Top Chef Chicago (Spoiler Thread)

[Oh Kay!]

I think this elimination was so unfair because again, they had technical problems which are actually catering situations. (Remember I'm the one with an extreme amount of catering experience - though I don't cook for them.) It's a shame that Eric got eliminated and some of the others almost got eliminated because of the technical reasons that they were not given the information ahead of time as to what cooking/heating equipment will be available to them AND how long of a wait it may be till serving. These are situations out of their control.

I understand your frustration. However, knowing the uncertainties, don't you think it was foolhardy of the contestants to makes dishes that they knew won't hold up in less than ideal conditions?

I bolded the last sentence. I would think that to be a successful chef, one has to learn to deal with situations that are out of one's control--a line cook fails to show up, a supplier forgets to deliver a crucial ingredient, oven/grill/fryer/fridge stops working, etc. I think challenges like this test the contestants' judgment more so than their cooking abilities. Bad decisions can derail even the best chefs' ventures--look at Alain Ducasse's first NY restaurant at Essex House.

 

[Imzadi]

Oh, Kay, I get your point. But those examples you've cited fall within the "normal" range of a chef's in-house experience. I don't know Alain Ducasse's situation. I think, by the time they get to where they are, they've learned to handle these.

Like, assuming I've survived to Week 4, next week, the first thing I would do after learning what the challenge is and if it's another off-site, transportation situation, I'd go up to the assistant director or prop person, or whoever is in charge of having ordered the equipment to transport the foods, and find out: What equipment are you giving us to transport the foods? What equipment will be available for us on-site to either cook, heat up, or keep warn the foods? How many of each equipment? I wouldn't be running to grab post & pans & start pulling foods & chopping until I've been apprised of this part of the situation.

As an audience member watching Top Chef, you naturally assume a whole range of equipment will be available to them, they just pick & choose what they want, to make whatever they want, and that it's ultimately the Chef's fault if the food wasn't prepared correctly.

I'm now seeing this is not the case.

With the uncrispy chip situation, Tom had asked if the chips were cooked on-site. Was it Stephanie? She should have said, "I didn't even know that option was available to me, or I would have cooked them on order."

Also, Valerie had that with the blinis last week. The judges slammed her saying she needed to have those cooked just before serving. WAS that even an option? If it was, and she chose not to do so, then yes, she was right in being sent home. (Although I still think, mushrooms, blueberries, walnuts & cheese sounds worse. )

It would never occur to me that Cambros, (which steam foods) would be the only method available to transporting the foods. If I know that ahead of time, it radically alters the menu I'd choose.

 

[Oh Kay!]

Imzadi, I do understand that the contestants are not given the full range of equipments. Remember Season 2's Beach Bonfire challenge? Some contestants make me wonder though if they understand the restrictions. Steffanie seemed to have learned her lesson from the zoo challenge. Didn't the cobbler served at the block party have a strip of fried wonton(?)?

About Ducasse, his restaurant at Essex House never caught on, even with all his Michelin stars. The consensus was that the price was way too high (even for NYC) and the service was way too pretentious. (For example, offering a half dozen different pens to sign the check.) I don't think reviews are out for his new restaurant yet.

 

[Imzadi]

Imzadi, I do understand that the contestants are not given the full range of equipments. Remember Season 2's Beach Bonfire challenge? Some contestants make me wonder though if they understand the restrictions.

Ah, I missed the second half of Season 2 & most of Season 3. Our cable company decided mid-season to replace the Bravo network with the HGTV. Like millions of NYers living in apartments need home & garden advice. They only recently, (thankfully,) switched us back. So I'm behind the curve on knowing that not all equipment is not available to them and these chefs should know this already if they've been consistantly watching each season are now competing.

However, that means the judges know this too. They shouldn't be saying to the chefs, "You should have cooked this on-site," when they know that option/resource probably wasn't available to them. That's why I say it was unfair. What they should say is, "Since you don't know what instruments would be be at your disposal later, you should have chosen something else that would hold up or that doesn't need to be fussed over."

Steffanie seemed to have learned her lesson from the zoo challenge. Didn't the cobbler served at the block party have a strip of fried wonton(?)?

Yes, I'll bet she was guarding them with a butcher's knife in hand, lest anyone come near them with anything that could sog her chips, before the judges got to try them.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

Bellini girl needed to be eliminated last week based on annoying mispronunciation alone. She would have been much more successful actually making bellinis instead of her weird, odd-colored blinis.

