Pick of the Week

Mad Men
Channel: AMC
Time: 10/9c
Starring: Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Elisabeth Moss, Robert Morse, Jared Harris, Rich Sommer, Aaron Staton, Michael Gladis, Bryan Batt, Mark Moses, Alison Brie, Christopher Stanley, Peyton List
Premieres: Sunday, July 25
Trailer

Synopsis: Don & Roger are starting their own ad agency from the ground up, Betty has left Don after finding out about his secret past and Joan is finally back with the gang.

My Take: I can’t wait for the show that makes me want to drink along with them.

Willing To Try

MasterChef
Channel: FOX
Time: 9/8c
Starring: Gordon Ramsey
Premieres: Tuesday, July 27
Trailer

Synopsis: Gordon Ramsey will work with home cooks that want to show off their talents that they could possibly be a professional chef.

My Take: I’m not sure how Gordon Ramsey has time for his restaurants and all his shows both in the U.S. and U.K. I want to see what this show is like since I like when he is helping people more than yelling at them.

Not Interested

Plain Jane
Channel: CW
Time: 9/8c
Starring: Louise Roe
Premieres: Wednesday, July 28
Trailer

Synopsis: A British fashion expert helps transform an average looking woman into a knockout so she can ask out a crush on a date.

My Take: It is nice enough fluff, but not sure I would go out of my way to check it out.

Netflix synopsis: While the final Mad Max film can’t outrun the first two, director George Miller delivers an awesome depiction of order amid chaos. Max (Mel Gibson) becomes embroiled in the internal tensions of Bartertown, ruled by the imperious Aunty Entity (Tina Turner). Will ex-cop Max turn into an assassin? Featuring the inventive Thunderdome fight sequence, this installment offers plenty of action. Adam Cockburn and Bruce Spence co-star.

RT Score: 81%
RT Consensus: Beyond Thunderdome deepens the Mad Max character without sacrificing the amazing vehicle choreography and stunts that made the originals memorable.

Watch it and review it!

Nationwide Releases

Salt
Ramona and Beezus

Salt
Directed: Phillip Noyce
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andre Braugher
Trailer

Synopsis: A CIA agent is accused of being a Russian spy, and even though she says she is innocent, she goes on the run.

My Take: Watching Angelina Jolie run around and kick butt is always amusing.

RT Score: 55%
RT Consensus: Angelina Jolie gives it her all in the title role, and her seasoned performance is almost enough to save Salt from its predictable and ludicrous plot.

Ramona and Beezus
Directed: Elizabeth Allen
Starring: Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel, Sandra Oh
Trailer

Synopsis: Based on the Beverly Clearly books of the same name.

My Take: The entire trailer doesn’t tell you who Beezus is at all.

RT Score: 20%
RT Consensus: Ramona and Beezus is sunny, sweet, and wholesome, but it fails to capture the essence of its classic source material.

Limited Releases

Life During Wartime
Farewell
Mugabe and the White African
Countdown to Zero
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

Life During Wartime
Directed: Todd Solondz
Starring: Allison Janney, Shirley Henderson, Michael Lerner, Paul Reubens, Michael Kenneth Williams, Ally Sheedy, Charlotte Rampling, Dylan Riley Snyder, Chris Marquette, Ciáran Hinds
Trailer

Synopsis: A bit of a sequel from Happiness where the sisters are trying to get on with their lives 10 years later.

My Take: I could never make myself watch Happiness so not sure if I need to see this one.

RT Score: 71%
RT Consensus: With Life During Wartime, Todd Solondz delivers an unexpected semi-sequel to Happiness in typically uncompromising fashion.

Farewell
Directed: Christian Carion
Starring: Guillaume Canet, Emir Kusturica, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Dina Korzun, David Soul, Fred Ward
Trailer

Synopsis: In 1981, a Frenchman comes across documents from a Russian spy that wants to get the information to the United States. It’s based on a true story.

My Take: It seems like a good thriller, even though the trailer was a tad confusing.

RT Score: 86%

Mugabe and the White African
Directed: Andrew Thompson, Lucy Bailey
Starring: Angela Campbell, Ben Freeth, Laura Freeth, Michael Campbell
Trailer

Synopsis: Documentary about the president of Zimbabwe taking away farm land from white farmers and giving it to poor, black ones.

My Take: Eh

RT Score: 100%

Countdown to Zero
Directed: Lucy Walker
Trailer

Synopsis: Documentary about how many nuclear weapons are still out in the world.

My Take: Scary!

RT Score: 72%

Jean-Michael Basquiat: The Radiant Child
Directed: Tamra Davis
Trailer

Synopsis: Documentary about the artist in one of the few interviews he gave.

My Take: I fell asleep watching the trailer.

RT Score: 83%

A Look Ahead to Next Weekend

Dinner for Schmucks
Charlie St. Cloud
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Get Low
The Extra Man

Dinner for Schmucks
Directed: Jay Roach
Starring: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Jemaine Clement, Jeff Dunham, Bruce Greenwood, Ron Livingston, Stephanie Szostak
Trailer

Synopsis: A group of friends invite the stupidest people they can to dinner so they can laugh at them.

My Take: It might be hilarious, but the trailer doesn’t look that way. I do love Paul Ruud though.

Charlie St. Cloud
Directed: Burr Steers
Starring: Zac Efron, Amanda Crew, Donal Logue, Charlie Tahan, Kim Basinger, Ray Liotta
Trailer

Synopsis: A brother throws away Stanford and his future when his younger brother dies, but a girl who is about to sail around the world on her own, might pull him out of his funk.

My Take: The story seems fine, but it looks completely sappy. Zac Efron looks pretty, but he doesn’t seem like much of an actor.

Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore
Directed: Brad Peyton
Starring: Chris O’Donnell, Paul Rodriguez, Christina Applegate, James Marsden, Leslie Mann, Ray Liotta, Katt Williams
Trailer

Synopsis: Cats and dogs work together to go after an evil mastermind kitty.

My Take: Why?

Get Low
Directed: Aaron Schneider
Starring: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black
Trailer

Synopsis: Based on a tall tale, a hermit comes out of hiding to throw his own funeral party while he is still alive.

My Take: Looks goofy.

RT Score: 100%

The Extra Man
Directed: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, John C. Reilly, Katie Holmes
Trailer

Synopsis: A young man moves to New York and rooms with an older eccentric guy who escorts old, rich women to parties.

My Take: It looks weird, in a good way.

RT Score: 43%

Nationwide Releases

Inception
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Inception
Directed: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy
Trailer

Synopsis: Something about going into people’s dreams and stealing their secrets.

My Take: I love Christopher Nolan. This looks trippy like Memento and it’s the first movie of the summer that I want to see.

RT Score: 83%
RT Consensus: Smart, innovative, and thrilling, Inception is that rare summer blockbuster that succeeds viscerally as well as intellectually.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Directed: Jon Turteltaub
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci, Toby Kebbell
Trailer

Synopsis: Nicholas Cage entrances a college boy with his hair to become his apprentice.

My Take: Jay Baruchel might have the wussiest voice ever.

RT Score: 39%
RT Consensus: It has a likable cast and loads of CGI spectacle, but for all but the least demanding viewers, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice will be less than spellbinding.

Limited Releases

Kisses
Valhalla Rising
The Contenders
Standing Ovation

Kisses
Directed: Lance Daly
Starring: Kelly O’Neill, Shane Curry
Trailer

Synopsis: Two Irish kids run away to Dublin where they find fun and scariness.

My Take: I love that their accents are so thick, there are subtitles for the film.

RT Score: 86%
RT Consensus: Although admittedly sleight, this gritty but tender coming-of-age Irish drama features some impressive work both in front, and behind the camera.

Valhalla Rising
Directed: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen
Trailer

Synopsis: A mute guy is held captive, until a young boy helps him escape, then they get hooked up with some Vikings.

