640550 Wed Jul 29 21:33:53 -0700 2009 114 33 Food Media and News 0 4902303 Anita Lo's dishes looked awesome. Art Smith mentioned Obama loving his dish, again! Too bad Art got to stick around. I don't like his style, he's all talk and no substance. I missed eating at Rick's in Chicago on my last trip, that will definitely be rectified on the next trip. Wed Jul 29 21:33:53 -0700 2009 180506 Ericandblueboy 1 4902455 You should watch this video. http://www.bravotv.com/node/42516 It's Art Smith's winning Chicken 2 Ways recipe from the preliminaries. It's not exactly 3 star michelin-elaborate, but it sure looks tasty and I think you're selling him a bit short. On the other hand I agree with you - Anita Lo is putting on a freaking clinic right now. I didn't even know who she was before the show, but she is looking very, very impressive. Her daikon-scallop dish from the preliminaries made my jaw drop. Thu Jul 30 03:04:07 -0700 2009 4902303 1097843 cowboyardee 1 4902469 I sure would have liked to eat at that chef's table. I was not an Amito Lo fan before but I think I've been converted. Really enjoyed the bit about Hubert Keller's family history. For me both Bayless and Keller just ooze passion for being a Chef and in my best Cuba Gooding Jr impression ala Jerry Maguire; I dig that about both of them! Thu Jul 30 03:33:53 -0700 2009 4902303 253154 Fritter 1 4902694 i was sorry to see Suzanne drop the ball. i like her, and i really wanted Art to get the ax instead. i said last week that if Art launched back into his "cooking with love" shtick i was gonna vomit. fortunately he didn't quite cause me to lose my dinner, but when he somehow managed to start with the name-dropping YET AGAIN within his first 60 seconds of screen time, i did throw a coaster at the TV. (well, i threw it *near* the TV. i'm not about to kill my plasma over this guy.) i was also annoyed that he was so insistent about not wanting to do the chickens for the QF - i thought that was his signature protein? if you can't even butcher the one meat you're most comfortable cooking, what the heck are you doing on TC Masters? needless to say, i was irritated that he beat Keller at the onion dice, but when he bungled the egg whites, order was restored in the universe :) Anita Lo is a *rock star* and what makes it even better is her humility. Loved Bayless' energy in this one. Fritter is right, he and Keller really do ooze passion for their craft. i actually think Michael Chiarello does too, and i loved how he defended his approach to Rayner at Critics' Table. all in all, an enjoyable, if somewhat tame, battle to watch. i don't know if it's the editing, or the maturity of the master chefs, but there's something much less frantic about the energy in the kitchen this season, even though they're competing in the same challenges as regular TC contestants do. Thu Jul 30 06:16:45 -0700 2009 4902303 103920 goodhealthgourmet 2 4902747 again with Art name dropping Obama. As if that would be enough to get him to win. It totally turned me off to him. Anita's dishes looked stellar and it was a shame Suzanne's grouper was plated too early because that looked good as well. It didn't look like Suzanne cared either way, however. Thu Jul 30 06:36:00 -0700 2009 4902694 108629 HabaneroJane 3 4902767 " It didn't look like Suzanne cared either way" I have to agree. For me her style of cooking is very similar to what I prefer. While it's easy to kick back and criticize my take of her on camera was that she is a bit of a dead fish. She just seems so expression-less on TV but then I don't know her so it could just be nerves. I also agree with GHG that it was great fun watching Chiarello give the judges a sort of "stick that in your pipe and smoke it" answer. Good for him for thinking more of his peers and friends than a food critic! Thu Jul 30 06:42:49 -0700 2009 4902747 253154 Fritter 4 4921353 I think her comments come off as snarky about other chefs. Wed Aug 05 18:51:57 -0700 2009 4902767 11854 LaLa 2 4902796 Agree on the Art Smith name-dropping - was REALLY hoping for his ouster. The editors focused WAY too much on Art's confessionals - how many of them were there - 5 or 7? Ugh. Editors - STOP that. Perhaps they were attempting to lead viewers to believe it was going to be him told to pack his knives? Wish it was. I also wondered about his not wanting to butcher chickens for the mise-en-place QF as well. Seems strange when chicken is his forté. Other comments - LOVED the QuickFire. Knowing that none of these chefs have probably done mise prep in quite some time, I can only imagine how it started up the butterflies knowing it was a timed battle. And how funny was it seeing Chef Colicchio come in to time them? You could see Colicchio was almost embarrassed to be there. Maybe not embarrassed, but what a cute sheepish look on his face! But the TCMasters looked pleased