Entries tagged with 'Top Chef Season 5'
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There was romance in the air tonight on Top Chef. Hosea and Leah flirted, cooed, cuddled, and even kissed. Pretty G-rated, don't you think? If this was Real World they would have had sex in a hot tub. On Top Chef they were ridden with guilt just for cuddling because they both had significant others waiting for them after the show ends. In the end their non-romance romance got in the way of their food. Did one of them get sent packing? I'll never tell, until after the jump, that is. [Warning, spoilers ahead.]...
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After last week's "battle of the blands" and Toby Young's raucous entrance, we weren't sure what to expect on this week's episode. It seemed like we might have seen the season's low point, at least we hoped. I also have to confess to feeling a bit more forgiving after watching last night's premiere of Chopped. [Warning, spoilers ahead.]...
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Whether you love or hate Top Chef judge Toby Young and his belabored insults, Endless Simmer is now tracking them all in one place—with ratings....
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It's been two weeks since the last new Top Chef episode, and what better way to return than with British writer turned restaurant critic Toby Young. Like his forefather A. A. Gill, Young does not hold back. London food criticism and nastiness go hand in hand, and Young was nasty in the best of ways. Before we get into his top snarky quotes of the evening, let's just say tonight was reality television at its best. And this is coming from a lukewarm reality television watcher. There was real tension and real emotion. We felt the chefs' pain. The judges, except for pretty French boy Jean Christophe Novelli who didn't do it for me—is that man allergic to smiling? does...
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This week on Top Chef, after a two-week holiday hiatus, the Quickfire challenge involves sweets—a huge part of life during that gingerbread-worshiping hiatus. But here's the rub. No sugar allowed. Cheftestants will have 45 minutes to make a dessert without any sugar products, with French pastry chef Jean Christophe Novelli of the Novelli Academy cookery school, in as the guest judge. In anticipation of this week's episode, we're giving away three 2009 Top Chef calendars. Just tell us your favorite dessert without sugar in the comments section below. After the jump, watch a preview of the sugarless Quickfire. The cheftestants look freaked out. You have until 3 p.m. ET Wednesday (January 7) to enter. Three winners will be chosen...
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Because we're feeling the holiday spirit, we'll try and keep our recap short this week in order to spare you the agony of what was probably the weakest episode yet this season. Let's get straight to the quickfire challenge. There's a holiday spread in the kitchen. Padma explains the challenge: create a delicious holiday meal that can be created using only one pot, and Martha Stewart is the guest chef. Martha's tip for the home cooks and one assumes chefs is a little advice from Albert Einstein—make it simple but not too simple. The chefs have 45 minutes, and immediately start stretching the definition of "one pot" meal, but no matter. None of the chefs appear to make any major...
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Much better episode this week. It started off with a bang: "Does the word lesbian mean anything to you?" That was Jamie talking about Stefan. And it went up from there. The quickfire challenge was righteous. Testing a chef's palate is totally legit. Stefan impressed me when he identified turmeric in the Thai green curry. But, and there's a big but here, nobody should get credit for identifying salt and pepper as ingredients in a dish. Would someone have gotten credit for air? Maybe, and that's scary. I was looking forward to the aspirants cooking for Gail's bridal shower. I know quite a few of those women, and they are not to be trifled with—they are in fact fierce. Daniel's...
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My roommate's reaction: "Wait, why is he famous again?" I couldn't really remember either. And Rocco really didn't prove why he should be. The guest judge should be someone who the contestants respect, hopefully to the point of speechlessness and awe. As Fabio pointed out, "He's not really even Italian."
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It's Thanksgiving eve and while most of you are probably prepping for tomorrow's big meal, we're watching Top Chef so you don't have to. Questions on my mind going into tonight's episode: Will Stefan and Fabio continue to dominate? Will Ariane squeak it out for another week? I have to confess I'm beginning to develop a bit of a crush on Fabio, especially after last week's elimination challenge. But onto the show! Contestants are back at the apartment hanging out. We can tell they are getting to know each other because Richard has given them all nicknames. Jeff "Don Johnson" Fabio "Cute Italian" Leah "the flirt." But this is a competition! No time for fun. Cut back to the kitchen...
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Oh, two of my interests combined—word nerdery and the food world. Amuse-Biatch catches spelling errors on Top Chef. Couli instead of coulis and Jean-George Vongerichten instead of Jean-Georges. Yes, word nerds really do get excited about very minor things. See if you can spot any typos as you watch tonight. [via Eater]...
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