Top Chef starts tonight!

[isoS]

Did Having Fun just prove that pg13 is God?

[Berliner]

None of us have actually tasted the food and we can only go by what judges say. I also think that shows like this deliberately make dichotomies like one chef is the simple and good, and another is more complex and showy, but it could very well be that Michael's food was more complex and also tasted better.

The show might have framed this into a style vs substance type match off that may not actually exist.

Ber-- I didn't watch more than five minutes of this show. I am basing this all on blogs and what I've read here. I am disappointed Bryan lost. Frederick (originally)

[Adult Ed]

... That stuff only matters if it ends up making the food taste better than whatever skills and techniques Kevin used...just as in comedy, a joke isn't "better" simply because it is complicated...because that's not the point--the laughter is the point.

And my point was that sometimes those pursuing a personal and subjective artform (like comedy or cooking) forget that these skills, talents, techniques are just means to an end--and not an end unto themselves...

At the risk of invoking the comedy version of Godwin's Law and committing the even greater sin of comparing Kevin to Dane Cook, I think your comedy analogy - in the context of AST at least - does a better job of proving that Mike should have won than you realize.

The reason that hack comics are successful is because their jokes are funny at a very elemental level. Among other things, they use shopworn themes and structures, they aren't very challenging, they connect with the audience's nostalgia or mirror their prejudices and preferences, they rely on delivery to sell weak material or shock to substitute for insight. In other words, they take the easy way out. A lot of people like that easy road but it sure as hell isn't what AST is about.

Top Chef isn't supposed to celebrate that easy road. Glazing a pork belly and serving it without much alteration is about as easy a road as you can take. Pork belly is so good that all you have to do is get out of its way. It is uninteresting in the same way that serving the most expensive toro in the world would be uninteresting. Pork belly is the if-I-had-a-four-hour-erection of competitive cooking unless you do something with the pork belly that demonstrates some skill above choosing a cooking temperature.

I loved Kevin all season. I was rooting for him to win at the end. His flavors were apparently great all season and so I don't want it to sound like I think he is a hack. If I ever find myself in Altanta I will make a beeline for the Woodfire Grill ... but pork belly was a pretty hack dish to serve up in the finale.

Technique alone isn't enough (deconstructed/reconstructed mushrooms) but over the course of the season Mike's technique was usually paired with excellent execution and flavor. To return to your analogy, he didn't just tell funny jokes - he told funny jokes that you hadn't heard before.

[crlygrl]

Top Chef isn't supposed to celebrate that easy road.

Then why did Kevin win so many other challenges? Because he took the easy road? Do you doubt the judges that much? It's ok if you do, I'm just wondering. That food must have been really special for them to have given him such high marks throughout the season like that.

Also, porkbelly isn't the only thing he did... that chicken skin dish was creative and complicated.

I'm not saying Michael didn't deserve the win, but I take issue with the idea that Kevin's cooking is just straight up easier and therefore less significant.

[aenemaTron]

It wasn't as a rule, but anyone can see that Pork Belly thing wasn't that interesting.

[Adult Ed]

Then why did Kevin win so many other challenges? Because he took the easy road? Do you doubt the judges that much? It's ok if you do, I'm just wondering. That food must have been really special for them to have given him such high marks throughout the season like that.

I'm sure it was. The disclaimer at the beginning was because I was sure that my respect for Kevin was going to get lost in the analogy. Kevin did a lot of creative things over the course of the season, particularly impressive was his recreation of Oaxacan black mole, but he also got called out at judges table at least a few times for playing it safe. He won the Bocuse D'Or challenge because Michael failed to execute his more-challenging, and more appropriate to the Bocuse D'Or, vision.

[pg13]

At the risk of invoking the comedy version of Godwin's Law and committing the even greater sin of comparing Kevin to Dane Cook, I think your comedy analogy - in the context of AST at least - does a better job of proving that Mike should have won than you realize.

Rest assured...I think Michael should have won this year, based on the food served in the finale.