to have him there! ETFix: Bayless (not Keller as I had previously said) KILLED on the egg white separation and whipping..very glad he beat Smith. The planets were realigned. :-) Interesting that Bayless said that both methods of chopping onions were ones he hadn't seen before. Elimination Challenge - Anita Lo - damn, the woman can cook! Loved her take on Keller's Lobster Bisque - the whole presentation and look of the dish was beautiful! Michael Chiarello's comment when holding up a caul netting for (I think) his rack of lamb EC dish: "A Sicilian grandmother's stockings" made me LOL! Jay Rayner's blog re: the EC - it turns out the judges got to eat the original chefs' signature dishes to have a benchmark against which to judge the re-engineered versions presented to them later on. And his comments about Smith's Scotch egg is hysterical! "Here’s what you need to know about the true Scotch egg: it is a British traditional food, which has no noble antecedents. Or to put it another way, it may once have been a glorious thing, but nobody of my generation in Britain is aware of such a thing. It is a nightmarish food item, the stuff of cheap family weddings, where the irascible scary uncle gets drunk and tries to score with the bridesmaids." LOL! There's LOTS more as well - very funny stuff! I guess he got QUITE vocal re: Smith's dish (most of which didn't make it on camera). Please, Magical Elves - can we PLEASE have Jay Rayner instead of Toby Young for the regular TC? Please, please, please, PLEASE? I cannot figure out what Smith was thinking - that entire dish looked SO unappetizing! But when Tracht had plated so early, I figured she'd be out the door. Very glad for Anita - she was very concerned about going up against the other finalists, and she has more than proved herself with her imagination. Her dish absolutely looked the best. Thu Jul 30 06:53:22 -0700 2009 4902694 10532 LindaWhit 3 4903298 Wow - Loved this episode! Random thoughts: I'm surprised at all the hate here against chef Art...I have to watch the last 2 episodes again - I didn't notice the bragging...and I thought his froed chicken dish looked so good! I also thought he was happy-go-lucky and fun..I'll have to watch again. Suzanne looked to me like she was on quantities of valium. Arts lamb scotch egg sounds disgusting - but I really wanted to try it! Linda - ditto on the whole Tom Colicchio moment! It was all very cute Still love Keller - I want to marry him and visit his family in France Finally - Anita Lo is my new hero! She is amazing! I had looked at Anisa's menu ages ago - and nothing caught my fancy, but after seeing her in the challenges, it is my mission to get there. (It is still closed due to a recent fire though - which is quite sad) Her food is so creative yet looks really tasty, and I really like her personality - she's smart and confident, yet humble. She rocks!! And I am rooting for her to take the big prize! Oh - and I guess I'm the only one who thought "Holy sh*t! Gael Greene slept with Elvis?!?!?" Thu Jul 30 09:22:32 -0700 2009 4902796 174753 NellyNel 2 4903634 I thought Suzanne had the toughest assignment, though -- cook a difficult fish for 20-some people and wait to serve it. Every other protein -- quail, scallop, lobster, lamb, and ground lamb hold much easier! Thu Jul 30 11:00:54 -0700 2009 4902694 223804 Reignking 3 4905023 Loved to see both Suzanne and Anita rock the QF. How did they decide the order of the courses? It seems to me that it is near impossible to cook and plate a dish of grouper 20 minutes before it is going to be served. There's not much Suzanne could've done other than choose a different fish. Disappointing to see her lose to that Scotch egg and ironic after Art's poor showing in the QF. Thu Jul 30 18:29:10 -0700 2009 4903634 94323 wanderlust21 4 4906213 grouper can be done with a light seafood broth and maybe tomatoes and onions and it will not be dry and overcooked, even if it has to sit for a bit. like a vera cruz, or caribbean style. but i guess the style of preparation of the fish has to be "close" to the other chef's "signature" dish? grouper is not a hard fish to cook. Fri Jul 31 08:31:57 -0700 2009 4905023 105717 alkapal 5 4906949 Anita Lo did not style the dish she prepared anything like Keller did his. Imho, Suzanne was probably nervous, and hurried through her prep, finishing early. Fish does not hold well, no matter what. and Cold fish, unless it's sushi, ceviche or in aspic, never goes over very well. Fri Jul 31 12:28:10 -0700 2009 4906213 52499 ChefJune 1 4902820 OK, I'll jump on the band wagon. Art Smith drives me nuts. And I think Bravo knows that because of the short blurb they put in there of Smith cutting up and all the other chefs saying how much they love him. But I also think that the one little bit he said really explained why he is the way he is, inre: name