My Take: It looks like a pretty action film, but I became bored through the trailer, even with blood flying everywhere from the battle scenes.

RT Score: 78%

The Contenders
Directed: Marta Mondelli
Starring: Marta Mondelli, Anna Gutto, Adam Garcia
Trailer

Synopsis: At a dinner party, one of the guest dies, but that doesn’t stop the party.

My Take: All the characters seem too self involved to make you care about them.

RT Score: 20%

Standing Ovation
Directed: Stewart Raffill
Starring: Kayla Jackson, Alexis Miesiada, Na’jee Wilson, Pilar Martin, Kayla Raparelli, London Clark, Erika Corvette, Ashley Cutrona, Devon Jordan, Jeana Zettler, Joei DeCarlo, Sal Dupree, Alanna Palombo, Austin Powell, Rocco Fiorentino, Dexter Darden
Trailer

Synopsis: Some young kids want to win a dancing and singing competition in New York City.

My Take: All the kids look annoying while they are singing and dancing to completely bland, horrible music.

RT Score: 7%

A Look Ahead to Next Weekend

Salt
Ramona and Beezus
Life During Wartime

Salt
Directed: Phillip Noyce
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andre Braugher
Trailer

Synopsis: A CIA agent is accused of being a Russian spy, and even though she says she is innocent, she goes on the run.

My Take: Watching Angelina Jolie run around and kick butt is always amusing.

RT Score: 60%

Ramona and Beezus
Directed: Elizabeth Allen
Starring: Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel, Sandra Oh
Trailer

Synopsis: Based on the Beverly Clearly books of the same name.

My Take: The entire trailer doesn’t tell you who Beezus is at all.

RT Score: 20%

Life During Wartime
Directed: Todd Solondz
Starring: Allison Janney, Shirley Henderson, Michael Lerner, Paul Reubens, Michael Kenneth Williams, Ally Sheedy, Charlotte Rampling, Dylan Riley Snyder, Chris Marquette, Ciáran Hinds
Trailer

Synopsis: A bit of a sequel from Happiness where the sisters are trying to get on with their lives 10 years later.

My Take: I could never make myself watch Happiness so not sure if I need to see this one.

RT Score: 71%

Pick of the Week

White Collar
Channel: USA
Time: 9/8c
Starring: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Tiffani Thiessen, Willie Garson, Marsha Thomason, Sharif Atkins
Premieres: Tuesday, July 13
Trailer

Synopsis: Neal is on the hunt to find out who killed Kate last season.

My Take: The combination of the suits and blue eyes, make the show awesome to watch, and then there are entertaining stories to go along with it.

Recommended

Psych
Channel: USA
Time: 10/9c
Starring: James Roday, Dule Hill, Maggie Lawson, Tim Omundson, Corbin Bernsen, Kirsten Nelson
Premieres: Wednesday, July 14
Trailer

Synopsis: Shawn will have to deal with his dad working as a consultant for the police too.

My Take: It’s still the same goofy show and there’s nothing wrong with that.

The Closer
Channel: TNT
Time: 9/8c
Starring: Kyra Sedgwick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Tenney, Corey Reynolds, Robert Gossett, G.W. Bailey, Tony Denison, Raymond Cruiz, Michael Paul Chan, Philip P. Keene
Premieres: Monday, July 12
Trailer

Synopsis: The police department is moving into a new department, which is really messing up Brenda’s rhythm.

My Take: I love all the quirky characters that are really just a big mess, but someone doing well at their jobs.

Willing To Try

Rizzoli & Isles
Channel: TNT
Time: 10/9c
Starring: Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Lorraine Bracco, Lee Thompson Young, Bruce McGill, Jordan Bridges
Premieres: Monday, July 12
Trailer

Synopsis: Two women are good friends who also work together, one as a detective and the other as a medical examiner.

My Take: I love Angie Harmon in whatever she is in and I have missed Sasha Alexander since she left NCIS.

The Glades
Channel: A&E
Time: 10/9c
Starring: Matt Passmore, Kiele Sanchez, Carlos Gomez, Michelle Hurd, Uriah Shelton, Jordan Wall
Premieres: Sunday, July 11
Trailer

Synopsis: A cop working in the Everglades of Florida.

My Take: He’s a charming guy that’s a little bit off. I’m surprised this show isn’t on USA.

I also decided to include a quick look at the big movies being released next weekend at the end of the post.

Nationwide Releases

Despicable Me
Predators

Despicable Me
Directed: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Danny Mcbride, Miranda Cosgrove, Julie Andrews
Trailer

Synopsis: A super villain has plans to steal the moon, but then he ends up taking care of three orphan girls.

My Take: It looks pretty cute and I like the cast.

RT Score: 80%
RT Consensus: Borrowing heavily (and intelligently) from Pixar and Looney Tunes, Despicable Me is a surprisingly thoughtful, family-friendly treat with a few surprises of its own.

Predators
Directed: Nimrod Antal
Starring: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne
Trailer

Synopsis: A group of killers are put on a planet where they are the prey to a group of crazy monsters.

My Take:Impressive cast with some good character actors and looks like good old-fashion action flick.

RT Score: 64%
RT Consensus: After a string of subpar sequels, this bloody, action-packed reboot takes the Predator franchise back to its testosterone-fueled roots.

Limited Releases

Winnebago Man
Kids Are All Right
[Rec] 2
Girl Who Played With Fire
Around a Small Mountain

Winnebago Man
Directed: Ben Steinbauer
Starring: Jack Rebney
Trailer

Synopsis: The search to find a very angry RV salesman who has become a viral hit by VHS tapes circulating in the ’90s and now on YouTube where people love his curse-riddled outtakes of him trying to make RV commercials.

My Take: It looks hilarious and I love the guy doesn’t understand why anyone wants to talk to him.

RT Score: 95%

The Kids Are All Right
Directed: Lisa Cholodenko
Starring: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson
Trailer

Synopsis: Two kids are being raised by lesbian moms when they decide they want to meet their donor dad.

My Take: It looks funny and messy. I also love Mia Wasikowska.

RT Score: 93%
RT Consensus: Worthwhile as both a well-acted dramedy and as a smart, warm statement on family values, The Kids Are All Right is remarkable.

[Rec] 2
Directed: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza
Starring: Jonathan Mellor, Manuela Velasco, Oscar Zafra, Ariel Casas
Trailer

Synopsis: The sequel to a movie that I don’t remember coming out.

My Take: My favorite part of the trailer was the quote from Nuts. Is that a magazine or website or what?

RT Score: 73%
RT Consensus: It lacks the surprising jolt of the first installment, but [REC] 2 almost maintains the original’s chilling momentum — and proves not all horror sequels were made equal.

The Girl Who Played with Fire
Directed: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Danny Mcbride, Miranda Cosgrove, Julie Andrews
Trailer

Synopsis: Sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo where the girl is framed for multiple murders and needs to clear her name.

My Take: I still want to see the first one so I imagine I’ll want to watch this one too.

RT Score: 64%
RT Consensus: Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist remain extraordinarily well-suited to their roles, but the second installment in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy doesn’t pack quite as much punch as the first.

Around a Small Mountain
Directed: Jacques Rivette
Starring: Pascal Bonitzer, Christine Laurent
Trailer

Synopsis: After a chance meeting, a man learns that a woman has returned to a traveling circus so he stays in town to watch one show after another.

My Take: It is the same director as the Duchess of Langaeis, which I hated, so I imagine I would hate this one too.

RT Score: 64%

A Look Ahead to Next Weekend

Inception
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Inception
Directed: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy
Trailer

Synopsis: Something about going into people’s dreams and stealing their secrets.

My Take: I love Christopher Nolan. This looks trippy like Memento and it’s the first movie of the summer that I want to see.

RT Score: 100%

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Directed: Jon Turteltaub
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci, Toby Kebbell
Trailer

Synopsis: Nicholas Cage entrances a college boy with his hair to become his apprentice.

