Chopping Block ep. 3 (spoilers)
This was my first time watching this show. I read about it on the previous episode threads here on Chowhound but always seemed to forget when it was on.
Overall I thought it was pretty watchable. (of course the only other show on that I make an effort to watch each week is that horrible Hell's Kitchen, so you know already I have no taste in entertainment)
Since it was my first time watching, I was lost for a bit, but by going to the link someone had posted on the ep. 2 thread during the commercial break I got caught up pretty fast.
I thought the foraging trip in the park was interesting, although when they went to the cattail I had hoped he would have talked more about the wide variety of things you can do with it, including making a flour from the root.
I agreed with the couple that was sent home... half way at least. The fiancee Padma? not sure on the name sure seemed to be causing conflict with her team mates. But, the guy on her team who's name completely escapes me seemed to be one of the strongest chefs there. I'll be interested to see how this competitive concept works now that one team is down to just 4.
I think Marco gives them some good advice (what we see of it), but the little asides given in his office seem a little pretentious... kind of gave me an old Alfred Hitchcock feel.
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a_and_w
Mar 26, 2009 08:14 AM
I couldn't help thinking of Jacques Pepin when they served the squab rare.
The guide on their foraging trip cracked me up with his baaaad puns LOL!
The black woman playing the race card was brutal. I have a lot of sympathy for minorities who interpret ambiguous encounters as racial sleights. But this was just was just absurd, at least based on what we saw, and I can't believe they would edit out the racism if it existed.
›17 Replies-
re: a_and_w
Firegoat
Mar 26, 2009 08:23 AM
She was just a very difficult woman. And I admit going to the profiles link and seeing what they all actually do or have done and where they work in real life has biased me some, as I'm more likely to trust someone with training and real line experience than a "personal chef" type when it comes down to moving stuff out in an actual restaurant.
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re: a_and_w
Just a note that we did not, in any way, shape, form, or fashion do either of the following in Post:
1) Edit out/omit any instances where someone treated Panya with anything resembling rascism
2) Prompt Panya to "play the race card"; in fact, for awhile NBC had us edit the elimination without Panya doing that, but eventually we ended up going back to it, since it was so over the top.
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re: a213b
Firegoat
Mar 26, 2009 09:36 AM
I'm sorry that I missed that post. I'm a recent new watcher, (as in new of last night). I think it is cool that you keep an eye out to help clear things up. Very Nice!
Is it wrong to ask you if the plant loving dude as as funny in person as he was on tape?-
re: Firegoat
pitu
Mar 26, 2009 01:55 PM
Steve Brill in person is a little tiresome, depending on what your tolerance of Borscht Belt corny sexist humor is...but his tours of the parks are totally interesting anyway.
Thx for weighing in a213b - good to have the editor here to clear things up.
I really liked Panya's husband (I've watched two episdoes, including this one) and felt terrible for him. She totally dragged him down with her attitude.I think MPW is a brilliant actor -- he delivers those cheesey lines with the aplomb of Vincent Price.
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re: LindaWhit
No problem.
Also an FYI, though some of you may find it hard to believe, the producers and crew were all BLINDSIDED by Khoa's decision to withdraw from the competition in the 1st ep. That was something he decided on his own (I'm not sure there was even consultation with Denise, though I'm not positive about that), without any prompting.
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re: a213b
Firegoat
Mar 26, 2009 09:59 AM
How many hours of footage do you guys have to wade through to cut it down to one hour. I can't even imagine doing that. I'm one of those sick people that if you made a website and posted the updates every hours for 24 hours straight, I'd probably watch it all, because I'm more interested in how the cooking happens and the restaurant pulls together, because other than some time in a little dairy queen -wanna be and a small town fast food cafe as a cook, I've never worked in a "real" restaurant and it just fascinates me. I seriously think your show or Hell's Kitchen or the like could do well with a huge online show showing hours and hours of the stuff that goes on.
But that's just me
I'm nosy and curious. -
re: a213b
LindaWhit
Mar 26, 2009 10:39 AM
Yeah, if I was one of the producers, that would have pissed me off that he withdrew. Think of the other teams who could have made it on and done something (including making for better TV) if they had gotten his spot?
