And I think that Padma said that they had food that they had bought in anticipation of the block party.

OK, I didn't hallucinate that. Good to know.

Well, I assume the producers gave them money when they went to get permissions and such, because 7 full bags of groceries is a lot more than anyone would contribute to a block party.

I haven't seen the ep yet, but I'd be very surprised if Bravo hadn't at least helped these people go shopping.

[xpost]

I hope someone calls them on their attitude, because if they're pissy the whole season about being in Chicago, I am going to be seriously miffed.

Some of them mentioned in Ep 1 that Chicago has finally gotten a reputation as being a top-flight foodie town, but this week's ep isn't showing that respect. Featuring Mexican food is definitely a Chicago thing (most local foodies think that we have the best Mexican cuisine scene north of the Rio Grande), so it was great to have Rick Bayliss on as guest judge.

I hope that they branch out and focus on both the traditional Chicago foods (they already did pizza, now they can do steak) and other newer cuisines (our Thai restaurants are as varied and numerous as anywhere in the country).

It's so ridiculous that I've never been to Chicago! It really sounds like my kind of town. Plus my parents met there so I wouldn't even exist without it!

I guess that was part of my disbelief. You have a (I assume at least weekly) farmer's market and you stock up on that much?

You should see my mom at the farmer's market. She goes a little nutty.

It really sounds like my kind of town.

Your kind of people, too?

People who... will smile at you?

The "raiding" was staged enough that there was a camera inside one of the houses before the chef's came knocking. If they had that set up ahead of time, I'm sure there had been some careful stocking too.

Which makes me wonder if there were "staged" ingredients they missed grabbing.

Some of them mentioned in Ep 1 that Chicago has finally gotten a reputation as being a top-flight foodie town

Hasn't this been true since Charlie Trotter's opened, which was well over a decade ago, if not two? Or was he the lone voice in the wilderness back then?

Well, for most of the 1980s and '90s, Trotters was the most significant nationally rated restaurant in town, especially after Le Francais here in Wheeling lost its luster. The past few years, with the advent of Alinea, Moto, Avenues, and other cutting-edge restaurants, has put Chicago on the national Foodie Map, instead of coasting on the old standards.

The embracing of ethnic cuisines that's been happening nationwide for the past 15-20 years is also giving Chicago a boost with its wide range of neighborhoods and restaurants. I remember starting my first job post-college downtown in 1988, and trying Thai food for the first time. I'd never even heard of that cuisine before, and here I was working in an area with at least four different places to go within a five-block radius.