dropping. He said that he didn't get into the restaurant business until a few years ago and there was a bit of inferiority complex showing through when he said he was intimidated by that fact. Anita Lo IS a rock star. I am so ready to go check out her restaurant. She was less animated than Bayless or Keller but she showed her passion through her thinking through the dish and reinventing it in a very"intellectual way" as Gael Green puts it. I never really liked Chiarello much, but when he agreed with Raynor that he cared more about what Bayless thought of his dish than the judges, he won me over. Afterall, the critics don't matter, your diners and your fellow professionals do. Interestingly enought, Raynor and Oselander's blogs were up right after the first showing of the episode. Apparently Raynor just whaled on the scotch egg concept. He did admit is had to do with the fact that he grew up with the idea in the UK, but apparently they cut out all of his screaming and criticism as he had described it in the blog. By the way, I really don't care that Gael Green slept with Elvis. I was impressed when Bayless was talking about when he got into cooking Mexican foods. His demeanor and gravitas reminded me of a college professor, a very personable college professor, but one just the same. His tendency towards analysis and methodically thinking through what he does now makes sense. A PhD in anthropology, wow, pretty deep. So the part I didn'tget. Art Smith failed in the conception and the execution of the dish. Sauanne's dish wasn't really critiqued for its conception, but for its execution. Doesn't two bads beat a 1 bad? or did she really screw up? Not sure about that. this was one of my more favored episode, the mise en place QF has always a been a favorite and it definitely showed who hasn't been doing it in a while and who is the consummate professional. In both blogs, they talked about having tasted the original dish and then the reinvented dish. THAT, would have been a dream come true. Thu Jul 30 07:01:56 -0700 2009 4902303 11826 Phaedrus 2 4902843 By the way, I really don't care that Gael Green slept with Elvis. ~~~~~~ Who DIDN'T sleep with Elvis back then? LOL And I forgot that background info re: Bayless - very interesting as to how he got into cooking Mexican food! Thu Jul 30 07:11:04 -0700 2009 4902820 10532 LindaWhit 3 4906215 and think how elvis would look today?! Fri Jul 31 08:33:42 -0700 2009 4902843 105717 alkapal 1 4902942 Anita Lo is the best. I've eaten her signature scallop dish at her restaurant, Annisa, and was glad to see that she included it in the EC. Again, I'm not surprised that she placed first. Rick Bayless continues to impress by confirming that he's more well rounded than we would assume, considering his background and taste. Hubert Keller is solid, inventive and unpredictable. Someday I'd like to eat in one of his restaurants. Michael Chiarello has yet to win me over. I was sorry to see Suzanne Tracht crash and burn due to a technicality that could have been easily avoided. Art Smith, by his own admission, is aware that he's in the company of highly qualified chefs, and perhaps this may be the reason for the constant name-dropping. Like it or not, his "star" connections form the bulk of his résumé (and he knows it). And although he can be annoying to us as viewers, his chef colleagues and the judges seem to truly like him. Thu Jul 30 07:42:23 -0700 2009 4902303 130779 Hurner 1 4903329 The mise en place QF is my favorite. The funniest comment of the night was about Art Smith having the advantage whipping egg whites since he had limp wrists. Don't remember how made that comment, Chiarello? Surprised the editors let that through. Thu Jul 30 09:32:34 -0700 2009 4902303 56054 dave_c 2 4903411 ROFL! I *totally* missed that remark! Thu Jul 30 09:55:22 -0700 2009 4903329 10532 LindaWhit 2 4903480 So I am NOT crazy. I thought I heard it too. I think it was Chiarello. Thu Jul 30 10:17:50 -0700 2009 4903329 11826 Phaedrus 3 4903492 Yup! I heard it too! - It was Chiarello - hee hee!! Thu Jul 30 10:21:17 -0700 2009 4903480 174753 NellyNel 4 4903741 I missed that too, but I'm glad to hear that Chiarello has finally come to terms with the truth! For my money, I had the greatest laugh when Anita Lo remembered the TC quickfire mise en place "with some poor woman chopping onions and taking far too long" while the editors cut to a shot of Casey Thompson's embarrassing performance. Thu Jul 30 11:25:57 -0700 2009 4903492 130779 Hurner 5 4903755 LOL!! Yes I loved that bit!!! I did mean to comment on it - hilarious!! Thu Jul 30 11:29:52 -0700 2009 4903741 174753 NellyNel 5 4903886 LOL! Yes, that was priceless! And she's still out there - working with Blais and Malarkey! most recently in NOLA. http://www.chefcaseythompson.com/wordpress/ Thu Jul 30 12:07:25 -0700 2009 4903741 10532 LindaWhit 