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Allietex
Member
08-16-2002
| Friday, February 06, 2009 - 1:01 pm
I still think it all comes down to the dish. It does not matter who is generally the best cook or who has the best or worst attitude. It comes down to who did the best THAT night on THAT dish. I think all the other stuff is just window dressing to make the show more interesting and is only used in cans of a tiebreaker. From what the judges said, and what Jamie herself said later in the interview, her dish was worse than Leah's. Therefore she went home.
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Allietex
Member
08-16-2002
| Friday, February 06, 2009 - 1:05 pm
They can't show someone saying something they did not say, but they can not show others saying something just as bad, so he looks like he is worse than the others. Or they can only show the bad things a person says and none of the good.
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Vacanick
Member
07-12-2004
| Friday, February 06, 2009 - 1:16 pm
And it seems this year, more than I've seen in the past, the judges truly like and respect these contestants/chefs. Padma always says something nice to the chef after she has asked them to pack up their knives. Is it me or is this new?? I love Stefan. Love him. But agree its about the food not the personality.
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Nerovh
Member
06-12-2005
| Friday, February 06, 2009 - 2:31 pm
Stefan is growing on me. I have started to notice his sense of humor more, and I like it. Not sure I like HIM so much yet, but I'm starting to think maybe he has a good side to go along with his arrogance. I've noticed Padma's extra kindness to the contestants recently also and I wondered if it was in part to mitigate that new judge's nastiness. I'm not too sure Padma likes his nasty atitude. I think the judges have always tried to be more constructive in their criticism, and this guy just hurls flat-out insults. You know, maybe that nasty judge is just making Stefan look better by comparison lol.
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Lexie_girl
Member
07-30-2004
| Friday, February 06, 2009 - 3:06 pm
As I stated above, Stefan is growing on me (but Carla is still my favorite). Nerohv, you are correct in that it seems his sense of humor is starting to come through, or maybe they are just now showing us what has always been there. I don't recall, but has anyone said anything really negative about Stefan personally?
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Friday, February 06, 2009 - 3:14 pm
In reading the blogs, they all say Eric Ripert is as nice as he seems; Jamie and Stefan are still friends - and Jamie herself said her dish was horrible while Leah's was edible if not a dead-on copy.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Friday, February 06, 2009 - 4:43 pm
Eric Ripert IS as nice as he seems. Nicer, if possible.
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Chy
Member
07-19-2003
| Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 9:48 am
Sorry if every one has moved on, I'm still stuck on how Jamie lost. I tried to find her recipe to see how she prepared the "braised celery", not there. I always thought they have every cheftestants' recipes there on Bravo site. Not so. Only the winners of the round get them posted. Okay, that makes sense. Jamie lost on more than celery alone, her fish was not right as well. But if her celery was not bitterly salty, ... The point is, I wanted to have some braised celery myself since my DD went back to school and there's a lot of the two bunches celery she put on my grocery list left still ... I looked around and noticed how, in all the recipes I read, none mentioned "Peeling off some of the veins of the celery stalks first". That's a trick my Nainai taught me. ((She used to eat absolutely no meat three days a month, only the days she promised buddha, LOL! But when she did, it's a whole new set of cook wear and utensils that never touched meat before!)) I remember Jamie saying how the celery are not cooked down, not done enough. So she ended up reducing it too much, to the point of no return. She might have messed up the "Boring" fish when she was too worried about the celery as well. Too bad for Jamie! I still can't figure out how Leah never had Miso mixed with any thing. The butter is so out there, as Eric said there was no fat in that Miso at all!
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Chy
Member
07-19-2003
| Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 10:18 am
Aha! I didn't look at the right place. At Food Net Work site, Alton Brown offers a recipe that opens with: Peel any of the fibrous outer stalks of celery with a vegetable peeler and slice into 1-inch pieces on the bias. I just cut the celery gently and feels the rough veins to peel along. Don't try to peel every one. you could over do it, remember fiber's good for us. Plus the celery is not much minus ALL the fibers. BTW, I ended up having braised celery with pork slices, have it with steamed mong beans+wheat berries+ barley and a bit peanuts and white rice. The sauce over the starch is wonderful. Except I sauteed them with peanut+calona oil and seasoned with reconstituted shitake mushrooms plus a bit of soy and sesame oil. Ginger and brown sugar was in the light soy marination of pork.
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Tntitanfan
Member
08-03-2001
| Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 1:42 pm
Goodness - old rubber shoe sole would taste good prepared like that, Chy!
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 4:40 pm
It's only the outer stalks that get peeled, not every stalk. So maybe five stalks max.
