Is It Better In the Bahamas?

After last week's wonderful food from our five remaining chefs, I had high hopes that they would build on that momentum and step up their culinary game...and I'm not talking about the chefs, I'm talking about the show. It's part one of the Finale, it should be about food, high end, letting the chefs show the best that they can produce. Or at least in my mind that's the way it should be.

Apparently my mind is out there in some unknown hinterland because what we got instead was Induction Cooking Theater. Which is kinda hilarious considering what happens later because one of the selling points of induction cooking is that you won't burn yourself. I would have liked this challenge a whole lot more if all the chefs had real kitchens and equipment to work with.

The Quickfire is simple. The Chefs must cook against the Top Chef winner of their season. That means the winners of Season 4, 5, 6, and 7. Each season gets a different secret ingredient. If the challenger wins, they get $10,000 and if the Top Chef wins, they get the money. Already Richard is salivating to beat Stephanie, the woman who stole his title, because he knows he was the best during his season and this way he can finally prove it. I can only assume then by that logic everyone who won a Quickfire during this season against Richard is the best chef....

Richard fans should probably skip on down...

That means Tiffani, Tre (won $20,000), Mike (won a car), Dale T., Dale T. again (won a trip), Mike again (won $5000) and Carla are all better chefs than Blaise. As a matter of fact, the only Quickfire Richard won on his efforts alone and not as a part of a team was the one Quickfire that wasn't judged on taste, just presentation. I said it before and I'll say it again...Dude, you didn't win your season, you weren't the best, Stephanie was and nothing you can do or say will ever change that. During your season, Stephanie was the first chef to win four Elimination Challenges and be in the top of the Elimination Challenges ten times. Not to mention winning fan favorite. In the category of what people have done lately, it's Izard's Girl and The Goat restaurant that's up for a James Beard 2011 Best New Restaurant. It's also Kevin Gillispie who was nominated for a James Beard Rising Star and Dale Levitski's Sprout up for Best Chef in the Great Lakes region. I don't see Richard's name or his restaurant anywhere on the 2011 nominee's list. Perhaps you should not pin all your hopes and dreams on winning the title of Top Chef. Just ask Ilan Hall how that's worked out for him.

OK rant is over...for now. Back to the Quickfire. Of which the most important question is...

...just how much duck fat did he use in his hair? Perhaps that's why he loses against Mike in Battle Duck.


Hosea apparently has his own ax to grind against the Haters who think he didn't deserve to win in Season 5. We don't hate you Hosea, you just bore the hell out of us. Frankly, even the most ardent Top Chef Crack monkeys have a hard time remembering who you are. Still he finds a $10,000 validation in beating Carla in Battle Lamb which is fine because you can never tear Carla out of our hearts. There she will always reign supreme.


Wow....what a surprise....Team DC has pork at their mystery ingredient. Tiffany who has not won one Quickfire or Elimination challenge finally wins $10,000 for beating Kevin.

Stephanie gets to compete against two chefs and a rack of veal. In a split decision she wins against Antonia but loses against Richard.

The losers? Induction table top units for unreliability. Hope they didn't pay too much for that pimpage.

Next up - Burning Down the House.

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.

Woodfire Grill

Took a little Southern road trip recently and found myself in the capitol of the New South, Atlanta. Atlanta holds many fond memories for me of playing in Fourth of July softball tournaments. Yes, I did say fond despite nearly suffering a heat stroke that comes with playing any outdoor sport in Atlanta in July. Happily the end of September is much less oppressive in the heat and humidity department. I had one dining out night and despite my good friend Chickory's suggestion of Richard Blaise's Flip, my friends and I made reservations at the Woodfire Grill.

Yes, Kevin Gillespie's Woodfire Grill. Kevin's restaurant is the perfect example of The Top Chef Effect. From the background I could dig into, Woodfire was an ok restaurant but not exactly setting Atlanta's culinary scene on fire with it California country menu. Flash forward to the chef owner selling to the group of current owners and add Kevin's huge run of success on season 6 of Top Chef and suddenly you've got a restaurant that's getting decent reviews, full tables and a ton of buzz during an incredibly tumultuous economic downturn. However with that popularity and recognition also comes huge expectations and pressure. Will the food still measure up? Time to find out.