6 4904185 ...and laughing all the way to the bank! Thu Jul 30 13:25:07 -0700 2009 4903886 52499 ChefJune 7 4904224 You're implying she's raking in the dough. Unless you have personal knowledge of her finances, you cannot be sure. Regardless, she still sunk Carla's chances for winning TC last season. Thu Jul 30 13:36:13 -0700 2009 4904185 10532 LindaWhit 7 4904251 I guess she's not being paid by the onion, then. Thu Jul 30 13:43:16 -0700 2009 4904185 69217 Fukui San 8 4904261 ROFL!!!! Touché. Thu Jul 30 13:46:25 -0700 2009 4904251 10532 LindaWhit 5 4904424 FWIW, Casey's knives weren't sharp -- hence the awful onion chopping. Thu Jul 30 14:32:10 -0700 2009 4903741 223804 Reignking 6 4904459 The cheftestants use their own knives, right? If her knife was so dull it affected her ability to chop an onion, then it was no one's fault but her own. Thu Jul 30 14:44:30 -0700 2009 4904424 10159 Ruth Lafler 7 4904897 Besides a dull knife, I believe she ended up using a bread knife to chop onions. Probably won't catch a TC Master with dull knives. Thu Jul 30 17:27:06 -0700 2009 4904459 56054 dave_c 1 4903576 I thought Anita Lo totally rocked that challenge -- she was the only one who nailed both the concept of the challenge (to take the dish and reinterpret it through your own eyes) and the execution. Keller just sort of tweaked Lo's dish (and it sounds like it wasn't as good as the original), and I don't think Bayless and Tracht were particularly inventive, either. Chiarello made a better attempt (an Italian take on a Mexican dish) at the concept, but didn't quite execute. And who knows what Smith was thinking? On top of all that, Lo's dish was the most sophisticated and most technically complicated dish of the bunch. No wonder the judges were dazzled! That woman simply cooked rings around the other "masters." Thu Jul 30 10:44:27 -0700 2009 4902303 10159 Ruth Lafler 1 4903745 Its like they telegraph who is going to win, it was so apparent that Anita Lo would win. Her dish was beautiful and well thought out. I have been in love with Michael Chiarello for years so I cannot be at all objective in this competition. Thu Jul 30 11:26:39 -0700 2009 4902303 109905 laliz 2 4905728 me too laliz. He could serve me Easy Mac and I'd give him five stars. I adore him. Fri Jul 31 05:14:08 -0700 2009 4903745 11990 Janet from Richmond 3 4910018 i have a secret crush of that sort on bayless. his unabashed geekiness is very appealing. :) Sat Aug 01 21:36:21 -0700 2009 4905728 99136 AMFM 4 4910526 His appeal is partly his geekyness, but he's also the genuine article as a talented chef and what's more, he shows up as a darn nice guy. Sun Aug 02 08:21:45 -0700 2009 4910018 24468 chicgail 5 4910546 totally agree. :) and kinda cute too. Sun Aug 02 08:28:30 -0700 2009 4910526 99136 AMFM 6 4910548 He lives in my neighborhood. My mission is to get to know him and get invited over for dinner. Sun Aug 02 08:30:31 -0700 2009 4910546 24468 chicgail 7 4911114 Good luck on your quest :-) I've done several cooking experiences with him in Mexico and he is genuinely a nice person. If you think his passion comes through on television it's even more evident in the classes he teaches. One of the best teachers I've experienced, cooking or otherwise. AMFM, from all the yoga he's done, he's also really buff ;-) Sun Aug 02 13:37:28 -0700 2009 4910548 10506 DiningDiva 8 4911119 nice. hope my husband never finds this thread. LOL Sun Aug 02 13:40:31 -0700 2009 4911114 99136 AMFM 8 4911636 There's a clue. I should find out where/when he does yoga and show up in the class. Or find out where/when he's teaching -- here or in Mexico. Sun Aug 02 17:31:15 -0700 2009 4911114 24468 chicgail 9 4911647 headline: "Yoga Stalker Claims She was Only Looking for Mole" Sun Aug 02 17:36:54 -0700 2009 4911636 105717 alkapal 10 4911727 But officer, I was just posing in downward-facing dog. Sun Aug 02 18:07:03 -0700 2009 4911647 24468 chicgail 11 4912703 LMAO!!! Mon Aug 03 07:21:42 -0700 2009 4911727 174753 NellyNel 11 4912768 speaking of downward facing dog, this will crack you up around 1:29 onward in the clip: http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Do-the-Downward-Facing-Dog-Position-1510 Mon Aug 03 07:41:25 -0700 2009 4911727 105717 alkapal 9 4911951 He's done several posts on one of his web sites about yoga and the specific type of yoga he does. It used to be on the Frontera Kitchens web site, I don't know if it's there any more. All I recall now is that it is a specific type of yoga with a charismatic leader. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. He also does ballroom dancing. IIRC, the dance studio he frequents is either across the street from the restauratns or his home. Good luck :-D I'm out of clues... Sun Aug 02 19:50:11 -0700 2009 4911636 10506 DiningDiva 10 4912008 AFAIK, he practices Anusara yoga. Sun Aug 02 20:17:10 -0700 2009 4911951 103920 goodhealthgourmet 11 4912782 really had to think on AFAIK. this thread has really bumped my monday am mood! :) Mon Aug 03 07:47:26 -0700 2009 4912008 99136 AMFM 12 4912987 sorry - didn't mean to confuse you, especially on a Monday ;) i actually learned that particular acronym here on CH, and it took me quite a while to figure it out too! Mon Aug 03 08:52:37 -0700 2009 4912782 103920 goodhealthgourmet 5 4911148 Yeah, I'm happily married but I'd follow him to Mexico.;-) Sun Aug 02 13:49:28 -0700 2009 4910526 39874 chowser 6 4911677 deb and i were flying to chicago out of lga a few years back. flight was delayed a bit but no big deal. no seats at the gate were available so i dropped my bag on the floor maybe 20 feet from the front counter. damn near hit a guy sitting on the floor. he was working on his laptop. his wife and kid were sitting, picnic-like, by him. it was bayless and family, of course. pretty down-to-earth dude in my opinion. Sun Aug 02 17:46:48 -0700 2009 4911148 10627 steve h. 7 4913337 If you tweet, bayless is one of my fave people to follow, lots of great pictures, one of the things that got me hooked on twitter was following his updates during his family vacation to india this summer. Now that I know about his anthro background, it makes sense why he was such a good "tour guide" Mon Aug 03 10:15:41 -0700 2009 4911677 95577 yamalam 8 4913622 he's a bright and personable guy. thanks for the tip, Mon Aug 03 11:49:08 -0700 2009 4913337 10627 steve h. 9 4919688 Okay all you RB fans, if you haven't seen this...http://root4rick.com/ Wed Aug 05 10:19:20 -0700 2009 4913622 10506 DiningDiva 10 4919863 Great, thanks for posting. Wed Aug 05 11:03:22 -0700 2009 4919688 11826 Phaedrus 1 4903746 That mise quickfire was SO MUCH FUN. God, that is always my favorite, and the chefs got so into it, it was fantastic. Anita Lo was amazing with the chickens, but I adored seeing Bayless whisking the egg whites. After watching this, I now really want to eat at Anita Lo's restaurant. Thu Jul 30 11:27:04 -0700 2009 4902303 13525 JasmineG 2 4903783 Kelly Choi observed that all the chefs were silent during the mise en place QF, like they were very intent on the work at hand, we didn't notice ti because they edited the music in. I read that and thought: Thats the way it should be with professionals. I guess that is just another sign of how intense these people are, which put them where they are. Thu Jul 30 11:35:53 -0700 2009 4903746 11826 Phaedrus 3 4904061 Not only did they edit in music, but they edited in comments from the chefs taken from their interviews. Thu Jul 30 12:53:39 -0700 2009 4903783 10159 Ruth Lafler 3 4904220 Yeah, it was great to see them so intense and focused. And how thrilled the winning team was at the end. Thu Jul 30 13:35:10 -0700 2009 4903783 13525 JasmineG 4 4904250 In the sports vernacular, its called being in "The Zone". I swear, Anita was totally in the zone when she took that chicken apart, the ease of movement, the familiarity with the movements, the concentration, the serious demeanor. All of them had it going, but her work was the most intense, I thought. No words needed, it was artistry in the moment. Thu Jul 30 13:43:00 -0700 2009 4904220 11826 Phaedrus 1 4904208 The critics really screwed up. Art Smith should never have gotten past this round. His performance was the worst in the QF round and Scotch Egg as an interpretation of Suzanne's dish? Really? And stop with the name dropping already! He didn't have a signature dish to compete with the others, so he pulls the President's name out of his rear. He should name it "Obama's Chicken". Please, eliminate him soon and put us out of our misery so that we can enjoy seeing some truly talented chefs ply their art. Thu Jul 30 13:29:45 -0700 2009 4902303 47289 araknd 2 4904351 Please, eliminate him soon and put us out of our misery so that we can enjoy seeing some truly talented chefs ply their art. _______________________________ To see the truly talented chefs, Chiarello must also be eliminated from the group. Thu Jul 30 14:07:05 -0700 2009 4904208 130779 Hurner 3 4904402 I've always thought Chiarello was a showboaty hack, and I still sort of do. But based on what I've seen of him on the TCMasters series, I don't dislike him as much as I used to. Thu Jul 30 14:23:59 -0700 2009 4904351 74301 harrie 1 4904643 Art Smith has GOT TO GO. He makes me crazy with his name dropping and fake humility. .. UGH!!! Anita Lo really has the chops. .. what a pro and I really enjoy her ethic and etiquette in the kitchen. Annisa was damaged in a fire on July 4th but I can only assume it will come back, better and more popular than ever. My favorite part of the show was when Anita said, "sorry, sweetheart" before she prepared her lobster. . talk about respecting ingredients! :) Honorable mention must be made for Hubert