'Top Chef' Season 5, Episode 2: It's a Dog Eat Dog World
What possessed me to volunteer for Top Chef blogging duty? By 11 p.m. I am usually asleep in my comfy chair strategically located in front of the TV. Don't worry, serious eaters. I will persevere. I am your loyal and humble Serious Eats Top Chef correspondent, at least for the time being. And, by the way, I'm totally hooked. I have a Top Chef jones. In fact, I found myself really looking forward to tonight's episode, especially when I found out the first challenge involved hot dogs. I got to trot out the "dog eat dog" play on words. What else could a food writer want? Go, Eugene, Mr. Hawaiian, who started as a dishwasher, go. As for you, Stefan, the man with the Euro-centric attitude, I know you can cook, but I hope you crash and burn. Boy, I'm all riled up about this, aren't I?
On to the show, where, as Fabio put it, "It's not how many dragons you kill, it's who takes home the princess."
[Warning, spoilers ahead.]
Let me say this right off the bat: The hot dog Quickfire Challenge was misnamed. It was, in fact, a sausage challenge because only a handful of chefs in this country make their own hot dogs, as it's a complicated, time-consuming process that involves emulsification, curing, and smoking. Sausage on the other hand, specifically fresh sausage, is much easier to make. Donatella or the show's producers should have known better. But I digress.
Stefan got his comeuppance: His hot dog did sound and look truly vile. Radhika's looked and sounded good. Chicken hot dogs are a mistake because they tend to be dry. Jill was mistakenly criticized for using store-bought hot dogs, but in fact if she bought the right hot dogs—all-beef hot dogs with natural casing—she should have and probably would have been fine. Whether it was fair or not isn't the point. Jill was vulnerable after the quickfire, no doubt about that. But so is Ariane, who is so obviously in over her head.
New American Restaurant Challenge: Tom was right in the post-mortem when he said that the contestants didn't have a good understanding of what new American cuisine is. It's not about updating the classics as Jamie said.
I knew Jill was in trouble when she chose ostrich eggs as an ingredient: How can she know how they will cook up and what they will taste like if she's never laid eyes on one before? Jamie was right: Jill played it ridiculous. My man Eugene didn't stand out, but he didn't do anything to hurt himself, either.
Tom: One other twist. All the diners are New York chefs who tried out for the show and didn't make it. That made all the contestants unnecessarily nervous. They should have realized that the judges were not going to be swayed by the reactions of the diner-chefs.
Tom and all the judges were pretty disappointed overall with the level of the food prepared by the contestants. I have to say that Tom comes off as incredibly knowledgeable, straightforward, and basically encouraging. He is the person who gives Top Chef its credibility. He is why the show is respected in the chef and food communities around the country. Gail, whom I have known for years, has really grown into her role. Her comments are well thought-out and fair-minded. Padma is Padma. You can't take your eyes off her, and that's why she's there. She doesn't really add much to the discussion.
The three contestants threatened with extinction were no surprise. We knew Ariane's dish sucked before it ever left the kitchen. Hosea's dish, as Tom said, sounded plausible and credible, but when it turned out to be unseasoned and made with off-tasting crab, you knew he could have been a goner.
Poor Jill. The ostrich egg did her in, as did her judgment in general. The fact that in the judges' eyes her dish "wasn't distinguished and didn't taste good" didn't help her cause either. Hosea was probably the least likely of the three to sail off into the culinary sunset, because his food does seem to make sense. As for Ariane, I have no idea how she survived to cook another week (Jill said the same thing), considering Padma spat out her dish then pulled no punches in telling Ariane exactly what she did. I guess you could say that Ariane was saved by the ostrich egg.
If Ariane wins, I'm buying hot dogs all around.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
18 Comments:
The hot dog challenge was such a misnomer. I would have been much happier to see them given a package of Oscar Mayer hot dogs (because we all know Top Chef likes their ad placements) and been challenged to do something special with them.
