SubparBowl

The 'What Were You Thinking' Awards
for Top Chef Episode 5.10 are in:

(drumroll...)

3rd place: Nikki - chicken livers?...
For a SuperBowl snack? Really?

2nd place: Fabio - eggplant & dry oatmeal? Ew.
And made into a cylinder no less... 'nuf said.

1st place: Fabio(encore) - overdone deer. Ew.
But this award is mainly for the missed opportunity:

Dude! - You're from Italy, you had meat, you had cheese, this was a SuperBowl Party... If you'd only made them some little pizzas on toast you would've been the one going to the SuperBowl! Sheesh!

Couldn't've said it better myself, congrats Carla!


*Thanks and credit to Minx for the pic!

Puffy Shirt

What not to wear...
It appears that the clothing budget for S6 has got them cutting up old drapes to make puffy shirts and ill-fitting pants. I suppose we should just be grateful they still have the jewelry sponsor...

Thanks and credit to Dorothy for the 603 pic link.

Thanks and video credit to Jen&LuFan for this link.

Perilla

_{not my pic - their winter wind-guard vestibule was in the way}s1 'Top Chef' Harold's NY place.
When we were in NYC we did Perilla's again. Arrived late for an early seating and they were very forgiving. (we'd called) And got better seats this time, on the left banquette. We sat next to the black curtain last time - too much service traffic in that area. This time we had:

==== appetizer

Apple & Romaine Salad (good solid flavors)
mt blue cheese & spiced walnut vinaigrette 11

Crispy Berkshire Pork Belly (its bacon!)
apple kimchi & pickled watermelon radish 12

==== main

Braised Elk 'Osso Buco' (richly done)
celery root puree, baby carrots & ginger sauce 26

Roasted Duck Breast (not stellar, but nice)
basmati rice, mustard greens & garam masala 25

==== dessert

Warm Apple Doughnuts
with creme fraiche chantilly 9
(had the vanilla ones last trip, loved both!)

Plus drinks, it all came to around $150 - quelle nuit!

His signature appetizer - had it last time:


Link: Perilla's website

Light Loafers

'L' stands for light feet, apparently

Someone with cabin fever took a 2 second clip of dancing (from last week's promo) and turned it into a 1/2 minute video to an entirely different song!



makes a fun preview of 607...

Ted Allen Regrets

TC judge Ted Allen gets 'Chopped'?...


That's the name of his new show, an Iron Chef/TC clone.
From the sound of it, his 'TC' is 'tepid chefs':

Allen has spoken out (on his blog) against allegations that his show is a TC rip-off, saying "There is no sleep deprivation, no "Big Brother" house full of bunk beds & cameras, no booze-fueled personal drama... Best of all, there is no product placement, so you never see passionate lovers of good food being forced to use packaged convenience junk..."

That may all be true, but the absence of Diet-Dr-Pepper QFs doesn't make up for the fact that Chopped's format is boring, the talent of its chef-testants subpar, and the general look of the show cheap. We'll take the occasional Bertolli challenge in exchange for some decent production value and an occasional change of scenery.

If there's any format Chopped has ripped-off, it's Iron Chef's. Each week, the four chef-testants have to cook an appetizer, main course, and dessert. They have 30 minutes to cook each course and must use the "mystery ingredients"

I like Ted Allen but I'm not so sure about his new baby...

review link: Village Voice

Nine-tee-nine thangs

The Claw: nine-tee-nine thangs

Couldn't resist another list.
(no food this time, except caviar)