And if I was his partner and he hadn't said anything? Hoo-boy - talk about being p.o.'d!
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re: a213b
a213b,
Thanks for coming back and answering about the Panya edit.
For folks who want to see earlier discussions here, the search feature here does work.
Do youall ask for redone voice overs when thoughts are muddled or inaudible?Right now, and I'll guess you can't tell us, it looks as if the final will have two couples, one in each restaurant, feeding about a hundred people with one cook and one front of house. The loosers will either have breakdowns on camera or immediately after filming.
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I forgot about it until it was about half done.
They foraged in the park? And ate it? and wild mushrooms? I wouldn't trust this bunch with mushrooms and my life.I thought the judging unfair. Different groups visited each restaurant. There's no way to tell if some were in a worse mood than others. Maybe they figured the numbers would even out. But the numbers were so very, very low that it came down to service and decor. (Black won on decor...NYers must really love black walls.)
I could tell how low my reality TV quotient is by my inner smile when one team won clearly, not the HK ...it always comes down to the last dish, the last soup, the last whatever. Although the clear win was more of a didn't loose so bad.›1 Reply -
southernitalian
Mar 26, 2009 05:41 AM
It was my first and last time although I didn't watch all of it. Marco is a day late and a dollar short on this concept. It's all been done before and Americans have lost their appetite (no pun intended) for people throwing away entire carps because they can't find tweezers to remove all of the bones. I watched the scene where the black couple was eliminated and the woman claimed racism was involved. I'm willing to bet it was scripted. Good call on the Hitchcock vibe, that's exactly what it was. Maybe he could have pulled this off two years ago.
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re: southernitalian
Firegoat
Mar 26, 2009 05:53 AM
I was pretty appalled by the carp thing. I laughed when it happened, because if you are the least bit experienced with carp you KNOW its gonna be bony. I felt like they picked it just because Marco made a comment about taking on that big boy if the dared, or something like that. I was really hoping that he'd really rip on them for wasting that fish. I guess I would have erred on the side of caution and gone with the quail or squab since those are pretty hard to screw up. Rabbit was out because Marco had just cooked rabbit -- felt like that would be saying, hey, my rabbit is better than yours chef!
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re: southernitalian
LindaWhit
Mar 26, 2009 06:09 AM
I didn't watch it on Monday (and I'm done with the show anyway), but reading your elimination comment and the woman claiming racism makes me glad I didn't watch it. I'd be surprised if this lasts another season. Unless NBC is very, very desperate for programming.
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re: LindaWhit
Firegoat
Mar 26, 2009 06:13 AM
Well they caught me on a Wednesday night... if it stays on Wednesday I can see watching the train wreck again to see what shakes out. But then again, like I said, I'll be watchiing Hell's Kitchen tonight anyway to see the SHOCKING! FIRST TIME EVER double chef elimination!
LOL. Man, Lacey better go home tonight.... that's all i'm sayin'-
re: Firegoat
LindaWhit
Mar 26, 2009 06:24 AM
re: the SHOCKING! FIRST TIME EVER double chef elimination!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You forgot the long pauses between the SHOCKING!....................FIRST TIME.............EVER!............DOUBLE CHEF..........ELIMINATION!:-)
And I agree on putting the size 11 onto Lacey's butt and giving a shove. Sheesh. Should have been gone awhile ago - like Ep. 1.
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re: LindaWhit
Firegoat
Mar 26, 2009 06:36 AM
Yes, and God help me, I'll watch it again tonight. It is the one show, for no known reason, that I actually plan to watch. (now mind you, I live on a farm, don't have cable or satellite, so my channel choices are pretty limited, I'm sure if I had the comedy channel or something I'd watch more.... but the less time I spend with TV usually the better. )
Sadly, even my BF, who's idea of cooking is opening a can of tuna and a sleeve of ritz crackers, will come out and watch with me. He is currently anti-Andrea and pro Robert.
