Top Chef Las Vegas News

The two part Top Chef finale has been filmed at the Rutherford Hill and Chimney Rock wineries in Napa Valley. We get to see it starting on Wednesday December 2^nd. In Part One, we follow the final four to Napa and learn who the 3 finalists are. Then we see the final challenge and the naming of the Top Chef on December 9th in Part Two.

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I’m so conflicted about who I want to win. I am pretty clear, though, on who I DON’T want to win. Robin and Eli better have high-tailed it out by then. Jennifer was my early favorite. Sadly, I just don’t think she can pull it off.

Even though I’ve been talking trash about him all season, (I can’t believe I’m saying this) I think Michael will win and I kind of want him to. Why? Last season, particularly, the winner was sooooooooo not the Top Chef of the group and he was so mediocre (Eww) that I guess I’m leaning in the opposite direction of milquetoasty and wishy washy.

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I’m dipping my toes into Twitter. Please say hi, if you tweet. Toby, not always a favorite of mine, is actually quite amusing in 140 character bites. He tweets under the name of Toadmeister, which IS what he looks like, so I guess it’s appropriate. I’m not being mean, that's the name HE picked. Anyway, he tweeted a pretty gorgeous picture of Padma getting ready for the finale. Here it is.

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Other news:

This Wednesday is an “All-Star” reunion of some popular past Top Chef folks. It will be hosted by former foul-mouthed contestant Fabio. That should be fun, especially since there’s no mention of my unfav being there.We’ll see the lovable Carla and, apparently, she meets up with Casey for the first time since Casey stabbed her in the back. But not my Dale, L just this one.

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Nigella makes an appearance on Wednesday, November 11 as a guest judge. The chefs are asked to make breakfast in bed. Ooh! Do they get to serve it to Nigella in her boudoir?

Toby’s Preview Of Top Chef's Restaurant Wars

Toby says the winners of tonight’s Top Chef Restaurant Wars opened a restaurant as good as any he’s ever eaten in. Interesting.

Toby is definitely not as annoying this season and he says in this interview that he’s been taking his job as judge more seriously. I guess that’s why he’s been making fewer nonsensical and pompous pronouncements.

Other tidbits:

Toby only saw the other chefs’ antipathy towards Robin when the shows aired. He thought Eli was unfair to her. He says viewers will be surprised by the winners and the losers this week, as were the contestants at the time. Hmm. Does that mean that the Brothers V will falter? Can’t wait to see.

A Car, A Bike And A Top Chef Judge Don’t Mix

Some folks, including me, didn’t particularly appreciate Toby Young’s stint as a judge on Top Chef, although he did get it right about the final winner. He wanted Stefan – unlikeable, but the more qualified of the final two – and not mamby-pamby Hosea, whose name I actually almost forgot.

Anyway, Toby was riding his bike at 12:30 at night in London and he had a close encounter with a car that left very clear damage on his glabrous pate…otherwise known as his bald head. The driver stayed at the scene and gave Toby his phone number.

Toby posted pictures of the hideous outcome on Twitter. Ugh. And wrote about it on his Bravo blog. Two interesting points – Toby realizes NOW that he should have been wearing a helmet AND the driver gave him a fake phone number. Maybe he was a Hosea fan…

Top Chef Reunion - No Better Than The Actual Season

I suppose that since the Top Chef Reunion Show didn’t have the catfight potential of The Real Housewives or even The Hills, I shouldn’t have been surprised by how tame it was. (Actually, it’s funny how much better behaved the young folks from the Hills are, compared to those crazy housewives. Maybe it's because the youngsters are PLAYING at being grown-ups, while the housewives are supposed to BE grown-ups. Do NOT ask me how I know that.)

Here’s what happened on the Top Chef Reunion show:

Andy introduces the judges including Toby. All the chefs are there. I don’t recognize most of them.

The final four chefs are introduced first. Oh GAWD! Hosea looks like the cat that swallowed the canary. I cannot stand him. Carla looks wild (in a good, cool way).

Andy asks who they think will win fan favorite and several of them say Fabio. Hmmm, sentiment here seems to be for Carla. That’s certainly who I’m rooting for. Leah says she thinks it’s Stefan. Everyone groans and he says, “It’s possible, read the blogs!” YEAH!! You go, Stefan. I KNEW there was a reason I liked him so much at the end.

Tom says he doesn’t believe it is possible.

Andy congratulates Hosea. How does it feel? he asks. “Surreal. I’m still not like really used to the fact, but it feels pretty damn good.” Andy asks who was surprised that he won and only Leah raises her hand. What a bunch of fibbers!