My Take: Jay Baruchel might have the wussiest voice ever.

RT Score: 14%

Top Chef: Washington D.C.
Capitol Grill

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

• Quickfire Challenge: Make a Pie from Scratch
• Elimination Challenge: Prepare a picnic for Capitol Hills interns that includes 1 main dish and 2 sides

This season, the chefs seem pretty catty towards one another with a lot of yelling in the kitchen. Besides a few grudges, it has been fairly calm in the past few seasons. Do you enjoy it more when the chefs squabble or when it is just about the food? I like it to be about the food, but when they bicker, I do find it funny.

Quickfire Challenge

The guest judge was Johnny Iuzzini, head pastry chef at Jean Georges. He was also a James Beard award winner and is, apparently, the hottest thing going in terms of pastry. Gail Simmons was also there. Padma informed everyone that Gail and Johnny were going to be host and head judge of the new show Top Chef: Just Desserts. Bravo does like its plugs! Then Padma announced what should have been a surprise to no one at that point was the quickfire challenge was going to be about desserts.

Johnny said that pastry chefs are about organization. They can’t do it last minute over the stove, but need to prepare and measure ingredients. Padma told them that they would be making a dessert that was an American tradition — the pie. Stephen was freaking out since the first two chefs that were sent home this season were sent home for a dessert. The winner would have immunity from the elimination challenge.They had two hours to make it.

Kelly and Arnold argued over space. Arnold really hates Kelly so everything she does annoys him. Kelly told the camera that when she opened up her first restaurant with her husband, they did everything so she knows something about making desserts. Angelo said he never made a pie in his life. He decided to just treat it like anything else he was making so he wanted to make a curry yam pie. Tamesha also had never made a pie before. Lynne said she felt confident since she was an instructor at the Culinary Institute so she didn’t need recipes to make desserts. Amanda said she wasn’t a fan of pie, but she had made an apple pie before so she was going to do a variation on that. Kenny was trying not to show that he was laughing at Alex’s pie dough that was super thick.  Ed apparently hates Alex. He told the camera that he was a slob and had no technique. It cracks me up how much the chefs are bugging the other chefs this season. Tracy pulled her pie out of the oven and she said it tasted only like butter. She wasn’t sure what she was thinking when she made it. She wanted to start over, but didn’t know if she would have enough time. She did actually make something in time for the challenge to be over. Amazing!

Losers

Alex
White Chocolate, Tapioca & Chevre Pie with Almond Crust & Raspberry Puree

Johnny asked if there was egg in the pie. Alex said there was and Johnny responded that it was more like a quiche. Gail said that the texture of the pie wasn’t quite there.

Tracey
Blueberry Almond Crunch Pie with Light Cream & Almond Brittle

Johnny said he noticed there was a lot of liquid in it. He wondered if she put anything in there to harden the liquid. She said she didn’t put any starch in it. Gail said the crust was really too thin, the top was burnt, and the bottom wasn’t cooked through.

Ed
Banana Cream Pie with Salted Peanuts & Celery Spuma

Ed said his grandmother always had banana cream pie when he came over, so he decided to make that with a few extras. Jokingly, Gail asked how his celery spuma compared to his grandmother’s celery spuma. She just laughed at him while he was speechless. Johnny said that he didn’t get why Ed made a banana cream pie, but then added all these extra things that didn’t tie together.

Middle of the Road

Amanda
Apple Pie with Rosemary & Bourbon, Hazelnut Crust

Oh Amanda loves alcohol in her food! Amanda told the judges that she isn’t a pastry chef, so she hoped she didn’t mess up anything too terribly. Johnny said that was a cop out since his grandmother wasn’t a pastry chef, but she knew how to make a pie. Amanda made an awesome shock face in response.

Arnold
Kalamansi & Key Lie Pie Parfait with Korean Soju

The judges didn’t say anything after tasting it.

Angelo
Sweet Potato Pie, Curry Spices, Crumble Crust

I guess making not making pies before does not put you in the top since the judges didn’t say anything about it.

Tiffany
Peach Cobble with Cornmeal Crust, Buttermilk-Lemon Creme Anglaise

Johnny said it was really dark. She said she put molasses and dark brown sugar in it.

Lynne
Mango Pie with Basil & Vanilla Crust

Gail asked if she had ever made the crust before with basil. Lynne said it was her first time with basil in the crust.

Winners

Kelly
Spiced Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart

Johnny said the ganache was nice and smooth. He said she had a great emulsion. Gail said it was a beautiful chocolate pie. She said it just goes to show that you don’t need a lot of “bells and whistles” and a simple pie goes a long way.

Stephen
Curried Apple-Date Pie with Saffron

Gail said she tasted something sour in it. Gail said it was a really surprising flavor combination but it worked.

Kenny
Bananas Foster Pie with Currants & Chinese Five-Spice

Johnny said that Chinese Five-Spice was not seen often in pies. Kenny said he liked the balance of flavors. Johnny said he took something simple like a bananas foster and added great flavors and textures.

Quickfire Winner: Kenny

Elimination Challenge

Padma told the chefs they would be celebrating another American tradition for the elimination challenge by preparing a picnic. They would be serving the Capitol Hill interns. Padma said that they would be provided with a grill at the Mt. Vernon estate they would be serving the picnic at the next day.

The chefs were prepping their stuff until Amanda and Alex got into it at the ovens. She was yelling about who had stuff in her oven. Alex said it was empty so he used it. She said her name was on it. He said it wasn’t. I guess she moved his stuff. This was all happening when Tom walked into the kitchen to see how things were going. Nice! When Tom was making the rounds, he asked Amanda what was up with the shouting. She said she had labeled the oven so she moved Alex’s dish. She said it was “prison rules”. Tom said he had never been to prison so he didn’t know what the rules were. Way to make an impression on the head judge!

Ed explained his dish to Tom and Tom said that it sounded like a lot of stuff going on. Ed tried to reassure him that it all worked well together, while he was also worried that he might have had too much stuff going on.  Arnold was a bit flustered when Tom came around so he didn’t talk much. Arnold had made a comment earlier in the kitchen that he missed his sous chef. He told Tom that he was making something from a menu he had prepared for one of his restaurants, but he wasn’t usually making it himself. Tom told the camera that he was a bit worried that Arnold might not be as ready for the challenge since he has spent so much time in the front of the house instead of in the back, cooking.

Tiffany commented that Amanda was spending a lot of time yelling while she was prepping. Amanda was then shown yelling about where the tape was or running around with her food while trying to get it packed up to go while everyone else was being relatively calm. Tiffany didn’t know if Amanda didn’t plan well or was just a high strung person, but she decided to quit turning around to see why she was yelling or else she was going to get stressed out herself.

When they arrived at the Mt. Vernon Estate the next day, they had one hour to prep before the interns arrived. Arnold did not know how to start a grill, so he looked at Kenny, who is a grill master, set up his grill with the coals and lighter fluid. He just copied him on a two second delay and they both had their grills going. Tracey was asking about how to turn the grill down. They had coal-burning grills, not propane ones. Kenny informed her that she couldn’t turn down the heat. I could have figured that much out!

The interns arrived along with the judges. Padma was there with Tom, Gail and guest judge Jonathan Waxman, chef/owner of Barbuto.

Arnold
Sesame Lamb Meatball with Tabouli Salad & Gazpacho

Tom liked it. He said it was seasoned really well. Jonathan said it takes talent to take that kabob and grill it. Gail loved the salad. It tasted really fresh and also like it would stand up well in the heat of the day. Some of the guests loved the lamb meatball.

Tamesha
Marinated Skirt Steak with Caramel Soy Glaze & Fennel Citrus Salad

When Tamesha saw the guest judge was Jonathan Waxman, she became nervous, since he is a grilling master. She did think she did a great job with her skirt steak. Tom liked the steak. Jonathan thought it was a little overcooked. He found it chewy. The interns thought it was delicious.