This week, DH and I had different guesses as to who would go home. While Erik wasn't going to go the distance IMO, I didn't think he was going home this week. Almost all the time, when there are 2 horrible dishes, they send the person home who seasons improperly, instead of the one with technique issues.

and Macaroni and Cheese girl needs to go home next. She hasn't turned out anything edible yet. she got lucky by being on the winning team, but didn't contribute to their success.

 

[Figment22]

This show is supposed to be Top Chef, not Top Catering Chef. These are some of the best chefs in their fields, who are used to cooking & serving fabulous food right away, and are being eliminated for technical reasons, outside of their control.

And they've been asked to cater not just once but two weeks in a row! That's not what I want to see when I watch TC

The other team didn't even have fuel to cook a s'more. They luckily had a mini blow torch someone had brought with him!

Richard, no doubt.

IMO, they should have sent Zoe home or the guy with the Waldorf Salad. Zoe had pasta salad. There were no special technical circumstances to account for. She just didn't know how to make a good pasta salad. If she had a knock out dressing, she wouldn't even have been talked about. I think they kept her because she's part of a couple and they hope they can get some good footage of her & Stephanie later, maybe talking together, consoling each other, maybe in a direct challenge against each other.

I felt the same way. If there's something easy you can bring to a pot luck block party or other outdoor gathering of the same sort, it's pasta salad! Most home cooks can make a decent pasta salad. Zoi seemed to think that it was beneath her JUST to make pasta salad but in the end she couldn't even make a decent one.

And, the fact that she's still there makes me even more certain that the producers knew in advance that she and Jennifer were a couple. They want them both in there for the extra intrigue. I'd guess both of them are safe for the next few weeks no matter how badly they screw up.

Like, assuming I've survived to Week 4, next week, the first thing I would do after learning what the challenge is and if it's another off-site, transportation situation, I'd go up to the assistant director or prop person, or whoever is in charge of having ordered the equipment to transport the foods, and find out: What equipment are you giving us to transport the foods? What equipment will be available for us on-site to either cook, heat up, or keep warn the foods? How many of each equipment? I wouldn't be running to grab post & pans & start pulling foods & chopping until I've been apprised of this part of the situation.

We, the audience, truly have no idea of what the contestants know and don't know about the equipment that will or won't be available to them. I'm sure they get a lot more information and direction than we ever see in the edited version of the show that appears each week. I think Erik should have known that his corn dogs (which actually LOOKED very good by the way) would get soggy on the way to the block party.

and Macaroni and Cheese girl needs to go home next. She hasn't turned out anything edible yet. she got lucky by being on the winning team, but didn't contribute to their success.

I agree that most of Nikki's output has been awful but remember she did win the Quickfire with her lasagna. I think, however, that may be the only thing she actually knows how to cook! (The mac and cheese did look good in the kitchen though.)

Spike is getting on my nerves but Andrew, the twitchy, is actually starting to grow on me. And, he CAN cook!

 

[RUDisney]

I SO agree that Mac & Cheese should go home SOON!

It makes me wonder if the contestants are allowed to know what equipment will be onsite. In the beach challenge, one of the contestants was going to make quiche only to find out that he would be provided a frying pan and an open fire. So much for quiche. Wasn't he the one that wound up going home in that challenge? I think so.

I think that the producers wouldn't tell them in advance what type of equipment will be availble. I think that's part of their mystique/drama.

When I heard that they were going to be making many sauces to put over the hot dogs, I thought that was a great idea. Even if it consisted of chili, the pomogranate catsup and the spicy mustard. At least it would have held up better than the corn dogs.

What was with the neighbor guy setting up a grill? Was he making his own food? I thought the chefs were supposed to be providing the meals. I thought at least the chefs would have been provided a grill, whether it would be a charcoal grill or a propane grill. Who wants boiled hot dogs and premade burgers when you go to a picnic/block party? With a grill, perhaps Erik could have saved himself by tossing the corn dogs on the grill to recrisp them?

 

[TinkerbellMama]

I think this elimination was so unfair because again, they had technical problems which are actually catering situations. (Remember I'm the one with an extreme amount of catering experience - though I don't cook for them.) It's a shame that Eric got eliminated and some of the others almost got eliminated because of the technical reasons that they were not given the information ahead of time as to what cooking/heating equipment will be available to them AND how long of a wait it may be till serving. These are situations out of their control. It is info that is necessary & that you would only know how to compensate for if you had prior experience working with a catering company and have gone through the various technical problems encountered while transporting and holding food for a couple hours, in not the best of circumstances.

