Cal A. Urquhart wrote:

I love Top Chef but was really disappointed in this epidode. First: the guest judge (Michael Schwartz??) seemed arrogant and rude. After watching some of the amazingly talented guest judges be respectful and thoughtful, this guy just came off as crude. Second: $350???? While I would agree that planning seemed haphazard, this is a pretty rediculous sum if you want to impress 60 Miami fashionistas. While I havn't been a big fan of Sara, she surprised me yet again with her grasp on producing what seemed appropriate given the budget. I thought Hung 's dish, while boring, probably fit the financial limitations given (since they didn't all get $50.. remember Brian commenting that he got the "lead" dish with the biggest budget). Hopefully next week will be better. At least Anthony Bourdain is very entertaining.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 4:54 PM

gary e. wrote:

Welcome back: Lee Anne. you are always missed when your not arouwnd, i think we all know that the show has been taped for some weeks, what i would like to know is what do you do in between shows. o.k. so howie is gone, and there is alot of people happy that he has, he did not bring manyfans to his side of the table it does not cost anything to be humble. looking forward to your next blog.........

posted on September 6, 2007 at 7:40 PM

sheri wrote:

I, too, was disappointed in this episode. The whole time that snobby guest judge was critiquing the food I thought - I'd like to see what you make with a $350 budget for 60 people! And those guests - they looked like a bunch of inexperienced 20 somethings playing dress-up. The whole thing looked uncomfortable and fake. And in the end I wish it wasn't Howie that was sent home - I really liked Howie - he did a great job of turning himself around and becoming a team player. Brian was weak. Last week Trey, this week Howie...not sure I like the direction this is going...but Anthony Bourdain will surely not fail us next week...Oh! And PLEASE never EVER ask that Michael Schwartz? to come back. Thank you!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 7:48 PM

galen wrote:

From my comfortable chair in my beloved little house I was inspired to write about a recipe that I often serve to my friend...the gourgere. If the yougurt had been drained through a few layers of cheesecloth for two hours at room temperature, the gourgere filling would not have been too liquid for the dough. And it's an opportunity to flavor the yogurt with herbs or spices ( garlic or corriander ) while it drains.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 10:22 PM

Jason Higgins wrote:

I'll keep it short. May I reemphasize LeeAnn and Anthony's observations...

No more raw tuna OR seafood sausages or you'll go packing for lack of creativity at this point.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 10:33 PM

Matt in Miami wrote:

I'm sure Howie has been making duxelle's for 10 years working for a variety of chefs and he learned from the masters that you are supposed to puree your mushrooms :)

I agree about leadership. If they had some kind of theme running through all the dishes they could have shared ingredients and produced more for the money. But since everyone was allowed to pretty much go their own way it only makes it more disappointing that no one but Sara (who should have won) took a chance.

posted on September 7, 2007 at 5:27 AM

FanFare wrote:

Hi Again Lee Anne,

I have already commented in your previous blog. I liked both challenges (and most of this season's, actually).

Brian's poor leadership and banal food entry was the identical failing Tre exhibited. Yet he remained "ship shape". That doesn't seem fair. However, Howie jumped ship - yeah! Perhaps that single act of bravery saved Brian's hide.

One question: could the blandness of the canapes be a good idea given the fact that the party took place on a moving boat? Maybe some of the guests would turn green if they ate something too spicy... Just a thought.

posted on September 7, 2007 at 9:13 AM

john wrote:

Many posters on various msg bds are claiming that a $350 budget to feed 60 people is not enough. That comes to $5.83 per person. However, last season's catering event, Holiday Spirit, had a budget of $1500 per team to feed well over 200 people, say 225 as a guestimate. That comes to $6.67 per person. Hoever, the winning team of Sam Ilan, Betty, and Marcel managed to load the serving table with 13 different dishes to pic and choose from...a phenominal amount of food on a budget per person not significantly larger than this year's catering event,

posted on September 7, 2007 at 2:23 PM

Jeff wrote:

