Top Chef Masters
 

Season 2, I think. Anybody watching this?

I love the Top Chef shows, but this season of Masters has me grinding my teeth. The very first quick fire seemed too much like an episode of Chopped. But it didn't have Ted, so why bother?

And having Restaurant Wars as the very first elimination? It turned out to not be a train wreck, but it seemed a little harsh for the first elimination.

The second episode, cramming all 11 chefs into one tiny kitchen to cook and serve at the same time. The regular Top Chef shows break the service into two or three stages so that the chefs aren't climbing all over each other and fighting for stove/oven/counter space. Why did they do it to these master candidates? One of the chefs had to plate her dishes on the underneath shelf near the floor because the counter tops were full of other chef's plates. And another didn't get her dishes plated because she spent too much time helping the others to try to get them out of the way. I'm frustrated on behalf of the chefs.

This is actually the third or fourth season of Top Chef Masters. I saw the first season and wasn't all that impressed. While they are playing for charities, I'm still wondering why most of these chefs would ever want to appear on this show.

They seem to enjoy the competition.

My OP was so negative, that I should point out one thing I like about this season: this time they're doing eliminations like the regular show instead of progress ladders.

It is season three and I have only watched episode two. I just have grown out of the Masters concept. The first two seasons, I heard of at over 75% of the contestants. They all are accomplished and talented and work for worthwild charities, but the episode I watched, I kept saying to myself, "Who are these people?"

Plus, Feniger one season and the Border Grill partner Milliken in the next = Lazy casting to me.

This.

Trying to get a large group of top-name chefs to drop all of their other commitments for (at least) two weeks would be a very difficult challenge. With a progress ladder (which I didn't like), you probably only had to commit to one day every other week, and maybe 2-3 days for the finals.

So episode 1 was "Top Chef Masters:Chopped" and this week's episode was "Top Chef Masters:Survivor". I am really disgusted by the crap that the producers are making these chefs go through. I would have cheered if all of the chefs walked out when they introduced the Quickfire, and not blamed them one bit.

Apparently not much interest in this show. One good thing about it is that Hugh Acheson appears almost exclusively on the web segments with the sous chefs, so I don't have to see him. I find him obnoxious.

His uni-brow scares me... but overall I think he's pretty funny.

If you like mean humor. :) And then I find he's from GA. That explains a lot (I know he's not from there originally, but as (at least) one of our very own demonstrates, something apparently happens to people who make that move). :D

HEY NOW, he is from here in Athens.

When my partner was getting recruited last fall, the hospital took us to both his restaurants here in Athens. Hugh is very big on local ingredients. Food was very good.

Gordon Ramsay is a jerk too, but I have a suspicion he knows how to cook. ;)

I hear he recommends the Amy's Baking Co in Scottsdale, AZ

I really like this season with the inclusion of the sous chefs in a separate competition which directly affects the master chefs.

However, last week's episode should seen Brian go home.

I agree. I think the producers told the judges he wasn't going to go anywhere. :)

Yep, I'd say it was rigged.

"Fact, bears eat beets..." - Jim Halpert

I think there was a lot of editing going on too. They don't want you to guessed the result so they played the worst comments about the person who was safe. I think a kid challenge in Top Chef Master is kind of dumb. I don't think any of the top dishes were actually great. These are master chefs, they should be taking a bad ingredient and make it a star and taste great. But instead, most of them were trying to hide it or use so little of it so you cannot taste or see it at all. I think Brian has the gut to actually take beet and try to feature it and make it kid friendly. I saw him and his brother on Top Chef, but after watching him in Top Chef Master, I really want to go try out his restaurant.

Curtis actually spit out the food of one of the chefs. Warm raw fish. Yum! That was a pretty good indication he would not go home. :rolleyes:

Indeed. There should be no way that Sang stays in the competition with that big of a faux pas.

One of these days Mrs. Swede and I will make it to downtown Denver to try Rioja.

Exactly! They are trying so hard to throw you off the result that you could actually guess that result from that! I think that's a dumb idea. What's more important? Keeping you in suspense for another 5 to 10 minutes or giving credibility to the judges?

When I saw Ali Larter, I thought it would be some kind of zombie theme quick fire! ;P

Finally caught up on episodes. A very enjoyable season. Mrs. Swede and I will try to snag a table at Rioja this weekend.

I loved how Doug, executive chef of Cyrus in California won. Two reasons: first, I've dined at Cyrus twice and had a wonderful time both times. It's a great experience. And secondly, he seems to be one of the very rare people who picked an animal charity, so I rooted for him on Quickfires for that reason. Since he won a few Quickfires and also the title, I think he brought home enough money to perhaps build a whole new facility for Green Dog. Woot!

We walked in around 6:30pm last night without a reservation. 45 minutes later, they were able to sit us at the chef's bar next to the kitchen with Chef Jasinski holding court. ^ The guys on the show talked about how loud she is, she's even louder than I expected. :D

Food was amazing. If you visit, one of you must order the "Fresh Bacon" dish and the "Colorado Lamb Two Ways" dish.

The place was packed. Her other restaurant across the street (Bistro Vendrome) was a 90-minute wait if you didn't have reservations. We didn't visit the restaurant Jorel runs just down the block (maybe next time).