Watch It with Us: 'Top Chef Masters' Episode 8
If you're planning to watch tonight's episode of Top Chef Masters, join us here in the comments at 10 p.m. ET. It'll be an open thread—jump in with your observations or play-by-play as the episode unfolds. Who will remain? Whoever can pull together a gourmet burger and side dish in the Quickfire and a soy-less, gluten-less vegan dish for guest judge Zooey Deschanel. The remaining cheftestants include: Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless, Anita Lo, Michael Chiarello, and Art Smith. After the jump, watch as Deschanel breaks the news to them about her extra-special diet.
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60 Comments:
Ha! I will probably not watch until tomorrow, but their reactions are hilarious.
KarynMC at 8:51PM on 08/05/09
I hate how being vegan/allergic to soy and gluten is suddenly the travesty to end all travesties. And I'm not even vegetarian!
candk at 9:37PM on 08/05/09
I'm sorry, Hubert—no love for $5,000 burgers.
Carey Jones at 10:03PM on 08/05/09
That burger set piece pretty much cancels out Zooey Deschanel's entire life.
harveyj at 10:04PM on 08/05/09
Three different kinds of guacamole on Rick Bayless's burger? Say whaaaa. Why have I limited myself to only one for so long.
Erin Zimmer at 10:07PM on 08/05/09
Anita's burger shake is such a meatball sundae scenario.
Erin Zimmer at 10:10PM on 08/05/09
eww burger shake
hoppzor at 10:11PM on 08/05/09
Sucks to be Zooey's friends. I hope they snacked beforehand.
Erin Zimmer at 10:17PM on 08/05/09
Menu: greens with balsamic; a single chickpea; brown rice; raw tomato; apple.
Carey Jones at 10:18PM on 08/05/09
Rule #1 of Top Chef: DO NOT buy things you could make yourself.
Carey Jones at 10:18PM on 08/05/09
You know, I bet the reason this show is such a love-in is because it's much harder for producers to bully, booze up, and sleep deprive established chefs like these. We're actually seeing people capable of putting their best food forward.
harveyj at 10:19PM on 08/05/09
Chef strike! I'd love to see each of them serve a big heaping bowl of white rice.
harveyj at 10:22PM on 08/05/09
@harveyj: Not in this episode.
Carey Jones at 10:22PM on 08/05/09
Bravo is STILL asking the who-slept-with-Elvis text-in poll??? (Also... Anita Lo and Elvis? By my calculations, she was twelve when he died.)
Carey Jones at 10:26PM on 08/05/09
alert alert! vegan hipster lunch party!
hoppzor at 10:28PM on 08/05/09
Do the producers make them say "I watch Top Chef every week"? The guest judge always says it. I'd love to see someone say "No. My agent told me this would be a good way to promote my movie, which, by the way, is out in theaters now."
Adam Kuban at 10:30PM on 08/05/09
i finally remembered to log on to watch with you guys!
anita's soup burger was hilarious.
hubert's glass problem is equally hilarious.
i hate zooey. and her stupid rules. and her excessive blush.
gastronomeg at 10:31PM on 08/05/09
"Amazing: I finished the whole thing!" —Zooey
Carey Jones at 10:32PM on 08/05/09
Quinoa pasta? Why don't people talk about this more.
Erin Zimmer at 10:33PM on 08/05/09
Art's dish: "Barbie's ice cream sundae gets melted."
Carey Jones at 10:35PM on 08/05/09
"I've had better vegan ice cream." —Zooey. (ouch)
Erin Zimmer at 10:35PM on 08/05/09
if you need to forget it's vegan, maybe you SHOULDN'T BE VEGAN.
sigh.
hoppzor at 10:35PM on 08/05/09
@Erin to be fair, it was whole foods's vegan ice cream. Which I guess is the problem.
harveyj at 10:37PM on 08/05/09
"so good it makes you forget it's vegan."
(which is otherwise disgusting and ludicrous? amen, zooey)
(hey-i'm drinking stella artois right now-weird...)
gastronomeg at 10:40PM on 08/05/09
She hasn't had pasta? Where has she been, under a rock? Gluten free pasta isn't that hard to find.
hbomb1013 at 10:40PM on 08/05/09
sad, like your hat, gael? did elvis pick it out?
gastronomeg at 10:46PM on 08/05/09
does anyone else hate michael chiarelli? i enjoy the respect all the chefs share, which makes me enjoy this more than the usual top chef episode, but michael just seems like SUCH an asshole always purposefully singling someone out to beat.
cheesebreadbutter at 10:47PM on 08/05/09
"You see, making tamales is really hard, so I figured I would just effortlessly do it really well."
harveyj at 10:48PM on 08/05/09
I might shed a tear if Anita goes home.