Keller. .. he is so talented but rarely displays too much ego. . I love how he said that Anita's dish was a "revelation'. .. few chefs will usually admit that. I am sure next week will be hard as I believe that Zooey Deschanel is vegan - not an easy challenge for any chef! Thu Jul 30 15:53:48 -0700 2009 4902303 169526 pastryqueen 2 4905062 There's a preview clip on the bravo website. That Zooey Deschanel is not only a vegan, but also doesn't eat gluten and soy! I think the chefs have quite a challenge ahead of them! btw, Art Smith reminds me a lot of Dave Martin from Season 1 (in addition to similar mannerisms, they both started cooking relatively late and are both name-droppers!). http://www.chefdavemartin.com/index.php?page=PIX And Rick Moonen sort of reminds me of a toned down version of Andrew d'Ambrosi from Season 4. Thu Jul 30 18:44:50 -0700 2009 4904643 10763 Miss Needle 3 4905134 That Zooey Deschanel is not only a vegan, but also doesn't eat gluten and soy! ~~~~~~~ oy. i'm actually a fan of Zooey Deschanel's work, but that's just a pain in the ass. Thu Jul 30 19:13:35 -0700 2009 4905062 103920 goodhealthgourmet 4 4905496 no gluten. . . no soy. Sweet lord, I would die!!! Well, good luck to all of them. . that's a tough row to hoe. Thu Jul 30 22:49:28 -0700 2009 4905134 169526 pastryqueen 5 4905861 Sounds to me like the producers are tilting the field in favor of Art for this challenge. He can create some crappy tasting vegan stuff, make it look nice and the "celebrity" will be thrilled to have something from Oprah's (drink!) former personal chef. Fri Jul 31 06:33:53 -0700 2009 4905496 47289 araknd 6 4906539 That was my fear as well. I think Art may have the edge in this challenge. Even though he's known for cooking Southern food (lots of meat and gluten), he is probably used to working with these type of dietary restrictions more than some of the other chefs. I think Bayless would do OK as well. Lo? Well, a lot of Asian sauce ingredients are soy-based or have gluten in them (soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ground bean sauce, kochujang -- not sure even if she uses the stuff). She also seemed really stumped in the previews. Fri Jul 31 10:03:21 -0700 2009 4905861 10763 Miss Needle 5 4906090 no gluten & no soy is now unfortunately the story of my life...i used to be a vegetarian too, though i was never vegan. at least i started eating meat again! Fri Jul 31 07:49:00 -0700 2009 4905496 103920 goodhealthgourmet 6 4906218 goodhealthgourmet - I'm also in the gluten-free boat, but as you probably know, there are pretty decent products out there now. It will be interesting to see if they do some savvy shopping at Whole Foods, seeing whereas WF typically has not only lots of GF/SF products, but also a directory brochure listing them and their locations in the store. Will any of them get hip to that, or will the producers provide the information, considering that, if Zooey has a serious allergy/intolerance, they could otherwise end up making her ill... Fri Jul 31 08:34:46 -0700 2009 4906090 97804 cmvan 3 4906322 I've had the pleasure of eating some very creative and interesting vegetable and bean dishes done by Rick Bayless. I'm guessing that Anita Lo and Hubert Keller might also be able to cope. Vegan, gluten-free and soy-free will be a challenge for any chef. Wow, what a combination. Fri Jul 31 09:03:42 -0700 2009 4905062 10506 DiningDiva 4 4906423 I wouldn't bet on Keller -- his own cooking is pretty traditional, and he hasn't shown much ability to "think outside the box" on the fly. I think Lo and Bayliss are the obvious frontrunners for this challenge, as they're both used to working with non-wheat based cuisines. Fri Jul 31 09:29:39 -0700 2009 4906322 10159 Ruth Lafler 5 4906978 i think Ruth is right. i wouldn't be surprised to see Bayless put out some tamales...and Anita has displayed serious creativity thus far. i imagine she'll come up with something pretty inventive. Fri Jul 31 12:39:29 -0700 2009 4906423 103920 goodhealthgourmet 6 4909763 Actually, I wouldn't be surprised to see Rick work with beans, chiles, mushrooms, greens, fruit, nuts and amaranth. So few people really realize how well Mexican cuisine can be adapted for the vegetarian and vegan diets. You know, few people give Michael Chiarello much chance in this challenge, but Italian is much like both Mexican and Chinese cuisines in that it is an earth (as in dirt) based cuisine. If he focuses on this aspects of his cooking, he could be the sleeper in this round. Like everyone else, I've been wowed by Anita Lo and will be very curious to see how she approaches this challange and what she turns out. Sat Aug 01 18:20:14 -0700 2009 4906978 10506 DiningDiva 1 4905049 i just thought of a constructive way to deal with Art Smith's name-dropping: down a shot every time he mentions Oprah or Obama...by the time he