Botched Lunch

Botched Lunch

One Top Chef goes against the grain

Andrew D'Ambrosi, described by Ted Allen as "quite Shakespearean," breaks some rules and packs his knives. In a conversation with Jane Goldman, Andrew tosses off some witty one-liners and explains the perils of peaking too soon (he was the winner on Episode 2). About Lisa's betrayal? Eh. In the end, Andrew is more diplomatic than we expect him to be.

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  • What do I think? I think it must be very difficult to constantly attempt to educate your fellow Chow readers on the finer points of pretty much everything and then be so unappreciated for it. I won't name names, so I won't be accused of 'flaming' anyone, but
    this would be 'light of the world' has posted constantly in a way that turns every post into a piece about herself that always gets called...+READ

    What do I think? I think it must be very difficult to constantly attempt to educate your fellow Chow readers on the finer points of pretty much everything and then be so unappreciated for it. I won't name names, so I won't be accused of 'flaming' anyone, but
    this would be 'light of the world' has posted constantly in a way that turns every post into a piece about herself that always gets called out for the incorrect content at which point she declares the opposite poster incapable of intelligently refuting whatever theory she's putting out there as incontrovertable and swearing allegiance to. Generally, the further outside the mainstream the better for declaring her expertise on the subject. She then invariably claims attempts are being made to draw her into an arguement which she. of course, will have no part of in her high minded wisdom. Every single time I've come across her name in the comments, on anything, it's the same scenario. I just find it so curious that someone who claims to eat pretty much nothing that's loved and discussed on this site is bothering to read and post here. Why not stay on a site that caters to vegan/raw food/judgemental/PC/gee whiz I'm smart and you're not, pains in the arse ? Oh, yeah; there aren't any. I wonder why those people don't have an interest in socializing with one another? I for one, am not sitting here smiling, I'm laughing.
    As for the rest of the Chow posters, you're fun and diverse and knowledgable and generous and interesting. , love 'ya!-COLLAPSE

  • I, for one, completely loathe this guy. The only other contestant I hate worse is Spike.

    That being said... I think it would be good to pack sushi rolls for a lunch, as long as there are more healthy snacks to have after a couple of hours. It will be better to have less filling items over a period of time.

    A hearty meal in one sitting would more than likely lead to an officer becoming drowsy....+READ

    I, for one, completely loathe this guy. The only other contestant I hate worse is Spike.

    That being said... I think it would be good to pack sushi rolls for a lunch, as long as there are more healthy snacks to have after a couple of hours. It will be better to have less filling items over a period of time.

    A hearty meal in one sitting would more than likely lead to an officer becoming drowsy. So either he ends up being less alert or just as bad - stopping by Dunkin Donuts for a coffee. Not good from a long term metabolism POV.-COLLAPSE

  • No, I'm actually not touchy. But if I were, you'd have gotten a lot more out of me than what you did! :-D Seriously though, I think your "who do you think you are" tone is really out of control and suggest that you learn some manners.

    My point above about your comments on the show is that you did actually quote, practically verbatim, what was said on the show, and I'm not sure why you're doing...+READ

    No, I'm actually not touchy. But if I were, you'd have gotten a lot more out of me than what you did! :-D Seriously though, I think your "who do you think you are" tone is really out of control and suggest that you learn some manners.

    My point above about your comments on the show is that you did actually quote, practically verbatim, what was said on the show, and I'm not sure why you're doing that. Especially without crediting the original speakers. And I see that you've done it again, here in your latest comment. We all know all of that, already.

    What I also see is that you're here trying to draw me into an argument by sarcastically sniping at me. I'm pleased to tell you that I've been online long enough to be basically flameproof. I recognize a troller when I see one, and I won't be baited. If your intent was communication and not to start a fight, you could try being a little less sarcastic.

    Have a nice day, if you can . . . I'm over here smiling!-COLLAPSE

  • The basYou're a touchy one, aren't you. Fine, then. The basis for my remarks? I can't believe you need me to spell it out. The rules were specific. He didn't use a whole grain. Ding. Also, I've eaten (and prepared) raw rolls in my time. They may be tasty, but they're not satisfying. I don't need to quote Padma or Tom or Sam, or whomever, to tell you that. I can tell you from my own experience...+READ

    The basYou're a touchy one, aren't you. Fine, then. The basis for my remarks? I can't believe you need me to spell it out. The rules were specific. He didn't use a whole grain. Ding. Also, I've eaten (and prepared) raw rolls in my time. They may be tasty, but they're not satisfying. I don't need to quote Padma or Tom or Sam, or whomever, to tell you that. I can tell you from my own experience that, if I had a plate of raw rolls at lunch, a couple hours later I'd be hitting the hot dog truck on the nearest street corner. It was a total no-brainer.

    So I'm saying that the "sushi" was flat out inappropriate. Your comments seem to be suggesting that you can school Andrew on improving those rolls to make them tastier or to really "wow 'em" (your words), and I'm saying that, no matter how tasty or pretty you make them, there's no way they meet the challenge.-COLLAPSE

  • kitchengrl,

    Interesting. Nowhere did I say Andrew's " . . . ersatz "sushi" wasn't tasty or lacked a technical "wow" factor . . . "

    And how would Andrew's knowing what he's doing in the cooking department offend me?

