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Episode Recap: Common Threads
With this season of Top Chef taking place in Chicago it was only a matter of time before we heard the name Oprah. Her personal chef Art Smith was on hand as the guest judge for both challenges. I don't know if I could prepare an entrée in 15 minutes as the chef-testants had to do in the Quickfire Challenge but I wouldn't have considered using Uncle Ben's 90-second microwaveable rice an option.
Though she's had uneven showings, I was projecting Stephanie to be a frontrunner but after losing both challenges tonight, along with Mark and Lisa, I'm starting to have doubts. Chef Art initially called her Brown Rice Pancakes with Scallops clever but then later said the pancakes were too heavy and the scallops unnecessary. Would he have preferred maple syrup with them?
Lisa was told her Rice, Corn, Black Beans and Peppers with Avocado Crème and Grilled Shrimp was unoriginal and Mark's Miso Glazed Turkey Breast was tough, dry and needed sauce.
On the upside, Richard is spotlighted again with his "well-balanced" Tuna Steak and Tomatoes with Yuzu Vinaigrette. And Dale's Pineapple Fried Rice with Grilled Scallops and Chinese Long Beans is the dish I wanted to taste tonight. But Antonia won immunity with her appealing hot and cold Rice Salad with Skirt Steak and Arugula. She could have slacked off for the Elimination Challenge but scored big again by creating a simple and delicious dinner for four with a budget of $10.
One nice thing that Top Chef does is occasionally associate its challenges with worthy organizations. This season we shopped for locally grown foods at Green City Market, went to a Meals on Wheels charity event and alerted families how to get closer with suggestions at mealstogether.com. Tonight Common Threads is the organization highlighted that connects children of many cultures and teaches them understanding and acceptance of others by way of cooking and sharing nutritious meals.
Some of those children, the "little" extra help as Padma called them, were cute but added lightness to the episode and served to soften some chefs' edges. (This might have also been the call of the producers asking editors to remove any bleepable words and present an episode suitable for the children to watch with their families.)
Antonia gained good karma after a phone conversation with her daughter. (I guess the knock-knock joke with the punch line "smell mop" helped.) She also brought her experience as a single mother to whip up a winning Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry over Whole Wheat Noodles.
Andrew's three words of wisdom: simple, old and new. Keep it simple, take something old and make it new was the philosophy he learned from his mother. Serving Chicken Paillard Andrew was told he expanded the little chefs' culinary language by accompanying it with fennel and apples. Nikki threw chicken and mixed vegetables together and was praised for her "one pot wonder."
I'm glad Stephanie is still around but I had to agree with the wrinkled nose and scrunched-up face that Tom Colicchio gave her for the Peanut Butter and Tomato Sauce over Chicken with Eggplant and Zucchini Couscous. As Zoi said about Richard's white chocolate-wasabi sauce, I promise you that doesn't taste good. Even without undercooked edamame, Lisa used a lot of ingredients and still created a bland Roasted Chicken with Black Beans and Lime. There were no tomatoes used with the peanut butter on her apple French toast.
I waited all week to hear Mark say at the Judges' Table: "I think Tom doesn't like me…how do I make this guy happy?" Mark would still be around and would have made Chef Tom very happy if he had added some protein to the Vegetable Curry, used more vegetables than sweet potatoes and the odd choice of cucumber, cut back on the sweetness, spent his budget more wisely and had a neat presentation.
Second Bites
• If it was mentioned before I didn't remember that Andrew weighed over 200 pounds in high school. Looking good, dude. Way to go!
• Chef Tom was playful asking Richard and his assistant if they made the onions sweat by putting them on the treadmill.
• Gail Simmons got a dig in when telling Stephanie her mushy couscous was the telltale sign of a restaurant chef that doesn't cook at home. Do you think that's true?
• Text poll: What was the toughest challenge? The $10 budget came in first with 57% (and shopping at Whole Foods doesn’t make it easier), that was followed by the 15-minute time limit at 34% (I would have been frazzled) and all but 9% would have wanted to work with a Kid Sous Chef.
For more tasty treats about Top Chef, dig into our Online Video Guide.
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May 1, 2008 2:21 AM
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Observations:
1) I call B.S. on that. I wanna see the receipts! I live about a football field's length away from a Whole Foods and I shop there a lot (like tonight). I'd say there is no way that these chefs spent less than $10 each on their ingredients. A pound of even the least expensive raw chicken runs about $8! (and I calculate about 1/4 pound raw for each serving)...
