Recap Roundup: Top Chef Masters Episode 2

Above: theminx's weecap of episode 2

They made it through the vending machine Quickfire and past the not-so-critical Critics' Table. But can last week's contestants handle the bloggers? We'll find out. Here are your recaps:

Cliffieland on the winner and the grammar: "Suzanne wins and will move on to join Chef Hubert Keller (and the four faceless Hubert silhouettes) in the “Champions Round.” (Why do these people hate well-placed apostrophes?)"

David Dust on the nature of the show: "I’ve come to the conclusion that Top Chef Masters is a perfectly good cooking show, but not a great “reality” show. Reality shows have drama and ridiculousness and obnoxious douchebags which makes the episodes recap-worthy. Top Chef Masters? Not so much."

My Monkey Could Do That on the softie Critics' Table: "Elizabeth had too little sauce and too much pudding. Graham’s maki roll was just ok. See, they don’t say these things to the chefs! They’re just all, “Oh your food is delicious”. Sigh."

Limecrete on the Quickfire judges: "Bravo still hasn't learned that the second season was a giant black hole of suck, and we'd rather forget everyone involved with it. Yes, Ilan, Betty, and Michael are on hand to judge the challenge, and two-thirds of that group needs to be thwacked in the face with a sack of bricks."

Thursday Night Smackdown on eventual winner Suzanne Tracht: "I like Suzanne Tracht from the words “pot roast.” Also because her restaurant is called Jar. She seems lacking on the personality front, but I can forgive that for a good pot roast."

Chew on That on portion sizes and Suzanne Tracht's winning dish: "I always thought maybe contestants were being conscientious of the judges having to eat a lot in one sitting, or maybe it’s just that fancy food usually comes in smaller portions. So maybe it was just me, but there was something about seeing the judges devour a big plate of food and enjoying the whole thing that was comforting. They’re human! Finally!"

Procrastiblog on new blogger fave judge Jay Raynor: "P.S. Can Jay Raynor please replace Toby Young on the regular show?"

Serious Eats defending Kelly Choi (aka NotPadma): "I also thought Kelly Choi was fine as host. She's been taking a beating here on SE in comments as well as on other blogs, but I don't see what's so bad about her. People have pointed to her physique and questioned whether she actually eats and/or enjoys food, and to that I say, sure she's skinny, but I've known lots of rail-thin people who are hearty eaters and just have fab metabolisms (and I hate them for it)."

Chicagoist on Wylie Dufresne's trucker mouth: "Good taste but Ilan says too big and difficult to eat. Dufresne curses back in the kitchen, watching this on the television. We envision little old ladies in hats that work for his charity putting down their teacups and sucking air in through their teeth."

Culture Crumbs on crushed assumptions: "I thought for sure that the three other celebrity chefs — the jolly, competitive, tattooed Graham Elliot Bowles, the reserved Suzanne Tracht and the first Susan Powter knockoff I’d seen on a cooking show: Elizabeth Falkner — didn’t have a chance in heck against Wylie."

Philly City Paper on Dufresne's off-TV life: "Dufresne’s never seen Lost, which is probably a good thing for him because the island’s mystical magnetic properties would probably prevent him from transmogrifying foie gras into a badminton racket or whatever the hell that guy likes to do."

Fans of Reality TV on the Lost connection: "Our critics sit down to table with a bunch of Lost folks, and the Lost folks confess an obsession with Top Chef. One guy says there’s been a dip in quality ever since TC started. So now you know who to direct your letters to, Lost fans. "

Jordan Baker on chef attire: "Elizabeth Falkner enters in her purpley coat. What is it with one chef in each round wearing a non-white coat? Does this signify that they're evil or something?"

Chicago Tribune on the common "too big to be an amuse-bouche" complaint: " An amuse should be tiny, a couple of bites. Ilan said that Wylie’s grilled cheese was too big; well, what about Suzanne’s bowlful of stuff? That’s an appetizer, folks."