The score is now Women - 5, Men - 3, so it's all up to Vinnie to pull this one out for the guys. He comes up against Jen. They both get a piece of seared tuna and Chef Ramsay announces that if Vinnie misses it the guys are finished. I'm a little confused because it seems like he would still have a shot at tying up the score, but I'm not going to argue with Chef Ramsay. Vinnie thinks it's pancetta. I looked up pancetta and it's Italian spiced pork that has been air dried for up to four months. I'm no genius, but wouldn't seared tuna be soft and juicy? I'm picturing pancetta to be textured sort of like beef jerky, so Vinnie is way off. The guys lose yet another challenge. I'm not at all surprised because I think the guys are all talk. Chef Ramsay tells the girls that he is taking them to the most amazing dining experience they've ever had, while the guys have to stay home and prep both kitchens for tonight's dinner service. While they work they will also be improving their palates by eating a whole bunch of crap. Sous Chef Mary Ann brings out a plate of guts that Chef Ramsay says includes beef liver, tongue, pig's feet, tripe (stomach lining), and kidneys. It kind of jiggles there on the table.
Delicioso
Bonnie tells us privately how gross everything is, in case we couldn't tell from that presentation, and Josh confessionals that he's disappointed because he thought the guys would knock this out of the park. Sounds familiar.
The guys go upstairs to smoke and pout before their punishment begins. They decide to fixate on the fact that Bonnie could hear through her headphones when her turn began. In fact, Vinnie comes over to Bonnie while she puts on her Chef-Ramsay-impressing makeup and tells her that she named her food exactly the way Chef Ramsay said it, meaning "bok choy stem." She says simply that she didn't cheat, but then she tells us that the guys are making excuses. I agree. Shut up and eat your tripe, Vinnie. The girls are all dolled up and head out in their Hell's Kitchen SUV for the dining experience of a lifetime! In the car Bonnie complains about the guys accusing her of cheating. She says that she has lost all of her sympathy for them and that jealousy makes you nasty.
The guys sit down to lunch and their crap has been diced into small pieces and garnished with pickled palm leaf, grass jelly, creamed herring and pickled herring. I like anything pickled and I don't mind herring, so that part doesn't sound too bad. Sous Chef Scott also mentions that they are eating "trotters" which is just another way of saying pig's feet. He throws some barf bags in the middle of the table and tells them to eat up.
Meanwhile the girls meet up with Chef Ramsay at Opaque for lunch. This is a restaurant where you eat in pitch darkness. I did a little checking into this and it's kind of a cool idea, but it mostly seems like an expensive gimmick. Apparently this is a riveting new trend that is sweeping through Europe and has just become available in Los Angeles. You pay about a hundred dollars a person and choose from a pre-set menu and then proceed into darkness for the rest of your experience. The menu is pretty ordinary, with choices like chicken, steak, ravioli, or vegetarian. All are served with a salad and a choice of tiramisu or cheesecake. Really? A hundred dollars for them to turn the lights off and serve me ordinary food? I won't be "dining in the dark" any time soon. I can do that at home much cheaper with a pizza. Anyway the girls form a chain and enter the dining room with Chef Ramsay. Julia says that she never thought about eating in the dark, but she supposes that fine dining is all about taste. And Opaque is all about a gimmick. I added that part.
"I'll have the #4 combo meal, super sized."
Staring at their food in blinding daylight, the guys are none too pleased with their midday entrails. Rock seems to be having the hardest time getting the food down and Vinnie keeps egging him on to just throw up.
Back at Opaque Bonnie tells Chef Ramsay that he has "the nicest voice in the dark." Oh brother. This man calls her a dumb blonde and a Barbie constantly. I don't know if acting silly around him will improve her chances.
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Comments (5)
How are they hanging out in the apartment at 3AM complaining about no sleep? Um, go to bed, then!