Instead we everyones makes a bunch of sausages. Now I love me some sausage, but there is no better comfort food than a street hot dog.
blahthequah at 6:26AM on 11/20/08
Last night I was really wishing for a double elimination, because neither of those girls at the end should have had a chance to move on.
I also didn't like that they had the Top Chef rejects as the dining guests. That part made me really shirty.
Southern_bella at 7:21AM on 11/20/08
I was STUNNED that Ariane didn't get kicked off, and a little upset, too. This early in the competition, I feel like the people who get kicked off should be the ones who, it's glaringly obvious, have absolutely no shot at Top Chef. Jill didn't seem that way. I certainly agree that she made a silly mistake, but I felt like it was one she could have learned from, and at least she was thinking creatively. Ariane just made a dish that she said she'd made a hundred times before, it looked like a dessert you'd get in a high school cafeteria, and she STILL made it too sweet? She's just going to cling on, whining, until she gets kicked off in an episode or two. Jill is still a mystery. Ariane, you know exactly what you're getting.
(I have also been very sucked into this season...)
Carey Jones at 7:59AM on 11/20/08
I was very surprised that Ariane made it through. The dish wasn't good, and then when asked how she came up with the idea, she said that it was something they make at her restaurant. At least Jill took a chance, albeit an unwise one. I really want to be able to root for the Jersey girl but..
sarag22 at 8:30AM on 11/20/08
I really can't believe that Ariane made it through, two weeks in the bottom two after Jill did good last week? she's just not up to it. i misunderstood the first challenge, i thought they were going to be given a plain hot dog from the street cart and had to make it thier own....that would have at least been a hot dog challenge. well, i'm still rooting for Eugene (go underdogs!)
sfred at 10:05AM on 11/20/08
I gotta agree with the first comment by Blah....this was NOT a hot dog challenge...they try to be cute with their names and such because they're in NYC, but just call it a damned sausage contest...or forced meat...whatever they were, they weren't dogs!
http://gonzogastro.wordpress.com
vinovamp at 10:22AM on 11/20/08
I think if we've learned anything from this show it's that you don't
a) make a salad
b) if two chefs suck the one making the dessert is probably going to stay
Jill's choice to use the ostrich egg was just plain dumb. Why would use an ingredient, that you're not being forced to use, for the first time? During an elimination challenge no less.
I thought both of Fabio's dishes looked great, but the first one basically ignored the spirit of the rules.
Carla makes me anxious just looking at her. The tart looked yummy, but what was with the hunk of cheese?
I want so badly to reach through the screen and shave Danny's beard.
Ariane made have made it through this week, but I think her and Jill were circling the toilet anyway. One goes this week ,and barring any bonehead moves by the other contestants, Ariane will be next week or the week after.
And they brought the woman in with the hot dog stand why? It's like bringing in the inventor of Krispy Kreme and saying, "Make a donut better than this in 30 minutes." Make it a sausage making challenge and be done with it.
dineomite at 11:03AM on 11/20/08
Every time Ariane survives, I think back to Lisa from season 4 and her ability to survive despite being in the bottom every week. I'm afraid Ariane will be the same - bad but not the worst each challenge and just barely scraping by.
Does anyone else notice that the producers have changed it up this season for Judges Table? Instead of having the winners and losers come out separately, they're having them come out together? It makes moments like Hosea's ("I thought I was in the top!") possible. It's tweaks like that one that keeps Top Chef on top of the cooking competition reality show heap.
gwong at 11:05AM on 11/20/08
@ dineomite Carla's "crazy eyes" scare me.
gwong at 11:06AM on 11/20/08
ok, fabio irks the hell out of me. i seriously want to slap him every time he speaks! unfortunately, he seems pretty talented and will probs be around for the long haul. i felt bad for jill, i really did like her, but choosing the ostrich egg was just dumb. over on grub street, daniel maurer found out that whole foods actually does carry them, so weird. although that bowery wf does seem to have pretty much everything under the sun. i think hosea will definitely make a comeback.
