I was pleased to get an e-mail from OpenTable.com today, announcing the upcoming Summer Restaurant Week here in Baltimore. The winter version was announced too late and hosted elsewhere, to somewhat sloppy disadvantage. Perhaps that was because some participants were not Open Table members.
This year's info:
"Enjoy special three-course, prix-fixe dinners at some of the city's best restaurants. Specified restaurants also feature three-course lunches.
"Duration: July 30 – August 5, 2007
Pricing: $30.07 dinners and $20.07 lunches at select restaurants; prices are per person and do not include beverage, tax or gratuity"
Participating Restaurants
Aldo's
Dinner only
Excludes Saturday and Sunday
Babalu Grill
Dinner only
Black Olive
Lunch and dinner
Blue Sea Grill
Dinner only
Brass Elephant
Dinner only
Corks
Dinner only
Della Notte
Lunch and dinner
Germano's Trattoria
Lunch and dinner
Gertrude's
Dinner only
Grille 700 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
Lunch and dinner
La Tasca
Lunch and dinner
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood
Lunch and dinner
Oceanaire Seafood Room
Dinner only
Pazo
Dinner only
Pazza Luna
Lunch and dinner
Petit Louis Bistro
Lunch and dinner
Phillips - Harborplace
Lunch and dinner
Red Maple
Lunch and dinner
Roy's
Dinner only
Rusty Scupper
Lunch and dinner
Excludes Saturday and Sunday
Ruth's Chris Steak House - Baltimore
Dinner only
Ruth's Chris Steak House - Pier 5
Dinner only
Shula's Steak House
Dinner only
Sotto Sopra
Dinner only
Taste Restaurant
Dinner only
The Prime Rib
Dinner only
Excludes Saturday and Sunday
Timothy Dean Bistro
Dinner only
VIN
Dinner only
Xanadu Restaurant
Lunch and dinner
So many high-end joints! I'm looking forward to the menu postings, and will pass that info on here, once I have it. I'd like to try VIN, Timothy Dean, Oceanaire, or one of the Big Steaks Management joints (Babalu Grill, Blue Sea Grill, Ruth's Chris). How about you?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Service? What's That?
Last night I went out to dinner with my friend Stacey and her friend Alex. Friday night at 7pm is a bad time for dining out in Baltimore if one doesn't have a reservation, but we gave it a shot. Alex wanted seafood, mentioning crab cakes in particular, so I did a quick Google search to see where they might be found in the northern Baltimore County area. I knew Ocean Pride would be packed, and they were. We definitely didn't want to wait 45 minutes, so headed further up York Road. I had never been to Michael's Café, but read that they had crabcakes, so we gave it a go. Unfortunately for us, they could accomodate us right away. At least, we got to sit down. Actual accomodation was a long time in coming.
Right away, our waitress came up to recite a list of specials in her bizarrely nasal Minnie Mouse with strep throat voice. She took Alex's drink order for an iced tea and left. A minute or so later, she brought the tea, and a small plate of butter, and then disappeared for a bit. Which was fine. Since one of us is constantly talking, I needed the extra time to grab a minute here and there to actually concentrate on the menu. Bread eventually came, but Minnie Mouse disappeared fast without taking our order. After what seemed like an eternity, she returned and we requested the seared Ahi tuna, calamari, and crab/shrimp dip appetizers. Alex and I ordered crab cakes for our entrees, and Stacey decided on scallops. And because some of us really needed a drink, I selected a bottle of Ravenswood Zinfandel, very nicely priced at $25.
Alex's side salad came first, a decent-enough looking mix of greens and other salad veggies, with dressing on the side. Unfortunately, it looked as if the dressing cup had come off of someone else's plate - it was barely half-full. Alex wanted extra dressing, so needed the waitress. When she arrived with our wine (presenting it to Stacey, even though I was the one who ordered it), her response to the request for extra dressing was, "no." Considering we had been sitting in the restaurant for about 45 minutes already and had only gotten one salad, some rolls, and now wine, I didn't think Minnie had any right to attempt humor. She did bring the dressing with the appetizers, which we fell upon with vigor.
