[jsmeeker]

Can't believe I finally caught up with this show via iTunes and that no one posted a thread for last week's show (the first one in Aspen)

Not sure if I feel that the challenges were good for this stage of the game. IMHO, the best were in the previous episode in Manhattan. No gimmicks there. I was hoping for more of the same here. Cooking the fish outside on uneven ground on a stump brought back the gimmicks.

And yet another top notch judge with impeccable credentials. Some may feel Eric Ripert was wasted here. Maybe. I dunno. But I did like it how he disagreed with I think it was Gail and complimented Casey's sauce. Gail sure did backpedal from here comments.

Looks like a good final. I'm pleased Casey is doing so well here at the end. I thought for sure that Tre would be representing Big D proudly at the end, but Casey is going to do it instead. Kudos to her. Apart from the weird onion incident which may simply be attributed to her being caught with her pants down so to speak by not having her knife sharp, she has shown she is very, vary capable.

It's gotta be either her's or Hung's to win. I know many don't like Hung. He's pretty damn cocky, especially when people don't like some of his things. In the past, he's thought judges didn't get it or whatever. He has broken and spilled things. But I have seen him help out in the past, even if he may have not always done so. To be fair, it's a competition and most of the time, they are individual competitions. He's in it to win, and has stated such since the start. He's certainly honest about it. The kid's technical skills are without questions. The other contestants recognize and acknowledge this. So do the judges. The Manhattan Project episode made this point abundantly clear.

Have people been reading the blogs on Bravo's website? I of course love Bourdain's. He should be a regular guest next season. Get rid of Ted Allan and Gail Simmons. Have Tony there every week. The show will be full of comments like "This looks like something you would find in Bob Marley's closet". Priceless. Colicchio's blog provides some good insight as well. Helps clarify some things that never made it to air.

 

[marksman]

I also think that it has been between Casey and Hung for a while now. One of them are sure to win.

As for Bourdain, I have become a big fan just from his few appearances on the seasons of Top Chef, would love to see more of him on there.

 

[Ruth]

Go Casey go!

I think she's going to win, and that's why they spared her this week. Based on her dish alone this time I was worried she'd get sent home.

 

[jsmeeker]

Go Casey go!

I think she's going to win, and that's why they spared her this week. Based on her dish alone this time I was worried she'd get sent home.

She undercooked it instead of over cooking it. If she had gone the other way, it would have been worse. I think the dish was saved by the sauce. Plus, it was more focused than Brian's.

 

[mwhip]

I would be all for Bourdain being full time judge and then make Colichio go back to what he did in first season being a mentor to the chefs sorta like Tim Gunn on Project Runway. He is much better in that role and when he comes in and talks to the chefs you can always tell what he really wants to say is on the tip of his tongue.

 

[mrpantstm]

To me it's between Casey and Hung although Dale pulled it out big time in this last episode so if they had to have sent two home Casey or Hung may not made it. Casey's bison was pretty raw, even for cowboys.

Hung's trying every angle he can and those saying he should help out the others if he finishes earlier are crazy. It's a competition. You don't switch teams in baseball if your team is ahead.

 

[marksman]

I will give Dale some credit. For the first half of this season, I thought he was not good at all. He has something, but he is not up to the other two in the finale. I think the fact that he did not cook for 18 months before getting on the show is interesting and probably explains a lot of his progression.

 

[logic88]

So the judges thought that Hung's dishes are technically the best but what do they mean by lacking "soul"? If it didn't taste good or the ingredients didn't complement each other, shouldn't they just say that instead?

Thought that it was pretty funny that Hung was so cocky in the Quickfire but still forgot something that probably cost him the win.

 

[jsmeeker]

So the judges thought that Hung's dishes are technically the best but what do they mean by lacking "soul"? If it didn't taste good or the ingredients didn't complement each other, shouldn't they just say that instead?

Thought that it was pretty funny that Hung was so cocky in the Quickfire but still forgot something that probably cost him the win.

Bordain's blog at the Bravo website tries to explain it.

 

[GoHalos]

I had really thought that Tre would be there to the end also -- he was pretty solid and then had 2 bad nights in a row.

I thought it was interesting that Casey didn't even use her "advantage" from winning the Quickfire. Maybe the ingredients that she brought from home weren't compatible with bison. You'd think she would have used *something* from her stash just because she could.

