Has her wardrobe improved?

Great season

I always thought she had great style. Anyway she had on some leather short skirt type thing with black boots during the Fast and Furious challenge, and holy hell she looked freaking amazing. Not sure I could even concentrate on cooking with her standing there looking like that.

Agree excellent season, really liking the addition of the international chefs and the London setting. I'm really impressed with Buddha, guy never seems to make anything that doesn't look amazing.

i second pretty much all of this.

The boots were great, but the strapless leather bustier with all the zippers in the opening for Restaurant Wars?

Holy crap, I almost swallowed my tongue.

Good season. I am really happy to see the changes to Restaurant Wars.

Yeah. Padma has such a great presence. She is confident without arrogance.

Anyone watching "Ciao House"?

Terrible. The Food Network seems intent on trying to make Alex G into a bigger presence. Unfortunately, the FN producers are trying to play up snarkiness (specifically on Ciao House) and it comes across as just being an AH from her delivery.

Alex has certainly grown on me in the years since she was a grumpy judge on Chopped. I remember one of the first times I saw her, she unloaded on one of the contestants for daring to disagree with her. Something along the lines of: "I'm the judge here and you're just the contestant. You get to listen to me."

When you have to tell someone that you're in charge, you really aren't. I like her much more now, but she doesn't have the charisma to carry the role of FN Rock Star. Gonna have to wait for Hunter or Thumper to grow up and take the reigns from Guy.

Wife watches that Ciao House show so I've seen a bit of it. Yeah it's bad. If anything it highlights how good Top Chef is. Not easy to make a bunch of people cooking food interesting or dramatic but Top Chef pulls it off. Agree on the host lady - never heard of her before but she's annoying. Tom and Padma blow both of those hosts out of the water.

Also that show has no monetary prize as far as I could tell - the grand prize is "a chance to work with top Italian chefs" or something. They never even clearly articulate the prize. Seems cheap.

I actually think it's not Alex's charisma that's the problem. I find her charming and funny, if more understated than Guy Fieri. But the format of this Ciao House is just dreadful--where every competition is a team one and the losing team gets to pick who to cut and both of the team captains come from the winning team--guaranteeing that one of them will lose the next week?

Between strategic eliminations of strong competitors (there's been at least two) plus setting the most promising chefs up to battle head to head the next week, it's a formula for mediocrity.

Also it's like some of these guys have never planned a dinner party before. A main course of steak after an appetizer of steak? For lunch on a hot day in Italy? What the actual eff?

i've always appreciated the way she just wears the scar like another zipper.

time and age have apparently missed her.

i enjoy Alex when she's sarcastic with a wink, but if someone is not paying attention the humor might miss 'em.

also agree the ciao house format plants a steak into the heart of opportunity to watch any sort of competition between two good chefs,
instead it features quirky cooking gimmicks and after-hours, behind-closed-door drama in the out of bounds big brother oeuvre.

that's just for starters, next comes the main
likely reconstructed in painsteaking detail without the french bread

meanwhile Alex enjoys an italian vacation sponsored by food network.
buona con lei

Padma leaving Top Chef. That's a bummer. She seems essential to the show but I suppose they might give Gail a bigger role or perhaps use someone new or an ex-contestant.

I could see them trying someone like Brooke, she's been on as a guest several times and could be a good fit. She's attractive as well, although obviously Padma is in a league of her own in that department.

i was also wondering about Brooke when i heard the Padma news.

goddamn padma in the last part of the final :|

yeah, it seemed like she was struggling to keep it together.
without spoiling: the winner is who i predicted for quite some time, but i think the result may have been different if the liver was cooked better.

+1 was clear they were struggling with that.

Sucks about Padma. I’ll still watch but it just won’t be the same. Unless they get Alexandra Daddario to take her place I guess.

That’s certainly the way the edit made it look. I’m really sad that happened as the rest of their meal looked amazing. That said, the right person won in the end and I’m more than happy with that

always hope to see everyone being judged on their ideal plates in a finale like that. kinda bummed they were'nt able to pull it off.
and yeah, the top chef won

there was that but i meant, goddamn how hot was she

Just finished the season.
Padma was a rocket all season, damn.

I felt it was pretty obvious all season that Buddha was going to win. The only other person I thought had any winner's equity was Ali.

Curious what the result would have been if the liver was cooked properly. My guess is it was just edited that way, and Buddha would've still won.

Tom said in a tweet reply that Sarah would have won.

https://twitter.com/tomcolicchio/sta...13751533821955

not surprising.

i believe Amar was also responsible for some portion of the liver cook, but ultimately it's on her.

based on judge reaction i think Sara's final meal across the board was as good or better than Buddah, especially the last two burgoo and dessert courses.

she's fairly active as u/chefsarabradley and recently commented on another poster's attempt to follow her pea cake recipe (it was a success).

I mean I'll admit liver and onions isn't my thing, but it doesn't exactly scream fine dining. Buddha's cooking was way more refined and elevated than anyone else in the competition. Would have been an injustice if Sara won for liver and pea cake, just my opinion. I'm sure it was tasty (if the liver wasn't raw), but come on. Simple southern cooking wasn't the challenge.

Anyone watch Secret Chef on Hulu?

if so, curious how it is.

have not, and since we don't have hulu i also have not watched The Bear

Watched one episode, terrible

Kristen Kish announced as Padma's successor.