Top Chef Restaurant wars

Even though the quality may still be ok, it's a big no-no at places like the episode was filmed at to use frozen ingredients. Also, I'm not sure but I think scallops don't hold handle being frozen very well.
 
Spike has consistently picked bad ingredients. Chicken for the salad challenge. And remember the Farmer's Market quickfire, he chose frozen meat that turned out to be terrible and other chefs pointed out that they would never use frozen protein of any kind.

So Tom Colicchio and Rick Tramanto are lying? I don't think so.

From Tom's blog:

"Rick Tramonto took Spike to task over this, which brought on Spike’s feisty reply, “With all due respect, the scallops were in your walk-in.” My heart sunk when I heard this because I’ve known Rick for years and can say with certainty he doesn’t use frozen seafood in his restaurant. Along with the high-end steaks they had provided for the show, Allen Bros. had included a variety of other products to round out the restaurant’s existing stock, including frozen scallops, which is how they came to be in Tramonto’s walk-in. I learned later that Rick knew this when we taped the show, but chose not to make a federal case out of it. But as a colleague and fan of Rick’s, I feel it’s important to set the record straight."
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I'd have to say SOME frozen seafood is fine. Most sushi served here in the US is previosuly frozen. Shrimp is fine previously frozen. Scallops would most certainly NOT be in the category of a seafood that would be okay previosuly frozen. No way. No how.
 
I'm not buying that no one checked to see what kind of meat the butchers brought over.

Also, I did some reading and apparently scallops are treated with a chemical before freezing that makes them absorb water. This makes them heavier to increase the amount of money they bring in when sold. I imagine that's why they turn to mush when they are thawed.
 
'Shrimp is fine previously frozen"

-- having grown up on the Gulf coast always eating fresh shrimp, and now being mainly stuck with frozen shrimp, I beg to differ. The texture and taste change markedly.

As for the scallops, I have to agree with the chef/owner. Regardless of why there were there, why would you pick something that you know will be a problem? Maybe they stuck them in the cooler to see if one of the contestants was dumb enough to choose them.
 
Were they trying to trick someone? That's pretty ******. Especially when the guy tells them to use his ingredients and to be careful not to hurt his reputation. The competitions are hard enough without the judges trying to **** with the contestants. I'm not really taking up for Spike. I just think that it's a crappy thing to do. I don't think they should have to be concerned about the quality of ingredients they are being given. The challenges where they have to buy their own ingredients are a different matter.
 
1. Final four on the line and you're gonna grill shrimp?

2. Dale was overrated, but I'd place him second among those left, maybe third.

3. Again, I don't think this group is as top heavy as the prior seasons, jmo. Remember Cliff came in 5th, and I'd put him second here. Sam is likely as good as anyone left. JMO. Same with Tiffany and Leanne.

4. Richard isn't gonna win, and I think that's a shame. But, Ilan wasn't the most talented chef in his group either. I absolutely hated Richard the first episode (his hair, he's smug), but I've grown to like him. Very nice guy.

5. All 4 of the remaining contestants look like butchie lesbians, no offense to butchie lesbians.
 
I think Stephanie is going to win this thing. I think Richard is hands down the best chef on the show, and I think Antonia is really great too. Stephanie IMO is great at what she does, but is not inspiring or innovative. That in no way diminishes that she is great at what she does. She doesn't push the envelope is all I am saying and that is fine too. Lisa just sucks all the way around as did Spike. I did at least see some talent hidden there in Spike, but also a smugness that is holding him back. Maybe laziness even. I wish Andrew had hung around a few more weeks. Say what you want but that freaking dude had passion to spare. Not saying he was the best chef by any means. Dale is likely the better chef. I just thought that Andrew put it all out there every week and gave you his best every single time. It didn't always add up, but he did what he did with his hear and his head. hard to knock that effort.
 
I listened to a podcast with Spike being interviewed about the episode. He says they were basically given a list of proteins sight unseen and he got to pick first since he won the quickfire. He says he wouldn't have picked scallops if he'd known they were frozen.

He also said he didn't think Rick Tramanto uses frozen seafood in his restaurants.

The most interesting thing he revealed was that before the season taped and before they knew each other, Lisa had applied to be Spike's sous chef at Spike's restaurant Mai House. He ended up hiring her after the show because Spike is opening up a new restaurant in DC.
 
Spike also had a time limit. Once he picked his stuff... everyone else had a free for all at the protein's. I guess what I'm saying is... by the time he realized they were crappy, there might not have been other worthy selections left.
 
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I just want to ask, is there an uglier personality on television?
 
FYI, Bourdain blogged on his travel channel site about restaurant wars. You can find that here.

I feel comfortable putting it to bed after that... particularly hearing his feelings on the dumplings and halo-halo. The impression that Dale should have been redeemed by other dishes loses weight when you find out that the other dishes weren't worthy of writting home about either despite how the producers put the episode together. This is particularly poignent about the Halo-Halo. My reason for thinking the chefs thought well of it was because the guest judge said he'd put it on his menu. In Bourdain's recollection, he wasn't talking about Dale's Halo-Halo, but rather Halo-Halo in general... and that he was looking for a more asian dessert.

I got the impression that Dale went home for his failure to lead... but at least in Bourdain's mind that was not (solely) the case.

I still can't believe it was any worse than the brocollini that CJ served Bourdain last season.
 
There are fewer than 80 Master Chefs in the US. Emeril Lagasses is one of those very few elite chefs. That is not to judge his tv show, or whatever. If you have ever been to something like Del Monico in Vegas or Emrils in New Orleans you know the man can put together a restaurant. Now he may not be as creative in his restaurant ventures as Daniel Bouloud, and Emerils concepts for his stores are different; however, the man is by all accounts an incredible chef. He is very far from all show whether you like him and his restaurants or not.
 
Emeril is a top flight chef and restaurantuer. While Emeril Live may have been silly and a little low brow... it was entertaining. Essense was a much better show from a technical aspect, but it was just so unbelievably ******* boring it was incredible. There is an impression that because Emeril succumbed to media-dom that somehow lessened what he had (and has) accomplished professionally... and that was a load of crap. It is part of the whole americana "I can only like things not in the mainstream" thing and it is just as meaningless. He cooks good food, both fine dining and otherwise. Building a criticism about his ability based on his TV persona is just a superficial exercise.
 
Right. Good. Now that that's out of the way, looking forward to tonite's show as Lisa, hopefully, gets her *** booted off Puerto Rico.
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Fine, but no way in hell does she beat either Stephanie or Richard. They are the class of the this season and 3rd place is not even close.
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