It was a relaxed Wednesday night when we plunked down in our booth. I had driven in from KC the night before while my friend Jenny had flown in from Seattle to visit with her friend Lynn who lives in Atlanta. They had both eaten here before and loved it. But what to get? We could have ordered à la carte or we could go with the 5 or 7 chef's tasting menu with wine selections paired up with each course. However if one of us wanted to do a tasting the whole table had to do the tasting. We chose the 5 course but even better, Woodfire is very attentive to the specific needs of it's diners. We had one guest who is a vegetarian and one who keeps kosher but neither request was a problem for the kitchen, each menu was easily adjusted to each diner's requirements. So the night's grazing begins with drinks and bread.

Jenny's martini, so pretty and made Jenny oh so happy. Yours truly stuck with ice tea, not the sweet tea mind you but regular tea. A basket of rustic, hearty slices of bread soon appeared. It was wonderful bread, with that deep crusty flavor perfect for dipping into soups.

A warning about the night's photos. It was fairly dark inside the restaurant and I have yet to find the right Karmic balance between shooting restaurant photos with flash and not disrupting other diners with my crack monkey antics. So my photos are not as crisp and sharp as I generally like to post for you, my readers. I apologize.

Back to the food.

An amuse bouche of peaches and cheese. A quick delicious little bite taking Georgia's signature crop and pairing it up with a smidgen of goat cheese. Next up for me was the Chinese Long Beans.

Slightly spicy boiled peanuts (another Southern foodstock) on Chinese long beans with a hint of citrus paired up with a smokey sauce. Excellent.

A perfectly cooked scallop on a bed of pesto parsnips and black eyed peas. Cannot remember what the sauce was but a well cooked scallop is a thing of beauty, crispy edges on the outside, tender flavorful flesh on the inside. Heaven.

A shot of celery juice with an apple cider vinegar foam. I love servings like this, something you would never think of pairing on your own but after trying it finding yourself smiling at how good it is.

Ah yes, the man and his muse, the mighty pig. When I look back on my sequence of photographs of the night, there was only one shot of this dish. Because when pork belly is waiting on your plate, you don't make it wait long. I had to restrain myself from gobbling it all down like Oprah on a Krispy Kreme. The cube of pork was seasoned with salt and a hint of pepper, the crust was succulent and the ribbon of meat was smoky and tender. I think I sucked the silver right off the fork. Not to forget the quail...it was tender and juicy but let's face it, the star here is the pork belly. The next course for me was the duck breast. The photo sucked so I'm not posting it and it was the weakest dish of the night in my menu. It was still good but mine was a little tough, tiptoeing ever so slightly into rubbery territory. I'm not sure if it was prepared a la sous vide or if it was roasted. I'm guessing the former. Or it could be that nothing after the pork belly is going to measure up.

Happily the dessert course picked up the slack from the duck offering. A blueberry corncake with blueberry ice cream and a limoncello ganache. The corncake was amazing combination of fresh corn niblets and plump blueberries, letting the corn and the blueberries provide the sweetness as opposed to sugar being the sweet component. Balance that with the tart smooth textured limoncello ganache and you've got some pretty happy campers and a wonderful ending to a wonderful meal.

Did I get to meet the man himself? Sadly no, he was traveling in France, I'm sure learning the ways of the Pig, French style. Still his kitchen more than held up their end of the night with amazing food, prepared with style and flare. If you find yourself in Atlanta, definitely give Woodfire Grill chance to rock your pig loving world.

Tom's Thoughts on Southern Cuisine

No matter who was your favorite chef going into those final moments, you had to feel for Kevin. Here was one of the nicest chefs ever to draw a knife from the Top Chef Knife Block. I don't recall him saying a harsh thing about any of his competitors, like calling their food overly complicated and bombastic. He had fun moments like kicking ass at the horseshoe pit out at the cowboy cookoff. Most of all he stayed true to his upbringing and roots. There was never a doubt how much Kevin loves Southern Cuisine and his passion to leave his imprint on the food he loves so much. Too bad the head judge seems to think that Southern Cuisine is limited to just biscuits and gravy.

Do you wonder what other misconceptions Tom has about Southern Cuisine?

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.