Top Chef: Las Vegas - OAD 8/26/09 *SPOILERS*

[jsmeeker]

I think I am liking that they are giving out CASH to QuickFire challengers. It's certainly appropriate for Las Vegas. If a contestant does well on the show and wins a few and then wins the whole thing, they can really clean up in the cash department.

Elimination challenge was good. It didn't have any real weird twist to it. Sure, some will say it was "Top Caterer" but whatever. They didn't seem to throw any curve ball at them mid-way through the challenge. The girls seemed to think the guys food was "over worked" but when it came down to seeing final items from both teams, they all seemed to be pretty similar.

Overall, I am pretty impressed with the talent in this group. There seems to be many very talented people this time instead of just a few. Still liking Jennifer. The brothers both seem strong. And nice bounce back by the guy who deep fried a steak last week. He did tofu and seemed to have done it very well.


BTW: Did they mention where Todd English had his Las Vegas restaurant? I can't recall hearing them say it was Olives in Bellagio. Maybe I just missed it?

[Ruth]

Yes, this looks like an extremely strong field compared to past seasons. There do seem to be some favorites early (the brothers, Jen, Kevin) but the overall quality seems much higher and there seems like there's less dead weight.

There's still SOME dead weight, of course -- Eve was a predictable oust and I see Jessie going very soon too. After that it should really get interesting . . . .

I couldn't believe that the guys jumped into the pool. Seemed very unprofessional to me.

[Neenahboy]

I couldn't believe that the guys jumped into the pool. Seemed very unprofessional to me.

I agree with this, and I'm surprised that point wasn't explored further. If that were my bachelor party and the caterers jumped into the pool, they'd be fired before they hit the water.

Why does Padma keep making excuses for Jessie? It's okay if her dishes are constantly devoid of flavor as long as she understands what she did wrong? If that were actually the case, she would be able to address those concerns in the future. She hasn't done that.

And is anyone else really tired of how much they're playing up the Bryan/Michael rivalry?

[jsmeeker]

And is anyone else really tired of how much they're playing up the Bryan/Michael rivalry?

Not yet. It's only two episodes into the season.

But they both seem to have pretty solid skills. So, it should be a good "rivalry" between the two of them.

[tony touch]

JS- no, they did not mention his restaurant Olives.

My surprise of the episode: a combination Bachelor/bachelorette party?? In Vegas of all places??

[jsmeeker]

JS- no, they did not mention his restaurant Olives.


That's weird. You would have thought they would have shilled his place.

[Ruth]

Why does Padma keep making excuses for Jessie? It's okay if her dishes are constantly devoid of flavor as long as she understands what she did wrong? If that were actually the case, she would be able to address those concerns in the future. She hasn't done that.


I think they left in that comment to give viewers an explanation for why Eve went instead of Jessie. I didn't take it as Padma endorsing Jessie as good, just saying why she wasn't the absolute bottom of the barrel.

[anom]

I agree with this, and I'm surprised that point wasn't explored further. If that were my bachelor party and the caterers jumped into the pool, they'd be fired before they hit the water.

What if they were working for free, and you got to be on TV?

[Ment]

JS- no, they did not mention his restaurant Olives.

My surprise of the episode: a combination Bachelor/bachelorette party?? In Vegas of all places??

Yeah that was a eyebrow raiser, although you never know if some of the cut-away shots of the babes were edited in.

[gossamer88]

No mention of the chef who was annoyed at the elimination challenge? Waaaaahhh, I can't get married so no one else should! Sorry but that's how I saw it. Get over it and be happy you were selected as a contestant.

[jradosh]

No mention of the chef who was annoyed at the elimination challenge? Waaaaahhh, I can't get married so no one else should! Sorry but that's how I saw it. Get over it and be happy you were selected as a contestant.

I agree. Her anger was misdirected (at least it seemed that way in the edit).

As for the jumping in the pool thing... I wonder if that was well after the party was done. IIRC, I didn't see any guests in any of the shots when they took the plunge.

