of sabotage suggest that she's not gonna win the Miss Congeniality contest at Top Chef, either. I'm not saying that she has no talent: she does (I think) but she clearly hasn't demonstrated it consistently and she's been in the bottom so many times that her stay is increasingly inexplicable. Corks will surely pop in our household when she leaves. And it can't be too soon for me.

The judges have said before that past performance doesn't factor in their decision.

However, I sort of hoped that finger-pointing and tattling would, because that was seriously obnoxious. I know Dale is not exactly a team player, but wow, Lisa's REALLY unlikeable. Plus, I did think her dish looked weaker than Andrew's, though I could obviously not taste it.

The idea that cops are afraid of sushi is asinine, btw. As Antonia so eloquently said, they're just people! If that was the main reason he was knifed, it's pretty stupid. If it was the lack of grains (which they did notice without Lisa's help), then I guess they were keeping with the rules.

Stephanie confirmed for me tonight that she will be a finalist, but no WAY will she win it all. The girl's NERVES...wow.

Man did I get pissed last night when Lisa called out Andrew for not following the rules! This from part of the duo that completely ignored the rules in one contest, and got away with it. I cannot wait to have a celebration when she gets sent home.

Andrew should still be there, I will miss his talking head moments, and his obvious love for making food. Is he over the top sometimes? Sure. Does he curse to much? Probably. But he was fun to watch, and I think had at some times, made some good looking food. To me, Andrew was better than Lisa and Spike.

I also think this season is kind of turning into Top Chef "Survivor" as people talk of sabotage and piss and moan at the judges table while ratting other people out. Pretty annoying, I honestly think the producers should step in and stop that kind of stuff. The contestants should be able to talk about the food they made, and if in a group, the relative performance of their team members, they shouldn't be snitching on others.

Restaurant wars with only 6 people could be interesting next week.

brandon_w wrote:Restaurant wars with only 6 people could be interesting next week.

Especially if Spike and Lisa end up on the same team, meaning that a loss by the other team would mean one of the favorites is going home.

Gypsy Boy wrote:If someone can explain to me in a rational, coherent fashion why Andrew got the boot and Lisa stayed, I'd love to read it. Based on past performance, based on attitude, and based on the judges' apparent unhappiness with both of their dishes last night, I just don't get this one.

Because they felt Andrew's dish was worse this week. That's all there is to it. All of those other things are frustrating, and they're the same reason I wanted Lisa to get the boot (or Spike -- would have liked to see that "strategy" backfire), but when all four judges agree on which dish was the worst, those other factors are just noise. I got into a discussion with somebody over at my blog this past week who didn't understand why I had Dale rated so highly. He talked about Dale's immaturity, his poor attitude, his inability to lead, and how a Top Chef needed to show those traits to win. I said absolutely not, the only thing he needs to do to win is to put the best plate of food on the judges' table, and everything else, while not completely unimportant, is secondary. If it's a close call, yeah, the judges are going to look at all of those things. But if they have a clear least favorite -- and Padma noted, BTW, that it was a unanimous opinion this week -- that's who's going home, end of story. I'm sad to see Andrew go, too, but if you're dispassionate about it, I don't think it's hard to see why it was him.

And all of this is to say nothing of the fact that he ignored (or forgot, more likely) two requirements on the rule sheet -- he didn't include whole grains, and by his own words, he wanted to "leave them wanting more", when one of the parameters of the challenge was that the food was supposed to be hearty and satisfying. The judges have shown a willingness to overlook or downplay problems with the rules if you turn out a great dish (the more the "Polish sausage" dish is mentioned in the Bravo blogs, the more it sounds like it was, spirit of the challenge problems aside, a very tasty dish), but when nobody liked your food, that's just the last nail in your coffin.

What I found most interesting this week, from a procedural standpoint, was the revelation that they (at least sometimes) provide the chefs with a rulesheet outlining the challenge's requirements. I know Lee Anne will give them a list of available pantry items sometimes, but it's interesting to know that they may, in fact, have a detailed copy of the challenge's parameters to refer to whenever they want.

If Spike and Lisa are on the same team, how could the other team lose?

brandon_w wrote:

Dmnkly wrote:Especially if Spike and Lisa end up on the same team, meaning that a loss by the other team would mean one of the favorites is going home.

If Spike and Lisa are on the same team, how could the other team lose?

Yeah, I know, I know... but tell me Richard, Spike and Lisa vs. the rest woudn't be a nail-biter

(I don't think that's the case. It looked like Dale and Lisa were on the same team, at least, which is also creepy.)

Dmnkly wrote:

Gypsy Boy wrote:If someone can explain to me in a rational, coherent fashion why Andrew got the boot and Lisa stayed, I'd love to read it. Based on past performance, based on attitude, and based on the judges' apparent unhappiness with both of their dishes last night, I just don't get this one.

Because they felt Andrew's dish was worse this week. That's all there is to it. ... But if they have a clear least favorite -- and Padma noted, BTW, that it was a unanimous opinion this week -- that's who's going home, end of story.

Acknowledged and agreed. But my clear impression, based largely on Collicchio's comments was that they were pretty unhappy with Lisa's dish as well; he made it a point (as I recall) to emphasize that her shrimp was very undercooked and that the dish just wasn't that good.

I was struck by Padma's pointed comment about the decision being unanimous. The first thing that occurred to me--and it continues to be my conviction--was that they were...insecure (for lack of a better word)...about their decision. The need to justify the decision by making a pointed reference to it strikes me as odd, at the very least. (I don't recall her ever, in any season, prefacing the final decision by noting that it was a unanimous one.) And, under the circumstances, it seems to me to betoken more than it seems. But then, maybe I'm wrong.

I agree, too, that all the other stuff is noise when it comes down to making the final decision about how good the dish is. But presumably being a "Top Chef" entails more than simply making good-tasting food. Based on past seasons and past comments, it also entails being able to work with others (oh Lord, I've forgotten the name of the redheaded woman from the first season who they pointedly noted had problems working with other people), being able to lead, being adaptable, and so forth. Then again, if attitude figured into the calculus at all, Lisa would have been gone long, long ago.

Gypsy Boy wrote:Acknowledged and agreed. But my clear impression, based largely on Collicchio's comments was that they were pretty unhappy with Lisa's dish as well; he made it a point (as I recall) to emphasize that her shrimp was very undercooked and that the dish just wasn't that good.

Oh, I agree. I think they had three bad dishes to choose from this week, but the impression I got was definitely that Andrew's was a clear last place for them. (And I didn't taste it, obviously, but it sure sounded awful to me, much as I like Andrew.)

Gypsy Boy wrote:I was struck by Padma's pointed comment about the decision being unanimous. The first thing that occurred to me--and it continues to be my conviction--was that they were...insecure (for lack of a better word)...about their decision. The need to justify the decision by making a pointed reference to it strikes me as odd, at the very least. (I don't recall her ever, in any season, prefacing the final decision by noting that it was a unanimous one.) And, under the circumstances, it seems to me to betoken more than it seems. But then, maybe I'm wrong.

I think you're right about the judges sometimes overstating their convictions, especially since they've been raked over the coals by the commenters in their blogs on a few occasions. But I personally don't think the fact that they're sometimes defensive about their decisions implies that they're any less sure of them. I think it's more a matter of them now anticipating a resurgence of the conspiracy theories every time they make an unpopular decision. And my memory is contrary -- I remember that happening on many occasions. I feel like there's frequently if not usually a "Padma sums up the panel's feelings before we call them back" quote, and I feel like there have been lots of occasions when she's declared it unanimous. I've always taken it as one of the (very vague) indicators of whether it was a easy or difficult, debated decision. But again, I'm working off memory, too.

Gypsy Boy wrote:Based on past seasons and past comments, it also entails being able to work with others (oh Lord, I've forgotten the name of the redheaded woman from the first season who they pointedly noted had problems working with other people), being able to lead, being adaptable, and so forth.

