top restaurant

Lately, I've been playing catch up with Top Chef. I remember loving the series straight from Season 1--remember Harold? Sigh. 6 cities later, we're in Washington D.C. and at a pivotal point in the season. The most recent episode put the remaining chefs at war with each other in, well, RESTAURANT WARS! That's right, a bunch of chefs scrambling (eggs?) to work the front of house as well as the kitchen to utter perfection. And you know, I have to say, as one who's watched several season of this show, I've never once seen a team shine in every aspect. There are always flaws, no matter what. This episode, each team had its ups and downs.

The blue team contained most of my favorites: Kenny, Kelly (she grew on me), and Kevin. This team also included Amanda. But she is not one of my favorites, and she never will be. So that's that. Let's move on. On the red team, were Ed, Tiffany, Alex, and Angelo. OK. I LOVE Tiffany. I adored her enthusiasm since her first interview on episode one and she can also cook. She also cooks meals that I would actually like to eat. Those tamales last looked divine, and if possible, I would have taken them right out of the television and eaten them right then and there. Ed I can live with. He's cool. A bit opinionated but he's a nice guy. And I definitely sided with him during English Pea Puree Gate. Which brings me to the next guy: Alex. Grrr. I wanted this guy to be a favorite of mine simply because I share his name, but I can't make myself like someone just because his name is Alex, can I? NO. This Alex is a dirty player. His personality and attitude throughout the whole competition have not been appetizing. I suppose I could say the same thing about his food. I'm still in awe of the fact that he took Ed's pea puree--YES, HE TOOK IT. THE TAPES DON'T LIE. And Angelo--ugh, I don't even want to waste words on him. He's a good chef but too frequently compares cooking to sex and in doing so doesn't make either activity appealing.

SO. After a sweet little Quickfire with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Restaurant Wars was ON. Blue went with "TwentyOne21" for their name. Oooh, clever. And Red went with "Evoo. " I'll just say the name sounded really frightening when Angelo said it with wide-eyed excitement. So Red chose Alex for front of house. And it's not because he is the most approachable guy in the group. It's because THEY DON'T TRUST HIM AS A COOK--SCANDAL! And I'll just say, working as a server has never been something I'd like to find myself doing. But working as a server under Alex--well, that would probably make me go home every night, turn all the lights off, and cry in the corner. I'd want to quit, but it's a job and the tips are good. And the economy's so tough lately, I'm lucky to have a job. Even if I'm working for an insane disciplinarian, at least I'm working.

Um, yeah, so back to the episode. Blue chose Kelly for front-of-house. And I thought it a wise decision. Afterall, she is both approachable and kindly assertive. Instead of yelling at her waitstaff, she had them taste every dish so they'd know what they were serving. When I saw this, I really thought Blue had it in the bag. In. The. Bag. And for the record, though the judges found her a bit nervous, she WAS a better host than Alex. She was actually at the front to greet them, like a good host should be. And she didn't mix up what her restaurant was actually serving. Well done.

But in the end, the food prevailed. And while I admire Blue for fighting and giving Alex a good yell in the stew room, having your food compared to a dinner rescued by Hamburger Helper does not bode well. I was sad to see Kenny go. But by making himself the executive chef, he put himself on the line.

I know I keep harping on this, but I really do hope that Alex gets what's coming to him some how. If not for the pea puree, then for something else. Something crazy. Something that has never been seen in the history of Top Chef. I suppose I can only hope.

As for the rest of those gourmets, I'm really gunning for Tiffany. If not Tiffany, then Kelly. If not Kelly, then Kevin. If not Kevin then--well I'll just stop watching.

out with the old, in with the new...year.

Last we saw dashing and debonair Don Draper (i could really have a lot more fun with alliteration if i wanted to) he was a cold and careless cad (see what i mean?). Leaving his secretary, Allison, with little more than a thank-you note and $100 for bringing his keys, getting him some aspirin, and letting him take advantage of her body and her heart; Don finally became a real jerk. In this week's episode, the two were back to their regular secretary-boss relationship and we saw Don readying himself for his holiday trip to Acapulco. But more on this later.