The only thing I think was really wrong with this episode was that it was a team challenge with only one team. I think you could have made it better by saying. You have $50 each and have to produce outstnading Canapes for a party. You choose how many different ones. Then the ones who choose to do more than one are risking only their own neck and not someone who is the leader. If Brian had stepped in and stopped stuff from going out that wasn't excellent, you would have at least one maybe more chefs with no dishes out and some unhappy, hungry partyers. He was really between a rock and a Howie place. Also, how about next season, a quickfire with all the chefs on the same level playing field. You supply one protein, they have a limited amount of time to make a dish using that and what is in the pantry. That way, you see who is best. By using different proteins, you will weed out the narrow ones.

posted on September 7, 2007 at 3:18 PM

Deborah R wrote:

I know you're catching some flak for the quickfire, so I just want to say Balderdash! It was a great challenge and a wonderful way to test the chefs' creativity. I loved Hung's Smurf village, and it sounds as though both Brian and Casey presented winners. CJ might have done well if he hadn't double-dipped into the salt, and Dale might have scored a winner if he hadn't overdone the spice--and neither of those mistakes can be credited to getting a "bad" aisle. The canned fruit/veg aisle should have presented Howie with a load of creative possibilities, but for whatever reason, he couldn't wrap his head around it. But the problem wasn't that the challenge was unfair. These wacky challenges are part of the fun on Top Chef. Keep up the good work!

posted on September 7, 2007 at 8:17 PM

Andy B. wrote:

Hi Lee Ann, You insight is always welcomed and needed. I agree that Brian's leadership skills were lacking. Giving each cheftestant $50.00 was a big mistake. He was also weak in leading his team. For the 2nd week in a row he escaped packing up his knives. Lucky for him Howie fell on his sword. Sarah probable should have won instead of Casey. I'm puzzled as to why Sarah and Casey couldn't cook package pudding. With six contestants left, it's time to step it up and start cooking much better.
Good bye for now,
Andy B.

posted on September 8, 2007 at 1:28 PM

bets wrote:

Hey Lee Anne-

I liked the aisle challenge-Hung was pretty funny-kinda like Michael and the vending machine challenge last season. I want to suggest an MRE challenge as an idea for the future.

1 MRE, 1 piece of bread, 1 egg, and 1 piece of fruit. Basic spices and margerine. (No stinking truffles!) Thousands of military folks do it every week. It's hard to get inventive with those packets. I have personally tasted a few that would be very difficult to improve because they are so dismal.

Keep it in mind, and keep up the good work!

posted on September 9, 2007 at 3:57 PM

Morgaine Swann wrote:

I'm sorry, but Howie should have been gone about 3 episodes ago. He simply didn't have the chops to hang with the group at this stage of the game. CJ should probably be next - he's been pretty lame recently. Brian is fun to watch, but I'm not clear at all on his skill level or Casey's. Sara is turning out to have some real management skills and imagination. Hung is entertaining and so is Dale - it's going to be tough seeing any of the rest of the group go.

posted on September 10, 2007 at 10:33 PM

Lynn wrote:

Hi Lee Anne - I know you made Casey's dish as this week's recipe, but is there any way to get Sara's tomato bread pudding? that sounds like something I'd really like to try.

posted on September 11, 2007 at 12:05 PM

LindaR wrote:

The tomato bread pudding recipe is seconded. I am totally intriqued by this dish. Pretty please?

posted on September 11, 2007 at 6:16 PM

Joan wrote:

Hi Lee Anne,
I just want to thank both you and Gail for having kind words for and about Howie. It seems Howie fans are definitely the minority! I liked Howie. He stood up for himself and in the last few episodes, he really tried to steo up and be a team player. Earlier in the season he proved to be a great winner when he gave his bottle of wine to Joey because Howie thought that Joey's dish was the best. He even mentioned that at judges table. That's class. That was the point that I really started liking Howie. For all his gruffing and grumbling, you could tell that he spoke his mind even if it meant that it could cost him. I respect his choice to sacrafice himself to both save Brian and save face.

posted on September 12, 2007 at 3:53 PM

Jim wrote:

Lee Anne,

I've watched the show since the season, and I have to say that the quality of the various challenges have consistently gone up since you became involved in the production.

