Food TV Shows/Cooking Shows/Food Critics/Chefs (Foreign & Local)

Brownman · February 24, 2009

Didn't get to watch the show... but here's something I saw while surfin

http://criticafterdark.blogspot.com/2009/0...t-pig-ever.html

Nice read....

I always thought that Cebu lechon is the best having tasted varieties from Hawaii, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.

Anaheim · February 24, 2009

Augusto was a disappointment, Anthony Bourdain was the moral supporter and mood uplifter of Augusto.

Hats off to Ivan Man Dy, the Filipino-Chinese dude who toured Mr. Bourdain in Binondo

Hats off to Claude Tayag, the Kapampangan dude who toured Mr. Bourdain in Pampanga

Hats off to Joel (aka Market Manila) who gave Mr. Bourdain the 'best pig...ever'

Mr. Bourdain ranked the Philippines as having the best roasted pig in the world. Bali, Indonesia came second place while Puerto Rico came third (see Hierarchy of Pork in Bourdain's blog in Travel Channel website)

Here are the videos

No Reservations : Philippines Part 1 of 5

No Reservations : Philippines Part 2 of 5

No Reservations : Philippines Part 3 of 5

No Reservations : Philippines Part 4 of 5

No Reservations : Philippines Part 5 of 5

Edited February 24, 2009 by Anaheim

ice_man5210 · February 24, 2009

i was a bit shocked when the woman beside Claude immediately replied "pampanga first, philippines second" to Chef Bourdains question. Claude was obviously thinking of a more politically correct reply.

Anaheim · February 24, 2009

We are 'just too damn nice' as uttered by Mr. Bourdain. By that, he's suggesting that we Filipinos should be more aggressive enough to push Filipino dishes and make it into a high profile so that the whole world would elevate our culinary dishes to new heights (and with respect!). The problem is, we are too damn nice really and always contented whatever comes our way, very reminiscent of the so-called 'bahala na' (let it be) attitude

Mr. Bourdain: "there is a flavor spectrum going on here that is different in anywhere else I've been"

"very New World"

Mr. Bourdain used the word 'Magical' TWICE in this Philippines episode

That would be the greatest compliment ever given to Philippine cuisines specially from a celebrity chef like Anthony Bourdain

Edited February 24, 2009 by Anaheim

Anaheim · February 24, 2009

i was a bit shocked when the woman beside Claude immediately replied "pampanga first, philippines second" to Chef Bourdains question. Claude was obviously thinking of a more politically correct reply.

She's Mary Anne, Claude Tayag's wife. Actually it was Clude Tayag's statement.

Claude Tayag's statement is just a kapampangan pride, every region has some pride, i for one has pride for all cuisines in the NCR region, my wife who is visayan prides all visayan dishes. I guess it should be viewed as a compliment to the Philippines as a whole.

gift_of_game · February 24, 2009

i was a bit shocked when the woman beside Claude immediately replied "pampanga first, philippines second" to Chef Bourdains question. Claude was obviously thinking of a more politically correct reply.

Tayag and his wife won't be the first ones to say it nor will they be the last.

Regionalism and clan affinity still hold sway, ganun lang talaga.

Edited February 24, 2009 by gift_of_game

mnlbay45 · February 28, 2009

Watched the show... Feel bad for Augusto. Di nya alam ang masarap!

Cebu lechon is the Best. Pinapadala pa yan sa airlines para lang i serve sa Manila.

Nice read....
I always thought that Cebu lechon is the best having tasted varieties from Hawaii, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.

mat#lab · March 10, 2009

the first part of the episode was quite good, but it was all down hill when he got in the plane to cebu, it only picked up

again when the lechon cebu scene came up. it was kinda painful to see bourdain's soft side. the augusto angle wasnt

really working and was just a waste of time. this guy wasnt really "representin". they could have flown to cebu and

grabbed any guy on the street to show them around and it would have been a far much better show. i think they dropped

the ball when they got augusto to tag along. i mean, heres a guy who wasnt even born in the phil., was only there once

for a week, and he had this "crisis" of not knowing what his roots are. i understand their angle of having augusto touch

bases with his "roots" but he obviously was lost in an environment he didnt know anything about. what made things worst

was he didnt know what the hell he was doing there. it was so obvious that he wasnt really close with his cebuano family

to begin with. HE WASNT THE ENTHUSIASTIC GUY HE SEEMED TO PORTRAY WHEN HE INVITED BOURDAIN TO COME TO

THE PHIL, A COUNTRY HE CLAIMS TO KNOW...LAKAS NG LOOB NIYANG SABIHIN NA HE WOULD TOUR BOURDAIN

AROUND. IN MY OPINION, BOURDAIN AND THE PRODUCERS WERE SHORT CHANGED BY THIS CONFUSED YOUNG MAN.

so to augusto, DUDE, LET ME MAKE THINGS EASIER FOR YOU. YOU AINT FILIPINO, YOU WERE BORN IN THE STATES, YOU

LIVE IN NEW YORK...YOURE AMERICAN...SO PLEASE LEAVE OUR 3RD WORLD COUNTRY ASS ALONE.

