Seafood Should Never Be Boring

Try as I might, the All Stars food is just not inspiring me. Doesn't tickle my taste buds, doesn't have me yearning to recreate. This past episode should have been a home run food-wise. It was about New Orleans, it was about fresh seafood, it was about being creative and inventive. Instead it was about working with a sous chef you may not like and it was about catering food for 300 people. I know the efforts were for charity but it's the results that just made me sad.

Honey Glazed Shrimp, Grits with Jalapeño and Cheese, Shellfish Sauce - Tiffany

Grit-Crusted Gulf Shrimp, Sour Cream and Chive Potatoes with Pork and Lobster Sauce - Mike

Fried Grouper with Collard Greens and Chow-Chow Pico - Carla

Crispy Gulf Snapper with Pulled Pork and Citrus Grits - Richard

Blue Crab Cake, Corn, Jalapeño and Andouille Relish with Crab Broth - Antonia

Amberjack Stew with Andouille Sausage and Potatoes, Creole Mustard Crouton - Dale

Sweet butter on a biscuit, was it raining deep fat fryers and grits in the kitchen for this challenge? Don't get me wrong I loves me some grits but not on EVERY SINGLE THING I EAT. This may have been why Dale lost, failure to incorporate some form of ground corn into his dish. Actually Dale could have won this if he had found some way to use that gorgeous amberjack like maybe some twist on a Bánh mì which is a Vietnamese sandwich using a baguette and any number of fillings thus touching on the French influences in New Orleans and the Vietnamese flavors of the shrimpers and crabbers. Instead we apparently got mustard stew. Carla lost her mind back in the Quickfire and didn't get it back at all for the Elim, hoping her previously eliminated sous chef Trey would help out in the Southern Cuisine Ideas Department. I'm not even sure why she was asking Trey, since Southern food should be in her wheelhouse but it didn't matter anyway because what can no longer be hidden is that Trey ain't all that when it comes to thinking quickly outside the box. I thought Carla was a goner for sure with her second failure to fry fish. I was excited that Antonia pulled crab because she has an interesting inventive spark with her style of cooking. Not here, just your basic, over-frilly crabcake. Blaise finally releases his death grip on the liquid nitrogen tank (I think???) and busts out.....fried fish and pulled pork on a bed of grits. This wins the challenge. Not because it's crazy mad New Southern Cuisine or takes the New Orleans culinary world in a new direction....but I suspect because it didn't suck. That's where we appear to be before the next to the last regular episode before the two finale episodes. Not sucking. Doing just enough to get by. Or to get by the person who screws up their dish. What I'm saddest about is wondering what Kevin Gillespie or Bryan Voltaggio would have done with this challenge. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been a big plate of not sucking.

Safety Dance

How cracktackular was that last Elimination Challenge? Quick, everyone raise your hand who, when they heard it was a Team Elimination, spared not one thought how they were going to pick the winner, all you thought about was two smucks for the price of one going home? Yeah, me neither.

Teams of two, cooking a breakfast course, a lunch course and a dinner course. Everyone cooks breakfast BUT if your food is good enough, two teams will be safe from cooking the lunch course. WHAT?? For season after season, time and again the judges reprimanded chefs who played it safe. Now they decide to reward those who play it safe? Still we're finally presented with a challenge that ramps up the pressure each time a team is not called safe and it's a real world challenge. Chefs will be asked to come up with menu ideas if hired by hotel restaurants. Chefs will be working nicely with others to make the customers happy. If you don't make the customers happy, you could be fired.

Yes, Sherry, it could be you.

On a side note, was it just me that wondered if Padma has taken to skinning gators for their meat and the skin?

So the chefs go shopping here...

...where Tiffany says this about her partner Tim...

...which may mean one thing in Dallas however in Dupont Circle...

...it means something else altogether.

Really, that's the Dupont Circle subway station. What??

The judges for this challenge include a rep from the Hilton Hotel, Nora Pouillon, chef and owner of Restaurant Nora and some former contestants.

Always love seeing Bryan Voltaggio. Let's just say he's guest judge enough for me so no need to even introduce (asshat) the rest since their 15 minutes of fame has long since evaporated. Time for breakfast.

