Top Chef - Houston

[Biff Tannen 45750]

18 hours ago, Frank The Tank said:

Padma and Gail were having a boob off at the tasting table and we were all the winners. 

I said got damn!

[Texzilla58 4744]

Don’t know many fishermen who say they’re going out to catch dinner. Let’s shoot for some gafftop and Bull reds. They both suck. 
 
Buddha has to be the odds on favorite. He’s really good. Evelyn is several steps behind but should do well in Tucson with her Latin cuisine skills. I’d put Sarah 3rd. She’s battle tested. 

I believe Sarah will eclipse Evelyn mainly because I think Last Chance Kitchen really hones folks for competition without the hassles of dorm life and team challenges. No doubt they are ready to anoint Buddha.

[Biff Tannen 45750]

1 hour ago, Texzilla58 said:

I believe Sarah will eclipse Evelyn mainly because I think Last Chance Kitchen really hones folks for competition without the hassles of dorm life and team challenges. No doubt they are ready to anoint Buddha.

I think Sarah could take it all.

[Deej 76964]

On 5/19/2022 at 9:46 PM, Frank The Tank said:

Padma and Gail were having a boob off at the tasting table and we were all the winners. 

Bring back Nigella Lawson and let me be at the judges table for those three. 

Edited May 21, 2022 by Deej

[Biff Tannen 45750]

I'm watching Season 1 for the first time in forever and my god, the format was such a shit show.

[Biff Tannen 45750]

Also, Harold paired fish with a Brunello in the finale?  WTF?

[TonyTexas 10535]

17 minutes ago, Deej said:

Bring back Nigella Lawson and let me be at the judges table for those three. 

And let it be an Italian pastry challenge

[WBT 20675]

Tucson?  wtf?

[Deej 76964]

39 minutes ago, WBT said:

Tucson?  wtf?

This group of losers doesn't even deserve Tucson. 

[Texzilla58 4744]

This group of losers doesn't even deserve Tucson. 

They should have been sent to Wichita, or Calexico, or Bismarck. Flint.

[Deej 76964]

Monahans, Texas.

[Chips O'Toole 1327]

Evelyn can cook her ass off, I disagree that she is very far behind Buddha except for some of the flashier science-y techniques he has in his bag. 

Damarr has just fallen off a cliff, I wanted him to be a contender but he could have gone home twice in a row if not for bigger fuckups by the others. 

Sarah is better than she showed at the beginning, but I don't think she can outcook Buddha or Evelyn. I didn't watch any of LCK though, so I may be wrong. 

[Mittens 8312]

6 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

I'm watching Season 1 for the first time in forever and my god, the format was such a shit show.

The very first guy kicked off is still one of my favorites, hundreds of knives packings later.  Bragging his ass off about where he worked and who for.  Think he couldn't butcher fish and/or didn't get his dish completed - I don't even remember the specifics, just how beautifully swift and ruthless justice/karma/whatever was executed.

[Biff Tannen 45750]

3 hours ago, Mittens said:

The very first guy kicked off is still one of my favorites, hundreds of knives packings later.  Bragging his ass off about where he worked and who for.  Think he couldn't butcher fish and/or didn't get his dish completed - I don't even remember the specifics, just how beautifully swift and ruthless justice/karma/whatever was executed.

The beauty was when they came back for the reunion, he didn't back down an iota.  Just fuck all!  Went after Tom again and man, that guy.  I'm sure he went places.

[Texzilla58 4744]

Evelyn can cook her ass off, I disagree that she is very far behind Buddha except for some of the flashier science-y techniques he has in his bag. 
Damarr has just fallen off a cliff, I wanted him to be a contender but he could have gone home twice in a row if not for bigger fuckups by the others. 
Sarah is better than she showed at the beginning, but I don't think she can outcook Buddha or Evelyn. I didn't watch any of LCK though, so I may be wrong. 

I agree Evelyn is a fantastic cook but I think she’s made some bad decisions in her dish selections the past couple shows. I want her to win being the Texas contestant but she seems to be a little careful. The judges seem to be really focused on fine dining this season; Sarah looks she has sharpened her skills and her dish choices from LCK.

[TonyTexas 10535]

I hope this episode tempers some of y’all’s derision of this season and its chefs. Both the quickfire and elimination highlighted interesting ingredients and all of the chefs knocked it out of the park with creative and tasty looking dishes. I still think Budhha is a slight favorite but any of them would be a great winner. 

Edited May 27, 2022 by TonyTexas

[Nicole44 22078]

20 minutes ago, TonyTexas said:

I hope this episode tempers some of y’all’s derision of this season and its chefs. Both the quickfire and elimination highlighted interesting ingredients and all of the chefs knocked it out of the park with creative and tasty looking dishes. I still think Budhha is a slight favorite but any of them would be a great winner. 