2) Oprah's nutritionist needs to cut down on the carbs (as evidenced by the insulin meter around his waist). At least they praised Antonia who used whole wheat pasta instead of Hat Guy's (I am assuming by the look of it) enriched white pasta.
3) For once I wasn't completely annoyed by the Hat Guy and Andrew show. Maybe because they didn't get to talk too much. Thank god.
4) It was probably Mark's time to go. I am glad Stephanie got another chance.
5) I think Antonia is my favorite right now. Richard, Stephanie and Dale are my current alternates.
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May 1, 2008 3:36 AM
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For me, the mom/grandma, I loved this episode. I'm not talking about the dishes prepared, but the "humanizing" of the chefs just by having the kids in the kitchen. Now, I'm not one that ever loved cooking with my kids when they were little, but these kids really added something. I think it's because they arrived in the kitchen knowing how to do a few things already. Mine didn't arrive that way!!
I was so surprised about Stephanie tonight. But she did say something about being raised by her mom on gourmet meals, didn't she? So, she wouldn't have the first clue about preparing a meal with $10 worth of ingredients for 4 people. I thought the episode was interesting because of the attempt...and successful by some...but I can see that it was slightly unfair, as that is not what these chefs do.
Antonia is becoming my favorite, I think, and the sooner they get rid of Lisa the better. I wasn't sad to see Mark go. Oh, and another surprise was Lizzie. She really came through tonight, but I think that's probably where her real talent lies, rather than as a high class chef.
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May 1, 2008 3:49 AM
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I loved this episode and like so many others I am glad Mark went and Stephanie lives to fight another day!! It may not be what chefs do in their daily lives, but they should still be able to do it! I would love some of the recipes! I also doubt they could actually buy all that at Whole foods, but the idea was a good one! ">
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May 1, 2008 7:32 AM
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I really enjoyed the challenges on this episode. I think these chef's need to bring their cooking down to a normal level once in a while. I have just started experimenting with different ingredients and cooking techniques after years of perfecting the basics.
I have used Uncle Ben's 90 second rice a few times and it is very good. I did forget to vent the package once and it created a mess in my microwave. I was waiting for one or more of the contestants to do the same.
I'm not familiar with Whole Foods but from some of the comments here, I'm guessing it's very expensive. The name sure fooled me. I was thinking all this time that it was more of a wholesale foods place. I was surprised to see a lot of the contestants using chicken. It may be cheaper per pound but that includes bones. For boneless chicken, the price usually goes up so high that beef is cheaper.
I liked seeing the kids in the kitchen and you could see Tom was trying to have some fun when he asked about sweating the onions on a treadmill.
It was nice seeing the kids enjoying the food and trying new things. There is no way I would have done that as a child. I was very picky and at the age of 52, I'm just starting to try new flavors.
Next week looks like it will be a great episode. I noticed when I set my DVR that it is 15 minutes longer than usual so it should contain extra drama. The name suggests that this is a replacement for the Restaurant Wars from past seasons and those were always fun episodes.
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May 1, 2008 7:48 AM
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Good episode, but yeah, how could some of them have bought what they had for $10 or less? I like that they showed some having issues at the registers, but still. Hmm.
The kid cooks were cute. Nice organization too it seems. At least, it's a good idea. Give kids something worth wile to do, and teach them how to cook and eat healthy. And yeah, I've seen Art on Iron Chef America many times and I always think that he needs to lose weight. Seeing him standing up last night certainly didn't change that opinion.
It had been looking like Richard, Dale and Steph would make it to the finals. But now, it looks like Steph is fading while Antonia is rising. Good, I've been hoping for Antonia in the finals ever since the first episode where I first saw that she showed off so much boobage in the opening titles. I look forward to that every episode.
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May 1, 2008 9:03 AM
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I have to agree about Whole Foods - it is really hard to get out of there with blowing a paycheck! I love the place but now I shop there only for specialty items that I can't get elsewhere.
I am glad that Antonia did win but I am worried about Stephanie, who has been one of my favorites. I was trying to remember - how often has someone with immunity won a solo challenge?
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May 1, 2008 9:19 AM
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I may have blinked and missed it, but what was Antonia's prize for winning the challenge? Did anyone catch it?
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May 1, 2008 10:06 AM
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reality junkie: Thanks for pointing out that next week’s episode, Wedding Wars, is super-sized to 75 minutes. From the previews (which I never watch on dramas) you won’t want to miss Andrew telling us about his culinary excitement!