Angelo
Vietnamese Lettuce Wrap, Smoked Egg Salad

Jonathan said it was a magazine cover dish. Gail loved the smokiness in the egg salad.

Alex
Grilled Pork Butt with Lemongrass Glaze, Polenta & Cucumber Salad

Alex thought he had the winning dish. He said it was tasty and he would “want to eat the ass out of this pig all day.” Okay then! Gail thought the pork was beautifully cooked. Jonathan thought the sauce was on the sweet side. He thought he should have added some habanero and have some fun with it.

Tim
Pork Two Ways: Dry Loin & Wet Baby Back Ribs, Grilled Vegetables

While Tim was dishing his plate to the judges, a Canadian goose flew by and pooped on the table. It missed the food, but got the tablecloth. Good job Sperel! Tom thought the pork was pretty good, but was not impressed with the sides. He said the beans were really overcooked. Padma said the maybe the bird knew something they didn’t. An intern didn’t think the pork was that tender and was a little dry.

Amanda
Dry-Rub Baby Back Ribs, Grilled Asparagus, Bacon Hazelnut Vinaigrette

Gail said she liked Amanda’s rib much better than Tim’s rib. Jonathan agreed. He also said that he loves grilled asparagus.

Kelly
Bison Burger, Watermelon & Tomato Salad

Tom thought the burger was pretty bland. Gail thought it was a pretty simple presentation and there was nothing that a home cook couldn’t do easily. I’m not sure if that was a good or bad thing. Tracey was telling Kelly that she had heard good things about the bison burgers. Kelly said, “Really? That doesn’t mean the judges will like it.”

Kevin
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak, Rice & Beans, Tomato & Avocado Salad

Kevin said his wife’s family is from Puerto Rico so he wanted to do something that was inspired from there. Gail asked if anyone noticed the strange texture of the beans. Jonathan said they were undercooked. Jonathan wondered is anyone noticed how bland was rice was.

Lynne
Leg of Lamb with Ras el Hanout, Zucchini “Spaghetti” with Balsamic Onions

Padma said the lamb felt very heavy even though it looked light. Gail said it was the cheese and Jonathan agreed it was making it too heavy.

Kenny
Harissa Marinated Pork Loin, Quinoa Grilled Eggplant

Gail really liked the harissa. She thought the pork was well cooked.

Tracey
Italian Sausage Slider, Tomato Cucumber & Red Onion Salad

Tom said she used a little too much fennel. Jonathan said it was too big. It wasn’t a slider. Gail said it was also a little undercooked.

Tiffany
Tamarind Glazed Wild Sockeye Salmon, Israeli Couscous

Tom said it was bland. Jonathan said, “To have a glaze that has no flavor is really sad.”

Andrea
Spicy Root Beer Glazed Skirt Steak, Potato Salad

Tom said, “Well, that is root beer.” Gail said the root beer was too sweet. One intern said she wouldn’t have expected root beer to taste good on meat.

Stephen
Bacon Wrapped Sea Bass, Ratatouille & Olive Pine Nut Couscous

Stephen said he wrapped it in bacon to keep it moist. Gail didn’t think it was good at all. She found it stringy on the inside and really hard and chewy to get to on the outside. Tom said the bacon crisp up on the grill, but it didn’t render its fat out. He said he was also not a fan of the fish.

Ed
Spiced Tuna Loin with Lentil Hummus

When picking up the dish, Jonathan asked if Ed would serve something like this to his family for a picnic. Ed said he definitely would. While eating it, Jonathan said Ed’s dish was very picnic friendly. He seemed pleasantly surprised. Tom said there was a lot of flavor in it. One of the interns said the tuna was perfectly cooked.

The night before, some of the chefs were giving Amanda a hard time of how she had prepared her ribs. They seemed to think it was horrible that she hadn’t taken the bones out, but after the challenge, they were all tasting each other dishes. Angelo said that he thought Amanda’s dish was the best one, even better than his. With his ego, that’s saying something!

Judges’ Table

Winners

Padma asked to see Arnold, Ed, Amanda and Angelo. Padma told them they had the winning dishes. I think they were super happy after the switcheroo last week where the losers went in first.

Jonathan told Ed that it was a bold choice using tuna. Tom told Arnold that his lamb meatball was full of flavor. He was surprised about how much flavor it had and liked it. Jonathan told Amanda that she killed it with the asparagus. He loved the ribs from the rub to the way they were cooked. He said the salad didn’t need to be there. Tom told Angelo that he loved the crisp flavors and enjoyed his dish very much.

Jonathan picked the overall winner and it was Arnold. He said he did it for him.

Losers

Tim, Stephen, Tracey and Kevin were called in and then were told they have the most disappointing dishes. Padma asked Stephen if he had made the dish before. He said he hadn’t done it for a picnic. Gail said that  his sea bass was unappealing. Once she cut into it, it became very hard. Overall, it just didn’t come together. Tom said the bacon had no char on it at all. It needed to spend more time on the grill developing smoky flavors. He also said the couscous was greasy and had very little flavor at all.

Moving onto Tim, Gail said she did not care for the vegetables. She said some were cooked and some were not cooked. Tom said everything has to be seasoned and they had plenty of time yesterday and today to do it.  Jonathan thought he shied away from the dish instead of pushing it farther, so that’s why he was disappointed.

Padma told Kevin that his plate was the safest Puerto Rican food she has ever had. He seemed shocked. He said that Puerto Ricans he knows would make that food. Gail asked if they were chefs. He said no. She said, “Exactly! You are! Take that food and step it up a notch like a chef.”

Tracy was asked if she was surprised to be there. She said no. Jonathan asked if she had tasted her food while she was preparing it yesterday. She said she did. He asked if she thought she should have crushed the fennel seed to evenly distribute it. She said she probably should have. She said that there were some patties that probably had a lot of fennel seed while some hardly had any. Gail said her patty was pretty raw. Tom said that if she was calling that Italian food, it was insulting to Italians. Jonathan said that part of being top chef was that when things go wrong, you figure out how to fix it. He said he could tell she gave up a bit and she should never do that.

They were sent out. Tom said with Stephen, he just made a bad choice. It was almost like he waved it over the grill at the last second. Jonathan said the fish was seriously inedible. It was raw bacon and overcooked fish. Tom said that to him, the fish wasn’t even the worst part of the dish. He thought the couscous was worse. He said he was sensing a lack of self confidence. With Tim, Tom said that Tim had told him that the grill was “his thing” and he was very comfortable with it, but he didn’t like the grilled zucchini. Jonathan said that at least it was edible. With Tracey, Jonathan said that his 10-year-old son could have made that patty. He said it did not look like a professional chef made the patty. With Kevin, Tom thought his meat was grilled nicely but the rice was overcooked and the beans were undercooked. Tom thought they got a watered down version of Puerto Rican food.

The chefs were called back in. Tom said the challenge was to cook an All-American picnic at a historic site, but none of them created history with their food. Who writes this stuff? Tom told Stephen he gave them food that was keeping more with a restaurant than a picnic. He also paired it with a dish of oily couscous. Tom told Tim that his plate should have been full of flavor, but instead they got watery beans and wilted greens. Tom told Kevin that his inspiration didn’t come through on the plate. Tom said that Tracey wanted to do Italian food, but she left them with white bread and slimy onions and peppers. Padma asked Tracy to pack her knives and go

Questions

1. Do you think it is fair of the chefs to expect to know how to make a dessert when they come on the show?
2. Should they be shocked when they have to make a dessert even though each season, they have to at some point?
3. Do you think there is a definite front runner at this point or will some of the other chefs start shining more as it goes along?

