Top Chef: California

Yay - a new season! And in my new home state so more fun. It looks like it’s starting out as a season for actual chefs instead of wacky reality show contestants. I didn’t catch all the bios but they seem to be people with decent credentials instead of caterers or whatever. And nice simple valid challenges. The blind relay race was kind of fun even though it went by quickly.

I don’t have a lot to say to start except I would never eat food that was smoked over dry grass picked from a park under the Hollywood sign.

And now I feel a personal connection - I went to Richard Blais’s restaurant in San Diego for my birthday and he came over to wish me happy birthday and take a picture with me. So I’m looking forward to the San Diego challenges.

Did this start already? I didn’t know it was coming! I’m a huge Top Chef fan!

Two night season premiere last night and tonight; I think the regular night will be Thursday.

Ok, hoping they will replay last nights - maybe tonight - for taping purposes!

@abasket Bravo will be replaying last night’s episode at 9ET with the new episode at 10ET.

No worries… Bravo will replay the heck out of it!

Oh yay! Something to watch tonight.

Thanks - DVR is set to tape both episodes!

Jealous Marilyn, I love Richard Blais. I think he’s so talented.

Tonight was a good episode, but I am already frustrated with a certain contestant and want her to go home now!

Pop up Restaurant Wars! We had been out to dinner earlier in the evening and the topic of traffic in LA had come up. So I was trying to figure out how much time the judges spent just driving from place to place. It was dark before they got to the last place! They must have been at Judges Table until the wee hours.

Also I was surprised how warmly everyone was dressed. Wasn’t this filmed over the summer?

I didn’t know new season has started… but I was out Wednesday night and I don’t recall seeing anything about it… oh well, I will have to catch up quickly. Just looked at Bravo’s site and so I see that Grayson is back. I liked her last time around but didn’t think she had enough to go all the way.

If you like Grayson, you may not like the way they’re editing her.

Agree^^^She's a pill....and apparently her food is consistently mediocre.   I'm surprised she wasn't sent home already. 

Wow I missed this, don’t watch bravo for anything else anymore I guess. Thanks for the alert and I managed to tape them.

Bump to remind fans that there’s a new episode tonight.

I think these challenges are getting stranger and stranger but it was fun to see Tom and crew playing golf.

The logistics of the challenges are unusual but there are a lot less limits on what to cook than in most other seasons. We don’t know how what kinds of ingredients are available, but the the chefs were free to make whatever they wanted as long as they cooked on the provided devices/carts. I think most of them have a whole repertoire of dishes they’re ready to make; they just have to fit them into the situation, time limits, and equipment. And deal with mishaps and personality conflicts.

Those refreshments carts were pretty elaborate - with grills, no less! I’m not a golfer so don’t know if that’s usual or unusual for a golf course. I would have liked to see more of Palm Springs. And I don’t think the preview gave a clue where they will be next week - not San Diego, anyway - no Richard Blais!

I don’t really love them cooking outside under ridiculous circumstances. I want to see them stretch themselves with their talent, not their survival skills!

Last night’s episode was in San Diego - and they went to the Whole Foods we shop at - that was fun. It seems like the two weakest competitors are gone.