I ALSO FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT BOURDAIN WOULD HAVE VISITED THE PHIL. EVEN WITHOUT THE AUGUSTO ANGLE.

sa dami ng filipino fans nya, it was just a matter of time. just hope he would come back...that would be a distant

possibility though, but if they do come back...LEAVE AUGUSTO BEHIND...HE HIM BUY HIS OWN PLANE TICKET IF HE

WANTS TO TAG ALONG. by the way , he looks kinda creepy...

WELL said my friend...that augusto is a joke,,felt bad for anthony...hehe

denimhead · March 10, 2009

saw the new Vietnam episode last night ... that was a very good one .... no wonder tony is looking for a place over there

Brownman · April 6, 2009

Tony loves Vietnam!

RkD · July 13, 2009

Ah, Tony Bourdain -- he's the man. I learned a lot from him. No doubt I am one of his fans (loved the episode where he went to Iceland). I wish I could write as good as him (and go to the French Laundry restaurant and get free food)

asmodeus · August 9, 2010

Copied from Wikipedia:

Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants eliminated in each episode. The show is produced by Magical Elves Productions, the same company that created Project Runway.

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Basic format

Each episode of Top Chef, save for the finale, has had two challenges.

In the Quickfire Challenge, each chef is asked to cook a dish with certain requirements (for example, using specific ingredients or to inspire a certain taste) or participate in a culinary-related challenge (for example, a mise en place relay or a taste test). They are usually given an hour or less to complete these tasks. A guest judge selects one or more chefs as the best in the challenge. Early in the season the winning chef(s) are granted immunity from the following Elimination Challenge. As the number of contestants dwindle no one receives immunity and instead the winner gets another "reward" (such as being team captain for a team challenge).

In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs have to prepare one or more dishes to meet the challenge requirements. Many of these are individual challenges and may require several courses, although some instances require teams to complete the challenge. Teams may be selected by the remaining contestants among themselves, but more often are selected by the random process of "drawing knives" from a butcher's block, with the team identification revealed on the blade of the knife. The chefs may have from a few hours to a few days to complete this challenge. Ingredients for Elimination Challenges are generally limited to what is present in the "Top Chef" pantry and what the chefs purchase at a food store, with a possibly limited budget. However, certain challenges may provide specific ingredients or limit the type or number of ingredients that can be used, while others require non-traditional methods of obtaining ingredients (such as asking people door-to-door). After shopping, the contestants will cook for four judges, usually including at least one guest judge. In most cases, the contestants cook for the four judges and a group of guests or customers (for example, the cowboys in Colorado). The judges and the guests sample the food and rate the individuals or teams.

After the Elimination Challenge ends, the chefs are taken to Judges' Table, where the four judges consider the guests' comments and deliberate on the best and worst dishes. The top individuals or teams are called in, and may be asked questions of their meals before they are notified of their placement. One individual is named the winner of the challenge and may be awarded an additional prize by the guest judge. Then, the bottom individuals or teams are brought to the judges, and similar discussion of their courses is played out. From this group, one chef or team is determined to be the worst, and then the host asks one chef to "pack [their] knives and go." This is usually followed by a knife packing sequence for the eliminated chef, and a clip of his or her exit video, to close out the episode. According to the credits, some elimination decisions (e.g., Cliff Crooks's disqualification in Season 2) are made in consultation with the show's producers.

The show continues in this format for 10–13 episodes, until the Finale.

Midway through each season, the contestants participate in a "Restaurant Wars" (or similarly named) Elimination Challenge. They are split into two teams, created by the winner of the previous Quickfire Challenge, or by "drawing knives". In these teams, the chefs must transform an empty space into a restaurant within a set time limit and budget, selecting and creating the name, theme, decor, and menu. According to Dale Levitski, a Season Three finalist, this is one of the contestants' most anticipated challenges. Season Four had not only "Restaurant Wars", but also "Wedding Wars".

In the final challenge, the two (or three) remaining chefs prepare a multiple course dinner with the help of other chefs. These other chefs could be previously eliminated chefs or celebrity chefs (for example, Rocco DiSpirito). The winning chef is selected based on several factors including food quality, their ability to lead their selected chefs, and general performance during the show. There is no Quickfire Challenge in this episode.

asmodeus · August 9, 2010

I have been a fan of the reality cooking competition TOP CHEF since I saw some clips from Season 3 on cable TV. (Channel 29 for Destiny)

Since then, I have been able to download (via torrents) all episodes from Seasons 3 up to season 6. I am currently downloading Season 7 (episodes 1 to 8) which I believe has just started airing in the US 8 weeks ago. Our local cable has just finished airing the finale of Season 6 a few weeks back.