Carey Jones at 10:50PM on 08/05/09
am I the only one having a great time watching Gael talk about watching vegans eat like she's talking about some documentary on a strange animal on national geographic?
plots at 10:52PM on 08/05/09
'i liked it, in fact i stole a couple of people's brittle' hahaha i wish they would have shown footage of that!
cheesebreadbutter at 10:52PM on 08/05/09
@cheesebreadbutter: yeah, i think michael's a tool.
gastronomeg at 10:57PM on 08/05/09
anita stays! which means i'll watch again.
cheesebreadbutter at 10:58PM on 08/05/09
yay anita!
battery's dying-g'nite.
gastronomeg at 10:59PM on 08/05/09
wow, excited for next week. amateur smackdown!
Carey Jones at 11:00PM on 08/05/09
Ok I'll go ahead and call BULLSHIT! Taking these great chefs and making them cook vegan... That's akin to taking a Porsche to a race track and telling the driver he has to push it.
And again with the equipment malfunctions... WTF?! Seriously, does TCM not have the budget for working equipment?
Looks like Michael C. Will be up to his ass in dale-drama next week.
Pavlov at 11:10PM on 08/05/09
Are the only ones who saw Michael Chiarello squeeze the lemon over his dish using his teeth????
PattiA at 11:11PM on 08/05/09
I actually like Michael C...and would hate to see him go next week because of Dale...I am not looking forward to next week. :-(
RJ Foodie at 11:23PM on 08/05/09
It seemed from the start that Anita was ready to go home. After all she has already won her $10,000. Didn't she seem disappointed when she beat Art?
peanuty at 11:28PM on 08/05/09
wow, god forbid someone deemed a "master" should be challenged to work outside their comfort zone... or someone be vegan!
i thought it was 2009, silly me.
punkrockmartha at 11:31PM on 08/05/09
My roommate was laughing at me. I predicted Michael and Rick would have an easy time of it (though I did wonder about the quinoa pasta, because some gluten free pastas do not cook well). And I was yelling at the TV when Art bought rice milk ice cream. That's the worst kind! And really, vegan desserts are not that hard. Even if you don't know how to sub eggs/fats, a lot of fruit-based desserts would have fit the bill better than taking storebought ice cream and mushing strawberries into it. Like that homemade sorbet that Art thought he would mess up?
And Anita didn't know how to prepare eggplant?
I think it's crazy that so many chefs can't prepare vegetable dishes ...
KarynMC at 11:37PM on 08/05/09
@harveyj-
"North Korean" style white rice & rocks
salpico at 11:46PM on 08/05/09
For some reason I couldn't take the vegans critiques of the food seriously--it seems that their palates would be overwhelmed by anything more complex than a sheet of paper.
And, yeah, the Chiarello method of lemon squeezing was pretty revolting. I prefer chefs tasting sauces with their fingers.
I think Art simply got worn out and decided he wanted to go home.
I look forward to the smackdown--it's about time for some drama.
beano at 11:52PM on 08/05/09
@beano - gee, thanks.
Some of these comments make me wonder ... what do you guys think that vegans eat anyway? Are you unaware that spices, herbs, vegetables, fruit, grains and legumes do ... have ... flavor? I mean, I could boil chicken breast, and I don't think too many people would comment on the meat's wonderful, inherent flavor. Preparation counts for a lot!
I'm not trying to be antagonistic, I'm just scratching my head.
KarynMC at 12:01AM on 08/06/09
@KarynMC: With most of the crap chicken out there, you could boil a chicken breast and not get the kind of flavor you can get from an inspired vegan recipe.
Adam Kuban at 12:12AM on 08/06/09
@Adam Kuban - I believe you - My dog gets boiled chicken breast when he has an upset stomach, and he turns up his nose! (My dog's palate isn't exactly refined, in case you were wondering). :-)
Sorry if I came off a little sharper than usual.
KarynMC at 12:19AM on 08/06/09
I was puzzled at Art's dessert, too. When he volunteered so quickly to make the dessert, I immediately figured he'd make a Crisco-dough based cobbler, or a fruit crisp of some sort.
He sometimes seemed in this ep like he lacked confidence. In the quickfire, Rick Bayless turned to him and said, "See? They liked it!" And Art just bit his nails. Seems like for the dessert, he panicked and choked.
BangieB at 2:46AM on 08/06/09
I like Chiarello a lot, but could not believe that he squeezed lemons with his teeth on national teevee, the first time I saw him do it on his own program. Can't believe he's still doing it. Hasn't anybody dared to tell him it disgusts the viewers?
lemonfair at 7:11AM on 08/06/09
Would you mind not x-ing out the face of the defeated on the main page? Some us would like to to peruse this blog and remain unspoiled!
gracemetcalf at 7:16AM on 08/06/09
Whoa, what's with all the vegan hate? I'm a little taken aback; vegan food can be/is often very delicious, and any accomplished chef should be able to handle it. Didn't Alain Passard turn L'Arpege into a vegetarian restaurant because he wanted a new challenge?