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Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 6:02 pm
Reading here makes me realize how simply I eat. I don't know what half of the ingredients mentioned are and I'd probably be afraid to try "something" in a fancy restuarant since I wouldn't know what I'd be getting. The last time I did that was in San Francisco and I had no idea what sweat breads were - I thought they'd be more like pork... and well, I was sort of surprised at how chewy they were. That and when I got back to work all the guys were telling me I ate testicles. Blech! Then we got out the dictionary and found out it was the thymus gland (and I've read other glands.) The guys had the most fun teasing me though. LOL I'd definitely want to go with some kind of tasting menu so I could find something I might like than to pick something and be really disappointed.
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Tntitanfan
Member
08-03-2001
| Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 6:22 pm
In this part of the country testicles are know as "mountain oysters." Just so ya know -
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 6:31 pm
Watching, the trick is to have everyone order something different. So you can then have your own "tastings" at the table. And never hesitate to ask. Even if everyone at the table is rolling on the floor, ask the wait staff what something is if you don't know. Often, they are just as glad to explain something.
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Chy
Member
07-19-2003
| Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 7:12 pm
Watching, my problem is that I can't get all the ingredients here all the way tucked in around this seven-valleys in NY! I'm just so happy that my kids started to want something other than red sauce(What their Italian grand parents feed them all the time.) One is dating a Vietnamese kid, so we are experimenting that as well .... But when I went to school in NY City, I did have a wonderful memory of trying out different cheese like Costa said. It was a hole in the wall on BWY near Lincoln Center. I'd walk by it at least twice a day to & from school. One day I just went in and was amazed at all the various cheeses to choose from! The attendant was very kind, he helped me figure out how I could try every thing. I will taste no more than three slivers each time over the counter and pick one to have for lunch that day. I told him my budget also, for 2 or less dollars, he gave me cheese, pickle and two slices of bread he thinks would go well. My choice not to have lunch meat or mayo. The only lunch meat I used to like was Tongue. I didn't end up eating cheese every day and I moved to the East side after that year. But it did help me understand that, cheese is not just "stinky like dirty feet" or "tasteless like soap" as my Nainai(grandma) and many older relatives used to tell me.
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Allietex
Member
08-16-2002
| Monday, February 09, 2009 - 1:27 pm
I visited relatives in New York last fall and they took me to a Vietnamese resturant. I had never had it before, but I loved it. I also loved the tiny little cups of tea they served with it.
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Hermione69
Member
07-24-2002
| Monday, February 09, 2009 - 2:25 pm
I finally caught up. I watched 4 episodes yesterday to do so, lol. I was so sad that Jamie left, but I definitely think Stefan is most worthy at this point of "Top Chef." There can be a fine line between arrogance and self-confidence and, heaven knows, he crosses it often, but I think he is extremely talented and I don't think he would be as difficult to work for as others think he would be. He also shows an ability to laugh at himself which, to me, makes up for a lot of cockiness. I did think Carla should have won the last challenge, though.
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Lexie_girl
Member
07-30-2004
| Monday, February 09, 2009 - 2:31 pm
Hermione, that's what we were discussing upthread. My take on Stefan is he is not as much of a tool as he appears to be on TV. He knows he's a good chef, and he seems to have a sense of humor. I think it just gets all twisted up.
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Thorandtara
Member
09-15-2008
| Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 8:02 pm
Nobody is watching this?
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Thorandtara
Member
09-15-2008
| Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 8:04 pm
Fabio broke his finger and is still in the running for winning!
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Sadiesmom
Member
03-13-2002
| Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 8:14 pm
finally, Bye,bye, Leah. On the othr hand, who asks for eggs Benedict as their last meal?
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Vacanick
Member
07-12-2004
| Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 8:28 pm
Hoseh, Leah and Stephan in bottom 3. Leah is finally gone!! Carla and Fabio - top two. Fabio won challenge with his roast chicken and potatoes. Loved Carla's turtle comparison! 
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 8:39 pm
I like Stefan. Hope he wins it all. Carla is a crack-up and I am glad to see her come so far. Hosea I think is next to go. I still love Fabio, despite his cockiness.
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Nerovh
Member
06-12-2005
| Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 8:58 pm
Well, I finally have to say it. Anybody who thinks to make green eggs and ham wins my heart. I am officially a Carla fan now. I would root for Carla in a box, I would root for Carla with a fox. I would root for Carla on a train, I would root for Carla in the rain.
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Bluejaxrock
Member
04-23-2004
| Wednesday, February 11, 2009 - 9:39 pm
lol, Nerovh. Her green eggs and ham looked a lot better than the ones I used to make my kids. And on St. Patrick's day, green milk!
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