Now, comfort foods are my thing. They are like giant hugs from your grandparents. They make you feel warm and safe. You know they give you comfort. So, I was intrigued by the concept of modernizing old classics.
I have to say that I am never sure about this show. I am never sure what the criteria are or how the rules fall. So, this episode was refreshing in that it was clearly about the dishes and not about whether the way it was made followed the rules of the challenge or whether or not an incomplete dish merits disqualification.
I did think it was odd that the judges took issue with the chicken a la King not being reminiscent of chicken a la king. Simply because they kept complaining about how literal the other approaches to the dishes were. Now if they took issue with its overall presentation and or flavor, I could understand.
Seriously, it looked like vomit.
Micah’s meat loaf on the other hand looked beautiful but obviously tasted horrible.
It was really surprising because meat loaf is so easy to make taste good. And it seemed a good opportunity to reinvent a very easy and tasty dish. I don’t understand her choice of ingredients. I hope the garlic mashed potatoes were at least good- but no one ever said.
Now about the chicken and dumplings:
That was a dish that I would love to try. For years I was a snob about boxed mashed potatoes. I had tried them once as a kid at a friends house and was completely grossed out by how they tasted. A few years back I tried some and was amazed by how good they tasted. So, that tells me that somewhere along the line the companies got better at making them taste like real potatoes.
Even if the potatoes were still as nasty as I remembered from childhood, the idea of using them to make a dough for dumplings just seems kind of genius to me. What better way to disguise that cardboard taste while also saving time?
I really wish his dish had won simply because he was so smart about how he came up with it.
I don’t know if I want to discuss Hung’s turning off of the oven. Well, yeah I do. It was a dick move. Because even if he was done, he knew that there were plenty of other chefs still trying to work with the equipment. And if he works in a restaurant, then he knows that the stoves and ovens aren’t turned off until the place closes up for the day.
As for the winning dish. I’m glad Howie finally caught a break because he really hasn’t been impressing me so far. His dish did look good and it was a good chance to redeem himself after the pork disaster of the cook out challenge.
I have to ask, has anyone ever actually eaten pork chops and applesauce as a dish? Like is it a midwestern thing or something? I remember it being a joke on the Brady Bunch, but I’ve never seen it served and I’ve never tried the two together. Howie’s did look mighty tasty.
I love love love apples and can see how that slaw would probably be really tasty. I’d love to try the dish and since Bravo has the recipe online, I may give it a shot. But, my question is how do you lower the cholesterol in pork chops? Is it in the cut he chose? My understanding was that the cholesterol in pork is pretty much non-negotiable.
Anyway, I am looking forward to the next challenge. And I think as long as no one gets drunk and tries to forcibly shave the head of a fellow contestant, this is going to be a great season.
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