    I really don't understand where you're getting the basis for your remarks. Or why you would reiterate in your later remarks, almost verbatim, what was said on the show without...+READ

    kitchengrl,

    Interesting. Nowhere did I say Andrew's " . . . ersatz "sushi" wasn't tasty or lacked a technical "wow" factor . . . "

    And how would Andrew's knowing what he's doing in the cooking department offend me?

    I really don't understand where you're getting the basis for your remarks. Or why you would reiterate in your later remarks, almost verbatim, what was said on the show without crediting the original speakers.-COLLAPSE

  • BBettinaB, do you really think Andrew's problem was that his ersatz "sushi" wasn't tasty or lacked a technical "wow" factor? I mean no offense to you, but Andrew seems to know what he's doing in the cooking department. His problem was that he didn't meet the challenge. First, he directly contravened one of the rules of the challenge, which was to use a whole grain. He's out on that violation...+READ

    BBettinaB, do you really think Andrew's problem was that his ersatz "sushi" wasn't tasty or lacked a technical "wow" factor? I mean no offense to you, but Andrew seems to know what he's doing in the cooking department. His problem was that he didn't meet the challenge. First, he directly contravened one of the rules of the challenge, which was to use a whole grain. He's out on that violation alone. Second, and far more importantly, a chef needs to understand his/her audience. Trying to change the eating habits of police officers who are used to eating an unhealthy (but tasty) diet of burgers, Chicago style hot dogs, and pizza on a daily basis by abruptly offering them raw food maki rolls demonstrates a total lack of understanding of their taste and nutritional needs. They need a moderately hearty (but healthy) lunch, because they're out on the beat for hours at a time. If they're not satiated by their meal, they'll be out hunting down McDonald's in a few hours, and nothing will have changed.

    I was sad to see him go. Andrew was one of my favorites. He deserved it, though. The "sushi" meal was a travesty in the context of the challenge. In another context - creative use of vegetables, for example - it might have been fabulous.-COLLAPSE

  • Geez, I'm not proofreading enough today. Hey CHOW, how about giving us the ability to edit our own posts?

    I also meant but failed to mention that GABA rice, by its high gamma-aminobutyric acid content, is purported to promote a feeling of well being in those who eat it. If you google GABA rice you'll find many people saying that it makes them feel better. Drugs promoting GABA levels (or GABA...+READ

    Geez, I'm not proofreading enough today. Hey CHOW, how about giving us the ability to edit our own posts?

    I also meant but failed to mention that GABA rice, by its high gamma-aminobutyric acid content, is purported to promote a feeling of well being in those who eat it. If you google GABA rice you'll find many people saying that it makes them feel better. Drugs promoting GABA levels (or GABA receptivity in neuron cells) tend to have relaxing, anti-convulsive and anti-anxiety effects. These drugs can have side effects but apparently consuming GABA does not. There are also claims that GABA increases levels of HGH and thus promotes youth, but these claims are as yet unconfirmed by any studies.

    One more oops, I should have said I'd been doing the veggie rice thing since 2002. I think I need more coffee!!!-COLLAPSE

  • PS - I wasn't clear on something. When I said to keep them separate, I meant the "rice" you make from each type of veggie.

  • I was delighted to see Andrew make this dish! I've been doing it since 2004 when I first went raw and missed sushi.

    Andrew, there are a couple of ways to keep it raw and really wow 'em.

    The first way is to use various types of root vegetables, but grate them on a traditional box grater that has extremely small holes. I'd say the holes in the one I use are about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. I can...+READ

    I was delighted to see Andrew make this dish! I've been doing it since 2004 when I first went raw and missed sushi.

    Andrew, there are a couple of ways to keep it raw and really wow 'em.

    The first way is to use various types of root vegetables, but grate them on a traditional box grater that has extremely small holes. I'd say the holes in the one I use are about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. I can measure it later and add a comment to this comment. I cut up into the veggies to keep the "rice" short as grains of rice would be, or you can do a little chopping after. Keep them separate, and season with homemade sushi vinegar. They must drain! Otherwise your maki will be too wet as some veggies will weep quite a bit when seasoned with the vinegar.

    You can do some very fancy looking maki depending on how you arrange the differently colored "rice" in the roll.

    The other way, which I haven't done but will be working with soon, is to make raw GABA rice. You can eat properly prepared GABA rice without cooking it but you must do it with scrupulous cleanliness. Since it's sprouted and soft enough to eat, it's very nutritious and will work in this recipe. Simply season as per sushi rice and proceed. Now this would not have worked in the time frame of the challenge but I'm sure you will get a great deal of mileage out of this tip in the future. If it isn't sticky enough and you want to work with pinon nuts you could try making a paste of them and working that into the rice. I've got several other ideas up my sleeve! :-D

    As for what Lisa said, I think it was weak, but that people on this show are encouraged to show bad behavior in the interest of "drama". I hate this about this show (and all the Bravo competitions.) I won't even watch Work Out, because I think people are deliberately treated poorly in that one. But I don't get too worked up about it in the ones I do watch, because like I said, I think it's a strategy and that some folks have figured out that the "feistiest" competitors have an edge with the Bravo execs if not with the judges.

    Regards,

    Bettina-COLLAPSE