Top Chef Season 3

[mitmondol]

But Adrienne, you're not a chef in US.... I can understand that you've never tried them, because the past 18 years, they haven't exactly been the kind of dishes most US folks are eating, and not much seen in restaurants other than diners (maybe) any more.

You are right June.

 

[ChefJune]

... Padma and Gail are idiots that happen to look good.

Oh, I don't think they are. I'm not sure what Padma's credentials are for the job of judge on Top Chef, foodwise, but she's no dummy. and Gail, as I understand, is held in high esteem at F&W.

 

[ironchef]

Anyone see the episode they aired this past Wednesday? They clarified that the chefs do not have access to the internet, telephones, television, etc. So if anyone is still wondering why they don't have anything to refer to during specific challeges (i.e. Latin recipes for the Latin foods challenge), that question has been answered.

 

[carolelaine]

I watched it. I thought that it was kind of interesting. I almost felt like they apologized for chosing Ilan in a subtle way. The pretend judging with the steak and eggs was at 4:30 in the morning was funny.

 

[IronSides]

i absolutely love this series!! i have missed the first few episodes of season 3 but hope a marathon will come on soon

 

[ironchef]

Well, interesting episode this past week. Although I knew that Joey was not going to be around for much longer, I'll admit that I was surprised when he was selected instead of Sara M. After thinking about it, I suppose that the reason Sara was not voted off was because she encountered the same problem as Hung: an extremely stubborn, bullheaded partner. This was the first episode where Hung was actually pretty reserved up until the end at the judges table. I think the frustration of working with Joey finally boiled over and he did what I think anyone would do in that situation: defer the blame. I think even though the judges might've thought that Hung should've spoken up more, they knew how Joey was and that no matter what, he wouldn't have listened to Hung anyway. Because Howie is the same way, I think that in itself saved Sara M. I think it came down to which of the two (Howie and Joey) executed their dish more poorly and which of the two mishandled the challenge. And in the end, it was Joey. However, I've changed my view of Howie and I hope he's voted off fairly soon. I was pulling for him because I thought that he was genuinely a nice guy. My guess for the next episode is either Howie or one of the two Saras will go.

The quickfire was lame. C'mon, oatmeal? Tomato paste? WTF kind of ingredients is that for chefs? Break out the harissa, horchata, piquillo peppers, and cantal cheese. Ok, maybe not that hard, but harder then the stuff they used. That was lame.

Watching the elimination challenge, some of the decisions that the chefs made were rather strange. Howie and Sara's selection of shrimp was very strange because anyone who's worked with shrimp knows that the texture of shrimp is severly compromised when shrimp is cooked from a frozen state. It basically turns to mush and it was a poor choice. I thought that Casey and Dale's choice of pesto was very good because pesto is one of those things that can go from cold to hot without losing to much. Their use of meatballs was pretty clever. The first thing that I thought of was chicken, and then sausage. Meatballs never crossed my mind. It was funny hearing Howie dis Sara's wanting to use the rainbow fusilli, then watching his pal Joey select it. Hung was on the right track by wanting to use a thicker pasta like penne. I'll bet Joey is kicking himself in the *** because if he had listened to Hung during the challenge, he probably would still be cooking. CJ and Tre's dish was very impressive. I didn't really know what to make out of CJ yet since he hasn't really stood out except for that one quickfire challenge with Alfred Portale. I was quick to write him off since he was a private chef but he's shown some talent and some creativity. My top three is still Hung, Tre, and Casey. I still feel that Hung will be the one to beat though.

For the record, and this was before they went to the grocery store, the pasta that I would've done if competing would've been penne, ziti, or rigatoni with pesto, italian sausage, prosciutto, sun dried tomato, kalamatta olives, and feta cheese.

 

[ChefJune]

I liked Tre and CJ's dish the best, but I don't think I would have chosen chicken because of the"dry" factor.

IC, have you ever frozen feta? It turns into something kinda like cottage cheese. ICK!

I foresee Hung going long before Padma wants him to....

 

[ironchef]

I liked Tre and CJ's dish the best, but I don't think I would have chosen chicken because of the"dry" factor.

IC, have you ever frozen feta? It turns into something kinda like cottage cheese. ICK!

I foresee Hung going long before Padma wants him to....

Depends on the feta I think. The lower quality fetas actually freeze ok. It's the good quality ones that don't. Plus, when it melts, it doesn't really matter.