The ahi tuna was quite nice, albeit outrageously priced at $12. (One can get a more generous portion of even o-toro for less at a reputable sushi restaurant.) Seven long thin slices of tuna, raw in the middle and crusted with peppercorns and sesame seeds, lay atop mesclun greens dressed in a nice soy vinaigrette, with small dollops of wasabi sauce and a Thousand Island-looking aioli at the compass points. The tuna was delicious, as were the greens, and a larger portion of both would have made a nice dinner in itself. The menu claims that the calamari is "hand breaded," but I believe those hands worked for a frozen seafood plant somewhere far away. The adequate portion of squid, both rings and tentacles, were unexceptional, the bland breading tasting of nothing, and the accompanying marinara was merely something red and wet in which to dip the seafood. As for the crab and shrimp dip, I was hard-pressed to find any actual seafood in the pink-colored cream cheese goo, but it was tasty enough slathered on the crisp slices of garlic bread that came with it.
Surprisingly, the entrees came not long after the dinner plates were cleared. At least the kitchen's timing was good, if not the waitress'. Each of us got two vegetables with our protein, but somehow my green beans ended up on Alex's plate. Minnie Mouse went to fetch some for me and actually did arrive before I was finished eating. My single crab cake was full of lump crab, with very little binder, but it was overall fairly bland and needed more seasoning of some sort. The side of tartar sauce tasted weird, and I didn't bother with the cocktail sauce, since I don't think it goes with crabcakes. The potato, baked in foil, was predictably arid, but the beans, once they arrived, were cooked perfectly crisp and bright green; slicked with a touch of fat of some sort, all they needed was a bit of salt to bring out their flavor. Stacey's scallops came in a ghost-white creamy wine sauce, but the generous portion was well-cooked and flavorful. Her side of beets came from a can. Alex did not comment on the quality of her entree, but I did notice her request for mayonnaise (presumably for her fries) was never fufilled.
Minnie Mouse's appearances at our table were sporadic, and she never seemed to be around when we needed her. For instance, when our appetizers arrived, she still had not brought Stacy a place setting or napkin. After her fork ended up with the dirty appetizer dishes, she was not given a replacement with which to eat her entree until she managed to flag someone down. When pouring my wine, Minnie slopped it all over the base of my glass, and I was afraid to lift it lest I dribble on my shirt. She offered to bring a napkin to clean it, but that took 10 minutes. By the end of the meal, we were completely exasperated and opted to find dessert elsewhere. It was close to 9:30 p.m. when we left the restaurant, and I noticed the table next to ours was turned over twice while we were there. Oddly enough, they had the same waitress.
Although parts of the meal were enjoyable, I can't say I plan to return to Michael's Café. It's a standard, run-of-the-mill Maryland seafood restaurant, somewhat dingy, with mostly unexceptional food and poor service. We were seated within sniffing distance of the restrooms (which are badly located behind a short partition and which open directly into the dining room) and practically on top of a service station with various piles of whatnot on it but not useful things like napkins and silverware. Some attention to detail was evident in the meal: the green beans; the nice crisp dinner rolls; the perfectly cooked tuna. But other signs suggested the kitchen was on auto-pilot: the half-full salad dressing; the canned beets; the dull calamari. I can't blame the fact that it was prime time on a Friday night - the place was full but not busy, there was no line to get in, and the pace overall seemed to be quite leisurely. Nobody looked harried, distraught, or overworked.
Michael's is a place that has its regulars, and indeed I knew one gentleman who confessed to eating there every weekend, at the bar. That's well and good for them, if they like what they get. They can have it.
Michael's Cafe Raw Bar & Grill
2119 York Rd
Timonium, MD 21093
(410) 252-2022
Right away, our waitress came up to recite a list of specials in her bizarrely nasal Minnie Mouse with strep throat voice. She took Alex's drink order for an iced tea and left. A minute or so later, she brought the tea, and a small plate of butter, and then disappeared for a bit. Which was fine. Since one of us is constantly talking, I needed the extra time to grab a minute here and there to actually concentrate on the menu. Bread eventually came, but Minnie Mouse disappeared fast without taking our order. After what seemed like an eternity, she returned and we requested the seared Ahi tuna, calamari, and crab/shrimp dip appetizers. Alex and I ordered crab cakes for our entrees, and Stacey decided on scallops. And because some of us really needed a drink, I selected a bottle of Ravenswood Zinfandel, very nicely priced at $25.