starts gushing about "cooking with love" you'll be sufficiently intoxicated not to find it so irritating ;) Thu Jul 30 18:40:21 -0700 2009 4902303 103920 goodhealthgourmet 2 4905067 So, you will be paying for all of our liver transplants? Thu Jul 30 18:45:42 -0700 2009 4905049 11826 Phaedrus 3 4905119 no need...fortunately for all of us we'll only have to watch him for a maximum of three more episodes ;) Thu Jul 30 19:07:07 -0700 2009 4905067 103920 goodhealthgourmet 4 4905498 I don't have that kind of alcohol capacity. . . and you know that Artie is going to be clinging hard to his "identity" which is "chef to the stars" in this sort of difficult challenge! Thu Jul 30 22:50:33 -0700 2009 4905119 169526 pastryqueen 5 4906105 i don't have the tolerance for it either - i get tanked on one glass of wine. ok, so i'm modifying the rules for us lightweights who can no longer handle our liquor the way we did in our younger days...take a sip of your wine or cocktail (or a hearty swig of beer) each time he name-drops. i'd probably have a nice buzz by the end of the QF! Fri Jul 31 07:56:01 -0700 2009 4905498 103920 goodhealthgourmet 6 4907217 ha! I *think* I can handle that. . .there's drunk dialing, drunk texting and now there will be drunk 'hounding! No matter what, even if some personalities rub me the wrong way (Smith, Chiarello), I am so enjoying Top Chef Masters. .. really fun TV watching for me! Fri Jul 31 13:51:10 -0700 2009 4906105 169526 pastryqueen 1 4906521 Anita FTW! BAM! ARt with his predictable name dropping SIGH...................... NEXT episde: Art:"The judges will love this dish, I got the recipe from Al Pacino while pratying on Brangelina's yacht, I made it for the Beckham's wedding and spoon fed it to David. Oh by the way, Britney Spears, Madonna, Tony Blair, Luke Skywalker, Cleopatra." Fri Jul 31 09:57:39 -0700 2009 4902303 146613 Evilbanana11 2 4906577 HA HA HA!! Am I out of the loop? I have never hear of him (Art) before . Is he well known for being a name dropper - or are you all just judging him by his comments on TCM? Fri Jul 31 10:13:39 -0700 2009 4906521 174753 NellyNel 3 4906619 He's introduced on TCM as "Oprah's former personal chef" - I think that's how he became "known" in the industry. Fri Jul 31 10:23:27 -0700 2009 4906577 10532 LindaWhit 4 4906659 Yes, but what I mean is -have all of you seen him before this, and have thought of him as a name dropper before? Because yes, he did mention the President and such, but I didn't think he was over the top obnoxious about it...... But I've never seen him before, so I might not know that he does that all the time... Fri Jul 31 10:36:26 -0700 2009 4906619 174753 NellyNel 5 4906674 I read a lot, so I was aware of him (I do *not*, however, watch Oprah!) As to his constant name-dropping....no, was unaware of that. But again, having gained fame as Oprah's personal chef, I'm not surprised that he's a name dropper. She has a dinner party for her famous friends - he can now say he's cooked for X, Y, and Z. And after only 2 shows, I'm beyond sick of it. Fri Jul 31 10:40:05 -0700 2009 4906659 10532 LindaWhit 6 4906701 HA HA! Okay - we'll see if he does it next week. I will chuckle and think of you if he does it again!! Fri Jul 31 10:50:06 -0700 2009 4906674 174753 NellyNel 7 4906783 We can play GHG's game! Drop name, DRINK! Fri Jul 31 11:23:27 -0700 2009 4906701 11826 Phaedrus 8 4906941 ha ha - I'm in! ...in my youth we did actually play that game with Star Trek - we'd each pick a character, or phase - (He's dead Jim!) ,watch an episode - and drink at the appropriate time....Whoever got "Jim" was in big trouble! Fri Jul 31 12:24:52 -0700 2009 4906783 174753 NellyNel 9 4908168 you've seen the rachael ray drinking game? http://www.slobak.com/rachaelray.html "it's got it 'goin' on'" (2 sips). Fri Jul 31 21:09:37 -0700 2009 4906941 105717 alkapal 10 4912713 Oh my gosh - thanks for that - that is hilarious!! Mon Aug 03 07:24:53 -0700 2009 4908168 174753 NellyNel 10 4913365 That's hilarious! I'd never be able to hang with this game. But what really makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up is, Ina and her "How easy is that?" and then that laugh. It's like she has a megaphone and while her guests laugh in a normal tone hers is sooooo omg, awful. Mon Aug 03 10:23:57 -0700 2009 4908168 50431 chef chicklet 11 4915764 ...and then the slurpy air intake. i know i'm wrong, and that she can't help it (i guess), but i can't help but cringe a tiny bit. Tue Aug 04 06:34:36 -0700 2009 4913365 105717 alkapal 12 4918965 I *hate* when she does that! I think her favorite phrases are: "How easy is that?" "How bad can that be?" "How good is that?" And she follows with her chortle.....I'm sure she's a nice person but those things bother me. Bayless is exceptionally talented. I've been watching his shows for years now and have eaten at Frontera