Then we have to see scenes of Hosea’s “journey”. I think I need a feeling-nauseated break about now. Small town boy makes good in big city, doing his best, Blah, blah blah. I sooo don’t like him. He says every time he cooks for someone, it makes a memory for them and that there’s purpose in his work.

I admit if that were Carla talking I would buy it, but HE’S so insecure and whiny that I think he sounds feeble and lily-livered.

Oh, here he goes again with Stefan being his strongest competitor. Get over it. I feel ill. It’s bringing all the disappointment of the final outcome back to me.

Andy asks Tom about the finale. He was a bit ungracious about Carla (who was sitting right THERE). He said they were REALLY SURPRISED by how great her food was in the final episodes and even in the first courses of the finale.

He says they expected Stefan to put out the food he’d been putting out all season and he didn’t.

Well, there you have it…again. Hosea didn’t win it, Stefan LOST IT. Not that Tom put it that way exactly, but that’s certainly my reading. If Stefan’s dessert had been up to par (it looked good to me, though), he would have won, unless, of course, you believe that they really didn’t WANT Stefan to win.

Tom’s biggest praise for Hosea was, “He kept on cooking WELL and put together some nice dishes toward the end.”

He cooked WELL?????? His dishes were NICE?!!! That’s the best you could come up with, Tom? I’m wanting to see Toby, who apparently fought quite hard for Stefan to win, but was outvoted. It’s so clear they have a mediocre winner, that this is making me soooooooooo annoyed.

Oh good, Toby is speaking. Wait a sec, when did I ever want to hear what HE said before? This season may not have been the most scintillating in history, but I certainly changed my position about a number of people along the way.

Toby: “Basically, Hosea had a really good day that day and Carla and Stefan did NOT have great days.” Oh, I also want to hear what Carla says about Casey…

Gail pipes in that it was really close and hard-fought.

Stefan says he’s okay with it, that he prefers that Hosea won, actually. He doesn’t really finish the sentence. I’m guessing it would be something like this: ”I’m happy I didn’t win…because I’m famous now, anyway, and I couldn’t kiss up to and be all smarmy with the sponsors and network execs and every little person that I’m told I have to be nice to.”

They move on to a question about Fabio’s and Stefan’s “love affair”. The viewer that asked that question is as stupid as the host of this show who is delivering it. Obviously, they were two outsiders that stuck together living amidst a bunch of Americans. What’s strange about that?

They show film clips, including Hosea being jealous of their camaraderie. Their close friendship continues with Fabio explaining NEEDLESSLY that they’re not gay...they just have a real friendship. Is this grade school, for heaven's sake?!! AND SO WHAT IF THEY WERE GAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess I shouldn’t have expected THIS show to be any better than the rest of the season.

Toby asks if they hold hands walking down the street. Fabio says, “No, I use a leash.”

After Fabio describes how he broke his finger (he slipped), Andy asks Stefan,”Were you worried about your boyfriend?” I’m not kidding that I find that offensive, because, as I just said, WHO CARES IF FABIO WERE STEFAN’S BOYFRIEND?!! Okay, we get that he’s not, but I’m sooooooooooo tired of these hackneyed stereotypes. Men can be affectionate with men and not be gay and just in case, my point was lost, IF they were gay, I WOULDN’T CARE!

Eww, this isn’t good. Toby says, “It’s Top Chef, not Top Pussy.” I may have to turn this off.

Andy gives Stefan a present of an I Love Fabio t-shirt after referring to him as Stefan’s boyfriend for the second time.

Get off this, will you! I'm actually irritated that Andy, not the most macho of men some might say, is pushing this over and over again.

He moves on to Carla, thank goodness. They show scenes of “Kooky” Carla, reaching out to her spirit guides. I don’t remember her singing. Cute. I like her Hootie Hoo call to her husband when they get lost.

Various cheftestents comment favorably about Carla, including Stefan.

There was a Top Chef Birthday curse. Daniel got eliminated on his birthday. Eugene got eliminated. Radhika is eliminated. Then Leah. That IS kind of unbelievable.

They show a vignette of Jeff’s overdone, many-ingrediented dishes, including Carla saying, “He can’t quiet the creative monkeys.”

Oh, this is good. Tom is asked if culinary students are trained in how to deal with a choking emergency. He tells what happened when he saved Joan Nathan’s life. He recounts it in very few sentences in a very low key way. The chefs applaud.

Tom asks THEM if they’re trained in the Heimlich in culinary school. Not too many of the geniuses even KNOW. WELL, EITHER YOU ARE OR YOU AREN’T, it’s not a trick question. They don’t THINK it’s taught. Food safety is, but apparently not how to deal with someone who’s choking on your (or anyone else’s) food.