Images: Bravo

Pick of the Week

Rescue Me
Channel: FX
Time: 10/9c
Starring: Denis Leary, Michael Lombardi, Steven Pasquale, Andrea Roth, John Scurti, Daniel Sunjata, Callie Thorne, Adam Ferrara, Larenz Tate
Premieres: Tuesday, June 29
Trailer

Synopsis: After being sober most of last season, Tommy started drinking again and convinced most of his family to start back up again too, which led to Tommy getting shot at the end of last season by his uncle.

My Take: It is an awesome mix of screwed-up drama and laugh out loud comedy.

Recommended

Hung
Channel: HBO
Time: 10/9c
Starring: Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, Anne Heche, Charlie Saxton, Sianoa Smit-McPhee, Eddie Jemison, Rebecca Creskoff, Gregg Henry
Premieres: Sunday, June 27
Trailer

Synopsis: Ray is still trying to get into the groove of being a male escort, while two different women are fighting to be his pimp.

My Take: I watched the entire first season waiting for it to get funny. I only found it okay and I’m not sure why I’m going to continue watching it.

Willing To Try

Louie
Channel: FX
Time: 11/10c
Starring: Louis C.K.
Premieres: Tuesday, June 29
Trailer

Synopsis: Based on Louis C.K.’s stand-up where he is a newly single dad raising two young daughters while being a stand-up comedian.

My Take: Other comedians love this guy and I think some younger comedians have stolen his material so I should check it out.

Why?

Entourage
Channel: HBO
Time: 10:30/9:30c
Starring: Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven, Perrey Reeves, Rex Lee, Debi Mazar, Gary Cole
Premieres: Sunday, June 27
Trailer

Synopsis: Vince starts up a relationship with real-life porn star Sasha Grey, Eric is getting married, Drama found himself a television deal and Turtle is starting up his own chauffeuring business.

My Take: I never found this show amusing. Critics loved it. Now they hate it. I still don’t like it so I am thinking they finally caught up to my tastes or what was once good about it is long gone.

Top Chef: Washington D.C.
Outside the Lunch Box

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

• Quickfire Challenge: Chefs must pair up to create a sandwich.
• Elimination Challenge: Create a healthy school lunch with a budget of $2.60 per child

I liked the challenges, especially the healthy lunch one. I liked that they showed they could make good, interesting food within the horribly low budget.

Quickfire Challenge

The chefs were greeted in the kitchen by Padma with guest judge, Sam Kass, assistant White House chef. Padma said a good government is bipartisan so they would be creating a bipartsandwich in their quickfire. They were paired up by pulling knives and had thirty minutes to make a sandwich. The winning team would have immunity. It seemed like a simple task, which of course, it was. Padma let them know that they would be making their sandwiches by wearing two aprons sewn together and they could only use one hand each. Sam told them to leave their egos at the door, don’t worry about taking credit and get to work.

Kenny was happy since Ed was left-handed and he was right-handed. Tracy felt good since she was teamed up with Angelo who owns a sandwich shop and has won both challenges so far. Tim had issues since Alex was freaking out that he was going to cut his hand each time he tried to hold some meat or bread.

Losers

Jacqueline & Stephen
Saba Vinegar Onions, California Avocado & Chicken

Sam thought the sandwich lacked creativity, especially with just plain white bread.

Tiffany & Lynne
Flatbread Saltimbocca, Goat Cheese, Artichokes, Peppers & White Asparagus

Sam said it was hard to pick up and eat while parts of it were flying out of Padma’s sandwich onto the floor. He also said it did not have a great texture with the saltimbocca.

Middle of the Road

Andrea & Kevin
“Philly Cuban”: Roasted Pork, Pickle, Whole Grain Mustard, Gruyere Cheese

Sam said he liked the pickle in the sandwich.

Amanda & Tamesha
Prosciutto, Swiss Cheese, Dijon Mustard & Pepper Salsa

He didn’t really say anything about it.

Alex & Tim
“Croque Madam”: Ground Lamb, Mornay Sauce & Egg

He didn’t say anything about this one either.

Kelly & Arnold
Curry-Rubbed Grilled Chicken, Honey & Sambal, Cucumber, Mint, Dill & Cilantro

Sam said it had a good taste.

Winners

Angelo & Tracy
Flounder Marinated in Fish Sauce, Spicy Sriracha Mayo, Pickled Red Onions

Sam said it was tasty. He said it was really bright and lively. The herbs brought a lot of vibrancy to the sandwich and the heat of the Sriracha was really lovely. He said he could eat it every day.

Kenny & Ed
Korean Chili-Rubbed Ahi Tuna, Cucumber & Mango Slaw, Multi-Grain Bread

Sam liked the spiciness in the tuna. He loved the Asian slaw. It had a lot of flavor. The tuna was beautifully seared.

Quickfire Winner: Angelo & Tracy

Elimination Challenge

To go along with the First Lady’s mission to end childhood obesity in one generation, the chefs would be making school lunches, but they would have to do it on the same restrictive budget the school had, which was $2.68 per kid or $134 total for 50 kids. Sam was taking $4 away since that budget also had to go for labor and any supplies of getting the food to the table. Sam said a typical lunch would consist of a main dish with a couple of side dishes. They should have a fruit and vegetable in there and maybe a dessert. The most important thing would be to make sure it tasted good or the kids won’t eat it. The chefs were divided up into groups of four. Every chef on the team was responsible for one item on the menu since they would be judged individually.

As the winners of the quickfire, Angelo and Tracy got to pick who would be on their team. They picked Kenny and Ed. The rest of the chefs were able to figure out how to group up. They had 30 minutes to plan before shopping. Then they had two and a half hours to prep and cook. The next day they had one hour to heat up the meals at school for lunch.

• Team 1 – Angelo, Tracy, Ed, Kenny
• Team 2 – Amanda, Tamesha, Jacqueline, Stephen
• Team 3 – Alex, Tim, Kevin, Andrea
• Team 4 – Tiffany, Lynne, Kelly, Arnold

Tracy said that kids like chicken nuggets and burgers. She wanted to make a healthy burger. Angelo said kids like peanut butter and celery. Kenny asked if that was healthy. Angelo said the celery was a vegetable. Over on team two, Tamesha was bringing up gnocchi as an idea. WAT! Amanda said the kids wouldn’t eat it. Jacqueline said she could do a chocolate banana dessert. Amanda told the camera that she could do a dessert, but she wouldn’t since the people that do desserts get sent home. On team three, Tim was bringing up mac & cheese and coleslaw. Kevin wanted to tackle a fruit dessert. On team four, Kelly wanted to make tacos. She said they could make it with low-fat feta cheese. Tiffany didn’t think kids would really like feta cheese. Kelly also said pickled onions. Arnold questioned that but Kelly said the kids would love them.

The teams went shopping and then had a fun time taking stuff out of their piles of food since they went way over budget.  Team 3 seemed to be working together well, tasting each others’ dishes and helping where needed. Kenny didn’t think his team’s meal was a nutritious as it should be. On team 2 Jacqueline couldn’t get chocolate since it was too much so she was making a strawberry-banana dessert. She was having a hard time getting the banana to taste sweet so she was using sugar. It doesn’t sound as healthy now. Tamesha was telling Amanda she needed to use tomato paste in her dish. Amanda disagreed. Tamesha really doesn’t like Amanda.

When the teams arrived at the middle school the next day, they found out the kitchen area was really small. Angelo put his peanut butter into a foam gun but the top was broken. He tried to borrow one from another team but they said no. I guess if you keep winning challenges, no one is going to help you succeed.

Tom showed up saying that his mom ran a school lunch program for 20 years so he knows the difficulties into making a nutritious lunch with limited resources. He checked out what some of the chefs were doing. Kevin had melon on skewers with a yogurt foam. Tom wasn’t too sure at first about the yogurt, thinking kids like whipped cream and not yogurt, but he said they might eat it without realizing it so it might work. Jacqueline shared that she had to change her dish at the checkout line and that did concern her, but Tom thought what she was making sounded good. When he got around to Team 4, Kelly started in saying she was in charge of the tacos, but the rest of the team started to say they were all helping out each other. Tom didn’t like when teams did that and he wanted them to take responsibility for their dishes.

