Top Chef Seattle

I never saw it, but did he fire her after her freak-out on All-Stars? If so, I assume her behavior is what embarrassed him and not her getting sent home?

The kids had Game Show Network on the other day, and there's a decent cooking show on there now. I forget what it's called, but it's a competition where they take 3 regular people and have them cook a dish, as 3 professional chefs cook the same dish next to them (sort of a low-key Iron Chef feel to it). The professional chefs included Beau MacMillan (sp?), and Antonia from Top Chef, who always was one of my favorites. The show was surprisingly decent.

 

Wasn't that funny the guy last week who Emeril himself taught how to make gumbo mucked it up so badly? If I were an aspiring chef and a guy like Lagasse was teaching me how to make gumbo I'd have a notepad out and ask him for directions as to exactly how he makes it. No room for improvising on that one. Or forgetting something as basic as Tabasco sauce.

 

He probably didn't have enough fennel.

 

I'm sure they are great, but it's still a burger and shake place.

 

I go to Bryan Voltaggio's sandwich place just about every Thursday, it's awesome and you can't beat getting to lunch like that for about $8. Hoping to get a reservation at Volt, his fine dining place, next time grandma comes down and can babysit.

 

It's amazing how many chefs have those burger joints or sandwich shops on the side. My cousin (albeit somewhat distant) is chef Paul Prudhomme and I remember him telling me one time that "Fine dining don't pay the bills."

Apparently, there's a ton of overhead for those fine-dining establishments, and most of that overhead is covered by their smaller restaurants.

I think I'd like to try Voltaggio's place. He always made dishes that appealed to me.

 

My brother-in-law's brother is a chef and said that's not the kind of thing they tell you in culinary school, but the reality you face when you get out. He said "I learned to make everything you can think of, but if I want to have my own restaurant and make money I'll have to open a pizza place."

 

My dad and I went to Hubert Keller's Burger Bar in Vegas. I was really looking forward to it, but it was kind of a disappointment. A lot of those restaurants operate with the typical Vegas-style trappings. But my brother said Bobby Flay's place in Vegas is great. Believe it or not, Emeril's fine dining place at the casino in Bethlehem, Pa., called the Chop House, was quite good. Like you were saying, he also has a burger place there, too.

 

I went to Volt for my birthday last year and had the five-course lunch menu. Very cool. Even the stuff I thought I would never order on my own was really good and interesting. Minor complaint was that my steak came out a little cold.

 

I dug Hubert Keller's Burger Bar in Vegas. Great burgers (tried both the turkey and American Kobe in my two trips, both tasty as hell), good beer list....what more could you want?

Also very happy in my few visits to Michael Symon's B-Spot Burger joints in Cleveland. Been to Roast in Detroit and Lolita in Cleveland as well, was just as satisfied at B-Spot despite it being a "burgers and shakes" place.

 

Keller has one of his burger places at the casino across from the Dome in St. Louis. Nice place and good burgers (great side dishes). My only problem the one time we went was ordering my burger medium-rare (which was supposed to be a little pink and warm in the middle), and when I took my first bite, it seemed like a quart of blood came draining out of it and the inside was bright red. I can only imagine how raw the middle of it was. But they took care of it and threw in a couple of free appetizers.

I'm thinking this Top Chef Seattle has potential. I won't spoil who goes home in case someone DVR'd it and hasn't watched it, but next week looks like it will be a good one. A team competition, with Tom Colicchio telling them that they did such a horrible job that they are sending an entire team home (from the previews, at least).

I wish they weren't doing the Last Chance Kitchen, though. They haven't sent anyone home yet that didn't completely deserve it - to give them a second chance seems like a waste.

 

I liked the opening round of Last Chance Kitchen... bringing back all of their same ingredients that caused them to fail. I also like the idea (don't think this happens) but of doing it four chefs at a time. ...

As for this week's episode, thought the eliminations were the correct ones.