Alex's side salad came first, a decent-enough looking mix of greens and other salad veggies, with dressing on the side. Unfortunately, it looked as if the dressing cup had come off of someone else's plate - it was barely half-full. Alex wanted extra dressing, so needed the waitress. When she arrived with our wine (presenting it to Stacey, even though I was the one who ordered it), her response to the request for extra dressing was, "no." Considering we had been sitting in the restaurant for about 45 minutes already and had only gotten one salad, some rolls, and now wine, I didn't think Minnie had any right to attempt humor. She did bring the dressing with the appetizers, which we fell upon with vigor.
The ahi tuna was quite nice, albeit outrageously priced at $12. (One can get a more generous portion of even o-toro for less at a reputable sushi restaurant.) Seven long thin slices of tuna, raw in the middle and crusted with peppercorns and sesame seeds, lay atop mesclun greens dressed in a nice soy vinaigrette, with small dollops of wasabi sauce and a Thousand Island-looking aioli at the compass points. The tuna was delicious, as were the greens, and a larger portion of both would have made a nice dinner in itself. The menu claims that the calamari is "hand breaded," but I believe those hands worked for a frozen seafood plant somewhere far away. The adequate portion of squid, both rings and tentacles, were unexceptional, the bland breading tasting of nothing, and the accompanying marinara was merely something red and wet in which to dip the seafood. As for the crab and shrimp dip, I was hard-pressed to find any actual seafood in the pink-colored cream cheese goo, but it was tasty enough slathered on the crisp slices of garlic bread that came with it.
Surprisingly, the entrees came not long after the dinner plates were cleared. At least the kitchen's timing was good, if not the waitress'. Each of us got two vegetables with our protein, but somehow my green beans ended up on Alex's plate. Minnie Mouse went to fetch some for me and actually did arrive before I was finished eating. My single crab cake was full of lump crab, with very little binder, but it was overall fairly bland and needed more seasoning of some sort. The side of tartar sauce tasted weird, and I didn't bother with the cocktail sauce, since I don't think it goes with crabcakes. The potato, baked in foil, was predictably arid, but the beans, once they arrived, were cooked perfectly crisp and bright green; slicked with a touch of fat of some sort, all they needed was a bit of salt to bring out their flavor. Stacey's scallops came in a ghost-white creamy wine sauce, but the generous portion was well-cooked and flavorful. Her side of beets came from a can. Alex did not comment on the quality of her entree, but I did notice her request for mayonnaise (presumably for her fries) was never fufilled.
Minnie Mouse's appearances at our table were sporadic, and she never seemed to be around when we needed her. For instance, when our appetizers arrived, she still had not brought Stacy a place setting or napkin. After her fork ended up with the dirty appetizer dishes, she was not given a replacement with which to eat her entree until she managed to flag someone down. When pouring my wine, Minnie slopped it all over the base of my glass, and I was afraid to lift it lest I dribble on my shirt. She offered to bring a napkin to clean it, but that took 10 minutes. By the end of the meal, we were completely exasperated and opted to find dessert elsewhere. It was close to 9:30 p.m. when we left the restaurant, and I noticed the table next to ours was turned over twice while we were there. Oddly enough, they had the same waitress.
Although parts of the meal were enjoyable, I can't say I plan to return to Michael's Café. It's a standard, run-of-the-mill Maryland seafood restaurant, somewhat dingy, with mostly unexceptional food and poor service. We were seated within sniffing distance of the restrooms (which are badly located behind a short partition and which open directly into the dining room) and practically on top of a service station with various piles of whatnot on it but not useful things like napkins and silverware. Some attention to detail was evident in the meal: the green beans; the nice crisp dinner rolls; the perfectly cooked tuna. But other signs suggested the kitchen was on auto-pilot: the half-full salad dressing; the canned beets; the dull calamari. I can't blame the fact that it was prime time on a Friday night - the place was full but not busy, there was no line to get in, and the pace overall seemed to be quite leisurely. Nobody looked harried, distraught, or overworked.
