Top Chef Masters "Episode 9: Old School, New School" (9/12/12) [*SPOILERS*]

[ipsedixit]

Quickfire is a tag team challenge. One person at at time on the burners. Team Kerry and Lorena win it with the pasta (not the fish).

Elimination Challenge sees Patricia Yeo go bye-bye.

Chris Cosentino is champ of the Dinner en Blanc.

(Outdoor dining in Vegas? Outdoor dining in Vegas in summer?? WTF?)

[cmvan]

I seem to recall hearing Kerry talk after service about how Chris and Patricia were so helpful to him, totally disregarding Lorena. But then she never seemed to help anyone but herself from Day One...

[cmvan]

Oops! I take that back - Lorena and Art helped each other quite a bit. But once he was gone, that was it for any altruism on her part.

[Janet from Richmond]

I'm definitely Team Chris. Cannot stand Lorena and Kerry seems like a bit of a tool.

[chicgail]

They lost me when Takashi Yagihashi was eliminated.

[Janet from Richmond]

I loved him too. Great skills and a class act.

[The Dairy Queen]

Agreed. I was sad to see him go.

~TDQ

[chowser]

Me, too. I had hoped for Chris, Takashi and Patricia in the finals. I've said this before but Lorena has no creativity when it comes to food. What she's made, any skilled home chef could do. Potato salad, chicken salad, mousse w/ jalapeno. I thought it was funny that the diner was so impressed w/ jalapeno in her mousse--yeah, we NEVER see heat w/ chocolate.

[LindaWhit]

Those are the three I wish had made the final 3 as well. I still hope Chris takes it all. I wasn't sure about him in the beginning, but he's grown on me.

[The Dairy Queen]

Me too (me three?).

~TDQ

[piccola]

What bothers me is that she always seems to think it will be a great revelation, like no one's ever had South American flavours before. I mean, jalapenos are pretty common nowadays, but she acts like they're some big, top secret ingredient.

[paulj]

Jalapenos have nothing to do with South America.

[piccola]

I should have added "and Mexico" -- thanks for pointing that out. They were separate points, in that she references both South American flavours and also at some point used jalapenos, but not concurrently, as you dutifully clarified.

[debbiel]

Eh. I was pretty bored with this episode, fed by boredom with the season.

I'm still a Chris fan. I just found I didn't care which of the other three was cut. Makes last week's cut more of a disappointment to me.

I spaced out a bit during coming attractions. Are kids doing the cooking next week? To get to the finals? If so, I object.

[FoodPopulist]

I love the idea of chefs instructing kids. This is Top Chef, not Top Cook, and I like seeing chefs have to demonstrate more than just individual cooking skill, such as the ability to lead a kitchen and get people working together.

[ennuisans]

For me it's Kerry that's rubbing me the wrong way most of all, and I'm not sure why. While he scored points by accepting some responsibility for blowing one of Patricia's dishes a few weeks back (and when have we ever seen that on these shows?) he was (if you believe the editing) pretty blase' about his QF with Lorena. Maybe I'm just ready for GR to come out yelling "You've given up haven't you!"

[SusieQQ]

Yeh! Patricia is gone so we no longer have to hear her constant putting down Lorena! I'm sure it was edited to show that but it was tiring.
I don't like any of the remaining three so it doesn't really matter to me who wins....

[buggysmom]

i think Lorena Garcia's food is not Top Chef Master worthy. Nothing exciting.Nothing unique. Lorena however,thinks she is the best chef in the whole world. i hope the conclusion of the show proves her wrong.

[The Dairy Queen]

I think that, too (and partly because the other chefs in the competition seem to think and say --or at least hint-- that), but dang if she doesn't keep winning. She's in the final three!

~TDQ

[Shrinkrap]

" i hope the conclusion of the show proves her wrong."