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re: LindaWhit
Sorry to hear you're checking out Linda, I enjoy your commentary. I'm actually liking the show better as it goes along. I've liked Marco from the beginning and now that we're getting to know the chefs a little bit it's more interesting. I thought the guy who was kicked off last night (Michael?) was one of the better chefs so it was disappointing to see him go but his wife was over the top so I guess he has to pay the price for that. I agreed with him that serving raw poultry was the biggest crime of the night (at least that we saw) and the other team should have lost. That guy Than or Zhan seems to serve raw poultry every week.
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re: Firegoat
LindaWhit
Mar 26, 2009 07:43 AM
:::snicker::: on the snark for HK. I don't think that's going to stop. While they're not TC material, there are at least a few decent cooks on HK, so it's still watchable to see what they put out. And with March Madness on tonight, it's the only game in town. :-) (But I really REALLY wish Ramsay would 86 the Beef Wellington and the damn risotto!)
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re: LindaWhit
Firegoat
Mar 26, 2009 08:30 AM
It's so hard to tell by the performance on Hell's Kitchen. Ben has been sucking hard, but he's a sous chef at a pretty well-respected restaurant in Chicago. From what I've read in the exit interviews it is a combination of sleep deprivation, not knowing until right before service what station you'll be on (and not necessarily one you prepped) combined with your team mates who may or may not be out to sabotage you that adds up to the craziness
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re: a_and_w
Fritter
Mar 26, 2009 01:37 PM
"J, Ben, EJ, and Lacey are all worse than anyone on Chopping Block"
Ben worse than any one on the chopping block?
I think not.
Danny, Andrea and Carol are all years ahead of any 6 people put together on the Chopping block.
There's not one talanted chef on the chopping block, litterally. It was painfull watching just how little passion this bunch had foraging.-
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re: a_and_w
Fritter
Mar 27, 2009 09:06 AM
"Danny, Andrea, and Carol are competent but I see no indication they're better than anyone on Chopping Block"
Really? So who do you see as "competent" on The chopping block other than MPW?
I see very little talent or even motivation there. The best bet I see so far is Kelsey and that's just because I'm giving her credit for admidtting she has zero experience as a head chef but still giving it a shot.-
re: Fritter
a_and_w
Mar 27, 2009 10:49 AM
Dean, Kelsey, Khoa (before he left), Lisa, Angela, and Michael are all as competent as anyone on Hell's Kitchen. By that, I mean they haven't made any mistakes that the donkeys on HK haven't made many times before. People keep asserting that the quality of the chefs on CB was so much lower, but I'm still waiting for some specific, objective metric to assess that claim.
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re: a_and_w
Firegoat
Mar 27, 2009 09:26 AM
Okay, I have to stand up for my boy Ben. He's a sous chef at a pretty well respected restaurant and has been for years. He's one of the only guys who actually tries to hold the team together (even dealing with the horrid lacey). So I think he shows some leadership and some teamwork qualities, and his small plate dish if I'm remembering right was very impressive.
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re: Firegoat
LindaWhit
Mar 27, 2009 09:32 AM
Well, you won't have to worry about any more comparisons between HK and CB.....the latter has been cancelled, per a post on Food Media by TrishUntrapped: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6072...
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re: Firegoat
a_and_w
Mar 27, 2009 11:06 AM
Heh. I was being a little cheeky. I think Ben's problem is that he keeps trying to force the leadership issue. Gio is no better at cooking than Ben -- in fact, he may be worse -- but Gio's leadership seems more natural to me. Ben needs to focus less on the leadership and more on his cooking, which I think we can agree has been uneven at best.
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re: a_and_w
LindaWhit
Mar 27, 2009 11:20 AM
With Ben, I think it's an age thing - he's a good bit older than Danny, and perhaps he believes that because of age/length of time in the kitchen, he's a better leader...when Danny has actually shown a lot more maturity than Ben has. :-)
OK - wow - I just went to check their bios on the HK site, and Ben's only 3 years older than Danny - I take everything back! LOL
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re: LindaWhit
Firegoat
Mar 27, 2009 12:15 PM
Past Work Experience
Ben
2006-Present: Chef for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
2006-Present: Sous Chef at Rhapsody
2006: Executive Sous Chef at Bistro 1102
2005: Chef De Cuisine at Holly's American Bistro
http://www.rhapsodychicago.com/index.asp-
re: Firegoat
LindaWhit
Mar 27, 2009 12:21 PM
Did you pull this from here? http://www.chefdb.com/pl/14630/ Pretty cool site!
