3502 replies to this topic

[missmez]

I have authentic Top Chef poop, my lovelies. I was loft hunting in downtown LA last weekend and the leasing agent at one of the buildings I went to told me that Top Chef rented their Penthouses and had started decorating them last Friday. So S2 will take place in downtown Los Angeles. This ought to be interesting; the gentrification of the downtown area is far from complete. You can have art galleries on one block and people openly smoking crack on the next.

Incidentally, I didn't take a loft in that building, but in one two blocks away, so I may have further reports.

Edited by missmez, Jul 12, 2006 @ 7:09 PM.

[desdamonab]

Cool. I was hoping they would move around where they filmed. Different local ingredient options, different food culture. I'm not sure how different SF and LA are foodwise, but I'm also not from California.

[DCCrackMonkee]

Hmm. I'd be happier to see NYC or to see it stay in SF, but LA is an easy choice, production-wise. I lived in LA for six months, and ate at a bunch of fab spots, but I'm less than thrilled at the locale. Having LA as the hub for "Hell's Kitchen" has been less than spectacular. Hope they prove me wrong.

[loser]

I have to write that I sort of hoped they would move production to the east coast, maybe have Harold and LeeAnne be guest judges for one of the challenges...

[Meg20]

Harold is going to be involved in at least one episode (the first, IIRC.) Lee Anne, when I last talked to her, had not been asked but was hoping to not be asked because it could stall some other things she's working on. (I don't know what she's got going on, but I do know that FCI has a lot of new stuff happening, so she's likely extremely busy there.)

Edited by Meg20, Jul 14, 2006 @ 1:24 AM.

[sweet potato]

Harold is going to be involved in at least one episode (the first, IIRC.) Lee Anne, when I last talked to her, had not been asked but was hoping to not be asked because it could stall some other things she's working on. (I don't know what she's got going on, but I do know that FCI has a lot of new stuff happening, so she's likely extremely busy there.)

I thought the producers would bring Harold back to be a guest judge on one episode of Top Chef this coming season.
They did the same thing with Jay from PR. He came back last season as a guest judge.

[sweet potato]

DP

Edited by sweet potato, Jul 14, 2006 @ 6:46 AM.

[porkchop1]

Meg,

Beyond the cookoff at Veggie U tomr, Lee Anne will be in Chicago July 28 at the Chopping Block cooking a dinner involving goose liver?? which is soon due to be banned. The dinner is sold out.

[sweet potato]

Here is a link to the Chopping Block event.
http://www.thechoppi...et/index_b.html

Edited by sweet potato, Jul 18, 2006 @ 11:02 AM.

[DunkinBroad]

The topic of banned foie gras caught my eye, so I researched...never gave a thought to it's producktion (bada-BOOM! thank you!)


Foie Gras debate

[Karoline]

LA sounds okay, but I was hoping for NY/East Coast too.

[hetshup]

They probably can't move to the East Coast because of Tom C. LA or SF are a half-hour plane ride from Vegas. So, if need be he can hop a plane and head there. Of course, I have no idea where his other resaurants are located. Maybe the producer of top chef and Project Runway hate each other....

[biakbiak]

Tom is based out of NYC.

[QubeGirl]

I'm disappointed they won't be in SF again this season. I would have liked to see more local SF chefs featured as guest judges.

[deNatalie08]

Hey guys - I have never posted here before, but my sister called me this weekend to let me know that Top Chef will be filming an installment for next season at the restaurant where she works (in Santa Barbara). She is super excited and promised to tell me all about it, so if anyone is interested, I can keep you posted. They are filming tonight.

Here is the restaurant.

[desdamonab]

Definitely interested! Thanks for posting.

[safranal moeity]

Hey deNatalie08, thanks for the info! Definitely keep us posted if it's cool with you and you have tidbits to share!

[deNatalie08]

Never mind, I guess I needed to remove it. Watch in January!

Edited by deNatalie08, Aug 17, 2006 @ 3:53 PM.

[Elphaba]

deNatalie08, fantastic spoilage! We'll be able to get a lot out of that when the show starts airing. Thank you.

(Your sister won't get in trouble for this, will she?)

[safranal moeity]

Thanks so much for sharing that! I'm glad it was a fun experience for your sister; hope she gets a cameo in the episode.

It certainly seems as if production is taking longer for this upcoming season. I was under the impression that everything was taped over a course of 28 days, excluding the Las Vegas finale, for the first season.

[Triteia]

deNatalie08 could you maybe repost that information, without identifying your sister so there are no repercussions, but more of us have a chance to read it?

[Souris]

I've seen the first episode.

I'm happy to report that the new host is indeed less robotic. Then again, it would be hard not to be.

Harold is the guest judge.

The first quick-fire challenge requires them to flambee. The first elimination challenge involves combining five very disparate ingredients -- they break into two groups and critique each other's dishes, much as last time.

Ilan looks so much like a young Ted Allen that it weirded me out the entire episode.

From the ep and previews, Marcel seems like he's going to be a combination of Stephen and Ken -- pretentious and argumentative. How pretentious is he? He says that his specialty is -- let me see if I remember this correctly -- "avant garde chemical gastronomy."

Greetings made only by chefs (and possibly serial killer): "Hi! Wanna see my knives?"

Oh, and we have a chef injury in the first ep!

Edited by Souris, Sep 25, 2006 @ 5:11 PM.

[biakbiak]

Cool Souris. Were their any obvious changes to the format? I guess it might be difficult to tell on the first ep with them needing to introduce so many people.

Was Tom still a dick?

[Nutjob]

Yay Harold as guest judge!

From the ep and previews, Marcel seems like he's going to be a combination of Stephen and Ken -- pretentious and argumentative. How pretentious is he? He says that his specialty is -- let me see if I remember this correctly -- "avant garde chemical gastronomy."

I predict that I will want to strangle him by the midpoint of the episode. Gah.

[Souris]

No obvious changes to the format.

As for Tom, still the same. He tells the chefs that he is not there to be their mentor or friend -- he's a judge.

[Isca]

He tells the chefs that he is not there to be their mentor or friend -- he's a judge.

Is he staying the hell out of the kitchen then? I should hope so.

[DjLexxy]

He says that his specialty is -- let me see if I remember this correctly -- "avant garde chemical gastronomy."

That is the most obnoxious statement I have ever seen in print. Haha I think it was someone on here that said that this guy will be trying to "Out-Stephen" Stephen on the show.

[Nutjob]

He says that his specialty is -- let me see if I remember this correctly -- "avant garde chemical gastronomy."

That is the most obnoxious statement I have ever seen in print. Haha I think it was someone on here that said that this guy will be trying to "Out-Stephen" Stephen on the show.

And with that statement, he is already well on his way. Bleah.

[safranal moeity]

How pretentious is he? He says that his specialty is -- let me see if I remember this correctly -- "avant garde chemical gastronomy."

I don't really find this pretentious or obnoxious -- molecular gastronomy is a sort of branch discipline of food science somewhat recently pioneered by a French scientist. According to his bio, he apparently studied molecular gastronomy at culinary school (CIA). It's probably what he was referring to in one of the promos where he mentions being called a 'mad scientist' in the kitchen (molecular gastronomy is science applied to cooking -- like making ice cream with liquid nitrogen).

I don't doubt that the guy may end up to be pretentious, but I think he was just referring to the type of cooking discipline he's had. Throwing in the avant garde was probably a bit much -- molecular gastronomy is itself defined as 'experimental' cooking methods.

[LizDC]

Video Preview of Episode 2 (a/k/a The First Ten Minutes of the Show)

Edited by LizDC, Oct 24, 2006 @ 2:50 PM.