Even if she doesn't win, so far the show seems to be saying she is among the best. Are they tricking us some how? Are they making us think she is bad whne she is good? Are they making us think she is good when she is bad? What is happening there??? Last night one of the sound bites seemed to lead RIGHT UP to saying she was toast. And then she wasn't. Can't remember the comment, but I suspected it was a "trick" on wishful thinkers.

[RUK]

I agree, but then it sounded totally scripted to me, along with the outcome....

[gaffk]

I stand by my conspiracy theory (joking as I was when it was formed): in exchange for Taco Bell sponsorship, TCM will judge Lorena the winner. The commercials proclaiming the Taco Bell menu was formulated by the TCM champion have already been filmed.

[RUK]

It wouldn't surprise me too much.

[chicgail]

How do you know that the commercials were filmed? Have they been aired? It's not unusual for a couple of different edits or voiceovers to be made in anticipation of a particular outcome so that the ad can air without any delay.

[gaffk]

As I said, it's my own personal conspiracy theory. As with all good conspiracy theories, no proof is required ;)

[chicgail]

A very refreshing response.

[FoodPopulist]

I don't think she was the worst chef in the competition. I would have pegged her to be pretty much middle of the pack, somewhere below Art Smith and above Mark and Clark, but she has benefited from some challenges that were more beneficial to her.

[Janet from Richmond]

Mark & Clark are nice guys but seemed to be dreadful chefs. I'm sure they are better than represented on TCM but nothing they made impressed me at all.

[linus]

gotta love these brief recaps.

[LindaWhit]

Really bummed that Patricia is gone. Thought she and Chris Cosentino worked brilliantly together during the Quickfire. Even Lorena noticed it and said "I wish I had that!" (ability to work seamlessly with Kerry Heffernan).

I think it could have been either Lorena or Patricia leaving. Chris's EC dishes for Dinner en Blanc knocked it out of the park. He's now my fave to take it all.

BTW - did anyone notice Lorena pointing out how Kerry was *only* working on his dishes for the Quickfire and how he was only interested in his own dishes vs. working together? Ummmm....IRONEH, Lorena! She calls others out about it but can't see it in herself? Think back a few challenges where Lorena took over 6 of the 12 burners on the stovetop for *her* dish without thinking about anyone else...that's why Patricia yelled at her to give some space to others *and* to clean up after herself.

[huiray]

It struck me early on how messy Garcia was and how unconcerned she seemed to be about it. Last night's EC was just the latest example. I vividly remember also how she left the teppanyaki strewn with the debris and her fried rice leftovers scattered all over the place in that "Japanese Teppanyaki" challenge and just stood there (she was the last to cook in her group) without making a move to do anything about it. In contrast, all the others cleaned up the teppanyaki and their stations even between courses and certainly at the end of their stint.

[chicgail]

It's just too bad they couldn't have had two eliminations last night. Not my usual style, but I did want both women to go. They are both incredibly annoying and neither of their food looks very good.

[Joanie]

Wow I didn't even think about eating outside in Vegas. Are you sure it was filmed in the summertime?

I thought it was funny that the guests all LOVED Lorena's choc. mousse but no judge seemed to like it. On the other hand, it seemed like lots of guests weren't psyched with Kerry's dishes but he obviously was in the top 2. Lorena is definitely odd man out of that group.

[Shrinkrap]

Bookmark.

[huiray]

BTW, Dîner en Blanc's first foray into Asia (Singapore) had a serious kerfuffle and PR fiasco before it finally took place two weeks ago. :-)
Google "diner en blanc singapore fiasco" and related terms if you are curious.
(see http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/864914 for the "start" of the kerfuffle)

[huiray]

So sad that Garcia lady is still there.

I can live with either Cosentino or Heffernan being TCM although I think I respect past finalist chefs on previous TCMs more.

[ipsedixit]

This season is such a yawner. Watching it is almost like doing homework.

[DGresh]

I'm not a fan of Lorena either, but I'm willing to give "her" (Peru's) potato salad (Huancaina-style) a try. Everyone seemed to like it.