Let's start with Joan, shall we? Yes, we shall, because this is our recap and our blog and we'll do this however we want. Oh Joan. Joan, Joan, Joan, Joan, Joan. Are we happily married yet? Well, you must be, if you want to have a baby with your darling husband Greg. Tell me, will the baby be a product of lovemaking or a good old-fashioned rape? You never know with that Greg--he's just chock full of surprises! My opinions aside, glad to hear everything's all well and good with your baby-making machinery, even after two kicked-to-the curb pregnancies. But this plot line has "baby born without a father" written all over it. Greg's shipping off to Vietnam at one point, as we all know. And while he did tug a bit at my heartstrings when he so smoothly fixed Joanie's finger and reminded her (and us) of why she married him, I still say "Good riddance" to the guy.


What was going on at SCDP? Nothing, really. The office was pretty quiet, as everyone was getting ready for their one day off on New Years Day. Roger was nowhere to be found--and I missed that. I can always count on him for a one-liner, or at least a great 3-piece suit, and I got nothing. Speaking of MIA's, strangely enough, I missed Peter--and I even missed Trudy. I wish they did stay in the city for the holidays. I have to disagree with you on this one Trudy, NYC is actually quite lovely in December, so THERE. Joan tried tempting an all-work-and-no-play Lane with fried chicken--choice of breast or thigh--with hopes of getting a few days off in January. And as Lane illustrated, her lovely lady lumps don't work their magic on him. It was frustrating for Joanie. Lane, being the nice Brit he is, did the right thing and sent her flowers. Oh but WAIT A MINUTE, he sent apology flowers to his snobby and stuck up wife in the UK. Oh nevermind, that's an easy task for a secretary, nothing should go wrong there--oh but WAIT A MINUTE, Lane's girl caused a mix-up. In the end, hostile words were unintentionally said, roses were intentionally thrown, and Lane's "It's not my fault" girl was given the boot by the all-powerful Joan.

So then what was going on with our boy Don? Lot's of stuff. He (and we) learned a lot of things while stopping over in San Pedro to visit Mrs. Draper (the real one):

• He learned that his smooth moves don't work on EVERY woman.
• We learned that Don looks REALLY GOOD in California.
• He and we learned that Anna has terminal cancer, which she is unaware of.
• We learned that Don looks REALLY GOOD painting in is undergarments.
• He learned that saying goodbye to Anna was saying "Goodbye," not "See you later."
• We learned that Jon Hamm deserves the Emmy that is coming to him at one point in this show's run. The man can act, people.

Of course when Don returned to SCDP and left his California life behind (forever?) the real fun began. Turns out Lane did not join his family in London and instead stayed behind at SCDP. Don. Lane. Alcohol that doesn't taste at all like alcohol. These two are gonna get CRAZY. Memorable moments of their all-night bender:

• Lane and Don figuring out what movie they want to see together--immediately cutting from their thoughts on Catherine Deneuve and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, to Godzilla--their film of choice.
• Lane getting very--VERY--excited about his Porterhouse steak, so much so that he slaps it on his pants for everyone to see.
• Don ordering up another lady friend for Lane. Which was memorable but also very sad. The man just became separated with his wife. I love you Don, but you shouldn't be doing this to him.
• Don keeping Lane and his prostitute out of the kids rooms--at least he has some boundaries.
• Lane's prostitute's fee being $25. Does that mean she's pricey or cheap?

And by the end of the episode, we were left with the heads in the office planning for 1965. What, oh what, will come their way? I hope they see more accounts. I hope Lee Garner Jr. is eventually put in his place. I hope Joan's husband is killed in combat. I hope Allison gets Don's attention again and refuses him. I hope Betty is forced out of the house her ex-husband pays for. I hope Peggy dumps her drag of a boyfriend. I hope so many things for this show. But most of all, I hope to see Don in his boxers again soon.

merry christmas, everybody! not you, don

You know I have to hand it to Jon Hamm, because despite being extremely attractive to the point of distraction, he still manages to make me hate his (character's) breathing guts this episode. He deserves to have a shitty Christmas, quite frankly. Way to make your poor secretary feel like a whore, Don. But for once can SOMEONE, ANYONE, please turn Don down when he propositions them? I mean, for heaven's sake!