Michael's is a place that has its regulars, and indeed I knew one gentleman who confessed to eating there every weekend, at the bar. That's well and good for them, if they like what they get. They can have it.
Michael's Cafe Raw Bar & Grill
2119 York Rd
Timonium, MD 21093
(410) 252-2022
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Another Father's Day Feast
Last year's grillin' and chillin' chez Dad was so successful, we did it again this year. It sure beats deciding on a place to eat. In my family, that goes a little like this:
"So where do you want to go for Father's Day, Dad?"
"Oh, I don't know. Let me think about it for a few days and get back to you."
A few days later:
"Dad, have you decided where you want to go?"
"Oh, I haven't had time to think about it. What do you think?"
It always comes back to me. I always get to make the food decisions. It would be fine if I picked a restaurant and then everyone agreed, but I have to keep in mind that my brother is always on the Atkins diet, and while Dad enjoys ethnic cuisine, it's not always his first choice. My brother prefers to eat dinner later, whereas Neal and I are pretty conditioned to eating early. If I suggest dinner before 7 there are grumbles, and if I suggest we eat later, there are other grumbles. And if I'm going to put my hard-earned money down on food, especially for an occasion, I refuse to eat the fodder of the masses at a chain restaurant like Outhouse Steakback or Dead Lobster, so that cuts out more than half the restaurants in Maryland.
Eating at home is easier.
I made slightly less food this time - just one package of baby backs (three racks). Instead of the marinated flank steak, we went to Ceriello's and bought a nice big dry-aged sirloin steak that I schmeared with three cloves of smashed garlic and a little soy. Their Italian sausage looked good, so we tried the version with garlic and sundried tomatoes. Neal and I collaborated on an Asian pesto noodle salad, using great handfuls of basil and two little jalapenos from our garden.
Our token vegetable was corn on the cob. It's hard to find anything but white corn in Maryland. Someone has convinced the general public that corn should taste of sugar and nothing else. Personally, I prefer it to taste of corn, so I like yellow corn better. We found some corn with mixed yellow and white kernels, but it was still fairly insipid. Everything else was amazing though. The steak, cooked perfectly medium and allowed to rest for a nice long time, was flavorful, slightly garlicky, and like buttah. I used my usual Alton Brown baby backs technique, so they were predictably fabulous, and the new Smith and Wollensky bbq sauce we tried gave them a nice tangy edge. (It's a bit like a marriage of regular sweet bbq sauce and Heinz 57.) The pesto salad, made with spinach soba and garnished with chopped green onions, was a festival of green color and allium flavors.
Dessert was homemade coconut cream pie. I got the recipe from an episode of America's Test Kitchen. It was supposed to be more coconutty, because there was coconut milk in the custard. Neal doesn't like grated coconut, comparing it to plastic shavings, so I thought this would be a good recipe to try. Those of us who like plastic shavings could always pile it on our individual slices as garnish.
Despite the 5 egg yolks, the pastry cream seemed a bit thin to me. The pie wasn't runny, but the filling was loose enough to make slice removal difficult (despite nearly 24 hours of refrigeration). The coconut flavor was there, but it was not impressive. The original recipe calls for shredded coconut in the filling as well, so that may help. In addition, the crust was crumbly, and a tad too sweet.
We served it with Reddi Whip, since I was too lazy to make whipped cream from scratch and felt it would collapse before we got a chance to eat it, and a nice handful of shredded coconut (except for Neal). Because Dad loves pina coladas, I put slices of fresh pineapple on the plates as well. A shame I didn't get a pic....