So to the tasting… These are professional foodies, right? It’s not like Ramsay was asking them to pick out the wild American shrimp versus the foreign farm-raised shrimp, right? Or identify that they’re actually eating a cicada. Seriously, they were eating potatoes, carrots and egg yolks. Is it really that hard?
As for the “nasty plate”, I’ve eaten tongue (Mom liked it, and with enough horseradish, it wasn’t awful, other than the texture of the bumpy taste buds) and tripe (ugh). I’m impressed they kept all of that down. And I totally agree that the domino thing would have happened, and been BAD!
The nominations were idiotic. I’m just surprised Ramsay didn’t give both Vinnie and Bonnie the boot. They both deserved it.
Oh, and Honey, pancetta is basically bacon that hasn’t been smoked. So it’s not really jerky-like ;-)
1 of 5 | Posted by ChicagoGal
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Posted on June 30, 2007 8:23 PM
He tells Vinnie that this much error would have closed a restaurant and then he utters some very risqué profanity.
Heh. The line of the night- F*ck me senseless!
And I couldn't decide which was the better pantomime; the boob-adjustment or the Chicken Dance ("What chicken?"), so they tie for best Ramsay performance of the night.
In fact, I think this was probably my favourite ep of the season thus far (though ep #1 was a gem). There was just enough yelling and cursing by Gordon, and just enough stupidity by the donkeys.
As much as it pains me to defend Bonnie, Chef Ramsay did NOT say "bok choy stem", he simply identified it as "bok choy". So Vinnie's claim that she heard what it was and repeated exactly what Chef said is as bullshit as his ability to cook a Wellington. Ass.
2 of 5 | Posted by coolbyrne
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Posted on July 1, 2007 3:56 PM
AAAAAHHHHHHH
honey you seem to be coming around to the charms of our dear chef ramsay....... i thought it might take longer than this but I am glad you are on board.
I really think they could have found better cooks to be in this kitchen.....
but the show is perfect and a great start to the week.. i love Monday nights!
3 of 5 | Posted by GIFFORDSAZ
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Posted on July 2, 2007 9:42 AM
honey, this is my first season watching hell's kitchen as well. thank you for taking the time to look up what some of these foods are. i've heard of most of them, but wasn't really sure what the dishes were comprised of. i feel that you and i are on the same wavelength with a lot of your comments. seriously, when the bimbo said that she thought chef ramsay had a nice speaking voice in the dark, i didn't know whether or not to vomit or throw my remote at my tv. did she honestly think that a man with that kind of personality would be won over by a ditzy comment like that? ugh. she makes me ashamed to be a woman.
also, thrilled to see vinnie go. he was a pompus ass.
4 of 5 | Posted by BlueEyedAngel
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Posted on July 2, 2007 11:25 AM
The guys lost the tasting challenge and went upstairs to smoke - hmmmm.... wonder if those cigarettes have anything to do with their inability to taste food?
And to reward people who for the most part struggled with picking out flavors in the dark ----they get to go eat in the dark. They could be serving them anything since no one (but Bonnie) would really know the difference. But it did make me wonder if the wait staff has to wear night vision goggles. And it sucks for those waiters and waitresses who tend to get more in tips for being cute. Then again - those with sexy voices would clean up. Well, that is if the patrons could find their wallets in the dark.
Having watched this show for three seasons now, I have learned that each season they cook Risotto and Beef Wellington. If I was going to sign up to be on this show I would make damn sure that I knew how to make those dishes in my sleep. I can't believe how much these people struggle with the same dishes each episode.
As for Bonnie flirting with my beloved Gordon, the women flirt with him every season. They also flirt with him on all his other shows and on those shows you see he shamelessly flirts back (tsk tsk married man). I get the sense that this show just doesn't show how cute he is in his down time because it goes against the "Hell's Kitchen" theme.
Nice job Honey - I am really enjoying your recaps. :)
5 of 5 | Posted by TinkerbellAPixie
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Posted on July 7, 2007 8:22 AM