Chekhov's gun, Mad Men-style: Introduce a fairly attractive female guest star in the second episode of the season and Don will have slept with her by the end of the season. We're looking at you, blonde doctor and brunette nurse neighbor. Place your bets.

Speaking of blonde doctor, anyone else mighty intrigued by her assertion that Don will be married again within a year? I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be true. I'd love to know what she "typed" him as...

Oh, Peggy. Your taste in hairstyles has improved dramatically this season, yet your taste in men remains dismally disappointing. I knew it wouldn't be a good sign when the "previously on" teaser chose to remind us all of your liaison with Duck Phillips.

GTFO, Lee Garner, Jr. (although making Roger dress up as Santa may have been worth it for the shot of Harry sitting on his lap. And many a gif was made!)

I have no thoughts on Glenn because he is creepy as shit and I don't even know where the writers are going with this and I'm afraid to speculate. But RUN, SALLY, RUN! It's a good thing Don is making lots of money because this is probably all going towards Sally's future therapy bills, assuming she makes it to adulthood in one piece.

Okay I realize most of this episode Don is fairly despicable but did anyone else think him calling Peggy 'sweetheart' was like the cutest thing ever? It was, come on, admit it! (P.S. Writers, don't ever make these two hook up, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease. It's Don's one functional relationship. Okay, yes, it's based on a mutual understanding of harboring deep secrets, but functional nonetheless!)

Betty had like two lines this episode. I'm not complaining.

change is good

Season 4. Finally. After a year of eager anticipation--and a little crying in the corner of my darkened room due to withdrawal--Mad Men has returned. I for one feel much better; physically, emotionally, and spiritually.


The first episode took us to 1964, a year of change. Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (SCDP), the rebel agency Roger, Bert, Don, and Lane (RBDL) started at the close of Season 3, has been up and running for a year. Betty has officially divorced Don and is now happily married--well, at the very least, married to good 'ol Henry Francis. Don is living all by his lonesome in a bleak-looking apartment in Manhattan. And Ken Cosgrove, that tall drink of water with a talent for writing, is nowhere to be found. Yes, the times they are a changin'.

But rather than go through giving you a full recap of the season starter, I thought we'd do something a bit different. Let's be honest. If you're actually reading this blog, you've already watched the episode. Now, for those of you who don't know, this is actually a bi-coastal blog. One of us lives in California, the other in New York. Often what we do--particularly with Mad Men--is send each other Immediate Reaction Emails. For the sake of the blog, I am going to now refer to them as IRE's. So, to mark the blessed occasion that is the return of Mad Men, I give you a mashup of our IRE's:

IRE #1:

LOVED IT. LOOOOOOOOVED IT.

Also, hate betty hate betty hate betty hate betty hate betty hate betty hate betty hate betty hate betty hate betty hate betty.

Peggy's new hair is nice, though she's gotten a bit cocky, no? And since when does she wear eye shadow to work? And WHO is the wannabe Don Draper part-time art guy?

Where's tall drink of water Cosgrove?

Glad Allison's back, and glad Joan has her own office--please tell me her husband is a medic in Vietnam.

The Sally Draper incident at the dinner table was soooo awkward. Hate betty...and loved what the mother-in-law said about her.

IRE #2:

Ok I thought it was a tad slow but I think that every year...continuing on...


I see Betty is still a huge beeyotch. I really can't stand her anymore. I hope Sally goes on a rampage. Btw, KIERNAN SHIPKA looks like she's aged quite a bit!

Henry is starting to grow on me hahahaha. He and his mother.


Agreed on Peggy's hair. First thing I noticed, lol.

Cosgrove was in the credits so I am hopeful for his eventual return.


Don + prostitute = sigh. he's so messed up!

Roger had some line about VD that made me laugh.


Was I the only one who was thinking of John Hamm's ham with all those canned ham scenes???

Well, there you have it. Our immediate reaction to a season we've been waiting almost a year for. Can't wait to see where it goes.

and we're back

That's right, we've taken a break. Here at "We Watch More TV Than You" we believe it is not right to recap and give our thoughts on reruns. What's the point of that? Yes, yes, I know there are new summer tv shows produced purely to keep us occupied, but have you seen any of them? Are they really worth a second thought? No. No, they are not. I tried watching the first episode of Rookie Blue on ABC and soon after the beginning had to stop in order to keep my eyeballs from pushing themselves out of their sockets and rolling away in fear. And to spend time recapping shows of that nature--well, that's just time wasted, isn't it?

