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Top Chef Season 5. - Page 2

post #31 of 173
12/23/08 at 11:47pm
Personally, if $100,000 were up for stake, I would be cooking the safest, tried and true, yet flavourful dishes I could, until I could get to the final and plan out the X-course menu in meticulous detail and after many trials. Especially since the reward for winning the elimination challenge is so lousy there is little incentive to take overreaching risks and usually to do so causes that challenger to lose.

However, in saying that in my opinion this season's challengers have generally cooked less appealing and less interesting dishes than in previous seasons. I think there are many reasons for that, from increasingly silly challenge requirements to changes in strategy over the years, etc.

As for putting out crap... I think many people (myself included) can succumb to the philsophy of "pushing food out as fast as possible because the chef is yelling at you" just to make them (temporarily) happy. Doesn't work most of the time but stress and craziness do strange things sometimes.
"If it's chicken, chicken a la king. If it's fish, fish a la king. If it's turkey, fish a la king." -Bender
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post #32 of 173
12/24/08 at 4:24am
It seems this season is all about catering, and less about fine dining. Everyone knows that it's easier to cook in small doses. A lot can go wrong in making big batches of food and that's really where the contestants are lacking. I think they should change the title to Top Caterer.

Isn't the holidays Christmas Cook off a repeat episode from a couple of years ago?

"You are what you eat, so don't be fast, cheap, easy, or fake."

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post #33 of 173
12/24/08 at 8:43am
My wife is addicted to these shows.
This season isn't as interesting as previous ones.
On a side note, last year Michael Midgley from season 2 applied here.
I wanted to bring him in for an interview just to meet him, he looked like a fun guy.
Realistically I don't think I would have hired him so I didn't bother wasting his time.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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post #34 of 173
12/27/08 at 8:40pm
I'll agree with the comment on putting food out that isnt up to par because chef is yelling... I think we've all done it. I mean, no,, none of us have(I feel like hes always watching me...)

True, that this season seems to have more emphasis on catering then on fine dining. My opinion on this, is that Ive noticed in previous seasons that group challenges early on dont go as well as individual ones... (restaurant wars?) Maybe they're trying to weed out the people who dont work as well in groups, then when they're down to say, 7 or 8 contestants, they'll take off some of the silly restrictions and larger party challenges.

To be honest, Ive always like the second part of the seasons better, when there is much less restriction on the challenges. You get to see more creativity and personal style when its like that.

Either way, I missed the Christmas eve episode because my darn dvr recorded the at the wrong time. SWEET!!!.. not..
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post #35 of 173
12/28/08 at 8:25am
Christmas was a repeat, and imo, not a very good one?

Supposed to be double elimination this week and one of the challenges will be a favorite dish or meal, no restrictions. From one snippet I saw, looks there are several pulling out the scallops again!That is New Years Eve, will be out, but it will be played over and over?
Happy 2009,
Nan
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post #36 of 173
1/7/09 at 7:03pm
Thread Starter 
im guessing gene goes home tonight.
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post #37 of 173
1/8/09 at 4:36am
Negativity plays such a big role in this season. This bunch seems incredibly immature in comparison to some other seasons. I don't see the point in tearing everyone down.

I'm very annoyed with Jamie, the scallop girl. She is as cocky as the Finnish guy and has such a sense of entitlement that I'm annoyed. Over the course of the show I've taken a real liking to the tall lady with glasses that was on the chopping block last night. She's hilarious, always talking about the love that goes into food as if it's an ingredient. But at least she's not mean spirited and doesn't say anything negative about anyone at all.

"You are what you eat, so don't be fast, cheap, easy, or fake."

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post #38 of 173
1/8/09 at 6:42am
Thread Starter 
funniest comment in the episode: 'this is top chef, NOT TOP SCALLOP!' lol... that guy cracks me up.
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post #39 of 173
1/8/09 at 8:35am
I like Carla too, was worried last night, think they made the right decision. Am afraid she isn't going to have the confidence to go all the way? she didn't speak up when that as****e altered her recipe with the mushrooms or something? and she was afraid of presenting a vegetarian dish last night, Tom even suggested it would have been a better idea?
At least last night quite a bit of the dishes looked somewhat good and more attractive.
As someone posted above, seems in the last half, it gets more realistic?
enjoy the day everyone,
Nan
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post #40 of 173
1/8/09 at 7:47pm
Why is Ariane still on the show? I mean come on Slice Beefsteak tomatoes with Goat Cheese Basil and Balsamic Reduction? Come on... I mean she even won that round with that dish! IMO this is a really sad season food-wise, the ppl on the bottom three are all usually worthless and the top 3 95% of the time honestly arnt that impressing either.
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post #41 of 173
1/8/09 at 7:58pm
Thread Starter 
i think that tomato dish was ideal for the situation... she had a few moments to make something, talk about it, and serve it...
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post #42 of 173
1/8/09 at 10:36pm
I agree, it was smart to go with a recipe that could be presented in two and a half minutes for the demo. Granted, as long as you had intermediate dishes to present and the final product you can pull off a dish of almost any complexity... it was smarter of her to do that than for the loser to make his ill-fated creme brulee.
"If it's chicken, chicken a la king. If it's fish, fish a la king. If it's turkey, fish a la king." -Bender
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post #43 of 173
1/13/09 at 7:29pm
24 hours and counting, who's going to PYKAG next??

