Pack Your Knives

Bottle episodes can be risky business for a series, but “The Bear” has shined with its one-off productions, from Season’s 2 family stage play “Fishes” to this season’s mood poem of a premier.This episode, “Napkins,” marks the directorial debut of series regular Ayo Edebiri (Sydney) and focuses almost entirely on how Tina (played remarkably by Liza Colón-Zayas) found her way to The Beef/The Bear.Friend of PYK C.J. Krawczyk stops in to share with Tom and Kevin his conflicting thoughts about the episode. On one hand, the half hour is an affecting portrayal of the heartbreak and frustration of job insecurity. On the other, it also takes us away from the central dynamics of “The Bear" in the middle of a season that has spent precious little time in the kitchen — and virtually no time in the dining room.Whatever misgivings the guys have about the trajectory of Season 3, they agree that the music has been pitch perfect. Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or SpotifyFollow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richie’s character is starting to cultivate grace away from the restaurant, even as he and Carmy persist in their sometimes-hot-sometimes-cold war.Tom shares his love of the scene between Richie and his daughter, Evie, and why the two-handed scenes represent The Bear at its best.The two episodes are at their strongest when Carmy and Sydney occupy the kitchen, honing their collective vision. Sydney is learning how to carefully check Carmy’s worst instincts, even as she struggles to sign the partnership agreement and codify her relationship with the Berzatto clan.Episodes 4 and 5 are also marked by two big cameos — Josh Hartnett and John Cena respectively. The first works a lot better than the second, as Kevin kvetches that there are few things he cares less about than the Fak brothers’ ‘haunts,’ and the fate of Sammy’s SD cards. Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or SpotifyFollow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin and Tom examine the moments when the show performs at its best: is it the introspective, brooding Carmine scenes at The Bear or when the show “goes home” with secondary characters?Kevin draws a spot-on parallel of Syd/Carmy as Peggy/Don in Mad Men while Tom campaigns for more Richie exploration. The Bear can’t be discussed without a dive into the show’s musical choices. With the Gen X sounds of Eddie Vedder and R.E.M taking center stage, the topic of needle drops surfaces and Tom and Kevin analyze whether the FX show becomes too navel-gazey (the PYK stance: it doesn’t).A central question of the show: what does joy for Carmy look like? For Tom and Kevin, joy looks a lot like Oliver Platt on the television screen. Say it with us now: God Bless Oliver Platt.Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or SpotifyFollow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As one season ends, another begins.With Top Chef off the air, PYK’s Kevin Arnovitz and Tom Haberstroh have taken a seat at the table of The Bear, the hit TV show on FX. Kevin and Tom explain why they love the scripted series about a family restaurant in Chicago and unpack the unconventional Season 3 premiere. Plus, a discussion about musical choices and which character is the true star of the show.If you’d like to catch up, all episodes of The Bear (Seasons 1-3) can be found on Hulu. PYK will be posting Season 3 recaps on a weekly basis. Stay tuned for Top Chef alums to join us along the ride…(Yes, Chef, the audio this week isn’t our best work. It’s the summer. We’re on the road. Apologies. *rubs chest in circular motion*)Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or SpotifyFollow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Colicchio is Top Chef’s ranking authority, a lifer who has been with the show since its inception.Less than a week after Season 21’s finale riled some longtime fans of the show, Colicchio visits with Tom and Kevin to discuss what went wrong with the finale edit.He explains the various roles of producers, editors and professionals who create a season of Top Chef, shares his candid thoughts about Quickfires, and explores how this season’s cheftestants measured up to previous fields.👇Hear the full episode right now on the Pack Your Knives Substack👇Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or SpotifyFollow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Top Chef judges table shocked audiences with a surprise verdict in the finale.Tom H. sounds off against the decision, as he and Kevin debate what the outcome says about what the show values most in a Top Chef contestant.Also, an interview with chefs Dan Jacobs, Savannah Miller and Danny Garcia about how this season changed their lives.Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or SpotifyFollow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are inspired challenges in magical destinations on the eve of the finale that bring out the best in our aspirational cheftestants.With the title of Top Chef only two cooks away, they reach deep into their imaginations and execute the meals of their lives!This week aboard a cruise ship in Curacao was decidedly … not that episode.Tom and Kevin break down what went wrong in an elimination challenge where only two of eight dishes were successful, and look ahead at who might be able to pull it together to claim the crown. Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or SpotifyFollow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the very outset of Season 21, Michelle Wallace distinguished herself as one of the most authentic chefs to grace the Top Chef kitchen.Not only does she bake the best biscuits in the business, she can execute an elevated homey dish of stuffed lobster pasta with charred corn sauce and crispy chorizo.Two Elimination wins. An additional four top finishes. (The only thing Michelle can’t abide is “chaos cooking”).Michelle stops by to chat about her Top Chef journey, what is and isn’t a sandwich, St. Louis’ greatest BBQ delicacy (pig snoot), the funniest Season 21 contestant, the secret to the perfect biscuit, and the wizardry of Ozzie Smith. 👇Hear the full episode right now on the Pack Your Knives Substack👇Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or SpotifyFollow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chefs compete for finale tickets with a Blind Taste Test challenge. A late-season trade shakes things up. Contestants showcase growth and creativity in culinary challenges. Culinary techniques and storytelling play key roles in cooking competitions. Exciting updates on future endeavors and sponsorships revealed.

Tom Colicchio does work in the Top Chef kitchen, where the wok is king in the Quickfire challenge.Coming off her Last Chance Kitchen run, Laura re-enters the main competition and makes dessert for an elimination challenge that demands imagination.Tom H. feels that desserts are a market inefficiency that more cheftestants should opt for.Kevin shares how You Can Count on Me explains Michelle’s allergy to blue-sky Top Chef challenges without specific parameters. Subscribe to the new PYK Substack! https://www.packyourknives.com/Rate PYK 5 Stars on Apple or SpotifyFollow PYK on Twitter: @packknives & Instagram: @packyourknivesCOUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE - Check it out here: https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices