DML wrote:You are missing that sometimes people say things that are not true to protect others.

Could you be more specific about what you mean? Are you implying that Tramonto does, in fact, serve frozen scallops but the Top Chef staff/hosts are "covering up"? Wouldn't this be easy to verify by simply looking to see if Tramonto in fact has a scallop dish on the menu?

Darren72 wrote:

DML wrote:You are missing that sometimes people say things that are not true to protect others.

Could you be more specific about what you mean? Are you implying that Tramonto does, in fact, serve frozen scallops but the Top Chef staff/hosts are "covering up"? Wouldn't this be easy to verify by simply looking to see if Tramonto in fact has a scallop dish on the menu?

I was thinking the same thing. The only menu I could find online is here. No scallops on the menu.

This presents an interesting PR issue. On the one hand, he might want to get scallops of the menu in light of the episode to satisfy the "perception is reality" side of the argument. On the other hand, he could put a raw scallop dish on the menu just to prove a point.

Darren72 wrote:

DML wrote:You are missing that sometimes people say things that are not true to protect others.

Could you be more specific about what you mean? Are you implying that Tramonto does, in fact, serve frozen scallops but the Top Chef staff/hosts are "covering up"? Wouldn't this be easy to verify by simply looking to see if Tramonto in fact has a scallop dish on the menu?

I don't know if he does or not. Unless you work there (or for the show), neither do you.
The show opened the question up though.
WIth regard to the menu: If you want to do the historical research, be my guest. I don't care enough to bother.
In the meantime, I will continue to spend my money in places where it appears that the top priority of the chef and/or owner is to please the diners.

I just watched (finally!) last week's show. And now I have read all the comments that I've had to avoid for the past six days. I have only two comments, since I decline to get into the guessing game about the scallops (...oh, why not? I will limit my scallop-philosophizing to noting that (a) Lee Ann Wong's explanation rings true to my ear and (b) I think Tramonto can legitimately be criticized for not demanding some say over what appeared in his cooler, Spike's dopey decision notwithstanding).

Unlike the vast majority (apparently) of posters in this thread, I happened to like Spike--for a variety of reasons. I'm sorry to see him go, though given how the dishes were portrayed, it seemed like it was the right choice.

As to everything else, I say only: sheesh!

gleam wrote:

jaybo wrote:Another thing that bothered me is the inference that the restaurant was specifically stocked for this challenge. Why?! Why couldn't/shouldn't they have used whatever the restaurant would have on hand for a normal evening's service?! I would think that Allen Brothers was/is the restaurant's main purveyor anyway.

I'm assuming you think Lee Anne is lying, since she specifically said the restaurant was not donating the items they had on hand. They sent Top Chef a list of what they had, along with how much Top Chef would have to pay to use it. Since TC had a budget, and Tramonto's (according to Lee Anne) didn't have scallops in the walk-in already, they got them donated from Allen Brothers. Some of the other food used was donated by Whole Foods.

Yes, I do think Lee Anne is lying. IMO, she's TOFTT.

As far as the restaurant donating items, they weren't donating anything unless everyone who ate at the restaurant that night dined gratis. That is certainly a possibility; the restaurant could have been closed to the public that evening and served only friends, family and specially invited guests.

Even if the show had to pay for the food that was used, I doubt that the cost was that prohibitive. Allen Brothers certainly could have been talked into making some sort of deal on the meats, if not donating them outright.

If there weren't scallops in the cooler, why did they feel the need to put FROZEN scallops in there?! They could have just left them out, and it would have been something for the chefs to deal with (e.g., "I wanted to do scallops, but they didn't have any.")

Bottom line, this would have been a marketing bonanza that money can't buy for the restaurant and Allen Brothers unless something went awry like, say, having frozen scallops in the cooler. Oops.

As far as the restaurant donating items, they weren't donating anything unless everyone who ate at the restaurant that night dined gratis. That is certainly a possibility; the restaurant could have been closed to the public that evening and served only friends, family and specially invited guests.

From something I read over the last week (it could be any number of things), it was my understanding that the service was on a weekend afternoon and was a friends/family only sort of event.

jaybo wrote:Bottom line, this would have been a marketing bonanza that money can't buy for the restaurant and Allen Brothers unless something went awry like, say, having frozen scallops in the cooler. Oops.

I think you are way overestimating the effect that this show could have (positively or negatively) on the restaurant & on Allen Brothers.

Well, crap. The final's going to be a lot of fun with Lisa in it.

Although, when was there a civilized final? Just last season's I think. I had so hoped for another one with Richard, Stephanie and Antonia. At least my worst nightmare-- Stephanie getting bumped-- did not happen.

Props to Stephanie for improvising so successfully, I was really, truly impressed. I also really liked the idea of the Malta-glazed ribs.

And man, Lisa... you don't need any fancy editing to make her appear to be a vile, vile person. She wants to be congratulated for skirting elimination for the sixth time? Give me a break.

One interesting thing I just noticed: Stephanie has been in either the top or the bottom for every single elimination challenge, the bottom 3 times and the top 10 times. I think that's the first time a finalist has ever done that. I'm not sure if it's good or bad, but it's truly remarkable that she's been in the top group 10 times. Of note: all three bottom performances were group events. Of course, so was nearly ever elimination challenge until these last few.

When Dale left out the belly I was yelling pigskin! Do something with skin!

---

And, Lisa...ugh...that purse-mouth, sunken chin thing she does...icks

..."congratulate me" ???

that was awe-inspiringly repulsive



well, I liked Antonia a lot, but al dente pigeon peas don't float my boat

Lisa - the World's most Ungracious Canadian.

I'd love to combine another of my obsessions from tonight with Top Chef: I'd like the captain of my beloved Stanley Cup-winning Red Wings, Nick Lidstrom, cross-check Lisa face-first into the boards, while calmly and politely explaining to her how terribly unbecoming it is to be a sore winner. (Maybe Chris Chelios, too. What the hell.)

GOOOOOOOOOOO STEPHANIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOO!!!

I read an interview w/Stephanie over at Chicagoist, and she said a lot of Lisa's bad appearance came from editing.

I think that was awfully charitable of her, given Lisa's behavior after the elimination tonight. It's almost getting ridiculous, how vile she's coming off (at least, to me). And while Antonia didn't have a good night...ugh, LISA?!

I have to admit, I did panic when I saw the pork belly was left out overnight. Stephanie does NOT do well in those situations, so I was extremely relieved to see she pulled it off. I think Richard will most likely win, and probably should, but I'm so glad Stephanie pulled it back together after her mid-season slump.

I was also really impressed with how well Stephanie responded under very difficult circumstances. She was very decisive--the pork belly had to go--and pulled it out with her successful salad. She did well choosing sous chefs for herself and for the others. I know a good deal we see is all about the editing, but she just comes off as a genuinely thoughtful, modest, and nice person, as well as an excellent chef. She kept her cool.

Antonia surprised me with how she fell apart this time. Up until now, her strength has been her calm competence. That was gone tonight. Also I don't think having the weak Nikki to work with helped her, although she was certainly comfortable working with her.

Looking forward to the final. I think that Richard will win, but I hope that Stephanie will.

BLERG. I am left utterly speechless by tonight's elimination and by Greasa's general ass-hattery following said elimination.

Man!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

I'm thrilled that my 2 favorites -- the 2 most deserving cheftestants -- made it into the final round. It made me feel especially great to Stephanie (and Dale) respond to a pressure-filled crisis situation so calmly and resourcefully. As much as anything else, that is the stuff of great chefs.

I really dislike what I've seen of Lisa. I'm stunned and thoroughly disappointed that she lucked her way into the finals. I'm not saying that Antonia deserved it more on the basis of what was shown in tonight's episode but overall, Antonia seems like she's clearly the more talented of the 2. It's a strong argument that previous performances should be factored into the judges' decisions more than they are. Ironic that Antonia, who's been steady but not spectacular all season, screwed the pooch on her pigeon peas. Technique -- or lack thereof -- was the last thing I thought would bring her down.

The moment after Lisa returned to the holding room and essentially demanded congratulations from Richard and Stephanie was one of the most pathetic things I've ever seen. I loved Richard's response to it, too. Bronze medal, indeed. She's saying that it's not a popularity contest while whining to the other contestants about them not liking her. As it turns out, they're under no obligation to do so. And neither am I. It just sucks that she'll be there to pollute what could have been an otherwise perfect final episode.

=R=

Congratulations to Richard and Stephanie! I cannot wait to see them battle it out in the finale.

I refuse to congratulate or acknowledge Lisa's presence in the finale. Not only for my disdain for her, but I can't see any scenario in which she would win. Perhaps Richard or Stephanie could screw up next week, but not both at the same time.

Stephanie has been brilliant the last few episodes; if she wins the title of Top Chef, she'll have definitely earned it. She controlled her emotions beautifully and did a wonderful job of overcoming adversity.

Richard is the Big Brown of this year's cheftestants. He had to be the favorite from the beginning, and except for one misstep (albeit huge), his performance has been exemplary. I have to admit that I thought he'd be gone by now because he was a ringer and they wouldn't want the ringer to win.

I've been wondering about how they're going to format the finale. They played the "previously eliminated contestants" card this week, and I doubt they'll replicate the "celebrity sous chef" twist in last year's finale. However, the chefs are likely going to need some help.

The conspiracy theorist in me would love to see the 3 remaining chefs paired up with the 3 previous runners-up. There are some eerie similarities/connections in these potential matchups: Stephanie and Dale Levitski, Richard and Marcel, Lisa and Tiffani. Wow.

Lisa has been portrayed as a villain in this year's cast, and I'm aware that a lot of that can be due to creative editing, but there's no need to edit that last scene; it speaks for itself. Ugh.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was disgusted by Lisa with her "you could at least congratulate me" line. Past performances should start to be factored in that is all there is to it. She has been in the bottom forever, yet other people keep getting booted off, it's been pretty stunning to watch. Richard's talking head comment about her getting the bronze medal was spot on and hilarious. There is no way she will win, but I'm just sick of looking at her on my TV.

It was nice to see Stephanie win the quickfire. It has been commented on before, but she really does look happy, excited, and grateful every time she wins a challenge. The leaving out of the pork belly had me thinking really bad things (oh you creative editors) but Dale made up for his big mistake, and it seemed like the salad they came up with on the fly was the favorite dish of the judges, except maybe the guest judge who really liked the plantain pancakes. Speaking of those, they did some editing on those to make it look like they weren't going to work out. There was a ton of editing this week to make it seem like Stephanie wasn't going to do well at all, including the preview from last week where they had her off camera while butchering and saying something that made it sound like she was in trouble.

I'd like to see Stephanie win but Richard would be a great Top Chef also.

The arms-folded thing and the piercing above the eye -- not a good combination. They provide a permanent hostile sneer.

Sometime in her life, hasn't somebody told her anything about body language?

Interesting outing this week. I wasn't sure with the Quickfire, it could have been anybody's game, it looks like the guest judge is a big tostone fan, so at least Lisa was smart enough to pick up on that for her elimination menu. Richard may have been going for too far "out there" for the guest judge, but it looked like a key was that he really, really doesn't like raw plantain.

Stephanie could have torpedoed the others a lot worse with her choices -- Dale+Lisa would have been fireworks, Richard+Nikki could have been disaster. Her line about no conflicts in the kitchen sounds honest -- and after seeing the tight quarters it was a smart choice. A Lisa-rampage could have ruined it for everybody. As it is, Spike showed he can be an outstanding line cook, Andrew showed he's a pro and put attitude aside. Dale, the smart choice for Lisa (she wasn't going to give him to Antonia or especially Richard), and although he nearly sunk her, he helped pull the save.

And it all came down to undercooked pigeon peas. *sigh*. Between Antonia and Nikki, somebody should have been able to detect undercooked beans.
Well, the favorites from the start go head to head, with a third-place finisher most likely already determined.

DML wrote:The arms-folded thing and the piercing above the eye -- not a good combination. They provide a permanent hostile sneer.

Sometime in her life, hasn't somebody told her anything about body language?

Probably. But she's made it pretty clear through her comments that her attitude isn't a matter of ignorance, it's a point of pride.

Sometime in her life, hasn't somebody told her anything about body language?

Probably not. She doesn't seem to be the kind of person who's likely to be open to constructive criticism.

jbw wrote:

Sometime in her life, hasn't somebody told her anything about body language?

Probably not. She doesn't seem to be the kind of person who's likely to be open to constructive criticism.

When I used to play basketball, our coaches always let us know NO HANDS ON HIPS. It signals to the other team that you are tired. I would do that at times when I wasn't tired. but I did it deliberately.

That sort of thing is part of communication. I haven't worked in a kitchen since high school, but I would think that communications skills wouls be important for a chef.

I know I'm repeating myself, but Lisa is the Wendy bleeping Pepper of this Top Chef season. They clearly went to the same charm school, although Lisa graduated much higher (lower?) in the class than Wendy.