.1. [_x_] Started your own blog - Doh!
.2. [_x_] Slept under the stars - camping
.3. [_x_] Played in a band
.4. [___] Visited Hawaii - I will, tho!
.5. [_x_] Watched a meteor shower
.6. [___] Given more than you can afford to charity
.7. [_x_] Been to Disneyland (& DWorld)
.8. [_x_] Climbed a mountain (small one)
.9. [___] Held a praying mantis
10. [___] Sang a solo (does karaoke count?)
11. [___] Bungee jumped
12. [_x_] Visited Paris (on my birthday!)
13. [_x_] Watched lightning at sea (on a big lake)
14. [_x_] Taught yourself an art from scratch (gb house)
15. [___] Adopted a child
16. [_x_] Had food poisoning
17. [_x_] Walked to top of Statue of Liberty
18. [_x_] Grown your own vegetables
19. [_x_] Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. [_x_] Slept on an overnight train (as a kid)
21. [_x_] Had a pillow fight
22. [_x_] Hitch hiked (once, w/ a friend)
23. [_x_] Taken a sick day when not ill
24. [_x_] Built a snow fort (built & destroyed...)
25. [___] Held a lamb (petted one)
26. [_x_] Gone skinny dipping - at night ;-)
27. [___] Run a Marathon (have -biked- 26 mi...)
28. [___] Ridden a gondola in Venice
29. [_x_] Seen a total eclipse
30. [_x_] Watched a sunrise/sunset
31. [___] Hit a home run (desperately wanted to!)
32. [_x_] Been on a cruise (just a weekender)
33. [_x_] Seen Niagara Falls in person (wet!)
34. [___] Visited birthplace of your ancestors
35. [_x_] Seen an Amish community
36. [_x_] Taught yourself a language (Jap./poorly)
37. [_x_] Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. [___] Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa
39. [_x_] Gone rock climbing
40. [1/2] Seen Michelangelo’s David (at London's V&A)
41. [_x_] Sung karaoke (and have the video ;-)
42. [___] Seen Old Faithful geyser
43. [_x_] Bought stranger a meal at a restaurant - yes
` ` *Saw a lady being very kind to an old dude, we paid.
44. [1/2] Visit Africa (Gibralter, & Canary Il)
45. [_x_] Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. [___] Transported via ambulance (knock wood)
47. [___] Had your portrait painted
48. [___] Gone deep sea fishing (deep lake ;-)
49. [_x_] Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. [_x_] Been to top of Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. [_x_] Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. [_x_] Kissed in the rain
53. [_x_] Played in the mud
54. [_x_] Gone to a drive-in theater
55. [_x_] Been in movie (unpaid extra once)
56. [___] Visited the Great Wall of China
57. [___] Started a business
58. [___] Taken a martial arts class
59. [___] Visited Russia
60. [___] Served at a soup kitchen
61. [_x_] Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. [___] Gone whale watching
63. [_x_] Got flowers for no reason :-)
64. [_x_] Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. [1/2] Gone sky diving (indoor 'wind tunnel')
66. [___] Visited Nazi Concentration Camp
67. [___] Bounced a check
68. [___] Flown in a helicopter
69. [_x_] Saved a fav childhood toy ('Tiger' & RA)
70. [_x_] Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. [_x_] Eaten Caviar - (salty fishy bits 'meh')
72. [___] Pieced a quilt
73. [_x_] Stood in Times Square
74. [___] Toured the Everglades
75. [___] Been fired from a job
76. [_x_] Seen London's Changing of Guards (boring)
77. [1/2] Broken a bone (cracked tailbone)
78. [_x_] Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. [1/2] Seen the Grand Canyon in person (flew over)
80. [___] Published a book
81. [_x_] Visited the Vatican (& saw The Pope)
82. [_x_] Bought a brand new car
83. [___] Walked in Jerusalem
84. [_x_] Had picture in the paper (nhs grad)
85. [___] Kissed stranger at midnight New Year’s
86. [_x_] Visited the White House (tour group)
87. [_x_] Killed & prepared an animal for eating (fish)
88. [_x_] Had chickenpox
89. [1/2] Saved someone’s life (pulled kid outta pool)
90. [1/2] Sat on a jury (3 jury pools, not picked)
91. [_x_] Met someone famous (VP Mondale)
92. [_x_] Joined a book club (Quality Pb book-club)
93. [_x_] Lost a loved one - Ma & step-dad
94. [___] Had a baby
95. [___] Seen the Alamo in person
96. [___] Swam in Great Salt Lake
97. [___] Been involved in a lawsuit
98. [_x_] Owned a cell phone
99. [_x_] Been stung by a bee (and wasp -ouch-!)

* Managed about 60, if you count the 1/2s... ;-)
(lets see, 'pillow fight', 'sell GS cookies', 'baby' - very girly list)

Claw's orig link: _ Paper Dolls for Boys_.

Examining TC

Reviewer at Examiner makes valid points:

In Over Their Heads: Eugene and Melissa (I agree)
Just Good Enuf To Hang In: Carla, Radhika (agree)

Contenders, But Need Someone To Screw Up:

Leah 'not putting something disastrous in front of judges, more than can be said of Ariane, Jamie, Hosea' (yup)

Ariane 'stubbornly mainstream approach is actually the most interesting aspect of S5, esp since she keeps on winning... she hit rock bottom at the right time, in the first eps.' (agree about her timing)

Jamie 'three Qf 2nds, cooking at above average level
... wondering if she's not the best chef on the show.'
2 negatives: 'scallop-fetish, a chip on her shoulder' (true)

Jeff: his Qfs have been almost universally poor,
and not much successful cooking with meat.
(That could be fatal on meat-centric TC)

his Favs:
Stefan - 'most technically proficient chef this season'
Hosea - 'a bit of an imagination.' & 'unflappable'
Fabio - 'charm, cool under fire' 'obvious cooking talent'

IMO, he's on target except I'd swap Hosea and Jamie.
Only two months until we know for sure...

Look Away

S6 tag line: Who killed Jenny. Can you say 'artificial drama'?
In a suspicious death, every 'suspect' is questioned alone...

Match this fact up with those recent cast interviews - five actresses mentioned their final day, and none finished up simultaneously with another main cast member.

'Jenny' finished first. Then 'Alice', & 'Tina' finished separately, on the same day. And 'Helena' did her last scene on the last day, with no other main cast member present, just before 'Bette' did the very last filmed scene, again without any other cast member. Hm.

Wank: So that's how TLW ends - each main character will be seen separately, in a police interrogation room, describing her relationship to the deceased! (Gee thanks, IC)

And will TLW's last ep then be 'Lock Away'?...

* fyi: The latest 'Who Killed Jenny' Showtime promos:

Kathy's D Word

Yes, Kathy used the 'D' word on CNN New Year's.


But in this case the 'D' stands for 'd!cks'?

Geez, who's dim enough to stand in the cold to heckle?

*We passed thru NYC to go to MoMa and the Morgan,
and to some other fun places. Made a quick trip of
it, had last snack at Smorgas Chef, and headed out!

Tossed Chefs

Another fine 'Apres Chef' moment.

Finally got around to watching the last half of Bravo's 'Danny video'. where he chats with the other tossed chefs.

Best bits: just after the 2 minute mark he refers to TomC as a 'stupid bastard', and later when asked for juicy details says that Hosea & Leah are 'all over each other' and its 'f*cking gross!'.
(and both have 'significant others' back home...)

Bravo's 4 min video: ' Danny joins eliminated chefs'.