And Rhapsody's menu looks good!
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re: a_and_w
Fritter
Mar 27, 2009 12:37 PM
"A simple google search suggests disagreement on this point"
Yaaaawn. On what planet?
Here's the recipe from The block that has been chopped. You may want to note Mr. Raw squab states he serves it MR.LOL
4 to 6 California Squabs
3 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Zucchini cut into 4 inch sticks (about 8 sticks per zucchini)
2 Cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 lb. mixed mushrooms finely chopped (your choice, Be Creative!)
1 tbsp. each of fresh thyme, fresh lemon thyme, fresh oxalis, fresh oregano, and fresh baby chervil...all finely chopped (This is also your choice but stick to the earthy herbs)
6 ounces of good dry white wine
Salt and pepper
Toss zucchini sticks with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
Place aside to marinate.
Using kitchen scissors cut out neck bone and back bone (including ribs) from the squab. Be careful not to remove the legs.
Flatten the birds breast side down. This is a little tricky and your butcher should be able to do it for you.
Rub each bird with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
On a hot grill, place the squab breast side down and cook for about 4 minutes to acquire nice grill marks.
Flip each bird and allow to finish cooking to desired temperature. I like to serve squab medium-rare.
While the birds are cooking, heat a large sauté pan.
Add remaining olive oil, mushrooms, fresh herbs, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper over medium-high heat.
When mushrooms are completely cooked and juices have reduced by half add the wine.
Simmer until the wine is almost completely reduced.
Taste and add salt and pepper accordingly.
Place marinated zucchini on the grill and cook until al dente (be sure not to overcook which will make them mushy).
Take a large scoop of the mushroom duxelles and place in the center of a plate.
Place 1 squab over the top of the duxelles-
re: Fritter
a_and_w
Mar 27, 2009 12:50 PM
Uh oh, sleepyhead, looks like you should have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. From Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook:
"At this point, the squab will be rare, WHICH IS THE BEST WAY TO SERVE THEM. (The meat will actually be red -- AND THAT'S THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.)"
So, unless you know better than Daniel Boulud, my answer to your obnoxious question is: "planet Earth."
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re: a_and_w
Fritter
Mar 27, 2009 01:38 PM
"From Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook"
Maybe re should re-read your own post. You said;
"A simple google search suggests dissagreement." kindly point me to a link where you find Daniel Baloud stating what you have posted on line. I'd very much like to see it since Daniel Baloud is famous for his squab and Foie gras recipe.
The author of T H I S recipe on the chopping block wanted his squab served MR.
Period.
Here is a link to a very well known and well respected Chef that actually worked under........You guessed it! Daniel Baloud. Here's a link to his squab. Pay close attention to theese words "Squab should be served medium rare "
PS, When squab is served rare it is typically in small portions. Not a whole bird like the hacks on the chopping block served.-
re: Fritter
a_and_w
Mar 27, 2009 01:56 PM
Let me get this straight. You're citing a chef who worked UNDER Daniel Boulud, and the chef on Chopping Block? LMAO! Here's the link to the Cafe Boulud Cookbook:
http://books.google.com/books?id=NPvD...
Looks like the chef you cite should have paid better attention to his teacher!
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re: Fritter
a_and_w
Mar 27, 2009 02:08 PM
Then either the link is broken or you can't read. It should take you to Boulud's recipe for Moroccan Squab. He makes the point that it should be served rare TWICE. First, in the introduction ("A few minutes in the oven and they're done -- to RARE, THE WAY I ALWAYS SERVE THEM.") and again in the portion I quoted previously, which is part of step 2.
Again, my point is simply that there's disagreement about how rare squab should be served. And that will be my last comment on the subject -- you seem more interested in arguing than seeking accurate information.
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re: a_and_w
Fritter
Mar 27, 2009 02:19 PM
Again, my point is simply that there's disagreement about how rare squab should be served.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I conceed to your point but I think if we are keeping it in the context of the show it is indeed plain that the chef from The Chopping Block wanted the Squab MR, Not blood rare.
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