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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Top Chef Robbery!

(Spoiler Alert!)

If Miss Ginger thought RuPaul's Drag Race was an hour long orgasm, you can imagine what she thought of Top Chef in New Orleans!
I won't recap the show, because David Dust and Minxeats do it way better. But I will, of course, give Miss Ginger's expert opinions on the subject!

First off, Miss Ginger wants to dislike Emeril the way she dislikes Harry Connick, Jr., but she just can't. Harry is egomaniacal. Emeril is just Emeril. He's hard not to like. And I've tried. It's not like New Orleans cuisine NEEDED a spokesperson to put it on the culinary map. But I think he has done an excellent job of keeping a VERY traditional cuisine modern, and making it popular with a whole new generation of foodies.


I thought the Houmas House "twist" was interesting. All us TC fans know they shake it up at the end, and I thought the quickfire was cool. On TV, Jamie's dish looked the most interesting, but I guess it's hard for us to judge without tasting.


And now. For the big one.


I think Fabio was TOTALLY robbed tonight! Hootie Hoo to Carla, who got excited about her opportunity and cooked her heart out, even if she didn't know how to steam open an oyster. She made it work, and I could see all along that IF she could get the shells off the oysters her dishes would be a success. Jeff tried. He really did. But the Dildo Beach club needs him back. And I think he would have come in 2nd, but unfortunately he had to win to stay in.


I could also tell throughout the kitchen scenes that Ho'sRUs was going to win the gumbo portion of the challenge. He knew what the hell he was doing. So does Miss G. And pecan crusted fish is one of her favorites. Why not take a perfectly healthy protein, coat it with more fat laden protein, and then pan fry it in butter? What's not to like about that, Dr. Cardiologist?


I think Fabio got a raw deal because Emeril didn't recognize the Italian contribution to modern Creole cuisine. New Orleans was 2nd only to New York as a point of entry for thousands of Italian immigrants during the fascist regimes. (Including some of Miss G's own relatives, who came from Italy and settled in NOLA.) Ever wonder why a New Orleans accent sounds so much like a Brooklyn accent? It's that Italian influence! Anyho, crawfish pasta and crawfish fetuccine are EXTREMELY popular dishes in Louisiana restaurants and Louisiana homes. Sure, it may not be "traditional" creole cuisine but it certainly has become part of the modern vernacular. His cocktail did sound like a train wreck.


And then there was Stefan. F^&*%n Stefan, the asshat. He totally punted in this episode. He clearly has no idea what gumbo is supposed to look like or taste like! (DD: send your BF this link!) That "beignet" thing looked like a question mark with a hard-on. And you never serve a cocktail "up" in New Orleans. Ever! It is the land of iced beverages! It's frickin' hot there!


And I've figured out why I don't like him. He has no soul. At the risk of sounding like Crazy Carla, there is no spirit in his food. It's like it is cranked out in a BMW factory (German engineering at it's best.) It comes across as cold and heartless as Lapilithuania or whatever other ice-laden country he claims to hail from this week.


And that's Miss Ginger's take on that!

8 comments:

Joy said...

Yes, that is exactly how I feel about Stefan. I've tried to figure it out, and you nailed it. I wanted him to be eliminated. The last two times, he's just phoned it in and has been arrogant about it. Fabio was robbed, and Jeff would have been second, so that's sad. I kept chanting, "Not Leah, Not Leah!" and am so glad she sashayed the hell out of NOLA!

Hootie Hoo to Carla!!! I hope she wins it.

Love this post.

mrs.missalaineus said...

i watched last night's epic TWICE.

nice shot of the trinity and is that your roux????

mmmmmm...buttah



i could go on and be gabbe all day about stephan but i wont...


xxalainaxx

Beth said...

You hurt my heart a little bit, Miss G. (but I still love ya!) I love both Harry and Emeril! And if you have any bad stories about either of them, I don't wanna hear 'em! Don't burst my bubble, please!

I love Emeril because he sort of inspired me to enjoy cooking. He seemed to be having such a good time, he was adventurous with spices (at least for this Midwestern gal), and he made me want to experiment and try new things. Emeril will always have a special place in my heart.

And Harry is...well, he's just a hottie. (Don't worry, Ken knows he's my one and only. Ken, that is, not Harry.) And I do think that he brought New Orleans music a little more into the national consciousness. I know it's been around for years, but not everyone travels to New Orleans because some people think it's some kind of Sin City.

IT IS! That's what is so much fun about it! LOL But what I'm saying is that I didn't go to New Orleans for the first time until 2002, when I was 39. So maybe Harry and Emeril bring a little taste of NOLA to people who would never experience it otherwise, and that can't be a bad thing!

Hugs, Beth

Ken Riches said...

Emeril Rocks, Harry is Okay, but I am not as in to him as Beth :o)

David Dust said...

Dear Miss G -

I thought about you the whole time this episode aire. YOU are my gumbo reference point now. I was telling my roommate about your step-by-step guide.

I hope I didn't screw up any of my NOLA/Creole/Cajun references in my recap.

CLICK HERE for David Dust's Top Chef recap.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Unknown said...

see you on David's and love your comments so I thought I'd come over for a visit. Obviously I must visit more often. Hilarious take... and agree with Joy...you finally nailed the Nordic. Though I don't particularly like Fabio...well, this time I agree.
The rest of your writing is great fun too. I'll be back.
xoxoxo

Unknown said...

Wonderful job, and I have to say I have my own disdain for Mr Connick, and find Emeril a tad annoying. I was pulling for Jeff because he is just so damn pretty, and it would have been interesting to show both overconfident Euros the door.

I've enjoyed reading your blog, and will have to stop back again.

kayce. said...

oh, miss ginger... how much time i've wasted by not coming to your blog, LOL. as you may already know, i don't like emeril, but i do LOVE n'awlins food, so i hope you forgive me. i actually have a few friends from culinary school who work @ commander's palace now, and there is nothing like beignets from cafe du monde (tho there is this other place on royal street that does a damn good job, too). another good friend from culinary school is LA born & raised and she intro'd me to many amazing products like boudain (sp?) and jarred roux. :)) anywho.

loves your ceramic knife! i have always wanted to get one, but would prefer a little paring knife only b/c i am scared i would break a bigger one. (they are really brittle and not good for smashing garlic, dropping, or other rough treatment they may have to endure @ my hands, LOL.)

idk if i agree w/ you 100% on stefan. he can be a dick, but if he didn't have passion he wouldn't have done the job for... how long has he been in the industry again? i can't remember: he doesn't seem to mention it much. ;) =D anyway, it's a thankless gig, and you have to get a lot out of it personally to break your back for any amount of time, much less 20+ years. that having been said, i think he lost what fire/interest he had in the competition, as i mentioned on dd's post. idk what happened, but it had to have been somet external ~ he wasn't the same guy at all... very different energy. this was the first time, imho, that he actually WASN'T cocky... i think "flippant" would be a better word. it's like he was daring the judges to kick him off... w/ out getting all psychoanalytical on y'all, i wonder if it wasn't sort of motivated by self-defeat. i don't want him to win, but i also don't want him to go out like THAT. also, it will be interesting to see whether or not he comments david's blog this week... i keep checking back b/c i would like to hear his take on it, but he rarely comments on the shows anyway, so i doubt my curiosity will be sated.

i am officially following your blog for more of the fabulousness... let's hope i can make up for lost time! =)

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