It was lunch time! The kids came running in to grab their food and then the judges came around to taste it for themselves.

Team 1

Tracey
Chicken Burger with Fiesta Rice

Tom thought it was good.

Angelo
Peanut Butter & Celery Crudites, Tuile

Padma said it wasn’t a bad dessert. Gail and Sam pointed out it wasn’t the dessert, since the bread pudding was there. Sam looked at the entire plate asking where the vegetables were.

Ed
Sweet Potato Puree with Cinnamon

Sam said it had a pound of pepper in it. Gail didn’t it would be something that could be served in a school lunch.

Kenny
Apple Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Yogurt

Tom thought it was not overly sweet and it was moist.

Team 2

Amanda
Braised Chicken Thigh, Sherry Jus

Gail thought it was odd that Amanda decided to use sherry in a lunch room dish.

Stephen
Sweet Onion Rice with Tomato, Carrots & Green Onions

When Stephen was describing his dish to the judges, he said it only had 165 grams of fat. Everyone stared at him while he realized what he had said, and then corrected himself, saying 165 calories. Gail thought it was tasty but pretty mushy. One kid said he didn’t like “that dish over there since it had rice and all that nasty stuff.”

Tamesha
Bean  & Tomato Salad, Pickled Red Onions & Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Padma liked the overall flavor of the salad.

Jacqueline
Banana Pudding with Skim Milk & Strawberries

Tom and Sam were figuring out what was up with the pudding. Tom said it was too starchy. Sam said it was too sweet. Padma said she did like the fresh strawberries on top.

Team 3

Andrea & Alex
Picnic Coleslaw with Yogurt

Padma asked if the coleslaw had any mayo in it. Andrea said it did have some, but it was mostly yogurt.

Andrea & Alex
Grilled Apple Cider BBQ Chicken

Alex said that they had taken the skin off the chicken to make it healthier and then grilled it. Padma really liked the chicken. Sam really liked that he used the apple cider instead of sugar.

Tim
Mac & Cheese with Whole Wheat Crust, Skim Milk & Low-Fat Cheese

Tom thought the weak link of the entire team was the mac and cheese.

Kevin
Fresh Melon Kebab & Orange Chantilly Dipped in Yogurt

Padma thought the kebab was tasty.

Team 4

Gail said she was excited about the amount of color on the plate overall.

Lynne
Black Bean Cake & Crispy Sweet Potatoes

Padma was concerned about Lynne’s bean cake being too spicy.

Kelly
Braised Pork Carnitas Tacos with Pickled Onions & Cilantro

Tom thought the taco was really good.

Arnold
Roasted Corn Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette & Chili Oil

Tom thought the salad fit very nicely with the taco.

Tiffany
Caramelized Sweet Potato & Sherbet

Gail didn’t think she was going to like it, but it tasted good. One of the kids liked how a vegetable was mixed with an ice cream.

Padma asked the kids what food they liked the best. One kid said he liked the mac and cheese and the whipped cream. A whole bunch of kids said they liked the whipped cream. One kid actually knew it was yogurt and Padma let them all in on the secret that it was yogurt. One girl said she liked the tacos and was asking what the red things were on it. Padma let her know they were pickled onions. She was genuinely surprised since she liked them. Overall, they said the food was much better than it usually was so they liked it.

Judges’ Table

Padma came out and called in Team 1 (Angelo, Tracy, Ed, Kenny) and 2 (Amanda, Tamesha, Jacqueline, Stephen) to come in to see them. The other teams left behind were upset since the winning teams always get called in first. When they got there, Tom told them that the challenge was to provide healthy lunches that were also appropriate for children, while also being tasty. Stephen was smiling as Tom said this, but then Padma threw them all off by saying that they were the two teams that had the worst dishes. Shock face time!

Tom started asking questions of one Team 2. Stephen said he tried to incorporate a lot of vegetables into the rice. He said he had to sacrifice creativity when they were at the cash register in order to keep substance in the meal. Gail said that’s the point that they would get tripped up since that’s the problem the country is facing. Jacqueline said she wanted to make a chocolate banana dessert but had to give up the chocolate. Then she found out the bananas were very starchy. Sam asked if she added sugar. She said she added about two pounds of it. Tom looked shocked. Sam said that’s what happens when people don’t start out with good product. They end up adding sugar and fat to make it taste better. Sam asked who had the idea to make the sherry jus on the chicken. Amanda said it was her idea. Sam asked why she had the budget to buy sherry. She just made a face that said, “My bad!” but didn’t give an actual answer.

They moved onto the other team. Tom asked Ed about the sweet potato puree. He said it was tossed with some brown sugar and chili powder. Gail said it was pretty spicy.  She told him he had to be careful when they are cooking for kids. Sam said it is easy to load the kids up on starch and forget the vegetables. Sam saw the lack of effort in the entire team in the lack of vegetables. Kenny said that the talk of vegetables kept coming around so they put a roasted tomato on the burger. Sam said that tomato is a fruit so their only vegetable would be the stick of celery. That did not seem like enough. I don’t even want to get into the debate about what is a fruit or vegetable, but celery or tomato don’t seem like enough of either for a healthy meal. Tom asked Angelo if he would have made the “peanut butter celery thing” if he didn’t have immunity.  Angelo said, “I can’t answer that right now.” Did he need a lawyer? He can’t just answer honestly? He did say that he didn’t know where it was coming from and if his team mates wanted him to go in another direction, he could have done it.

Then, the entire thing came off the hinges. Tom said he didn’t think that Angelo was trying to sabotage the team, but he wondered why no one on the team took the lead saying that the entire dish was not nutritional enough. Kenny was in the middle of saying that he was trying to do that, but he still wanted the entire team to have a consensus on the meal, so it was difficult with two team members having immunity. While what he was saying really made no sense to me, Stephen from the other team piped up to say that when someone on the team knew they didn’t have any vegetables and said something, but still let it slide instead of trying to champion a cause…..and he didn’t get to finish because Kenny jumped in to asking if adding two pounds of sugar into a dessert was healthy when his dessert of bread pudding had less than eight ounces? No time for Stephen to answer because Amanda jumped in! She asked if they knew how much sugar and calories were in processed peanut butter? Apparently it is the worst thing in the world to feed a kid. Those two went back and forth for a while, until Ed butted in saying, “Does sherry wine even need to be in the elementary school?”  Amanda responded, “They weren’t drinking it for Christ’s sake. I wasn’t serving it by the glass.” Gail asked why she chose sherry to braise the chicken. Amanda said that she just likes it. She really likes braising chicken with sherry. Gail said, “I like it too. I like a lot of things. I like vodka, but I’m not cooking with it.”

After the most hilarious section of Judges’ Table in a long time, they were sent out. The chefs shocked those waiting in the stew room when they told them they weren’t the winners, but the losers. Back with the judges, Padma asked which overall team was the worst. Sam said that Angelo’s team was the worst one. Tom said that Angelo and Tracy had immunity. Sam said that Kenny made a decision to not use vegetables so it hurt the kids that were going to be eating it. He said that was a big mistake. Gail said that Ed made a nice dish that would work for a nice restaurant, but it was not a nice dish for the challenge. Padma wondered why Kenny and Ed did not speak up more, especially when two of their teammates had immunity. They wondered if Angelo was plotting on purpose against his teammates because he had immunity.

Gail said she didn’t like the other team’s food either. Tom said the two dishes that brought them there was Amanda’s chicken and Jacqueline’s dessert. Gail said that Amanda’s chicken was one of the “most unappealing things” she had seen in a long time. She said she could have braised it another way and didn’t understand why she removed the skin. Tom said “it was like she put a big turd on the table, since the kids wouldn’t go near it.” Sam said the amount of sugar in Jacqueline’s dessert was unconscionable. Gail said if she could defend it a little bit, she did use fresh strawberries. Sam said all he tasted was sugar.