 

[bicker]

It was elk, not bison. She brought "pan-Asian" spices; probably in appropriate given the theme of the challenge.

 

[GoHalos]

It was elk, not bison. She brought "pan-Asian" spices; probably in appropriate given the theme of the challenge.

Yes, of course you're right -- elk. I still thought that she might have used at least one thing that she brought just because she could -- they might not have been ALL pan-asian. When she was asked, she just said something like that she was saving those ingredients for the final 2 (now it will be the final 3).

I'm sure that the editing made it look worse than it was, but Brian sure had a lot of ingredients in his dish. Chef Ripert sure didn't like his choice to have the diners choose their cheese.

 

[mrpantstm]

Bordain's blog at the Bravo website tries to explain it.

Yup and it's a good explanation.

 

[logic88]

Bordain's blog at the Bravo website tries to explain it.

Thanks for the heads up. I wish they had simply said that during the show.

Bourdain cracks me up though.

Got it now, conspiracy theorists? "Heart" does not mean "nice rack". "Soul" does not mean "looks like Jennifer Aniston". The woman is GOOD. How many times does she have to prove it? Give her the respect she deserves.

 

[jsmeeker]

takes too much time to explain it for a TV show. Chef's have their own lingo that they use with other chefs. Besides, I think my talking about "soul" is something they can talk up about Casey. She doesn't have the skills Hung has. But she really can cook some tasty stuff. So, you gotta tell the audience that since they can't actually taste it. But they can see her struggle with an onion while Hung tears through some chickens.

 

[logic88]

Finally got around to finishing Bourdain's blog entry. I don't get why Hung is "expected" to produce a great dish with Vietnamese influences while the other chefs get a pass on their heritage.

 

[mwhip]

Finally got around to finishing Bourdain's blog entry. I don't get why Hung is "expected" to produce a great dish with Vietnamese influences while the other chefs get a pass on their heritage.

Vietnamese is considered almost perfect cuisine by the culinary world. It is a cross between French and Asian cooking and is just fantastic if done correctly and Bourdain has admitted on many occasions he loves Vietnam and goes there once a year.

 

[logic88]

Vietnamese is considered almost perfect cuisine by the culinary world. It is a cross between French and Asian cooking and is just fantastic if done correctly and Bourdain has admitted on many occasions he loves Vietnam and goes there once a year.

I get that from the blog but the part I don't understand is why Hung gets saddled with the expectation that he alone must "represent" his heritage while everyone else gets a pass.

If Hung needs to produce a great Vietnamese dish, what dishes are assigned to Casey & Dale?

 

[Ruth]

I get that from the blog but the part I don't understand is why Hung gets saddled with the expectation that he alone must "represent" his heritage while everyone else gets a pass.

If Hung needs to produce a great Vietnamese dish, what dishes are assigned to Casey & Dale?

I don't know if this answer will satisfy you, but here's what Bourdain has to say about that:

Let me respond quickly to a valid question that's already come up twice: Why do the judges (and why do I) keep suggesting that Hung might benefit from incorperating Vietnamese flavors or ingredients or culinary traditions into his offerings? Simple answer. Because we (rightly or wrongly) see a Vietnamese heritage (particularly one with deep associations with the restaurant business) as an enormous advantage for a cook. Because most chefs I know are crazy about Vietnamese food and if lucky enough to have visited Vietnam, totally ga-ga over the place; the easy accessibility of excellent, fresh, startlingly sophisticated food--even in humble homes, food stalls and markets. Hung comes from one of the "foodiest" of foodie cultures. Whether second generation, living in Texas or LA or Minneapolis, he has grown up with--and around--that food culture. He has said as much. There is a tendency among chefs and judges to expect and even hope that he'll show us some of that. Not that he has to. He could just as easily win this whole thing with his French chops.

 

[Bananfish]

I get that from the blog but the part I don't understand is why Hung gets saddled with the expectation that he alone must "represent" his heritage while everyone else gets a pass.

If Hung needs to produce a great Vietnamese dish, what dishes are assigned to Casey & Dale?

If you're crying racism, then just stop it already - there's enough genuine racism in the world without looking for it in places where there is none.

The reason they're harping on it is the same reason judges would be telling someone with an operatic voice in a singing contest to stop impersonating Ashlee Simpson - i.e., if you've got a great tool at your disposal, you ought to use it.