Coconut Cream Pie, adapted from America's Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated
Crust
6 ounces animal crackers
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Filling
14 ounces coconut milk (1 can)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3/8 teaspoon table salt
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. In food processor, pulse animal crackers, coconut, and sugar to fine crumbs, eighteen to twenty 1-second pulses; then process until powdery, about 5 seconds. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl and add butter; stir to combine until crumbs are evenly moistened. Empty crumbs into 9-inch glass pie plate; using bottom of ramekin or 1/2 cup dry measuring cup, press crumbs evenly into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake until fragrant and medium brown, about 15 minutes, rotating pie shell halfway through baking time. Set on wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
2. For the filling: Bring coconut milk, whole milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolves. Following illustrations 1 through 6, whisk yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle about 1 cup hot milk mixture over yolk mixture; whisk well to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add remaining milk mixture to yolk mixture in 3 or 4 additions; whisk well to combine. Return mixture to saucepan and cook until thickened and mixture reaches boil, whisking constantly, about 1 minute; filling must boil in order to fully thicken. (To determine whether filling has reached boil, stop whisking; large bubbles should quickly burst on surface.) Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla until butter is fully incorporated. Pour hot filling into cooled pie shell and smooth surface with rubber spatula; press plastic wrap directly against surface of filling and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
"So where do you want to go for Father's Day, Dad?"
"Oh, I don't know. Let me think about it for a few days and get back to you."
A few days later:
"Dad, have you decided where you want to go?"
"Oh, I haven't had time to think about it. What do you think?"
It always comes back to me. I always get to make the food decisions. It would be fine if I picked a restaurant and then everyone agreed, but I have to keep in mind that my brother is always on the Atkins diet, and while Dad enjoys ethnic cuisine, it's not always his first choice. My brother prefers to eat dinner later, whereas Neal and I are pretty conditioned to eating early. If I suggest dinner before 7 there are grumbles, and if I suggest we eat later, there are other grumbles. And if I'm going to put my hard-earned money down on food, especially for an occasion, I refuse to eat the fodder of the masses at a chain restaurant like Outhouse Steakback or Dead Lobster, so that cuts out more than half the restaurants in Maryland.
Eating at home is easier.
I made slightly less food this time - just one package of baby backs (three racks). Instead of the marinated flank steak, we went to Ceriello's and bought a nice big dry-aged sirloin steak that I schmeared with three cloves of smashed garlic and a little soy. Their Italian sausage looked good, so we tried the version with garlic and sundried tomatoes. Neal and I collaborated on an Asian pesto noodle salad, using great handfuls of basil and two little jalapenos from our garden.
Our token vegetable was corn on the cob. It's hard to find anything but white corn in Maryland. Someone has convinced the general public that corn should taste of sugar and nothing else. Personally, I prefer it to taste of corn, so I like yellow corn better. We found some corn with mixed yellow and white kernels, but it was still fairly insipid. Everything else was amazing though. The steak, cooked perfectly medium and allowed to rest for a nice long time, was flavorful, slightly garlicky, and like buttah. I used my usual Alton Brown baby backs technique, so they were predictably fabulous, and the new Smith and Wollensky bbq sauce we tried gave them a nice tangy edge. (It's a bit like a marriage of regular sweet bbq sauce and Heinz 57.) The pesto salad, made with spinach soba and garnished with chopped green onions, was a festival of green color and allium flavors.
Dessert was homemade coconut cream pie. I got the recipe from an episode of America's Test Kitchen. It was supposed to be more coconutty, because there was coconut milk in the custard. Neal doesn't like grated coconut, comparing it to plastic shavings, so I thought this would be a good recipe to try. Those of us who like plastic shavings could always pile it on our individual slices as garnish.
Despite the 5 egg yolks, the pastry cream seemed a bit thin to me. The pie wasn't runny, but the filling was loose enough to make slice removal difficult (despite nearly 24 hours of refrigeration). The coconut flavor was there, but it was not impressive. The original recipe calls for shredded coconut in the filling as well, so that may help. In addition, the crust was crumbly, and a tad too sweet.
We served it with Reddi Whip, since I was too lazy to make whipped cream from scratch and felt it would collapse before we got a chance to eat it, and a nice handful of shredded coconut (except for Neal). Because Dad loves pina coladas, I put slices of fresh pineapple on the plates as well. A shame I didn't get a pic....