Question for Gail:”Is Toby the Simon Cowell of Top Chef?” Toby looks appalled…at the question or just to be there, I’m not sure. She says it’s all in the editing.

They show harsh critiques from the judges with Tom saying that’s part of what being a chef is about. You’re going to criticized. Toby says food critics “get a lot of grief about being too harsh about food.” He claims he wants the chefs to do well and when they don’t, he feels angry. Hmm. Maybe…

Another question: Is simple food the way to win? GOOD food is, Tom says.

They show Hosea and Leah. Ugh! Ick! Don’t care. Don’t wanna hear about it. Fabio: “At least, he got Leah. I got Stefan.”

They won’t stop talking about the scandalous Leah/Hosea kiss. Well, I guess it makes sense since there is NOTHING else to talk to him about. BOOOORRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGGG.

They showed what happened when the chefs were sick and tired of being in the stew room. I liked the volleyball games they played and the bed they made out of glad bags. They showed Leah and Jamie being completely wasted in front of the judges; Ariane being the one that cries the most; Stefan being super-confident.

Oh good, there’s a bit about Stefan and how he loves Jamie. He’s sweet talking about her. He actually is. Padma says “It’s a chef crush.”

Jamie actually says something so ill-mannered and uncivil that it shocked me. After Stefan goes on about how he loves her and Padma says ANYONE admiring you is nice, Jamie says she answered a question in an interview about how even an entire bottle of tequila wouldn’t make her have sex with him. That was unnecessary and more than a little icky.

See? I'm an equal opportunity critic of bad behavior. Just because she's gay doesn't give her the right to be so rude. (YES, I do get that it's rather ironic to criticize someone for being rude to the King of Impoliteness himself.)

Then Andy asks for a show of hands of who thinks Stefan will win fan favorite. No hands at first, but Fabio’s…Then there was a pity hand-raising.

Other things we learned:
The food at Gail’s reception was cooked by Daniel Boulud.
Radhika is still a pill.
They showed Jamie complaining more than I thought she did, but now I don’t like her anyway.
Jeff denies saying that Tom’s food is boring.
Tom is one viewer’s exception for liking bald guys.

And the fan favorite and winner of $10,000 is FABIO! Oh, alright! Carla DID win a great trip and a car. He’s very grateful.

Toby is funny and asks if Stefan is happy that he didn’t win fan favorite as well.

Fabio’s mom is okay, Hosea’s father isn’t, and with that, they end.

There really was nothing else to ask Hosea, because no one really believes he was the most qualified to win the title. Plus, he’s got the excitement factor of a stale bagel.

I must say that this was even more of a waste of time than a regular episode. I would have liked a bit more in-depth stuff about the actual finale (no Casey/Carla update), but, luckily, they didn’t concentrate on the winner too much. But they certainly spent far too much time on the Fabio/Stefan romance issue.

Part Two - Top Chef: One New Haughty English Judge Means Lots Of Eye-Rolling

The Elimination Challenge will include a new judge, restaurant critic Toby Young, from the UK. He’ll be taking over from Gail for the rest of the season. Fabio says he’s a “bad-ass” food critic. The chefs get the night off and will learn about the challenge tomorrow.

They show Leah drinking Diet Dr. Pepper. Eugene talks to his kids on the very visible Sidekick. I like him.

Radhika mentions (again) that she has immunity for the second time. Okay, we get it. She’s made exactly 2 decent dishes the whole time she’s been there. Great…I do like her scarves, though, and the rakish way she wears them around her neck. Melissa is wearing oversized hot pink sunglasses, which wouldn’t be so strange except that she’s INSIDE.

The hunky Tom comes in. I’m relieved he shaved that mess off his chin. Oh wait, he didn’t, it’s still there. He pulls up a chair (stool?) and tells them the judges will be judging the food without knowing who cooked what. I like that. AND they can cook anything they want to best show off their skills.

They’ll also be feeding a bunch of foodies and critics. Okay, now this is a good idea. They can really strut their stuff. They have to cook a family style meal and two chefs this time are going home, since no one went home last time.

Radhika is happy to have immunity this week. She chose to cook with group A. I am unsure if they’re cooking in teams or not. Do they each make only one dish or are they making an entire dinner?

And do they have 100 dollars EACH? Eugene says they have to make a dish for 12 people. It doesn’t seem like they are coordinating at all, so I guess it’s each to his/her own this week.

Fabio is rolling out fresh pasta and making lamb sous vide. Didn’t someone do that last season and the food wasn’t cooked?

