# Top Chef Starts Tonight! 11/12/08 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2008, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337 "2008-11-12T13:42:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/1 "2008-11-12T13:42:54Z")
Title says it all- anyone else excited? ---
**Author:** ![usar\_jag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@usar\_jag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usar_jag)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/2 "2008-11-12T14:32:19Z")
I am now… I had no idea the next run would be starting so soon. Thanks for the info! ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/3 "2008-11-12T14:35:35Z")
It’s right after Rachel Maddow. What could be more perfect? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/4 "2008-11-12T14:56:20Z")
Yay! Thanks for the reminder! I had already set my DVR, but I forgot again… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/5 "2008-11-12T17:59:29Z")
Yep, I’ll be watching. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/6 "2008-11-12T19:32:46Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > It’s right after Rachel Maddow. What could be more perfect? 🙂 Having Bravo so I can watch it! Waaaaah! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/7 "2008-11-12T19:36:24Z")
In. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/8 "2008-11-13T03:30:09Z")
I don’t know how I feel about that quickfire. Yeah, the guy peeled his apples fast, but there was blood all over them?! What if he was slow and had to go to the final round? Would he have cooked bloody apples? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/9 "2008-11-13T04:38:02Z")
I amazed my kids by totally identifying the winner, the loser, and all three gay contestants during their introductions. I also called the apple chutney during the quickfire elimination. I’ve met Hosea from Boulder and have eaten at Jax many, many times. I had no idea he was going to on the show. Watch out for him. He’s a degreed engineer who became a chef. That’s an interesting career change. I haven’t been to Centro, where the other contestant from Boulder works (Melissa). ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/10 "2008-11-13T04:47:53Z")
As a former NYer who grew up in Brighton Beach I just loved this episode. They really played to one of NYC’s strengths: great ethnic food. You can get just about anything from anywhere here. I had fun imagining what I would with Greek ingredients from Astoria or really authentic Italian items or access to a Chinese market like the one you’d find on Avenue U in Brooklyn. Russian’s not that difficult either. I think they took the right tack there. You can great some of the most fabulous fish in Brighton Beach. There’s also great produce, pickled items and lots of interesting varied sausages and spices like dill. They really seemed to be pushing the notion that these are very talented chefs once it moved to the elimation challenge. I think this is going to be a very close competition. I let out a laugh when I saw Jean George as a judge. As I was watching the show I had a copy of one of his cookbooks I picked up used recently. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season. And hoping Ariane pulls it up. She’s from my part of New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/11 "2008-11-13T04:52:18Z")
Holy crap, they aired it here. We don’t get Bravo (at least not the American one) and there was no indication on Food or in the TV Guide that this was a new one… but we turned it on just to check if it was one we’d seen before. It wasn’t. Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/12 "2008-11-13T05:59:59Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I don’t know how I feel about that quickfire. Yeah, the guy peeled his apples fast, but there was blood all over them?! What if he was slow and had to go to the final round? Would he have cooked bloody apples? Everyone had towels, why the hell didn’t he wrap one around his thumb? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/13 "2008-11-13T08:29:46Z")
The chef who totally lost track of time is a dead ringer for Chase (on the tv show House). I kept expecting him to speak in an Australian accent. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/14 "2008-11-13T13:35:37Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I’ve met Hosea from Boulder and have eaten at Jax many, many times. I had no idea he was going to on the show. Watch out for him. He’s a degreed engineer who became a chef. That’s an interesting career change. I haven’t been to Centro, where the other contestant from Boulder works (Melissa). Oh cool, he’s from Jax in Boulder. We were wondering that last night, since they didn’t really say, and there’s one in Denver as well. Back when we lived in Boulder, Jax was one of the best restaurants - I have fond, fond memories of sitting at one of their porch tables, downing way too many of those luscious martinis they make. For what it’s worth, last time we were in Boulder (a year ago), Jax was hands-down our fav restaurant, coming out better than several new ones that people have been raving about, including the one opened by the former French Laundry guys that everyone was treating like it was the second coming of God himself. I haven’t eaten at the other Boulder restaurant either. But Mr. Athena took one look at that chick and said “Wow, she’s a real Boulder chick, isn’t she?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/15 "2008-11-13T13:56:35Z")
Clearly Stefan is the frontunner although he’s not proving very likable so far. Patrick was a sweetheart but definitely in over his head. I’m pulling for Gene (guy who didn’t go to culinary school and kicked ass on the Indian food), and Leah (girl who won the Italian food). ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/16 "2008-11-13T14:34:41Z")
I was amused that the two friends from the same culinary school were the first two eliminated. The viewing party at that school must have been a little awkward. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/17 "2008-11-13T16:11:48Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I amazed my kids by totally identifying the winner, the loser, and all three gay contestants during their introductions. Patrick was pretty easy to guess, but I was surprised by the taller gay guy with the beard. Pleasantly so, because he is _hot_. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/18 "2008-11-13T16:26:46Z")
Can someone recap the quickfire, I forgot about this and didn’t start the DVR until about half an hour late. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/19 "2008-11-13T16:41:42Z")
The quickfire started with an apple-peeling competition. The first nine contestants to finish peeling 15 apples were safe. The remaining eight contestants had to brunoise the apples as fast and as cleanly as possible. The first four to finish were safe. The remaining four contestants had to cook a dish with apples in 20 minutes or less. Two contestants (Patrick and Lauren) made salads and both were on the chopping block. Lauren was eliminated. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337/20 "2008-11-13T18:23:13Z")
> [@HelloNinja](#): > > I was amused that the two friends from the same culinary school were the first two eliminated. The viewing party at that school must have been a little awkward. Eh, I doubt the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) is crying. All of the previous Top Chefs except Stephanie were CIA graduates, and there are still four alumni in the running to win this season. There aren’t too many options if you’re really serious about going to a major culinary school. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-starts-tonight-11-12-08/472337.md?page=2)