Like you, I was rooting for Kevin...but he (like Richard Blais) choked in the final challenge. (Heaven help me for repeating Toby Young's take on things...)

And let it also be known that I am not, personally, against hyper-technical efforts, creativity or the display of various skills... Hell, I was a Marcel fan for the longest time...and I continue to be a Blais fan.

I just believe that those elements support the creation of delicious food...that "delicious" is the goal above all other goals. I'm not denying that Michael often made delicious food--but there were times this season where he didn't make delicious food and he still felt he should have won because he'd displayed technique and skill...and that grated on me.

This year, I was a supporter of Kevin...but, I wasn't a supporter of Kevin because he was slavishly intent on an anti-technique agenda. Rustic and comfortable CAN, as you said, be all too common and uninspired. What I took from watching the show, however, was that Kevin's particular techniques, skills and creativity were displayed in complex but satisfying flavors... He won the TC/Bocuse because his presentation was elegantly simple...and it didn't stand in the way of how satisfying his flavors were...compared to his competitors who tried to dazzle with presentation but failed to deliver good tasting food.

And that's why I disagreed with the "skills/creativity automatically win over simple/delicious" comment. It would be much harder to disagree that "skills/creativity/delicious automatically win over simple/delicious".

pg--In other arguments, I don't think of Dane Cook as the biggest hack. I think success made him lazy...but there's actually an argument to be made that "ISolated INcident" is a promising sign towards Dane's actually earning his success. --seattle

PS--You've had that profile pic for awhile now, Charles. Let's see some new Sid goodness!

[Osquip]

I'm thinking about trying to go to Fabio's restaurant in Toluca Lake for my birthday if they're not too booked up. It looks like I can eat there for under 30 bucks at lunch. My roommate just got a job at Mike V.'s restaurant in Pasadena but that's way too expensive. Do any of the other contestants have places in L.A. that anyone's tried?

[aenemaTron]

I've been plowing through every season of this show in order, and nothing has enraged me more than season 4's Spike Mendelsohn and his fucking hats. I want to run at top speed and kick him hard enough in the balls that the hat goes flying into space.

Only four episodes in, but I turned against Erik right before he told Rick Bayless (in a confessional) to go screw himself and then got booted, so I feel optimistic that my enmity will affect the outcome of the already-aired show.

[isoS]

Does anyone know when the next Top Chef thing starts? Masters, Pastry, I don't care -- I need my TC back!

[Cameron]

Masters starts April 7th. 50 days!

[Berliner]

It looks like Top Chef will be in DC next season! I will be watching this for the first time, so look forward to my argumentative and contrarian yet ill-informed opinions in this thread in a few months.

[mike]

The same channel in Sweden is showing three seasons at once. Very confusing.

[aenemaTron]

By the way, I forgave Spike and I regret the violent sentiment directed towards him. I'm-a nice guy.

[crlygrl]

Nah, you're just sleep-deprived

[aenemaTron]

Not quite yet. I softened on him and I also really don't think it's that cool to say things like I said above.

[ArchStanton]

"I want to run at top speed and kick him hard enough in the balls that the hat goes flying into space."

GOLD

[Adult Ed]

I caught 10 minutes of an episode of Iron Chef America with Spike as the challenger. Just enough to see the Iron Chef make fun of Spike for using truffle oil when they had black truffles available in the larder.

[Cameron]

In preparation for the new Top Chef Masters, I'm going to Tim Love's new burger place this weekend.

http://www.loveburgershack.com/

I want to go to Love's flagship restaurant, The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, but I'm a bit too broke for that right now. Some day though...

[Babychoby]

In preparation for the new Top Chef Masters, I'm going to Tim Love's new burger place this weekend.

http://www.loveburgershack.com/

Ick! Why is he doing that with his hands on his website. I always forget which hand gesture is "rock and roll" and which one is "hang loose". Either way he looks like a tool. I'm sure the food is great and all but he don't look "cool" to me.