This is what I think ultimately led to her demise too - not a misrepresentation of the what type of cake it was. They often say, if it tastes good, then it doesnât matter (and we know there has been inconsistencies with that philosophy). As someone who is not a big dessert and cake fan, I donât like dense cakes at all. But then to hear that it had a sauce to drench it, that was a hard pass for me. Give me 500 of Massimoâs blueberry dessert though.
Hereâs the Stephanie Wu perspective
I guess the meal portions shouldnât be surprising . . .otherwise Tom and Gail would be rolling into the final episodes. Though I think we all know a Kristen . . . people who can eat forever and never seem to gain an ounce.
Rewatching Season 11 Restaurant wars, when Sara gets dissed for not explaining dishes (other than hers). Duh!
But what about this kneeling by the table?
Well received, at least by Tom
I think at least this time, their criticism of Massimoâs kneeling was that it was too casual for the vibe of the restaurant, which was otherwise meant to be more formal than, say, the other teamâs. Also, the judges are just not that consistent over many years/seasons (and that was 11 seasons ago.
Well yesâŚI am watching season 11 because I started re-watching and couldnât bare to watch seasons 9 and 10.
Tasting menus tend to be smaller portions anyway, and for a 3 course meal (with tasting size), Iâd imagine itâs feasible to do both without feeling the bulge. But I do have the Kristenâ like appetite, though none of the Kristen superpower to hide it in her tall, lanky frame.
I personally donât find kneeling to be casual or not - I think it depends on context and the height of the tables and chairs (and the server), the noise level. Iâm short, so Iâve had a few occasions when servers felt they had to kneel down to get my order, and this wasnât at noisy casual places. If I have a super tall waiter, coupled with my really short height, bending down a lot or having me look up may feel more awkward. For Massimo though, I do think that was part of his Massimo schtick, so that could have just come across as more an attempt to flatter and grab attention.
Given their usual budget (Restaurant Wars, or not), I am actually surprised at the size of the portions that each judge (and diners, if there are other diners) get.
Itâs usually a tweener between an amuse-bouche and appetizer. An âamusetizerâ?
Great descriptor. I think Iâll steal it.
Spoiler alert!
Elimination results! Who went home?
(Also includes What were the two challenges on Top Chef season 22, episode 9?
LCK was quite a ride this week. I really expected Katianna to continue her roll, but Cesar was definitely one who showed a lot of potential early on in the main show.
Yaaaas!
This is exactly one of those challenges that drive me nuts. Trying to fit in a sponsor and promo with a challenge that really has nothing to do with cooking, and in fact is so poorly worded because of trying to tie it into the movies that most contestants (and audience) might not even understand what the expectation is. Itâs as if I came in with the phrase âpicture frameâ and said your challenge is to interpret what the heck youâre supposed to cook that might make a lick of sense with those words. Go!
I actually enjoyed last chance kitchen more than the show. The shoehorning the challenge with the ridiculous commercial tie in into their finished product was clunky and crass. Come on TopChef.
This is just typical for TC, going way back. Multiple times, theyâve had a movie tie-in, and thereâs always some gimmick to the challenge. Or with many other sponsoring products (see Finish and the QF challenge based on dirty plates from earlier this season).
Oh I know but that whole deal with creating an âillusionâ was lame. Do they need the money these sponsorships bring in that badly? Weâve got commercials interspersed every 10-15 minutes.
The losing dish looked and sounded absolutely horrible to me.
I didnât mind the elimination round but I tried to ifnotpre the tie in. And when they had to walk the edge of that building I was ready to turn it off. It reminded me of the stupid challenges om TC Texas.
I feel like the frozen tartare shouldâve been the losing dish.
