hungry prof

but it also highlighted one of the problems i've consistently had with the judging of top chef--the chefs are given a challenge and have diners besides the judges to feed, yet the other diners' experiences and the degree to which the contestants fulfilled the challenges aren't given much weight. For example, in this challenge, some of the chefs were definitely better at getting their dishes out than others (thus doing a much better job of actually feeding their diners), and this didn't seem to be factored in to the judging much, because the judges' food was plated separately and served at the beginning, all at once, rather than at the same time the diners ate it. while this probably gives the judges the best shot at properly evaluating the best food the contestants can put out, it often penalizes the contestants who try to cater to their diners, so it seems there's little point in having the other diners there anyway, because the judges get food specially prepared for them.

But in this particular case weren't these two groups the same? That is, the ones who were the worst at getting their food out were also the ones with the suckiest food. And the ones who did get their food out also happened to have the best food.

Strosnider's in Bethesda.

Um...I disagree. She's a very good chef and had the chops to go to the finals, unless she choked (which she did here). But what really baffles me is that why was Jamie not eliminated? She did *nothing* basically. Just so puzzling.

I agree entirely on Jamie. How could she not be sent home? Why not cut yourself during every challenge if it puts you safely in the middle of the pack?

The pork belly/mussel flatbread with gruyere is a revelation. I dare anyone to approach the bar, order a beer and one of those, and tell me otherwise.

Umm. I think Tom Sietsema just did exactly that.

Perhaps I just somehow missed it on the menu I was given. Apologies if this is a false alarm.

Take out from Kotobuki was good, but not great, last night. Nothing really worth reporting except it is worth noting that they appear to have significantly streamlined their menu. Just sushi and easily heated items (e.g., edamame, shumai) now. Best I can tell, the kamameshi that Don wrote about above is no longer on the menu. Not sure when they made the change.

José Andres serves as translator and sidekick for Ferran Adria, guest lecturer at Harvard's first Food and Science course. (entire class is filmed–over 2 hours long)

click

Harold McGee discusses the history of food science starting at 20:41.

Adria and Andres begin at 47:32

Interesting stuff, but definitely skip the first twenty minutes, which consists of various Harvard folks congratulating themselves for offering this course.

I think I almost just got seasick (ok--I exaggerate, but you get my point) on the website for Taylor Gourmet. Found what I needed, but is so much "motion" really necessary (but, that said, kudos for having a flash-free site to which my iphone automatically redirects)?

Kenny talked better than he cooked.

One bright note: I thought Frank Bruni was very good and entertaining as a judge. I hope they bring him back for more.

Eh? How is this any different than the 'fixins bar' at Amsterdam Falafelshop, or for that matter, any food buffet or even a salad bar at a grocery store? I've never been so I can't visualize it, but do-it-yourself toppings are extremely common - what am I missing?

Toddlers. I love my toddler. I love all toddlers, but they aren't always so interested in using the proper utensils to dish out their m&m's or gummy worms. And amid the fast-moving chaos of Yogiberry, I have seen many a parent simply throw their hands up when little Bobby digs in for a handful of peanut butter cups. I've seen fewer (though not zero) people dipping their paws into the mesclun bowl at Whole Foods. Amsterdam falafel is probably somewhere in between given the varying sobriety of their clientele.

P.S. I suspect, though I do not know for sure, that the county health dept is generally not a fan of all self-service food bars.

The one in Shirlington is by the ounce -- you can pump your own yogurt from the various flavors along the wall and add your own toppings.

As is the one in Bethesda. I can't believe the county health dept is particularly fond of it. If you're a germaphobe, I would stay away from this place and its self-serve toppings.

I have eaten at Haandi (both locations) several times as well as every well-known Indian restaurant in DC and I can say -- without any hesitation -- that Haandi is, in my opinion, better than any Indian restaurant in D.C., save maybe Rasika (although Rasika is really in a whole different category). I think Haandi's Bethesda location is better than the Falls Church one, but both are excellent. The flavors of the dishes are just better than Heritage, Indique, Bombay Club or any of the places in D.C. (BTW, I think my favorite place in the District is Masala Art). My only complaint about Haandi is (1) it ain't cheap and (2) I wish they had a location in NWDC.

Hope Thad doesn't mind my friendly revision. Everybody's entitled to an opinion, but they shouldn't be stated as fact.

From the Department of Strange but True, truffles for sale for $1000/lb at the Social Safeway.

The Palm, no? Or is that just an inaccurate cliche?

The contestants are out for Top Chef: Just Desserts, premiering September 15. I'm sure we'll be rooting for the lone DC representative: Hook's Heather Chittum.

Did Alex steal the pea puree or not? How is it they have cameras everywhere and can't settle this simple matter?