Is anyone else really tired of this "molecular gastronomy" thing? I like to watch food cook... not stare into a fog of liquid nitrogen. :rolleyes:

After mixing all those shots I'd have a wicked headache. Pick one drink and stick with it... that's what's called for. :p

[sushikitten]

No mention of the chef who was annoyed at the elimination challenge? Waaaaahhh, I can't get married so no one else should! Sorry but that's how I saw it. Get over it and be happy you were selected as a contestant.
It irritated us beyond belief. That would be like me whining about having to cook for a bunch of skinny chicks. :p You're a chef, you've been asked to cook. Shut the hell up and cook and get over yourself. It's not like you were asked to do something immoral or unscrupulous. :rolleyes:

[Frylock]

It irritated us beyond belief. That would be like me whining about having to cook for a bunch of skinny chicks. :p You're a chef, you've been asked to cook. Shut the hell up and cook and get over yourself. It's not like you were asked to do something immoral or unscrupulous. :rolleyes:

Especially since she specifically made the comment that there would be a wedding challenge. She knew there would be going in (she said so) and the show always does one. Do I agree it sucks? Sure. But the other chef (forget her name) wasn't so broken up about it!

I was really worried she was going to try and use that as an excuse at judge's table. I am glad she did not.

[SoldOnTiVo]

I think I am liking that they are giving out CASH to QuickFire challengers. It's certainly appropriate for Las Vegas. If a contestant does well on the show and wins a few and then wins the whole thing, they can really clean up in the cash department.

Elimination challenge was good. It didn't have any real weird twist to it. Sure, some will say it was "Top Caterer" but whatever. They didn't seem to throw any curve ball at them mid-way through the challenge. The girls seemed to think the guys food was "over worked" but when it came down to seeing final items from both teams, they all seemed to be pretty similar.

Overall, I am pretty impressed with the talent in this group. There seems to be many very talented people this time instead of just a few. Still liking Jennifer. The brothers both seem strong. And nice bounce back by the guy who deep fried a steak last week. He did tofu and seemed to have done it very well.


BTW: Did they mention where Todd English had his Las Vegas restaurant? I can't recall hearing them say it was Olives in Bellagio. Maybe I just missed it?

This "top caterer" this week didn't bother me as much. It seemed more "intimate" than the 300+ people they were getting last year.

It does look like a pretty strong group. My bet would go to a Jennifer/Kevin/brothers final 4.

[SeanC]

No mention of the chef who was annoyed at the elimination challenge? Waaaaahhh, I can't get married so no one else should! Sorry but that's how I saw it. Get over it and be happy you were selected as a contestant.

Even as a gay man that got a :rolleyes: outta me too.

There is a time and a place to have that conversation, I don't think Top Chef is either of those.

[justen_m]

Even as a gay man that got a :rolleyes: outta me too.

There is a time and a place to have that conversation, I don't think Top Chef is either of those.

Yeah, but this is _BRAVO_ we're talking about here. :rolleyes:

So far Jen, the bearded guy, and the two brothers look to be the top. Glad that the hottest woman is also super talented, she should be around a while. Based on her cooking so far, and her resume, she may be _the_ one to beat. If she can cook anything other than seafood. The guy who shucked the clams and barely lost to Jen looks like he can cook, too, despite his *******ness.

I found it ironic that at the challenge at Wolfgang's steak place, the four top dishes were all seafood. Two halibuts, one arctic char, and whatever the Haitian guy made. (Err, maybe that was last episode. I watched both for the first time last night).

I was surprised the Puerto Rican guy's tofu was the best seviche. I wonder if the frozen octupus was a factor in Jen's. Maybe fresh is naturally more salty, leading her to under season hers?

The meringue that one of the brothers made seemed very creative. Perfect food to go with a tequila shot.

From Tom's comments, it sounded like the chefs knew ahead of time they would be serving outdoors, in the Vegas sun. I was a bit surprised by all the raw presentations. A raw bar served outside in the heat was the downfall of Anita on Top Chef Masters, but she _didn't_ really know ahead of time.

[pmyers]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one irritated by the chick who had the moral problem.....I so wanted her to get the axe!

[jsmeeker]

Is anyone else really tired of this "molecular gastronomy" thing? I like to watch food cook... not stare into a fog of liquid nitrogen. :rolleyes:



Using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream is a method that works really well. If I could easily get my hands on some, I would try it out myself.