Group B goes to Whole Foods. Carla “slows it down” to hear the love. Huh?

Jamie is cooking scallops…again. Oh good, this is where Fabio says “This is Top Chef, not Top Scallops.” Funny. Eugene says he’s top dog at being original. Agreed. Hosea says Melissa is making really safe food.

Fabio says the lamb is undercooked. WHAT DID I JUST SAY?????

Before they go to break, we see a preview of Carla saying “THIS is the new judge? You have GOT to be kidding me? Gaaaaaaiii-lllllll!!!! She screams in her over the top, really humorous way. I don’t think her food has been the best, but I'm liking Carla more and more. She would make a great television host, I think, and then she could show us the love without being frazzled by the cooking.

The other chefs are mocking Fabio,”the Italian stallion”, for making pasta. Well, if the lamb is undercooked, the pasta better be exceptional.

The judges come in and sit at a half empty table. The second group comes in to cook and they’re told to sit at the table. THEY will be the other half of the tasters. What a great twist.

Padma introduces them to Toby. He looks like a pompous Englishman. When group A comes out, they laugh to see their fellow contestants sitting there as judges. Hosea doesn’t like it one bit. He thinks they will rip apart their food, so THEIR food comes off better. Possibly true. They get to watch the judging on a monitor back in the kitchen.

Stefan, at the table, says he can’t even eat Radhika’s dish of Curried Crab Bisque with a Lemon Scented Crab Salad. She looks appalled. Other opinions - Tom:” too heavy handed”. Toby calls it a weapon of mass destruction and warns the others to stand well back. Carla, at the table, is laughing (or crying) into her napkin. That’s where the Gaaaaiiiiiillllll! remark comes in. Tom says he didn’t follow Toby at all!

Hosea
Bacon-Wrapped Halibut with Roasted Vegetables in a Beurre Blanc Sauce

Carla: the vegetables were fantastic. J-C: Behind this dish is a person who doesn’t know how to say no. At least, I think that’s what he said. His English is, how you say? not perfect.

Toby goes off again. This reminded him of a Hollywood movie in which classically trained British actors have been cast in character roles. Jeff looks confused and exhausted. Oh, I guess the point is that the two leads (in the hypothetical movie that Toby is blathering on about) were upstaged by the supporting cast, which means that he liked the vegetables and not the fish. Leah and Carla do NOT look amused. Is he going to turn out to be another bad idea of a British import?

Oy, I’ve figured out his shtick. Everything is a longwinded comparison or analogy or story about something. It’s kind of annoying.

Jamie
Seared Scallops (for the millionth time) with Fennel, Garlic, Oranges and Olives

Jeff said his was cooked well. Toby: The ingredients were well chosen. The fennel and scallops complemented each other very well. J-C: Well done.

Fabio
Rack of Lamb with Cheese Ravioli and Mushroom Sauce
I think the lamb with the ravioli is a weird combination.

Remember that the judges don’t know whose dish they are tasting. Stefan: Undercooked. Little bit of seasoning missing. Ariane agrees that the lamb was definitely undercooked. J-C says the pasta was very well-done. The cheese makes it superb, he says, and the mushroom sauce is absolutely perfect. Without the lamb, it’s a perfect dish, he continues.

Eugene
Crispy Red Snapper with Tomato, Basil and Daikon Fettucine
I hope they don’t think it’s too weird.
Jeff says the dish is beautiful. Stefan says where he comes from radishes are cold, not hot. Well then, go back there. Toby: The fish is overcooked. The whole dish was underseasoned. It was the bland leading the bland.

Eugene is going home, definitely.

This is not quite fair, because the other team sees how Toby is and, now, knows to season everything very well, which admittedly the first team should have known anyway.

Melissa
Ahi Tuna Crudo Tacos
Say no more, I think Melissa is the second one going home. She could cook ANYTHING and THIS is what she chose? Her only garnish was a quartered slice of lime. Leah is unimpressed. Ariane couldn’t overcome that fishy taste. But MY question is how does Melissa get her bangs like that and how can she can see?

Padma asks Toby, what does this dish tell you about the chef? That she likes to wear lilac capris. Just testing to see if you were still with me. He says it tells me that he or she isn’t terribly confident. BINGO. This guy’s got game. Then he adds that it tastes a bit like cat food.

The second team goes into the kitchen. There’s Jeff bragging about making 3 small plates and a lot of stuff from scratch. Wait, WHAT does that say on the screen? WHERE is he the chef? The WHAT Beach Club? Oh, the DILIDO…Beach Club. That’s not what I thought it said…

Stefan remarks that he was born in the Czech Republic. He seems to come from all sorts of different places, when it’s convenient.

