Padma Lakshmi -

by BS

Top Chef 6: There Will Be Blood

It almost feels like it hasn’t been long enough without our Padma and Tom, right? Well this fall’s season of Top Chef starts early, premiering this Wednesday at an earlier time — 9pm ET. Judging by the preview above, it seems TC will stick with the formula that works this season: drama, fauxhawks, and a little bit of blood.

As always, ES will be chatting with the Top Chef-testants as they fall off the chopping block. Check this space Thursday for our interview with the first eliminated chef.

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by BS

Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

– ESers don’t have much confidence in Padma Lakshmi’s sitcom hopes. harleytexas:

What a great show it will be, she’s such a talent and shines on Top Chef, it’s a sure-fire hit. Wow, what a load of shit I just wrote. No talent, not interesting and grating on the nerves…wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

C. Christy Concrete makes a fair point:

Whatever it is, it’s doomed to failure if her cleavage remains deeper than any potential story plots or character developments.

I’d say that’s debatable.

– miked is all for cereal with your beer:

I think you could pour a nice chocolate stout over a bowl of cocoa krispies. young’s for instance. also old rasputin is thick enough too. you could also brew a chocolate stout with cocoa krispies… at least the added sugars would be fermentable. itd probably impart some chocolate flavor. god knows what effect all the chemicals and additives would have on it tho.

While Jens points us towards some actual cereal-beer-instructions.

– And Hakuna Fritatta wins both best blog name and comment of the week for their thought’s on Rachael Ray’s risotto:

by BS

Breaking! Padma Lakshmi to Star in Food-Centric Sitcom

Big news! Variety is reporting that Top Chef host/ES mascot Padma Lakshmi is going to be flexing her funny bone in an upcoming half-hour sitcom currently in development at NBC:

Building on her “Top Chef” credentials, the show will star Lakshmi as a woman working in the culinary world. (One possible title being mulled: “Single Serving.”)

Variety notes that Padma wouldn’t be the first cheflebrity to try turning basic cable fame into sitcom stardom. But she would be the first to succeed…

Despite the popularity of food-centric TV, attempts to translate it into sitcom form have been mixed. Fox’s “Kitchen Confidential,” based on Anthony Bourdain’s book, was critically acclaimed but short-lived. And NBC’s move to turn Emeril Lagasse into a comedy star fell flat.

What do you think, ESers? Does Padma have the comedy chops to break the chef-com curse? And will you tune in to watch Single Serving, Padma and the City, the Padma Chronicles, or whatever they end up calling it? And what time should we start live-blogging?

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by BS

Top Chef Vegas: First Look at the Fauxhawks

Top Chef returns to Bravo August 26, when he sixth season takes up residence in Las Vegas, chosen for Padma’s excitement about showgirl costumes the rapidly developing local restaurant scene. Inexplicably, Toby Young will return for a second go as everyone’s least favorite judge, while the guest judges will range from the standards (Daniel Boulud) to the Vegas-y (Penn and Teller), the exciting (Nigella) and the even more exciting (Natalie Portman).

But more importantly, which chef-testant is most likely to skyrocket to instant culinary superstardom Spike Mendelsohn-level ubiquity? Here’s our snap judgment of this season’s chef-tenders, ranked by — what else — the audacity of their fauxhawks:

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by BS

Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

– Top Chef Masters has ya’ll missing Padma more than you might have thought. Summer:

I’m liking Kelly Choi less and less with every episode. The way she delivers her lines is grating… she emphasizes the end of every sentence to give the impression that what she is saying is SO IMPORTANT! and yet she never seems to have a valid comment to make about the food. She has none of Padma’s elegance.

– Everyone wants in on Britannia’s English Breakfast on a Bun creation. Although Lucy makes a fair point:

It’s not an English breakfast without HP and a cup of tea! Other than that it’s perfect.

– And finally, congrats to gansie on her second-place finish in the zucchini-garama masala foodie fight. Don’t miss battle #7: Pineapple and Basil. Mmmm!

PS – bonus comments of the week points to anyone who can explain what the eff is going on in the Kelly Choi pic above.

in Breakfast / Sandwich / TV 9 comments

by Bliz

Top Chef Masters: Episode 4

Left to Right: Mark Peel, Anita Lo, Douglas Rodriguez, John Besh

After a brief hiatus for the holiday, Top Chef Masters has returned, and I’d love to say I’m excited about that fact. I’d love to say that, I really, really would, but Ludo taught me something last episode: I like the d-bags. And by “like,” I mean love to hate, curse their name and feel better about myself as a human being in general because of their existence on a reality show. I wanted to love the civil, the calm, the professional, but that just isn’t the case. Top Chef Masters is no Top Chef.. but I’m still going to tune in every week.

I never really bought into the claims that without Padma and Coliccho the show wouldn’t be as good either, but Tom’s appearance on last night’s episode proved me wrong. Only walking on set for a meager 30 seconds, Tom brought an insight and context to what was going in the challenge that I had yet to see on the Masters spinoff so far this season.

“I can tell right off the bat, [The Masters] understand something the normal Top Chef contestants never do,” he quipped. “These guys know you don’t get bogged down in the challenge… because through cooking you can pretty much tell any story.” And there the chefs were, walking around cool as cucumbers. Fuck you Tom, I love you. Padma, I’d take you over a dozen Chois any day.

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by BS

The Last Word on the Last Supper

Thanks to everyone who entered The Endless Simmer/Top Chef Last Supper contest. I’m sure you’ve all been tossing and turning at night waiting for the results, and that time has finally come. Drum roll, please…

Our third place winner will soon be getting his quickfire and elimination challenge dishes judged by Pamda and Tom avatars, because he’s the proud owner of Top Chef the Video Game. Congrats to Peter Justason. Here’s his last supper lineup:

Start with a classic cocktail – Manhattan with Crown Royal Rye, sweet Vermouth and a maraschino cherry. For the appetizer course – a Seafood Combo -Shrimp Cocktail, Smoked Salmon and Bacon-wrapped Scallops paired with chilled Sauvignon Blanc. For the salad, the classic Caesar paired with a buttery Chardonnay. The main course has to be a Peter Lugar Porterhouse with Twice-Baked Potato and Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce paired with cool Cabernet Sauvignon. For the cheese course I would go with an aged Stilton Cheese with grapes, almonds and crackers paired with an aged Port. To finish, a light Lemon soufflé & Brut Champaign.

You had me at Manhattan.

In second place, and winner of Top Chef the Cookbook, is Justin:

I’m from Maine, so the meal is obvious, but delicious. Steamers with melted butter on the side to start. Twin steamed lobsters as the main course – keep it simple, none of that stuffing junk that dumbs it down by removing too much meat and replacing it with filler. No having the meat removed either, doing it yourself is an essential part of the experience. Two side dishes to round it out – corn on the cob and my mother’s homemade potato salad. To drink, a summer ale and a glass of French chardonnay. Why choose at your last meal?

top-chef-knife

But the winner, and recipient of an awesome Top Chef knife set that I’m actually quite jealous of, is Steve CTMQ:

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