Team Creepy ran out of time and missed saucing all their plates and one plate didn't even get a potato cake. Don't think the Hilton will be keeping their resumes close at hand.

The First Round Safe Teams

Sherry and Stephen with their messy plate poached egg plate,

and Tiffany and Tim who made the smart move with Crabcakes Benedict.

There was a whole lotta hollandaise going on with those breakfast dishes.

The rest of the teams now have to absorb the fact that they weren't good enough and will have to hustle lunch.

This looks interesting, a fresh pasta gnudi.

It's during this round where it gets interesting. It's Andrea and Kelly's dish with the white beans. The canned white beans. When asked if they cooked the beans they readily admit they did not because of time and budget.

Tom, of course, doesn't understand not having the time to cook "...a bag of beans?" Normally I'd agree with Tom except...

...I don't know of many dried bean varieties that cook in less than an hour, no matter what sort of soaking method you use. Was he talking about using a pressure cooker? Were the chefs supposed to start their beans during the breakfast service? Is that even allowed under the rules? I hate when he does this shit. Not that using dried beans would have helped keep Andrea and Kelly safe.

Second Round Safe Teams

Team Creepy with the really nice looking scallops and gnudi.

and Angelo and Tamesha with their simple beef carpaccio.

Three teams are left to battle to stay in the game and they are not happy campers.

Teams start to fracture when doubts start to arise about flavors and textures. In the end it comes down to two short rib dishes and one pasta dish. It turns out that Andrea and Kelly's Short Ribs win out over Kenny and Kevin's Short Ribs.

Was it the best dish of the entire challenge, breakfast, lunch, and dinner or just the best against the other two dishes? No one knows but for their efforts Kelly and Andrea win trips to Spain and Italy.

Kenny avoids pulling a Trey when Lynne and Arnold's pasta dish falls flat and they are sent packing.

So good bye to the Lynne and Arnold, who in the end were betrayed by a simple undercooked pasta.

Who's Your Daddy?

Based on the dishes the 3 Finalist Chefs presented during the Season, whose restaurant would you call first to make a reservation?
	Kevin, he rocks me to my Southern Roots
	Bryan, his steady, well done food makes me drool
	Michael, his Picasso-like food amazes me with it's brilliance
pollcode.com free polls