This show is supposed to be Top Chef, not Top Catering Chef. These are some of the best chefs in their fields, who are used to cooking & serving fabulous food right away, and are being eliminated for technical reasons, outside of their control. I'm sure that not only did the food have to sit in the cambros during transportation, but the two hours was probably also the wait for the camera crews to set up & such. So it wasn't "just" a twenty minute ride to the site, then set the food out, etc. I'm sure that if Eric had been told during the meal planning, HOW the food would be transported (in cambros only) and how long the wait might be, and that he would NOT be given equipment to re-crisp the dogs, he would have never chose to even make corndogs. He would have made something saucy with the dogs.

The other team didn't even have fuel to cook a s'more. They luckily had a mini blow torch someone had brought with him!

While seeing the show, it was then that I realized, when our company serves Four Cheese Pasta, (instead of mac & cheese ,) when it arrives off the catering truck and is in the portable proofing ovens, that it looks like one big soupy mess in the chafing pans. You can barely see the pasta because it's loaded with so much cheese sauce. Now I realize, that after sitting around for a couple hours in the proofing oven keeping warm, until it finally gets served, the sauce thickens & dries up. And it is perfect when we serve it. Sometimes, the first pans at the beginning of the evening are still a little saucy, but 2-3 hours later, as we're serving the last pan, it is still great, not dried out. My point is, they have experience in factoring in the food sitting time.

We've served corn dog like appetizers. I'm not sure what they do to prep them, since I never really paid attention. But I know our company has what's called large portable proofing ovens, loaded with shelves upon shelves of large cookie sheet pans. A layer of the corn dogs is pre-placed on the cookie sheets, uncovered, another sheet pan is stacked underneath a couple inches below that sheet on another shelf. Big aluminum cans of Sterno camp fire, cooking fuel is placed right on that second sheet. Multiple stacks alternate inside the oven like that. When the door is closed, the corn dogs cook just like a regular oven, so they can crisp up and stay that way. They can also regulate the amount of heat by how many cans of fuel they burn.

Other times when there is electricity on-site, the chefs used stacks of portable convection ovens. They have control over what equipment they need for their foods.

It appears, that in future challenges, if the chefs have to travel, they had better not cook anything that needs to stay crispy, or to cook any foods in which they can not control if the food even gets in a warming oven or chafing pan. 2 weeks ago, it was the celery salad that didn't have crispy chips. Last week it was cold, ugly mushrooms, (that then got overly dressed with parm cheese.) This week it is soggy corn dogs.

IMO, they should have sent Zoe home or the guy with the Waldorf Salad. Zoe had pasta salad. There were no special technical circumstances to account for. She just didn't know how to make a good pasta salad. If she had a knock out dressing, she wouldn't even have been talked about. I think they kept her because she's part of a couple and they hope they can get some good footage of her & Stephanie later, maybe talking together, consoling each other, maybe in a direct challenge against each other.

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!

I, too, think Zoi should have gone home. Yeah, she was pissed about having to make that pasta salad...and I don't really blame her...but she flubbed it. She could have at least made a DECENT pasta salad, and been proud of some aspect of the dish!!!!!!

 

[Angelhalo]

I thinks ometimes they base their decision of whom to boot on previous challenges as well, kind of cumulative. We weren't surprised to see the bald dude go home at all. He hasn't been that great from the beginning, whereas at least Zoi has done alright. I think both the Waldorf salad guy and the mac and cheese girl need to go soon. I would have been happy last night with either the bald dude or the waldorf guy. I think if they had let Zoi go, it would have been a bit premature.

 

[BratTink]

Imzadi, I have to respectfully disagree with you about what the chefs know about transportation and what they have to cook with when they get to the site. I'm SURE they know what they have to work with.
The judges claim that they don't judge cumulatively but in Rocco's blog on bravotv.com he wrote something to the effect that Eric is out of his league. I don't disagree that Bravo would want to keep the couple for drama later. I too think a bad pasta salad is a worse sin than a tech sin. At least Eric's were good at some point, the pasta salad always sucked.

 

[robinb]

At least Eric's were good at some point, the pasta salad always sucked.

I have to agree with this assessment.

I think that she could have done a better job at it if she wanted to. Not everyone is able to cook what they want to in that kind of business (even as a head chef), so failing just because you didn't want to cook something is far worse than having a soggy corn dog.