Switching gears, Padma said they also had to pick a winning team and an overall winner. Gail said with Kelly’s team, they got a salad on their dish. She also made her own taco shells using oats and they still had a dessert that wasn’t full of sugar or fat. Additionally, they got a vegetable in the dessert. She was impressed. Tom said he was amazed that they had the same budget and seemed to get way more food. Tom said that Andrea and Alex’s team also did very well. Padma said the chicken was very tasty. She loved how they used apple cider. Sam said that overall, they found ways to take ingredients that normally wouldn’t be healthy, but make them that way, especially with the “whipped cream” that was yogurt. He thought it was brilliant that they used a little mayo, but a lot of yogurt in the coleslaw. He also loved the fruit as the dessert.

Padma called in Kelly’s team with Tiffany, Lynne and Arnold. She told them that they had the favorite lunch. Padma told Arnold that his roasted corn salad looked and tasted great. Gail loved the pork carnita tacos. Sam said there was great balance and the kids loved it. Sam told Tiffany that one kid said he does not like sweet potatoes, but he loved hers. Tom also said it had great texture. He said when you take the fat out of sorbet, you lose the texture, but she did a great job. Sam told Lynne that he liked her use of the beans and the sweet potato shavings. Lynne said that was one of the reasons she put it on top. Sam said the kids were really into it.

Sam picked the overall winner who he thought kept taste and nutrition at the forefront. He picked Kelly.

The people that were sent back into the judges were Amanda, Jacqueline, Kenny and Ed. Tom reminded them again that the challenge was to create a nutritious and delicious school lunch. Tom told Kenny that he could have been a little more assertive and he let the team down. He told Ed the same thing. He said both of them put together a menu that was loaded with starches and didn’t give them the variety that they were looking for. Tom told Amanda that the chicken was not appealing. He said if it doesn’t appeal to a child, they won’t eat it. He told Jacqueline that her pudding was loaded with sugar, grainy and not nutritious. Padma asked Jacqueline to pack her knives and go.

Questions

1. Do you think Angelo sabotaged his team on purpose in order to get rid of Kenny or Ed?
2. Do you think Kenny or Ed should have spoke up more if they didn’t think what Angelo and Tracy were doing on their team was healthy enough? Or should they just have made healthier stuff themselves?
3. Do you wish you had any of those items for your lunch when you were in grade school? Which ones would you like or which ones would you not go near if you were a kid?
4. Do you wish you could have some of those sandwiches made in the quickfire available to eat?

Images: Bravo

Top Chef: Washington D.C.
House of Chef-presentatives

Here is a quick run down on the two challenges:

• Quickfire Challenge: Mise en place tournament
• Elimination Challenge: Create a dish that reflects where you’re from

In these early episodes, they have too many chefs to show the judges talking about each one in the challenges. This time, we at least got to see the final dishes in the elimination challenge, but didn’t hear what the judges thought about them when they tasted them. Personally, I’d rather see them edit out some of the grocery shopping to show that stuff. The grocery stopping looks the same in each episode. It is like when Amazing Race used to spend so much time showing the teams at the airports when it was boring! Learn from them, Top Chef.

Quickfire Challenge

The chefs were on the rooftop of a museum in D.C. eating from a buffet spread and getting to know each other when Padma and Tom showed up. They were told they would be competing in a mise en place tournament. That is usually something that is done a little later on in the competition, but they are starting off right away with it! Most likely it is being done to weed out how fast some of the chefs can be in the competition since half of it is about speed.

Tom explained the different legs:

1. 1st leg: Peel 10 potatoes – the 12 fastest chefs would move onto the next leg
2. 2nd leg: Brunoise 10 cups of onions – 8 chefs would move on
3. 3rd leg: Break down 4 chickens into 8 parts – 4 chefs would move on
4. Last leg: Prepare a dish using the mise en place ingredients

Padma and Tom would taste and pick the winner. It was also a high-stakes quickfire so the winner would also receive $20,000.

Amanda cut her palm open while peeling potatoes and felt like an idiot, but didn’t stop. Kenny finished with his potatoes first. Everyone had to stop while Tom inspected the potatoes. He told him he was good and moved onto the next round. Then everyone was back at it again. Somewhere in the middle, one chef had her potatoes checked by Tom, but he didn’t approve saying she still had quite a bit of work to do so she had to keep going. She didn’t make the cut to move on. The five chefs that didn’t move on had to go stand on the side while the 12 fastest were ready for the second round.

One of the chefs explained what brunoise meant, which was good since I didn’t know. It is a small dice of an onion. I would suck at that, but then I suck at anything fast or precise with cooking. Kenny was the first one done again in the leg. While the remaining eight were chosen, Andrea was one that didn’t make the cut. She was disappointed in herself that she couldn’t cut the onion fast enough.

On the third round, shockingly Kenny was done first again. The last three chefs were soon done and they all moved onto the last round. They had 30 minutes to cook with the ingredients they already prepared and whatever was in the Top Chef pantry.

Losers

Kevin
Boneless Chicken Wing, Hot & Sour Broth, Tomatoes, Fennel, Potato & Mushroom

Tom said the broth was very salty.

Tim
Garlic Roasted Chicken, Potato Galette, Oyster Mushrooms

Tom told Tim that there was too much cream in the dish. It marred all the flavors.

Winners

Angelo
Roasted Wing & Thigh, Curried Onion Jam, Potato Noodles

Padma said it was very nice. Tom loved the jam. He thought the chicken was well cooked. He also loved how he used the potato.

Kenny
Duo of Chicken with Moroccan Spice, Potato Puree & Onion Confit

Tom liked how Kenny featured the roasted potato. He said the flavors were nice. He had a lot of different spices and a lot of different things going on. He said he did a good job.

Quickfire Winner: Angelo

Elimination Challenge

Padma said since they were in a city that represents people from all parts of the country, they wanted the chefs to create a dish that best represents where they are from. They would be cooking for 300 young professionals at the kickoff party for the  annual cherry blossom festival. They would be divided into four groups and competing head-to-head within those four groups. One chef from each group would be up for winning and one chef from each group would be up for elimination. The top four from the quickfire got to pick who they wanted to compete against on their teams.

• Angelo picked Tiffany, Kelly and  John.
• Kenny picked Tracey, Lynn and Steve.
• Kevin picked Arnold, Amanda and Jacqueline
• Tim picked Alex, Tamesha and Andrea

That left Ed. You would think that the chef picked last would be the one that they feared in terms of competition. Since Angelo won the quickfire, he got to pick what team Ed went on. Angelo put him on Kenny’s team.

After shopping the next day, the teams had one hour to prep in the kitchen and one hour to set up at the event. The chefs shopped and cooked, but nothing too exciting happened. Then they moved onto the event to set up. The event started and people were filing in the doors. Padma walked in with Tom Colicchio, new judge Eric Ripert and Gail Simmons. They started tasting the food.

Kevin’s Group

Amanda - California
Red Snapper Carpaccio, Clementines, Sencha Oil, Daikon & Caraway Gelee

Amanda said she made a dish that was a neo-classical California dish that was a throwback to the Wolfgang Puck era. Gail thought it was a messy slice of fish. Tom said he thought Wolfgang seasoned his food better.

Arnold - Thailand & Tennessee
Kaffir Lime & Basil Cake, Palm Sugar Anglaise & “Myint” Julep

It must not have been exciting enough to talk about.

Jacqueline - New York
Duo of Hudson Valley Chicken Liver & Port Wine Mousse

When Jacqueline arrived at the event, she unpacked her chicken liver terrine, but it was really grainy. She decided to recook it on the spot since the more she cooked it, the more it would smooth out. Sounds like trouble. When the chefs tasted it, Eric said it was not his favorite. Gail said it was coarse.