I'm glad, too, that Anita didn't go home, though I had no idea what she was thinking with cheeseburger soup. Cheese soup, ok, but I don't want little meatballs in it.
marchpane at 9:36AM on 08/06/09
Being that I have her same dietary restrictions (I am a Vegan Celiac, too), I watched this show eagerly. I thought all the entrees sounded delicious, but that dessert~ ugh. Anyone who has had "rice cream" will tell you... don't go there! Coconut milk "ice cream" is so delicious, if Art had used that instead, Anita MIGHT have been the one to go home.
Brownie at 11:16AM on 08/06/09
Apparently Art's almond brittle recipe contains butter (it's on the Bravo Web site)? I sincerely hope he didn't feed vegans dairy, but his recipe calls for it. I hope he subbed EB ...
KarynMC at 1:01PM on 08/06/09
The hipster girl with the ginormous glasses was trying to one-up Gael Greene with that hat. Oh snap.
LetThemEatQueso at 4:12PM on 08/06/09
LetTheEatQueso: Ahahhaha, so true!
marchpane at 4:40PM on 08/06/09
Art didn't make any of his classic cobbler type desserts for a simple reason. No gluten allowed, that means no wheat flour, and no oats.
Pretty hard to make most classic baked fruit desserts without those.
Sure... you can use rice flour, and xantham gum to adapt many recipes that depend on pure white flour. But it takes experience. Or he could have tried one of the non-gluten baking mixes, but they are often gritty or off tasting.
He really was screwed, it's very hard to cook Southern comfort food that is totally vegan, and gluten free.
(and I can't stand Art, don't think he belongs on this show)
peekpoke at 7:58PM on 08/06/09
@ peekpoke ... you can buy gluten-free oats. I think he probably could've made a topping with brown sugar and nuts, or gone with a fruit and chocolate dessert. Bananas foster? Poached pears or peaches? A cashew or macadamia puree with those strawberries? A fancy rice pudding?
Honestly, my impression was that he got so freaked out about the restrictions that he couldn't think about what he could make, and ended up choking.
KarynMC at 8:57PM on 08/06/09
A few problems:
fruit/nut desserts are served with custard or ice cream, puts him back with the same problem.
same problem with bananas foster, needs ice cream
Vegan rice pudding is tough since the dairy is most of the flavor. How would you replace the milk/eggs? He could have used coconut milk, but then it's going to be coconut flavored.
Once you start talking nut purees, you are WAY outside Art's comfort zone.
He was screwed.
peekpoke at 2:09PM on 08/07/09
@ peekpoke
1) Not necessarily, not always. You could take the banana part of bananas foster and put it with other ingredients. Or make sorbet (coconut sorbet can be very creamy). Or some sort of sauce.
2) Stove top rice pudding! Starchy rice will stick together without eggs (you don't usually dump eggs in risotto, do you?). And what's wrong with coconut flavored rice pudding? Isn't that a traditional dessert, when made with black sticky rice? There are also plenty of other nut-based milks that would have worked.
Obviously, anything vegan was outside of Art's comfort zone (which I find somewhat ridiculous, since chefs should know how to prepare fruits and vegetables). But even he said that he knew how to make sorbet, which would have been way better than rice cream! Like I said, I think he just freaked out. If he had calmed down, he might have figured out a way around the restrictions.
BTW, I really liked Rick Bayless' commentary about the episode on his blog.
KarynMC at 6:26PM on 08/07/09
What a terrible episode. Upon hearing the dietary restrictions, the chefs should've hogtied ZD and her friends then force-fed them offal.
Doctrine at 12:45PM on 08/08/09
I am way late to the party on this one because i just watched the episode on DVR last night, but a couple of thoughts on Michael Chiarello:
He's going to be in the finale. Especially with Art gone, he is by far the most telegenic and charismatic of the chefs up there. Yes, he can come off as a bit of a douche. But that 'limp wrist' comment, terrible as it was, was funny. and his cooking is solid. as for the lemon- yeah, he squeezed it with his teeth. THE OUTSIDE. it's not like he used his tongue to extract the juice and then spit it into his dish. lemons are tough and slippery, and if he didn't have a juicer, that was no doubt the best way to get out the most juice. i'm surprised the attitude here isn't more: "professional kitchens are chaotic environments and sometimes you have to improvise; there's probably a lot that goes on in there that we don't see that we wouldn't necessarily want to see; but the food tastes great all the same. it's not like he dropped it on the floor.
Hard to know who will win at this point... Chiarello and Bayless seem to have had the most consistent performances. Perhaps one of them will pull a "Hosea" to Lo's "Carla" and Keller's "Stefan".
mr guy at 11:04AM on 08/18/09