Coconut Cream Pie, adapted from America's Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated
Crust
6 ounces animal crackers
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Filling
14 ounces coconut milk (1 can)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3/8 teaspoon table salt
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. In food processor, pulse animal crackers, coconut, and sugar to fine crumbs, eighteen to twenty 1-second pulses; then process until powdery, about 5 seconds. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl and add butter; stir to combine until crumbs are evenly moistened. Empty crumbs into 9-inch glass pie plate; using bottom of ramekin or 1/2 cup dry measuring cup, press crumbs evenly into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake until fragrant and medium brown, about 15 minutes, rotating pie shell halfway through baking time. Set on wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
2. For the filling: Bring coconut milk, whole milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolves. Following illustrations 1 through 6, whisk yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle about 1 cup hot milk mixture over yolk mixture; whisk well to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add remaining milk mixture to yolk mixture in 3 or 4 additions; whisk well to combine. Return mixture to saucepan and cook until thickened and mixture reaches boil, whisking constantly, about 1 minute; filling must boil in order to fully thicken. (To determine whether filling has reached boil, stop whisking; large bubbles should quickly burst on surface.) Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla until butter is fully incorporated. Pour hot filling into cooled pie shell and smooth surface with rubber spatula; press plastic wrap directly against surface of filling and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Blogging Top Chef
The third season of Bravo's Top Chef started off with a supersize episode (translation: more commercials) introducing fifteen new cheftestants and ultimately eliminating one. It almost seems that this season's gang may have more culinary chops than their counterparts from the first two seasons. But first impressions can be wrong.
Hung is a friend of Marcel from Season 2. That makes him the talented asshole. Not that he's the only asshole in the cast: Joey Paulino is a fat-ass, loud-mouth Noo Yawk Eye-Talian, who probably uses "f*ckin'" as an adjective in most sentences; one of those people who is the reason stereotypes exist. In the previews for next week's ep, he's doing some macho posturing with Howie (who got Bourdain's respect by quoting from one of his own books). Save the Sopranos act for the famiglia, Joey, and try to concentrate on cooking.
I didn't get a feel for any of the female contestants, although I think Sandee looks like a chicken. Are fauxhawks in style or something? They look like something a redneck 8-year-old would wear.
Once again we get Tom Colicchio's "I am not a mentor" speech. Yeah, we know. You're not Tim Gunn. But you're only half as annoying as Rene Fris. And yay for guest judge Tony Bourdain! How lucky is winner Tre that Tony wants to take him out and get him drunk in the future? And how unlucky is loser Clay? Poor dude - I knew he was doomed from the get-go. But someone had to pack their knives and go.
Both challenges this week were interesting, but I thought two hours was pitifully short for working with not one exotic protein but two. I hope the rest of the season will continue to strive to be interesting rather than merely concentrating on the histrionics of the contestants.
My big question is: where's this season's laconic hunk? No Harold, and no Sam. Poop.
Hung is a friend of Marcel from Season 2. That makes him the talented asshole. Not that he's the only asshole in the cast: Joey Paulino is a fat-ass, loud-mouth Noo Yawk Eye-Talian, who probably uses "f*ckin'" as an adjective in most sentences; one of those people who is the reason stereotypes exist. In the previews for next week's ep, he's doing some macho posturing with Howie (who got Bourdain's respect by quoting from one of his own books). Save the Sopranos act for the famiglia, Joey, and try to concentrate on cooking.
I didn't get a feel for any of the female contestants, although I think Sandee looks like a chicken. Are fauxhawks in style or something? They look like something a redneck 8-year-old would wear.
Once again we get Tom Colicchio's "I am not a mentor" speech. Yeah, we know. You're not Tim Gunn. But you're only half as annoying as Rene Fris. And yay for guest judge Tony Bourdain! How lucky is winner Tre that Tony wants to take him out and get him drunk in the future? And how unlucky is loser Clay? Poor dude - I knew he was doomed from the get-go. But someone had to pack their knives and go.
Both challenges this week were interesting, but I thought two hours was pitifully short for working with not one exotic protein but two. I hope the rest of the season will continue to strive to be interesting rather than merely concentrating on the histrionics of the contestants.
My big question is: where's this season's laconic hunk? No Harold, and no Sam. Poop.
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