Kevin - Mid-Atlantic
Pennsylvania Lamb, Meyer Lemon & Pistachio Marmalade, Spring Onions

Eric said it was very tender. Gail could taste some ginger. Tom said the flavors were good and it was seasoned well. Some guests said it was their favorite.

Kenny’s Group

Stephen - Ohio
Potato Crusted Ribeye, Celery Root Puree, Scarlet Stadium Mustard Vinaigrette

Stephen said that every Ohio person’s favorite meal is meat and potatoes. Eric said he couldn’t taste the flavor of the ribeye. Gail agreed saying that because it was deep fried that all she could taste was the deep-fried part and not the steak. One guest, who apparently was one of the former Bachelor guys, said he wouldn’t serve it to his kids.

Ed - New England
Sauteed Cod Cakes with Boston Baked Beans & Shaved Fennel Salad

Tom said it was heavy. There wasn’t enough cod and too much filling and breading. One guest said he was surprised at the flavor of the baked beans (I’m guessing surprised in a good way), but he said the cod didn’t cut it.

Lynne - Hudson Valley
Corn-Camembert Ice Cream on Waffles, Bacon Praline & Caramel Sauce

The judges weren’t shown talking about her dish so it must not have been too good or bad.

Tracey - The South
Stone Ground Grits, Maple Cheddar, Port Royal Rock Shrimp

Tom said the grits were as bland as could be.

Kenny - Colorado
Cinnamon-Coffee Rubbed Trout, Black Bean Mole, Goat Cheese Polenta & Quinoa

Gail said it was seasoned really well. Eric said he liked the texture of the crispy parts. One guest said she loved all the different layers of flavors.

Tim’s Group

Alex - Russia & California
Deconstructed Short Rib Borscht with Creme Fraiche

Eric said the meat was well cooked. Tom said when people deconstruct something, it usually doesn’t work, but he thought it worked quite well. One guest said she normally doesn’t like beets, but the way it was served was amazing.

Tamesha - Caribbean
Jerked Chicken Sphere, Soft Polenta, Tamarind Mango & Cilantro

Apparently, Tamesha’s dish ended up on the cutting room floor of the editing room. No discussion about it took place.

Andrea - South Florida & Italy
Pork with Chorizo Potato Gnocchi, Calabaza & Orange Gremolata

Padma said she wasn’t sure how much it made her think of Miami, but it was tasty. Tom agreed and said it was well seasoned.

Tim - Maryland
Pan Seared Maryland Rockfish with Pickled Leek, Dill & Grilled Crostini

Tom had issue with the two sauces. He didn’t think either one was distinct. Eric said that he cooked it with the skin on and it is difficult to cook it with the thick skin. One guest said the bites were too big and it was awkward.

Angelo’s Group

Tiffany - The South
Cajun Shrimp & Crawfish Salad, Chicken Fried Tomatillos

Her dish was also not exciting enough to show the judges discussing it.

Kelly - Rocky Mountains
Spice Crusted NY Strip Steak, Fiddlehead Fern & Wild Mushroom Saute

Eric liked the seasoning. Tom agreed and said it was well cooked.

Angelo - Rural Connecticut
Arctic Char with Pickled Shallots, Tapioca & Smoked Bacon Froth

Tom said it was really good. Gail thought the dill was a bit too much. Tom disagreed though. He thought if there was any less dill, you wouldn’t taste it.

John - Michigan
Maple Mousse Napoleon with Crisp Macadamia Nuts & Vanilla Sauce

John said that it was the time of year that the maple would come out of the trees in Michigan so he wanted to play that up in the dish. Gail said she didn’t taste the maple. Tom said he didn’t either.  He tasted sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar.

Judges’ Table

Winners

Padma came out into the stew room to call in one person from each group: Kevin, Alex, Kenny and Angelo. Padma told them they represented the top dishes in their groups.

Gail told Kenny that at first she thought his dish lacked editing, but as soon as she put the entire bite in her mouth, she thought it was well balanced. Tom said there was a lot going on, but it was really flavorful and a nice plate of food. Tom told Kevin that he liked his dish a lot and it was the complete opposite of Kenny’s dish in that it was very simple, but had a complexity to it as well.

Gail told Angelo that his dish really came together. She could really taste the chilies and she could really taste the acid. She thought it was really smart. Eric said the bacon foam was a great surprise and he was really pleased. Tom told Alex that he honored his mother well with the borscht.  He said when people deconstruct food, they lose the original dish, but they didn’t think it was lost at all. All the flavors were there.

Padma told Eric he could announce the winner as the newest judge. He picked Angelo.

Losers

The winners came back into the stew room and had to send in Stephen, John, Jacqueline and Tim. Tim looked shocked that his name was called. Padma told them that they had the least successful dishes in their groups.

Tom asked Stephen why he cut the ribeye so thin that he had no choice, but to overcook it. Stephen said that he thought he could sear the outside and keep the inside medium rare, but he obviously did not pull that off. Eric told him that he had a beautiful piece of ribeye, but he cut it so small that the pieces looked like chicken nuggets.

Gail told Jacqueline that she was surprised she told them up front that she was going to make a low-fat liver mousse. She said since it is liver, she didn’t think anyone would be looking for a low-fat version of it. She said that she had served the dish hundreds of times, but she hadn’t made it before without her recipes. Tom asked if she had only served it or if she had actually made it hundreds of times. She said she had made it. He wondered why she needed a recipe after that many times. She said it wasn’t memorized.

Tom said they all had the same issue with John’s dish. They did not get enough maple syrup and the pastry was soggy. John said he had bought a pre-prepared puff pastry and he probably shouldn’t have done that, but he was just using it as an instrument to bring the mousse to their mouth. Gail said his dish only had three main ingredients and if he was discounted one of them, saying it was just a vessel, he was discounted a third of his dish. She said it was a big part of what they were tasting. John said he was just being stupid.

Padma asked Tim about his dish. He said he thought it was a nice piece of fish, seasoned nicely and the aioli was seasoned nicely. Eric said he was confused about why he kept the skin on the fish. He said it was chewy and not pleasant in the mouth. Tom pointed out that he was the only one of the four that got to choose his competitors but ended up at the bottom while the rest were at the top. Tim said he really let himself down. He knows he can cook better.

Padma shooed them out for discussion. Gail wanted to know why John made his dish when he didn’t make his own pastry. She said it didn’t reflect who he is as a chef and that’s what the challenge was about. Eric said it the cream was grainy and too thin. Tom said it was an amateurish attempt at making dessert. Tom said Stephen’s dish was a bad idea. He said he took something that could have been great and turned it into something that wasn’t very well cooked. Tom thought Stephen got caught up in the story of it. Gail said that Jacqueline had a great idea and could have had great flavors, if she had made a good mousse.  Eric was confused about why she wanted to make a light mousse. Gail said she was confused about how she used it as a selling point in her dish, when it became her downfall. Eric said it was a big mistake for Tim to cook his fish like that. It lost the flavor. Tom said he should have known better and he had expected more after being one of the top four of the quickfire.

The four were called back in. Tom told them the challenge was to show the judges who they were as chefs and where they came from. Tom told Stephen that he gave them a story about coming from Ohio. He said “Cleveland rocks, but the dish really didn’t.” Oh groan, Tom!  Jacqueline gave them a great story about New York and used ingredients that went well together, but the dish failed since the mousse wasn’t well made. They had loved John’s story about the maple syrup, but they didn’t think they saw who he was as a chef. They believed he was much better than that. Tom said that he thought Tim would show them more from the region than what he gave them. Padma asked John to pack his knives and go.

Questions

1. Did John remind anyone else of Carla? I really thought he was going to be the loopy chef that surprises everyone like she did.
2. There was some smack talking from Tracy and a few others in the confessionals. Do you think there will turn out to be some smack talking in front of the other chefs instead of just to the camera?
3. What’d you think of the food based on how it looked?
4. Any early favorites or people that already drive you crazy?

Images: Bravo