[sharkster]

Yay, shrimp girl is gone. She doesn't seem to be able to learn a lesson, does she? She dodged a bullet last week & then did the same crappy shrimp stuff this wk.

see ya - wouldn't wanna be ya.

I thought the guys jumping in the pool thing was in poor taste also, assuming the clients' parties were still going on.

[jradosh]

BTW, Padma's pool-side outfit was quite the eye-catcher. :D

[Craigbob]

BTW, Padma is quite the eye-catcher. :D

FYP :D

[Frylock]

I just wonder if these 15K prizes they are winning won't come back into some gambling play later on to make it to the final 3 or 4 or something. If it wasn't, they'd just tell them they won. Giving them the chip I believe will have some meaning later on.

[jradosh]

BTW, Padma's pool-side outfit was quite the eye-catcher. :D

BTW, Padmais quite the eye-catcher. :D
FYP :D
Well, true enough... but her outfit last week was more comical than hot (IMO). She redeemed herself this week (as if she needed redemption).

[jsmeeker]

I just wonder if these 15K prizes they are winning won't come back into some gambling play later on to make it to the final 3 or 4 or something. If it wasn't, they'd just tell them they won. Giving them the chip I believe will have some meaning later on.

They either aren't giving them a REAL chip, or if they are, they hand it right back. It's not like they are just walking over to the cage at M and cashing it in.

No, I think that $15K for quickfire is probably theirs for keeps. But your idea of using that money as a way for eliminated quikfire contestants to get back into the game certainly is an intriguing one. They did have a way for some to get back in during last season's Top Chef. Of course, it was a cooking challenge. But having black jack "tournament" amongst them? That could be cool! (not that I think that will happen)

[nmiller855]

I missed it because I thought my generic Top Chef season pass would pick it up. I added the one for Las Vegas.

[pdhenry]

I don't think REAL chips are made in a $15,000 denomination...

Where they go that high they're in $10K and $20k denominations.

[mrpantstm]

The $15k while fitting in with the Vegas theme is probably a nod by the show to reward a contestant who wins a majority of the quickfires/eliminations and doesn't win the show (*cough* Stefan/Hosea *cough*)

It seems like the we have a strong group of contenders but a bit of dead weight to get rid of in these first several episodes.

[d-dub]

Using liquid nitrogen to make ice cream is a method that works really well. If I could easily get my hands on some, I would try it out myself.

We have about 400,000 liters of it at work at any given time... if only I could figure out how to take some home without getting fired...

[mrmike]

We have about 400,000 liters of it at work at any given time... if only I could figure out how to take some home without getting fired...

I used to use a big stainless steel thermos when I worked at a place that had it hanging around. It'll keep for a fair while. The major issue is that the o-ring isn't designed for that temp so it leaks a bit. You can fix that with an order from McMaster Carr. Wish I still had access to it these days.

[TAsunder]

Can't say as I am tired of Molecular Gastronomy yet. Then again, I've only eaten it beyond simple foams and jellies at Alinea, so my experience with it is limited.

I do really want to make a proper jelly with agar agar. Last time I made one, it was too salty because I mixed two recipes together with disastrous result.

[goblue97]

No mention of the chef who was annoyed at the elimination challenge? Waaaaahhh, I can't get married so no one else should! Sorry but that's how I saw it. Get over it and be happy you were selected as a contestant.
Did anyone else notice her double dipping? It was while she was going on one of her many tirades about having to cook for people that are getting married. She was tasting something out of a large stainless pot and then went back in with the same spoon. I thought that was a huge no-no but it never even got a mention.

[Mr Flippant]

Did anyone else notice her double dipping? . . . I thought that was a huge no-no but it never even got a mention.We watch one of the recent Chopped episodes where one chef, cut his hand in a food processor and continued to cook with blood literally flowing into the food preparation. They had to stop him and glove the injury and start that dish over again. Then on the second food prep he double dipped, and one of the judges jumped all over him for that. How he made it through to the 3rd round is somewhat of a mystery, where he once again double dipped and all the judges were shocked and saw it. He finally lost largely for his unhealthy cooking practice and as he walked off he could not understand how he lost.

Personally I would never set foot in any establishment where he cooked.