So, seeing as a certain show about a certain Manhattan ad agency premiered its fourth season last night, I believe it's an appropriate time to start posting again. Let's do this.

quick question

Since when is U2 thought of as classic rock?

I'm 24 and even I don't put U2 in that category, no matter how old their songs are. Sure, they date back to the late 70's early 80's but I stand by my opinion.

Last night's episode of Glee was just blah, again. I will freely admit that I was upset that I got no power ballads from Rachel. There, I said it. I can't help it. I like Lea Michele's voice.

Brittany again wins Most Valuable Gleek (MVG). Her lines kill me every time, and it's much due to her delivery and comedic timing, so goooooo BRITTANY!

And Sue Sylvester always kills. Here's a little gem I took away from her: "So you like showtunes! Doesn't mean you're gay, just means you're awful!"

Well, despite Kurt's rendition of a classic from Gypsy, I yearned for more showtunes last night. I like showtunes, which apparently makes me an awful person. I can deal with that.

lost: the candidate (or, lost writers pull the harry potter book 7 let's-just-kill-off-characters-because-we-can card)

THAT'S BULLSHIT.

(I realize the likelihood of me turning around after next week or the week after and saying "OMG the Lost writers are AWESOME" after castigating them this week is high, but bear with me.)

Okay, so clearly, I did not like this episode, but not for the obvious reasons. I know what you're thinking--oh, you're just upset because they killed off arguably three of the most popular Lost characters and made Hurley cry. NO. I mean, yes, but no. NO. NO. NO.

I didn't like the episode because of the utterly terrible way in which said characters were killed off. I mean, I would have understood (despite being really upset) if they'd killed off, say, Ben, back in his episode, because at least his story had a definitive end (i.e. redemption arc). But these deaths were so cheap:

-Sun and Jin: they spend the past two seasons apart, are together for one episode, then DROWN in a submarine? And wouldn't it have made more sense for Sun to have said: "Hey, Jin, we have a KID. You should leave me so our daughter isn't an ORPHAN and raised by my asshole father." Okay, something more emotional than that, but you get the idea. I honestly thought that was coming considering they mentioned the kid earlier in the episode and was really surprised it didn't. Jin should have pulled a Rose Dawson if you know what I mean.

-Sayid: He spends the majority of the season as a zombie, then (we assume) resurrected kinda by Desmond, but then nothing until he saves everyone by running away with the bomb (although gotta say, kudos, Sayid, for that). No real exposition on Sayid's un-zombification.

-Lapidus: Poor guy didn't even get his own episode. I'm assuming he's dead even though we didn't actually see a body.

Bitter interjection: HOW can Kate get shot in the chest and survive a sinking submarine but Sun and Jin can't?? HOW?????

Okay, grudgingly, a few good bits:

-Terry O'Quinn's CRAZY ASS expression when he told Claire she didn't want to be on that sub. Made me do the nervous giggle.

-All Jack/Locke interactions in either universe. They're great together.

-I'm starting to really love Jack again, after a good year or two of flat out hating him. Hooray for the return of heroic-ish Jack. And I have to say, Matthew Fox's crying is very effective for me. Everytime he does it I feel just terrible.

And some other random observations:

-Man, alt-Claire is really trusting of random men who offer her their services isn't she? First Desmond and now Jack. Granted he is her long-lost half-brother but still. And I better get an answer on that music box.

-What the hell happened to Richard and Miles?

-I don't even know what to make of the alternate universe anymore. I just want people to be happy. Can everyone else (ESPECIALLY Locke and Jack) just live happily ever after in the end? Pretty please?

-So according to Sayid Jack is the next Jacob, yes?

I know characters are going to die, but I really hope they don't continue down the route of doing it just because they can or because they think they should have a high body count. Not that it makes one difference because the writers/producers know it's not like I'm going to boycott the last 4 episodes. Sigh.

I'm now going to make myself feel better by watching the Babies trailer.