WHY FOAM? WHY NOW? If you asked me to construct a perfect episode of Top Chef, it'd look a lot like this one. Heavy on the Bourdain, with a Quickfire visit from filleting god Justo Thomas, and then a Restaurant Wars in which one team soars like I've never seen a Wars team soar before while the other crashes, burns, explodes and faces elimination in an exceptionally satisfying way.
You know how we say "if you're going on Survivor, learn to start a fire without a flint" and "if you're going on The Amazing Race, learn to drive stick"? If you're going on Top Chef, have a Restaurant Wars concept ready. Because that was brilliant.
Brilliant Bourdain quote from judges table on Etch: "It was every cook for themselves - prison breaks are organized with more teamwork & efficiency." Love him.
ReplyDeleteThat was a damn fine episode of TV.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best Top Chef episodes ever. The biggest kudos go to the editors of the show: we all knew what would happen as soon as Dake picked Marcel to lead the other team (a beautiful move) and then when you saw the two teams. It was obvious Bodega would win just by who was cooking, and then when they picked the concept any semblance of doubt was erased. But the editors of the show didn't try (much) to con us or make us think it was a real contest. There was no Amazing Race charade edit of which taxi will make it to the pit stop first. The editors just showed us exactly how it happened. I loved the teamwork, comradery and care about every aspect of execution from Bodega, including the absolute importance of hearing great ideas from someone else, running with them, and crediting the person who came up with them. And then the trainwreck that was Etch, doing the complete opposite of not listening to one another, not focusing on the big picture, and letting ego drive the execution. A fantastic episode of Top Chef, brilliantly edited, but also just a fantastic episode of television, period. Can you tell I liked it?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love Richard Blais. LOVE. And good riddance to the supreme king of douchebags, Marcel.
I think they could show this episode in any business school, office, or really workplace of any kind to show the best and worst of how one should work with and treat others.
Me again. Because you've gotta love from Bourdain's blog:
ReplyDelete"I can only guess that in Marcel World, it's always 1998, the sky is filled with magical ponies who shit foam -- and appreciate Marcel's rap stylings -- and everybody does exactly what Marcel thinks they should do -- perfectly. And if things go wrong, everybody agrees instantly that it's certainly not Marcel's fault. In Marcel Land, Ferran Adria never existed. Nor did Wylie Dufresne, or Heston Blumethal, or Grant Achatz. He thought all of that stuff up himself. In Marcel Land, what everybody wants is more foam -- they can't get enough! And liquid nitrogen. And gels and powders. Restaurant dining rooms are packed with beautiful women, shuddering with desire and anticipation for foam, foam, and more foam and hardened Crips shrink from his approach."
That was such a satisfying episode on all fronts.
ReplyDeleteDitto ditto ditto. Blais comes across as being the single nicest guy in the world. Good Fabio episode, too - finally showing why the front of the house role matters.
ReplyDelete"Magical ponies who shit foam" just made my morning. May try to work into conversation today.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Once they showed Tiffany by contrast and her salad sucking, I actually assumed she'd be going home instead of Marcel.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what Maret said: other than one diner being shown preferring Etch, they didn't hoodwink us at all as to what happened here. Phew.
Marcel auto-tuned: almost as awesome as the result of Restaurant Wars: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-8/videos/marcel-cooks-for-the-people
ReplyDeleteI was yelling at my TV not to send Tiffany home for two reasons 1) If any executive chef deserved to be sent home during restaurant wars, it was Marcel and 2) please for the love of god stop sending the women home.
ReplyDeleteI mean yes, some of the women have blown it big time (Jamie Jamie and more Jamie) and Tiffany sure was not playing her A or even B game, but seriously it was beginning to seem like the were seeking out the women to send home.
Great, fun episode. Really interesting how much of the result came simply from Dale winning the quickfire and then putting all the parts into place beautifully, from picking Marcel to lead the other team, to picking Fabio for front-of-house. (And Marcel, by getting first choice, had the chance to choose both of them, and instead went for Angelo and Mike.) I loved the concept of Bodega, and I think this is the first Restaurant Wars I've seen where the whole team came together to so clearly cook around a central concept. Also, they should have won not only for doing TWO desserts, but for doing them both well! Dessert is usually the killer dish on Restaurant Wars.
ReplyDeleteWhat drives me crazy about Marcel is how utterly clueless he is. He pushes, he annoys, he talks down to people, and then he acts like he doesn't know why he can't earn respect. And ENOUGH with the foam. Really.
One more thing - why does Bourdain like Antonia so much?! She seems like a nice enough person, and she's doing fairly well in the competition, but I'm sick of her crying at every Judge's Table.
It was so good that i told my boss i was working from home just so i could finish watching it on my DVR!
ReplyDeletePlus, it was such a satisfying elimination. I am confident that Marcel will watch these episodes and be none the wiser about what a tool he is.
That pretty much covers everything I thought about this episode. How incredibly satisfying to be able to see so clearly just what went right and what went wrong. You know you have a good episode of reality TV when the result of the challenge and the elimination have no suspense at all, and it is nonetheless completely riveting.
ReplyDeleteBourdain likes Antonia because she tells it like it is, curses, and speaks to him in "stoner-ese."
ReplyDeleteDitto to everyone else's dittos. The prize was well-deserved.
If this was "Top Restaurateur", Fabio would win. Glad as hell Blais won.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite moment of the episode was Dale's reaction to the best stoner food ever comment. Just a classic guilty smile. It was the icing on the Bodega dessert!
ReplyDeleteThe boyfriend didn't watch the episode with me (as he continues to be enthralled by Red Dead Redemption), but we will be doing a re-watch so that he can enjoy the awesome.
ReplyDeleteNice that Marcel went out like that. The way it all came down, showing him unable to conceptualize, organize, lead, execute, support, improvise, cooperate, or even, there at the end, realistically assess his team's performance, provided something like the satisfaction of a rigorous and righteous appellate opinion even before the grilling at Judges' Table began. Case dismissed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, just gratuitously ... One word... One syllable... Sounds like ... "retch" ... "kvetch" ... "sketch" ... "stretch" ... Uhm... "ETCH"? Seriously? "To use a strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface." That's the name of your restaurant?? Did I miss the moment where the team agreed to that?
My favorite, favorite, favorite moment in the whole episode was Fabio stepping in front of Dale and saying "No no don't talk to my servers that way. You have a problem you talk to me." So right. Too right. And Dale wasn't mollified, and he kept cursing, but he complied because he knew it was right. That's a strong team, where the team members are demanding and receiving respect for one another and the roles they've taken on.
ReplyDeleteThis was the single most enjoyable episode ever, in my opinion. Partly because we know these people from previous seasons, partly because the editing truly did allow us to see the coalescing of an excellent concept on one side, and the crashing and burning of the team on the other side. Partly because the annoying Marcel went home. Partly because Richard's perfectionism and worrying is so endearing. Partly because Fabio truly shines in the front of the house role--the kissing of the patron's hands as they left? Priceless! And can I say how much I love Carla, wishing the other team a good service? That whole team--I'd go to any of their restaurants in a heartbeat. So, so fun.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. I said to my husband that I thought he was a better restaurateur than chef. The man gets what it takes.
ReplyDeleteOH I forgot the worrying!!! So hilarious. Fabio especially cooing at him over it. LOVE it.
ReplyDeleteFabio's blog is PRICELESS. http://fabioviviani.com/blog/
ReplyDeleteI am loving the Fabio-Blais bromance. Such an odd couple, and so amusing together.
ReplyDelete