The only way I see Hung not making the top 3 or 4 is if he really screws up. The past two seasons have shown that no matter what, it all comes down to talent and he and Tre are arguably the most talented. I remember something that I think Harold wrote in one of his blogs, was that they key was that you had to survive all of the bulls*** challenges during the middle of the season. Many of those challenges don't demonstrate your ability as a chef, but have to do with luck, and other factors. If you can get through that and survive till the stretch, then it gets better because everyone you work with at that point will be at least pretty good, you'll start working with great ingredients again, and you can focus on putting out great food instead of just trying to survive the challenge.

 

[cjs]

"instead of just trying to survive the challenge. " - this is the feeling I'm getting each week - no one is trying to shine and do his/her best! Just surviving should not win this.

 

[ironchef]

"instead of just trying to survive the challenge. " - this is the feeling I'm getting each week - no one is trying to shine and do his/her best! Just surviving should not win this.

I think as the cast gets smaller and when they start using really good products (like in the exotic surf 'n turf challenge) again, we'll start to see more of the creativity come out. But that's what I liked about Marcel, Steven, and Lee Ann. Even when they were given a subpar product to work with, they still tried to push the limits on it.

 

[mitmondol]

I think we , who only watch a compressed something (?!) have no clue really about these people.
Also, all that they are put up doing is not really fair.
I, for one, don't think I have a clear view of their abilities at all.
Do you?
Besides, the tasks they were given are not exactly the ones I would judge a chef's knowledge by.
The whole thing is mainly for serving the general public I think, not for showing real chefs,doing real tasks.
But, what do you want from "reality shows">??!

 

[ironchef]

I think we , who only watch a compressed something (?!) have no clue really about these people.
Also, all that they are put up doing is not really fair.
I, for one, don't think I have a clear view of their abilities at all.
Do you?
Besides, the tasks they were given are not exactly the ones I would judge a chef's knowledge by.
The whole thing is mainly for serving the general public I think, not for showing real chefs,doing real tasks.
But, what do you want from "reality shows">??!

I think that it depends on who is watching the show. The general public focuses on the drama, emotion, by what the chefs say about each other, what the tasters say, etc. Because the cooking skill level of the general public is not at the same level or not done in the same environment, it's hard for a homecook to watch everyone in action and know who has it and who doesn't. It's easier to focus on the drama. People in the restaurant industry, and those with professional cooking experience can watch the chefs and have a good idea of of their skill levels, food knowledge, palate, etc. For example, this is why the general public (going by the viewer polls on the Bravo website) loved Betty in season two and hated Marcel. They could identify with Betty. Betty cooked what most people can cook. She generally had a sunny disposition. All of that couldn't change the fact that Marcel could outcook her hungover, blindfolded, and with one hand tied behind his back. I have a very clear view of the abilities and how I would stack up to them in a cook off. I think that I could take Joey, Clay, both Saras, Micah, Howie, or Camille without too much of a problem. Lia, Sandee, CJ, Brian, or Dale would be a good challenge, and I would probably lose against Tre, Casey, or Hung. In season one, I think that I could outcook anyone except for Harold, Tiffani, Lee Ann, or Steven. In season two, anyone except for Sam, Cliff, or Marcel.

The thing is, the challenges do test a chef's knowledge and creativity because it forces them to really stretch themselves and put out a good product with both time and ingredient restraints. The food that they put out is an extension of themselves. The competition in this season is much higher that the previous two. For example, if Lia was on either of the first two seasons, she probably would've made it to at least the top 6 or 7. In season three she was the 5th out of 15 people to go. When they announce the quickfire and elimination challenges, I always mentally create a dish that I would do in that situation. Almost every professional cook or chef that I know loves this show.

 

[ironchef]

Dude. Howie. You are a ginormous pr*ck and you can't even cook. Didn't you learn from Hung and Casey? If you're going to cook a traditional dish in a location where it is extremely popular, you BETTER make sure that it's **** good. BTW, I looked up some reviews on Howie's restaurant "The Food Gang" in Miami. Pretty much most of them say that it sucks. Maybe he serves too many pork dishes? And what in the **** is up with him and pork? I mean Brian only does seafood, but at least he varies it up with fish, lobster, etc. Howie only does pork. Dude, where's the beef? Shouldn't he be docked points for cannibalism?

It was no surprise that Sara N. was voted off. She's been living on borrowed time anyway. I knew from little clips that she wasn't the fastest (and how in the **** did she not know that habeneros are the hottest pepper on the planet? Homecooks in Tumbleweedville, CA know that!), but this episode and last weeks frozen Rocco-meal episode really showed that. I don't think I could prep slower than her if I tried. Even if the challenge didn't throw her for a loop, she wouldn't have been around that much longer anyway. She looked pretty hot though, as did Casey. Too bad Camille wasn't around for this one.

So, down to the final 8. Dale's been impressive of late, but I'm sticking to my final four of Hung, Tre, Casey, and Brian. Unless of course, Hung does another one of his cauliflower and fried tempura batter ice cream experiments. As long as he does it in the quickfire he's safe. Just don't do one of those crazy dishes in the elimination challenge. Dude, we all know you're a d.amn good cook. You were the Exec Sous Chef at one of the best restaurants in Vegas, if not the entire country. What the heck are you doing? Be cutting edge, be high end, but cook to your audience.

 

[college_cook]

I like Hung because he's adventurous with his ideas, and it doesn't seem like he's afraid to fail. Tre seems like a really solid cook in every aspect from composing a dish to technique. I thought his cheesy grits with bacon wrapped shrimp was a stroke of genius, and he definitely let common sense dictate his decision. After drinking all night, what could be better than comfort food AND bacon?

I do disagree about Sara being eliminated though. Granted, she was slow, and did let her emotions get in the way, but I think that comes with her age. She's only 25. Those things aside, I think she makes some very solid and sensible food. I think Howie should have gone. I thought it would be clear by now that he simply brings the team down and lets his teammates take the blame for his own inadequacies. His cuban sucked, and he didn't have anything to say about it; all he could do was play the blame game, and it seems like that's what He's been doing all along. I really didn't like the way he took leadership of the team and dictated what they should all do, and then leave them hanging. If you're going to be a take charge type of leader, then you need to stick with that attitude throughout the challenge- you can't just boss everyone around and expect great results. I hope Howie goes next, because then we'll be able to see through all of his BS and see people get eliminated because they deserve to be, because everyone else out-cooked them, not beause Howie drug them down.

 

[ironchef]

I have a feeling that Howie will be the next to go. Next week's episode is another team challenge (the infamous "run your own restaurant" challenge). No one wants Howie on their team, and it wouldn't be surprising if they left him out to dry.

 

[BrazenAmateur]

Shouldn't he be docked points for cannibalism?

I LOL'd

She looked pretty hot though

+1

Dude, we all know you're a d.amn good cook. You were the Exec Sous Chef at one of the best restaurants in Vegas, if not the entire country. What the heck are you doing? Be cutting edge, be high end, but cook to your audience.

I completely agree, Hung and Tre should be alternating victory in every other challenge.

I sincerely hope sweaty Howie goes home this week so he can go back to cooking in his apparently subpar restaurant. I think they only kept him on because he adds drama and thus ratings.

They need to bring Steingarten on as a guest judge, even though he's not a chef, it'd still be amusing. Bring back Dufresne again too, he was a judge in that group on Season 2, but just bring him back by himself, he's a riot.

 

[carolelaine]

I loved that episode. Wonder why Howie is still in the race. I'm sure his personalty helps with ratings, there need to be a jerk each season. Loved the cheese grits, shrimp and bacon-that's what I would have wanted if I'd been there.

 

[ironchef]

I loved that episode. Wonder why Howie is still in the race. I'm sure his personalty helps with ratings, there need to be a jerk each season. Loved the cheese grits, shrimp and bacon-that's what I would have wanted if I'd been there.

For the most part, Howie has played it smart. After the first couple of episodes where he was on the chopping block, he's played it very safe making very simple food. But that's what he's about so despite his personality, his food was fine because thus far, most of the people he's been catering to has been those with fairly simple palates. That's not to say his food wasn't good, because he did have two hits with this Cuban style Braised Pork with Mojo and Pork tenderloin with the apple and fennel slaw, and a couple of good dishes in the quickfires (like his ceviche). But in every one of those challenges, he was on his own. Now that they're doing the team challenges (and the history in this show is that there will be a lot more to come), his weakness of not being a team player is exposed so unless he does a drastic change, his time will be up. The funny thing is that for all of Hung's egomanical antics, he's actually a very good team player. What pisses me off about Howie is that he's always preaching about leadership, and stepping up but whenever he's on a team, he does the exact opposite. That just shows that the guy is all talk and full of ****.

 

[ironchef]

If anyone wants a really, and I do mean REALLY entertaining read of each Top Chef episode dating back to season 2, check out this guy's blog:

FipitTypes TV - Recaps, Gossip, and Trash Talk

He gives them all nicknames, so if you're not sure who he's referring to, you may have to read the first entry for each season.

 

[carolelaine]

So what were your feelings on Trey leaving? I was disappointed, I thought he was very good, except maybe not in this challenge. His smoked potatoes and bread pudding must have been bad. He had more than his share of tasks for that team. Maybe they should have divided the responsibilities evenly in order to assure a better outcome.