LurkerDan's Profile
Around the World in 80 Plates [Split from Top Chef thread]
Just watched it last night. As everyone else here has said, meh. Too much drama, not enough cooking. And judges who don't judge? But I do think there is a lot of talent on the show. I hope that the future challenges are more interesting, and they pay less attention to the conniving people. Unlikely.
Food Network Star
While you're right, "What most RTV stars get is brief celebrity and fame, followed by the sound of no one caring," that's not less than what most aspiring actors get. The analogy to aspiring actors is apt; they take bit parts and hope for a solid career, if not stardom. Virtually all of these aspiring reality stars hope for the same thing, they want a career on Food TV or TV, period. They see Guy, Carla Hall, etc, and can see that if they do well and get lucky, they may parlay these opportunities into bigger opportunities.
That the networks exploit this desire is obvious, but it's exploitation that the contestants willingly accept as they chase the brass ring.
Food en route from Denver to Vegas
Heard good things about the Pullman in Glenwood: http://www.thepullmangws.com/ but never eaten there.
St. George is kind of a culinary wasteland (or was last time I was there, 3 years ago), mostly chain restaurants. There was a decent thai place there, I don't recall the name (but a search will probably come up with it, can't imagine too many thai places there ;-).
Chopped All-Stars Finale (5/6/2012) [SPOILERS]
First, even if Anne had it in for Symon, which I don't believe, he was Chopped because at least one of the other judges agreed with her.
Second, yes, they sometimes don't chop someone for leaving an ingredient out, if someone else's food was bad. But as much as I dislike Penny, it has always been fairly obvious that she is a very good cook. Yes, her dish wasn't flawless, not even close. And yes, had Symon put the ingredients on the plate, she would have been eliminated. But the conclusion to draw from him being chopped isn't that Burrell had it out for him, it's that Penny's dish, while flawed, was not so flawed as to lead to her getting chopped when another competitor left off one of the mandatory ingredients.
The real bummer about the whole thing was that once Symon got chopped, all the suspense was gone. Marcus was not going to lose to either of them.
Japanese Restaurants in Denver
I have never been to Domo, but hear good things, if you know what to expect. It's a traditional japanese restaurant, not a sushi restaurant. Sushi Den and Domo couldn't be more different and still both be the same cuisine.
For sushi, hard to go wrong with Sushi Den; Sushi Sasa is another one I hear recommended frequently.
Izakaya Den (owned by the sushi den folks) is another option.
One Dinner in Denver, Aurora, or Boulder
can't go wrong with any of them, though I have never eaten at Fruition.
Great food near Coors Field
Anything in Larimer Square is a short walk, which opens up lots of choices like Rioja, Osteria Marco, Euclid Hall, etc.
NEW TO DENVER AREA - NEED UPSCALE REC
I don't think you'll find an overwhelmingly unanimous recommendation. For classically fancy/expensive, another Boulder option might be the Flagstaff House; Colterra in Niwot might be a good choice too. While I like Salt and the Kitchen, I don't think they're in the same league from a "special dinner" POV.
In Denver, I love Rioja, and have heard great things about Fruition. I ate at Mizuna once and was not blown away, but it was just once. Restaurant Kevin Taylor will also give you the "fancy expensive restaurant, special dinner" vibe.
Tortas
The best one I have had is at the food truck in Leadville, across from the Safeway. Seriously delicious, abundant fillings, and cheap.
Restaurant Impossible: So Would You Eat There?
I too remember that episode, and my first statement in this thread was an exaggeration, there have been a few places featured that didn't appear awful, just struggling because of poor business decisions.
Restaurant Impossible: So Would You Eat There?
Of course they're not worth eating at! If they sucked horribly, how is 48 hours going to change that enough to make them Chow worthy?
Boulder - Picnic food to take to Rocky Mountain National Park
Dish opens at 9am, I love them but if you need to go before that...
Cured doesn't open till 10:30 on weekdays. I haven't spent time in Cured, my wallet won't let me ;-), so can't comment on monopod's suggestion.
Another option would be Breadworks on Broadway by Ideal Market, they open at 7am, and may be better than Whole Foods and Alfalfas (but maybe not, I have had some good sandwiches there in the past, but haven't been in quite some time and don't think I have had any other "picnic food").
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
Just because she knew who they were talking about doesn't mean it happened. They may not have said his name yet on air, but that doesn't mean that she hadn't been told by someone, sometime, about it.
Boulder, CO
It certainly does depend on what one means by casual. As someone who pretty much can't afford to go to Frasca ever, a meal there would be as far from casual as you can get in this town, for me. But I can totally see where you're coming from, because casual has an element of "I am comfortable here, and can be comfortable here regularly", which makes Frasca fit that definition for you, but not for me (or, apparently, monopod).