It's interesting you bring up the redheaded woman (Tiffani, BTW), because that's where this whole "a Top Chef must be a leader" thing got started. The first season it was VERY close between Harold and Tiffani, and the judges were looking for tiebreakers wherever they could find them. But who's won since then? Ilan and Hung weren't exactly inspiring leaders who everybody wanted to work with I think the nature of the first season finals gave the impression that the judges value these things more than they actually do when it comes to making decisions, and I think that misperception on the part of the audience has persisted.

It's funny -- I haven't liked Andrew much: his use of harsh language for shock, his general wackiness... but in the last couple weeks he'd grown on me, and I'd thought he had one of his strongest showings in the Quickfire. His novel maki I thought deserved high marks for creativity, and probably fared better as a lunch box subject to storage than the dried-out quality refrigerated sushi rice usually suffers.

How Spike has held on is baffling. I think he's probably played things safe and not ended up on the bottom a few times -- although safe almost lost it for him today.

How Spike has held on is baffling. I think he's probably played things safe and not ended up on the bottom a few times -- although safe almost lost it for him today.

Beats me, too. Has this guy cooked anything that anybody responding here couldn't manage? A plate of charcuterie, grilled (not very well) vegetables, Chilean sea bass with a simple sauce, a spring roll, and now a chicken salad, where he couldn't figure out what to do with tomatoes other than to slice them on top? Big mistake to have axed Manuel instead of Spike just for having agreed to go with the latter's ill-conceived, ill-executed idea.

jbw wrote:

How Spike has held on is baffling. I think he's probably played things safe and not ended up on the bottom a few times -- although safe almost lost it for him today.

Beats me, too. Has this guy cooked anything that anybody responding here couldn't manage? A plate of charcuterie, grilled (not very well) vegetables, Chilean sea bass with a simple sauce, a spring roll, and now a chicken salad, where he couldn't figure out what to do with tomatoes other than to slice them on top? Big mistake to have axed Manuel instead of Spike just for having agreed to go with the latter's ill-conceived, ill-executed idea.

No, he really hasn't... not since week two or three, anyway. The only exception being the squash soup, which it sounds like he really rocked. Take that away, though, and he's been surviving by not screwing up.

Gypsy Boy wrote:If someone can explain to me in a rational, coherent fashion why Andrew got the boot and Lisa stayed, I'd love to read it.

I don't know how rational this is, but I've said it before and I'll say it again. They desperately want the females to do well this season, with one of them preferably taking the title.

It seemed like all three on the bottom were worthy of expulsion. I knew Andrew was headed for the bottom the minute he explained the concept for his dish. I've yet to see an example anywhere of faux sushi that hasn't been an absolute catastrophe.

Personally, I would have eliminated Spike. Andrew and Lisa both performed poorly, yet had an idea of what they wanted to accomplish. Spike wound up with his ingredients just to spite the others, but had no clear agenda of what he wanted to do with them. However, that would have given him the distinction of being the first Quickfire winner in TC history to be eliminated in the same episode.

So next week, it's Restaurant Wars as it was in its original incarnation of 3 on 3. Richard, Stephanie and Antonia vs. Spike, Lisa and Dale. Wow. Good thing Andrew was eliminated this week, or they would have had to rechoose sides from the Wedding Wars. Pretty fortuitous.

The last six weeks have had alternating eliminations based on gender. I think that's going to change next week, meaning one of the guys is cooked. Since Spike will be working FOH for his team, it's doubtful that he'll be sent packing. That leaves Richard and Dale. Both are likely to take the Executive Chef title for their respective teams. I predicted a surprisingly early exit for Richard a few weeks back, but his team seems so much stronger than Dale's. Plus, Dale's comment at the end of this week's episode about how well he's done. Could they be setting up his departure? Hmmm.

jaybo --- that's a lot of information about next week, did you get that all from the previews?

brandon_w wrote:jaybo --- that's a lot of information about next week, did you get that all from the previews?

I think so, but it's sometimes hard to glean who is on what teams. Two people did jump out as being FOH based on how they were dressed, however.