The Restaurant Wars episode is scheduled two weeks later, on May 21.
Antonia was not offered a prize for winning the Elimination Challenge. The show has been inconsistent in that department. You really have to work at winning the Quickfire Challenge in order to be safe until next week.
And I have spent over $20 for a half bag of groceries at Whole Foods but I still love shopping there. Though you might have to pay a few dollars more for some items their quality is usually higher than many other grocery chains. I’m wondering if the chefs are offered a discount in exchange for their regular patronage to be used as a promotional tool.
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May 1, 2008 10:15 AM
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what was Antonia's prize for winning the challenge?
They announced no prize for either of Antonia's wins - which is unfortunate. I understand why they didn't grant a prize for the Common Threads challenge, seeing as it is a charity organization, but you would think that Uncle Ben's could have coughed up something for this single mom!
It was really nice not to hear everyone swearing all night, especially from Lisa. Not that I am a prude or don't have an occasional toilet mouth myself but it was refreshing. To me, it is never very attractive for a person to sewear, especially around children and I appreciate the fact that Top Chef did not allow for it to happen. I am sure that all parties were told beforehand that the common practice of swearing would not be tolerated.
I am a bit disappointed in Stephanie's latest downturn. She was doing so well, but lately has been a disaster. I do say though that I disagree with Tom about tomatoes and Peanut Butter being gross together. I make a wicked peanut curry soup that combines the two quite nicely through the use of sweet potatoes.
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May 1, 2008 10:59 AM
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As many have already said those meals don't seem to be $10 meals. Also can some one tell me whar exacrlt couiscouis is? The judges act like it is something American familys eat every day but I personally have never had it or know anyone who has.
Along with the budget I had another issue. How did there meal for a family of 4 feed 8(4 kids plus 4 adults)? From what I saw they ceryianly didn't skimp on the portions.
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May 1, 2008 11:24 AM
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Couscous is a pasta made from semolina or wheat. They're sort of small and granular... kind of like rice meets wheat germ.
It's the stuff at the bottom of the plate.
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May 1, 2008 11:58 AM
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It might be possible to spend only $10 at Whole Foods for a dinner for 4 (especially if the dinner are proper portions and not American portions) assuming that they relied heavily on things they can use in the Top Chef Kitchen. However, Whole Foods is not your local Stop n Shop, esp. when it comes to their produce, which is expensive. I think the challenge would have been a lot more interesting if they had to SHOP like real families. And families that can only spend $10 on meals, don't go to Whole Foods. They should have sent them to the local grocery store or even one of those Super 99-cent stores. Having to cook using items from a 99-cent store would have been an interesting challenge.
I thought the kids were going to get on my nerves but they were really cute. Loved Dale's kid, Andrew's kid and little Abigail. She was so friggin cute when she sat down with her friends and asked them what they thought of the meal and then when they asked about the beets, she responded with so much confidence. So adorable!!
I was really hoping Lisa would go and really scared that Stephanie might. Steph needs to get her mojo back pronto. She and Antonia are the only two females there who have a chance at making it to the end. She needs to get over whatever hangups or insecurities she has and push forward!
Next week's episode, Wedding Wars, looks awesome.
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May 1, 2008 12:51 PM
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I was trying to figure out what was different about this episode and why I enjoyed it so much more. Was it the addition of the kids? No. Was it preparing real family meals. No. Was it the fact that I heard no bleeps especially from that mouthy girl. YES. The one who kept repeating that she was raised by a single mom, yada, yada... she made the one pot meal. I can't stand her because of her potty mouth so I don't even know her name.
Until the blogger pointed it out, I didn't even realize that's what made this episode so much more enjoyable. "(This might have also been the call of the producers asking editors to remove any bleepable words and present an episode suitable for the children to watch with their families.)" The cursing when used sparingly adds something to the show. When it's gratuitous, we might as well be watching an episode of Hell's Kitchen!
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May 1, 2008 1:14 PM
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I agree with the comments about not being able to purchase ingredients for a meal for under $10 at Whole Foods. Our extended family has all switched over to heath-conscious, natural, organic, hormone free eating. Whole Foods is the obvious place to shop, but on the produce alone, who can afford it? I love the idea of paring down the size of the head of bok choy to get the price down. Do you think I would be kicked out of the store for abusing the vegetables if I tried it?
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May 1, 2008 2:28 PM
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