Agreed. Very strange. And even if they didn't catch either the theft or the actual preparation on tape, shouldn't there have been evidence of the preparation of the pea puree after the fact? Either an immersion blender or a regular blender. TC contestants clearly don't do dishes as they go along, so why didn't anybody ask to see Alex's blender?

I didn't think though that the drama in last series was like this though... the editing seemed to be a lot more food focused. Yeah there were some remarks back and forth, but it didn't seem to be so snippy between EVERYONE.

Maybe it's actually because the chefs aren't that good this season. When you don't have the confidence that your cooking is the best, then you have to resort to reality show gamesmanship.

But, then, to argue against myself: the most conniving contestant this season--Angelo--also seems to be perhaps the best chef this season.

Finally, according to Colicchio's blog, Kenny's dish really was that bad, despite the appearance that the other chefs might have been ganging up on him for strategic reasons.

Sounds like a polite way of saying a disjointed wine that tasted of rough blackberry.

Ah, that makes more sense. Kinky as in having lots of kinks as opposed to kinky as in whips and handcuffs. One can never be sure with Rocks. . .

I had a brambly, kinky, Harris-Teeter-purchased 2005 Horton Norton (about $13)

[What the heck is a "brambly, kinky" wine? And whatever happened to the dr.com wine classes that we discussed months ago?]

Tamesha's scallops sucked. End of story. That's why she was sent home. Moving on. Hoping this season somehow improves. . .

Not wishing to fully divulge one of my patented sales techniques, I will say that I have over the years played a game with tasters, friends and customers called Vin Mystère, wherein I pour a glass of wine and ask one single question: Do you like it? In the majority of instances, the answer is yes. It is then that the origin of the wine is revealed. I have done this far more times with Virginia wines than any other appellation. Even the Great Rocks has been a "victim" of my coy subterfuge.

My current favorite Virginia wine: "Topiary", Boxwood Vineyard, Middleburg 2007. 50% Cabernet Franc %50 Merlot. I tasted it blind and was overwhelmed by its deliciousness.

[Off topic--feel free to move or delete--but do you ever play this game with a wine that everybody would agree is plonk, say Kendall Jackson off of an airplane? Much research in psychology would suggest that people blindly being given wine by an award-winning sommelier will assume that it must be good and that they are supposed to like it.]

I got really fed up with Chowhound today and needed to rant. There was someone responding to a post on someone who wanted "Philly-ish" places, especially cocktails. So me being a glutton for punishment who still tries to participate on Chowhound for almost unknown reasons at this point, responded with the normal list of suspects who make great cocktails. Then some girl originally from Philly or spending some time there comments that for cocktails you are shit out of luck and there is nothing like there is in Philly. She of course has never been to PX admits it, and probably hasn't been to the Gibson, Tabard Inn, Central, PS7 and etc, but still even though she hasn't been to the very places that could offer what she is seeking decides to bash the really talented mixologists in our area. GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. That would never happen on here. I find myself posting less and less there and seeing fewer of the old friends I recognized on there and liked to talk to. It is just so sad, it used to be such a different place. I have been a member there back when it was a primitive message board when message boards were just getting started and I would have been using babysitting money to eat out. If people have nothing of substance to offer, why don't they either gain substance or not respond. *Sigh* I wish I felt better after writing this. I don't.

Perhaps you should go have a drink. . .

[Counting down until the one-liner police gets to this. 3. . .2. . .1. . .]

Yes! I read his blog and he sounds downright pissed and disgusted with the attitudes he's seeing. I wonder if it's perhaps one reason why the next epi is a double elimination.

That'll get someone's attention.

If Tom Colicchio were put on the spot to make a pie like that, could he do it? I'm skeptical that he'd do all that much better. Maybe that's a new twist that TC should introduce: once a season, if a challenge is deemed unfair by the contestants, they can throw the challenge back at Tom. If Tom can't do it to a level that pleases the other judges, then they all survive. If Tom does well, then there's double elimination the next time around.

Why?

I'll let Zora speak for herself, but I agree with her. I find WF fish to be overpriced, inconsistent (at best), and of dubious sustainability. In fact, I've stopped buying fish there altogether. I'd much rather spend a few extra dollars to get consistently great and sustainable fish at a place like Black Salt.

Just to keep this on topic, it is reasonable to think about the ways in which WF constrains the options available to the chefs. For example, I love duck on the grill, but every WF I know of around here only carries frozen Bell & Evans duck breast. They're actually decent when defrosted in the fridge overnight, but they may have been an impractical choice for the TC contestants given their time constraints.

Ok. So maybe DPop is right and more prescient than I gave him credit for. The picnic challenge was a good opportunity to show us some creativity and some real skill, but the results were generally pretty boring and cliche. I love flank steak on the grill as much as the next guy, but in this context, it was a real yawner. I thought the tuna sandwich was just about the only interesting thing that anybody made. At times, this episode seemed more like one of those (inane) home cook challenge shows on the Food Network than Top Chef.