Nan
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post #44 of 173
1/14/09 at 7:50am
I wouldn't mind seeing Fabio, Hosea, or Leah go home. Funnily enough I'm not rooting for anyone.

"You are what you eat, so don't be fast, cheap, easy, or fake."

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post #45 of 173
1/14/09 at 7:53am
I liked the Hawaiian.

I I'd like to see Stephan, Hosea, and Fabio in the final.


The new show "Chopped" was actually...REALLY good too last night.
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post #46 of 173
1/14/09 at 9:42am
wow, I forgot about Chopped, FN, so it will probably be repeated?

tonight should be interesting, I too am tired of Ariane, and again, so far very few dishes that even looked interesting? Gotta get better!

Nan
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post #47 of 173
1/14/09 at 7:00pm
Thread Starter 
alright lets see what happens tonight with hung.
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post #48 of 173
1/14/09 at 7:23pm
Thread Starter 
its funny how the last episode was supposed to be thanksgiving/christmas but next episode is in the middle of summer lol.
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post #49 of 173
1/14/09 at 8:09pm
that lamb got cut up horrible!!!
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post #50 of 173
1/14/09 at 8:19pm
Thread Starter 
it really looked like a 'yeah whatever' job on that meat... from the butchering to the trussing...
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post #51 of 173
1/15/09 at 3:58am
I can't believe they sent her home. The two dumbdumbs set her up.

I think all of their menu choices were amateur. Imagine having beautiful produce like that and everyone hacked up their protein. I think real chefs would try to use unlikely parts of the animals like the shoulder, the belly, etc. instead they all try to use the leg of lamb and the loins. What a waste. They obviously couldn't put together a seasonal menu and their team work was painful to watch.

Still waiting for blond pretty boy from Miami to crack a smile.

"You are what you eat, so don't be fast, cheap, easy, or fake."

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post #52 of 173
1/15/09 at 5:17am
I felt she was done early on when she said "tenderize the lamb"?? Tom commented on that when she repeated it at judges table.

yes teamwork was just not there.

Nan
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post #53 of 173
1/15/09 at 6:53am
Thread Starter 
all things aside, shes pretty hot for an older woman with children... oh well, next i think is the tall frizzy haired old lady.
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post #54 of 173
1/15/09 at 7:05am
Carla is not old!

"You are what you eat, so don't be fast, cheap, easy, or fake."

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post #55 of 173
1/15/09 at 7:05am
Agree that Ariane was set up to fail. Her partner had all the butchering experience, and he and his girlfriend Leah let Ariane flounder. There was a lot of discussion during previous seasons about contestants trying to get whomever they perceived as strong competition booted off the show. I think Ariane had won more contests than anyone else so far.

Leah and Jeff should be the next to go. I don't think either of them have won a single contest. Rahdika (?sp) is not a strong contestant either.
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post #56 of 173
1/15/09 at 7:19am
Thread Starter 
lol, sorry i meant older... 44 is not old.

jeff and radhika have to go... seriously.
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post #57 of 173
1/15/09 at 7:23am
the ones that she DID win, she won not because she was creative, innovative, she just played it safe and cooked what she cooked, basic, but well. it's mid-season, that wont fly anymore.

nevertheless I would have liked to see leah go out this episode.

I'd REALLY like to see Jamie go out....but she is not a bad cook, but I detest how she is portrayed (i say portrayed, because...well, it's TV) more than stephan, I don't get the whole stephan is an ******* thing....maybe we relate to our own kind. :D
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post #58 of 173
1/15/09 at 5:56pm
That poor lamb never hurt anyone, why was it beat up like that? She should have stepped away and given it to her band mates.

It was a pretty poor showing last night.

Hoping next show has more ooomph!
bake first, ask questions later.
Oooh food, my favorite!


Professor Pastry Artswww.collin.edu
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post #59 of 173
1/15/09 at 6:03pm
i think this season so far has been half as good as the pervious ones, it seems like half of these people dont understand how to do simple task, break meat down decently,tie up roast, TEAMPLAYER, ect.
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post #60 of 173
1/16/09 at 10:54am

Why the support for a subpar example of the profession?

Ariane is finally off, I feel the only reason they gave the "gift" of not kicking anyone off at Christmas is because she had immunity and made deviled eggs. They should have made an exception there and booted her off before she absolutely embarrassed herself by not knowing how to butcher or tie meat.

I couldn't imagine calling myself anything more than a commis without knowing how to butcher. Even as a commis you should be reading and understand the theory. This woman graduated from the C.I.A. and a skill as fundamental as butchery is beyond her. This sort of thing just really irritates me. Why would anyone question the decision to boot her?

You can't cut an onion - you're not a chef/cook/whatever
You can't season food properly - same
You can't work heat - same
You can't butcher - same
You can't truss a chicken/ tie a roast - same

Exceptions are to be had for individuals unfortunate enough to be 86 one or more limbs.
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