Top Chef quotes

208 total quotes



All Seasons
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Tom Colicchio: This is going to sound harsh; I've had better from a take-out place in New York.

Tom: [about Clay's amusé] This is almost more like a first course, not so much an amusé...I guess I have a big mouth, but I don't know if it's THIS big!

Tom: [to Hung] You have amazing knife skills; just be very careful with your knife, because you almost cut Casey. Please be careful.

Tom: Casey, you've been a fierce competitor this entire competition. Tonight's menu just never came together for you, but we know you're a great chef, and I know when I'm in Dallas where I can go to get a good meal. Dale, we are just so delighted that you found your inner chef. The culinary world is definitely stronger having you cooking in it. You put together a fabulous meal with great flavors, and you're cooking with a ton of confidence. Thank you. Hung, you've proven throughout this entire competition that you're a great technician, but in this challenge, you married it with passion. Again, you put together a fabulous meal, and we really enjoyed seeing you in the food. But as you know, there can only be one Top Chef.

Tom: Is this the dish that you think should send you home?
Lia: No.
Tom: [pauses] Hmm. Okay.

Tom: One of them is...(Gail and Padma force his hand off his chin again) You don't gotta hit me!

Tom: What bugs me is, how do you come here and compete and not know what a piccata is? And he didn't know that and I still don't think he knows.
Anthony Bourdain: I really find it worrying that I had absolutely no idea what was coming out of his mouth.
Rocco DiSpirito: Let's just say it wasn't just his gnocchi that were dense.
Tom: [trying not to laugh] That's just mean!

Tom: You know, there's two...(Gail and Padma force his hand off his chin)...sorry.
Later

Tom: [to Ryan]. I'm not quite sure why you chose a dessert, and also a dessert I would never think it a million years to see at a tailgate party.
Ryan: I wanted to have a whole dining experience at my table. And that's where I was hitting. I wanted to be able to say "Okay, so somebody doesn't eat chicken, but, wow there's a dessert. And you know, doing a dessert, I don't think was too left-field.
Gail: I don't think a dessert is left-field. I just think poached pear with [crème fraîche]and huckleberry sauce was a bit left-field. I just think there would've been more options that would've been more appropriate.
Ryan: Personally, I wanted to cook the way that I think I would personally like to see at a tailgate. I don't eat heavy. I don't eat ribs. And I thought of these people and said "Cool, I'm gonna serve chicken. Instead of serving something on a bun, I'm gonna do it in the application of a salad form."
Gail: The bread salad that I got was almost all bread. And I guess I was expecting for it to be sort of moist and found it really dry.
Ryan: I dissected a tailgate party and the caliber of people that I'm cooking with, and I'm looking at them, and I'm like "I have to do something different." You know, the people that came up, everyone was super sweet at this event. Ladies coming up for recipes, and "How did you make this?" and "Why would you do that, and this and that." and "Wow, pea stew on top, finishing a chicken." "This is quite interesting. We love it." And bringing in, I hate to use the word "California flair-"
Tom: But, this challenge was not about that. This challenge was about simple food, to the masses, in the form of a tailgate.
Ryan: Yeah, totally fair.
Cast

Tom: [startled by the high quality of Michael's dish] Our Michael did this? ...I mean, what the Hell?! He should get his tooth pulled every day!

Tre: How's Sara treating you?
Brian: Slow as shit.

Wylie Dufresne: [to Mark] Nice sideburns.

[putting the duck legs in the oven]
Jen: Nice legs.
Ryan: Thank you.