In terms of the ingredients I thought this was one of the more challenging (eliminations right before the finale) in any season. Jmo. I was impressed by what they all came up with. I would have enjoyed seeing what all four could do in the finale…but the end result tonite wasn’t surprising. But I love Top Chef so…

Gail must be reading surly. She really went boob forward tonite…

[Deej 76964]

5 minutes ago, Nicole44 said:

Gail must be reading surly. She really went boob forward tonite

I told her to show you guys a little extra something

 

[Texzilla58 4744]

Doesn’t do anything about my derision of this season and the overall shittiness of it.
Buddha has an advantage in that Padma is his advocate. She hates women chefs. Sarah was the only one that got a rave review from Tom saying her lamb was a three Michelin star worthy dish. Her melty ice cream should have offset Buddha’s overly cold ice cream.

I hope Sarah or Evelyn win. Fuck Buddha and his limey ass.

[Deej 76964]

6 minutes ago, Texzilla58 said:

Doesn’t do anything about my derision of this season and the overall shittiness of it.
Buddha has an advantage in that Padma is his advocate. She hates women chefs. Sarah was the only one that got a rave review from Tom saying her lamb was a three Michelin star worthy dish. Her melty ice cream should have offset Buddha’s overly cold ice cream.

I hope Sarah or Evelyn win. Fuck Buddha and his limey ass.

Aussies aren't Limeys.

[shadow_operative2.0 16035]

I just want to eat at El Charro now. 

[DFWTexEx 278]

Like many of you, I have been underwhelmed by the chef talent this year, but last night was a definite step up.  Both challenges were difficult.  But the food appeared to level up compared to the rest of season (except for many the doppelganger challenge that was great).  I would have gladly paid good money for all the dishes in the elimination challenge (well maybe not the uninspired pork barbecue).   Evelyn brought fine dining and Sarah has definitely come back swinging.   Buddha is still the favorite and rightfully so.

[Texzilla58 4744]

Aussies aren't Limeys.

I thought he said he grew up in the uk. Fuck him anyway. Evelyn brought it; that relleno looked great. I’m usually not a nopales fan but maybe it wasn’t made right; it’s always like canned asparagus to me.

I’ve only had carne seca two ways: machaca, where it’s cooked with scrambled eggs, and in a Tex Mex shit on a shingle with a spicy jalapeño cream gravy on biscuits.

[Deej 76964]

43 minutes ago, Texzilla58 said:

Tex Mex shit on a shingle with a spicy jalapeño cream gravy on biscuits.

[pops 7007]

This season has been not great. Last night was finally top Chef worthy. 

[Herpa Derpa 6132]

On 5/26/2022 at 10:45 PM, Texzilla58 said:

She hates women chefs.

Are their specific examples you're thinking of or just an overall impression? Just curious.

[TonyTexas 10535]

1 hour ago, Herpa Derpa said:

Are their specific examples you're thinking of or just an overall impression? Just curious.

Yeah. That’s simply not true. Padma Is a very vocal advocate of women’s rights and champions female chefs at every opportunity. 

[Texzilla58 4744]

Yeah. That’s simply not true. Padma Is a very vocal advocate of women’s rights and champions female chefs at every opportunity. 

My wife has rewatched every season several times and she’s the one that started pointing it out to me. She sees Padma as a dick hungry slut that consistently downgrades strong women on the show, and the better looking they are the more critical she is. It’s subtle but it pops once you see it. Conversely she always advocates better looking young guys or fancy cookers making big excuses for them when they fuck ip.

Just because someone advocates things in their politics or advocacy doesn’t mean it applies to their own actions with others.

[Herpa Derpa 6132]

Yeah that Salman Rushdie fellow screams pretty boy with a 9" cock.

[WBT 20675]

fatwas are sexy

[Deej 76964]

9 hours ago, Texzilla58 said:

My wife has rewatched every season several times and she’s the one that started pointing it out to me. She sees Padma as a dick hungry slut that consistently downgrades strong women on the show, and the better looking they are the more critical she is. It’s subtle but it pops once you see it. Conversely she always advocates better looking young guys or fancy cookers making big excuses for them when they fuck ip.

Just because someone advocates things in their politics or advocacy doesn’t mean it applies to their own actions with others.

Sounds like your wife knows you'd drop her like a hot potato for a chance to fuck Padma and is trying to poison you against her. 

[Herpa Derpa 6132]

5 minutes ago, WBT said:

fatwas are sexy

Proven by the Top 40 Iranian hit, "She Thinks My Fatwa's Sexy"

Edited May 29, 2022 by Herpa Derpa

[shadow_operative2.0 16035]

Well kids, it’s over. 