The chefs pointlessly all walk out into the dining room just to be told that it’s a blind tasting and they have to turn around and go back into the kitchen. What was the point of that? They watch the monitor.

Stefan
Roasted Duck and Braised Cabbage with Bread Dumplings
Radhika goes right for it and says the duck was cooked well, but the dumplings were a little dense. Stefan says she knows that’s his dish. Fabio says if you taste everything together, the dish works. Tom: I LIKED the dish. There’s SO much flavor in that cabbage. I think it’s great. Stefan explodes with happiness in the kitchen.

Jeff
Trio Tapas: Oysters, Seared Tuna, Avocado Sorbet and Grilled Peaches
Eugene says the creativity and the idea was there, but he thought there was too much happening on the plate. Jean-Christophe: I make avocado sorbet and it’s never been as good as this one. Tom: I don’t like this at all! It’s not a dish. It’s a bunch of hors d’oeuvres. Toby: For me, this was the standout of the five.

Wow! There is certainly some divergence of opinion. Toby says the avocado sorbet was like….here we go again….Tom Cruise’s cameo in Tropic Thunder…an unexpected treat. This guy could get tiresome. Tom: I don’t see it.

Ariane
Skate Wing with Pineapple and Cauliflower Purée
Melissa thinks the cauliflower purée went well with the fish. Jean-C: I think the skate is cooked perfectly. The pineapple introduction is very, very original. That was fabulous.

Leah
Seared Rouget Encrusted in Bread with Fried Beans in Chorizo Sauce
Jamie thinks the fried beans were greasy. Toby disagrees and says, as an Englishman, he’s a fan of fried food and he liked the dish.

Carla
Seared Scallops on top of Risotto with Gremolata Topping
Hosea loves the scallops themselves, not the topping. Jamie says the gremolata tasted bitter. Tom says he likes gremolata, but not with raw garlic. I think he must have meant not with THAT MUCH raw garlic, since gremolata is lemon zest and parsley with garlic (raw).

Padma excuses them.

Tom likes the second group better. J-C too.

The chefs assemble. Melissa is worried that she’s going home. Finally, she shows some insight.

Padma calls them in by the dishes they cooked. Ariane, Jamie and Stefan go in. They finished on top tonight.

Toby likes the fact that Stefan’s dish was undeniably German. Toby is rather full of himself. J-C says Jamie’s dish was so refined. Oh good, he’s added some words to his vocabulary, so please could we have the camera stay on him a bit more? Tom likes Ariane’s cooked pineapple. J-C believes strongly she’s done a great dish. J-C gets to announce the winner: Jamie…”Finally,” she says. So where’s her extra prize? There is none. Gyp.

The next chefs to be sent in are Melissa, Eugene and Carla. I think Carla will be there next week. Bye bye Bad Boy and Bad Bangs.

Carla explains that she tried to make the risotto vegetarian and then just added the scallops afterwards. She wasn’t surprised she was up before the judges. Tom said risotto isn’t a garnish, it’s a dish. J-C inquired into her motives. She gave a decent explanation.

Melissa said she really enjoyed the challenge and that she liked hearing her food critiqued. Tom said it was a failure of imagination. Very watery, bland, very overdressed. Toby said it smelled bad. She is so out of there.

Eugene says he does risky things. Tom kinda argues with him. J-C says the fish was overcooked. Toby said it lacked punch. Eugene doesn’t do much for himself in his final plea to the judges. Ditto for Melissa. Carla is cogent. Padma looks ill. Toby likes Eugene. Surprising.

Tom is sad that Eugene’s fish “lost its life” and then ended up in such a bad dish. Who knew he was such an animal lover? Tom says Melissa showed them who she was in her dish. Toby said that’s why she should go. Good one.

I can see Melissa cooking in Colorado or some hippy type place and sitting down with customers being all friendly and easy going, NOT in some high powered, snotty, upscale restaurant kitchen where millions of different interests are preying on her time and energies. She looks like the chilling-out kind of chef.

They leave to let the judges deliberate. They’re back. Toby has the glowering thing down pat. Tom says Eugene is wildly creative, but his skill level needs to catch up to his creativity. Melissa has shown a lack of imagination and Carla over-thought a dish that could have been really good. Melissa – GONE!!! Eugene – GONE!!!

Melissa cries that people that don’t know her don’t know how creative she can be. Eugene is fine. He has no regrets. I do. I wish he could have shown the judges the potential that I saw. C’est la guerre. C’est la compétition.