sarahlucy at 11:09AM on 11/20/08
I agree about Ariane being over her head. She really just needs to work on her self-confidence. I vote for a motivational coach to follow her around. I don't have a clear favorite yet, but that's the fun of the show. We'll see who comes out of the woodwork. And I'd like to hear Fabio say "princess" again. Cracks me up.
myfirstkitchen at 1:05PM on 11/20/08
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills over Fabio's win! I have no problem with him at all but was the challenge not "New American Cuisine"? His dish was Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio with Arugula, Roasted Pine Nuts, Aged Parmesan Cheese, Spherical Kalamata Olives and Aged Balsamic Vinegar. That sounds like a perfect dish to represent New Italian/Greek Cuisine. What in any of that was American? I think that global cuisine should play a role in New American cuisine but we can't just completely co opt another culture's food. It certainly looked delicious and like a winning dish for another challenge but after Tom's specific complaints about them not understanding New American how could they have chosen aged balsamic and Kalamatas to win?
mgnnn at 1:38PM on 11/20/08
Oh, Ariane is clearly on her way out and she doesn't even seem to care to be there.
What was with that woman with the Hot Dog Stand? So they took a bite of her dog and that was it. Shouldn't SHE have been one of the judges since that is HER business????
And I LOVED it when the customers were people who didn't make it on the show. Classic....
I still like my man Eugene. He is cool and keeps to himself.
Hunnyoil at 1:39PM on 11/20/08
I wasn't sure these were all the same people. The producers really play with our minds and emotions. Eugene was barely seen last night - my favorite underdog. Richard seems to be the spokesperson. Silly hints of a romance brewing between Hosea and Leah. Are either married? Carla didn't flit or act spooky weird and her food looked pretty good. I got the biggest kick out of Fabio when he thought he was with the losing group. Ariane, you said you would blame all of your fellow contestants if you lost, even though they told you and you admitted that you knew your dessert was way too sweet. This is a competition, sweetie. They are competing against you! You're not in Kansas,,,,,,,uh, I meant Jersey, anymore. And American Hot Dogs are not just any ol' sausage. Oranges are not tangerines, close, but not the same. I agree that they should have been given the same hot dogs on the cart and used their creativity for a fair challenge, and the hot dog lady should have helped judge. And last, but not least, why would anyone use an ingredient they've never used before if not required? Black noodles and ostrich eggs are not your friends if you've never met.
PerkyMac at 3:03PM on 11/20/08
Thank you, mgnnn! That was a straight-up carpaccio - not New American at all. The only slight twist was the spherified olive juice, which if anything would be considered New Spanish since it's a Ferran Adria trick. I'm surprised that Tom even pointed out the olives, since he seemed exhausted with "molecular" stuff after last season.
I thought the judges favored Stefan's dish in the tasting segment, and he didn't even end up in the top few... Weird, since his dish probably resembled New American the most. I know they may not want to show him sweeping everything, but he may have deserved it, like it or not.
jas126 at 3:34PM on 11/20/08
Agreed on the carpaccio. It's not American. Why didn't anyone catch that? I mean, the olives were a neat trick, but still -- not American!
And Arianne's constant whining "I don't make desserts...." made me shout "then why did you agree to do a dessert???" at my TV.
Jill seemed a little clueless, and the judges were dead on: If you're going to bother with an ostrich egg, why would you then go and obscure it by making it a quiche? Mind-boggling, and I assume a split-second decision she came to regret.
onalark at 6:10PM on 11/20/08
Does anyone know what building the contestants lived in? It looks like one of those new high rises on the riverfront in Brooklyn or Queens, but I can't really tell.
Jamie Forrest at 12:04PM on 11/21/08
@jamieforrest They were housed in a new condo building on Bayard St, across the street from McCarren Park.
gwong at 3:49PM on 11/21/08