 

Impressive judges’ table, & then Ed Lee. 

[Texzilla58 4744]

Over. Ended how I thought it would and based on the cooking deservedly so.

The two losers simply failed in their menu planning. Too cute or too preachy.

I could eat a dozen of Evelyn’s bunuelos. Fuck those looked great.

[pops 7007]

Budha had no competition. He was on another level. That being said, he wouldn't have made top 8 on the voltaggio season. Get better chefs. And more Gail tits. 

[WBT 20675]

Buddha seems like a good guy and deserved to win.

It was an underwhelming season all around - cheftestants, challenges, disgusting sponcon, poor use of the host city.

[DFWTexEx 278]

7 hours ago, pops said:

Budha had no competition. He was on another level. That being said, he wouldn't have made top 8 on the voltaggio season. Get better chefs. And more Gail tits. 

This is an interesting point.  You may be right because Budha's first few episodes were not that great and he may not have survived.  But, his cooking in the last 3 episodes has been top notch and could stand up against those chefs.  It would just be a matter of when he kicked it up to the next gear.

[Deej 76964]

I'm just glad it's over. This show has sucked both times they were in Texas. 

[Nicole44 22078]

I didn’t have the dislike for Buddha that most viewers (and probably contestants) did…well up until the final couple of challenges anyway. I think the key for him apart from his extraordinary technical skills was the fact that he was a super fan of the show. He knew everything about every season and most of the contestants and what the judges want to see and what will get you high scores.

I didn’t dislike this season though it was certainly a weaker offering compared to other recent seasons. Had Jackson not flubbed front of the house and the whole iffy taste/smell thing that no one was really sure about the final three would have been Jackson, Evelyn and Buddha imo. I thought Buddha’s story and technical work on the finale was better than Evelyn’s BUT I think overall her food and flavors were far more compelling. I would have stolen her dessert last night also. Looked amazing. It was clear Padma was a Buddha fan..but I thought Sara’s stuff looked like ass. Jmo…I’m sure it tasted good? I don’t know. The story didn’t resonate with me even though it was personal to her and Evelyn’s story was “I cook by memory” vs Buddha taking a family member to honor in the first three courses and thanking America in the 4th. 
 

Correct outcome but I would have preferred Jackson to be in the final three because his work was damn solid. Buddha picked the best sous chef. I was perplexed the other two didn’t pick Jae as she was pretty much the queen of sauces this season. It usually comes down sometimes to who you pick to help you…but Buddha’s technical ability was far better than the other two…so they had to be perfect in flavor and story to beat him. The right outcome.

[Nicole44 22078]

Also given the progression of Gail showing her boobs the last couple of episodes I thought for sure Gail would wear something like the below picture (Elizabeth Hurley famous Versace Dress) the final dinner…

also what was with the fucking BEES all around the judges at the table? Damn…Bees in every shot of the food…since I’m deathly allergic to being stung this was triggering for me to see them flying all around the table as they were trying to eat. Lmao…

Edited June 3, 2022 by Nicole44

[pepper brooks 580]

It ended as it should have.  Budha was the clear favorite and best of the lot.  That said, it was a really weak season of chefs involved.  They need to up their game on level of competition because this just was not that great a season.  At least we were spared the corny over the top texas stereotypes that were so painful to watch on top chef texas.  Of course, they seemed to replace that with some form of wokeness in almost every episode until the final two.  I thought Damarr had a shot at the title early on, but he really faded.  The southwestern theme of the semi finals was just not a good fit for him, but he seemed like a great dude and very talented chef.  I would definitely go to his restaurant if ever in Minnesota.  

[TonyTexas 10535]

I don’t think this season and batch of cheftestants was any worse or better than any recent seasons, save All-Stars. But I did think that the finale seemed awfully flat. I’m not sure whether that was because of the location, the finalists, average guest judges or seemingly bored Tom, Padma and Gail. 

[Texzilla58 4744]

I didn’t have the dislike for Buddha that most viewers (and probably contestants) did…well up until the final couple of challenges anyway. I think the key for him apart from his extraordinary technical skills was the fact that he was a super fan of the show. He knew everything about every season and most of the contestants and what the judges want to see and what will get you high scores.
I didn’t dislike this season though it was certainly a weaker offering compared to other recent seasons. Had Jackson not flubbed front of the house and the whole iffy taste/smell thing that no one was really sure about the final three would have been Jackson, Evelyn and Buddha imo. I thought Buddha’s story and technical work on the finale was better than Evelyn’s BUT I think overall her food and flavors were far more compelling. I would have stolen her dessert last night also. Looked amazing. It was clear Padma was a Buddha fan..but I thought Sara’s stuff looked like ass. Jmo…I’m sure it tasted good? I don’t know. The story didn’t resonate with me even though it was personal to her and Evelyn’s story was “I cook by memory” vs Buddha taking a family member to honor in the first three courses and thanking America in the 4th. 
 