I passed the following thoughts on to Tom, also, and I hope they're useful. They were written right after the restaurant challenge.

The thing that draws me to the show is that it is a serious competition among serious professionals. The skill, knowledge and ability levels of this season's chefs has been awesome. Like everybody else, I thought that Tre would be one of the finalists, if not the overall winner. Which brings us to what I've been telling my girlfriend about the restaurant war since the first season: this challenge should be the delineator between the finalists and the rest of the pack and not just another food making challenge. The decision to open the restaurants a second night was an excellent one, and Tom sitting in the kitchen as an observer was another. However, they didn't go far enough. I have a suggestion for next season's restaurant war, one that I've espoused since the first season (ok, I've just been espousing only to my girlfriend, but espousing nevertheless). And now that I'm working on opening my own restaurant/bar, I have some more insight into what would make an exciting and illuminating challenge (or so I believe).

1. The RW challenge should take place over 4 consecutive days/nights with the final 6 contestants. The judges would fill the role of the restaurants' investors, with the premise that they will only back one of the restaurants. The first two days are spent planning, designing and prepping; the other three nights are spent running the restaurants. At the end of the challenge, two chefs are eliminated leaving the final four. The eliminated chefs won't necessarily be from the losing restaurant.

2. The chefs are judged primarily on the food, of course, but also on how they work with each other, how they take charge of their respective jobs, how they deal with their staff, how they process customer feedback, and how they perform overall. As you know, a top chef is not just a good cook.

3. The first day should start with a quickfire that results in the winners choosing his/her team. The winner is the leader for the first day to coordinate efforts. Each team gets a budget that must be used for decor, food, and labor. The labor includes all of the people they need to operate, except cooks or chefs, of course: waiters, dishwashers, sommelier, maitre'd, designer, bussers, etc. However, the labor budget should be tight enough so that it requires some serious management decisions regarding hiring.

4. A second quickfire later in the day gives the winning team a larger labor budget. Both teams should be responsible for conducting interviews and selecting their staff from a pool provided by the producers. Some inexperienced people could be added to see how the teams select their staff. The team then divides themselves into owner/chef, sous chef, and GM/FOH at the end of the day. This gives the entire team input to the direction they're taking before assigning specific jobs/responsibilities. Instead of judges' table after the first day, a status report could be given by each team to the 'investors'.

5. The second day includes another quickfire that can result in another budget boost, or perhaps something a bit silly like a celebrity to attend the opening that night. Each diner is given comment cards that the 'investors' collect. Tom sits in the kitchen, observing service while the judges dine in each restaurant. At judges' table, the 'investors' provide their normal feedback and ask any questions, and the comment cards are given to the teams. The 'investors' select the the most successful team, and they're given a budget boost for the following night of service. The teams reassign themselves into owner/chef, sous chef, and GM/FOH.

6. The teams make any changes each of the following two days based on their investors' feedback, customer comment cards, and their own perceptions of service. That includes changing decor, staff, or menu as they deem necessary. The second night at service and at judges' table follows the same format of the first night, followed by a shift in team responsibilities. Service on the third night is followed by the final judges' table where the final feedback is given by the investors.

7. The elimination judges' table should be held the next day so the exhaustion is given a chance to subside. The judges' decision would be based on all four days of the challenge, and will obviously be as hard on the judges as the chefs. The winning restaurant is chosen, the two weakest chefs are eliminated. Seeing this review, the deliberations and the decision-making process for the final verdict would be fascinating to watch, and could even be a full show that reviews the entire four days.

8. The final four chefs are then treated to a real night out with the judges and other chefs where they don't have to cook at all.

I think this would be very beneficial to the competition, and the final four would definitely be the cream of the crop.

regards,
Jim Dawson

posted on September 14, 2007 at 5:00 PM

Mary wrote:

Hi Lee Anne. Thanks so much for all you do to help make Top Chef a great show! I would love to have you post the recipe for Sara's tomato basil bread pudding from the catering on the yacht episode. It looked great!

posted on September 25, 2007 at 4:41 PM