Power

Power is a wonderful thing. As expected, Tom Colicchio's blog 'plains it all for you. Before we dig into the nuts and bolts rattling around inside Tom's head, I just have to point out what incredible freedom Tom has in his little Top Chef world. Not only is he the Head Judge, host and co-Producer, he is the lead historian of what was and is Top Chef. "But Shamu, you had a whole lot of chefs who were the stars of the show, who drove the story line, what about their view of what was?" Tis true, they were there but our little chefs wear a mighty big muzzle. Do you think Kevin believes Tom is the best judge of how pork belly should be cooked? He may believe it but he won't come right out and say Tom is full of Diet Coke. No, the chefs must swallow what ever Tom is serving and what Tom is serving is this.
First Course - Kevin takes a point with his chicken skin dish. Fairly easy judgment.Second Course or the clichéd Mystery Box dish (Don't we watch Top Chef to see something new, not something they've done forever everywhere else?) goes to Michael with his Dashi Glazed Rockfish. Have to take this one on taste faith that it was better. At least to Tom, not necessarily to Gail. Score is one point to Kevin and one point to Michael. Third Course was the Make whatever you want Course. Here's where it gets tricky. Bryan made venison that seemed to get raves, Kevin made pork belly that while his sauce is praised his cut of meat is considered undercooked. Michael gave us squab with mushrooms but both Gail and Donatello did not enjoy the mushroom concoction. What does Tom think? "The faux mushrooms were playful, a bit silly. They didn’t need to be there – why bother, when everything was so fine? That said, though, they didn’t hurt the dish a jot – it was absolutely delicious."  O....K. So a dish that is delicious but has a silly extraneous component is a hallmark of a Top Chef? Score - Michael 2, Kevin 1, Bryan is screwed.Fourth Course - Mandatory Dessert. While the previous judging may have been tricky, the dessert course show Tom's true colors. He claims Bryan won the round, making the score Michael 2, Kevin and Bryan 1 but what he conveniently glosses over is Michael's failure. "Michael’s dessert was really very delicious, even though he overcooked the ganache a bit. He knew he had done so, and that was unfortunate, but it didn’t overly harm the dessert, because the cake was still tasty and the other elements of the dessert worked really well. There were lots of little techniques in there that were used to great effect, and, overall, the dessert still worked." That's all well and good but Michael still failed to watch his sous chef over fill the molds and he didn't set a timer and ended up overcooking the dessert. Wow, seems a bit....(oh what's the word Tom used just last week), scattered to me. So scattered that I bet Jen was shaking her head that her well received, delicious duck dish was eliminated because she cooked it correctly but differently than what she told Tom. Understand that again, Michael made a dish, a dish he admitted he had made often at his restaurant, a dish he committed to memory but failed to EXECUTE! Tom says it was tasty but four people at that table remarked on the dryness. Now if I were judging, I don't think I'd want a Top Chef who failed to execute one of the dishes. As a matter of fact, I'd deduct a point for the failure. Hasn't that been the mantra this season and every season? One mistake and you're gone? Tell that to Tre back in Season 3. But I'm not Tom, who spent all night telling us, yet again, what he would do. Pork belly with roast pork, dessert bananas two ways, it really gets old. Last time I checked, Tom's not competing. I thought he was supposed to be judging the food in front of him. If he really wants to put his money where his big mouth is, I'm sure the producers of Top Chef Masters would welcome Tom as a competitor with open arms. I seriously doubt that will happen because handing over control of your culinary fate to judges not of your own making is not something Mr. Colicchio seems prepared for. Until then, we'll just have to suffer along with Tom Chef.

Cashing in the Chips

The Top Chef producers have been very generous to our kick ass Season 6 chefs. To the tune of $110,000 cash (if you count a $10,000 Macy's gift card). Not to mention a Toyota Prius just for winning the last Quickfire.But what's really interesting is who won the money. There were 7 episodes with High Stakes prizes. Only one chef not in the group of top four chefs won $15,000. Jennifer, Michael V. and Kevin won a combined $95,000 in cash. That's not counting non-cash prizes (like knives, cookware and appliances all of which I think either Kevin and Michael won). Even more fascinating is the fact that one chef won 4 Elimination Challenges, no Quickfires and no cash and only one prize and that lonely reward was to stage with Joël Robuchon in Vegas. That excellent chef is Bryan Voltaggio.Just something to keep in mind as we watch next week's Finale.

Bocuse D'Or, Top Chef Style

August 19th. Remember that night? 14 weeks ago? 104 days? That's how long it's taken to get to the final 4 chefs. 17 chefs whacked down to 4. A lot has happened in that time. Padma got....bangs. Tom probably scored some more product pimpage. Chefs added more tattoos to whatever body space they have left. So hold on my little Top Chef Crack Monkeys, we're almost to the finish line.When we last saw our chefs, Jennifer had just won the Quickfire and our chefs are sweating French bullets, waiting to hear what the Elimination Challenge held in store for them.A mini Bocuse D'Or, that's all. That's right, each chef will choose between lamb or salmon as their protein, use that protein, make 2 intricate garnishes, all perfect in technique and presentation, in four hours. A panel of 12 judges, some who are on the American Advisory Board of the Bocuse D'Or will be judging your food but the real cherry on top of this hot French Sundae? Thomas Keller, of the legendary French Laundry, will be serving as a guest judge. The only way it could get better is to roll the man in duck fat and cover him in bacon. So the stress is definitely on. Will someone blow a gasket and end up throwing SPAM petit fours on the mirror?Isn't that why we watch?