 

[BratTink]

The thing with the pasta salad is that its EASY to make. I'm not a chef, but a home cook and I make amazing pasta salad. I don't use a bottle dressing either, I make my own. I feel like if I'm capable of that she should have been.

 

[RUDisney]

There are so many things she could have done with the pasta salad. She didn't have to make it the traditional way with vegetables and Italian dressing. But, then again, some of the really cool and weird pasta salads that I've made have been with fruit. She may not have had enough of that, or the ingredients to dress it properly since they had to hunt through pantry closets and refrigerators of strangers. I think a chef would be stoked to get to raid my pantry. They wouldn't be as excited with my Mom's.

 

[Imzadi]

The judges claim that they don't judge cumulatively but in Rocco's blog on bravotv.com he wrote something to the effect that Eric is out of his league. I don't disagree that Bravo would want to keep the couple for drama later. I too think a bad pasta salad is a worse sin than a tech sin. At least Eric's were good at some point, the pasta salad always sucked.

I'm not saying that Eric shouldn't have gone home at some point. This was the same guy who put mashed potatoes in the bottom of a souffle. But to use the excuse that the corn dogs were soggy to penalize him when, as you pointed out, the pasta salad always sucked, was just bad form I think.

I wonder too, if the fact he said he makes these at his restaurant all the time, didn't work against him. Last season, the judges loved when the chefs pulled ideas out of thin air.

 

[Daxx]

This show is supposed to be Top Chef, not Top Catering Chef.

I am tired of these "serving food to the masses" shows! Like you said, Imzai -- it's Top CHEF! Please- enough with the catering! Let's just make great dishes for the judges for a change.

I liked the idea of raiding people's pantries for food for the block party. But, instead, why didn't they break them up into teams and have each team go into one person's house (each) to raid their pantry/fridge and cook for that family based on what they took out of their kitchen?! Again, you'd put one person in charge of amuse bouche, main dish, salad, dessert, etc. and then eliminate based on the dishes prepared for the families rather than the entire block party!

Imzadi -- b/c you're more "in the know" ... do these famous chefs (Bourdain, etc.) do a lot of catering?

 

[Daxx]

Imzadi, I have to respectfully disagree with you about what the chefs know about transportation and what they have to cook with when they get to the site. I'm SURE they know what they have to work with.

Last week, didn't the Blini girl say that she didn't know that she could've made the blini's to order? If so, then they might not be told what they'd have to work with. I thought that one of the teams was cooking right on-site at the zoo (something in a pan) ... and Blini girl seemed surprised to know that they'd be able to cook there. I could be mistaken ... does anyone remember?!

 

[robinb]

I am tired of these "serving food to the masses" shows! Like you said, Imzai -- it's Top CHEF! Please- enough with the catering! Let's just make great dishes for the judges for a change.

I think they are trying to make the show more "accessible" to your average viewer. For most people Outback Steakhouse is "fine dining" and duck breast is exotic.

I liked the idea of raiding people's pantries for food for the block party. But, instead, why didn't they break them up into teams and have each team go into one person's house (each) to raid their pantry/fridge and cook for that family based on what they took out of their kitchen?! Again, you'd put one person in charge of amuse bouche, main dish, salad, dessert, etc. and then eliminate based on the dishes prepared for the families rather than the entire block party!

Now that would have been cool! Kind of like a Progressive Dinner/Block Party!

 

[Daxx]

I, too, think Zoi should have gone home. Yeah, she was pissed about having to make that pasta salad...and I don't really blame her...but she flubbed it. She could have at least made a DECENT pasta salad, and been proud of some aspect of the dish!!!!!!

Bolding mine ... but, see -- that's the thing ... you can be stuck w/the worst dish to have to make (pasta salad) but you have to go "I'm going to make one heck of a pasta salad!" and go to town on it (ie: some unusual dressing/ingredients). Zoi chose to just slap something together b/c she was mad about getting pasta salad. Honestly, what chef would be thrilled to get pasta salad? You bet everyone would've rolled their eyes over that. She could've really put forth effort and wowed the judges w/some cool pasta salad and been proud of it but chose her ego instead. THAT is why she should've been out.

 

[cherylp3]

I haven't listened yet but Valerie did an interview with chow.com
http://www.chow.com/stories/11019

 

[donald&daisy]

I wasn't suprised to see Erik go. I guess I feel like if you make something everyday you should know more about it...who wants to eat a corndog that has been sitting around for 2 hours? Not me. Of course Zoi should have been able to make a yummy past salad as well. They could've sent them both home IMO.