Grill. I swear by his cookbooks and have never made anything bad from them. However, I think he went to the William Shatner School for Television Presentation. He has a "pause...two...three" manner of speaking that "pause, reach for the high note" screams Shatner. Wed Aug 05 06:46:32 -0700 2009 4915764 13683 Dee S 13 4918999 Sorry to chime in here.....I really do like Ina, but I hate it when she says: "I'm making [this] for Jeffrey" "I'm making [that] for Jeffrey" Jeffrey, Jeffrey, Jeffrey! Wed Aug 05 06:56:15 -0700 2009 4918965 130779 Hurner 14 4919042 Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! ;-) Wed Aug 05 07:08:47 -0700 2009 4918999 10532 LindaWhit 15 4919045 LOL!!! Wed Aug 05 07:09:54 -0700 2009 4919042 174753 NellyNel 16 4919770 Nelly - now remember tonight.....watch out for that name dropping! But don't get schnockered counting up the # of times it happens if you're playing the drinking game. ;-) Wed Aug 05 10:40:05 -0700 2009 4919045 10532 LindaWhit 17 4919839 LOL! I hope he goes easy - it's a school night ya know! I've been reading about the guy - I kinda like him - I mean you gotta love a guy who has a doggie section in his restaurant - complete with a special pooch menu!! http://www.artandsouldc.com/images/Puppy_menu.pdf Wed Aug 05 10:58:21 -0700 2009 4919770 174753 NellyNel 18 4919853 OK, now the puppy patio I *love*! LOL Wed Aug 05 11:02:16 -0700 2009 4919839 10532 LindaWhit 15 4919465 :-D Good one Wed Aug 05 09:23:04 -0700 2009 4919042 10506 DiningDiva 6 4912693 He was on Iron Chef America and lost to Cat Cora in Battle Cheddar Cheese. That monstrosity he served was the most unappetizing looking dish I've ever seen on Top Chef. Mon Aug 03 07:18:38 -0700 2009 4906674 163246 tofuburrito 1 4907394 Final Three Predication: Keller Bayless Lo Fri Jul 31 14:41:37 -0700 2009 4902303 24468 chicgail 2 4909766 I think you're right. That is my guess too. Sat Aug 01 18:27:01 -0700 2009 4907394 10506 DiningDiva 3 4911642 Me, three. I think Keller was about what I expected, but Bayliss and Lo have brought their all. It's going to be very interesting...... Sun Aug 02 17:33:23 -0700 2009 4909766 124908 jeanmarieok 4 4912791 i think anita is great. chiarello has a better personality than expected. and seeing bayless nail italian food - if you can cook, you can cook... Mon Aug 03 07:49:05 -0700 2009 4911642 99136 AMFM 5 4913385 agreed. and I do like the way they all seem to respect one another. If they don't care for Art, they don't appear to. I feel for him if all he can draw from is his Oprah gig and cooking for Obama. And the only reason he cooked for Obama is because of their friendship. Has he cooked for Dr. Phil? Mon Aug 03 10:27:44 -0700 2009 4912791 50431 chef chicklet 1 4908230 Oseland's outfit last night helped me finally figure out who he reminds me of... Mr. Mackey from South Park! Four and a half stars, mmkay Not trying to be mean tho, I do like him on the show and think Cradle of Flavor is a great cookbook:) Fri Jul 31 21:53:10 -0700 2009 4902303 95577 yamalam 2 4913122 That's funny. Oseland reminds me of Charles Nelson Reilly, center square of the Hollywood Squares. Mon Aug 03 09:21:07 -0700 2009 4908230 130779 Hurner 3 4913321 Hey - CNR wasn't center square - that was Paul Lynde! ;-) CNR was upper left, IIRC, whenever he was on the show. But he was usually on Match Game and Password. But the analogy is perfect for Oseland! LOL (And yes - I watched too many game shows growing up - but I loved the snarky humor from Lynde, Reilly, and even the hosts of the shows!) Mon Aug 03 10:12:12 -0700 2009 4913122 10532 LindaWhit 4 4913511 LindaWhit : You're right, Reilly was the upper-left square and Paul Lynde was center. Thanks for remembering my youth (and today's nostalgia) by showing your age....and MINE! Mon Aug 03 11:10:30 -0700 2009 4913321 130779 Hurner 5 4913586 If I'm going to show my age, I'm draggin' you down with me, Hurner! LOL Mon Aug 03 11:40:15 -0700 2009 4913511 10532 LindaWhit 6 4918980 Showing one's age includes knowing that George Gobel sat in the lower left square. He took it over after "Charlie Weaver" (Cliff Arquette) died. I can't recall which square Wally Cox sat in but he was one of the original cast members as well. Great show....back in the day. Wed Aug 05 06:51:00 -0700 2009 4913586 13683 Dee S 7 4919047 Charlie Weaver and George Gobel - now there were two classic comedians. Gobel yet another one who was spot on with classic snarkiness. I have to see if some of the old shows are still shown on the Comedy Channel or online. Wed Aug 05 07:10:32 -0700 2009 4918980 10532 LindaWhit 2 4914192 LMAO!!!! Yamalam - that pic is SPOT ON - I didn't really know who you meant until I saw the photo and went "bloody hell - that is the spit of that judge!!" haha ha !! Wow - lot's of hilarity on this board today! Mon Aug 03 14:22:29 -0700 2009 4908230 174753 NellyNel