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
TC had a casting call here in Denver not too long ago, it was all over the foodie news here.
Top Chef Texas -- Reunion
It's also possible that she said "F" without the "U" as Emeril approached her. Ie, it wasn't directed at him at all, but she knew and understood that it might have been perceived that way. I just can't imagine she would say that to him.
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
The "deliberate provocation" is discussed in the article linked above, and surely that is what moto is referring to. The chefs are deliberately provoked to say "bad things" about the others, to create drama.
Top Chef Texas -- Reunion
"Heather is a very black of white person, not much shades of gray are tolerated in her world. I have known and worked with those people, it is rarely pleasant, especially if you try to convince them to look at the world differently."
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This would also explain why she has had employees working for her for so long (assuming she isn't lying ;-). Black and white people can actually be great bosses if you're not the type to try and rock the boat. You know where you stand with them, you know what they expect of you, and if you live by their rules they are happy with you. The worst bosses I have had are the ones whose expectations change from day to day, thus making it hard to keep them happy.
Best Pad Thai in Boulder
Thanks for the recommendation. Just tried Thai Avenue and never would have without your review. I did take out and didn't eat it for an hour or so, which I know isn't ideal. Still, even with it sitting around for a while, it had good flavor, good portion size, and was cheap! Less than $18 for Pad Thai, Green Curry, and crab cheese wontons.
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
"Plus, the whole video is so shallow and telling that it honestly appears that they chose to include him only as an object of derision, not based upon any chefly accomplishments. Another mark against the producers, IMO, this season."
Regardless of the reason he was originally included, he certainly was included last night as the ultimate boobie prize. 2 big prizes (the masters), some other prizes (the other chefs you know), some not so good prizes (the chefs who never made it to the show) and him. And yes, that could be a mark against the producers, though I kinda thought it made for good TV. :shrug:
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
Hah! I was just going to mention that I was picturing Kathy Bates!
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
Not only did he not throw him under the bus, he threw himself under the bus. He took responsibility, saying (not to the judges, in the confessional maybe) "I can't be upset with Keith because I trained him".
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
I know that Malibu has it wrapped up, but really, Grayson deserves fan favorite. I love her.
Participants on Food Media and News: Your Input Please
That's probably true. Still, nobody learns anything when it all happens without a word.
Participants on Food Media and News: Your Input Please
First, thank you for seeking community input, it is appreciated.
Second, I have found some of the TC discussion problematic. A lot of it is unproductive thread crapping, with people not discussing the show, the episode or providing valid criticism, but instead posting torrents of "this show sucks now, I don't even watch it, I only read this thread" which gets very tiresome. I don't mind criticisms at all, I enjoy the show but don't love everything, but too many posts just bash with nothing that makes for interesting discussion. I also agree that too many of the posts about contestants are vitriolic and unpleasant.
That said, I don't know how to moderate any of this, it is a very fine line that I am not sure you can draw. However, one problem with the moderation is that posts are simply removed, with no explanation, and thus nobody learns when a line has been crossed. I have had a number removed, to the point where I was beginning to wonder if I had a CH stalker who was reporting all my posts. And I still have no idea why (I was emailed only once about a post being removed), and because I don't remember every post I have made and what I said, I learned nothing about how to avoid post removals in the future. Maybe instead of simply removing posts, moderators can edit them with a message saying that it is inappropriate and no posts should be made in response, or something like that?
In other words, the issue is not simply moderating, but also educating posters on that moderation. Most people here are intelligent and civil and will conform to the boundaries that you establish, if they come to understand those boundaries. Moderation without explanation on a very difficult subject just won't get you there, I think.
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
Hugh was a great judge and blogger, right up there with Bourdain for me, which surely means he will disappear next season.
Emeril was pretty meh for me, he certainly wasn't offensive or annoying as a judge, and he certainly has the credibility, but he didn't bring any value either.
Top Chef Texas Finale Part 2 - Ep. #17 - 02/29/12 (Spoilers)
Funny thing is, they didn't bring everyone back so you know the elves brought Tyler back hoping against hope that someone would pick him!
he may be a good cook, but he's got a long way to go to become a real chef.
Boulder CO - Breakfast Sandwiches?
Now you've done it, billp is going to blame you when his burrito isn't very good.
Ben and Jerry's Taste the Lin-Sanity
Pretty much everywhere I've lived, your run of the mill Chinese restaurants offer fortune cookies. It's hard for me to imagine someone arguing that they are not ubiquitous. Of course, this is the internet.