Correct outcome but I would have preferred Jackson to be in the final three because his work was damn solid. Buddha picked the best sous chef. I was perplexed the other two didn’t pick Jae as she was pretty much the queen of sauces this season. It usually comes down sometimes to who you pick to help you…but Buddha’s technical ability was far better than the other two…so they had to be perfect in flavor and story to beat him. The right outcome.

I didn’t like Buddha because of his whining in the early episodes. I didn’t trust the Jackson taste/smell story; it came off as a ruse for an excuse if he lost.

As usual the finals came down to gamesmanship, strategy and execution. Buddha to your point knows the show, game, and most importantly the judges pov. Padma let it out last night; they were ready for indulgence, luxury, and complexity. They are tired of upgraded rustic food. I did like that they could choose their sous rather than getting a loser that might resent you.

As much as I liked Evelyn’s cooking she focused to much on her “memories” and lasered on her concept first. So while it might work as an overall meal, she didn’t pay attention to the judges and how to counter Buddha. She laid into that goat curry mole but used it as a sauce rather than a braise. She needed that dish to hit the skin off the ball. If she opens a place I want to eat there.

Sarah overthought her pov and delivered a lecture that clearly the judges didn’t want to hear. Basically a meal of trash. Here’s a variety of miso made from garbage; a broth made of corn husk, and here’s a fucking rodent no one wants to eat and it’s overcooked and undercooked. She was focused on LCK and started losing a wing last week. I would not eat at her place.

[shadow_operative2.0 16035]

4 hours ago, Nicole44 said:

Buddha picked the best sous chef. I was perplexed the other two didn’t pick Jae as she was pretty much the queen of sauces this season.

When they showed Sarah calling some dude named Robert Hernandez to be her sous, I thought they were allowed to use someone from back home if they didn't want any of their castmates. I don't remember him for shit on this season. 

[Bateshorn 9942]

I like Rabbit.  I’ve had plenty of good bunny, but it’s tricky as fuck to cook without drying ur out and this is the Top Chef finals, you are pretty much serving chicken breast.  Try harder.  Which is too bad, I liked Sarah.   

[TonyTexas 10535]

Sarah’s self deprecating humor reminded me a lot of Stephanie Cmar, the underdog private chef who caught fire towards the end of All-Stars and damn near won the whole damn thing. Evelyn did Houston proud and can’t wait to try her food. And Buddha is a good winner, equivalent to any recent champs, save Melissa. 

[Texzilla58 4744]

I like Rabbit.  I’ve had plenty of good bunny, but it’s tricky as fuck to cook without drying ur out and this is the Top Chef finals, you are pretty much serving chicken breast.  Try harder.  Which is too bad, I liked Sarah.   

She did what finalists often do in the interim between segments: she overthought it based on showing herself off instead of serving her diners. Sarah came up with this eating garbage idea and did a lousy job selling it. Corn husk? Make a fucking tamale. Rabbit is challenging to cook and to season; to your point at best it’s chicken breast. She repeated the issues that got her sent home the first time. LCK made her get out of her head and just cook, which she can certainly do.

[NoName 16409]

On 5/21/2022 at 1:57 PM, Biff Tannen said:

I'm watching Season 1 for the first time in forever and my god, the format was such a shit show.

wife has only watched the last 2 seasons of TC, any recs for a good season to re-watch w/ her?

[Texas St. Armadillos 1381]

The Top Chef All-Stars and the Top Chef Masters are great.  I would wait to watch All-Stars until you get to know a few of the names.

Regular Seasons to watch:

Vegas (Season 6)

Chicago (Season 4)

Seattle (Season 10)

New York (Season 5)

Charleston (Season 14)

 

I enjoy them all, but these stand out to me.

[NoName 16409]

On 6/3/2022 at 12:36 PM, Texzilla58 said:

Sarah overthought her pov and delivered a lecture that clearly the judges didn’t want to hear. Basically a meal of trash. Here’s a variety of miso made from garbage; a broth made of corn husk, and here’s a fucking rodent no one wants to eat and it’s overcooked and undercooked. She was focused on LCK and started losing a wing last week. I would not eat at her place.

Sarah came across like someone who had put no thought into a Finale menu/concept.

That concept was a loser in every season they have ever done. This is the Top Chef FINALE - go over the top.