Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Recap Roundup: Top Chef Masters 3 Episode 3

Jordan Baker on Suvir: "Next out is Suvir’s Chaat Salad of Chickpeas and Yogurt with Baby Spinach. Danyelle says it’s delicious, and Alan says the yogurt really rounds out the whole dish. Oseland worries that he’s too much inside his comfort zone. Back in the kitchen, Mary Sue raves about how delicious it is and asks what’s in it. 'You’ll copy me for the next challenge; I’m not giving it to you,' Suvir says.

Hm, writing that out raises a question for me: is everything Suvir says actually hilarious, or is just made to seem hilarious because of his over-the-top delivery and charming accent? Is Suvir the Indian Fabio? Will I get really tired of him eventually too?"

AV Club on bugging out: "The challenge was a fun one, testing the chefs’ ability to build a dish around something that many of them were unwilling to actually taste (I believe Celina was the only person who we saw taste her bugs, but she had eaten crickets before). Based on either instinct or experience, most of them handled the bugs effectively, with only George’s large portions and Suvir’s uncooked worms (necessitated by his strict vegetarianism, which meant he was unwilling to kill a creature himself) being singled out as unsuccessful. Everyone else fried, grilled, and vinaigretted their way into the good graces of the Discovery Channel hosts, and I thought the results were pretty fun."

Oregon Live on some people don't like the bossy: "Pomeroy's approach keeps the charity dinner from becoming an 'every man for himself' brawl, and establishes order in what could have been chaos. But it turns some of the competition's big guns off. Traci Des Jardins says Pomeroy's demeanor annoys her, but decides that with so much going on and such high stakes, she'll stay out of the drama. Less gentle is Alex Stratta: 'Although I appreciate Naomi's take-charge attitude, it needs to be taken with a little bit of temperance. Naomi likes to hear herself talk.' Snap."

Eater on lessons: " And out of left field, TRACI IS COOKING! Steak at that. She serves it with a slow cooked broccoli that Young Sytsma doesn’t enjoy. Daddy Oseland gives him a spanking, identifying the virtues of that slow-roasted broccoli. This is when it happens people. These are the moments... Sytsma almost cries and you can see the young Anakin Skywalker go Darth Vader."

TWOP on the Elimination Challenge premise: "This week's elimination challenge is a fundraiser. All the chefs will work as a group, but each chef is responsible for one course of a 10-course tasting menu. In addition to the normal $10,000 up for grabs, the 50 guests will chip in $100 each, totaling an extra $5,000 to the pot. Instead of the usual shopping time, the chefs will have to work with what's in the pantry. They have three hours to cook. Curtis tells them expect a few curve balls to come their way throughout the service."

Monkeys as Critics on critics' table: "James thinks Hugh is like Liberace. He’s amazed he was able to put this together in two and a half hours. Alan is amazed by the perfect, firm texture. Danyelle doesn’t understand the chili hairs. James patiently explains they’re a nice bridge between the savory and the sweet. Then he asks Danyelle what the hell she’s doing at the grown-up table. He doesn’t, but I suspect he’d like to."

Grub Street on behind the scenes: "As critics on the show, we're not just sitting there, eating, and talking to each other. We're also all wearing earpieces, and the producers are saying things like, 'Alan, is there anything you didn't like about John's dish?' Then, if you're just sitting there eating risotto and you hear that question in your ear, you start talking, and you might end up saying something overwrought, like that you don't like the crunch that the pine nuts 'are offering.' And then of course that will be the bit they use for the show."

Don't forget to check out Creative Loafing's Top Chef Podcast!


Posted on AllTopChef.com

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