The chefs take one last shopping trip to Whole Foods where they stare at produce for inspiration.Back at the condo, further inspiration is drawn from watching the dvds of past Bocuse D'Ors.Apparently it's a party in the stands at Bocuse. That's the trip Bravo should give away to their Top Chef fans, a trip to France to cheer on the Americans at the next Bocuse D'Or.
Once the dvds are done, there's an interesting exchange between Bryan and Kevin with Kevin asking advice about sous viding his lamb. Now, this is still a competition, and Bryan didn't have to help Kevin out but he did. Does Bryan want to win? Absolutely but not at the cost of "being a prick" in his words. What I like about this attitude is that some of these chefs put the food before the competition. Of course Bryan may have helped Kevin out thinking there's no way he would win this particular challenge. It's not his strong suit. Still the whole exchange was a breath of fresh air.

The next day comes bright and early and the chefs work quietly in the kitchen. Chef Tom brings a guest by to remind the chefs just what is at stake.What's at stake for Michael is apparently the Trash Talking award.I think he's got that all wrapped up. Chef Tom stops by again, this time alone, so he can make funny faces at the chefs.But also to announce that the winner of the Elimination Challenge will get THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!! Who's making funny faces now?Suddenly it's time to start the Parade of Mirrors. Kevin is the first to get a gander at the rest of the judges who include Traci Des Jardin, Jerome Bocuse, Daniel Boulud, Alex Stratta and Tim Hollingsworth in addition to Tom, Padma, Gail and Thomas Keller. No point sweating about it now, your dish is done.

Poached Lamb Loin, Sherry-Glazed Beet & Asparagus in Sunchoke Cream

The judges seem to enjoy his food but Thomas thinks it's a little elementary for Bocuse.

Michael follows Kevin into the high stress arena.

Salmon with Cauliflower Chickpea Tart & Zucchini Tzatziki

While scoring points for being pretty, his flavors take a hit. Even worse, Alex Stratta finds a dreaded fish bone. In real world Bocuse D'Or, Michael would have failed right there. On top of that, his hollowed out cucumber impresses no one for technique or originality. Perhaps Michael should go watch with Kevin cook on his day off.

Back in the kitchen, Bryan finds himself in the weeds with time running out.But Bryan finds his earlier chef camaraderie rewarded by Jennifer who steps up to lend a hand, having won that extra 30 minutes in the Quickfire. Karma baby!

Crusted Lamb Loin, Lamb Shank Crepinette & Orzo Au Gratin

Again, the judges like the look of his platter and food but find the lamb undercooked and the rest of the dish needed just a bit more time.

Sausage Wrapped Lamb Loin, Carrot Puree & Tomato-Piquillo Canape

Eli decides to cut his lamb table side and immediately gets pinged for uneven slices and severely undercooked meat. So undercooked that no one wants to eat the meat. Not a good sign.

Salmon & Caviar, Shrimp Flan & Truffle, Celery Root & Shiitake

Jennifer finishes the group of five with her salmon. Her flavors seem to be well received but the direction of the dish lacked foresight. There's also some salmon servings that were perfect and others that were almost undercooked. Same with her shrimp flan.

The meal ends with accolades for all the chefs for their 12 hour Mini Bocuse D'Ors efforts. Still there's one more surprise. In addition to the money for winning the Elimination, the winner will also snag a spot to compete on the 2011 Bocuse D'Ors team. I don't think you'll be seeing that happen on any of the Food Network Competitive Cooking shows any time soon.
You have to think they are all just numb by the time they reach Judge's Table. Which is a good thing because the first round of comments are all about picking at each of the chef's weaknesses. No one goes unscathed but Tom winds it up by saying how much he respects the chefs and their food by getting to this stage in the competition and completing this challenge. The second round of comments seem to suggest that no one had the perfect dish. The only one coming closest is Kevin and his simplicity seems to be the biggest weakness.However, not enough of a weakness to stop the Juggernaut from taking home another $30,000 and the coveted spot to compete in Lyons.
Now for the Elimination. Frankly the four remaining chefs all looked like they were about to Stress Hurl.It doesn't take long for Padma to call out Eli's name.Can't say I was surprised but I am glad it finally happened. There's not one dish I think of when I think of Eli but I will remember him as someone who saw fit to mock a cancer survivor and I know if it were me that would not be something I'd be proud of.

Time to look ahead to the finale so pack your bags, we're going to Napa.