The good thing in all this is that good people who lose the finals (Dale) or even get bounced early (Lee Ann; Dave beating her was way worse than what just happened, IMO) seem to do very well for themselves afterwards.

Forgetting about Lisa for a moment...

How freaking awesome would it have been to be at that party? Everything pork! My goodness...

jesteinf wrote:Forgetting about Lisa for a moment...

Why stop at a moment?

I know, the food looked fantastic. Can't wait for the finale. Wonder who the guest judge(s) will be. I hope Eric Ripert.

Backing up a week (I was abroad and am just catching up with DVR'ed eps):

I don't know that I buy the various scallop "explanations," one reason being that I've been to both Osteria di Tramonto and Tramonto's Steak and Seafood and don't think either one of them is that great! (I.e., while I certainly don't know the facts re the scallops any more than anyone else does, and while I found both restaurants OK, it doesn't require that big a stretch of my imagination based on my gustatory experiences there to believe there could be frozen scallops in the kitchen.)

However, the one thing that does surprise me is that Bravo allowed Spike's call-out of Rick to remain in the final edit. I'm glad they did, but cynical old me would expect them to "take better care" of the pros who aid and abet their enterprise. If a contestant made a disparaging remark about the performance of a GE Monogram oven, or expressed a wish that he could work with Saran Wrap instead of Glad, would we expect that to make it to air? It's unthinkable! Bravo leaving in Spike's remark was refreshing, but kind of shocking in its faithfulness to the exchange that took place between them, given the degree of manipulation exerted on every other aspect of the show to create a shiny appearance. I wonder if Tramonto feels betrayed.

Quick hits from last night's episode

Does anyone feel that leaving out the pork belly was a blessing in disguise? I think everyone else did belly and the judges praised the replacement salad as refreshing. Seemed like a differentiator for Stephanie and a showcase for local fruits.

Kudos to the cameraman catching the pork belly. Not only does he/she have to stay out of everyone's way in that miniscule kitchen but also to be so on top of all the goings-on that not only do we get a foreboding shot of the meat, but it is at the tail end of the panning shot of the chefs leaving for the day. Someone must have been gleefully sitting on that piece of info for a few minutes.

Could Blaise have been more underwhelmed about the Corolla? C'mon, Richard, think of the MPGs! In his defense, it could well have been shock, but I don't think I've every seen anyone so nonchalant about unexpectedly winning a new car.

I'm over Lisa-bashing. In my world, this is the final 4, NCAA tournament style. Get there by hook or by crook and do what you can to stay alive. She may not win Miss Congeniality, but she bested a competitor by making fewer mistakes. I don't think that will win it for her, but she's earned the right to try. I won't be rooting for her and I wouldn't spoon feed her congratulations when my friend just got booted, but she's still alive and cooking. 13 wish they were so lucky.

[Edited to add] apparently Ted Allen shares my esteem for the Johnny-on-the-spot Cameraman

Didn't it seem Lisa was a different person this week? It's like getting her hair cut off made her mellower. Or else the break was good for her. Or maybe the tropical climate put her in a "no worries" frame of mind. Or maybe she started, ended, or changed the dosage of a medication. Or meditation. Whatever, with no tantrums or claims of sabotage, no crossed arms or scowls, it was a different Lisa.

Right up until that "aren't you going to congratulate me?" moment. Ahh, that's my girl.

The single worst moment for me and my people came when Lisa revealed she's a Jew. Why, oh why God, did Lisa have to be Jewish? Don't we have enough trouble?

riddlemay wrote:
However, the one thing that does surprise me is that Bravo allowed Spike's call-out of Rick to remain in the final edit. I'm glad they did, but cynical old me would expect them to "take better care" of the pros who aid and abet their enterprise. If a contestant made a disparaging remark about the performance of a GE Monogram oven, or expressed a wish that he could work with Saran Wrap instead of Glad, would we expect that to make it to air? It's unthinkable! Bravo leaving in Spike's remark was refreshing, but kind of shocking in its faithfulness to the exchange that took place between them, given the degree of manipulation exerted on every other aspect of the show to create a shiny appearance. I wonder if Tramonto feels betrayed.

Something that's bugged me this year is that they've been forced to shop at Whole Foods, and for the most part, just do not believe that Whole Foods delievers restaurant quality food--e.g., only fish fillets. I've noticed a couple of digs by the cheftestants at the available raw, but it does seem like they've edited that out.

Good call on the Richard being underwhelmed on the car.

My idea for new Stef pork dish: braised cheeck