"Al" > wrote in message
...
> While ICA improves on the IC USA attempt, it is still flawed, and leaves
the impression that
> the results were fixed.

Oh, I wouldn't go so far as to say 'fixed'. I think the results were due to
the horrible selection of judges. Most of them didn't seem to have the
range of experience needed to appreciate the dishes by the Japanese Iron
Chefs; it didn't look like they easily got past the "eww, this is weird"
reaction.

Overall, I think ICA had a lot of promise to it. The show's mood seemed
about right, whereas IC USA tried too hard to be self-parodying and seemed
to focus on the silliness rather than the food. I liked the new Chairman,
and Alton Brown did a fantastic job as host. Mario Batali and Wolfgang Puck
both brought a lot of skill and originality, and they both looked like they
were having a fantastic time. (Their good attitude was almost as infectious
as Bobby Flay's weird lip herpes)

If they make ICA a regular show, they need to either get more qualified
judges or stick to chefs of "Americanized" cuisines. You just can't bring
on a guy who hates raw fish when one of the chefs was trained as a sushi
chef. The guy on the floor (Kevin?) needs to be replaced with someone with
more knowledge -- what's the point of having someone down in the kitchen if
they can't recognize benito flakes or foie gras? And yes, Bobby Flay needs
to be replaced as an Iron Chef. Forget about the whole cutting-board
controversy. Forget about his arrogant attitude (although it really made
him stand in poor comparison to Batali and Puck). The guy just doesn't seem
terribly original -- he may be a great chef, but in his three solo battles
on IC, I think he's made essentially the same set of dishes each time.

Still, this incarnation of Iron Chef is certainly salvageable and could be a
lot of fun with a little retooling. Sign me up for more!

Dennis
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